A counterblast to M. Hornes vayne blaste against M. Fekenham Wherein is set forthe: a ful reply to M. Hornes Answer, and to euery part therof made, against the declaration of my L. Abbat of Westminster, M. Fekenham, touching, the Othe of the Supremacy. By perusing vvhereof shall appeare, besides the holy Scriptures, as it vvere a chronicle of the continual practise of Christes Churche in al ages and countries, fro[m] the time of Constantin the Great, vntil our daies: prouing the popes and bishops supremacy in ecclesiastical causes: and disprouing the princes supremacy in the same causes. By Thomas Stapleton student in diuinitie.

M Horne. The .135. Diuision. pag 81. b.

In Fraunce king Charles (.443.) denied the Pope the tenthes of his Cler∣gie. But Philip de Valois that follovved, reformed and tooke avvay many late vpstart Ecclesiasticall abuses in the Clergy, and Prelates in his Realme: of the vvhich, diuerse complaints being made vnto the kinge, he ca••led a coū∣cel at Paris, and summoned thither the bishops, as appeareth by his letters vvherein he complaineth, that they haue enchroched from him and his officers a great many of rightes: bringing in their nouelties not due, and vnwonted grieues vnder the p••etence of Eccle∣siastical causes: whereby they haue broken the concorde of the Clergy and the Laity, and therfore willing to prouide so much as he can by Goddes help, an healthful remedy: He requireth, and neuerthelesse commaundeth them to appeare before him at Parys personally. &c. The Prelates appearing at the day as∣signed, before the kinge in his Palayce, Archebisshoppes, Bis∣shoppes, and making reuerence to the kinges maiestie, being set down with his councel, and certein Barons assisting him, a certeine knight of the kinges councell, spake publykely for the kinge in the presence of them al, taking for his theme this texte. Geue that vnto Caesar that belongeth to Caesar, and that vnto God that is due vnto God. &c.

The kinges admonition being made, a great many complaintes vvere put vp vnto the king by his nobles and officers, againste the Clergies vsurpation, in medling vvith contractes of mariages, in their priuileges of ••lerkes: In citations to their Courtes, in their excommunications, in vvilles, and hereditamentes, in calling of prouinciall councells, in making synodall De∣crees, ād statutes, in medling vvith realties, in perēptory vvrites, in examina∣tions

of mens beleues, in enioyning of money penaunces, In shauing of childrē, and vnlauful persons making them Clerkes, in vvhoordome and fornication, in vvyddovves goodes, in bloudshead in the Churcheyarde, in inuentories, &c. and in a great many mo matters, vvhich ye call Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall causes: the Frenche kinge prouing (.444.) them to be (as in deede they vvere no other) but temporall: neuerthelesse not standinge much about the name, nor taking them al avvay, from their iurisdiction, he onely saied, he vvould reforme them. Neuerthelesse, for certeine daies there vvas much di∣sputing to and f••o, whether they belonged to the kinge to re∣forme or no, till the king by his foresaid procuratour gaue thē the kinges determinat aunswere, declaring vnto them, howe that they ought not to be troubled, bicause the kinges intentiō was, to keepe those rightes and customes of the Churche, and Prelates which were good ād resonable, but by reason of their faults, the iudgement which were good and reasonable, ap∣perteined not vnto them to determine, but to the kīg. Bicause the Decree, Nouit &c. saieth, that the kinge of Fraunce in mat∣ters de Facto, hath not his superiour &c. VVhereuppon hee cō∣cluded, that the kinge woulde heare all the informatiōs: And those Customes of the whiche he should be fully enfourmed, that they were good and reasonable, he woulde make only to bee obserued.

In (.445.) cōclusiō the Prelats made such importune labour, that the for∣said attourney aūswered thē for the kinge, that if the Prelates thē selues would amende those thinges, that were to be amended and corrected, the king would abide till the feaste of the Na∣tiuity next to come: within the saide terme, he woulde inno∣uate nothing: but if within the sayde terme, the Prelates had not amended those thinges that were to be amended and cor∣rected, that then the king would put to such ••emedy, as shuld be acceptable to God and the people. VVhich in conclusion the kinge vvas faine to do, by a sharpe and seuere (.446.) Lavv, vvhan he savve hovv the Prelate•• dallied him of, vvith faire vvordes, and (.447.) therefore he him selfe, Composuit rem sacerdotum, did set in order the mat∣ters of the Priestes.

Notes

• The .443. vntruth. He graū∣ted them. Pet. Ber∣tran.
• Aemylius.
• The .444. vntruth. For the Frenche kinge ne sayed ne proued no such matter.
• The .445. vntruth. For this vvas not the Cōclu¦siō, as shal appeare. Aemylius
• The .446 vntruth. P. Aemy∣lius men∣cioneth no suche lavve▪ but plainely the con∣trary.
• The .447 vntruth. Not ther∣fo••e, P. Ae¦mylius fovvly abused.