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¶ The thyrde chaptre compre∣hendynge* the nombre of tra∣dicions commynge from the apostles to vs w^tout writing.

IN the last Chaptre, good reader, I tou∣ched bryefly, and by the waye, as we are wonte to saye, foure tradicyōs pertaynyng vnto the sacrament of the aulter, that is to say. Water to be myxed with wyne in y^e chalyce at masse, whi∣che our sauyoure hym selfe dyd, as saynt Cypryan sayth, of whō his apostles taughte the same, lefte it without wrytynge to the church. The seconde to receyue the sacramēt fasting. The third to kepe the sacrament in the pixe or boxe in the tēple. The fourth is to pray for the deade at masse, Page  [unnumbered] which thīge the apostles taught the churche, as I haue proued in my boke of the sacrifice of the masse. Now let vs se what other tradicions there be, whiche are vnwrytten in the scrypture and yet necessary to be beleued, kept, and obserued of all chrysten peo¦ple, and fyrst of all I wyll recite certayne tradycyons appertey∣nyng vnto baptisme, of the whi∣che the chyefe is that infantes, or babes that cā not yet speake, are chrystened whē they can not beleue, and baptysme auaylethe thē through the churches fayth to the obtaynynge of remyssyon of originall synne, and the get∣tyng of heuen. What scrypture proueth this truth? Is not the scripture rather agaynst it then with it? Do not the heretyckes called in greke anabaptiste, be∣cause Page  [unnumbered] they chrysten men agayne, whē they can beleue, which were chrystened beynge infantes, vt∣terly denye this veryte for that, that they sawe no scrypture ex∣pressly make for it? What wyll or can they here say, that aske & requyre for euery doctrine, that they wyl beleue, manifest scryp∣ture?* Saynte Austen thus wry∣tethe vpon the chrystenynge of chyldren. Consuetudo matris ec¦clesiaeī baptizandis paruulis nequa quam spernēda est, ne{que} vllo modo superflua depuranda, nec omnino credenda esset, nisi apostolica esset traditio. That is to saye. The custome of our mother y^e church in chrystenyng of chyldren is in no wise to be dispysed, nother by any waye to be rekened supen∣fluous, nor it oughte vtterlye to be beleued, excepte it had bene* Page  [unnumbered] the apostles tradicion. Loo. S. Austen sayth that the baptysme or christenyng of chyldren shuld not be beleued except it had ben the tradicion of the apostles, & therfore he founde no scrypture for it. Also in another boke he wryteth thus of y^e same matter.* Et si quisquam in hac re autoritatē quaerat diuinam, quamquam quod vniuersa tenet ecclesia, nec conciliīs īstitutum, sed semper retentum est, non nisi autoritate apostolica tra∣ditum rectissime creditur, tamē ve∣raciter coniicere possumus, quid va leat in paruulis baptismi sacramētū ex circumcisione carnis, quā prior populus accepit. Thus it is in englysshe. Albeit any searche or asketh the auctoritye of God or the scrypture in this matter of chrystenynge chyldren, thoughe that whiche the whole churche Page  [unnumbered] kepeth and it is not ordeined by councels, but euer reteyned, it is beleued of mooste good right or reason, not delyuered or tau∣ght but by y^e apostles auctorite, yet we maye truelye coniecture, what strength the sacrament of baptysme is of in chyldren, by the circumcisyon of the flesshe, which the fyrst people receyued. Lo ones agayne saynte Austen doth confesse that the chrystenīg of chyldren came by the tradiciō of the apostles without expresse worde or cōmaundement of the scrypture. Therfore what mad∣nes & blyndnes are they in, that requyre manyfeste scrypture for euery thynge, that shulde be be∣leued and kepte of vs chryste∣ned people? They do open the dore & gyue an occasion by that theyr fonde opinyon, to the he∣resie Page  [unnumbered] of the Pelagiās, Armenes, Albanenses, & the anabaptistes which denye that chyldren shuld be baptysed and chrystened be∣fore they can beleue in chryste. Origen also, whiche was with* in lesse thē .cc. yeres after chryst{is} byrth, testifieth that it is a tradi¦cion of the apostles to chrysten chyldren sayeng. Pro hoc et eccle∣sia ab apostolis traditionem acce∣pit, etiam peruulis baptismū dare. That is to saye. For that origi∣nall synne the church also hathe receyued a tradicion of the apo∣stles to giue baptisme vnto chil∣dren. What can be more playnly wryten: thē this is to proue that it is a playne tradicion of the a∣postles to chrysten infantes, or chyldren? But to be shorte, saint Dionise the apostle Paules dis∣cyple affyrmeth manyfestly that Page  [unnumbered] it came from the apostles to bap¦tyse* tyse chyldren, whose wordes are these. But that y^e chyldren / whi∣can not yet vnderstande godlye thynges are made partakers of the holy baptisme & of y^e hyghest signes of the halowed cōmuniō, it appearethe to the paynems a thinge reasonable to be scorned, (as thou saidest) yf the bysshops do teach godly thīges to herers not mete, & they teache in vayne the holy tradicions to them that do not vnderstāde, & that which is more to be laught at (as they thynke) other do renoūce or for∣sake the deuyl for thē, and do go in to or begyn y^•, the holye coue∣naūtes. Then anon after a fewe wordes thus he saieth. Verum ea de re ista quo{que} dicimus, que sancti praeceptores nostri ex pristina tra∣ditione edocti ad nos deriuauerūt. Page  [unnumbered] Aiunt enim, quod est verissimum, infantes, si sctā lege formētur, ad sa∣crum prouehendos habitum, omni errore liberos, et vitae exortes īpurae, istud cū piissimis ducibus nostris in mentem venisset, visum est admit∣tere infantes hoc modo etc. That is thus much in our tonge. But of thys thynge we also say these thynges, whyche our holy may∣sters (saynt paule and Hierothe) instructed of the olde tradition haue brought vnto vs. For they saye (the whyche thynge is most trewe) that the infantes or chyl∣dren that can not yet speake, yf they be formed or made in faciō wyth the law of lyfe, must be ad∣uan̄ced or promoted vnto an ho∣ly state, beynge free from all er∣rour, and wythout parte or out of felowshyppe of vncleane life. Whan thys thynge came to the Page  [unnumbered] mynde of oure remembraunce most godly ducers capiteines or leaders (y^e apostles) it semed to thē to admyt y^e infātes & chyldrē after thys maner to be christe∣ned. Then streyght he declareth howe they are christened, & she∣weth that the godfather doth an¦swere for the chylde saying I re∣nounce the deuyll / and beleue / promysynge that he wyll teache him to beleue & forsake the deuil when he shall come to vnderstā∣dyng. Which wordes do declare that it came also by the apostles tradition, that godfathers do aunswere for the chylde when he is christend, and not onely that infantes are christened. Ther∣fore we do no we se playnly that the baptisme or chrystenynge of chyldren was taught the church by the holy apostles wythout a∣ny scripture or wrytynge, and it Page  [unnumbered] oughte to be beleuedand kepte as well as anye other thynge, whyche is manifestly sette forth in the scripture, and therfore as many men as wyll not fal head∣lynge in to the damnable heresy of the anabaptistes, whyche de∣nye that chyldren shulde be chri∣stened, let them leaue demaun∣dynge and requirynge in euery poynt of our belefe expresse scip∣ture, sence thys necessary thinge hangeth onely vpō the apostles tradition wythout anye scrip∣ture, that can proue it sufficient∣ly, whyche thynge Luther, Me∣lancthon, and other the luthe∣rans are compelled to graunte, though they neuer so much crye out scripture, scripture, and saye that nothynge oughte to be be∣leued, and kepte necessarylye wythout manifest scripture set∣tynge it forth. For when thys Page  [unnumbered] matter of christenynge chyldren is layed to theyr charges, they haue nothynge to aunswere, but are streyght enforced to graunte it to be a tradition of the holy a∣postles. But of thys I haue nowe sayed, I suppose, suffici∣ently, and therfore I wil reherse yet moo traditions of the apo∣stles to the full cōfusion of them that wyll beleue nothynge wyth out an auctoritye of the scrip∣ture. Saynte Hierom sayeth,* (whych thyngethe church doth practyse) that in tyme of necessi∣tie laye men and women maye baptyse chyldren, whych thynge cometh by tradition, because it is generally vsed through chri∣stendome, and was not fyrste made by anye councell. Also it* cometh of the apostles traditi∣on that the water in the fonte Page  [unnumbered] stone is halowed before the child be christened in it, for saynt Di∣onyse Paules disciple beynge wyth the apostles, and instruc∣ted* of them, as he sayeth ofte hym selfe, thus speaketh of that matter. The byshoppe goynge to the temple, in the whyche is the fonte, eius aquas sancta prece, et inuocatione sanctificans, ita{que} in eas ad crucis effigiem sanctissimum infūdens vnguētum, illas hocmo do perficit. That is to saye. He halowed the fontes water wyth an holye prayer and wyth an in∣uocation, & powrynge into them thryse the mooste holye oynte∣mente after the fourme of the crosse by thys waye or fassion doth make them perfecte. These saynte Dionyse saynte Paules scolers wordes do shewe playn∣lye that then the byshoppe dyd Page  [unnumbered] vse to halowe the water in the* fonte, and put in to it oyle thryse makynge a crosse therein, whyche no doubte was caughte by the holye Apostles wythout wrytynge, as saynte Basyll, and other auncient doctours do wit∣nesse, whose wordes shall be a∣none alleged, and therfore men that wolde not y^t the font shulde be halowed before chyldrē shuld be therin christened, and wyl be∣leue nothynge not conteyned in the scripture are farre deceiued, and oughte to forsake that yll, and peryllous opinion, lest they perish at length therby for euer, whyche oure Lorde forbydde. Saynte Basyll also rehersynge certeyn traditions in hys booke of the holye gooste thus wryteth of the halowynge of water in the fonte stone.

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Consecramus autem aquam bap∣tismatis, et oleum vnctionis. Prae∣terea ipsū, qui; baptismum accipit, ex quibus scriptis? Nonne a tacita secreta{que} traditione? The englysh maye be thys. But we do con∣secrate, or halowe the water of baptisme, and the oyle of anonyn∣tynge, and besyde that hym, that receyueth baptisme, of what wry¦tynges? Cometh it not of a styll, and a secrete tradition? Moreo∣uer y^e custome is that he, which is to be chrystoned, shulde renoūce or forsake the deuyll eyther by hys owne wordes, or elles hys* godfather for hym, of the whych Dionise pauls disciple speaketh as I haue touched before & also Tertuliā (whyche was very nye* the apostles tyme) saying. Aquā adituri, ibidē sed et aliquāto prius sub pōtificis manu contestamur nos renūtiare diabolo, et pōpae, et āgelis Page  [unnumbered] •i{us} Whē we wyl go to y^• waterof baptisme (sayth Tertulian) but, ther also a litle while first we vn¦der y^e hand of y^e byshop do {pro}test that we do renounce or forsake the deuyll, and hys pompe, and aungels. In lyke maner saynte* Basyll sayeth of that custom as foloweth. Reliqua item, quae fue∣rint in baptismate, velut renūciare satanae, et angelis eius, ex qua scrip∣tura habemus? Nōne ex priuata, et arcana hac traditiōe? Nōne ex do∣ctrina, quam patres n ostri in silen∣tio, quod curiosos, et otiosos sub∣mouet, seruarunt? The remenant also (sayeth he) which is done in baptysme, as to renoūce the de∣uyll, and his aungels, of what scrypture haue we? Haue we it not of a pryuate, and a preuye tradicion? Haue we not it of the doctrine, which oure fathers, or Page  [unnumbered] elders haue kepte in sylence, the whiche remoueth, or caryeth far of ydle men, and curious? The preest asketh of hī, that is christe¦ned, whether he do beleue or not but what scrypture haue we for that? Saynt Hierome speaketh* of it sayeng. Praeterea cū solemne sit in lauacro post trinitatis cōfessi∣onē interrogare. Credis in sanctam ecclesiam? Credis peccatorum re∣missionem? Moreouer when it is acustomed in baptysme after confession of the trinite, to aske, Doest thou beleue in the holye churche? beleuest thou remyssyō of synnes? The chylde that is chrystened is thryse dypped in y^e water by an auncient custome & tradicion withoute scrypture, of the which Basyll thus wryteth.* I am ter imergi hominem, vnde est traditū? Nowe a man to be dyp∣ped Page  [unnumbered] thryse ī the water, frō whēce it is taught, or delyuered? Mōne ex priuata, et arcana hac traditiōe. Cometh it not of this pryuate & secrete tradicion? Of this spea∣keth* keth Tertulyan sayenge, Dehīc¦ter mergitamur, aliquid ampli{us} re∣spondentes qu• dominus in euan∣gelio determinauit. That is. If∣terwarde we are dypped vnder the water thryse, aunswerynge some what more then oure lorde hath determyned in the gospell. Note well these wordes, god re∣der, agaynste them that wyl no∣thyng shulde be beleued, & done but y^• onely which is cōmaūded or set forth in the scrypture. But s. Hierome shall saye his mynde in this matter of baptysme. Thou askeste of me where it is written. I say in the actes of the* apostles. Et si scripturae autoritas Page  [unnumbered] nō subesset, totius orbis in hāc partē consensus instar praecepti obtineret Nam et multa al ia, quae per tradi∣tionem in ecclesiis obseruātur, au∣toritatem scriptae legis sibi vsur pa∣uerūt, velutī lauacro ter caput mer∣gitare, die dominico, et per omnem pentecosten nec de geniculis adora re, et ie iunium soluere, multa{que} alia scripta non sunt, que rationabilis sibi obseruatio vindicauit. That is. Although there were no auc∣toritye of the scrypture, the con∣sente of the whole worlde vpon this parte shulde opteyne lyke a cōmaundemēte. For many other thynges also, whiche are obser∣ued in the churches by tradiciō, haue vsurped or by vse taken to thē the auctoryte of a lawe wry∣tē, as in y^• lauatory of baptisme / to dyppe the heade thryse / vpon sonday and al the tyme betwene Page  [unnumbered] Easter and wytsontyde neyther to honour god knelynge, nor to fast: and many other thynges ar* not wrytten, which a reasonable obseruatyon hath chalenged to hyr. This saynt Hierome hath spoken to the great reproch of al those that saye nothynge shulde be beleued, and kept excepte the scrypture made therof some mē∣cyō. Also here we se that it is not a new thynge to aske where it is wrytten in scrypture, and that s. Hierome thought the custome & tradicion of christes church suf∣ficyent for the auctorite, and de∣fence of sundrye thynges with∣out the scrypture. But to saynte Dionise s. Paules disciple, whi∣che thus wryteth of this matter. Pontifex ter illū a quis imergit, hac trinaillius mersione, et emersione tres beatitudinis diuinae personas Page  [unnumbered] inclamans. The bysshoppe dyp∣peth him thryse vnder the water* callynge vpon the thre persons of y^• godly blysse with this thre∣folde dyppynge in to the water, and dryngeth hym oute againe. Though the saing of s. Dionise Paul{is} scoler be sufficiēt to proue that it came frome y^• apostles by tradicyon that in baptysme the chylde is put vnder the wa∣ter, because he was in the apo∣stles time, and learned the truth of chrystes religion of thē of S. Paule and Hierothe{us} his may∣sters, yet for a fuller prouffe, I wyll brynge hyther the apostles owne word{is} out of theyr canōs,* whiche are euen these. If anye bysshop, or preest do not vse thre mersions, or dyppynges of one mysterye / but do ones dyppe the chyld in baptisme, which semeth Page  [unnumbered] to be gyuen in our lordes death, let hym be deposed. For our lord sayde not to vs baptyse or chry∣sten ye in my death, but you go∣ynge teach all people baptysige theym in the name of the father,* and the sonne / & the holy goost. Fynally saynt Dionise Paules scoler declarethe what is signy∣fyed by the dyppynge the chylde thryse vnder the water ī the font saynge. Proprie, et cōueniētissime mersio illa, qua totus homo aquis operitur, ad imaginem mortis ac se pulturae informis accipitur. That is to say in englyssh. That dyd∣pynge, by the whiche the whole man is couered with water, pro∣perly and moste conueniently is receyued to the ymage, or forme of chrystes deathe, and buryall, which was without fourme, or shape. The puttynge of the Page  [unnumbered] chylde, when he is chrystened, thryse vnder the water, betoke∣neth chrystes death, & thre dayes buryall, as the takynge of the child out of y^e water, sygnifyeth to vs chrystes rysyng vp againe* from death. Therfore as chryst{is} bodye was hydde cleane in his graue or sepulchre, so ought the chylde, when he is chrystened, to be put wholy vnder the water, & couered hole with water (as S. Dionise here affyrmeth) y^• ther∣by Chrystes buriall may be ful∣lye represented. The which thīg some gentyll men wyl not suffre to be done vnto theyr chyldren, though it myght ryghte well be done without anye ieoperdye of the chylde. In which thyng they do not well, breakynge the lau∣dable custome of the churche co∣mynge euen frome the apostles, Page  [unnumbered] and especiallye beynge so reaso∣nable, & agreyng with the scrip∣ture, and representynge the bu∣ryall of Christe very perfectly.

But I wyll go forwarde to the rehersal of mo traditions of the holy Apostles. It is a custome that when the chylde is christe∣ned at the font, anon is put vpō hym a whyte cloth called y^e chry∣some, the whyche came from the apostles by tradition, as it shall streight appere by the olde wry∣ters wytnesses, of the which one is the historye called in latyne historia tripertita, where we read these wordes. Praeparabatur bap¦tisma,* et vestis conueniens baptiza to. Baptisme was prepared, and a vesture mete for the baptised.

Also Lactantius, whyche was* aboue twelue hundred and forty yeres past, thus wryteth of thys Page  [unnumbered] whyte clothe whyche is put on the chylde christened.

¶ The englyshe of the verses.

Thys Lac∣tāti{us} declarynge the custome to put vppon the person baptised a whyte garmēt, & that it sheweth as a tokē that the soule is made whyte frō the filthines of synne* in baptisme. That whyte clothe also maye signify the manumis∣siō, or the deliueraūce of y^e soule frō the bondage of the deuyll to the fredome of christe, whiche is gottē in baptisme. For Tertuliā in his boke, recytyng in an ordre* the tokēs of manumissiō or ma∣king a mā fre of a bonde mā, re∣herseth a whyte vesture amonge thē. They that were baptised at Easter dyd vse to weare all the easter weeke y^t white vestures & Page  [unnumbered] vpō y^• sōday next folowing they dyd put thē of, & for y^• cause that weke & sonday were called of the olde fathers. Septimana et domi¦nicai albis, y^• weke & sōday in al∣bis. That this vsage & custome to cloth y^e childe christened wyth a white vesture came by tradi∣tiō frō y^e apostles, Dionise pau∣les scholer declareth makynge mētiō of it w^t these wordes. Assu¦mētes baptizatū sacerdotes, īduūt* cum veste mūdiciae cōgrua. That •s. The preest{is} taking to thē the party baptised do put on hym a* vesture agreable w^t cleanes. A∣gayne he sayeth. Deinceps ita ini¦tiatū candē tes induūt vestes. After ward theyputon him, so instruc∣ted in thinges concerninge reli∣gion, whyte vestures. Where shuld this paules disciple lerne this but of him, & the other apo∣stles, Page  [unnumbered] whō he oft called duces suo• his leaders? Is it to be suppo∣sed, I beseche the good reader, y^• this custom receiued of y^• church in the apostles tyme, came frō a∣ny other teachers then the apo∣stles? Therfore embrace, & glad∣ly receiue this & other as y^e apo∣stles traditions, and ceasse for shame y^• vngodly bablyng / that nothing is to be beleued, & done excepte it be set forth & expressed in the scripture. This auncient doctoure Dionise speaketh also of cōsecratyng & halowing oyle & creame, & of the anoyntynge of* thē y^t are christened w^e it, & Ter∣tulia also sayinge, god wassheth his w^t water, & anoynteth thē w^t oyle. Dionise thus hath of that* oyle. Vnde, vt opinor, i••ta sacra∣tiorē sēsū traditione diuina, sancti nostrae sacerdotalis fūctionis duces, Page  [unnumbered] honestissimū illud vnguēti cōsecran di mun{us} teletē ab effectu rei, quae in eo perficitur nomināt. That is to say Wherof (as I suppose.) the holy leaders of our preest{is} offyce after a more holy sense by gods traditiō or teaching do call that most honest office of cōsecrating oyntmēt a perfection or making a thing perfect, of y^e effecte of the thing, which in it is made {per}fect. Lo here Dionise playnly affyr∣meth y^• the apostles gaue a name vnto y^• preestes office, by y^• which he doth halow y^• oyle, & therfore it must nedes folow y^• that thing was in vse, & brought vp by thē through christes instructiō or y^e* holy gooste. Basil speaketh also of y^e anoyntynge thē y^• are bapti∣sed saying. We do halow y^• oyle of anoynting. Nōne a tacita secre ta{que} traditione? Do we not of a Page  [unnumbered] styl, & a secrete traditiō? Ipsam porro olei īūctionē, quis sermo scri pto prodit{us} docuit? That is. Fur∣ther, what speache put forth by wrytyng hath taught y^• innoyn∣ting* of oyle? Cipriā in like faciō writeth of y^• anoyntinge of thē y^• are baptised, saying. Vngi quo{que} necesse est eū, qui baptizand{us} sit, vt accepto chrysm ate, id est, vnctione esse vnct{us} dei, et habere in se christi gratiam possit. It is also (•ayeth he) necessary y^• he, which must be baptized, be anoynted, y^• anoyn∣ting being taken, he may be the anoynted of god, & haue in hym the grace of christe. As yf he had sayed, excepte he be anoynted w^t oyle whē he is christened, he can not be the anoynted of god, nor haue in him the grace of christe, wherby he declared how necessa¦ry a thing it is to be anointed w^t Page  [unnumbered] oile in baptisme receiuing, & yet there is no scripture setting any such thyng further, y^u seest ther∣fore, good reader, yet ones a∣gayn some thyng necessary to be both of vs beleued, & kept, of the which scripture speketh nothing at al. Moreouer there are yet di∣uers other thinges not expressed in the scripture, whyche we are bound both to beleue, & also to kepe, of the whiche thys is one y^• the bishop haloweth the aulters before masse be sayed vpō them, of the whiche Dionise maketh mētiō saying. Diuiui altatis conse cracionē sanctissimorū mysteriorū lex, sanctissimi vnguēti castissimis infusionib{us} perficit. That is. The lawe of the holyest mysteryes, doth make perfecte y^• halowing* of gods aulter wyth most chast powrynges on it of moost holye Page  [unnumbered] oyle, manye men can not abyde that hymnes and psalmes shuld be songe in the churche vnto the honour of god, & the styrryng of the herers vnto greater deuoti∣on, when at the begynnynge of christes churche in the apostles tymes christen people dyd vse to synge songes vnto the honoure of god, & to encorage thē selues to be the better disposed, as we may reade in one Pliny, whych* was not chrystened, and yet he spake of that thyng saying. Af∣firmabant autem hanc fuisse sūmā vel culpae suae, velerroris, quod es∣sent soliti stato die ante lucem con∣uenire, carmen{que} christo, quasi deo dicere secū inuicem. Thys in en∣glysh. But they affyrmed that thys was the chyef poynte ey∣ther of theyr faut, or of theyr er∣roure, that they were wounte to Page  [unnumbered] assemble and come togyther be∣fore day vpō a daye appoynted, and saye with theym selues one to another a verse or a metre vn to chryste as to God. And to cō∣fyrme this matter more surelye, I wyll brynge forth the wytnes of one Phylo which was a iew• borne and tourned to Chrystes fayth. He beyng in chryst{is} tyme, and his apostles thus testifyeth of chrysten mennes songes, and hympnes, sayde and songe vn∣to god, as Eusebious hath wry∣ten* aboute twelfe hūdred yeres passed. Vnus ex iībus in medio cō¦surgens, psalmum honestis modulis concinebat, et praecinēti vnū versicu lūomnis multitudo respondebat That is. One of them al rysing vp ī y^e middes dyd syng a psalme or a song with semely measures & all the multitude dyd answere Page  [unnumbered] hym syngyng before or fyrst one verse as a chaū• doth in a qurie. Hyther Philo settynge forth the begynnyng of chrystēdome / the ordynaunces of the church whē it fyrst begon, and dyscrybed the begynnynge of the apostles tra dicions, and therfore the custom of syngyng verses, psalmes, hi∣nes, and other songes is not to be set at naught hauynge theyr begynnynge of the apostles by tradicion. Adde to these verytes vnwrytten this also y^• the preest at masse vseth certayne prayers to cōsecrate the hoost, & to turne it through the almyghty power of god, and the workynge of the holy goost in to Chrystes verye bodye, which wordes are not in the scrypture, but came vp by the apostles tradicion, and tea∣chynge* by mouth onely. They Page  [unnumbered] are thought of saynte Basyll to come (as I sayde) by tradicyon,* whose wordes are these. Inuoca∣tionis verba, quū ostenditur panis eucharistiae, et poculum benedictio nis, quis sanctorū nobis in scripto reliquit: Nec enim his contenti su∣mus, quae cōmemorat apostolus, aut euangelium, verum alia quo or et ante et post dicim{us}, tāquam mul∣tum habentia momētiad myste∣rium, quae ex traditione citra scrip∣tum accipimus. The wordes (sayth Basyll) of inuocation or callyng for helpe, whē the bread or fode of the sacramente of the aulter is shewed (ouer y^• preestes head to the people at masse) and the cuppe or chalyce of blessyng who of the holye menne hathe lefte vs in wrytynge? For we (preestes) be not contented with those wordes, whiche the apostle Page  [unnumbered] saynte Paule dothe remēbre or the gospell, but we do saye other also both before the (cōsecratiō) and after, as hauynge moche pythe or bcynge of great effecte to the mysterye or sacramente, which wordes we haue receyued of tradicyon without wrytyng Hytherunto S. Basyll playnly disprouyng theyr opinion, whi∣che say y^t all thyng, which we are boūd to beleue or do, is cōteined in the holy scrypture. Of y^e wor∣des * of consecracyō the holy Dio nise saynt paules dyscyple thus wryteth. At vero efficientes conse∣crationis preces fas non est scripto interpretari, neq ipsarū arcanum, siue illas, quae ex deo fuerint virtu∣tes, ēsecreto in publicum efferre. Sedsicut nostra habet sacro sancta traditio, vbi eas sacratioribus in∣structionibus hauseris, at q ad sacra Page  [unnumbered] tiorē habitum, capatiorē q intelligentiam diuino a more, sacris q acti¦onibus cōsummatus euaseris, ad su premā ipsarum sciam subueheris, di uina lu ce radiatus. That is this moch to saye in englysshe, But it is not lefull before god, to ex∣powne or translate by wrytynge the prayers which made the con secratyon, nother to publyshe or vtter openly the pryupte of thē, either y^e vertues which ar done,* but lyke as oure holy tradicyon hath, after that a man hath ler∣ned them with very holy or ha∣lowed institutiōs, & being made perfecte is comen vnto a holyer state, and an vnderstādige more apte to perceyue throughe or by the loue of god, and holy dedes, he shall be caryed vp, or promo∣ted to the hyghest knowledge of them, when he hathe bene made Page  [unnumbered] bryght or shynyng lyke y^e sunne beames w^t Gods lyghte. Doest not thou here se playnlye, good reader, that the prayers vsed of the preest whê he doth cōsecrate the host of breade at masse came of the holy tradicion of chrystes apostles, & y^t it standeth not w^t gods law to vtter abrode amōg the lay people the prpuyre of thē by expownynge or translatynge theym with wrytynge? Saynte Dionise dyscyple testifyeth that the holy apostles vsed certayne sygnes and cere∣mones in the celebracyon of the blyssed sacrament, of the which scrypture speaketh not, these are his word; trāstated out of greke in to latine, Ne in ipsa quidē sctīs∣simorū sacramētorum celebratione sancti illi nostrae ceu legalis traditio his magistri, diumis at q honestissi Page  [unnumbered] mis abstinuere signis. That is to say. Chose mayiters of our tra∣diction belongynge to the lawe dyd absteyne frome godlye and moost honeste sygnes no not in celebratynge of the moost holye sacramentes. Vpon the whiche texte of saynte Dionise Pachy∣meres, whiche was aboue. M. yeres sence, thus hath. Theolo∣giam quae per figuras diuinis oracu lis ttadita est Telesticē asserit di oni¦sius vt quae per sacerdotum institu∣tionē ceremonias tradat sacramen∣torū, cōprehensas, signorū involu∣cris dionise: He affirmeth that di∣uinite which is expressed by to∣kens, or taught in the holy scrip ture by figures, tobe figuratiue because it teacheth or deliuereth ceremonies of the sacramentes by the preestes institution, whi∣che ceremonies are cōprehēded Page  [unnumbered] or conteyned in couerynges of sygnes. The heades of the aul∣ters are set towarde the easte & we do praye tournynge our fa∣ces towarde the easte, the which thynge comethe by the apostles tradicyon, as dyuers autours do wytnes, of the whiche saynte Damascene is one sayenge. We do praye towarde the easte, not by chaunce but because god is lyght that may be vnderstande and the sunne of ryghteousnes, & christ is called in the scripture oriēs y^e east, the east must be ap∣poynted* or dedicate to hym for prayer or worshyppyng of hym. Anone after damascene sheweth another reason and cause, why y^e we pray toward the east / sayng. Because God made Paradyse towarde the easte, in to the whi∣che he brought Adā, the whiche Page  [unnumbered] offending he banished out ther∣of and made hym dwell in the west contrary to the easte. An∣tiquam igitur patriam requirentes, et ad ipsam suspirantes, deum ado∣ramus scz ad orientem. Therfore we requyryng the olde countrey (Paradyse of heauen signifyed by the earthlye paradise a place of much pleasure,) and feruent∣ly desyrynge to come vnto it, do worshyppe god, or pray to hi to∣warde the easte. After certeyne tokens of the excellencye of the easte taken out of the scripture rehersed in the ende of that chap tre, Damascene thus hath. Nō ē aūt scripta haec apostolorū traditio, nam multa sine scripto nobis tradi∣ta sunt. That is to saye. But this y^e apostles traditiō is not wryt∣ten, for manye thynges are dely∣uered to vs, or taught vs wyth¦out Page  [unnumbered] writing. Are not these playn wordes of thys auncient doc∣tour to the cōfusion of all them, that are not ashamed to speake agaynst traditions, and affirme that nothynge ought to be bele∣ued and kept, that is not expres∣sed in the holy scrypture? Heare nowe what saynte Basyl sayeth* of thys matter? Vt ad orientē versi precemur, quae nos docuit scriptu∣ra? That is. what scripture hath taughte vs to praye turned to∣ward y^e easte? Athanasi{us} like wise which was aboue. M. CC. yere synce, affyrmeth that the holy a∣postles dyd teache christen men to praye towarde the east. These are hys wordes. Why do we christen people pray towarde the easte, and the Iewes toward the south? He answereth thus. We muste defende this thinge other wyse to the Iewes, and other Page  [unnumbered] wise expowne it to the Gentiles. To the Iewes we saye, that we pray toward y^e easte, because the holy goost so taughte vs by the prophete Dauid sayinge. Ado∣remus ad locum, vbi steterunt pe∣des tui domine. That is. Let vs O Lorde worshyppe the or pray to the towarde that place, where* thy fete stode. And the prophete zachary sayeth. And oure lordes fete shall stande in the mounte or hyll of olyuete agaynste Hie∣rusalen (whyche is in the easte.) Thys maye be a shorte answere (sayeth he) to the Iewes. But to the gentiles we saye that we do praye towarde the easte not that god is closed in there, or is one∣lye there, but forasmuche as he is named lyghte, for that cause we hauing a respecte to the ligi• of the sunne created, do nowe Page  [unnumbered] worshyppe not that same lyghte created, but the maker of it by the lokynge towarde it. Thys is the annswere to the gentiles, but lette the faythfull people of Chryst learne y^t. Hac de causa be∣atissimi apostoli fecerunt Christia∣norum ecelesias intendere versus o∣rientem, vt ad Paradisum respici∣entes, vnde cecidim{us}, scilicet ad ve∣terem patriam, et regionem nostrā, petamus deum, et dominum nostrā reducere nos illuc, vnde eiecti exu∣lam{us}. The englysh may be thys. The mooste blessed apostles for this cause haue made y^e churches of chrystē people to bêde or loke to warde the Caste, that we lo∣kynge towarde Paradyse, from whense we fell, verily shulde de∣syre God, and oure Lorde to brynge vs thyther againe, to the olde countrey and oure region, Page  [unnumbered] from when•e we caste are bany∣shed. Lo thys holye and blessed auncyent wryter Athanasius, a man of excellent vertue and ler∣nynge, affyrmeth that the apo∣stles taughte christen people to praye towarde the Caste, and sheweth the reason, why we so do, as saynte Damascene hath done. Saynte Basyll moreouer* sayeth. Ipsam fidei professionem, qua credimus in patrem, et filium, et spiritum sanctum, c quibus ha∣bemus scriptis? That is Of what scripture haue we the profession of the fayth, by whyche we be∣leue in the father, and the sonne, and the holy gooste? He conclu∣deth that it cometh by tradition onely. I passe ouer manye tra∣ditions of the Apostles nowe vsed ī the masse, as that y^e preest senseth wyth frankenceuse the Page  [unnumbered] aulter washeth hys handes at masse, sayeth confite or, sheweth the bodye and bloude of Christe ouer hys heade to the people, of the whyche Dyonyse speaketh, that was saynt Paules scholer.* Also that the people seynge the bodye and bloude of Christ she∣wed them, do worshyp the same. Saynt Dyonyse also wryteth.* Another tradition yet! is reher∣sed of saynte Basyll sayinge. Vt signo crucis eos, qui spem collo∣carunt in Christum, signemus, quis scripto docuit? That we do marke wyth the signe of y^e crosse them, that haue put theyr truste in Christe, who hath taughte by wrytynge? Tertulyan wryteth also of thys affyrmynge that it is a tradition, and not wrytyng in the scripture. Whose wordes* are these. Ad omnem progressum Page  [unnumbered] at q promotum, ad omnem aditū, et exitum, ad vestitum, et calceatū, ad lauacra, ad mensas, et lumina, ad cubilia, etsedilia, quacun q nos conuersatio exercet, frontem crucis signa culo terimus. That is to say in englyshe. At euerye goynge forth, and aduancynge, profy∣tynge or mouynge forth, at eue∣rye accesse, comynge to or entry, and goynge out, at apparelyng, and showyng or puttynge on of showes, at bathes or baynes, at the tables, and lyghtes, at the entrynge in to the chambers, and seates, or places to syt on, what so euer cōuersation setteth vs on warke, we make a signe of the crosse in oure forheade. Saynt Athanasius sayeth that* Saynt Athanasius sayeth that by the signe of y^t crosse al witch∣crafte, or sorcerye, and the acte or crafte of poysonynge is put Page  [unnumbered] awaye, yf it be vsed in fayth and* deuoutely. Also he sayeth. Legem Mosis videntes daemones, non timent ne{que} tremunt, quod ea non sit operata salutem. Crucem autem videntes, saepe tremunt, fu∣giunt, euanescunt. That is to saye in englyshe. The deuylles se∣ynge Moses lawe feare not, nor tremble not, because it hath not wrought mannes health, but se∣yng the crosse they ofte quake, flee, vanysh away. Of the which it fyrste came that meat / drynke, and other dyuers thynges are blessed wyth a signe or a figure of the crosse. Damascene also* sayth. The crosse is gyuen to vs upon our forhead, and that it is a shelde, a buckler, and a cote of armure agaynste the deuyll.

Adorandum igitur est hoc signum,* therfore thys sygne (sayeth he) Page  [unnumbered] muste be worshypped of vs gy∣uynge to god the reuerence, and y^e deuoute honoryng. Qui hāc ad∣orāt, participes sīt christi crucifixi They that do worshyp this fy∣gure of the crosse, let them be (O lorde) partakers of chryst cruci∣fyed. Hytherto saynt damasene. Let men, that despise the fygure and sygne of the crosse, & shame not to call it an ydoll abhorrīge it almost as moche as the deuel doth, reade olde and auncyente histories, and they shall fynde straunge and wonderfull thin∣ges wrought by it of god. So∣zomenus* one of y^e thre that made y^e storye called tripertita historia, tellethe that a deade māne was reised vp agayn by the touching of the crosse, and that one of the sybilles, which were hethen we∣men hauynge the gyfte of pro∣phesyng, Page  [unnumbered] sayed no doubt styrred of the holy goost. O ter beatum lignum, in quo deus extensus est. That is to say. O thryse happie woode, in the whiche God was stretched forth Also he reherseth there, that when saynte Helene had founde thre crosses, and not mē douted which of thē was chryst{is} crosse, & whiche the theues, that were crucifyed wyth hym, Ma∣cary{us} then beynge bysshoppe of Hierusalē thus dyd put away y^e doubt. He broughte one of those thre crosses vnto a noble womā, which was longe sicke, & praing deuoutly he perceyued y^e myght of our sauyour. For by and by after that the crossehad touched the woman, it dryue awaye the passyon of that moste sharpe di∣sease, and restored healthe vnto the woman. Eusebi{us} moreouer Page  [unnumbered] telleth that ī Alexandria al brest plates of serapis the god of the Egiptians, which stode in euery houses walles, entryes, postes, & wyndowes, were so cut awaye that no prynte nor the name ey∣ther of hym, or els of anye other deuell remayned, and euery bo∣dye set vp in stede of thē y^e sygne of our lordes crosse ī the postes, entrynges in to theyr houses, the walles, windowes, & pillers The which thyng when the pai∣noms, that were left, did se, they were reported to haue comen vn to the remēbraunce of a greate thynge by a tradicyon to theym selues of olde commytted. The Egypcyans haue a sygne of our lordes crosse amonge theyre al∣phabete letters, and say it signi∣eth the lyfe to come. Wherfore they (sayeth Eusebi{us}) whiche by Page  [unnumbered] the wonderynge at the thynges which were done, were tourned to the fayth, sayed that it was so of olde taught or lefte to theim. that these thynges, whiche are nowe worshypped, shuld so lōge stande, as longe as they shulde se that signe to haue come, in the which life was. When in Hieru∣salem the iewes nyghe all were slayne of God wyth a bowle or thynge of fyre very rounde, and the rest were with feare of death enforced and constrayned to cō∣fesse chryste Iesu to be god, least that thynge shulde haue bene thoughte to haue happened by chaunce, the nyghte folowynge the sygne of the crosse dyd so e∣uidently appeare ī all theyr gar∣mentes, that he, whiche for hys vnfaythfulnes wolde haue takē it awaye coulde not in no wyse. Page  [unnumbered] Therfore lette men beware that do dispise the pycture of y^e crosse or y^e crucifyx of chryste, lest lyke vēgeaūce of god do lyght vpon them. The good, and godly Em¦perour cōstantyne, when he was* tourned to Chrystes fayth, and hard moch preaching of y^e crosse, when he was in warfare he cō∣maūded kūnyng men to chaūge his signe, or bainer that he had, ī to a baner of the crosse made of gold, & precious stones. Hoc enī signū bellicum inter alia preciosius erat, eo {quod} ī{per}atorē precederet, et ad∣orari id a militib{us} moris esset. For this signe of warre was among other more p̄cyous, or estemed better, because it wēt before the Emperour, & the custome was it to be worshypped of y^• souldiers •herof chyefly I suppose con∣stantyne the noblest honoure of Page  [unnumbered] ymperye of Rome to haue chaū∣ged it in to the sygne of y^e crosse, that his subiectes by oft seynge it and regargynge it myghte be dysused, or broughte oute of cu∣stome frome the fyrste maner of belefe in honouryng ydols, and iudge hym onely god, whom the Emperour dyd worship, or whō as a captaine, & an aider he vsed agaynste his enemyes, This fy∣gure of the crosse was caryed v∣pon mennes shoulders through the whole hoost: and when the bearer of it through great feare of the enemyes delyuered it to another & fledde awaye, he was slayne sodeynly, and he that ca∣ryed the crosse amonge manye sharpe weapons, quarelles, and dartes escaped harmeles, all the dartes wonderfully by goddes power, stucke in the sygne of the Page  [unnumbered] crosse and dyd all flee from hym that bare the standerde or baner in the felde. It is more reported (sayeth Eusebi{us}) that none the bearer of that standard was ey∣ther woūded or taken prysoner in batell. Hytherto Eusebi{us} de∣claringe the great vertue of the sygne of the crosse, how it ayded constantynes souldiers, & howe moche the godly Emperour cō∣stantyne dyd esteme it. We chri∣sten men for a greate nombre of vs are very farre gone from the olde regardynge of the fygure, or ymage of Chryste crucyfyed for vs, so y^t we be not ashamed to call it an ydoll. The Emperour constantyne after many and dy∣uers notable victories optained of his enemyes accustomynge his souldiers to honour god as he dyd hym selfe he made theyr Page  [unnumbered] armur to haue the sygne of the crosse. Maximā culturā sacratissi∣mae* crucis habebat. He dyd moost honoure the holye crosse, as the historye sayth, both for the good lucke / which he hadde in warre by the helpe of it, & for the sygne, whiche god shewed therby. So∣zomen{us} wrote this aboue twelfe* hundred yeres paste, the whiche telleth also that when this Em∣perour constātyne was in great care and thought, how he shuld optayne vyctorye agaynste hys enemyes, he saw in a dreame the fygure of the crosse brightly ap∣pearynge in the fyrmament, and the angels stādīg by hym wōde∣rynge at the sygne sayeng to hī, O Constantine in hoc vince.

That is to saye. O Constā∣tyne vanquyshe / or ouercome in this or by this signe of the crosse Page  [unnumbered] It is also (saith the story) repor∣ted that chryste appeared vnto hym and shewed hym a sygne of the crosse, commaundynge hym to make a lyke fygure, and take this helpe in battell, wherby he might get the victory of his ene¦mies. Eusebi{us} Pāphily sayth y^t he harde the Emperour him self tellynge it with an othe that a∣boute the mydd{is} of the day whē the sunne dyd go lower, a sygne of the crosse made of the bryght∣nes appered and the wrytynge whiche was in it, sayenge to him In hoc vince. Wynne the victo¦rye by this sygne of the crosse, This Emperoure also caused y^• figure of the crosse to be made in the coine and ymages. To be* shorte, Theodorit{us} tellethe that it was the maner to put on thē that were chrystened, the sygne Page  [unnumbered] of the crosse, so moch did men at that season esteme and regarde that holye signe, the whyche is nowe mooste abhorred o• vs, in that poynte muche lyke vnto the infideles, and the deuels, whych can not abyde it. Vnto whose greate confusion it shal appeare at the day of iudgemēt, as saynt Mathewe testifyeth sayinge.*

Tunc parebit signum filii hominis in caelo. Then at the day of dome the signe of the sōne of man shal appeare in the fyrmamente, that is to saye, the crosse of Christe, sayeth Teophilact{us}, glisteryng, and shynynge muche aboue the sunne, to the reproche and con∣demnation of the Iewes.

Is cōcernyng the worshyppyng of the crosse, I haue alleged al∣ready saynte Damascenes wor∣des, & nowe wyl saint Hieroms, Page  [unnumbered] Austens, and Chrisostoms that therby men may se theyr blynd∣nes and errour, whyche can not abyde y^t picture to be honoured of christen people, & seinge theyr fooly may forsake it in time, ere it be to late. Thys sayeth saynte Hierom vpō these word{is} of Da∣uid. Adorate scabellū pedū ei{us}, quo niam sanctū est. Honour the lowe* settle or fote stole of hys fete, for as much as it is holy. There are many opiniōs of thys fote stole. For some referre it vnto christes humanitie, or manhode, vpō the whyche the godheades maiestie stode, & this humanitie the apo∣stles dyd worshyppe. Ad crucem dominicam, et ad animā sanctā haec referenda sunt. These wordes of saynte Dauyd muste be refer∣red (sayth Hierom) to our lordes crosse, and his holye soule. And Page  [unnumbered] therfore after Hieroms mynde, y^e holy goost by Dauids mouth cōmaūded christen men & womē to honour the crosse, though we very vngodlye do dishonoure it neuer so muche. Saynt Austen sayeth. Quid seruat fideli suo, qui* talē honorem dedit supplicio suo? Deni{que} modo in paenis reorum non est apud Romanos. Vbi enim crux domini honorata est, putatū ē quod reus honoraretur. That is to say, What doth god reserue for hys faythful, whych hath gyuē such honour to the crosse, vpō whych he suffrred death? To conclude nowe the crosse is not amonge peynes of the gyltie at Rome.

For after the crosse of our lorde was honoured, it was thoughte that the giltie was honoured.

Thys saynt Austen full godlye* touched y^e honorynge of christes Page  [unnumbered] crosse. Cirill{us} also makinge an∣swere to Iulian, whych mocked christen people for worshypping the crosse, sayed vnto hym after he had rehearsed the greate, and sundrye benefites that came to vs, by the crosse. Haec oīa recor∣dari nos facit salutare lignū, et sua∣det, vt cogitem{us}, quod sicut dicit di∣uus Paul{us}. Vnus pro oībus mortuus est, et resurr exer it. The holsome wood maketh vs remembre all these thinges, and moueth vs to thynke that (as s. Paule sayeth) one is deade for all, and hathe rysen vp agayne. Thys auncy∣ent doctoure saynte Cyril wrote against the apostata Iuliā scor∣nyng christen people for honou∣ryng the crosse, and not agaynst hym onely, but agaynst al other in lyke maner derydynge & moc∣kyng men for the same worship∣pynge. Page  [unnumbered] But of thys matter I mynde (god wylling) to entreate more largelye in a boke of wor∣shyppyng ymages, of the whych in thys boke I thoughte to saye nothynge at all, & therfore nowe I wil passe ouer it to the rehear∣sal of other the apostles vnwrit∣ten traditions, of the whych the obseruyng of the sonday is one. For though saynt Iohan in the* apocalypsis maketh mention of it, yet there is no cōmaūdemēt in* the scripture to kepe y^e day holye day, more then al other dayes of the weke. Of this dayes honou∣rynge before other spake saynte Damascene aboue a thousande yeres paste, saying. We do cele∣brate holy y^e perfect rest of mans nature, I saye the daye of Chry∣stes* resurrection. The valeant, and noble Emperoure constan∣tyne Page  [unnumbered] made a lawe that vpon our lordes daye the sondaye all men shulde ceasse frō gyuyng iudge∣mentes, and from the doynge of other matters of the worlde,* and to be occupied that day one∣ly in prayer. Honorabat autem di∣em dominicum, qnia in eo Christ{us} resurrexisset a mortuis, alium vero scz veneris, quia in eo fuerit crucifix us. That is to saye. But the em∣peroure Constantyne honoured the lordes day, (sonday) because Christe rose agayne vppon that daye from death to lyfe, and he honoured the frydaye because christe on that was crucifyed.

Hytherto the storye Ignaiius saynte Iohans disciple wryteth of this holy daye, saying. Christ* vpon the sondaye rose frō death to lyfe. Pro sabati zatione celebret omnis christianus diem festum do∣minic•Page  [unnumbered] resurrectionem, regalem et eminentissimum omnium dierum. That is in englyshe thus much to say. Let euery christē mā kepe holy y^e feast day of the resurrecti¦on of our lorde in stede of the sa∣terday, a royal, or a kinges day, and most excellent of al dayes. Wolde oure lorde that all men, whiche do thynke euery daye of y^e weke lyke, & none rather to be obserued holy day thā another, wolde loke well on these holye martyrs wordes, whyche was saynte Iohan the euange listes disciple / taught the truth of and by whych, whom christ him selfe scholed in the truth. Thys same holye father commaunded the people to kepe holye dayes de∣uoutely sayinge to them. Dies fe∣stos* nolite inhonorare. Do ye not dishonoure the holye dayes.

Page  [unnumbered]

What saiest thou Luther, or lu∣theran, are all dayes equall, and after lyke sorte to be honoured, obserued, and kepte holy daye? Is thy îudgement more to be re¦garded thē this blessed martyrs saynt Iohans scholers? Saynt Austen make the mention of the sonday to Ianuary, and sayeth christen men kepeth it holy daye* in the honoure of chrystes resur¦rectyon. To be bryefe could this feaste come otherwyse in to the church of chryste then by the a∣postles tradicyon, and teachyng by mouth, synce saynte Iohā in the apocalipse the fyrste chaptre speaketh of it? I graunt to Bul lynger that the sonday is men∣cyoned in the holye scrypture, but y^e pueth not it to be set forth by cōmaūdemēt ī the scrypture, as nowe it is, & hathe bene sence Page  [unnumbered] the apostles tyme Ignati{us} bea∣ring wytnes. Thefore y^e sōdaies feaste came vp by the Apostles tradicyō. It cometh also by tra∣dicion that we do not fast vpō y^e sonday, of the which thyng saite Ignati{us} wryteth sayng. Quicū{que}* dominicā ieiunauerir, ipse est inter fector christi. That is. Who soe∣uer shal fast vpō y^e sonday, he is y^e murderer of Christ. Frō whēse came this custome / yf it came not by mouth frō the apostles? Of whom shuld this S. Iohn̄s discyple lerne this poynt but of his mayster saynt Iohan? Ter∣tulyan, whiche was with in lytle more then. C. xx. after chrystes death affyrmethe playnlye that this cnstome came by tradicyon without scrypture. For he recy∣tynge certeyne tradicyons thus wryteth. Die dominico ieiunium Page  [unnumbered] nefas ducimus. That is. We do thynke or suppose fastynge vpō the lordes daye sonday to be vn∣lefull before god. Also Hierom* hath the very same his wordes. It is therfore not lefull nor stādynge with gods law to fast the sonday, excepte a man fast many dayes togither. as Moyses, He. lias, & christ dyd in y^e which this is included, & yet it is aganyste no law of god wrytten, wherfore it must neades folowe that it is agaynste gods lawe vnwrytten, cōmynge by the holye apostles tradicyon vnto chrystes church. Which taught the chrysten peo¦ple to forbeare fastynge on that daye in honoure of Chrystes re∣surrectyon, whiche brought vn∣speakable toyes of gladnes in to the vorlde, and therfore it is mete that chrysten mē y^t day ab∣stayne Page  [unnumbered] frome fastynge, whiche is a kide of mourning as chryst sayed. Mathewe, ix. But of this I haue sayed, I suppose y∣noughe, the learned men maye reade of this matter more in S. Austens booke, and in other of of the old doctours: Moreouer that Easter day is kepte, it is a tradicion of the apostles. For Socrates thus wrytethe in the* historie called in latyn tripertita historia Nec apostol{us}, nec euāgelia accedentibus ad predicationem iu∣gum seruitutis imponūt, sed festiui tatē paschae et alias celebritates ho∣norandas esse dixerūt. That is to say. Neither the apostle, nor the gospelles do laye the yocke of bondage vpon theym that come vnto the preachynge of the gos∣pel, but they haue sayed that the feaste of Easter and other so∣lemne Page  [unnumbered] dayes are to be honoured Anone after he concludynge the treatyse of y^e matter thus sayth. Mens nam{que} fuit apostolorū non de diebus sancire festiuitatū, sed cōuer sationem rectā, et dei predicare cul∣turam. Mihi ergo videtur, quod si∣cut multa alia per prouincias ad cō∣suetu dinem venerant, sic & paschae festiuitas tradita sit, eo quod nullus apostolorum hīc aliquid sanxisset. That is. For the apostles mynd was not to make any lawe con∣cernynge feastes, but to preache good cōuersaryon, and the wor∣shyppynge of god. Therfore it appeareth to me, that as manye other thynges throughe the pro¦uinces, countreys, or realmes came vnto a custome, so also the feaste of easter is taughte, or de∣lyuered by traditiō, because non of y^e apostles dyd inact, or make Page  [unnumbered] any law therof. But the canons of y^e apostles thē selues declare that this feast of Easter was of theyr ordynaunce, thoughe they wrote no lawe and dyd cōstitute none ordynaūce of it in theyr e∣pisti{is}. For these are theyr word{is} Si quis episcopus, presbiter, aut dia∣conus* sanctū paschae diē ante aequi∣noctium vernale cū iudae is celebra∣uerit, abiiciatur. That is to say in our tongue. If any bysshoppe, preest, or deacon do kepe holy w^e the iewes the feaste of easter be∣fore the daye be as longe as the nyght in the sprynge tyme, let hi be caste away, despysed, or renū∣ced. Do not these wordes mani∣festly shew that y^e apostles assy∣gned what season of y^e yere Ea∣ster day shulde be kepte, yt must neades herof folowe y^e they in∣structed by the holy goost, or els Page  [unnumbered] of our sauyour chryst hym selfe ordeyned that feaste to be obser∣ued of vs chrysten people, and they lefte the same by tradicyon vnto the church without puttīg it into y^e scrypture. Of this feast* and certayne other speaketh S. Austen sayeng. Quae non scripta, sed tradita custodim{us}, quae quidem toto terrarū orbe obsernantur, dā∣tur intelligi vel ab ipsis apostolis, vel a plenariis cōciliis, quorū est in ecclesiis saluberrima autoritas, cō∣mendata, at{que} statuta retineri, sicuti quod domini passio, resurrectio, et ascensio in caelū, et aduentus spirit{us} sācti de celo, anniuersaria solemni∣tate celebrantur per vniuersū orbē. In the englysh this it is. Those thynges whiche we do kepe not wryten, but delyuered or taught by mouth, the whyche sothelye are obserued thorowe the whole Page  [unnumbered] worlde they be to be vnderstand that they beyng commytted and decreed, or ordeyned eyther of y^e apostles, or of the full and gene∣ral councels, the autoryte of the which is in y^e church moost hol∣some, as that our lordes passyō, his resurrection, and ascensyon, and the commynge of the holye goost from heauen, are kept ho∣ly daye yerelye throughe all the world. Here it appeareth playn lye by saynt Austen that these ho¦ly dayes, whiche then were, and yet are obserued and kepte tho∣rowe all chrysten nations, were ordeyned eyther by the holye a∣postles, or els by generall coun∣sayls, whose aucthoryte is most holsome in chrystes churches, or cōgregatyons of the faythfull, though we now set very lytle by them, because they plucke oure Page  [unnumbered] heresies by the rootes, but these feastes were not set vp fyrste by anye generall councell, as it ap∣peareth in the coūcels, and espi∣cyally Easter daye, when christe rose, of the whyche the apostles before al councels not wryttē in y^e scripture, spake, as I haue de∣clared alreadye, & therfore they muste nedes by saynte Austens rule aboue mentioned come of the apostles traditiō. Wyth the whyche that agreeth ryght well that saynt Iohans scholer Ig∣nati{us} cōmaunded the people not to sette naughte by theyr holye daies, sayinge. Dies festos no lite ihonotare. Do ye not dishonour* the holye dayes, meanynge no doubte the dayes chiefelye afore here recyted, apperteynynge to christes death, resurrectiō, ascē∣tion and the cōmyng of the holy Page  [unnumbered] gooste vpō whytsonday, of the which saint Gregory Naziāzene* S. Hieroms mayster thus wry∣teth. Honoremus diem in aduentu spiritus sancti. That is to say. Let vs hononr the day in y^e cōymng of the holy goost. Also saynt Ci∣pryan sayeth. Celebramus tā nos,* quam iudaei quinquagesimū diem, sed illi in typo, nos autē in veritate, non tam significam{us}, quam agim{us}. Pentecostē igitur celebrantes com∣memorauimus, que olim sub Mose in veteri testamēto sunt acta, et quae sub Christo facta sunt, post cuius as¦sensionē in caelos spirit{us} sāctus vi∣sibiliter super apostolos in linguis igneis aparuit. That is. As well we christē people as y^e Iewes do kepe solemne the fyfty day after Easter, but they ī a figure, we ī y^e truth, do not so much signify, as do it in dede. Therfore we ke∣pynge Page  [unnumbered] whytsondaye holye haue remembred the thynges / whych were, ones long sēce done vnder Moses in the olde testamēt, and also the thynges, whyche were done vnder Christe, after whose ascension in to the heauens, the holye gooste appeared visiblye vpon the apostles in fyry tōges. Finallye saynte Hierom expow∣nyng the epistle of saynt Paule to the Galathians thus wryteth* after he hath declared y^t Paule cōmaunded the Galathians not to kepe the Iewysses feastes or holy dayes. Dicat aliquis. Si dies obseruare, et menses, et tempora, et annos, non licet, nos quo{que} simile crimē incurrimus, quartum sabba∣ti obseruantes, et parascheuen, et dic̄ dominicam, et ieiunium quadrage∣simae, et paschae festiuitatem, et pen∣tecostes laeticiam, er pro varietate Page  [unnumbered] regionum, diuersa in honore marty¦rum tempora constituta. The en∣glysh may be thys. Some man may say. If it be not leful to ob∣serue dayes, and monythes, and tymes, and yeres, we christē men do runne in to lyke faulte, ob∣seruyng the wensday of y^e weke, and the frydaye, and the sonday, and the fast of the lent & the feast of Easter, & the myrth of whyt∣sondaye, and after the diuersy∣tye of regions dyuers tymes cō∣stitute or ordeined in the honour of martyrs. To that he answe∣reth, sayinge. To the whyche he that wyl playnly make answere, shall say that the Iewes feastes are not the same that oures are. For we do not kepe holy the Ea∣ster or pasouer of swete breade, but the Easter of the resurrecti∣on, and the crosse. Nec septem Page  [unnumbered] iuxta morem Israel numeram{us} eb∣domadas in pentecoste, sed spiritus sancti veneramur aduentum. No∣ther we do numbre seuen wekes in whytsontyde after the maner of the chrldren of Israel, but we honoure the holye goostes com∣ming. Hitherto the holy and an∣cient doctoure saynt Hierom de∣clarynge playnly that albeit all dayes in the weke be lyke, and equal by theyr natures, yet some of thē are appoynted before the other to serue god vpon, & ceasse from worldly busines, and ther∣fore they that do beleue the con∣trary, are deceyued shamefully / but of this sufficient, now I wil go forwarde on mine enterprise, and rehearse yet mo traditions. It is a tradition of the apostles not wryttē in the holy scripture, that he, whyche was baptised or Page  [unnumbered] christened of an heretyke or a schismatike deuided frō y^e church of christe shulde not be baptised agayne afterwarde, because the baptime of an heretike, or a schis¦matike is effectuall, & of strēgth as y^• is, whiche the catholiques, beyng not separate frō y^e church do mynistre & gyue, of the which thynge saynte Austeyne a clerke most excellent of christes church* thus speaketh. Saluberrimā tenet ecclesia consuerudinem in his schis∣maticis, et haereticis, corrigere, quod prauū erat, nō iterare quod da tum fuit, sanare quod vulneratū est, non curare quod sanum. Quam cō∣suetudinem credo ex apostolica tra¦ditione venientem, sicut multa non inu•niuntur in literis •orum, ne{que} in conciliis posteriorum, et tamen quia per vnsuersā custodiuntur ec∣clesiam, non nisi ab ipsis tradita, et Page  [unnumbered] commendata creduntur. That is. The churche kepeth a custome moost holsome in these schisma∣tickes, and heretickes, (that is to saye, in theyr christenynge or baptising) to amēd y^t which was yll, not to gyue againe y^t, which was gyuen, to heale that, which was wounded, not to cure the thing hole or sound. The which custome I beleue came of y^• apo∣stl{is} traditiō, lyke as many other thynges are not founde in theyr wrytynges, nor in the coūcels of thē that came after, & yet for as much as they are kepte through the hole churche, they are not thought or beleued to be cōmit∣ted, and deliuered or taught but of them. Are not these wordes ynough to stop al bablers mou∣thes, that say they cā not tel well what, against traditiōs, vtterly Page  [unnumbered] refusing to giue any fayth & cre∣dence to thyng{is} not expressed in y^• scripture. Wil they be so folish to beleue Luther before Austen? The holy apostles dyd cōdemne thē y^t wold be baptised, or christe∣ned of heretik{is}, & yet they cōmaūded y^e he, which was baptised or christened w^t the baptisme of the church shulde not be baptised or christened agayne, as it apereth in their canōs. Wherfore Austē* iudged right wel y^t it is a tradi∣tiō of y^e holy apostles not wryttē in y^t scripture, y^t who soeuer was ones baptised of an heretique or schismatike shulde not be bapti∣sed againe, but onely y^t amēded / which* was yl done of thē. Thys knew well the olde byshop of A∣lexandria called Dionyse, which in his fyfth boke of baptisme tel¦lethe that a chrysten man came Page  [unnumbered] vnto him, and sayed that he had receyued baptysme of heretykes otherwyse thē he saw it gyuen to other by y^• catholyke minysters, and that he durste not lyfte vp his eyes to god for that faulte, & therfore he desyred to be made cleane w^t baptisme of y^e churche, wherby he might receiue y^e grace of y^e holy goost. But the holy mā* sayed he durst not baptyse hym agayne in any wyse, knowynge that the apostles tradityon and constitucyon was agaynste that thynge to be done. Another tra∣dicyon of the holy apostles is to haue pyctures and ymages in our tēples, as saynte damascene hath witnessed aboue. M. yeres before oure dayes, whiche thus* wryteth of them. Because (sayth he) some mē do ymbrayde or lay to vs in reproche that we do ho∣noure Page  [unnumbered] & worshyp oure sauyours ymage and our queene his mo∣thers, and moreouer the images of other sayntes, and Chrystes seruauntes, let them heare that god made man at the begynnīg after his ymage. Therfore for what cause do we honoure one another, but in as moche as we be made vnto gods ymage? For as the godlye and greate Basyl sayeth. Imaginis honor ad exem∣plaris transfertur honorem. That is. The honoure of the ymage is referred, or caryed ouer from the ymage vnto the honoure of the sample. A lytle afterwarde when he had saide that in y^e time of the olde testament there were but few ymages, because chryst was not then incarnate, but af∣ter his incarnatyon, death & re∣surrectyon, for as moche as all Page  [unnumbered] men know not lerning nor gyue them selues to readyng he sayth That our fathers dyd agre and consent to represent the incarna¦tyon, death, and resurrectyon by ymages as certayne tokens of vyctorye for y^e readye remēbrāce of chrystes benefytes. For ofte we thynke not on chrystes passi∣on through neklygēce, seyng the ymage of chryste strykē through we come agayne vnto the remē∣braunce of chrystes deathe, & we fallynge downe do worshyp not y^e matter of the crosse, but chryst represented by the ymage. Lyke wise our lady chryst{is} blessed mo∣ther, sayeth he, is honored by her pycture, and that her honour is referred vnto Chryste her sonne borne of her. For as we haue sayde lyke as the honoure gyuē to chrystes good and kynde ser∣uaūtes Page  [unnumbered] sheweth a token of good wyll towarde all mens lorde, sic et imaginis honor, ad prototypū, ex emplar, imaginis{que} veritatem trās∣fertur That is to say, euen so the honour of the ymage is caryed from the ymage vnto the fyrste example or paterne, sample, and truth of the ymage, Est autē haec traditio non scripta. But this is a tradicyō not wryttē. Anone he addeth that the apostles taught and delyuered many thynges w^t out wrytynge, and to proue that he allegeth .ii. textes of .s. Paule the one. ii. Thess .ii. state. &c: stāde ye faste, and kepe ye the tradici∣ons, which ye haue lerned either by our speache, or by our epistle, the other Corin .xi. Brethren I prayse you, that ye do remembre me in all thynges and do kepe y^• tradicyons, as I haue taughte Page  [unnumbered] them to you. All this hath that olde wryter Damascene to de∣clare that y^e settynge of ymages ī y^• churches came by y^• apostles, and howe they ought to be vsed and what profyte cometh of thē yf they be well vsed. In the whi¦che same place he dothe recyte a very straunge historye, which is this. It is sayde in a storye that Abagar{us} kyng of the Edesenes sent a paīter to paynt an ymage* lyke to our lorde, the which whē he could not do for y^e bryghtnes of his face shynynge, oure lorde hym selfe puttinge a cloth to his godlye, and lyuelye face whype of in the cloth his owne ymage and so sent it the kyng Abagar{us} desyrynge it. This historye she∣weth manifestlye that ymages do please chryste, & not displease hym, though many mē do cal thē Page  [unnumbered] ydols. The seuenth general coū¦cell kepte at Nicaea bithiniae recy¦tynge many anncyent doctouis sentenses touchinge images, al∣legeth these wordes of S. Ba∣syll. I do honoure the holy apo∣stles,* marty•s, and confessours, which do humblye praye for me vnto god, that by theyr medya∣cyon oure moste beoūteous god may be mercyfull, & frelye gyue to me remission of my synnes.

Quā ob causam, et historias imagi¦nū illorū honoro, et palam adoro: hoc enī nobis a sanctis apostolis tra¦ditum, non est prohibendum, sed in oībus ecclesiis nostris eorum histo∣rias erigimus. That is in english thus moche to say. For the whi∣che cause I do honoure, and o∣penly worshippe also the stories of theyr ymages, for that delyue¦red to vs of the holye apostles, Page  [unnumbered] is not to be forbydde, or prohy∣bited, but we do set vp y^e storyes of thē in all our churches. Here we se that after s. Basils mynde, the holy apostles taught & lefte by tradicyon the settynge vp of ymages in the temples of chry∣stē people, & therfore this is also a veryte not wrytten in the holy scrypture. And to the intent mē may se theyr blynd errour, whi∣che rayle agaynste the image of chryste, his blessed mother a vir¦gyn most honorable, of the holy apostles & other sayntes: I wyll recyte here certayne storyes cō∣cernynge ymages both auncyēt* and profytable also to the godly disposed people. The auncyente wryter of the churches storyes, Eusebi{us} tellethy^t the womā, whō our sauyour healed of a bluddy flyxe, as Mathew doth wytnesse* Page  [unnumbered] dwelled in a Citie called caesare• philippi, and that in hys tyme, whiche was about .ccc. yeres af∣ter christes byrth, her house was sene there & before y^e dores of her house a pyller was shewed set in a very hye place, ī the which the same womans ymage grauen in brasse appeared as it were kne∣lyng vpon her knees and hūbly holdynge vp her palmes of her handes. There stode also ano∣ther ymage graued ī brasse, lyke a man apparayled clenly with a robe or alonge garmente, rea∣chynge forth the ryght hande to the womā. At the fote of this y∣mage out of y^e pyller dyd grow a certayne herbe of a newe kynde. The which when it was sprōge forth, was wonte to growe oute styll to the hemme or skyrtes of that robe the brasen clothynge. Page  [unnumbered] The whiche hemme or skyrte of that brasen garmente, when the herbe growyng vp had touched wyth the hyhgest toppe, it gotte strength therof to put awaye all diseases, & fayntnes or faylynge of strēgth, in so much, that what so euer the sickenes of the bodye it were by a lytle draught of the ioyce of y^t holsome herbe it was put awaye, hauinge no strength at all, yf it were broken of before it had touched by growynge the highest part of that brasen hem. They sayed that thys picture was made lyke to Iesus coun∣tenaunce, whyche remayned vn∣tyll oure tyme, as we sawe wyth our owne eyes. And no marueile yf they, which had beleued of the gentiles dyd seme to offre suche thynges as a gyfte, for the bene∣fytes, whiche they had obteyned Page  [unnumbered] of oure sauiour, synce we se also now y^e apostles Peter, & Pauls, and our sauiours ymages to be drawen, and paynted in tables. But we also haue sene their olde ymages kepte of certeyne men. Hytherto Eusebi{is} in hys storye, by the whyche men maye se, yf they be not all blynde, that it is no new nor late inuented thynge to haue ymages in the temples, and what god hath wrought by them. But of thys sufficient for •ny purpose, whych is to declare onely that many thynges come by tradition of the apostles and other the eldest fahers, wythout anye expresse worde of the holye scripture. Thys not wythstan∣dynge it shall be a thynge both worth my labour, & also the rea∣ders or hearers, to recyte here a wonderfull myracle done by the Page  [unnumbered] ymage of Christe, of the whyche Athanasi{us} maketh mētion, say∣ing.* It chaūced that the ymage of christe was founde of the Ie∣wes in a citye called syria in the tyme of constantyne the elder.

The whyche they caste downe to the grounde, and sayed one to a∣nother. We haue harde that our fathers dyd mocke & scorne Ie∣sus of Nazareth manye wayes, let vs do so to thys ymage. Thā they began to spyt in the face of oure lordes ymage, & they stroke it wyth buffettes, sayinge. How great thynges our fathers haue done to the Iesu of Galile, so bygge let vs do to thys picture of hym. Then they crucified our lordes ymage, naylyng the han∣des, and fete of it wyth sharppe nayles, puttynge vnto the yma∣ges mouth vinagre, and gal, as Page  [unnumbered] they had done to Iesu thrist him selfe hāgyng vpō y^• crosse. After y^• they put a crowne of thornes on the ymages heade, strekynge theron w^t a staffe, & mockynge it spite fullye. And at the lēgth, (as they had learned y^e theyr elders had done to christe vpō y^e crosse) they do streke the syde of the y∣mage w^t a speare. Whē this ab∣homynable malycyus acte was done, there ensued streyght a wō¦derful myracle. For the syde of y^• our sauiour Iesu christ{is} ymage sodēly began to runne w^t water & bloud, and the other myracles then were done, which chaunced whē chrîste was crucified vpō y^• crosse. Then the Iewes caused a greate vessell to be set vnder the place of the wounde, & anone it was ful of bloud & water. Ther vpō they sayed that they wolde Page  [unnumbered] proue whether anye myracles shuld be wrought therby, for as much as christes frēdes sayed y^• manye myracles were done by him. They broughte the water & bloud to their synagoge, & cau∣sed sicke folke to be washed w^t it, amonge the whyche there was a verye aged man, whiche had the palsey or the losyng of his mem∣bres euē frō y^e tyme of his birth. He as sone as he was washed w^t y^• water & bloud was streight hole, & rose out of his bed, & wēt home. Thē y^• people brought thither al diseased & sicke persons, y^e blind, y^e halt, y^e lame, y^e deafe, y^e dome, y^e lepers, w^t all other, & as sone as they were washed with y^e water & bloud, they were forth w^t deliue∣red frō their diseases The which whē y^• people sawe, they beleued in our sauiour iesu, and praysed Page  [unnumbered] him highly, After this A thanasi: which wrote aboue. M. cc. yeres passed, telleth y^• a christē mā had this ymage of christ, & leftit tho∣row negligēce behind him in sy∣ria, whē he departed thence, whē he was examined of the of the Metro∣politaine of y^• citie, he cōfessed y^e Nicodem{us}, which came to iesu by night, made it with his owne hā∣des, & gaue it to gamaliel pauls schole scholemaister, whē he died, & ga∣maliel when he sawe y^• his death approched & drew nighe, gaue it to Iames, Iames to symeon, sy∣meon to zache{us}, & so frō tyme to time it continued in Hierusalem nigh vntil y^• citie was destroied, whyche was the .xliii. yere after christes ascēsion in to heuē. For about ii. yeres before y^e destruc∣tiō came by Tit{us} & Vaspasianus the faythful, and disciples of christe Page  [unnumbered] were aduertised by y^• holy gooste to depart frō Hierusalē in to the kyngdome of kynge Agrippa, & so they did carying with them al the thinges, that did belong vn∣to christes religion, amonge the whiche was that christes ymage which remayned in syria til this day, & when my father & mother dyed, I receyued it by the ryght of an heire, and do now possessee the same. Hytherto I haue recy∣ted saynte Athanasius wordes, entreatyng of thys marueylous storye, whyche I haue rehearsed here y^e mē may se both that yma∣ges haue bene longe in Christes churche, & y^e God hath wrought by them great and straunge my∣racles to the greate comforte of christen people, and finally that men shulde be wyse that they do not mysuse the ymage of christe, Page  [unnumbered] and hys sayntes, leste they feele gods vengeaunce therby. Now to go forwarde, I wyl recyte yet a fewe thynges moo that are re∣ceyued and vsed by tradition in christes church without writing, of the which thys is one, that we* do faste the lente. For albeit it hath authoritie (as saint Austen* affirmeth) of Moses and Helias fasting in the olde law, & also of christes in the new, which fasted fortye dayes, yet it cometh to the churche by the apostles traditi∣on, y^• it is cōmaunded to be kept, and obserued fastyng. For saynt* Hierom this wryteth. Nos vnam quadragesimā secūdū traditionē a∣postolorū, toto āno tēpore nobis cō¦gruo ieiunam{us}. That is. We do fast one lēt accordīg to y^e apostl{is} tradition, in a time mooste mete for vs of al y^e hole yere. Lo hierō Page  [unnumbered] saieth y^e the holy apostles dyd or dayne and institute the faste of the lent, and we folowynge Lu∣thers blyndnes saye that the a∣postles taught nothynge which they wrote not afterwarde, and do dyspyse this faste vtterlye, preferrynge herin our owne car¦nall iudgementes, and flesshely, yea bestly lustes before the auc∣toryte & iudgemēt of s. Hierom, whiche as he sayde hym selfe fa∣sted wonderfullye moch, euen so he sayth the apostles taught the feaste of lent by tradicyon. Of y^e which one theophil{us} wrote thus before S. Hierome, whose boke* he translated out of greake in to latyn. Nequaquā diebus quadrage simae, sicut luxuriosi diuites solent, vini poculū suspiremus, ne{que} in pro¦cinctu, et prelio, vbi labor, et sudor est necessarius, carniū edulio delec∣temur. Page  [unnumbered] Qui autē legū precepta cu∣stodiunt, vini vsum repudiant, et e∣sum carniū. That is in oure lan∣guage. Let vs not syght for, or greatly desyre wyne in the lente dayes, as ryot ous rych men are wont, neyther let vs delyte ī ea∣ting of fleshe ī y^e state of an army when they be ready to gyue bat∣tayle, and in battayle, where la∣boure and sweate is necessarye. They that do kepe the commaū∣dementes of lawes, do refuse or forsake the vse of wyne, and the eatynge of flesshe. This we se that lente was aboue twelfe hū∣dred yeres synce fasted, and that deuote mē dyd absteyne both frō¦drynkyng of wyne, & also frō ea∣tyng of flessh in it. How wel this is nowe kept of chrysten people it neadeth not me to tell, but ra∣ther to lamente, and bewaile the Page  [unnumbered] greate and exceadyng ryote and gluttonye whiche is nowe vsed bothe in eatynge of flesshe, and dryukynge of wyne, of the whi∣che I haue spoken more largely in my boke of fastyng. But that lente fastynge came from the ho¦ly apostles saynt Iohan the euā¦gelistes* dyscyple Ignati{us} maye wytnesse sayenge. Quadragesimā¦nolite pro nihilo habere, imitatio∣nem enī continet dei cōuersationis That is to say. Esteme not lente for naught, for it conteyneth the folowyng of gods conuersatiō. Where or of whom learned Ig∣nati{us} saynte Iohans scoler this cōmaundement of the lent{is} fast, yf he learned it not of his may∣ster saynt Iohan, or of the other apostles? This blyssed martyr saynt Iohans discyple byddeth or cōmaūdeth vs to faste y^e lent, Page  [unnumbered] Luther and his scholers lyke be lye gods, or whose bely is theyr god, and ryotous epycures, do teache vs to breake it, whether partye ought chrysten people to beleue, and folowe? Saynt Ig∣nati{us} cōmaūdeth vs also to tast the wensday and fryday sayng. Quarta vero, & sexta feria ieiunate, reliquias pauperibus porrigentes. Faste ye the wensday & the fry∣daye, gyuyng the remenaunt or scrappes to y^e poore. Seest thou not, good chrysten reader, that the frydaye oughte to be fasted and the wensdaye after the apo∣stles doctryne, which this saynt Iohans discyple wrote? Why therfore sayest y^u, that y^e apostles taught nothynge, but that only which they wrote afterwarde in the holy scrypture? Ceasse for shame that fōde bablīg. Leaue Page  [unnumbered] of that vngodly doctrine, which poysoneth the soule, & bryngeth it to vtter confusyon, yf it be not forsaken in tyme. Theophyl{us} sayeth. Habemus quadragesimam ab apostolis institutam, et ordinatā We haue the lent institute, & or∣deyned of the apostles. Wher∣fore oughtest not thou rather to beleue hym then lewde lyenge Luther? was not he both godly and excellently learned, as saint Hierome was whiche testifyeth the same, & that tyme when this matter was nothynge deubted of? were not these doctours ne∣rer y^e apostles tyme by more thē M. c. yeres, then Luther was, that therby they myghte better knowe, then he coulde, what the apostles dyd teach the church of chryste by mouth onely without wrytynge? But I wyll procede Page  [unnumbered] in this treatyse, and rehearse yet certayne moo tradicyons.

The churche of chryste vseth to make holye water, & to spryncle it abrode vpon y^e people in a re∣mēbraūce of our baptyme, & the water y^e flowed oute of Christes blessed syde persed with a speare in tyme of his bytter passyon, & to put vs in remembraunce also of our death, whiche lyke water (as the seconde boke of y^e kiges witnesseth) do slyde into the erth* vndoubtedly. This custome is neyther brought vp of late nor yet worthy to be (as of manye it nowe is the more pitie) despysed* and nought regarded. For we do reade in a storye made aboue M. cc. yeres passed, that there was at apamia y^e citie a notable and a stronge temple of iubiter, which was worshipped then for Page  [unnumbered] a god. When the good byshop Marcellus with another man beinge a head officer cōmaūded it to be throwen downe w^t fyre cast in to it, there appeared a cer¦teyne blacke deuyll lettynge the flames of the fyre to burne. The whiche when the bysshop Mar∣cellus harde, he ranne thyther speadely, and cōman̄ded a vessel of water to be broughte to hym, the whiche sette vnder the alter, he lyenge downe vpon the pauy¦ment made humblye peticion to our lorde, that he wolde not su∣ffer that deuyl to vse any lenger his tyrānye, and a sygne of the crosse made ī the water, he gaue the water to one Equiti{us} deacō armed with fayth, and A zele cō∣maundynge hym to runne haste lye, and put the fyre vnder and spryncle the water aboute there. Page  [unnumbered] Quod cū fuisset factū, daemon effu∣git, nō ferens aquae virtutem. The whiche when it was done, the de¦uyll fledde awaye not sufferyng the vertue or strength of the wa¦ter. This water feading the fyre lyke oyle, the whole temple was burnte cleane. Doth not this sto¦rye declare that halowed water hath power to dryue awaye frō vs wycked spirites? Why shuld not the holy water vsed in chry∣stes church amonge all chrysten natyons, that be catholyke, be of the vertue, power, and myghte, that this water was of, sīce it is consecrated and halowed with many mo prayers, and makyng of crosses ouer it, then this holy bysshoppe Marcell{us} vsed in ha∣lowynge that water, wherby the deuyll was chased awaye out of* the temple? Epiphani{us} also bys∣shop Page  [unnumbered] of Cypers telleth thys sto∣rye of a certen iewe conuerted to christes fayth, whose name was Ioseph. Thys iewe beynge a christen man, receyued letters, & aucthoritye of the emperour cō∣stantine, went to tyberias a citie in Galilea, and hauyng letters to take al thynges necessarye of the kynges coste, he beganne to buylde in tyberias. He had nede of lime and other stuffe to build, and therfore he cōmaunded ma∣ny chymneys, or fournayses to be made wythout the citie. But the crafty iewes begā to bynde y^e fyre, & to scatter it abrode wyth certen charmes. Wherfore Io∣seph meued, troubled, or angry, & streken with a zele toward our lorde, ranne out of the citie, and after y^• he had cōmaūded water to be brought to hym in a vessel, Page  [unnumbered] the vessel of water beynge taken before all men (for there was a greate multitude of iewes, that came to see that syghte) he made wyth hys fynger a signe of the crosse ouer y^e vessel with a great voyce, & the name of Iesus cal∣led vpon for helpe, so he sayed.

Be made in ies{us} of Nazarethes name, vertue or strength in this water to y^e reprouffe or puttyng away of all charmyng, & wytch∣crafte, whyche these iewes haue made, & to make also the fyer to haue power to worke, to {per}forme oure lordes house the tēple, & so he toke the water in to hys hand & spryncled wyth it all the four∣nayses, & the charmes were dis∣solued, or destroyed, & the fyre braste out before all men. Hy∣therto that aūcient great clerke Epiphani{us}. Whose wordes do Page  [unnumbered] playnlye make (as the other sto∣ry dyd before recyted) for the cu∣stome to make holye water or to halow it with signes of the holy crosse, and good prayers, that it maye therby haue strength, ver∣tue, & myght against yl spirites, & worke agaynste charmes, and wytchcraft. Thys also declareth that the custome to blesse meate, drynke, and other creatures, is godly and good. Especially sith Paule affirmeth that euery cre∣ature of god is halowed by gods worde and praier. But that this* custō to make holye water came vp by the holy apostles. It may appeare therby / that the godlye martyr Alexander, whyche was wythin lesse thē an hūdred yeres after Chrystes death, and alyue before saynt Iohan the euange∣liste departed by dyuers yeres,* Page  [unnumbered] thus maketh mētion of holy wa∣ter. A quam sale cōspersam benedi∣cim{us} populis, vt ea cūcti aspersi san∣ctificētut, ac purificētur, quod et oī∣b{us} sacerdotib{us} faciēdū esse mādam{us}. That is to say. We do blesse wa¦ter spryncled with salte vnto the people, that all sprincled wyth it maye be halowed, or made holye & cleane, the whych we cōmaund to be done of all preestes.

Anone he saieth, she wing a good cause why thys shulde be done. For yf the asshes of an heffer spiyncled wyth bloude, dyd san∣ctify or halowe y^e people, & make them cleane, moch rather water sprincled wyth salte, & halowed with godly prayers, doth halow & make cleane the people. And by salt sprincled of Heliseus the prophet, y^• barraines of y^• water is cured, howe much more it ha∣lowed Page  [unnumbered] wyth godlye prayers ta∣keth away y^e barraines of thyn∣ges belōgyng to mā, & sāctifieth the defyled, maketh pure, & pur∣geth, and encreaseth other good thynges, & putteth away the de∣uilles wiles or craftes to intrap a man, & defendeth frō the wyly∣nesses or craftes of mennes phā∣sye. For we dout not but y^• by the touchyng of the skyrte or hem of our sauiours garment the sycke haue bene healed, howe muche rather are the elemētes, (as wa∣ter & other lyke) halowed of god by y^• vertue of hys holy wordes, by the whiche elemētes, mannes weaknes receyueth helth of bo∣dy, & soule? All this that blessed martyr wrote of holye water a∣boue M cccc. yeres, & xx. passed, & therfore no mā cā iustly doute, but this thinge (as I haue saied Page  [unnumbered] afore (by the holy apostles tradi∣tion in to christes church, & ther∣fore it oughte not to be despised of vs, nor left vndone, as a thīg of no value. But let this go by, as spoken of sufficiently. The a∣postles lefte to y^• churche also by tradition, y^• preestes shulde not* mary wyues, as it appeareth by their wordes, in theyr canons, which are these. Innuptis aūt, qui ad clerū {pro}uecti sūt, p̄cipim{us}, vt si vo luerīt, vxores accipiāt, sed lectores, cantores{que}, tātūmodo. That is to say. We christes apostles do cō∣maūde, y^• they which being sēgle are {pro}moted to y^e clergie, do take wiues, if they wyl, but onely the readers, & singers. Which were two degrees in y^• church among y^• clergie at y^• season, whō onely y^• apostles cōmaūded to mary yf they wolde, excluding cleane frō Page  [unnumbered] marrying, preestes, deacons and subdeacons. Also they ordeyned* & cōmaunded y^t none of y^e clergy shulde be warrāters, or suerties saying. Cleric{us} fide iussionib{us} īserui¦ens, abiiciatur. That is. Let the* clerke, which is a suerty, be caste away. Likewise they taught the church y^t he, whiche had maryed* two wiues, a widow, an outcast, or a cōmē womā shulde not be {pro}¦moted amonge y^• clergy to holye orders, though the apostle paule saying, a bishop or preeste muste* haue one wife, mēt, (as tertuliā sayth) y^• bigam{us} shuld not be cho¦sen a preest. Of theyr traditiō it came also y^t one bishop shuld not giue holy orders to clerkes of a∣nothers diocesis. Likewise y^• or∣ders, & offices of y^e church shuld* not be obteined by money, that a clerke, or a lay mā cōtynuyng in* Page  [unnumbered] playinge at dice, or hasarde, and a lay man puttyng hys wife frō hym shulde not be suffered to re∣ceyue the blessed sacramente of the aultare. But to be briefe I wyll speake no more of them at this tyme, but wyll recyte yet a fewe traditions, of the whiche thys is one, that we beleue that our blessed lady christ our saui∣ours* deare mother was cōtinu∣ally a virgin til her deth, which Eluidius denyed, & y^e because he could fynd no scripture to proue it, but rather (as he supposed falsely) y^e scrypture was agaynst it, and therfore saynte Hierom in hys boke made agaynste hym called hym an heretyke, though it can not be sufficyently proued by the scrypture, that she was a vyrgen vntyll hyr departynge out of thys worlde.

Page  [unnumbered]

The which thyng ought to stop theyr mouthes that affyrme all thiges to be expressed in y^e scryp¦ture, whiche we are boūde to be∣leue vnder payne of damnatyō. I am verye sure that no man is able to proue this veryte by any texte of the holye scrypture, and yet he that beleueth it not is, yf he stande stoburnly in de∣fence therof, an heretyke, & ther∣fore saynte Hierome (as I haue sayde already) called Eluidius an heretyke, which maynteined that our lady had other chyldrē besyde chryst, whom she concey∣ned withoute man by the holye goost. What wyll or can they now here say, that requyre scryp¦ture for euery thynge, and euer aske where is that or this wryt∣ten* in the scrypture? Let theym answere to this one poynt, or to Page  [unnumbered] the chrystenynge of chyldren, as to diuers other put forth in this treatyse before. Bullynger, one of Luthers scholers, laboureth to proue by scrypture that oure ladye chrystes most honourable mother was a contynual virgē, lest he shuld be enforsed, & cōpel¦led to confesse that all truth whi¦che we must beleue is not expre∣ssed in the holy scrypture, but he laboureth al in vayne, as anone hereafter it shall playnly apere. For he abuseth these wordes of the prophete Ezechiell to that purpose. Porta haec clausa erit, et non aperietur, et vir non pertransi∣bit per eam. &c. That is in eng∣lysshe this moch to saye. This* gate shall be shytte, & shall not be opened, and a man shall not passe throughe by it. Loo (sayth Bulliger) hath not the prophete Page  [unnumbered] discrybed here aptelye ynoughe the holye wombe of the virgyn Mary Chrystes mother of whō y^e sonne of ryghteousnes is born to vs? This Bullinger wresteth this prophettes sentence frō the litteral sence vnto an allygory, (whiche al lerned men, do cōfesse not mete to proue any doctryne beynge in controuersye,) for the defence of his deuyllyshe heresy Proclus the bisshop of Cizicene (sayeth he) doth none otherwyse expowne this y^e prophetes texte. What then? he doth vnderstāde yt mystycally & by an allegorye. Is that sufficyent to proue any kynd of doctrine, or to perswade any thynge in questyon, and cō∣trouersye? Agayne S. Hierome doth otherwyse expowne it, y^t is to wyt, of the gate of the lawe, & the prophettes. For he thus wry¦teth. Page  [unnumbered] What gate is this that is alwayes shytte, & onely the lord god of israel entreth by it? Tru∣lye that of the which oure sauy∣our speaketh in the gospel. Wo to you scrybes, & pharysees hy∣pocrytes, & wo to you doctours of the lawe, which do take away the key of eunnyug, ye entre not in youre selues, and thē that are about to go in, ye prohibite. Of this gate (sayeth Hyerome) the prophet writeth vnder the name of a booke. Erunt verba libri isti{us}, sicut verba libri signati. &c. The wordes of this booke shal be as the wordes of a booke sygned or sealed & so forth. No mā coulde* open and louse the seales of this booke, but he of whome Iohan speaketh in y^e apocalypse sayng Beholde a lyon of Iudas trybe hath optayned y^e victorie, which Page  [unnumbered] openeth the boke, and louseth y^e seales of it. For before Chryste came the gate of y^e lawe, and the prophettes, and all knowledge of the scrypture was shytte, pa∣radise was also shytte, which by chrystes death were opened, the vele of the tēple brake, the vele* taken away, al thynges were o∣pen, and manifeste. Hitherto S. Hierome / whose wordes declare that this texte ought otherwyse to be expowned then Bullynger vnderstandeth it, to defende his naughty and damnable heresie. Notwithstādyng saynt Hierōs exposition is mystycal, or alle∣gorical, and not litteral in dede. For to y^e letter, by y^t gate or dore is mente a certayne gate or dore of the temple, that was shytte and no man but the prynce, whi∣che was gods vycar, myght en∣ter Page  [unnumbered] into the temple at it, to offre sacrifices vnto god, & therfore y^e prophete sayed. Vir non pertran∣sibit per eam. A comen man, or a∣ny other then the chyef or prynce shall not passe through it. This is the true meanynge of the let∣ter, as it shall easelye apeare to hym, that wyll wey and examyn dily gently the texte wythout all affection, and corrupted iudge∣mente, and therfore this place of the prophet cā not proue Bul¦lyngers purpose, that our ladye chryst our sauyours blessed mo∣ther was a continuall virgyn, thoughe it be very trew that she so was, and Heluidi{us} was iustly estemed of saynt Hierom an he∣retyke for the denyenge that she cōtinued a vyrgyntyl her deth. Moreouer saynt Ciprian expo∣wnyng the apostles crede sayth Page  [unnumbered] that the prophet Ezechyell dyd set forth the wonderfull maner of our ladyes bryngynge forthe chryste, and that he called our la¦dye blessed saynt marye chrystes mother a gate by a fygure. In y^e whiche place the sayde Cipryan affyrmeth that our ladye was a perpetuall virgyn. To be shorte in this matter Saynt Hierome in his hole boke compyled, and publyshed of, and vpō this mat¦ter agaynste Heluidi{us}, alledged not one texte of the scrypture to proue this truth, but onely dyd make answere to the auctorities that Heluidi{us} mysse toke for his purpose, the which he did (as E∣rasmus* sayeth truely) because y^e scrypture spake nothyng of that thynge, but it was set forth, and lefte to the church by the holy a∣postles tradicion. Certaynlye yf Page  [unnumbered] the prophet Ezechiels texte alle∣ged before of Bullynger coulde haue proued that our blessed la∣dye was a virgyn to the ende of her lyfe, saynte Hierome wolde haue alledged it to that purpose synce he expowned that whole p¦phet, and therfore for as moche as he dyd not recyte it to y^• ende, it may appere that he sawe that it made nothynge at al to proue that thyng. But this of this ve∣ryte vnwrytten delyuered from the apostles to vs by mouth w^t∣out any expresse worde of scryp∣ture, speakynge therof. Further we beleue (as ī dede we are boūd* to do) that the holy .xii. apostles made a certayne crede called in latyn symbolū apostolorū (as S. Cypriā affirmeth expowning it) because euery one of them made an artycle therof, and yet it can not Page  [unnumbered] be proued by the scrypture that they made any suche. Rufi∣nus aquiliensis, saynte Austen,* & diuers other do wytnesse, that the apostles wrote that crede, & thys article. I beleue the holye church catholyke, whyche is cōteined in it, can not be proued by any texte of the scrypture. If we shulde beleue nothynge, that is, not expressely & namely set forth in the holye scrypture, then we shulde not beleue that christ the sonne of god is equall wyth hys father, of the same nature, sub∣stance & power, for Ari{us} denyed it because he saw nothyng in the scrypture namely to proue it, as saynte Athanasius wrytynge a∣gaynst hym, affyrmeth playnly.* Where fynde ye (sayed Arius) thys worde, homousios, that be∣tokeneth one that is of lyke, or Page  [unnumbered] the same substāce, in al the scrip∣ture:* was he not as foolyshe, as many nowe are, & many now as then he was / which do euer aske where fyndeste thou that in the scrypture? Saynt Athanasius, and the great councel holden at Nicea, wyth as manye as haue written against y^• heresie, which holdeth y^• the sonne is not equal wyth hys father, haue made an∣sweare vnto the arryans, that al¦beit this worde or name homou∣sios signifiynge that christe the sonne is of one nature and sub∣staunce wyth hys father, is not put forth expressely in gods ho∣ly worde, yet the scrypture allo∣weth, and proueth the thynge it selfe in dyuers places, the which they iudged to be sufficyent, as in dede it is, not in thys matter one•••, but in sundrye other, as Page  [unnumbered] that there be three persons in the trinitie, though it be not expres∣sed in the scripture, and therfore Sabelli{us} denyed it, yet y^• scryp∣ture doth fully and plenteouslye set the thynge it selfe forth. Also that the holye gooste procedeth from the father, and the sonne is not namely expressed in the scrip¦ture, and for that cause the gre∣cians, and the Armenes denyed it, and yet the scrypture proueth that thynge sufficiently, as it is expowned of the holy doctours. Wherfore it is peryllous to de∣maunde for the beliefe of euerye thynge receyued of vs, where it is wrytten in the scrypture, or howe can it be proued by the ho∣ly scrypture, syth it is ynoughe that the scripture is not against it, beynge receyued of the catho∣lique churche, or that the scryp∣turs Page  [unnumbered] dothe sette it forth, as it is vnderstande, and expowned of* the holye churche, and her doc∣tours catholike, In this matter concernyng the askyng of scryp¦ture for y^e proufe of euery thing, I wolde that euerye man wolde marke wel what the eldest latine doctour of christes church Ter∣tulyan sayth therin, whose wor∣des are these. Cum quaeritur, cur quid obseruetur, obseruari interim constat, ergo nec nullum, nec incer∣tum videri potest delictū, quod cō∣mittitur in obseruationem suo no∣mine vindicandam, et satis autora∣tam consensus patrocinio. That is to say. When it is asked, why∣any thynge shulde be obserued, it is euydente, in the meane sea∣son, y^e it is obserued. Therfore it may seme some faulte, & a certen synne, that is cōmitted agaynste Page  [unnumbered] an obseruation, whyche is to be defended by hyr name, & is suf∣ficyentlye authorysed by the de∣fence of consente. These wordes do rubbe some men of thys oure tyme vpon the gall, as also do* those whyche now folow in thys olde authoure. Quale est autem, vt quis tūc in questionē prouocet ob¦seruationem, cum ab ea excidit? et tunc requirat vnde habuerit obser∣uationē, cū ab ea desiit? But what thynge is it (sayeth he) that anye man shulde then cal in to questi∣on, or doubte an obseruation, when he is fallen from it? And then requyre frō whēse or wher∣of he had the obseruation, when he hath lefte it? Do not dyuers men euen after thys sort now a∣mong vs chrystē people? For we do forsake fastynge, and dyuers other thynges longe kepte of al Page  [unnumbered] chrysten nations before we were borne / and then we call them in doubte / and aske what autoritie they be of, and how they may be proued by scripture. It is an ea∣sy thing to aske where is it writ∣ten, that we shulde faste the lent, obserue any feastes, & kepe ma∣ny other thynges, not playnly, & namely set out in scrypture, but we maye aske of them where is it wrytten that these thynges oughte not to be obserued?

Expostulātesenim scripturae patro∣cinium* in parte diuersa, praeiudicāt suae quo{que} parti, scripturae patroci∣nium adesse debere. That is. For they / askyng a defēce, or an eayd of scrypture in the cōtrary part, do iudge before, that the scryp∣tures defence oughte to helpe theyr parte. Habemus obseruatio∣nem inueteratam, quae praeuenien∣do Page  [unnumbered] statum fecit. Hanc si nulla scrip∣tura determinauit, certe cōsuetudo corroborauit, quae sine dubio ma∣nauit detraditione. Quomodo enim vsurpari quid potest, si tradi∣tum non sit pri{us}? Tthus maye be the englyshe. We haue an olde obseruation, whych cōmyng be∣fore, hath made a state, or a cer∣tayntie in it. Thoughe no scryp∣ture hath determyned thys ob∣seruation, yet at lest the custome hath strēghthened it, or made it stronge, whyche doubtles came of tradition. For how maye any thynge be obserued, or kepte, yf it be not fyrste taught, or delyue∣red by tradition? Hitherto Ter∣tulyan, whyche was aboue. M. ccc. yeres, &. xl. before our dayes, whose sayeng maketh much for traditiōs, & for thynges vsed in the church of christ without ma∣nifeste Page  [unnumbered] scripture for them. Nowe where some lerned mē haue sup∣posed* and set also forth in theyr bokes, that the goinge downe of our sauiours blessed soule with his godhead in to y^e place, where y^e olde fathers soules remayned before christes death, called lib{us} patrū, to cōfort thē, to shewe y^e he was come in to the world by his birth, & had dyed for thē, & to de∣liuer theym thense, is not expres∣sed in y^e scripture, I thynke that therein they were greatly decey∣ued, as no man is cleare from all erroure, especiallye they that write vpon goddes holy worde, which onely is without al lyes, and errours, as the wryters of* it onelye were in that theyr dede not deceyued in any one poynte, (I say y^e they, whyche affyrmed) that descensus Christi ad inferna, Page  [unnumbered] the descendynge downe of christ to hell, is a truth not wrytten in the scrypture, were playnlye de∣ceyued therein, because manye textes of the scrypture do proue that thing euydently, of the whi¦che these are the chyefe. Dauyd sayeth in the parson of our sauy¦our* chryste. Non derelinques ani∣mam meam in inferno. O father thou wylt not leaue my soule in hell. Howe could this haue bene truely sayed of chryst to god his father excepte his soule coupled with his godhead had descēded in to hell or the place where the fathers were before chrystes cō∣mynge and death? Also we rede these wordes in the sawtre. Ab∣straxisti* de inferno animam meā. Thou hast (O father) taken my soule oute of hell, I let passe o∣ther* auctorites, puing the same, Page  [unnumbered] because these two are sufficyent for to proue this purpose, which is that the scrypture maketh mē tion that christ defeēded or went downe in to y^e place where the fa¦thers soules remayned abidyng and lokyng for his comyng thi∣ther to them after his death, whē his body laye in the sepulchre.

Nowe to make ones an ende of this treatyse, I wyll breyfely de¦clare that y^e certayne knowledge of the holy scrypture cōmeth by tradicyon without any other au¦ctorytye then of the catholyke churches, & the fathers of christ{is} relygyon, that lerned of the apo¦stles, which were the very trewe scryptures wrytten by the inspi¦racion and styrynge of the holy goost, & which were not, though they were putforth in y^e euange∣lystes, or apost{is} names. Saynt Page  [unnumbered] Austen in dyuers places of his* workes, and namely ī these, that nowe do here folowe, affyrmeth y^e the auctoryte of the holye scry∣ptures dependeth, and hangeth vpon the iudgement of the vni∣uersal or catholike church. Fyrst this hath he, lib .vii. cōfess.

Scripturas sāctas ecclesiae catholi∣cae cōmendat autoritas. That is to saye. The auctoryte of the ca∣tholyke churche setteth forth the* holy scryptures. Agayne more playnly this he wryteth. Quid fa¦ceres dicenti, non credo euangelio? Ego vero non crederē euangelio, ni* si me catholicae ecclesiae authoritas cōmoueret That is to say. What woldest thou do to hym, y^t saith, I beleue not y^e gospel? I trewly wold not beleue y^e gospel, except the auctorytie of the catholyke churche shulde moue me. It fo∣lowethe anone there. I muste Page  [unnumbered] neades beleue the boke of the a∣postles actes, yf I do beleue the gospell, because the catholyke churches autorytie cōmendethe to me of like sort both those scri∣ptures. Tertuliā also affyrmeth* the same thus wrytynge. Quid apostoli predicauerint, id est, quid illis christus reuelauit, et hīc praes∣cribam, non aliter probari debere, quā per easdē ecclesias, quas ipsi a∣postoli condiderunt, eis predicādo tam viua, (quod aiunt) voce, quam per epistolas postea. That is. What y^e apostles haue preched that is, what chryste hath reuei∣led, or opened to thē, I wyl note or determyne also hence or ther∣of that it ought not otherwise to be proued then by the same chur¦ches, or sayth full companyes, whiche the apostles them selues buylded, preachinge to them, as Page  [unnumbered] well w^t a lyuely voyce, (as they say cōmenly) as afterwarde by epystles. Besyde this in another boke he wryteth after this ma∣ner.* Habemus et Iohannis alūnas ecclesias. Nā et si apocalipsin Mar∣cion respuit, or do tamen episcopo∣rum ad originē recensitus in Iohan nem stabit autorē. Sic et caeterarum generositas recognoscitur. Dico a∣pud illas, nec solas a postolicas, sed apud vniuersas, quae illis sacramēti societate confaederantur, id euāge∣lium lucae ab initio aeditionis stare, quod cum maxime tuemur. Eadem autoritas apostolicarū ecclesiarum caeteris quo{que} patrocinatur euange∣liis, quae proinde per illas, et secun∣dū illas. habem{us}, Iohānis dico, Ma∣thaei, et Marci. Thus may be the englyshe of these wordes. We haue also churches of. s. Iohās scholynge, or bryngynge vp in learnynge of the gospell. For Page  [unnumbered] though marcion doth refuse the reuelation, or apocalipse, yet the ordre of bysshoppes nombred or rekenyd to the begynnynge shal hold with Iohan, that he is the autour or maker of it. So also the nobilite, or strength of the o∣ther scryptures is knowen per∣fectly. I say y^• that gospell hath stande for Lukes from the ma∣kynge or puttynge forth of it at these churches, nother onelye w^t them that were the apostles, but at or with all them holly, which are confedered, or ioyned to thē with feloshyppe of a sacrament, othe, or sygne of a holye thynge, the whiche thinge we do chyefly defende. The same autorytie of the apostles churches defendeth also y^e other gospels frō iniurye, the whiche therfore, and after or by them we haue, I say, Iohas, Page  [unnumbered] Mathewes, and Markes. Hi∣therte the auncyent wryter Ter¦tulian, whose wordes declare, y^• the apostles tradicyon teacheth vs / whiche are the gospelles of chryste and the trew scryptures, where there is no scryptures, to proue them by, and therfore he y^t wyll beleue nothynge withoute scrypture, let hym tel me why he* beleueth any one boke of y^• scrip¦ture to be true scrypture syth no texte of y^e scrypture can testifye, that it is scrypture in dede?

Wrote not I praye the, reader, Bartylmewe a gospell, and Ny∣chodem{us} another, (as storyes do tell) whiche are not receyued for anye parte of the scrypture? By what auctorytye is this done? wherfore doest thou rather giue credence vnto Lukes gospell whiche neuer sawe chryste: then Page  [unnumbered] to saynte Bartylmewes, whiche was one of the twelfe apostles? Eusebi{us} testifyeth that an euā∣gel* or gospel was iuged to haue bene wryttē by saynt Peter, and a boke of actes with a reuelatiō, which are not alowed to be scrip¦ture. Enoch wrote a boke, of the which Iudas ī his epystle spake and also Tertulian. Manye dy∣uers* other bokes were ascrybed vnto the apostles, and euange∣lystes beynge put forth in theyr names, and bearynge theyr ty∣tles, whiche in dede eyther they neuer wrote, or els y^e holy gooste moued not them to make them, or thought it not good nor nece∣ssary to haue them receyued and vsed amonge chrysten people, which thing he opened & taught the holy apostles, and other the beleuynge people, of and frome Page  [unnumbered] whom the certeyne knowledge, whych is the holy scripture, and whych is not, doth come, as S. Cypryan sayeth, thus wrytyng.* Quae sunt noui, ac veteris instrumē¦ti volumina, quae secundum maio∣rum traditionem per ipsum spiritū sanctum inspirata creduntur, etec∣clesiis tradita, competens videtur in hoc loco euidenti numero, sicut ex¦patrum monumentis accepim{us}, de∣signare. That is to wyt. Whiche are the bookes of the newe, and olde testament, that accordynge to the elders tradition are bele∣ued to be inspired by the holye gooste, and delyuered vnto the churches, it semeth mete to as∣signe or note in thys place by an euidente nōbre, lyke as we haue learned of the fathers recordes, or bookes. Then streyght he re∣cyteth the numbre of the bokes, Page  [unnumbered] whyche are reckened to be ho∣ly scrypture. Wherby it appea∣reth yet ones agayne that we knowe not what bookes be to be iudged, & estemed gods worde but by tradition of the apostles, and oure auncetours, or elders, whom the holye gooste (sayeth saint Cyprian that blessed mar∣tyr) taught that thinge by inspi∣ratiō. It foloweth therfore that yf thou wylte beleue nothynge wythout wytnesse of the scryp∣ture, that thou causte beleue no∣thynge of the gospell to be scrip∣ture nor no other parte called scrypture, and so all the fayth wholly muste neades at ones by that one deuellish opiniō cleane peryshe. Wherfore cease asking where it is wrytten in the scryp∣ture, in thinges at the lest recey∣ued generally of Christen nati∣ons, Page  [unnumbered] and gyue credence vnto the catholyque churche, whose au∣thoritie, as it is moost cer∣teyne and sure, so it is verye longe, and greate, as this chaptre shall proue to the by goddes grace sufficient∣lye.