in them: Although diuers Bishops of Constance, of Basill, of Curiake, with diuers Vniuersities besides: also they them selues, haue bene sundry times desired so to do, yet to this present day, neither they, nor euer any other so dyd, neither were they, nor any of all the foresayd Bishops, at their last assemble, beyng requested to come, so gentle to repayre vnto them, saue onely the Schafhusians, and Sangallians. In the whiche foresaid assemble of theirs, all such as were then present considering throughly the whole case of the matter, condescended together with them.

And if the Bishops happely will obiect againe and say: that þ^e word of God ought not so to be handled of the vulgar people: they aunswered, the same not to stand with equitie & reason. For albeit it did belong to þ^e bishops office, to prouide that the shepe should not go astray, & most cōuenient it were, that by them they should be reduced into the way agayne: MarginaliaByshops neither will feede the flocke, nor yet suffer them to feede them selues.yet because they will not see to their charge, but leaue it vndone, referring all things to the fathers, & to Councels, therefore right and reason it is, that they them selues should heare and learne, not what man doth determine, but what Christ him selfe doth commaunde in his Scripture. Neither haue their Ministers geuen any occasion of this diuision, but rather it is to bee imputed to such, whiche for their owne priuate lucre and prefermentes, contrary to the worde of the Lord, do seduce the people into errour, and greuously offending God do prouoke hym to plage them with manifold calamities. Who, if they would renounce the gredynes of their owne gayn, and would folow the pure doctrine of his worde, seking not the will of mā, but what is the will of God, no doubt but they should soone fall to agreement.

Marginalia* It was the popes lawe then, that in Lent no man shoulde eate fleshe nor egges, nor any white meate: Wherin it maye seeme to be verefyed which S. Paul doth prophecie. 1. Tim. 4. In the latter dayes, certayne shall departe from the fayth, harkning to the doctrine of deuills, forbydding to marye and to eate. &c.* As for the eatyng of fleshe, and egges, although it be free to all men, & forbidden to none by Christe: yet they haue set forth a lawe, to restreine rashe intemperaunce, and vncharitable offension of other.

MarginaliaPriestes mariage.And as touching Matrimonie, God is him selfe the author therof, who hath left it free for all men. Also Paul willeth a Minister of the Church to be the husbād of one wife.

And seyng that Byshoppes for money permitte their Priestes to haue concubines, whiche is contrary both to Gods law, and to good example: why then might not they as well obey God in permitting lawfull Matrimonye, whiche he hath ordeined, as they to resiste God in forbidding the same? MarginaliaVowes of chastitie, not agreing to Gods lawe.The like is to be said also of wemen vowing chastitie: of whom this they iudge and suppose, that such kinde of vowes and coacted chastitie are not auayleable nor alowed before God: and seing that chastitie is not all mens gifte, better it were to marye (after their iudgementes) then filthely to liue in single lyfe.

MarginaliaMonasteries first geuen to the poore, but nowe serue to feede the riche.As for Monasteries, and other houses of Canons, they were firste geuen for reliefe onely of the poore and nedie, where as now they whiche inhabite them, are wealthy & able to lyue of their owne patrimonie, in such sort, as many times some one of them hath so much, as wel might suffice a great number: MarginaliaGoods of monasteries conuerted to the reliefe of the poore.Wherfore it semeth to them, not vnconuenient that those goodes should bee conuerted agayne to the vse of the poore: Yet neuerthelesse they haue vsed herein such moderation, that they haue permitted the inhabitātes of those monasteries to enioy the possessiōs of their goods, during the terme of their naturall life, lest any should haue cause of iust complaynte.

MarginaliaOrnamentes of Churches better bestowed vpon the poore.Ornamentes of Churches serue nothing to Gods seruice: but this is well agreeyng to the will & seruice of God, that the poore should be succored. So Christ commaunded the yong man in the Gospell, that was riche, not to hang vp his riches in the temple, but to sell them, and distribute them to the nedy.

MarginaliaGood priestes not to be contemned: the rable of them to be diminished.The order of priesthode they do not contemne. Such priestes as will truly discharge their duetie, & teach soūdly, they do magnifie. As for the other rable, which serue to no publike cōmoditie, but rather dampnifie þ^e cōmon wealth, if the nūber of them were diminished by litle and litle, and their liuinges put to better vse, they doubted not, but it were a seruice well done to God. Nowe whether the singing & prayers of such priestes be auailable before God, it may be doubted, for as much as many of thē vnderstād not what they say or sing, but only for hier of wages do þ^e same.

MarginaliaConfession to the priest.As for secret confessiō, wherin mē do detect their sinnes in the priestes eare, of what vertue this confession is to bee estemed, they leaue it in suspense. MarginaliaConfession to Christ.But that confession, wherby repenting sinners do flye to Christ our onely intercessour, they recounte not onely to bee profitable, but also necessarye to all troubled consciences. As for satisfaction, whiche priestes doe vse, they recken it but a practise to get money, and the same to be not onely erroneous, but also full of impietie. True penaunce and satisfaction is, for a man to amende his life.

MarginaliaThe order of Monkerye.The orders of monkery come onely by the inuention of man, and not by the Institution of God.

MarginaliaThe vse of Sacramentes.And as touching the Sacramentes, such as bee of the Lordes institution, them they do not despise but receaue with all reuerence, neither do suffer the same to be despised of any person, nor to be abused otherwise then becommeth: but to bee vsed rightlye according to the prescript rule of Gods worde. And so with the like reuerence they vse the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper, accordyng as the word prescribeth, not as many do abuse it, to make of it an oblation and a sacrifice.

MarginaliaFalse tale cariers.And if the messengers sent to them of the clergy in their letters mentioned, can iustly charge them with any hinderaunce, or any errour, they will bee ready either to purge them selues, or to satisfie the offence. And if they can not, then reason would, that those messēgers of þ^e clergy should hereafter looke better to their own doinges, & to their doctrine, & to cease frō such vntrue sclaunders & contumelies.

Marginalia The onely waye of true reformation is, þ^t the word of God onely be receaued.Finally, where as they vnderstand by their letters how desirous they are to haue the Popes oppressions, and exactions, and vsurped power abolished, they are right glad therof and ioyfull, supposing that the same can by no meanes be brought to passe, except the word of God onely and simplye be receaued. For otherwise, so lōg as mens lawes and constitutions shall stand in force, there will be no place nor hope of reformation. For by the preachyng of Gods word their estimation and dignitie must nedes decay: MarginaliaThe pope can not abyde the preaching of þ^e word, and why?and that they well perceaue, and therefore by all meanes do prouide, how to stoppe the course of the word: and because they see them selues to weake to bryng their purpose about, they flye to the ayde of kynges and princes. For the necessarye remedye whereof, if they shall thinke good to ioyne their consent, their shall nothing be lacking in their behalfe, what they are able either in counsaile or goods, to do in the matter, declaring moreouer that this should haue bene sene to longe before. Whiche being so, they prayed and desired them to accept in good part, and diligently to expende this that they dyd write. As for their own part, they required nothing els more then peace both betwene them, and all men. Neither was it euer their intent to styrre any thing that should be preiudiciall agaynst their league & band agreed vpō betwene them. But in this cause, whiche concerneth their eternall saluation, they can do no otherwise, but as they haue done, vnles their errour by learning might be proued and declared vnto them.

MarginaliaThe Tigurines will be iudged by the scriptures.Wherfore as they did before, so now they desire agayne, that if they thinke this their doctrine to bee repugnant to the holy Scripture, they will gently shew and teach them their errour, and that before the end of the moneth of May next ensuyng: for so long they will abyde wayting for an aunswere, as well from them, as from the Bishop of Constance, and also from the Vniuersitie of Basill. And thus much conteineth the aūswere of the Tigurines, vnto the letter of their other colleagues of Heluetia.

MarginaliaThe B. of Constance aūswereth the Tigurines by writing.In the meane time, as this passed on, and the moneth of May aboue mentioned was now come, the Byshop of Constance, with the aduise of his Councell about hym, did aunswere the Tigurines as he was requested of thē to do, in a certeine booke, first writtē, and afterward printed: wherein hee declareth what Images and pictures those were, whiche the prophane Iewes and gentles in in the old tyme did adore: MarginaliaA Popishe distinction betwene the Images of the Gentiles, & Images of þ^e Christians.and what Images bee these whiche the Churche hath, from tyme to tyme, receaued and admitted, and what difference there is betwen those idoles of the Iewes and gentles, and these Images of the Christians. The conclusion hereof was this, that where as the Scripture speaketh agaynst Images, and willeth them not to be suffered, that is to be vnderstand of such Images and idols, as the Iewes and Idolatrous gentles did vse: yet neuertheles such Images and pictures, whiche the Churche hath receaued, are to bee vsed and reteyned.MarginaliaEx Ioan. Sled. Lib. 4.

From this hee entreth next into the discourse of the Masse, where hee proueth by diuers and sondry testimonies, both of the Popes Canons, and Coūcels, the Masse to be a sacrifice and oblation.

This booke beyng thus compiled and written, he sent it vnto the Senate of Zuricke, about the begynnyng of