MarginaliaAn. 1556. March.ech one of vs shall thinke the best. For who was thought as then more deuout? Who was more religious in the face of the world? Who was thought to haue more conscience of a vow makyng, and obseruyng the order of the Church, more earnest in the defence of the reall presence of Christes body and bloud in the Sacrament of the aultar then ye were? and then all thynges prospered with you: your Prince fauoured you, yea God hym selfe fauoured you: your Candlesticke was set vp in the highest place of the Church, and the light of your candle was ouer all the Church. I would God it had so continued still.

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But after you began to fall by schisme, and would not acknowledge the Popes holynes as supreme head: but would stoutly vphold the vnlawfull requestes of kyng Henry the eight, and would beare with that should not be borne withall, then began you to fansy vnlawfull libertie, and when you had exiled good conscience, then ensued a great shipwracke in the Sea, which was out of the true and Catholicke Church cast into the Sea of desperation, for as he sayth, *Marginalia* That is, without the church there is no saluation. Extra Ecclesiam non est salus.  

When you had forsaken God, God forsoke you, and gaue you ouer to your owne will, and suffred you to fall frō schisme to Apostacy, from Apostacy to heresie, from heresie to periury, from periurie to treason, and so in conclusion into the full indignation of your soueraigne Prince, which you may thinke a iust punishment of God for your other abominable opinions.

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After that, ye fell lower and lower, and now to the lowest degree of all, to the ende of honour and lyfe. For if the light of your Candle be as it hath bene hetherto duskye, your Cansilesticke is like to be remoued and to haue a great fall, so low and so farre out of knowledge that it shalbe quyte out of Gods fauour, and past all hope of recouery: *Marginalia* That is, for in hell there is no redemptiō. Quia in inferno nulla est redemptio.  

The daunger wherof beyng so great, very pitie causeth me to say: *Marginalia* That is, remember from whence thou hast fallen. Memor esto vnde excideris.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Brooks, citing Revelation 2. 5.

Foxe text Latin

Memor esto vnde excideris.

[See above page 2047, column 2, line 46 and below, page 2049, column 2, line 6]

I adde also, and whether you fall.

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But here peraduenture you will say to me: what Syr, my fall is not so great as you make it. I haue not yet fallen from the Catholicke Church. For that is not the Catholicke Church that the Pope is head of. There is an other Churche. But as touchyng that, I aunswere: you are sure of that as the Donatistes were, for they sayd that they had the true Church, and that the name of the true Christians remained onely in Aphricke, where onely their seditious secte was preached, and as you thinke, so thought Nouatus, that all they that did acknowledge their supreme head at the sea of Rome, were out of the Churche of Christ. But here S. Cyprian defendyng Cornelius agaynst Nouatus, Libro secundo, Epistola Sexta,MarginaliaCyprian. lib. 2 Epist. 6. sayth on this wise: Ecclesia vna est, quæ cum sit vna intus et foris esse non potest.  

So if that Nouatus were in the true Church: then was not Cornelius, who in deede by lawfull succession succeded Pope Fabian. Here S. Cyprian entendeth by the whole processe to proue, and concludeth thereupon that the true Church was onely in Rome. Gather you then what will folow of your fall. But you will say peraduenture that ye fell not by heresie, and so sayd the Arrians, alledgyng for them selues that they had Scripture, and goyng about to persuade their schisme by Scripture, for in deede they had more places by. xlij. which with theyr torture seemed to depende vpon Scripture, then the Catholickes had.

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MarginaliaProuoking to scripture.So dyd the Martians prouoke their heresie to Scripture. But those are no Scriptures, for they are not truely alledged nor truely interpreted, but vntruly wrested and wrong accordyng to their owne fantasies. And therefore were they all iustly condemned for theyr wrong takyng of the Scriptures: and the Church replyeth agaynst them saying: Qui estis vos? quando? vnde? quid agitis in meo non mei?  

The Church sayth, what make you here in my inheritage? From whence came you? The Scripture is my inheritage. I am right heyre therof. I hold it by true succession of the Apostles, for as the Apostles required me to hold, so do I hold it. The Apostles haue receaued me and put me in my right, and haue reiected you as bastardes hauyng no title therunto.

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MarginaliaBreaking of vows.Also ye will deny that you haue fallen by Apostacy, by breakyng your vow, and so Vigilantius sayd, in so much that he would admit none to hys ministery, but those that had their wiues bagged with children. What now? Shall we say that Vigilantius did not fall therefore? Dyd not Donatus and Nouatus fall because they sayd so, and brought Scripture for theyr defence? Then let vs beleue as we lyst, pretendyng well and say so: nay there is no man so blynd that will say so. For except the Church, which con-

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demneth them for their say so, do approue vs for do so, then will she condemne you also. So that your deniall will not stand. And therfore I tell you, remember from whence you haue fallen and how low ye shall fall if you hold on as ye do begin. But I trust you will not continue, but reuoke your selfe in tyme, and the remedy followeth.

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*Marginalia* That is repent & do thy first workes. Age pœnitentiā et prima opera fac,  

for by such meanes as ye haue fallen ye must rise againe. First your hart hath fallen, then your tounge and your penne, and besydes your owne damage hath caused many more to fall. Therfore first your hart must turne, and then shall the tounge and the pen be quickly turned: Sin minus, veniam tibi cito et mouebo Candelabrum tuum de loco suo.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Brooks, citing Revelation 2. 5.

Foxe text Latin

Sin minus, veniam tibi cito et mouebo Candelabrum tuum de loco suo.

Foxe text translation

Not translated.

Translation (Wade 2003)

Or if not, I shall come to you and I shall move your lampstand from its place.

Actual text of Revelation, 2. 5. Vulgate)

[ ... ]sin autem venio tibi et movebo candelabrum tuum de loco suo [nisi paenitentiam egeris]

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I nede not to teach you a methode to turne: you know the ready way your self. But I would God I could but exhort you to the right & truth, then the way should sone be found out. For if ye remember how many you haue brought by abhominable heresy into the way of perdition, I doubt not but very conscience would moue you as much for them, as for your selfe to come agayne. And so would ye spare neither toung nor pen, if hart were once reformed: for as touching that poynt, the holy ghost toucheth their hartes very neare, by the mouth of his holy Prophet Ezechiel, when he requyreth the bloud of hys flocke at the Priestes handes for lacke of good and holsome foode: how much more should this touch your gilty hart, hauing ouer much diligence to teach them the way of perdition, and feeding them wyth baggage and corrupt foode, which is heresy. Qui conuertere fecerit peccatorem ab errore vitæ suæ, saluā faciet animā suam a morte, et operiet multitudinē peccatorum suorum.  

MarginaliaEzech. 33.He that shall conuert a sinner from his wicked lyfe, shall saue his soule from death, and shall couer the multitude of sinnes. So that if it be true that he who conuerteth a sinner saueth a soule, then the contrary must needes be true, that he that peruerteth a soule and teacheth him the way of perdition, must nedes be damned.

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Origenes super Paulum ad Romanos:MarginaliaOrig. in Epist. Paul. ad Rom. The dānation of these that preacheth heresie, doth increase to the day of iudgement. The more that perishe by hereticall doctrine, the more greuous shall their torment be that minister such doctrine. BeringariusMarginaliaBerengarius. who semed to feare that daunger, prouided for it in his life tyme, but not without a troubled and disquiet conscience. He dyd not onely repent, but recāt, and not so much for hym selfe as for them whom he had with most pestilent heresies infected. For as he lay in his death bed vpon Epiphanie day, he demaūded of thē that were present, is this (quoth he) the day of Epiphanie and appearing of the Lorde? They aunswered hym, yea. Then (quoth he) thys day shall the Lord appeare to me eyther to my comfort, either to my discomfort. Thys remorse argueth that he feared the daunger of them whom he had taught and led out of the fayth of Christ. Origenes vpon him sayth in this wise: Although his owne bloud was not vppon his head for that he did repent and was sory for hys former errours, yet beyng conuerted he feared the bloud of them, whom he had infected, & who receaued his doctrine.

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Let this moue you euen at the last point. In somuch as your case is not vnlike to Beringarius, let your repentaunce be lyke also. And what should stay you (tell me) frō this godly returne? feare, that ye haue gone to farre, ye may not returne? nay, then may I say as Dauid sayd? Illic trepidauerunt vbi non erat timor.  

Ye feare where you haue no cause to feare. For if ye repent and be hartely sory for your former heresie & apostasie, ye neede not to feare. For as God of his part is mercyfull and gratious to the repentaunt sinner, so is the King, so is the Queene mercyfull, which ye may well perceaue by your owne case, since ye might haue suffered a great whiles agoe for treason committed against her highnes, but that ye haue bene spared and reserued vppon hope of amendment, which she conceaued very good of you, but now as it semeth is but a very desperate hope. And what do you therby? *Marginalia* That is, according to þ^e hardnes of your hart ye treasure vp to your selfe anger in the day of wrath. Secundum duriciem cordis thesaurizas tibi iram in die iræ.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Brooks, citing Romans, 2. 5.

Foxe text Latin

Secundum duriciem cordis thesaurizas tibi iram in die irae.

Foxe text translation

According to the hardnes of your hart ye treasure to your selfe anger in the day of wrath[marginal note, but not very legible]

Actual text of Romans, 2. 5. (Vulgate)

secundum duritiam autem tuam et inpaenitens cor thesaurizas tibi iram in die irae [et revelationis iusti iudicii Dei]

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Wel, what is it then, if feare do not hinder you? shame, to vnsay that, that you haue said? Nay it is no shame? vnlesse ye thinke it shame to agree with the true and the Catholicke Church of Christ. And if that be shame, then blame S. Paul, who persecuted the Disciples of Christ with sword, then blame S. Peter, who denied hys master Christ with an oth that he neuer knew hym. S. Cyprian before his returne beyng a witch. S. Augustine beyng ix. yeares out of the Church. They thought it no shame after their returne of that they had returned. Shall it then be shame for you to conuerte and consent with the

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