¶ Be ye the folowers of me, as I am the folower of Christ. I commend you brethren, that ye remember me in all thinges, and kepe the ordinaunces, euen as I deliuered the•• to you. But I woulde haue you to knowe that Christe is the head of euery man. And the man is the womans head: And God is Christes head: Euery man praying or prophecying hauing any thing on hys head, shameth his head. Euery woman that prayeth or prophe∣cieth bare headed, dyshonesteth her heade. For that is euen all one, as if she were shauen▪ Yf the woman be not couered let her also be shorne. Yf it be shame for a woman to be shorne or shauen, let her couer her head.
NOr be ye ashamed to folow your Apostles exaumple, synce it is not so muche myne, as the very exaumple of Iesus Christ. Who to the entent he might win vs to his father, in al pointes applyed hymselfe to our infirmities. Him folow I, as my lord and maister: ye children folow me your father, ye disciples fo∣low your Apostle. And thys hitherto thinke I the mariers of eatyng of fleshe, and of auoydyng the paynims sacrifices sufficiently spoken of. Hence furth will I nowe touche certayn pointes what I would haue in your commen assemblies obserued and kepte, and what I woulde were auoyded, that in them nothing be done eyther vnorderly, or contenciously, or ryottous∣ly. And first of al I commend you brethren, that in al other thinges ye remem∣ber suche poyntes, as I gaue you in commaundement, and mayntayn such or∣dinaunces as in your solemne metinges, I appoynted you to kepe. One thing more must I tell you, which is yet of no great importaunce nor much weigh∣tie, but suche as may, if the tyme and place so require, bee chaunged. But yea•• this would I haue you to knowe, that as Christ is the head of euery man, and the head of euery wyfe is the husband, so is god the head of Christ. Albeit the husbande be the wiues gouernour, yet is he vnderlyng and subiect to Christe his lorde and maister: and Christe hymselfe in all poyntes acknowlegeth the autoritie of god his father, to whome whosoeuer be subiect, must nedes dooe all thyng for hys glory. In secrete places a man may doe, as he shall thinke ex∣pedient, but what man soeuer in the commen assembly eyther prayeth or pro∣phecieth hauyng any thyng on hys head, shameth hys head, shewing himselfe by coueryng the same to be bonde, when besyde Christ he hath no maister: for whose glory it were conuenient that he vncouered his head, not onely by put∣tyng of his cap but also by shauyng of hys heere. For the heere is rather a co∣ueryng of the body, than any parte therof. On the other side if a woman in the cōmen assembly pray or prophecie bare headed, she dishonoreth her hed, which should in secret places peraduenture for her husbandes pleasure, be open hea∣ded, and not in the congregacion, where Christ is honoured, and not their hus∣bandes. For as it is in a man to bee shorne or shauen: the lyke is it in a woman to cast of her vayle. And then if it bee comely for a woman to caste of the vayle from her head as men dooe, let her lykewise, as menne doe, either be shorne or rounded, and in open places preache and prophecie bare headed▪ But if thys wise to doe by all mens consent be in a woman a foolyshe, and an euil fauered sight, let her by couering her head shew her selfe subiect to her husbande.