Ptōchomuseion [sic]. = The poore mans librarie Rapsodiæ G.A. Bishop of Exceter vpon the first epistle of saint Peter, red publiquely in the cathedrall church of saint Paule, within the citye of London. 1560. Here are adioyned at the end of euery special treatie, certaine fruitful annotacions which may properly be called miscellanea, bicause they do entreate of diuerse and sundry matters, marked with the nombre and figures of Augrime. 2.

Notio.

But I pray you let vs consider how this tirannie did growe, and what roote it had. In the beginning ministers that had contracted matrimony, were not so seuerely and rigorously handled.* 1.1 For the counsell called Sino¦dus Naeocesariensis, did depose them only from their office, and not from their benefice, but were norished and toke their stipende of the Churche. After that they began to remoue them not only from their office,* 1.2 but al∣so from their office, but also from their benefice: yea and those which did so contract, they did shut into some monastery, or into some strait and nar¦row places to do penance. But our holye father (thankes be to god) doth make a cleane dispatch of them by fagot and fier.

Not long after they began to practise their cruelty vpon the women,* 1.3 with whom the ministers had contracted, whom they commaunded to be sold, & to become the seruants of y^e church, in the which the priest was, which contracted with them And if the bishop coulde not driue them to that seruitude, thē they cōmitted the same to the prince, or to the lay ma∣gistrate. Yet their tirannye did not here stay, but woulde theyr chyldren

that wer begotten in such mariage, to be made the seruaunts of that chur¦che, in the which their fathers wer, & to be depriued of al their fathers inheritaunce. O double and triple cruelty, and preposterous paines & pu¦nishments, wherewith they punishe priests, lawfully maryed, and theyr lawfull children, sparing adulterous priestes, hooremongers, and theyr hoores, and their bastards. But to our purpose againe.

Caietanus the Cardinall doth affirme, that the Pope may dispence with a priest of the west Churche to take a wife, after that he is made priest, and doth say furthermore: Nec ratione, nec authoritate probatur, quod absolute loquendo,* 1.4 sacerdos peccet contrahēdo matrimonium, nec ordo in quantum ordo, nec ordo, in quantum sacer, est impeditiuus matri monii. It cannot be proued, neither by reason, nor yet by authority, that to speake absolutely, a priest doth sinne in contracting matrimonye, nor the order, in that it is order, nor in that it is an holy order, is a stay or let of matrimony. As for the glose which doth expound Copulantur, id est, copulatio vtantur, is vayne and folish, for the very order of the text doth speake of the contract of matrimony. Also he sayth, that priesthood doth not dissolue nor breake matrimony contracted, whether it be before or after, if we (al other ecclesiastical lawes being set apart) stand onely to those things, which we haue receiued of Christ and the Apostles.

The same Caietanus doth alledge out of Thomas, that the church may dispence in both the vowes, that is, in the solemne vow of religious men, and in the vow of secular priests, so that it be for some great necessity, or some vrgent cause: & that he proueth by the fact of the Pope, which did dispence, yea rather compell the king of Aragonia being a Moncke, to forsake hys religion, and to mary a wife, for the disposition & ordering of that kingdome.

Yea, and furthermore he doth say, that the high Bishop may in some other cause (though it be not for publike ciuility, nor ecclesiasticall vti∣lity) with a safe conscience dispence with a priest of the west churche to contract matrimony wythout synne, and sayth, that that matrimony is of force.

To be short in thys, I could bring a nomber of examples, that priestes after they were ordered, did marrye, not onely in other places, but also in this realme of England, which were dispensed with by the Pope.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Destincti, 28 ca. presbate
• * 1.2

  Dist 33. Eos et. cap, Decreuerūt
• * 1.3

  Dist. 81. ex quo dam concilio Toletano cap, quidam.
• * 1.4

  d••stinct, 3•• cap, alite,