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.

¶ Of this worde Fides.

VVhat Fides, is and how many significations it hath, I haue sufficient∣ly declared before. Notwithstandyng I will shortly touche what it doth signifie in this place.

Our aduersaries do say, that Fides, here doth betoken the vow of single life: but I say with the assent of great learned men, that Fides, may signi∣fie in this place a certaine cōuētion and couenaūt made with the Church, when she receiued widowes. For it is most euident, that the state of matri¦monie could not agre with that state vnto y^e whiche widowes came, that is, that they should serue the Churche, and should liue all together in one companie: but a woman that is maried is subiect to her husband, and is bound of necessitie to obey him.

The widowes of whom Paul speaketh, were bounde in their ministe∣rie to obey the Churche, in takinge care and ouer sight of the weake, the sicke, the diseased, and in infourmyng of rude maydens and other wo∣men, vnto whom the ministers of the Churche had no frequent nor iust accesse or repayre.

This was the chiefest and speciall ministerie of the widowes in the Church. And doubtles they which were so admitted, and had made such

compact with the Church, ought to abstayne from mariage so lōg as they occupied that place and rowme. And although they promised vnto the Church to liue purely and chastly, yet they bounde them selues with no vowe, for all men are bound by the law of God to liue purely and chast∣ly in the state and condition to the whiche they be called. The souldiours when they are bound by couenaunt to do seruice, as long as they be in the warres, are not properly sayd to make any vow, but they geue their faith¦full promise vnto the prince or Captaine to do their seruice truly. Euen so such was the faith and promise of the widowes which they made vnto the Churche, that is, as long as they wayted on the Churche, and were found by the Church, to liue singly, purely and chastly, and after this in∣terpretation it may be easly vnderstand what Paul would haue to be vnderstand concerning widowes.

VVhen yonger widowes were receiued of the Church in many places to be found and nourished after the sort whiche I haue said, they geuing them selues to idlenes, to excessiue fare and other pleasures & lustes (en∣graffed in yong & tender age,) were intised & stirred to fleshly desires and concupiscences, and so to liue incontinētly (as the Apostle saith) they become wanton against Christ, that is, they liued impurely in scortation and whoredome.

And Hierom writīg Ad Geruntiā, doth so interpret this word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, So doth Sophilus, vse it Apud Athenaeum, whose wordes be these, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Lasciuiebam deuoratis cibis, whē I had de∣uoured meat vp to the gorge, I began to waxe wanton. To this alludeth y^e commune prouerbe. Saturo ven{us} adest, famelico nequaquam adest, as the common saying in Terence is. Sine Cerere & Baccho friget venus Nowe these widowes being taken & espied in scortation, would marie, & said, that they would reuolte from the ministerie: but to marrie was not of it selfe damnable, for who should forbid them to marry when they would. But they had damnatiō, not because they would marry, but because they brake their faith, couenaunt and promise whiche they made before vnto the Churche: by the which they promised, that they would liue chastely, which they perfourmed not, but fell to wantones and whoredome, which thing made them dānable before God and mā. And therfore Paul saith plainly, that they had iudgement or damnation, because that by scortatiō and whoredome, they made voide the promise geuen to the Church. Ouer & beside, they added to this, another mischief, that is when they wer ta∣ken in this wantones, & could not abide the cōtumely which the churche laide to their chardge, they maried heathen and infidels, and so were a∣lienate from Christ. Therfore, that no such offendicles should chaūce in the Church, Paul ordeined, that no widowe should be chosen vnder the

age of .lx. yeares, as one that was not like to be subiect to this kind of wan¦ton life: for commonly (although it be not generally,) the flames of fleshe¦ly cōcupiscēce is in such age extinguished. They will marrie (saith Paul) whiche they would not haue done, if they had not ben taken and espied in scortation, for that kinde of life pleased them better in the which they might liue at libertie and in wantones and pleasure, being founde of the Churche, whiche was against Christ, for that the Gospell of Christ was ill reported of by the heathen, who sawe and harde of such filthines to be among them, whiche should liue purely and honestly.

Our aduersaries therfore cannot gather of this place, that these wi∣dowes had damnation for that they would marrye, but because they li∣ued wickedly, and than did pretende mariage when they were taken, whiche otherwise they would neuer haue attempted: And thus may the aduersarie see, that Paul meaneth not here of any vowe, but a certayne paction and couenaunt made with the Churche to liue single, as long as they should continewe in that state and function. VVe haue here in En∣gland almost the like example. In the Collegies of the vniuersities scho∣lars that be felowes of the house, must liue single and without wife, as long as they remaine felowes of the College. But yet they make no vowe not to marry, for they may marry if they will go out of the College.

Now to the seconde clause of ambiguitie, whiche lieth in this worde, Prima, First.