The apologye of syr Thomas More knyght

The .xv. chapyter.

WHyche dyuysyon hath ben so vny∣uersall, that it hath ben a great vn¦quyetnes and a great breche of cha¦ryte through all the realme: and pa••te of y•• hath rysen by reason of a great syngularyte, that relygyous person•• and pre••••es haue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to theyr siate of lyuyng, wherby many of thē haue thought theyr state mo••••e perfyte before all other. ••nd some of them haue therby e••alted theym selfe in theyre owne syghte so hyghe, that they haue rysen into suche a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 pryde, that they haue in maner disdayned and despysed other, that haue not lyued in suche perfeccyon, as they thynke they do. And of thys hath folowed, that some of theym haue hadde vnsyttynge wordes of the other, callynge them flatterers, dy••••••¦mulers, and hypocrytes: And they haue called the other agayne proude persons, couetous, vayne gloryo••se, and louers of wordely delytes, and suche other.

Of some partyculare va∣ryaunce among dyuerse per∣sons of the clergy haue I dy∣uerse tymes herde / as some∣tyme one person agaynste an other for hys tythes / or a per∣son agaynste a relygyouse place for medelynge wythin hys parysshe / or one place of relygyon wyth another vpon some suche lyke occasyon / or somtyme some one relygyon haue had some questyon and dysputed as it were a pro∣bleme, vppon thantyquyte or senyoryte of theyr ••••stytuciō, as by whyche the carmelytes clayme to fetche theyr orygy∣nall from Helias & Helizeus. And some questiō hath arysē in y^• order of saynt Francisce, bytwene the obseruauntes &

conuētuallys. For as for the thyrde cōpany that is to wyt the cole••ams, there are in this realme none. But yet of all these maters was there neuer as farre as I rede or remem∣ber, in thys realme eyther so very great or so many suche thynges all in hand at onys, that ••uer it was at the tyme noted thorow the realme and spoken of for a great notable fawte of the hole clergy. And as for y^• faw••es of some party culare partys eyther persons or placys, is nothynge that oughte of reason be rekened for the cause of thys diuysyō, and of thys dyspleasure and grudge of the temporaltye 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the clergye / no more than many mo varyaunces

growynge dayly in dyuerse tymes and places, wyth vn∣lawfull assembles and greate ryottes also▪ cause the clergye to grudge agaynste the tem∣poralty. And as it is not rea∣son that it so were / so that it is not in dede maye well be perceyued by thys. For yf it were / then must thys grudge of ours agaynste them haue ben a very olde thyng / where as it is in dede neyther so great as this man maketh it, and growen to so great as it is, but euyn of late syn••e Tin¦dals bokes and Frythes and frere Barons beganne to go abrode. And yet all though that it appereth well in hys wordes afterward, that those varyaūces canbe no parte or

cause of this diuisyon wherof he maketh his boke: yet hath it delyted eyther hym selfe or some sotle shrewes y^• so haue sette hym a wurke to brynge them in to▪ of a good mynde & a fauorable, to lay these faw∣tes to y^• clergyes face, bysyde the mater of thys dyuysyon that he taketh in hande to treate of.

Now the remanaūt (wherby somwhat appere thalso, that by the encreace of his oracyō, wyth puttynge in the ende, and that is yet more to be lamented also bytwene prefies and prefies, he ment to put for the more lamenta∣ble strife, that variaūce which falleth bytwene seculare pre∣stes, then that that falleth by∣twene those that bysyde theyr

order of prestehed, haue by theyr holy vowys entred into relygyon) he handeleth here in suche wyse that he fyrst re∣procheth bothe the partys of greate syngularyte, whyche bothe relygyouse persones & also prestys haue had to theyr statys of lyuynge / by whyche wordes he sheweth, that eche of them contende wyth other vpon the perfeccyon of theyr two states whyther sholde haue preemynence, these pre∣stes that are seculare or those that are relygyouse / & whych of the bothe hym selfe taketh for the chyef appereth, by the pytuouse encrease & growing of hys lamentable oracyon.

Then rebuketh he of y^• rely¦gyouse, some that haue appa¦raunce

to be the moste perfyte and beste / and sayth, that thorow the great syngularyte that they haue to theyr state of lyuynge, they haue exalted them selfe in theyr owne syght so hyghe, that th••y ha••e rysen into suche a go••iely pryde, that they haue in maner dysdayned and despysed other, that haue not lyued in suche pe••feccyon, as they thynke they do.

This is a great thyng spo¦ken by gesse, bycause among many good vertuouse folke, there may fall some by the de∣uyls meanes into some great gostely pryde, as Lucyfer dyd in y^• good cōpany of angelles. But thys chaunce of suche chaunge is so olde, that these wordes wyll nothynge serue his lamentable begynnynge / whyche standeth ye wote well in lamentynge the chaunge from the old vertues of times

passed, into the new vyces of this tyme presēt. And this vy∣ce is very old, & reygned most when relygyouse folke lyued beste. And veryly the clergye is not all thynge so euyll as he maketh yt, yf y^• relygyouse folke lyue nowe so holyly, as the temporalty may note that thorow perfytnes of lyuyng, the deuyll brynge so many to suche an hygh spyce of pryde.

But then goth he sorth and setteth thē to chyde to gether. How be it his wordes be so cō¦founded wyth they and them and other / and in the two ver¦sys of theyr chydyng his wor∣des be so vnsewtely sorted, that I cā not perceyue which of the t••o partes calleth whi∣che nor who calleth whome,

by those names that he sayth the ••one sorte calleth y^• tother / nor hym selfe I suppose ney∣ther, as the thynge that he ne¦uer knew for trew, but thyn∣keth he may boldely tell eue∣ry thynge for trewe, that any man perceyueth possyble.