Here begynneth the boke called the Pype, or tonne, of the lyfe of perfection The reason or cause wherof dothe playnely appere in the processe.

¶Of the reasons of the Heretikes agayne religion: And firste of their reason in generall. The first chapiter.

HOwe deuout reders you must ymagen that the selfe heretikes done speke / for y^e reasons that done folowe: ben their reasons / and done seme to be suerly grounded vpon scripture. And by reason therof / they ben the more ieo{per}dous: more subtylly done deceyue / and more perilously done poyson the simple and vnlerned soules.

¶The fyrste reason generall.

ALmyghty god after that he had suffred his chosen people the children of Israell:* 1.1 longe for their sinnes to be punysshed in Egypte / by the tyrannye of kynge Pharao / dyd (whan the tyme came) mightfully and merueylously: delyuer them by the hande and power of Moyses. And this was done in figure of Christ: that by the father of heuen was sende vnto this worlde / made man / conceyued / and borne of the holy virgyn Marye: to delyuer & redeme all mankynde frō the bondage of the deuyll. So than our swete lorde & sauyour Iesu / by great labours / by meruaylous peyne and passion / by most shamefull dethe: hath bought vs out of the course of the lawe of Moyses: Which was a lawe of rigour / a lawe of vengeaunce / a lawe of thraldome & bon∣dage / and a lawe of feare and drede. And hathe put vs vnto the libertie & fredome of the gospell: whiche is a lawe of pleasure / a lawe of mercye / a lawe of grace / a lawe of libertie / and a lawe of loue. So

that nowe we be nat bounde seruandes / but we ben children / And yet not onely children / but also heyres and coheneritoures vnto Christ.* 1.2 * 1.3 But alas alas for moste depe sorowe / that we nowe haue slypped / and ben fallen and ouer throwne / from that swete and most pleasaunt christiane libertie: vnto more thral∣dome and bondage / than euer were the children of Israell in Egypt. For nowe we haue more folysshe and supersticious seremonies / thanne euer had the Iewes / Scribes / or Pharises. So that nowe we be•• retourned from Christ vnto Moyses / and from Moyses vnto Pharao. And lothynge the Manna & moost swete spirituall meate of the gospell: we take delectacion & pleasure in the pottes of flesshe / and potage of Egypt. And nothynge content with the quietude / ease / and rest of the gospell: we done wil∣fully gyue / sell / and bynde our selfe vnto the serui∣tute and thraldome of Egypt / and vnto the intolle∣rable and lost labores of tyles and bryckes of claye / myre / and mucke of the same. And despisynge the swete and comfortable yoke of the life of Christ / and of the lyght & easy burthen of his lawes & doctrine: we done more than wilfullybowe downe / & charge our neckes vnder the roughe / harde / and rigorous yoke of the maners of men: that is vnto the heuye lade / and blockysshe burthen of their constitucions / lawes / and statutes. O good lorde / howe folysshe / howe madde ben we? what fende / what yuell spe∣rite / what inchauntementes / haue thus be wytched vs? That nowe so many hundreth yeres / we haue so miserably erred / slypped / and falne clene downe from the hyghe towre / and pleasaunt palace of fre∣dome and libertie: vnto the depe dungyon of thral∣dome

and bondage. From faythe / vnto mystruste. From hope / vnto doute. From loue / vnto drede: frō pure religion / vnto peuysshe & folysshe seremonies. From Christ / vnto Moyses: And from the gospell of god / vnto the olde lawe of the Iewes. So that nowe we shall ende in the flesshe: that we beganne in the spirite. For that we enterprised & vndertoke spiritually / we shall fenisshe and parfourme car∣nally. That we beganne gostly / we shall ende syn∣fully. For in the begynnynge of christianitie all {per}∣sones (without any distinction or difference) were equally / and in lyke maner christianes / as bretherne and systers. Whether they were bonde / or fre borne. All were of one calling the electe / and chosen people of god. Holy preesthode all sacred for to offre spiri∣tuall hoostes / and sacrifyce acceptable (by our lorde Iesu) vnto almighty god. There was (I saye) no difference / all were preestes. But onely that women were prohibite / and forbodē to preache: all were the chyldren of god. And (as we sayd before) heyres / and coenheritours vnto Christ. But nowe alas / all is tourned clene contrarye. For some persones bene the children of saynt Augustine. Some the sonnes & doughters of saint Benedicte / called saint Benet. Some of saynt Franciske: some other of saynt Ber∣narde: some of saynt Dominike / & so forth of many other / that nowe in stede of the children of god / ben chaunged vnto y^e children of men: And that in stede of the lawe of god / done kepe the lawes of men. And thus haue they forsaken the gospell of god / whiche (as we sayd) is a lawe of loue / and a lawe of liber∣tie / & haue bounde them selfe (and that by solempne vowe) vnto the rules and lawes of these men: whi∣che

ben the lawes of feare and drede / and lawes of thraldome and bondage. For where before the ma∣kynge of that vowe and profession / they were lose & in their owne power / & so myght haue kept the lawe of the gospell / all by loue / in fredome / libertie / and gladnesse of harte & mynde. Nowe done they kepe their rules (yf they kepe them as in very dede fewe done or none: yet (say I) done they kepe them for feare and drede in thraldome / and for the bonde of theyr vowe and promyse: with moche murmure and gruge / & with an yuell wyll.* 1.4 Nowe done the hereti¦kes conclude: with foure reasons crafty & false / as shall appere.

¶Of the conclusion of the heretikes / with foure subtyll reasons after theyr exclamacions.

¶The heretikes done speke agayne.

NOwe all you christianes: all you symple and deuoute all though vnlerned persones: se / cō¦syder / and perceyue: howe by these crafty religious persones you ben deceyued / & brought in to a snare / to byleue that to be good:* 1.5 that is yuell / and noyous for to professe / and promyse these vowes: is fyrste a thinge of great foly / & folisshnes.* 1.6 Secōde: a thynge of great presumption / & boldenes.* 1.7 Thyrde a thynge assure dāpnation.* 1.8 Or at the leste (for the fourth rea∣son) a thynge of great peryll:* 1.9 and ieopardy. Fyrste: it is a thynge of great foly:* 1.10 and madnes / for what can be more roly or madnes: thā to obtayne / wynne / or gette that thynge that with paine / wo / & laboure / in feare & drede vnder bondage / that myght be ob∣teyned: and had with pleasure and ease / in loue and surete / vnder fredome and liberte. But the lawe of

the gospell / the religion of christe: is (as is sayde) a lawe of loue / and of liberte / and sufficiente vnto all christians: for theyr saluation. Ergo: to make any mo lawes: or to {pro}myse any mo religions: is a great foly / and mere madnes. And also it is more merite / & more worthy rewarde / or thanke: to do any thinge for loue / with good wyll and lyberte / than for drede compelled there vnto by thraldome and bondage.* 1.11 Example may proue this trouthe / let (in case) a per∣sone be presente that is in necessite or nede / and an other persone that of his owne fre wyll / of his owne goodes wolde helpe the nedy persone / & relyue his necessite / were nat he more worthy thanke thā an o∣ther persone that were bounde in obligacion / and so of his det and dute shulde helpe the same nedy per∣sone agayne his mynde & wyll / onely for his bonde and obligaciō / he muste nede more merite that doth offre wyll: than the persone compelled by bounde. So doth appere the fyrst reason: that to make suche vowes / and to haue suche religions is nothynge ne∣cessarie / but rather a thynge of great foly / and mere madnes. For the seconde:* 1.12 it is a great boldenes / and meruaylous presumpcion and rather a temptacion or prouocation of god: than a truste in hym / that a frayle persone whome god hath indowed with dis∣crecion / and wysdome shulde aduenture / put hym selfe:* 1.13 that is to saye his welth and strengthe / his pro¦sperite and plesure / his quietude and reste / his lyfe / his dethe / his body and soule / his saluacion or damp¦nacion: in the gouernaūce and gydynge / in the rule and order of an other persone that he neuer knewe / ne yet knowe. And that peraduenture is a fole / or hath nat so good wyll / so good lernynge / wysdome /

reason / ordinaunce / ne conueaūce: as he hathe hym selfe. So that where a good simple persone of fer∣uent deuocion / wolde fele and laboure to obtayne perfection / he shall put hym selfe thrale / and bounde by vowe and profession vnder a souerayne / that nat onely doth lacke: and is voide of lernynge / discreci∣on / good maner / vertue / but also is more vicious in lyuynge / than the publicanes / and comune {per}sones moste noted of all lewdnes: and synfull abhominaci¦ons. So that many tymes: the poore subiecte / that well intended and purposed / shalbe fayne: & (in ma∣ner) cōpelled to leue / and forsake the lawes of god / and of the gospell: to folowe (as they say for obedi∣ence) the rules and commaundementes of a man. And yet wolde to god he were a mā / and nat rather a beste or a fende / thus theyr obedience is proued a folysshe presumpciō.* 1.14 And lyke wyse of theyr wylful pouerte / a great presumpcion for any persone so cle∣rely / and vterly to forsake the worlde / & al the good{is} and commodites therof / without whiche no persone may lyue: that (vnder paine of dedely synne) he may nothynge haue nor kepe / nor yet make any prouisiō or shyfte for hym selfe / what nede so euer he haue / but onely hange at the wyll and pleasure of an other per¦sone / that perauēture were more to be prouided for / than to prouide for other persones / without fayle a great presumption for very nede and necessite / wyll many tymes cōpell them to breke that vowe / whiche therfore had bē better vnmade. And for theyr thyrde vowe:* 1.15 and promyse of chastite. It is a presumpcion aboue all presumpcious / that a mortall persone ly∣uynge here in the fraile flesshe: shulde enterprise pro¦myse / and take vpon him to lyue without the flesshe /

whiche is rather the lyfe of Angelles / thā of man / for the acte of the flesshe is naturall / and the moste natu¦rall acte without whiche mankynde might nat be cō¦tynued and preserued.* 1.16 The olde prouerbe muste ne∣des also be true / it is harde to remoue frō the flesshe: that is brede in the bone. A great presumpcion ther∣fore is it to promyse by solemne vowe / that is contra¦ry / and {pre}iudice vnto nature / for saynt Paule sayth.* 1.17 It is better for any {per}sone to be maried thā to brenne by the flāme of the flesshe.* 1.18 Thyrdly to make these vo¦wes is sure dampnation / for it is contrary vnto the ordinaunce of god / and of nature / for god dyd make mā in that cōdicion: that (naturally) he shulde haue in his owne power: the fredome and lyberte of wyl. Sub te erit appetitus tuus, et tu dominaberis illius.* 1.19 The wordes of our lorde vnto Caym. Thyne appe¦tite / and passion shalbe vnder thy power / and in the liberte of thy wyll / & y^u shalbe lorde & maister therof & it shalbe vnder thy dominacion & gouernaūce / for by the liberte of wyll / as well as by reasō / vnderstā∣dynge and memory / man: is the very ymage of god. But by the {pro}myse of these vowes: mā maketh thrale and bounde: that god made fre / and so (as moche as lyeth in hym) man doth forsake that similitude / and doth depriue him selfe therof / and wilfully doth leue or rather lose that liberte. Ergo: thus to promyse & make vowe: bycause it is contrarious vnto the ordi¦naunce of god / and nature is of sure & certeyne dāp∣nation.* 1.20 Howe for the fourthe reason / it can nat be de¦nied: but (at the leste) it muste nedes be of moste pe∣ryll and ieoperdy of the sayd dampnation.* 1.21 And the wyse man sayth. Who so loueth peryll shall lyghtly fall therinto. But these religious {per}sones / done wyl∣fully

vndertake and put them vnto that ieoperdy. Ergo they bene moste lyke to fall therinto. That suche enterprise & {pro}mises ben perilous & ieo{per}dous theyr owne auctoure done recorde.* 1.22 For Cesarius of them sayth / that as religion obserued and kepte is of moste hyghe merite. So neglecte broken and nat kepte:* 1.23 is it of moste depe dampnation. But howe re¦ligion is kepte: al the worlde may openly se / {per}ceyue and knowe. For where they done promyse by theyr vowe & profession: obedience vnto theyr souereyne / they kepe none / excepte it be in suche thynges / as do please them selfe / let the souereyne cōmaunde / exhort counsayle what they wyll / the subiectes cōmonly in all places / wyll folowe no forther than theyr vsed terme / the custome of the place. For if the souereyne wolde refourme any parte of theyr selfe professed ru¦les / that of longe tyme hathe ben neglecte and ouer∣passed / they wyll sone answere & saye. Syr or Ma∣dame we byseche you pardon vs therof for that was neuer sene ne herde of in this house. And if the soue∣reyne wolde saye / yet natwithstandynge: it is our very rule that we haue professed. They wyll againe answere: here haue ben (in tyme past) wyse / sad / and lerned persones of good conscience: and they lefte it as they foūde it / and so we byseche you to leue vs as you founde vs / for this was neuer vsed amonge vs / And we done suppose and truste / that it may be suffi¦ciente for vs to do as other haue done before vs / and to kepe the custome of the place. And thus in conclu∣sion obedience shall haue no place excepte it were by conpulsion / And I report me:* 1.24 what maner of obedi∣ence that is. They done also professe / and promise wylfull pouerte / but as sone as theyr nouisshipe is

past and some before they take stipen selary and wa¦ges / as seculer prestes done some more some lesse. And therwith and also with suche money and gyf∣tes as theyr frendes done gyue them in almes / and suche also as they done wynne and gete by theyr bo¦dely laboure / or by any other waye and meane / they done therwith bye and sell / dyce / karde and drynke / & generally what they wyll at more propre lyberte / and more nere vnto them selfe / than ben worldly {per}∣sones / and whan they come abrode they ben well ap¦poynted / and lacke nothynge to be desyred. Theyr kynne and frendes ben setforth and promoted with the best / and yet done they call this pouerte.* 1.25 And as for theyr thyrde vowe chastite: howe so euer they done professe and promyse it / they kepe it but slen∣derly / whiche thynge is so euidēte: that it nedeth no farther profe. And surely so is it of al the other as you may se & perceyue so opēly / that none excuse can be made / wherfore all thoughe it were a lawfull thynge to make these vowes / yet were it better that none were made / excepte they were better kepte. natwithstandynge▪ they that can fynde no maner of grounde nor auctorite / in all the lawe of god / olde / nor newe / that any such vowes were made ne shuld be made. And finally it is agayne good reason / and contrary vnto the comune welthe / that suche {per}sones shulde be suffred to gyue away / and to forsake theyr owne goodes and landes / and thā to lyue in slouth / and mere / and clene ydelnes. These ben the wordes and reasons of the heretikes.

¶Nowe speketh the auctoure vnto the reders.

GOod deuoure reders & herers / I byseche you be nat slaūdered ne offended nor any thynge

meruayle or doute that I set forthe the reasōs of the heretikes so playne and extremely for the more strō∣ger and vnassoylable that a reason dothe appere in settynge forth / the more feble and of lesse auctorite is it / whan it is (by the trouth) assoyled for (of a su∣rety) these reasons wherby these heretikes as aduer¦saries and enemies of christe / done blaspheme & de∣tracte holy religion / and so done delude / deceyue / & corrupte the symple myndes of many deuoute per∣sones: done seme very stronge as surely founded & groūded vpon the trouthes of scripture / as all here∣sies ben / but whan they ben tried & well loked vpon they ben proued in dede ful of falshede for whā they haue for theyr grounde: and fyrste or chefe argumēt / put a trouth of scripture: than done they subtelly & craftely brynge in an other proposition or sentence / whiche scolemē done call a minore / that is to meane a seconde proposition / where vpon with the other that went byfore: they done conclude and proue / or rather done seme to proue theyr purpose: and heresy whiche seconde proposition: is euermore an heresy / or vterly false / and that proposition done / they with out probation or profe / suppose for a trouth whiche in dede is false / & so done they cōclude a falshed or an heresy / that to the symple and vnlerned persones / dothe seme true and so ben they blynded and decey∣ued / as you shall euydentely se & perceyue ī the pro¦ces that shall folowe. Take pacience I beseche you for I muste nede reherse many thynges agayne that byfore ben sayd to make the an∣swere playne vnto euery {per}sone.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Prima ra∣tio genera¦lis.
• * 1.2

  Ro. 8. C.
• * 1.3

  Take hede nowe vnto this subtyll a false my∣••oue,
• * 1.4

  The auctour
• * 1.5

  Theyr speci¦all reasons.
• * 1.6

  First reason.
• * 1.7

  .2.
• * 1.8

  .3.
• * 1.9

  .4.
• * 1.10

  The proues.
• * 1.11

  A case.
• * 1.12

  {pro}ue of the secōde reasō.
• * 1.13

  Agayn obe∣dience.
• * 1.14

  Hearne pouerte.
• * 1.15

  ••••••yne o∣bedience.
• * 1.16

  1. Co. 7. B.
• * 1.17

  1. Co. 7. B.
• * 1.18

  Proue of the .iii. reasō.
• * 1.19

  Gene. 4.
• * 1.20

  Proue of the .iiii. reasō
• * 1.21

  Ecclo. 3. D
• * 1.22

  Cesarius an∣••onicione.
• * 1.23

  Agayn obe∣dience.
• * 1.24

  Agayne po∣••erte.
• * 1.25

  Agayne Chastite.