Of the syngle lyfe of Priestes.

POpe Calixte the first made a decree that so many as would bee made priests,* should abstayne from ma∣riage. In the yere, &c 217. dist. 62. Cap. presbyteris. Ioannes. Stella. Phillip. Bergom.

Pope Siricius the first forbadde not onelye the priestes, but also the Dea∣cons to marry.* In the yere. &c. 337. lib. Concil. Polyd.

Pope Pelagius the second did not only prohibite priests and Deacons to mar∣ry, but also the Subdeacons. In y^e yere &c. 580. Chron. lib. Con. Poly.

Page  [unnumbered]Pope Gregory y^e i. bicause he thought it to much violence,* cruelty and tiran∣ny, to diuorce such as came vnto y^e mi∣nistery maried, from their wiues, or∣dayned that from his tyme, none shuld be Subdeacon, vnlesse he vowed cha∣stitie before. In the yeare of our Lord. 590. Chroni. Concil. Poli.

Notwithstandyng the lawes afore made tooke no effect among the prie∣stes,* vntill the tyme of Gregorye the Seuenth, whiche was the yere of oure Lorde. 174.

This Gregory the Seuenth in a cere¦tayne councell made a decree that from that tyme forwarde, it should no more be lawfull for priestes to marrye:* and agayne, that such as were married al∣readye shoulde bee diuorced from their wyues. and if they woulde not forsake theyr wyues, they shoulde be depriued from their ministery,* and also from ec∣clesiasticall promotiōs, so that it shuld not be lawful for a christen mā to take them for spirituall ministers, or to bee present at their ministratiō, by the rea, son of their continuaunce in mariage• when notwithstandyng our Sauiour-Christ Page  33 sayeth:* That God hath coupled and ioyned together: let no man sepa∣rate and put a sunder.* And the holy A∣postle sayeth: To auoyde fornication, let euery man haue his own wife, and euery womā her own husband. Again, Wedlocke is honourable among all men,* & the bed vndefiled. But whore∣mongers & adulterers God shal iudge. Of thys decree followed many & great inconueniences.* For y^e priestes by this meanes abstayning from lawfull ma∣trimonye, abstayned not frō vnlawfull whoredome, & from other leude partes of most detestable vncleannesse, but de∣filed themselues with al kinde of abho∣minable liuing, vnto the vtter defacing both of themselues and of theyr mini∣stery, in so muche y^t the aforesayd pope was compelled to make a decree, that no man should heare the masse of any whoremōger priest: supposyng by this meanes to fraye away the priestes frō their whoring,* which notwithstāding from that time vnto this houre again, hath growen vp vnto such an hight in the kingdome of the pope, that among the verye Turkes, Iewes, Sarazens, Page  [unnumbered] and suche other miscreantes, the lyke fornication, whoredome, adultery, in∣cest, sodomitrye and all wicked kynde of most detestable dissolution of leude life not to be founde, as is at this pre∣sent proued to be exercised of y^e vnchast generatiō of the popish wiuelesse prie∣stes, vnto the great infamye and slaun∣der of the christen profession.

Pope Innocent the second in y^e coun∣cell Remense made a decree also, y^e Sub∣deacons shoulde liue continentlye and without wiues. In the yeare, &c. 1131. Dist. 18. Cap. Decreuimus. Ioan. Laziard. He ordayned also, that not only Sub∣deacons, but also Deacons and prie∣stes shoulde professe chastitye and liue wiuelesse vnder payne of depriuation of theyr benefyces and all other eccle∣siasticall promotion.*Chron. Lib. Concil. Ioan. Stella.

Pope Vrban the seconde lykewyse made a lawe, that if any man, after he was made Deacon, dyd marrye: the same shoulde be depriued of all hys be∣nefices, and all other spirituall digni∣tyes. In the yeare, &c. 186, Disti. 32. Cap. Eos qui. Ioan. Phil. Bergom.

Page  34Pope Theodore bearyng rule in the tyme of the Emperoure Constantine the fourthe,* a councell was gathered, in whiche it was decreed that the prie∣stes of the Grece and of y^e Easte church shoulde be at libertye to marrye, and to haue theyr owne lawfull wiues, by∣cause of the greate heate that is in the countrey: but to the priests of y^e West partes maryage was vtterlye denyed, as vnto persons,* which dwel in a much colder countrey, & therfore lesse nede∣full of maryage. In the yeare, &c. 936. Chron. Ang.

Pope Paschalis the seconde bearing rule Anselme Archbyshop of Cantor∣bury in the second yeare of the reygne of Kyng Henry the fyrst,* Kyng of Eng∣lande, whiche was in the yeare of oure Lorde. 106. gathered together at Lon∣don a Satanicall swarme of shame∣lesse shauelynges and condemned the honest and Godly maryage of priestes, forbidding al spiritual ministers from henceforth to kepe y^e company of their lawfull wiues,* or after that tyme to haue any thing to do with matrimony but to liue a syngle and wiuelesse lyfe. Page  [unnumbered] The diuelish decree of that Antichristi∣an Archebishop, made of many Godly maryed priests, such a mōstruous mul∣titude of vyle stinking, and abhomina∣ble Sodomites, y^t the aforesaid Anselme was compelled to make a decree also a∣gainst those Sodomites, cōmaunding that al Sodomitical priestes should o∣penly be accursed in the churches eue∣ry sonday throughout the yeare. And afterward suche great inconueniences grewe of the publishyng of this moste detestable sinne of Sodomitrye (for by this meanes it began to be knowen & to be practised not only among y^e cler∣gye, but also among the Laitie) that he was compelled to reuoke & cal backe a∣gayne this his wicked decree of publi∣cation, and from henceforth no more openly to accurse those Sodomiticall monstures. Lib. Concil.

Pope Honorius the seconde willyng perfectly to stablysh that wicked decree of the single life of priestes begonne by that Antichrist Anselme in England,* sent a certayne carnall Cardinall cal∣led Ioannes Cremonensis into this realm, whiche called together here at Londō Page  35 also a great councel at the which were present two Archebyshops, xxiiii. By∣shops, and fortie Abbotes, besydes an innumerable multitude of the clergie. In thys councell, besides other things he most greuously inueyed agaynst the maryage of priestes: and among other his words he sayd: that it was a sham∣full matter, and an excedyng great ab∣homination for a priest to rise from an whores syde (for so he called the priests lawfull wiues) and immediatly to goe and make Gods bodye. But notwith∣standing God willing to shewe,* what chaste and continent fathers these ad∣uersaries and forbidders of priests ma∣trimonye are, the aforesayd Cardinall euen the very same day wherin he had not only condemned the moste Godly and lawfull mariage of priests,* but al∣so deuoutlye song masse, was taken w^t an whore in his bed the next nyghte following and so with shame enough tooke hym to hys feete, and with all haste fledde awaye to Rome vnto hys holy father, not so muche as once byd∣dyng hys frendes here in Englande farewel. A frute worthy such a chastity Page  [unnumbered] It was not vnaptly answered of King Rychard the fyrst, to a certayne prieste called Fulco,* which sayd to the King on thys wyse: King to thee I saye in the name of god almighty, that thou mar∣rye sone thy three euyl doughters, least some worse happe thee befal. Thou ly∣est hipocrite, quod the King: for daugh∣ter haue I none. Yes sayd the prieste: Thou hast pryde, couetousnesse and le∣cherye. Thē aunswered the Kyng: My pride I geue to the templares and hos∣pitalers: my couetousnesse, to y^e white monks, and my lechery to the prelates of the church. In the yeare of our Lord 1124. Ranulp. Cestrensis. Poly. in hist. Ang. Chroni.