The seconde tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testament conteynyng the epistles of S. Paul, and other the Apostles : wherunto is added a paraphrase vpon the reuelacion of S. John.

The texte.

¶ And the syxt Angell blewe, and I herde a voyce from the foure corners of the golden aulter, whiche is before God, sayinge to the syrte Angell, whiche had the trompe: Loce the foure Angelles, whiche are bounde in the great ryuer Euphrates. And the foure Angelles were looced, whiche were prepared for an houre, for a daye, for a moneth, and for a yeare, for to slee the thirde parte of men. And the nombre of horsemen of warre were .xx. times .x. M. And I hearde the nombre of them: and thus I sawe the horses in a vysion, and them that sate on them, hauynge fyry habergions of a Iacynte coloure, and brymstone, and the heades of the horses wer as the heades of lyons. And out of their mouthes went forth fire and smoke, and brymstone. And of these thre was the thirde parte of men kylled, that is to saye of fyre, smoke, and brymstone▪ whiche procede out of the mouthes of them. For their power was in their mouthes and in their tayles, for their tayles were lyke vnto serpen∣tes, and had heades, and with them they dyd hurte.

The syxte angelycall deuyll, whiche was set against the syxt seale, dyd blowe for his tyme also, puttynge forthe his voyce in the christendome, where god ought to be honoured with the golde of a pure and syncere faythe. And at that

tyme, the holy Apostle. S. Iohn heard, in spirite, a voyce, without doubt y^• voice of Christ kynge of all honour. Whiche voyce said vnto the angel of wickednes: That thing whiche thou wilt, that take in hande. For I permytte y^• now at this tyme, to exercyse thy power to the hurtynge and vndoynge of the wycked and vngodly, and to the amendement, furtheraunce and christen exercise of the faith∣full and electe. Poure out the Hypocrytical frowardnes of the hyghe state of the malygnante churche, whiche hitherto hath bene somwhat bounde, and hath had a great name, euē lyke as Euphrates, muche vnlyke vnto the holy Iordan, or vnto the flode Syloa, that is to say, the prymatyue churche of the Apostles. And there is no hope of grace nor of recouerye or saluacion in her. For in this Euphrates there is nothing that is sounde and good, but all together full of death & destruccion, with y^• helpe of his. iii. or foure streames whiche went out from him. It is easy to vnderstande, what and who they were, whiche went out after the decaye of the holy christen churche, or after. S. Austins or S. Am∣brose tyme, after the fyue monethes, that is to saye, after fyue hundreth yeares, & went out euē at one tyme, namely at the tyme of the councel holden at Laterane, and were redy to murther and flaye the thirde parte of mankynde. And they, w^t their felowes, dyd greuously hurte them, in person, in goodes, in conscience, in bodye, and in the prosperyte and welth of their soules, thorowe horryble errors, in faithe, relygion, and outwarde ceremonies, thorow mans ordinaun∣ces and tradicions bothe against the manyfest holy worde of god, & also against the ordinaunce of the holy prymatiue churche of the Apostles. And here the great nomber of these horsemen, doth open the vnderstandinge vnto the reader, that all men maye easyly perceyue, what they are, commyng vp in maner, about one tyme. But their frutes shall shewe and declare that, sufficiently. Out from among these horsemen, came their captains, ridyng vpon hyghe horses and mu∣les, with highe pompe, pretendinge highe wysdom & gostly power. But yet these holy brethren the maynteyners of Christes churche (as they pretende) do ryde, with harnes and sallets, armed and prepared with many ordinaunces, decrees and statutes, by the whiche (alas what remedye) the christen faythe is lytle fur∣thered. But it is well fensed and armed with habbergions, one ryng folded in a nother fower folde. These were set on fyre with a furious madnesse against the pure and syncere doctrine and profession of the gospell yelowe for very enuye hatered and malyce, and also for very fylthye desyre and couetousnes of golde, whiche thinges goe alwayes together. And againe sauering of brymstone in their hipocritishe filthy chastitie, vnmete & odious for any christē harte to thīcke vpon, muche lesse for any christen eares to heare, or any christen tong to speake. Their pompe and power, to subdue the symple and humble dysciples of Christ, contemners of this wycked world, is lyke vnto the power and myght of Lyons, by the wytte of man, not able to be resysted or withstanden. And yet their power is not in their handes and armes, but in their mouthes. Out of the whiche com∣meth, cursynge, suspendyng, excommunicating, and threatenynge with fire, and feare of hell and purgatorye, & with suche lyke firebrandes of brymstone. Oh, how many right godly and faythfull constant men and wemen haue bene mur∣thered w^tin these foure or fiue hundreth yeares, of these horsemen, whose power was onely in their mouthes. For, to the performaūce of their spiritual tirannie, they dyuised spies & serchers, whiche they called inquisitores hereticae prauitatis, to spye out suche as they toke for heretykes, as Saule was one at suche tyme

as he ra••ed so spitefully against the faithfull, from Ierusalem to Damasco. Their tayle, lyke vnto the tayle of a Scorpion or a Basiliske, are those whiche goe after them, and folow their example, Princes, Lordes, and temporal Magi∣strates, whiche are assistent vnto them, to execute their tyrannye, bothe other∣wyse & speciallye at general councels, whiche for their pleasures (euen thoughe they be Emperours) yet they must breake their promyses of free pasporte and passage, against bothe their honour and othes, in any matters that concerne their spiritual state, pompe, lyberties, ordinaūces, be they neuer so much against the holy worde of God.