MarginaliaTwo principall princes of darknes Lucifer and Antechrist.Iesus Christ, and a neare neighbourhode vnto the two most principall princes of darknes, sitting in the chayre of pestilence, prepared to the paynes of hell. Neither can any man which is subiect and faythfull to the sayde see (and not cut away from the bodye of Christ, & frō the said holy see) with sincere and vnspotted conscience, obey suche manner of preceptes and commaundementes, or what soeuer other attemptes proceeding, yea thoughe from the hygh order of angels them selues: but rather ought of necessity with all their strength to wythstande and rebell agaynst the same. Wherefore my reuerende Lord, I like an obedient child vpon my bounde dutye of obediēce and fidelitie, which I ow to both the * Marginalia* He meaneth either Christ and the churche or els Peter and Paule.parents of this holy apostolicke see, and partlye for loue of vnitie in the body of Christ ioyned with the said see: do not obey but withstand and vtterly rebell agaynst these thinges in the sayde letter contayned, and especiallye whiche verge and tende to the foresaid wickednes, so abhominable to the Lorde Iesus Christ: so repugnaunt to the holynes of the holye apostolicke see, and so contrarye to the vnitie of the catholicke fayth. Neither for this cause can your discretion determine any extremitie vnto me, because all my doing and gaynsaying in this matter is no resistance nor rebellion, but a childly obediēce to the deuine precept & honor due both to father and mother. Marginalia* Id est, bothe to Christ and hys churchBriefely therefore repeating my words I say: that this holy apastolicke see cannot doo any thing but to edification, and nothing at all to destruction: for this is the fulnes of power to be able to doo all thinges to edification. But these whiche you call prouisions, be not to edification, but to manifest destruction. The holye Apostolicke see therfore cānot nor ought to attempt any such thing, because that flesh and bloude which cannot enter into the kingdome of God hath reuealed the same and not the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ whych is in heauen.

Then foloweth it in the story both of Mathæus Parisiens. and of Florilogus, in these wordes: MarginaliaEx Matheo paris. ad verbū.That whē thys Epistle came to the knowledge of the pope, he fumyng and fretyng, with anger and indignation answered, w^t a fierce looke & proud mind saying: what old doting franticke wretch is this so boldly, & rashly to iudge of my doyngs? By swete S. Peter & Paule, MarginaliaWel sworn maister Pope.were it not but þ^t vpō our own clemency & good nature we are restrained, we would hurle him down to such confusiō, þ^t we would make hym a fable, a gasing stock, an example, & wondermēt to all þ^e world. For is not þ^e kyng of Englād our vassal? and to say more, our manciple or page (to vse the very wordes of myne autor) whiche may at our pleasure & becke both hamper hym, and inprison him and put hym to vtter shame? Thys when the Pope in his great furie and rage had vttered amongest hys brethren the Cardinals, who were scarse able to appaise the furiours violence of þ^e Pope, w^t milde moderatiō of words, they sayd vnto him: That it was not expediēt for them to procede agaynst that Byshop in such rigorous maner. For sayd they to confesse the truth to your holynes, it is but very truth þ^t he affirmeth, neither can we condēpne him therfore. MarginaliaGiles Cardinal defendeth Rob. Grosted to the pope.He is a catholike man, ye also a holy mā: more holy & also religious thē we our selues: a mā of excellent wit & excellent life, so as it is thought among all the prelats he hath not his better nor yet hys lyke. This is not vnknowen both to the French and English clergy vniuersally, neither can our contradiction preuayle agaynste hym: The truth of this his Epistle perhaps is knowen now to many and shall stirre vp many agaynst vs: for he hath the name to be a great Philosopher and singularly seene in all the tounges both Greeke, Latine & Hebrue: zelous in iustice, a reader of diuinitie in þ^e scholes, a preacher amongest the people, a louer of Chastitie and a persecutor of Simonie. These wordes spake L. Giles a Spanish Cardinall to the Pope and other moe mouedby their conscience to speake. And this counsel they gaue to the Pope, that he should dissumule and winke at these thinges as one not seyng or regardyng them: least otherwise perhaps, some tumulte might rise and spryng therof: Especially seyng this is manifest and knowen to all men, that once must nedes come a defectiō and partyng from the churche of Rome.

Not long after this (aboute the canicular dayes) this reuerend and godly Robert byshop of Lincolne lying at his maner place in Bugden, fel greuously sicke: and therupon within few dayes departed. MarginaliaThe godly talke of Rob. Grosted in time of hys sickenes.In the time of his sicknes he called to him a certaine frier, of the preachyng order named maister Ihon Giles, a man expert and cunnyng both in Phisicke and Diuinitie: partly to receaue of him some comfort of his body, and partly to conferre with hym in spirituall matters. Thus vpon a certaine day, the sayd Byshop conferring with the foresayd maister Ihon, and recityng to hym the doynges and procedynges of the Pope: did greuously rebuke and reprehēd his felowe brethren the preachyng friers, and the other order also of the Minorites. That for so much as their order beyng planted in wilful pouertie of the spirit, to the intent they should more frely carpe and reproue the vices of the myghty, and not to flatter or spare them, but sharply to rebuke and reprehend the same: The sayde friers contrarie to their profession did not boldly inough cry out and inuaye agaynste the abuses of their superiours & men of power, nor dyd vncouer nor detecte theyr faultes and wickednes. And therfore sayd the Bishop, I iudge them to be no better then manifest heretikes: And addeth more ouer (demaūding of maister Ihon) what is heresie? and that he should giue hym, the true definition therof. Whereat, when the frier did stay and pause, not remembryng the solempne definition of that matter: the Byshop thereupon inferreth gyuyng thys diffinition in Latine, by the true interpretation of the Greeke worde: MarginaliaHeresis quid.Heresis Græce, electio Latine, est sētētia humano sensu electa, Scripturæ sacræ contraria, palam docta, pertinaciter de sensa. That is. MarginaliaDefinition of heresie.Heresie is a sentence takē & chosen of mās owne braine, contrary to holy scripture openly mainteyned & stifly defēded. And this definition geuē, consequēly he inferred sharply reprehēding the prelates of þ^e church, but especially the Romanes: whiche cōmit the charge of soules vnto their kinsfolks being both in age vnworthy, & in learning vnsufficiēt. MarginaliaThe pope proued here an heretike.To geue saith he, the charge of soules to a boy is a sentēce of a prelate chosen & taken of mans owne head, onely for carnall and earthly respecte: and also is contrarie to holy scripture, the which forbiddeth any such to be made ministers or pastors, which are not sufficient to driue away the wolues. And moreouer it is also openlye maintayned, because it is manifestly borne abroad and commaunded, with chartes imbulled both with waxe and lead. And finallie, it is stiflye defended: for if any man shall dare or presume to withstand the same, he is suspended and excōmunicated and open warre cryed out agaynst him: Therfore to whom the whole definition of an heretike doth agree, he is a verye hereticke. But euery faythfull christian man ought to set him self agaynst an hereticke as much as he may: MarginaliaThe saying of GregoryWherfore he that can resiste him & doth not, he sinneth & semeth to be a fautour therof according to the saying of Gregorie. He lacketh not conscience of secret societie whiche seaseth to resiste open impietie. But the fryers both Franciscans & Dominikes, are most chiefly bound to withstand such, seing both of them haue the gifte of preaching cōmitted to thē by their office, & be more apte to þ^e sayd office, by reasō of their pouertie: And therfore, do not onely offend in not resistyng such, but also are to be coūted mainteiners of the same, accordyng to the sentence of the Apostle to the Romanes saying: Not onely they whiche commit such things, but also they þ^t consent