MarginaliaPreachers limited within certayne bondes.their dioces, shall aßigne godly and learned men, hauyng good iudgement in the Scriptures, whiche shall diligently and faithfully attende vpon such preachers: and if they shall perceaue the sayd preachers either to haue erred, or to haue vttered any thyng vnconueniently, they shall godly, myldely, and modestly aduertise and informe them thereof, in such sorte as no man shall iustly complaine the truth of the Gospell to be impeached. But if the preachers continuyng still in theyr stubbernes shall refuse to be admonished, and will not desiste from their lewdenes, then shall they bee restreyned and punished by the ordinaries of the places, with punishment for the same conuenient.MarginaliaAgainst selling and printing of famous libells.Furthermore, the sayd princes and nobles shall prouide and vndertake, so much as shalbe poßible, that from hence forth, duryng the foresayd time, no new booke shalbe imprinted, especially none of these famose libels, MarginaliaFamous libels be such bookes as rayle against þ^e fame of any person, shewing no name of the author therof.neither shall they priuyly or apertly be sold. Also order shal be taken amongest all potestates, that if any shall set out, sell, or imprinte any new worke, it shall first be sene and perused of certeine godly learned, and discret men appoynted for the same: so that if it be not admitted and approued by them, it shall not bee permitted to bee published in printe, or to come abrode. Thus by these meanes, they hope well that the tumultes, errours, and offensions amōg the people shall cease, especially if the popes holines him self shall begin with an orderly and due reformation, in the foresayd greuances aboue mentioned, & will procure such a free & Christiā Councell as hath bene sayde, and so shall the people be well contented and satisfied. Or if the tumult shall not so fully be calmed as they desire, yet the greater part thus will be quieted, for all such as be honest and good men, no doubt, will be in great expectation of that generall Councell, so shortly & now ready at hād to come.

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MarginaliaFor priestes or religious men that marye.Finally, as concerning priestes whiche contract matrimonie, and religious men leauyng their cloysters, whereof intimation was also made by the Apostolicall Legate, the foresayd princes do consider, that for so much as in the ciuile law there is no penaltie for them ordeyned, they shall be referred to the Canonicall constitutions, to be punished thereafter accordyngly: that is, by the losse of their benefices, and priuileges, or other condigne censures: and that the sayd ordinaries shall in no case bee stopped or inhibited by the secular powers, from the correction of such: but that they shall adde their helpe and fauour, to the maintenaunce of the ecclesiasticall iurisdiction, and shall direct out their publicke edictes and preceptes, that none shall impeache or prohibite the sayd ordinaries in their ecclesiasticall castigation, vpon such transgressors to be administred.

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To conclude, the redoubted prince Lord Lieutenant, and other princes, estates, and orders of the publicke Empyre, vehemently and most hartly do pray and besech, that the Popes holynes, and the reuerend Lord his Legate will accept and take all the premisses, to be no otherwise spoken and ment, then of a good, free, syncere, and a Christian mynde. Neither is there any thyng, that all the aforesayd princes estates, and nobles do more wishe and desire, then the furtherance and prosperous estate of the holy Catholicke Churche of Rome, and of his holynes. To whose wishes, desires, and obedience, they offer and commend them selues most ready, and obsequious, as faithfull children. Ex Orth. Grat.

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Thus hast thou (louyng reader) the full discourse both of the popes letter, & of his Legates instructions, with þ^e aunswere also of the states of Germanie to the said letter and instructions, to them exhibited in the diet of Norenberge. In the whiche diet, what was concluded, and what order and consultation was takē, first touchyng the greuances of Germanie, whiche they exhibited to the Pope, then concernyng a generall Councell to be called in Germanie, also for prynting and preachyng, and for priestes mariage, hath ben likewise declared. &c.MarginaliaEx Ioan. Sledano.

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MarginaliaMinisters of Strausbrough troubled for their wiues.The occasiō  

of this matter moued agaynst priests mariage, came first by þ^e Ministers of Strausburgh, which about this tyme began to take wiues, and therfore were cited by þ^e Bishop of Strausburgh to appeare before him at a certeine day, as violators of the lawes of holy church, the holy fathers, the Byshop of Rome, and of the Emperours Maiesty, to the preiudice both of their owne order of priesthode, & Maiestie of almightye God: But they re-ferred their cause to the hearyng of the Magistrates of the same Citie, who beyng suters for them vnto the Byshop, laboured to haue the matter either released, or at least, to be delayed for a tyme.

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Long it were to recite all the circumstances folowyng vpon this diet or assemble of Norenberge, how theyr decree was receaued of some, of some neglected, of diuers diuersly wrasted and expounded. MarginaliaLuther expoundeth the decree of Norenberge.Luther writinge his letters vpon the same decree, to the princes, thus made hys exposition of the meanyng therof, that where as the preachers were commaunded to preach the pure Gospell, after the doctrine of the Churche receaued, he expounded the meanyng therof to be, not after the doctrine of Thomas Aquine, or Scotus or such other late schole writers, but after the doctrine of Hilary, Cyprian, and Austen, and other auncient Doctours, and yet the doctrine of the sayd aunciters no farther to bee receaued, but as they should agree with the Scripture.

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Secondly, as cōcernyng new bookes not to be sold nor printed, he expounded the meanyng therof to extende no farther, but that the text of the Bible and bookes of the holy Scripture myght bee printed notwithstandyng, and published to all men.

And as for the prohibition of priestes mariage, he writeth to the princes, and desireth them to beare with the weakenes of men, declaryng that braunch of their decree to be very heard, whiche though it stand with the Popes law, yet it accordeth not with the Gospell, neither conduceth to good maners, nor to honesty of lyfe. &c.

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MarginaliaAn hundreth greuances of the Germanes agaynst the pope.Furthermore, where as in the same session of Norenberge mention was made before of certeine greuances collected to the number of an hundreth, and exhibited to the Byshop of Rome, it were tedious lykewise to inserte them all: yet to geue some taste of a fewe, I iudge it not vnprofitable: to the entent, that &þ^e world may see & iudge, not onely what abuses and corruptions most monstrous and incredible, lay hid vnder the glorious title of the holy Churche of Rome: but also may vnderstand, with what hypocrisie and impudencie the Pope taketh vpon hym so greously to complaine vpon M. Luther, and other: whē in all the vniuersall Churche of Christ, there is none so much to be blamed all maner of wayes, as he him self, accordyng as by these heynous complaintes of the Germaine princes, here folowyng agaynst the Popes intolerable oppressions and greuances, may ryght well appeare. Whiche greuances beyng collected by the princes of Germanie at Norenberge, to the number of an hundreth, I wishe might be fullye and at large set forth to the studious reader, wherby might appeare the subtile sleyghtes and intolerable fraudes of that pretensed Church. But for somuch as it were to long to cōprehend the whole, I haue thought good to exhibite some parte therof for example, as geuyng only a certeine tast, wherby thou mayst more easely conceiue, what to thinke & esteme of all the residue, whiche both to me would be tedious to write, & perhaps more greuous to thee, to heare.

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AMongest other burthens and greuances, this is not least to be regarded, that many things are prohibited by mēs constitutions, and many thinges exacted, whiche are not prohibited or commaunded by any precept of God: MarginaliaForbydding of mariage in diuers degrees, not forbidden by Gods lawe.as the innumerable obstacles of matrimonie inuented and brought in, whereby men were forbyd to mary in cases of kindred, which stand vpō diuers degrees: as vpō affinitie, publike honesty, spirituall kindred, kindred by law, and kindred in bloud. &c. MarginaliaForbidding of meates, not forbidden by Gods law.and likewise in forbiddyng the vse of meates, whiche God hath created for mans neceßitie, and taught by the Apostle indifferently to bee receiued with thankes geuyng. By these and many other such humane constitutions, men are yoked in bondage, vntill by money they obteine some dispensatiō of those lawes, at their handes whiche made them: so that money shall make that lawfull for

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