An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

The fyrst Chapiter. ¶Auricular Confession.

ALBEIT man redeamed with the precyouse blod of our sa∣uiour Christ Ie¦sus is fully re∣cōsiled to God, and all the hea∣uynesse of hys displeasure be appeased: yet the poy∣soned nature of mā is suche, the occa∣sions of synne be so many and great, that in this slipper way of worldely lyfe we must nede, our infirmitie en∣forcyng vs therto, fal into the snares of the deuyl and synne. But God, as he is all mercy, willyng the death of no synner, but that he conuerte and lyue, hath lefte vs the comfortable salue of repentaunce, as a present re∣medy against all suche incursions of oure enemye, or fragilitye of bodye) whereby we maye with a good hope cal to our heauenly father for the for∣geuenes of oure offences and trespa∣ses. For as the prophet Ezechiel re∣cordeth,

what houre soeuer the sinner doth lament and is repentant for his sinnes, god (for his sōne Iesus sake) wil no lēger ••ere thē in remēbraunce Therfore whosoeuer with concupi∣scence vanquished, or by lust inforced by errour disceyued, or by force con∣strained doth fal to any spice or kynd of iniustice, let him not dispair in his owne conscience, or mistrust the bot∣tomles mercy of God, but with good corage repair to this medicine repen∣taunce and cōtricion of heart. Conse∣quently it shalbe the penitētes offyce and dutie, after suche heuines taken, as it were by a vomit, to spue out of his cōscience al suche vnholsome thin¦ges as might remayne styl, engendre desperacion, or imbecil his hope in y^e promises of God. For this cause con∣fession named auricular, that is made to the priest, was at the beginnyng in¦stituted: that men might therin open their heartes to their curates and re∣ceiue at their handes the oyle of the Gospel of Christ to supple their rawe & starke sores. It was the institucion of Innocentius the .iii. that so many, as were by age subiect or in daunger

to cōmit sinne, should at y^e lest once in the yere be cōfessed to their curates, to whō it cōcerneth to knowe the be∣hauour of his parishners, forsomuch as he must rēdre a strait accōpt of his cure. And therfore it is euil in myne opiniō to haue these comon penitēcia¦ries, whiche be occasion, that both cu¦rates geue not their coūsel wher nede is, & also men therby be more bold to synne seyng they shal not be rebuked of suche common confessours, but for their monye haue redy absolucion w^t smal exhortacion to amend their sin∣fulnes. This cōfession is proued of y^e text of s. Iames where he saieth con∣fesse your sinnes one to another, and one pray for another, & also of the .xx, chapter of Iohn, wher Christ saieth, receiue the holy ghost. Whose sinnes soeuer you remitte, they are forgeuen them, and whose synnes soeuer you reteine, they are reteined. Therefore we must receiue confession for the ab¦solucion sake, that is geuen into the handes of the ministers.

Notes

• We be recon¦ciled bi Christ
• Repentaunce a remedy of synne.
• Desperacion is forbodden.
• Auticular Confession.
• Innocencius dyd ordayne confession to the priest.
• Common pe∣nitencers.
• Textes pro∣uyng confes∣sion.