A defence of priestes mariages stablysshed by the imperiall lawes of the realme of Englande, agaynst a ciuilian, namyng hym selfe Thomas Martin doctour of the ciuile lawes, goyng about to disproue the saide mariages, lawfull by the eternall worde of God, [and] by the hygh court of parliament, only forbydden by forayne lawes and canons of the Pope, coloured with the visour of the Churche. Whiche lawes [and] canons, were extynguyshed by the sayde parliament ...

¶ A preface to the reader.

WHere by chaunce came into my handes of late, a booke sent from beyonde the sea, wherein was highly magni∣fied a treatise written by one Thomas Martin, doctour of the Ciuile lawe, and there muche labour bestowed to disproue the lawfull matrimonies of Ecclesia∣sticall Ministers: There came to my remem∣braunce a certayne wrytyng, beyng in my custodie, gathered together, and written, in the raigne of Kyng Philip & Queene Marie, wher∣in, much of the treatise of this Ciuilian is repro∣ued. Which said booke, was written by a learned man of that tyme, who shortly after dyed, mea∣nyng, yf God had lent hym longer lyfe, to haue confuted more of the sandye groundes & princi∣ples of the sayde Ciuilian. And thynkyng it at these dayes not vnprofitable to be read for this controuersie, I committed it to the Printer, praying thee (good reader) to beare with the ma∣ner of the wrytyng in some partes therof, beyng more meryly penned, then some graue wryter would peraduēture alowe of. In which fourme of wrytyng, somewhat he foloweth, as he sayth hym selfe, thexample of Sir Thomas Moore knyght, in his booke of Dialogues for purgato∣rie. This wryter, abstaynyng yet from vnchaste tales, such as be in his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 booke ouer∣much insparsed, and partly being in aduersitie, gaue himself to some solace to refreshe his minde

with, & yet vsyng fewer insultations & reprofes, then the vnworthinesse of y^e said Ciuilian, by his vnreasonable chalenge myght haue moued him to. Now, because I wold nether adde to another mans writing, neither diminishe y^e same, I haue presēted vnto thee (good reader) the whole booke as it is: affirmyng this, that thou shalt finde all his allegations truely aduouched by the writers that he doth name, assuring thee also (persuaded by the nature of the man, whom I haue hearde wel reported) that no malice or corrupt indigna∣tion moued hym to write as he doth, but pure zeale to the trueth of Gods most holy worde: to their instruction who woulde be taught in this trueth: to the amendement of his aduersarie in his manifest vntruethes: to the comfort of thē who loue God and his veritie: and to admonishe all such, as be eyther wylfully ignoraunt or ma∣licious, well to expende this cause, whiche is of God and of his Gospell: and also depely to consi∣der, with what plagues almightie God reuēged the contempt of his holy institutiō in y^e foresaid raigne, to much apparaunt, & in to much freshe remembraūce to be denied. The discourse wher∣of, as it were worthy, yf any indifferent learned man should take in hand to set out in storie, with the circumstaunces thereof, it woulde ryse to a houge volume, to the wonder of the godly & wise heades of other countreys, to see what we felt in these dayes here in the Realme: but it is not like that the notabilitie therof wylbe forgotten to be transmitted to our posteritie hereafter in wri∣tyng. Surely, the briefe remembraūce of things

chaunced, may appeare lamentable to be consi∣dered: as what immoderate raynes & tempestes raged in one yere, what intollerable heate and drowghtes in another yere, what penurie & scar∣sitie of corne and vittaile, what hunger & famine therof folowed, what sickenesse, what agues, what strange mortalities reigned & raged, wher∣with the eldest and grauest personages of all de∣grees and conditions, were in great numbers wasted and consumed, what misfortunes com∣monly fell to women with chylde in their dely∣uery, what fyers chaunced, farre aboue the wont of other yeres of princes raignes, in many pla∣ces wastyng whole vyllages, townes, and chur∣ches. Agayne, what crueltie was seene executed by fyeryng olde men and women, young men, & maydes, without choyse, whether the women were with chylde, or free from chyldren. What proscriptions and banishmentes of learned men out of the Realme, and suche as taryed within the Realme, howe they were dryuen to corners, spoyled, and impoueryshed, and such as could be gotten, shamed openly by vyle penancies and shameful recantations. And furthermore, what rapes and vyllanyes committed, aboue the com∣mon practised disorder, by straungers and forey∣ners, what impunities wonne and purchased to the vnchaste generation, to recourse agayne to their olde trade of lewde lyuyng▪ after they had confounded the priestes chast matrimonies, so stablyshed and aucthorised by the hygh lawes of the Realme. Then at the last, what dishonor and losse the Realme suffered, by losyng that

notable borderer Calyce, aforetymes so vali∣auntly wonne and gotten by king Edwarde the thirde, and to these vnfortunate dayes (of resu∣myng the great aduersarie of all christian Real∣mes the Pope of Rome agayne) politiquely and chargeably maynteyned and defended in good & sure possession, to the comforte of the whole Realme, to the terrour of all our forayne ene∣mies. I say, to consider all these particularities as they myght deserue, to be set out at lengthe, what Englishe heart coulde forbeare teares, and not inwardlye sygh and lament the miserie? Which heauy infelicities, the Englyshe chyldren yet vnborne shall wepe at, and wayle, to consi∣der the same. If these be not seuere tokens and proffes of Gods heauie displeasure toward Eng∣lande, for so vylely despising his worde, his light, his religion, his sacramentes, his institutions: what can be shewes of his wrath and indignati∣on? If open contempt of true matrimonie were not throughly punyshed and plagued in some certayne maryages, whiche then were so glory∣ously begun, so gorgiously set out and aduaun∣ced, so greatly reioyced at, and such wonderfull fruite certaynely loked for: and in conclusion howe it succeded, how it ended, what it brought foorth: Here I ceasse, and leaue it vntouched. But let God be honoured, who hath all power in his hande. Let his worde and religion be re∣uerenced, who is in a gelousie thereof. Let his institutions be regarded, the contempt whereof he wyll surely plague in them all, whatsoeuer they be, which despyse them, as all ages and

tymes, all landes & dominions, haue euer felt, and shall feele the same, from the first destructi∣on of Sodome and Gomorrha, vntyll the laste day of Gods feareful iudgement, when the sonne of man shall sende his Angels to gather out of his kyngdome all slaunders and offendicles: and those which commit iniquitie, he shall sende into the hotte burnyng fyre, there shalbe waylyng and gnashyng of teeth: where the ryghteous shall then shyne as the sunne, in the king∣dome of their father.

* 1.1He that hath eares to heare, let him heare, saith our sauiour Christe in his se∣rious warnyng: To whom, with the father and the holy ghost, all kyng∣dome, power, and glory, be ge∣uen for euer. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Math. xiii.