mā, is the fast of lent and other dayes ordeyned in your lawes without authority of scripture, which willeth vs to fast perpetually, eatyng and drinking, but whē neede requireth (not for any voluptuousnes, as many that recounteth thē selues great fasters, I feare, haue done) yea & that sparely, forseyng alway that our stomackes be neuer cloyed with dronkenshyp or surfettyng, as is commaunded by our Sauiour in Luke: MarginaliaHow to fast truly after the scripture.but contrarywise, after the fashion rather of a certeine Prince that is mencioned (I trow) in Valerius Maximus, that neuer rose frō hys meales meate, with a full stomacke, but some what rather empty or hungry: whiche, as the story testifieth, caused hym to lyue so wonderfull a long season, that a man coulde vnneth thinke it possible for ones lyfe to be so prolonged, had not such a notable author reported it.

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MarginaliaFasting rather to be perswaded then enforced.And (to tel the truth) I suppose the Prelates should better haue persuaded the people to pure fasting, by instant preachyng of þ^e worde of God, & fatherly exhortations, thē by ordeining of so sore a multitude of lawes & constitutions: For the nature of mā is wel described of Horace saying: Nitimur in vetitum semper, cupimusq; negata. Looke what is forbyd, that we most desire, and alwayes couet the thynges that bee denyed vs  

. And in an other Prouerbe: Funis plus æquo tensus rumpitur. The rope by ouer much straynyng bursteth a sunder. Accordyng to this, sayd a good old father in Cambridge, I remember hys saying well yet: Hee was an old Doctour of Diuinity. MarginaliaChurch holydayes solemnised in England.Whē a Legate came into Englad at a tyme, and he with certaine Byshops, had ordeined that þ^e dedication of all Churches thorow England (as I remember) should be kept holy and solemnized vpon one day, MarginaliaGownes sowed before.and Priestes should haue their gownes made close before, with such other lyke ordinaunces: he resisted, not condescendyng to haue them put in execution, whē his Diocesan required hym, MarginaliaMultitude of lawes.declaring how thys multitude of lawes pleased him not: For we had enow & aboūdantly afore, adding this reason: Adam beyng in Paradise had but one law to obserue, and yet hee brake it: what other thyng then shall thys multitude do (quoth hee) but multiplye transgression? For when a Fagotte is bounde ouer straite, the bonde must breake.

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MarginaliaMultitude of lawes vnprofitable.God therfore, I beseche hym, send vs of the swete dewe of his heauenly doctrine, to moysten & supple the earthly ground of our hartes, that we may grow lyke fashioned vnto him, putting apart our old Adam, with all hys dissimulation, and paynted shewe, that is much caused by humane lawes and constitutions, & do vpon Christ, that is the very truth & the way directyng men to the same. Amen.

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MarginaliaAnswere to the 18. article.
Agaynst Images.Vnto the xviij. where you aske, whether it be laudable and profitable, that worshypfull Images be set in Churches for the remembraunce of Christe and hys Saintes? I say, that I know of no Images that ought to be worshypped, specially made by the hand of men: for the Psalme sayth: Confusion or shame be vpon them that worshyp or make obeysance vnto carued Images, and that glory in their pictures.MarginaliaPsal. 97.

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Moreouer, S. Augustine in his booke, de vera religione, saith thus: Let vs not haue deuotion in worshyppyng the workes of men: or els thus, let vs not be bound to worshyp the workes of men, for the workemē are more excellent then the thinges which they make: whom notwithstādyng we ought not to worshyp. MarginaliaImages not to be worshipped.The Latine is thus. Non sit nobis religio humanorum operum cultus, meliores enim sunt ipsi artifeces qui talia fabricātur, quos tamen colere non debemus.

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MarginaliaLactantius.Lactantius also maketh strongly with the same. I cā not without the booke recite hys saying, for he teacheth largely of the same matter. Origene also contra Celsum (I trow) will lykewise testifie, MarginaliaOrigines contra Celsum.where (as I remēber) he cōcludeth saying: that he would haue no Gold-MarginaliaGoldsmithes and Caruers, needles in a common wealth.smithes ne Grauers in a comminaltie, for they doe but litle profite or none therto.

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MarginaliaGregorius ad Seruum.And Sainct Gregory that was chiefe, eyther inuentor that Images should be set in churches, or ells mainteyner therof, would not, as I haue read (I trow it is in an epistle which he writeth ad Seruū) haue thē worshipped.

And as concerning the excityng of mens memory, I would suppose, þ^t if Christes doctrine were so shewed and opened, that people might clearly vnderstād it (and that is the principall office of Prelates and Curates to do, by diligent teaching therof) I thynke verely, we should haue litle neede of any other Images, then that should by holsome doctrine be shewed vnto vs by word of mouth and writing: Quoniam nihil tam efficax ad comonafaciendum discipulos, quam viua vox: Nothyng is so effectuall to excite the remembraunce of disciples, as the lyuely voyce of good teachers: as it is testified both by common report, and also by the sentence of learned men.

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So that I suppose, if thys liuely doctrine of God had afore time bene apertly and diligently opened vnto the people, as Curates ought to haue done, we should haue such profite therby, that we should not neede to contend for settyng vp or takyng down of other dūme stockes and lyfelesse stones, carued or made by men. MarginaliaThe word and doctrine serueth to put vs in remembraunce, and not Images.And if Prelates would begin to set vp Christes word, which , alas for pitye, is not loked vpō, but rather trodē downe and dispised, so that many are not a shamed to saye: I wyll haue no more learnyng in Christes lawe, then my predecessors, for they that magnifie it, must be sore punyshed & taken for heretickes with such other greuous wordes) if thys doctrine were yet set vp in Churches, (I say) and truly opened, that al men myght haue theyr iudgement therby reformed and made cleare, I thinke we should not greatly neede the profit that commeth by Images made of men, to excite our remembraunce for to lyue christenly.

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MarginaliaThe true Image of God, is his worde and his workes.For that worde which came from the brest of Christ hymselfe, and was wrytten of other, that wrote & spake by the suggestion of hys spirite the holy ghost, shewith full perfitly hys blessed wyll, whiche is the true and certeine Image of hys mynde and deuise. If this therfore were diligently inculcate, I thynk we shoulde be transformed a new, accordyng to the mynde of Paul, which writing to the Colossians saith thus: See that you lye not one to an other, after that now you haue put of the old man with his workes, and haue put vpon you the new mā, whiche is transformed & renouate after the knowledge & Image of him that made vs. MarginaliaColloß. 3.Yea, thus shuld we al be docti à deo: taught of God, MarginaliaIohn. 6.as is sayd in Iohn: and all should know God both small and great, according to the promyse recited in the Hebrues: yea thus shoulde we be so restored to goodnes, that we should haue the Image of God carued in our hartes full expresly. MarginaliaHeb. 8.
As a man readeth, so is he fashioned.For euerye man is transformed into the fashion of vertuous thynges that he is accustomed to reade and heare. And therfore it were a great grace, if we myght haue the woord of God diligently and often spoken and songe vnto vs in such wyse, that the people myght vnderstande it. Yea, then should it come to passe, that craftes mē should syng spirituall Psalmes sittyng at theyre worke, and the husband man at hys plough, as wisheth S. Hierome.

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MarginaliaThe best Image of God is his word.Yea thys holy Image of Christ, I meane hys blessed doctrine, dothe apoynte vs also to consider the workes made by the hand of God, suche as no man can make lyke, wherby as sayeth S. Paule wrytyng to the Romaynes: The inuisible power and diuinitie of God is knowen and seene by the creation of the worlde, of such as will consider hys woorkes, that are therein by hym made.MarginaliaRom. 1. Loke in the Psalmes: Laudate Dominum de cœlis: Cœli enarrant. &c. MarginaliaPsal. 149.
Psal. 19.Prayse ye the Lord, from the heauen. The heauens declare the glory of God, with other. MarginaliaGods workes, & hys word, be the ryght Images of God.And these two Images, Gods workes, and hys doctrine hath, ere anye Images made by men were set vp

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