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.

¶ A proper similitude to describe our holy father.

ANd to se how our holy father came vp, marke the example of an Iuy∣tree: first it springeth out of y^• earth, & * 1.1 then a while crepeth along by y^t groūd till it finde a great tree: then it ioyneth it selfe be neath alow vnto the body of the tree and creepeth vp a litle and a litle fayre and softly. And at the begyn∣nyng while it is yet thynne and small * 1.2 that the burthen is not perceaued, it se∣meth glorious to garnishe the tree in the wyntre & to beare of the tempestes of the weather. But in the meane sea∣son it thrusteth his rootes into y^t barck of the tree to hold fast with all and ceas¦seth not to clyme vp till it be at the top and aboue all. And then it sendeth hys braunches a long by the braunches of the tree and ouergroweth all and wa∣xeth great, heauy and thicke and suc∣keth the moysture so sore out of the tree and his braunches, that it choketh and stif••eth them. And then the foule stinc∣kyng Iuye waxeth mighty in the stōpe of the tree and becommeth a sete and a nest for all vncleane byrdes & for blind Oules whiche hauke in the darke and dare not come at the light.

Euen so the Byshop of Rome now called Pope at the begynnyng crope a long vppon the earth, and euery man trode vpon him in this world. But as∣soone as there came a Christen Empe¦rour he ioyned him selfe vnto hys feete and kissed them, and crope vp a litle with beggyng nowe this priuilege now that, now this Citie now that, to finde poore people with all and the ne¦cessary Ministers of Gods word. And * 1.3 hee entitled the Emperour with cho∣sing the Pope and other Bishops, and promoted in the spiritualty, not whom vertue and learning but whom the fa∣uour of great men cōmended: to flater to get frendes and defenders with all,

And the almes of the congregation which was the fode and patrimony of * 1.4 the poore and necessary preachers, that he called S. Peters patrimony, S. Pe¦ters reutes, S. Peters landes, S. Pe∣ters right: to cast a vayne feare and an heathenish superstitiousnesse into the hartes of mē, that no man should dare meddle with what soeuer came once in to their handes for feare of Saint Pe∣ter, though they ministred it neuer so euil: and that they which should thinke it none almes to geue them any more

(because they had to much already) should yet geue S. Peter somewhat (as Nabucodonesser gaue his GOD Beel) to purchasse an aduocate and an * 1.5 intercessor of S. Peter, and that S. Pe¦ter should at the first knocke let thē in.

And thus with flateryng and fay∣ning and vayne superstition vnder the name of S. Peter he crept vp and faste¦ned * 1.6 his rootes in the hart of the Em∣perour, and with his sword clame vp aboue all his felow byshops & brought them vnder his feete. And as he sub∣dued thē with the Emperours sword, euen so by sutiltie & helpe of them (af∣ter that they were sworne saythfull) he clame aboue the Emperour, and sub∣dued hym also, and made s••oupe vnto his feete, and kisse thē an other while. Yea pope Coelestinus crowned the Em¦perour Henry the fift holdyng y^e crown * 1.7 betwene his feete. And when he had put the crowne on, he smote it of with * 1.8 his feete agayne saying: that he had might to make Emperours and put them downe agayne.

And he made a constitution that no * 1.9 lay man should medle with their mat∣ters nor be in their Councels or witte what they did, and that the pope onely should call the Councell, and the Em∣perour should but defēd the Pope, pro¦uided allway that the Councel should be in one of the Popes Townes, and where the Popes power was greater then the Emperours: then vnder a pre¦tence * 1.10 of condemnyng some heresie hee called a generall Councell, where he made one a Patriarcke, an other Car∣dinall, an other Legate, an other Pri∣mate, an other Archbyshop, an other Bishop, another Deane, another Arch deacon, and so forth as we now see.

And as the Pope played with the * 1.11 Emperour, so dyd his braunches and his members the Byshops play in e∣uery Kyngdome, Dukedome, & Lord∣shyp: in so much that the very heyres of them by whom they came vp, hold now their landes of them and take thē for their chief Lordes. And as the Em∣perour is sworne to the Pope, euen so euery kyng is sworne to the Byshops and Prelates of his Realme: and they are the chiefest in all Parlamentes: yea they and theyr money and they that be sworne to them and come vp by them rule all together.

And thus the Pope the father of all * 1.12 hypocrites hath with falsehode & guile peruerted the order of the worlde and turned the rootes of the trees vpward and hath put downe the kyngdome of Christ, and set vp the kyngdome of the deuil whose Ʋicare he is, and hath put downe the Ministers of Christ, and hath set vp the Ministers of Sathan, disguised yet in names and garmentes lyke vnto the aungels of light & mini∣sters of righteousnes. For Christes kyngdome is not of the world Iohn. xviij. and the Popes kyngdome is all the world.

And Christ is neither iudge nor di∣uider in this world Luke. xij. But the * 1.13 Pope iudgeth & deuideth all the world and taketh the Empyre and all kyng∣domes and geueth them to whom he lusteth.

Christ sayth Math. v. Blessed are the poore in spirite: so that the first step in the kyngdome of Christ is humble∣nesse or humilitie, that thou canst finde in thyne hart to do seruice vnto all mē and to suffer that all men treade thee.

The Pope sayth. Blessed be the proude & hygh mynded that can clyme and subdue all vnder them and mayn∣taine their right and such as will suffer of no man: so that he which was yester¦day taken from the dongehill and pro∣moted this day by his Prince, shall to¦morow for the Popes pleasure curse him and excommunicate him and inter¦dite his Realme.

Christ sayth. Blessed be the meke or soft that be harmlesse as Doues.

The Pope blesseth them that can set all the world together by the eares and fight and s••ea mafully for his sake, that he may come haote from bloudshed∣dyng to a Byshopricke as our Cardi∣nall dyd, and as S. Thomas of Can∣terbury did, which was made Byshop in the field in complete harnesse on his horse backe and his speare bloudy in his hand.

Christ hath neither holes for Foxes nor nestes for byrdes nor yet whereon to lay his head, nor promised ought in this world vnto his Disciples nor toke any to his Disciple but hym that had forsaken all.

The Iuytree the Pope hath vnder his rootes thoroughout all Christen∣dome in euery village holes for Foxes and nestes for vncleane byrdes in all his braunches, and promiseth vnto his Disciples all the promotions of the world. * 1.14

The nearer vnto Christ a man com∣meth, the lower he must descende and the poorer he must waxe: But the nea∣rer vnto the Pope ye come, the hygher

ye must clyme and the more riches ye must gather whence soeuer ye can get them, to paye for your Bulles, and to purchase a glorions name and licence to weare a mitre & a crosse and a palle and goodly ornamentes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Iuy∣tree spring∣eth.
• * 1.2

  The maner how y^• pope did spring vp to hys great auc∣toritie.
• * 1.3

  The chu∣sing of the Pope & all Bishoppes perteyned vnto the Emperour and kinges once.
• * 1.4

  The almes geuen vnto the poore is become S. Peters patrimony.
• * 1.5

  Dani. xiiij.
• * 1.6

  The Pope first gat a∣boue all the Bishops, & then aboue the Empe∣rour.
• * 1.7

  O Lucifer.
• * 1.8

  Note this deuilish & •…•…na∣ble pride.
• * 1.9

  •…•…e •…•…e by the Pope.
• * 1.10

  The Pope createth his shaue∣lyngs into dignities.
• * 1.11

  Qualis pa∣ter talis fi∣lius, good naturall children.
• * 1.12

  The popes order com∣pared with Christes.
• * 1.13

  Christ a••d the Pope compared together.
• * 1.14

  Christ brin¦geth a man lowe, but the Pope lifteth vp a hygh.