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 diuersites of araye / and of the reasons or causes therof by the auctorite of scripture. The .xxiii. Chapitre.

IF we loke well vpō holy scripture: we shal fynde that from the begynnyng of y^e world sythe that tyme that there was diuersite of people: there was also diuersite of garmē∣tes / clothynge / or araye. For as sone as Cayn / and some of his systers with hym: were departed frome Adam and Eue / and frome the doughters that re∣mained with them / than byganne a diuersite of peo¦ple that is to say: a people of god that was feythful and a people of men that was synful and infideles. So the scripture after dothe name thē / as you shall here forthwith. And these people were diuerse in theyr maner of lyuynge / & lykewyse diuerse of aray So that y^e mysordred araye or clothynge / byganne fyrste in y^e children of Cayn / that were misordred in theyr lyuynge as infideles departed frō god. And euer sythe y^e tyme hederto: hathe ben notable diffe∣rence of habite / garmentes / & araye / bytwene y^e well ordred people of god / & the mysordred people caled the chyldren of men / as apperethe ī y^e .vi. Chapitre of Genesis.* 1.1 Where is sayd. Videntes filij dei: filias hominum. &c. That is to saye: whan the chyldren of god / his well ordred people: dyd se & beholde the doughters of men / y^t was the mysordred chyldrē of cursed Cayn: whiche (to set forthe & to shewe out y^e beaute of theyr bodies) dyd vse & fynde out by newe inuēcions inordinate & wantō aray. They: that is to saye the chosen people of god / fell in affection of them / & by carnall concupiscence (contrarie vnto y^e wyll of god) dyd marie w^t them / and company with them where they shulde haue maried of theyr owne people onely / and none of them as maye appere

by that cōmaundemente that god afterwarde gaue in the lawe:* 1.2 where he vtterly dyd prohibite and for bede the chyldren of Israel to mary with infideles Thus apperethe the difference of arye / and what hurte came therof. For all fel vnto mysorder / so that god drowned all the hole worlde excepte .viii. per∣sones / and al byganne by the occasion of mysordred araye. Difference of araye was betwene Esau as mysordred / and Iacob as well ordered.* 1.3 And so (as I sayd) that alwaye difference was bytwene y^e wel ordred and mysordred persones: scripture dothe shewe in many places. In the .xxxiiii. Chapitre of Genesis:* 1.4 is shewed howe Dina the doughter of Iacob / went forthe from her father / and her owne company to se and byholde the women and the va∣riant araye of that contre / and therby she laste her virginite / and caused great murther and myschefe. And after in the same boke / Thamare a wedowe y^t was doughter in lawe vnto Iudas one of the .xii.* 1.5 Patriark{is} (by exchaūge of her araie vnto y^e fourme & fashō of y^e cōmune vnclene womē) dyd deceiue her sayd father in lawe / & so caused hym to mysuse her body. Sampson also / and Salamon were snared by y^e beaute of infideles: whiche beauty was set out in shewe by wantone and mysordred araye. Argu∣ment wherof: was shewed in Oliferne / that by the beaute of Iudyth: was lymed / caught / & taken fast / whiche beaute althoughe it wer increaced & eched by god / yet was it (as scripture shewethe) set forthe in shewe / by the exchaunge of her araye / from y^e sad araye of wedowehode:* 1.6 vnto the lyght araye of wan¦ton persones. So is euident that as lyght and mys¦ordred persones / had lyght and mysordred araye.

So had the sad and honeste persones theyr garmē¦tes / and aray accordynge. And that nat onely in we¦dowes: but also in persones maried or to be maried as appereth by Rebecka the mother of Iacob / that in rydynge towarde her mariage: ware clothes for her cōmodite and ease / but as sone as she sawe the honorable persone of Isaacke and knewe (by infor¦macion) that he was her spouse vnto whome she shulde be maried / she lyght downe and couered her selfe (saythe the scripture) with a pall / or mantell / a garment of honoure and honesty.* 1.7 Our lorde god hymselfe / put difference of clothynge and araye: by¦twene the spirituall parte of his people of Israel / whiche was the tribe of Leui.* 1.8 And the temporall parte of the same people: all the other tribes. And yet whan Aaron / or any of those spiritual persones shulde do sacrifice / or ministre vnto god: they dyd chaunge those cōmune garmentes vnto other / or∣deyned for the same ministerie. Here the heretikes make obiection / saynge that the ceremonies of the olde lawe ben ceassed and ended / and of all other: [Obiection.] y^e ceremony specially ended by the acte of our sauiour Christ in the consecracion of his holy sacred body / whiche acte he dyd in his cōmune clothes or garmē¦tes. [Answere.] Yet (saye I) therof dothe nat folowe the vnifor¦mite / of clothynge or / oraye as they requyre in vs / but rather maye we take of the gospell that the ha∣bite or garmente of the Christe was notably diffe∣rent from the Apostles.* 1.9 For whan Christe was ta∣ken: saynt Iohan fled (saythe the gospell) naked y^t was in his cote / and left his pall or mantel behynde hym.* 1.10 And the garment of Christe was / de super con∣texta. knytte or wouen all ouer and ouer. So was

it notable and yet religious and honorable. So y^t it was nat deuided / but lot se caste therfore / & moche set by. And where they saye that Christe dyd conse∣crate in his cōmune / and dayly clothes: that was so (for that tyme) conuenient. For he dyd than conse∣crate in a priuate and secrete maner amōge his dis∣ciples alone / where he made his Apostles preestes / and gaue thē the same auctorite to consecrate w^tout any appoyntemēt of aparell / or clothynge there vn∣to. And so dyd they after many daies / & of lōge time consecrate after the same maner priuely & secretely / bycause y^e tyme were but fewe {per}sones of y^e feythe & byleue / & yet had they many enemies. But after∣warde whā they had goten / & gadred moche people thā dyd they cōsecrate in open maner / & dyd ordeyn & make preest{is} / diacons / & other ministres / w^t vesti∣mentes & clothynge therto accordynge. And yet no man dothe say y^t any clothynge is so necessary vnto y^e cōsecraciō: y^t no preest{is} may cōsecrate w^tout suche clothes. For if a {pre}ste duely ordred / wolde {pre}sume or els by ignorance: dyd say masse / & consecrate in any maner of clothes / yet shulde he verely cōsecrate the very sacramēte of y^e aulter / natwithstādyng that he shulde therin (by disobedience vnto y^e churche) gre∣uously offende. Furthermore also / y^e sacramēt that Christe hym selfe dyd than cōsecrate: was nat y^e full sacrifice & final oblacion for the redempcion of mā / but a memoriall for euer to endure of that sacrifice / and oblacion / that was that tyme to come / & that af∣terwarde was {per}fourmed fully accompleshed fulfyl¦led & offred vp vpon y^e aulter of y^e crosse by y^e deth & resurrexion of our sauioure for the redēpcion of all mankynde / whiche complete and hole sacrifice: is

nowe dayly represented ī the masse / by the consecra∣cion and oblacion of the holy sacrament / wherfore: if they wolde (as they do) contende and holde that we shulde folowe our sauiour as well in all his ma¦ner of sacrifice / as in vesture & araye / we muste thā be all naked vpon a crosse / whan so euer we shulde consecrate. You may se therfore what wyse reasons these men done make / and of what strengthe. yet here done they saye. [Obiection.] Syr althoughe there be moche variety and difference in the clothynge or araye of the seculer persones: yet thynke we it were moche conuenient that all religious persones that done {pro}¦fesse the same vowes: shulde (accordynge vnto the sexe or kynde) be of one and lyke habite.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gene. 6.
• * 1.2

  Deu. 7. A.
• * 1.3

  Gene. 27.
• * 1.4

  Genesis. 34. A.
• * 1.5

  Ibidē. 38.
• * 1.6

  Iudi. 10. A.
• * 1.7

  Gene. 24.
• * 1.8

  Exod. 28.
• * 1.9

  Marci. 14. E.
• * 1.10

  Matth. 1••. D.