rusalem, was abashed to take the office vpon hym, aunswering agayne with much dread of hart, A, a, a, Lord, I cannot vtter my mynde, for I am a child.

MarginaliaBishops against their wils thrust into their byshoprickes.After lyke maner we reade of the sainctes of þ^e new testament, wherof many were preferred oftentymes to there bishoprickes, and functions of the church by mere forcement and compulsion rather of other, then by their owne wils. So was blessed Gregory after his flight, and going away, brought backe agayne, & placed in the see and chayre of Rome. Likewyse S. Ambrose sore against hys minde, who also of purpose accusing & confessing his owne defectes, because he would be repealed: yet by the commandement of Valentinian the Emperour was inforced to take the burden vpon him, which he could by no wise shake of. S. Martin in lyke sorte vnknowyng of any such matter: was circumuented by a certain godly trayne & wile of the citisens, before he could be broughte to hys consecration: whiche he did not so much take, as he was thrust into it, with much pensiuenes and sorrow of hart. By these and suche other exāples this Chauncellour likewise should haue rather excused himself as vnworthy and vnmeete for that roume, shewyng himselfe more willing to refuse, thē to take it. To the which, this Archbishop is iudged to do cleane contrary, &c. Hæc ex Chronico.

And although scarcely any testimonye is to be taken of that age (being all blinded and corrupt with superstitiō) yet let vs heare what Neuburgensis an ancient historiographer sayth: who in the dayes of the sonne of thys king Henrye the seconde, prosecuting his historye vnto king Richarde the first, hath these woordes, writing of Thomas Becket: MarginaliaEx Chronico Neuburgēsis.Sane cum plæriq; soleant in his quos amant et laudant affectu quodam propensiori, sed prudentia parciori, quicquid ab eis geritur, approbare: plane ego in viro illo venerabili ea quæ ita ab ipso acta sunt, quum nulla exinde proueniret vtilitas sed feruor tantum accenderetur regius, ex quo tot mala postmodum pullulasse noscuntur, laudanda nequaquam censuerim, licet ex laudabili zelo processerint. MarginaliaActa Becketi improbata.Sicut in beatiss. apostolorū principe, quod gentes suo exemplo iudaizare coegit: in quo eum doctor gentium reprehensibilem declarat fuisse, licet eum constet laudabili hoc pietate fecisse. &c. That is in English.

Wheras many be wont, in them whom they loue or praise (iudgyng them more by affection, then prudēce) to allowe and approue, whatsoeuer they do: yet for me to iudge vpon this reuerend man: verely I thinke not hys doynges and actes to be prayse worthy, or to be allowed. For as much as therof came no vtility but only the anger and the stirring vp of the kyng, wherupō afterward sprong so great mischiefes (although the thyng that he did might procede of a certaine laudable zeale) lyke as in the blessed Prince of the Apostles, in that he taught þ^e Gentiles by his example to play the Iewes: Paul the doctour of þ^e Gētils, did declare hym therin to be rebukeable: albeit it cānot be denied, but that he dyd it of a good affection &c. And in the same autor, in an other place it foloweth to the like effect, in these wordes: Litteras has in Angliam ad suspensionem episcoporum præmissas ipse sequebatur, zelo iustitiæ feruidus, verum an plene secundum scientiam nouit deus: Nostræ enim paruitati nequaquā conceditur de tanti viri actibus temere iudicare. Puto enī quòd in molli adhuc teneraque regis concordia minus prouide egisset, & ea quæ sine fidei Christianæ periculo tolerari potuissent, ratione temporis & compensatione pacis dissimulanda dixisset, iuxta illud propheticum: prudens in tempore illo tacebit, quia tempus malum est. Itaque, quod a venerabili pontifice tunc actum est, nec laudandum esse iudico, nec vituperare præsumo: sed dico si vel modice in huiusmodi a sancto viro per zeli immoderatiorem impetum est excessum, hoc ipsum est sacræ, quæ consecuta noscitur, igne passionis excoctū. Ita quippe sancti viri vel amandi vel laudādi sunt a nobis qui nos illis longe impares esse congnosci-mus, vt ea, in quibus homines fuerunt, vel fuisse noscuntur, nequaquam vel amemus vel laudemus: sed ea tātum, in quibus eos sine scrupulo imitari debemus. Quis enim eos dicat in omnibus, quæ ab ipsis fiāt, esse imitabiles? Non igitur in omnibus, quæ faciunt, sed sapienter & caute debent laudari, vt sua deo prærogatiua seruetur, in cuius vtique laudibus nemo potest esse nimius, quantumcunque laudare conetur &c. That is in English. The letters whiche were sent before for the suspendyng of the Bishops, he pursued with burning zeale of iustice: but whether according to knowledge, God knoweth. It is not for my rude and slender wit to iudge of the doyngs of such a person. But yet this I suppose: that he did not behaue himselfe so circumspectly as he ought (considering the time) & that the concord betwene him and the kyng, as yet was but soft and tender. Who for the consideration of the tyme, and for the recompense of peace: might haue forborne or dissembled such thinges, whiche without any perill of christen religion might be tolerate well inough accordyng to þ^e propheticall saying: A wise man in his tyme wil kepe silēce, because the time will not serue him. Wherfore, as the doyngs of that reuerend prelate I iudge in that behalfe not to be commended: so neither do I presume to discommend them. But this I say, that if þ^e holy mā thorow immoderate violence of zeale, did excede in any parte therin: the same was excocted agayne and purged by the fire of his suffering, which afterward ensued. And so far, holy men are to be loued or praysed of vs which know our selues much inferiour to their vertues: þ^t in such thinges wherin they haue been men and also knowen to be men: therin, we neither hold with them nor commēd them, but onely in such thynges wherein without all daunger or scruple we ought to imitate thē. For who is able to say, that they are to be imitated in all that they doe? And therfore, they are not to be estemed & praised in al things generally whatsoeuer they do: but consideratlye & with aduisement, wherin they deserue prayse: so that the onely prerogatiue in this behalfe be reserued to God, in whose prayse no man can excede how feruent soeuer he be in hys praysing. &c.

And heare yet more what the sayd author writeth in the same cause of the kynges wrath and Beckets fault. Plusquā. 100. homicidia a clericis commissa sub Hen. 2. dicuntur. In quibus plectendis rex aliquanto vehementior. Sed huius immoderationis regiæ, nostri temporis episcopos tantum respicit culpa, quantum ab eis processit & causa. Cum enim sacri præcipiunt canones, clericos non solum facinorosos et grauioribus irretios criminibus, verum etiā leuiorum criminum reos degradari, & tot millia talium tāquam innumeras inter pauca grana paleas ecclesia anglicana contineat, tamen quam paucos a multis retro annis clericos in Anglia contigit officio priuari. Nempe episcopi dū defendēdis magis clericorum libertatibus vel dignitatibus quam eorum vicijs corrigendis resecandisque inuigilant, arbitrantur obsequium se præstare deo & ecclesiæ, si facinorosos clericos quos pro officij debito canonicæ vigore censuræ cohercere debeant, contra publicam tueantur disciplinam. Vnde clerici qui in sortem domini vocati, tanquam stellæ in firmamento cœli positæ, vita & verbo lucere deberent super terram, habentes pro impunitate, agendi quodcunque libuerit licentiam & libertatem neque deum, cuius iudiciū tardare videtur, neque homines potestatem habentes reuerentur, cū & episcopalis circa eos sollicitudo sit lāguida, & seculari eos iurisdictioni sacri eximat ordinis prærogatiua. That is. More then. 100. murders are sayd to be committed by the clergy vnder kyng Henry. 2. In punishyng of whom, the kyng was somewhat to vehement: but the fault (sayth he) of this immoderate delyng of the kyng resteth most in the byshops of our tyme: for as much as the cause thereof procedeth of them. For where it is decreed and commaunded by the canon law (concernyng the spirituall men of the clergy)