A compendious olde treatyse, shewynge howe that we oughte to haue ye scripture in Englysshe

FOr to make vpon Anticrist I ta∣ke figure of kyng Antioche of who¦me gods lawe speakythe in y^e boke of Machabeijs / for right as kyn∣ge Antioche came in y^e ende well nygh of the olde lawe / and brent the bookes of gods lawe / and cōpelled the peo∣ple to do maumentry. So now Anticrist y^e kyng of clergy that lynen worse then hethen prestes brē¦nerh nowe nyghe thēde of the newe lawe and the∣vāgely of Christ that is nyghe y^e ende of the worl∣de to deceyue well nyghe all the worlde and ••••••••••¦ue the seruauntes of god. For nowe god shal•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 we who wyll stande by hys lawe for Satan•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 prophetes saye is now vnbonde and hathe ben CCCC. yeris and more for to in habit ower cler∣gye /

as he dyd the clergye of the olde lawe / but no∣we wythe muche more malyce. For as they damp¦ned Chryst so nowe ower bysshope dampne and bren goddes lawe / for bycause it is drawyn into o∣wer mother tounge. &c. It owght to be and we sa¦vyd shuld be as we shall preue by open euidence thoroughe goddes helpe. First we take witnesse of Boetius de disciplina scolarium / that saythe that childerne shuld be tawght in the bookes of Sene∣ke. And Bede expoundeth this sainge / and saythe that childerne in vertues shuld be tawght. For the bookes of Seneke ben moralles ād for they be not taught thus in there youthe they contynue styll euyll maneryd and be vnable to conceyue the sub∣tyle science of trouthe saing / the wyse man is as a clean myrror newe pullisshed. Wisdem shall not enter into a wicked sowle. And moche is herof the sentence of Bede. And Algasell in his logyke sai∣eth / the sowle of mā is as a clene mirror newe pul¦lysshed in which is seyn lyghtly y^e image of vertue. And for the people hath not cunnynge in youthe they have darke sowles and blinded with ignoran¦ce / so that they proffyt not in vertue / but in falsnes and malice and other vices and moche is ther of y^e matter. Sythen hethen philosophers wolden the people to proffit in naturall science / howe moche more shuld Christen clerkes wyll the pepyll to pro¦fyt in sciēce of vertues / for so wold gode. For whē the lawe was geuyn to Moyses in the mounte of Synay / god gaue it to his people ī ther mother tō¦•••• of Ebrue / that all the people shuld vnderstande 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••nd commaunded Moyses to reade it to them vntyll they vnderstode it / ād so he did as it is playn Deutero. xxxi. And Esdras also redde it in theyr

mother tōge / fro morow vntyll none as it is playn in the first boke of Esdras Cap. viij. And he redde it apertly in the streate & the earys of y^e people were intentysly gevyn therto / in so moche that the people fell into greate weping for the miskeping of the lawe. Also goddes lawe saithe Deuter. xxxij. that fathers shuld make the lawe knowen to theyr son∣nes ād the sonnes that shuld be borne of thē shuld ryse and teache these thynges to ther sonnes. And the holy apostle saynt Peter in y^e fourth chapter of his fyrst booke speakyth after this maner / sayen¦ge. Who so euer speake / speake he as the wordes of god: and every man as he hathe takyn grace of knowing / so ministre he forthe to other men It is wrytten playnly in the booke of noumbres the eleventh chapter. When y^e prophet Moyses ha¦de chosen seuenty elder men / and the spryt of god rested on them and they prophesyed. Two men be¦sydes them / Eldad / and Medad / prophesyed in y^e tentes / and Iosue the ministre of Moyses said to Moyses / forbed thowe them. And Moyses said what enuiest thou for me? Who shall let y^t all the people prophesye / yf god gyue them his spirite? Also it is redde in the gospell that saynct Ihon euangelist said vnto Christ / lorde we shall forbyd 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that castith oute spiryttes in thy name / whiche folowith not vs. And Christ said do not forbede / for who so is not agaynst vs ys with vs. And vn¦to the same agreyth well the prophesy of Iohe•• which saynt Petre preachinge to the Iewes stron¦gly allegyd as Luke recyteth in the secounde cha∣pitre of the actes of the apostles sayenge after this maner. That godde nowe in the last dayes shall shedde out his spirite vppon every flesshe.

For god sayeth your sōnes and doughters shuld prophecy / and your yonge men shall se visyons. And vpon whit sondaye god gave knowlege of hys lawe to dyuerse natiōs with out annye excep¦cyons in ther mother tonge / by the vnderstādyng of one tunge. And of thys it is notabyll sithen the laye people in the olde lawe had ther lawe in ther mother tounge / y^t the lay englishe people in y^e ne∣we lawe haue it as all other nacyons hathe / sy∣the Christ bowght vs as he dyd other and hath gevyn to vs y^• same grace as to other. For sainct Peter. Actu. xi. was reprevyd for he had bapty∣sed Cornelij / and hys felows y^t were hethen mē. And Peter answeryd and saide. Yf god have ge∣vyn y^e same grace to thē that he hatheto vs / who am I that maye forbyde god? As who saythe it lyethe not in y^e power of men. Than who art thou that forbyddest the people to have gods lawe in ther mother tounge? we saye y^t thou art Anticrist hym self. For Paule saith .i. Corin. x. I wyll eve∣ry man to speake with tounges / more for sothe to prophesy / also he saythe howe shall he saye A∣men apō thy blessyng that wortes not what thou sayst. Apō thys saithe doctor Lyre. Yf the people vnderstōd the prayer of the prest it shall the better be ladde vnto god / and the more deuoutly answer Amen. Also Paule saithe in the same chapter. I wyll rather fyve wordes to be spokyn to the vnder¦standyng of men then ten thousande that they vn¦derstande not. And .lxx. doctors with other mo be∣fore the incarnacion of Christe translatyd the by∣ble owt of Ebrewe into Greke. And after the ascē∣sion many ••rāslated all the byble in dyuerse lāga∣ges / as into spanyshetunge frenshetunge / and al

mayne / italy and by many yeres have hade it. It was harde of a worthy mā of Almayn that y^• sa∣me tyme was a flēmyng whose name was Ia∣mes Merlād which trāslated all the byble into fle¦myshe. For whiche dede he was somōned be fore the pope of great malyce. And the boke was takyn to examinacion. And truely he approuyd it. And then it was delyverd to hym agayne into confu∣siō of all hys enemys. Wurshupfull Bede in hys first booke callyd de gestis Anglorū. chapter. iij. rellyth that sainct Oswolde the Kyng of Northū¦berlande asked of the skottes an holy byshoppe Ai¦dā to preache to his people / and y^e kyng him selfe in¦terpretyd it in Englishe to the people. Sythē this blessyd deade of this Kyng is alowede of all ho∣ly Churche / whye not nowe owght it as well to be allowed a man to reade the gospell in Englisshe to the people / sythen that sainct Paule saithe if o∣wer gospell be hydde / it is hydde in thē that shal∣be dampned. And he saithe also he that knoweth not shall not be knowyn of gode. And therfore ve∣nerabilis Bede ledde by the spirite of gode trāsla¦ted a greate parte of the byble into englyshe. Who se originalles ben in many abbeys in yngland. And Cistercienc. li. v. ca. xxiiij. saythe that the eu¦uangely of Ihon̄ was drawen into englyshe by y^e foresaid Bede whiche euuangely of Ihon̄ and o∣ther gospels ben yet in manye places of so olde en¦glyshe that skant can annye englyshe man reade them. For thys Bede reygnyd in the yere of owen lorde god .vij. hundred and .xxxij. Also Cistercien∣cis. li. vi. ca. i. saithe that kyng Alred ordyned opē scolys of dyuerse artes in Oxforde and he turnyd the best lawes into his moder tounge and the psal

••er also / he reyhgned in the yere of owre lorde god viij. hundred .lxxiij. And sainct Thomas sayth super libr•••• politicorū expounyng this worde bar∣barus / y^• barbarus is he y^t vndstondyth not y^t he∣readyth in his mother tōge. Wherfore the apostle saith if I knowe not y^• vertue of y^t voyce to whome I speake I shalbe to hym barbarus / y^t is to saye / he vndstādeth not what I saye / ne I what he saith And so all tho prestes y^t vndstōdē not what they readyn by ther mother tonge be called barbarus / & therfore Bede dyd drawe into englisshe liberall artes leste englishe men shuld be come barbarus / hec Thomas. Also Lincoln. sayth in a sermō y^t be¦gynnyth / Scriptū est delenitis. Yf any preste saye he cāne not preache / one remedye is / resigne he vp¦pe his būfyce. Another remedy if he wyll not thus / recorde he in y^t weke y^t nakyd texte of the sondaye gospell y^t he have y^e grosse storye & tell it to the pe∣ople / y^t is if he vndstōd latē / & do he this every we¦ke in y^e yere he shall profyt moche. For thus prea∣chyd ower lorde sayinge / Ihon̄ .vi. The wordes that I speake to yowe be spirit & lyfe. Yf he do not vndstōde latē go he to one of his neyghbours y^t vndstondeth / which wyll charctably expoune it to hym / ād thus edifye he his floke. Vpō this argu¦eth a greate clarke & saith / yf it be laufull to prea∣che y^t naked texte to y^e peple / it is also lefull to wryte and read it to thē. Also syre Wylliā Thorisby ar∣chebishope of Yorke did do drawe a tretyse in en∣glyshe by a worshypfull clerke whose name was ••••••••ryke / in the whiche were conteyned the arti∣cles of byleve / the .vij. dedly synnes / the .vij. wor∣kes of mercy / the .x. cōmaundmētes. And sent thē in small pagynes to y^e cōm••n people to lerne it ād to knowe it / of which yet manye a copye be in yng∣land.

Also Richerd the heremyte of Hampole dre¦we into englyshe the psalter with a glose & the les∣sons of dirige ād many other treatyces / by y^• whi∣che many englyshe men have ben greatly edyfyed And they be cursed of gode y^t woldē let y^e people to be lewder thē they ben. But many mē nowe be ly∣ke vnto y^e frēdes of Hiob / y^t whyles they enforsed to deffende god they offendyd in him greuously. And thowgh suche as be slayne do myracles / n••¦••••••theles they ben stynking matters. This sayth Richerd y^e heremyt expounyng this verse / Ne au∣feras de oremeo verbū veritatis vs{que} qua{que}. And Christ sayth y^t mē shuld deame thē self to do grea∣te 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 seruice to god in kylling of his peo∣ple. Arbitratur se obsequiū prestare deo. &c. Also a man of Lōdon whose name was Wyrynge hade a byble in englyshe of northē speache whiche was seyn of many men & it semyd to be .CC. yeres olde. Also it is knowē to many mē in y^e tyme of kyng Ri¦cherd y^e .ij. y^t into a parlyamēt was putt a bylle by thassent of .ij. archebysshoppes & of y^e clergy to ad∣nulle y^e byble y^t tyme trāslated into englyshe with other englysshe bookee of thexposiciō of y^t gospels whiche whē it was harde & seyn of lordes & of y^e comōs. The duke of lācaster Ihon̄ answered ther to tyght sharply saying this sentēce / we wyll not be refuse of all other nacions. For sythe they have godes lawe whiche is y^e lawe of ower belefe ī ther owne lāgage / we wyll have owres in englysshe who so ever saye naye. And this he affer•••••••• with a greate othe. Also Thomas Arūdell ar••••••¦bysshoppe of Caunterbury said in a sermō at west mester / or y^t buryeng of Quene / Anne / y^t it was more ioye of her thā of any womā y^t ever he knewe For she an alien borne hadde in englysshe all y^e.〈◊〉〈◊〉

gospels wyth the doctors vpō them. And he said that she had sent thē to hym to examyn / ād he said that they were good and trewe. And he blamyd in that sermon sharply the negligence of the pre∣lats / and other mē / In so moche that he saide that he wold leave vppe the office of Chaunceler and forsake wordly busynes / and gyue hym to fulfyll his pastorall office / for that he hade seyn / and red¦de in tho bookes. And after this promyse he beca¦me the most cruell enemy that myght be agaynst englyshe bookes. And therfore as many men say∣ne god smot hym with a cruest 'dethe as he didde also Rycherd flemyng byshoppe of lyncolne. And yet ower bysshoppes ben so indurate and so farre strayed from god that they have no grace one to beware of another / but prowdly agaynst all rea∣sons and euidēce of gods lawes / and doctors sen∣tences / they brenne goddes wordethe whiche ha∣the brought thys realme to vndoynge for ever but if godes grace be the more / for thys cruell deade is cause of pestilence / hungers / warres / and that also thys realme shalbe conqueryd in short tyme / as sainct Edward the kyng and confessor prophe¦syethe in his booke that begynnith thus / Sāctus Edwardus rex vidit spiritualibus oculis. ercete. And therfore it were good to the Kyng and to o∣ther lordes to make some remedy agaynst this cō∣stitucyon of Antechrist that saythe it is vnlawfull to vs englyshe men to have in englyshe goddes la¦•••• ••••d therfore he brennythe and sleythe thē that ••••••••teyne thys good deade / and that is for de∣fault that the kyng and lordes knowē not ne wyll not knowether owne office in meātenāce of god & hys lawe. For as sainct Austen saithe the Kyng

with hys knyghtes representyn the godhede of Christe and prestes the manhode of Christe / Rex est vicartus diuinitatis / et sacerdos est vicarius Christi humanitatis / hec Augustinus in de que∣stionibus veteris et noue legis .ca. xci. And if the kyng wold desyer to knowe perfetly his offi∣ce / he maye fynde mē to shewe to hym bookes that truely and perfetly shall informe hym to doo his office to the plesaunce of god. But thys canne not he lerne of byshoppys for they enforme hym after Antichristes lawe and ordenaunce for hys la∣wes nowe reignen. Yet agaynst thē that sayn the gospell in englyshe wold make men to erre / wore they well / that we fynde in latyn lāgage more he retykes then of all other langages / for the decre. saythe .xxiiij. xciij. Quidam autem heretici / that there be founden syxty laten heretykes. And if mē shuld hate any lāgage for heresy thē must they ha¦te latē But gode forbede y^t any lāgage shuld be ha¦ted for heresy sythē manye heretykes wer of y^e disci¦ples of y^e Appostles. For sainct Ihon̄ saithe they have gon̄ owt of vs but they were not of vs. And Paule saithe it behovythe heresys to be / & ātichrist makythe many mo heretykes then there shuld be for he stoppythe so the knowyng of godes lawe / & punysheth so them that he knowyth that have it / that they dare not comen therof openly to have trewe informacion / and thys makyth laye men y^t desyrē & lovē to knowe godes law to goo to gy•••••••• in pryvyte / and conceyven by theyr owne w•••••••••• many tymes heresys the whiche heresies in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 tyme shuld be destroyed / yf men myght have free comenyng openly / and but if this maye be hade moche of y^e people shall dye in heresy / for it lyethe

〈◊〉〈◊〉 in Antichristes power to destroye all englys∣she bookes / for as fast as he brennethe / other men shall drawe / and thus the cause of heresy and of y^e people that dyethe in heresy is the frowardnes of byshoppes that wyll not suffer men to haue opyn comounyng and fre in the lawe of gode and ther∣fore they be cowntable of as many sowlys as dy∣en in thys default / and are traytors to gode in stop¦pyng of his lawe the whiche was made in saluaci¦on of y^e people. And nowe they turne his lawe by∣ther cruell constitucyons into dampnacion of the people as it shalbe provyd apon them at the daye of dome for godes lawe saithe / Stabūt iusti in mag∣na constancia aduersus eos qui se angustianerūt / et qui abstulerunt labores eorum. &c. For that y^t other men laborē they brennē / and if owre clergy wold study well this lessen of sapiēce to y^t ēde / they shuld mowe rede therin theyr oune dampnacion / but if they amend this defaulte with other defaul∣tes. Saithe not the holy man Ardemakan in the booke of questions that y^e wurshupfull sacramēt of the alter maye be made in eche comē langage: For he saithe so diden the appostles. But we covett not this / but that Antechrist geue vs leaue to ha∣ue the lawe of ower beleue in englishe. Also they that haue comonyd moche with y^e Iewes / saye that they haue in every lande that they be borne in / the byble in ther mother tounge / that is Ebrewe. And they be more practyse therin than annye men / ye 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the lewde men as the prestes. But it is red¦de in ther synagoges amonges the people of ther prestes to fulfyll ther prestes office and to the edifi¦cation of the poraile / that for worldly busines and slew the maye not studye it. Also the .iiij. evan∣gelistes

wrote the gospell in diverse langages / as Mathewe in Iurye / Marke in Italy / Luke in A∣chaie / and Ihon̄ in Asie. And all these wrotte in y^e langages of the same contr••ys / also Thobye saithe Chap. xiij. that gode disperged / spred / or scaterid y^t Iewes abrode among the hethen people that they tellynge vnto they in the merveylles of godde: they shuld knewe that there were none other gode / but gode of Israell. And gode ordyned his people to beleve his lawe wrytten among them in ther mo∣thertounge / vt pater. Ge. xvij. and Exo. xiij. In so moche the boke of Iudithe is wrytten in Calde spe¦che / vt peter per Hieronimū in prologo eiusdē. Al¦so the bookes of Daniel / and of Esdre ben wrytten in Calde / vt pater per Hieroni. in prologis eorun∣dē / also the booke of Iohelis in Arabyke ād Sy∣re speche / vt pater per Hieroni. in prologo eiusdē. Also Ezechiest the prophet prophesyed in Baby∣lon / and lefte his prophesye vnder the mother toun¦ge of Babylon / vt pater per Hieronimū in prologo eiusdem Also the prophesye of Isaie is transla∣ted into the tounge of Ethiope / as Hierom̄. cōclu∣dyth in primo prologo Gene. Then sythen the dar¦ke prophesyes were translated amonges the hethen people that they myght have knowledge of gode ād of the incarnacion of Christ / moche more it owght to be trāslatyd to englyshe people that have recei∣vyd the faythe and bounden them selfe to kepe it a∣pon payne of dampnacion / sythen Christ comm••¦unded his Apostles to preache his gospell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all the worlde and exceptid no people nor lan∣age. Also Origen translated the byble owt of E¦brewe into Greke with helpe of other in the ye∣re of owre lorde God .CCxxxiiij. Also Aquila

trāslated it in y^e tyme of Adriā y^e emperowre in the yere of oure lorde .C. xxiiij. / also Theodosiō trāsla∣ it in y^e tyme of thēperowre Contede .luij. yere after Aquila / also Simacus trāslated it in y^e tyme of thē¦perowre Serene .xxx. yere after Theodosion .viij. yere after Simacus it was translated the auctor vnknowen in the tyme of Alexander the emperow¦re / And Ierome translated it into latyn / vt in cronicis Cistercienc. li. ij. ca. xxxij. And after that Ierom hade translated it into laten / he translated moche to women of the bible. And to the maydens Eustochia and Paula / he translated the bookes of Iosue of Iudicum and Ruth / and Hester / and Ecclesiastes / Ieremy / Isaie and Daniell / and the .xij. prophetes / ād the .vij. canonyke epystylles vt pater in prologo corūdem. And so all mē maye se here by Ierō that it was neuer his entēt to byn¦de the lawe of god vnder his translacion of laten but by his owne dede gevythe leaue to translate it into every speche for Ierom wrytythe ī his .lxxviij epystle to this man Atleta / that he shuld enforme his daughter in the bookes of the olde lawe and the newe / Also in his .lxxv. epistle he wrytythe to y^e virgyn Semetriadis / that she shuld for to encrea¦se her selfe in vertue rede nowe apō one booke / ād nowe / apon another. And he specifiethe vnto her that she also reade the gospell / and the epistylles of the Apostles. And thus Thenglyshe men desy¦re to have the lawe of gode in englyshe / sythen it ••s callyd the lawe vndefyled cōuertyng sowlys in to clennes / lex dn̄i immaculata conuertens aīas / but Antechrist saithe that it is corrupte with litte∣rall lettre that it sleyth sowlys takyng his aucto∣rite of Paule / that saithe / litera occidit spiritus au¦dem

viuificat. That is y^e Lettre of the ceremo∣nyes of the olde lawe sleyth the Iewes / and them that nowe vsen them / but the spirite of the newe la¦we quykenethe trewe Cristen men / sythen Christ saithe my wordes ben spritte and lyffe. Also we ta¦ke ensample of holy virgyns to love to reade the gospell as they didē / as Ratheryn / Cecyle / Lucye Agnes / Margaret / whiche alegyd the holy go∣spell to the infidels / that slewe them for the keping therof. Of these foresaid auctorites it is provyd laufull / y^t bothe men ād women laufully may re∣ade and wryte gedes lawe in theyr mother tun∣ge / and they that forfenden this they shewe them selfes heyers and sonnes of the first tormentors / and werse / for they shewen them selfes the veraye disciples of Antichrist / whiche hathe ād shall pas¦se all the malyce of tyrauntes that haue ben before in stoppyng ād pervertynge of godes lawe whi∣che deade engendrythe greate vengeaunce to fall in this realme / but if it be amendid For Paule sai∣the Roma. 1. The wrathe of gode is shewyd from hevyn vpon cruelnes and vnryghtfulnes of these men that with holden the trowthe of gode in vn∣right wysnes / Reuelatur enim ira dei super omnē impictarem et iniusticiam hominum eorū qui veri¦tatem dei in iniustitia detinent. Now gode of hys mercy geve vnto ower kyng / and to ower lordes grace of trewe vnderstandyng to amende this de∣fault principally and all other / then shall we 〈◊〉〈◊〉 we easely to be amendid. For vntyll it be amend•••• there shall neuer be rest and peace in thys realme Who y^t fyndythe or redythe this lettre put it fur∣the in examinaciō & suffer it not to be hydde or de¦stroyed / but multyplyed for no mā knoweth what

proffyt maye come therof. For he that compi∣lede it / purpo••yth with goddes helpe to mayntayne i vnto the deathe / yf neade be. And therfore all chri¦sten mē and women / praye that the worde of god maye be vnbounde / and delyvered from the po∣wer of Antichrist / and renne amonge his people.

Amen.

Notes

• Ye may se it is no novel∣teis that the bishops bur¦ne the gos∣pell.
• Reade Ro∣bin hode sa∣ye oure ma∣sters.
• moses letted no mā to pro¦phesye.
• Luc. ix
• But they say only ma¦ster doctor can vnder∣stād y^e scri∣pture
• Here you re awne ma¦ster Lyre yf ye will not here Paul.
• A feareful sayenge.
• Resigne in no wise but apō a good pension
• The same treatise is ī •• church over agaynst Lō¦don stone at this houre
• This pro¦phesye of Christ must be fulfilled take hede
• ••••pocrisie is the nature of all bisshoppes.
• Neuer tru∣st bishop as lōge as he kepeth his possessions
• Wher is y^t aunciēt blo¦de y^t was in england in these da∣yes.
• Et nūc re∣ges intelli∣gite erudi∣mini qui iu¦dicatis rer∣ram.
• Bishops will notte ache against their God their bely.
• How An¦tichrist is cause of al heresies.
• Is not this turninge the rotys of y^e tre¦s vpward?
• Reade Sa∣pien vi. and vij.
• Mat. xxviij.
• But my lor¦des say y^t 〈◊〉〈◊〉 maketh me heretikes & peruerteth soules.