The vvhole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one tome togither, beyng before scattered, [and] now in print here exhibited to the Church. To the prayse of God, and profite of all good Christian readers.

¶ The putting downe of Cardinall Wolsey.

COncerning the Cardinals putting * 1.1 downe, I consider many thinges. First that I neuer heard, or read, that any man being so great a traytor was so easely put to death. Then the natu∣rall disposition and inclination of the man, how y^t his chief study, yea and all his felicitie and inward ioy hath euer bene to exercise that aungels wit of his (as my lord of Lincolne was wone to praise him) in driuing of such dristes to beguile all men and to binde the whole world with all. Wherefore I can none otherwise indge by an C. tokens eui∣dent vnto whomsoeuer hath a natural wit, but that this is also nothing saue a cast of his olde practise: so that when God had wrapped him in his owne wiles that he wist not which way out, (for the Emperour preuailed for al the Cardinals treason: and the french chil∣dren might not come home: and he had learned also of his necromancie, that this would be a iopardous yeare for him) what for the treason that he had * 1.2 wrought against the Emperour, and what for y^t mony which he had borow∣ed of the Commons, least any rising should be against him, then he thought to vndoe his desteny with his policies and went and put downe himselfe vn∣der a colour (which the processe of the tragedy well declareth) and set vp in his roome to minister forth, & to fight against God as he had begun, the chie∣fest of all his Secretaries, one nothing inferiour vnto his master in lying, fai∣ning, & bearing two faces in one hode, a whelpe that goeth not out of kinde from his syre, the chiefest stale where∣with the Cardinall caught the kinges grace, whome he called vnto the con∣firmation of al that he entended to per¦suade, saying: If it like your grace, More is a learned man, and knoweth it: and is also a lay man, wherefore he * 1.3 will not say otherwise then it is, for a∣ny parcialitie to vswarde. Which se∣cretary, yet must first deserue it wyth writing against Martin, and agaynst the Obedience, and Mammon, and be come the proctour of Purgatorye, to write against y^• supplicatiō of beggers.

And then to blinde the world with∣all, many quarrels were picked: the * 1.4 Cardinall might not speake with the kinges grace, the broad seale was fette away, high treason was layd to hys charge. i. that he breathed (heard I say) in the kinges face, when he had the french pockes, (O hypocrices) but the very treason that he had wrought, was not spoke of at all, nor ought wor¦thy of a traytour done to him at all.

Then they called a Parliament (as though the golden world should come againe) wherin the hypocri••s to bleare mens eyes withall, made a re∣formation of mortuaries and probates * 1.5 of testamentes, the root yet left behind whence all that they haue for a time weeded out, will spring againe by litle and litle as before, if they as their hope is, may stop this light of Gods worde that is now abroad. They made a re∣formation also of pluralities of benefi∣ces, * 1.6 ordayning that henceforth no man may come by pluralitie of benifices with vertue and conning, but with ser¦uing for thē in y^• court. Which what o∣ther thing is it saue playne symony? O blinde busserdes and shamelesse hy∣pocrites. What care they to do, whe∣ther agaynst God or their own lawes, to flatter great men withall, & to blind thē. But harke here. The tithes were * 1.7 ordayned at the beginning to finde the preachers, and the poore people which now goe a begging: so that the church wardens ought to take the benefices * 1.8 into their handes in the name of the parish, & deliuer the preacher of Gods word there dwellyng and presēt a suf∣ficient liuing, & deuide the rest among y^e poore people. And the king is bound to maintaine that order, and not to re∣sist them except he will be an open ty∣raunt. Now I appele the consciences of the kinges grace and of his lordes. What aunswer will they geue when they come before Christ in y^e last iudge∣ment, for their robbing of so many soules in so many parishes, of Gods word, with holding euery man so ma∣ny chaplaynes in their houses wyth pluralities of benefices, and for the rob¦bing * 1.9 of so many poore and needy of their due and dayly foode, whose need for lacke of succour cryeth to God con∣tinually for vengeaunce against them, which we see daily by a thousand mis∣fortunes fall on them, and on theyr wiues and children. Let them read

Exodus and Deutronomie, and see what they finde there. Yea and what shall so many chaplaines do? First slay theyr soules, & then defile their wiues, their daughters, and their maydens, and last of all betray them.

When this reformation the coloure and cloke of their hipocrisy was made, then the spiritualtie came douking be∣fore the kinges grace, and forgaue him * 1.10 y^t mony which they had lēt their pope, to bring in the temporalty, & to make thē after their example to do likewise, as louing subiects, & no lesse kinde vn∣to their Prince thē the spiritualty. For their arses were vpō thornes til y^• lone was forgeuen, for feare of afterclaps. * 1.11 wherupon the tēporality forgaue their part also in hope of y^t thy obteined not. For assone as the lone was forgeuē the parliament brake vp, because our pre∣lates, & their cōfederat frends had foūd y^• they sought, & caught y^e fish for which they layed the bayt of all those faces of reformations, and for which the Car∣dinall, to bring y^t worlde into a fooles paradise, was compelled euē with his owne good will to resigne his chaun∣cellorshyp, & that to whō he listed him selfe. And as for the bishoprike of Dur∣ham, * 1.12 to say the very truth, he could not of good congruitie but reward his old chaplaine, and one of the chief of al his secretaries with all, still Saturne, that so seldome speaketh, but walketh vp & downe all day musing and imagining mischiefe, a douking hypocrite made to dissemble.

Which for what seruice done in chri∣stes Gospell came he to the bishoprike of London? Or what such seruice did he therein? He burnt the new Testa∣ment, * 1.13 calling it, Doctrinam perigrinam, strainge learning. Yea verily: Looke how strange his liuing in whose bloud that testament was made, was from the liuing of the pope: euen so strainge is that doctrine from the popes law, in which onely, and in the practise therof is Tunstal learned. Which also for what cause left he the bishoprike of London? Euen for the same cause he tooke it af∣ter that he had long serued for it, coue∣tousnes and ambition. Neither is it possible naturally that there should be any good Bishop, so long as the bis∣shoprickes be nothing saue worldlye * 1.14 pompe and honour, superfluous abun¦dance of all maner riches and libertie to do what a man listeth vnpunished: thinges which onely the euill desire, and all good men abhorre.

And assone as the Parliament was * 1.15 ended, the Cardinall had his charter, and gat him home: and all Bisshops gat them euery foxe to his hole, leuing yet their attournies behinde them: to come againe themselues assone as the constellation is somewhat ouerrunne, whereof they be afrayd.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cardinall Wolsey a great tray∣tor.
• * 1.2

  Cardinall Wolsey cō∣mitted trea¦son agaynst the Empe∣rour.
• * 1.3

  Cardinall Wolsey preferred More to he Chaun∣celour.
• * 1.4

  Treason layd to the Cardinall charge.
• * 1.5

  Mortun∣ries, pro∣bate of Te∣stamentes.
• * 1.6

  Pluralitie of bene∣fices.
• * 1.7

  Tithes.
• * 1.8

  The Churche∣wardens haue bene accustomed to gather the tithes, and to geue the Pa••••o his reaso∣nable sti∣pend, and to geue the re•• to the poore.
• * 1.9

  Princes haue here∣in much to aunswere.
• * 1.10

  The loane first forge∣uen by the Clergie.
• * 1.11

  The loane forgeuē by the tempo∣ralitie.
• * 1.12

  The By∣shoprieke of Durhā.
• * 1.13

  Tunstall Byshop of Durham brent the new Testa¦ment.
• * 1.14

  A Bishop∣ricke is a superflu∣ous honor, and a lew de liberty.
• * 1.15

  The Car∣nall cleare∣ly dischar∣ged.