the priestly office. MarginaliaKinges in the old law did not intermedle with the priestes office in some thinges that were forbidden: But yet kings were officers ouer priests to correct them whē they dyd amisse.Therfore, let your discretion prouide: least for this your doing, Gods punishment light vpon you: which if it come, it will be hard for you verye easely to escape. Prouide also and see to your king, whose fauour ye prefer before the wealth & profit of the Church: least it happen (which God forbid) that he doth peryshe with all his house, after the example of them, whych for the lyke crime was plaged. MarginaliaIf ye meane of Achaz, and Oze in the old testament, then we denye your Minor.And if ye cease not of from that you begin: with what conscience can I dissemble or forbeare, but must needes punish you: let him dissemble with you who list (hauing autority so to do, trulye I will not) there shalbe no dissimulation found in me. And where you wryte in your letters, concerning my promotion, that it was against the voyce of the whole realme, & that the church did reclaime against it: What should I say to you, but that ye know right well: the lye which the mouth doth wyllinglye speake, killeth the soule: but especially the wordes of a priestes mouth ought euer to go with veritye. As touching this matter, I appeale to your own conscience, whether the forme of my election stoode not fully with the consent of them all to whom the election belonged: hauing also the assent of the prince by hys sonne, and of them which were sent thereto. And if there were some that repugned the same, hee that was toubled, and is gilty, let him speake.

Ye say moreouer, that I was exalted and promoted from a base and low degree, to this dignitie by hym. I graunt that I came of no royall nor kingly bloude: yet notwithstanding, I had rather be in the number of thē whom the vertue of the mynde, then of byrth maketh noble. Parauenture I was borne in a poore cotage: of poore parentage, & yet through Gods clemency, which knoweth how to worke mercy with hys seruantes, and which cherisheth the humble and low things, to cōnfoūd the hye and mighty: In this my poore and low estate, before I came to the kinges seruice, I had aboundantlye and wealthely to lyue withall (as ye knowe) amongest my neighbours and friends. And Dauid euen from the shepefold, was taken vp & made a king. Peter of a fisher was made prince of the church: who for his blood beyng shed for the name of Christ, deserued to haue in heauen a crowne, and in earth name and renoume: would God we could do the like. We be the successors of Peter, and not of kinges and Emperours.MarginaliaThey be the successours and sonnes of sainctes not that hold the places of saints, but that do the workes of sainctes. Hierom.

And where ye seeme to charge me (by insinuation) w^t the blot of ingratitude: This I answer: there is no offence capitall or infamous, vnlesse it proceede from the hart and intencion. As if a man commit a murther vnwillingly (albeit he be called a murtherer) yet he is not thereby punishable: And so, although I owe my dutye & seruice wyth reuerēce to my king: yet if I haue forborn him as my Lord, if I haue warned him, & talked wyth him fatherly and gently as with a sonne, and in talking with him could not be heard: If therefore (I say) beyng enforced thereunto, and against my wyll, do exercise vpon him the censure of due seueritye: in so doing ( I suppose) I make rather with hym, then agaynst him, and rather deserue at his hand thanke for my correction, thē note or suspicion of vnkindnes or punishment for þ^e fact. Some times a man against his wil receaueth a benefit: as when necessity causeth a man to be restrayned from doing that which he ought not: he that doth so restraine him (though he stop him) doth not hurt him, but rather profiteth him for his soules health. An other thing that defendeth vs from ingratitude, is: our father and patrō Christ. Which, in that he is our father (to whom we as children owe obedience) then are we bounde as children by necessity to obey his cōmaundement, in warning the euil doer: in correcting the disobediēt: and in bridling the obstinate: which if we do not, we run into daunger to haue his bloud required at our handes. Ye set forth like-MarginaliaIf the king had ben an adulterer or tyrant agaynst the true doctryne or preaching of Christ, thenMarginaliamyght this reason serue and God more to be obeyed then man Now where dyd Becket learne, that the king in hys temporall right was not to be obeyed?wyse and shewe, what losse we thereby may sustaine of our temporalties: But ye speake no woord of the losse of our soules.

Moreouer, as concerning the departure of the kyng from the homage of the church of Rome (which in your letters ye seeme to pretende, or rather threaten) God forbid I say, that the deuotion or fayth of our king shoulde euer swerue away from the obedience and reuerence of the church of Rome, for any temporall commoditye or incommodity: which thing to do is very damnable in any priuate subiect, much more in the prince which draweth many other with him: therfore, God forbid that euer any faithful man should once thinke so haynous a dede. And you according to your discretion take heede,MarginaliaTake hede ye marre all & ye open that dor. least þ^e wordes of your mouth infect any person or persons therin: occasioning them by your wordes to suche daungerous and damnable matter: like to the goldē cup which is called the cup of Babilō, which for the outward gold no mā wil refuse to drinke of, but after they haue drōke thereof, they are poysoned.

And where ye lay to my charge for the suspendyng of the reuerend father bishop of Salisburye, and for excommunicating of Iohn, Deane of the sayd churche for a scismaticke MarginaliaThis Iohn was called a schismaticke, because he tooke part with Reginald archbyshop of Colen and the Emperour against alexander the Pope.(by knowledge and proces had of the matter) to this I answer: That both these are iustly and condignly excōmunicate, & if ye vnderstand perfectly the cōdicion of the matter, and the right order of iudgements, ye will say nolesse. For this standeth with good autority (as ye know) that in manifest & notorious crimes, thys knowledge and order of proceding is not requisite. Perpend with your selues diligently, what the bishop of Salisbury did (concerning the Deanrye) after that he was prohibited of the Pope and of vs, vnder paine of excommunication: and then shall you better vnderstand (vpon so manifest disobedience) suspention did rightly followe: as ye reade in the decree of S. Clement, saying: MarginaliaClements decree.If they do not obey their Prelates, al maner of persons of what order so euer they be, whether they shall be Princes, of high or low degree, & all other people: shal not only be infamed, but also banished frō the kingdome of God, and the fellowship of the faithfull. As concerning Iohn of Oxford, this we saye: that excommunication commeth diuers wayes. MarginaliaDiuers wayes of excōlmunicationSome are excommunicate by the law, denouncing them excommunicate. Some by the sentence of the Prelate. Some by communicating wyth them which are excommunicate. Now, he that hath fallen into this damnable heresy, in participating with schismatickes, whom the Pope hath excommunicate: he draweth to him self the spot and leprosie of lyke excommunication. Wherfore, seing he (contrarye to the Popes expresse commaundement and ours, being charged vnder payne of excommunication to the contrary) tooke vpon him, the Deanery of Salesburye: we haue denounced him, and hold him excommunicate: and all his doynges we disanull, by the autority of the. viij. Synode saying. MarginaliaThe counsell speaketh of such which be worthely excommunicate.If any man either priuely or apartly shall speake or cōmunicate with him that is excommunicated: draweth to himselfe the punishment of lyke excommunication. And nowe for so much as you (brother bishop of London) which ought to know that saying of Gregorye. vij MarginaliaThis Gregori otherwise called Hldebrād was he that first toke away priests mariage cōdemning al priestes for fornicators which had wifes.if any bishop shall consent to the fornication of priestes, deacons. &c. within his precincte: for rewarde, fauour, or peticion, or doth not by the autoritye of his office correct the vice: let him be suspended from his office. And again that saying of Pope Leo, which is this: If anye bishop shall institute or consecrate suche a priest as shall be vnmeete and vnconuenient: if he scape with the losse of his own proper dignity, yet he shall lose the power of instituting any more. &c.

Therefore, forsomuch I say, as you (knowing thys) haue double wyse offended agaynst the sentēce of these