rather by the matter and handling therof, might seme to be counted a cōplaint of vicious priests: which teatise or testamēt, in this place we thought not mete to be left out

MarginaliaChrist dwelleth in a faythfull soule.MAthew an Apostle of Christ, and hys Gospeler, witnesseth truly in the holy Gospell, the most holy lyuyng and the most holesome teachyng of Christ. He rehearseth how that Christ likeneth them that heare his wordes and kept them, to a wise man that buildeth his house vpon a stone, that is a stable & a sad groūd. This house is mans soule in whom Christ deliteth to dwell, if it be grounded, that is stablished faithfully in hys liuing and in his true teachyng, adourned or made fayre with diuerse vertues, whiche Christ vsed and taught without any medlyng of any errour, as are chiefly the conditions of charitie.

MarginaliaChrist is the stone whereon we must build.This foresayd stone is Christ, vpon whiche euery faythful soule must be builded, since vpon none other groūde then vpon Christes lyuing and his teachyng, no body may make any buyldyng or housing, wherin Christ will come and dwell. This sentēce witnesseth S. Paul to the Corinthiās, shewing to them that no body may set any other grounde then is set, that is, Christes liuyng and his teachyng. And because that all men and wemen should geue all theyr businesse here in this life, to builde them vertuously vpon this sure foūdation: S. Paul knowledgyng the feruent desire, and the good will of the people of Ephesye, wrote to them comfortably saying: Now ye are not straungers, gestes, nor yet comelynges, but ye are the citezins and of the houshold of God, builded aboue vpon the foūdement of the Apostles and Prophets. MarginaliaHow we are made the temple of God.In whiche foundement, euery buildyng that is builded or made thorow the grace of God, it encreseth or groweth into an holy temple, that is: Euery body that is groūded or builded faithfully in the teaching & lyuing of Christ, is there thorow, made the holy temple of God.

MarginaliaMarke what we haue by Christ.This is the stable ground and stedfast stone Christ, whiche is the sure corner stone, fast ioynyng and holdyng mightly together, twoo walles. For thorow Christ Iesu, meane or middell persō of the Trinitie: the father of heauen is pitious or mercifully ioyned and made one together to mankind. And thorow dread to offend God, and feruent loue to please hym, men be vnseparably made one to God and defēded surely vnder his protectiō. Also, this foresayd stone Christ, was figured by the square stones of which the temple of God was made. MarginaliaThe propertie of a square stone.For as a square stone, where soeuer it is cast or layd, it abydeth and lyeth stabely: so Christ and euery faithfull member of hys churche by example of him, abideth & dwelleth stabely in true faith, and in all other heauenly vertues in all aduersities that they suffer in this valley of teares.

For lo, whē these foresayd square stones were hewen & wrought for to be layd in the walles or pyllers of Gods temple, none noyse or stroke of the woorkemen was heard. Certayne this silence in workyng of this stone, figureth Christ chiefly and his faythfull mēbers, which by example of him, haue been and yet are, & euer to the worldes end shall be so meke and paciēt in euery aduersitie, that no sounde nor yet any grudgyng shall any time be perceiued in them.

MarginaliaChrist is an example of al perfect meekenes.Neuerthelesse, this chief & most worshypfull corner stone whiche onely is grounde of all vertues, proude beggers repreuid: but thys despite and reprofe, Christ suffered most mekely in his owne persō, for to geue example of all mekenesse and pacience to all his faithfull folowers. Certain, this worlde is nowe so full of proude beggers whiche are named priestes: but the very office of workyng of priesthode whiche Christe approueth true, and accepteth, is farre from the multitude of priestes that nowe reigne in this world.

MarginaliaPriestes seeke the pleasure of this world.For frō the highest priest to the lowest all (as who say) studie, that is, they imagine & trauell busilie, how they may please this worlde and theyr fleshe. MarginaliaGreat oddes betwixt the lyfe of popes, and Christ and hys Apostles.Thys sentence & many such other dependeth vpon them, if it be well considered, other God the father of heauen hath deceaued all mankinde by the liuing, specially and teaching of Iesu Christ, and by the liuing and teaching of his Apostles & Prophets: or ells all the Popes that haue been, since I had any knowledge or discretion, with all the colledge of Cardinalls, Archbishops, & bishops, Monkes, Chanons, & Friers, with all the contagious flock of the comunaltie of priesthode, which haue (al my life time & mekel lenger) reigned and yet reign, and encrease damnably frō sinne into sinne: haue ben and yet be, proud, obstinate heretikes, couetous simoners, & defouled adulterers in the ministring of the sacraments, and specially in the ministring of the Sacrament of the altar. MarginaliaWhen priests forgette Gods truth, ye see whether they run hedlong.For as their workes sheweth wherto Christ biddeth vs take hede: the hyest priests and prelates of this priesthode, chalenge & occupie vnlefully, temporall lordships. And for temporall fauour & mede, they sell and geue benefices to vnworthy and vnable persons, yea these simoners sell sinne, suffering men and women in euery degree & estate, to lye, & continue, from yere to yere, in diuers vices slaunderously. MarginaliaThe great infect the small.And thus by euill example of his priestes in þ^e church, lower priestes vnder them are not only suffered, but they are maintained to sell full dere (to þ^e people for temporall mede) all the sacraments. And thus all this foresaid priesthode, is blowen so highe & borne vp in pryde and vaine glory of their estate and dignitie, and so blynded with worldly couetousnes: MarginaliaFleshly priestes cannot away with those thynges.That they disdayne to follow Christ in very meekenes and wilful pouertie, liuing holily, & preaching gods word truely, frely and cōtinually, taking their liuelyhode at the free will of the people of their pure almose, where and whā they suffise not for their true and busie preaching to get their sustenance with their handes. To thys true sentence grounded on Christes own liuing and teaching of hys Apostles, these foresaid worldly & fleshly priestes will not consent effectually. MarginaliaThey hunt after this with tothe & nayle.But as their workes and also their woordes shewe: boldlye and vnshamefastlye these fore named priestes and prelates, couet, and enforce them mightely and busilie, that all holy scripture were expounded and drawen accordingly to theyr maners, and to theyr vngrounded vsages and findinges. For they will not (since they holde it but foly & madnes) conforme theyr maners to the pure and simple liuyng of Christ and hys Apostles,nor they will not follow freely theyr learning. MarginaliaAn exhortation to all degrees to see priesthoode amēded.Wherfore, all þ^e Emperours and kings, and all other Lords and Ladies, & all the common people in euery degree & state, which haue before time knowē or myght haue knowen, & also all they that now yet know or might know thys foresayd witnes of priesthoode, and woulde not nor yet wil, inforce them after theyr connyng and power, to withstand charitably the foresayd enemyes and traytors of Christ and of hys church: all these, striue with Antichrist agaynst Iesu. And they shall beare the indignation of God almightie without end, if in cōuenient tyme they amend them not, and repent them verely, doing therfore due mourning and sorowe, after their conning and power. MarginaliaPrelates & priestes negligent in their dutiesFor thorough presumptuousnes and negligence of priests and prelates (not of the church of Christ, but occupyeng theyr prelacy vnduely in the church) and also by flatteryng and false couetousnes of other diuers named priests: Lousengers & lounderers, are wrongfully made and named Heremites, and haue leaue to defraud poore and nedy creatures of theyr liuelode, and to liue by theyr false winning & begging, in slouth & in other diuers vices. And also of these prelates, these coker noses, are suffred to lyue in pride & hypocrisie, and to defoule them self both bodely and ghostly. Also by the suffering and counsell of these of these foresayd prelates and of other priests, are made both vayne brotherhodes and susterhodes, full of pryde and enuie, which are full contrarye to the brotherhode of Christ, since they are cause of mekill dissention, and they multiplye and susteine it vncharitably: for in lustie eatyng and drinkyng, vnmeasurablye and out of tyme, they exercyse themselfe. Also thys vayne confederacie of brotherhoodes, is permitted to be of one clothyng, and to holde together.

And in all these vngrounded and vnlefull doynges, priestes are parteners and great medlers and counsellers. And ouer thys viciousnes, Heremites and Pardoners, Ankers, and straūge beggers, are lycensed and admitted of prelates and priests, for to begyle the people with flatteryngs and leasings slaūderously agaynst all goode reason and true beleue, and so to encrease diuers vyces in themself, and also among all them that accept them or consent to them.

And thus, the viciousnes of these foresayd named priestes and prelates, haue ben long tyme, and yet is, & shal be cause of warres both within the realme and without. And in the same wyse, these vnable priestes haue bene, and yet are, and shalbe, chiefe cause of pestilence of men, and moren of beastes, and of barenesse of the earth, and of all other mischiefes, to the time that Lords and commons able them thorow grace, for to know and to kepe the cōmaundement of God, enforcing them than faithfully and charitably by one assēt, for to redresse and make one this foresaid priesthode, to the wilfull, poore, meeke, and innocent liuing and teaching, specially of Christ and hys Apostles.

Therfore, all they that know or might know, the viciousnes that reigneth now cursedly in these priestes & in theyr learning, if they suffise not to vnderstand thys contagious viciousnes: let thē pray to the Lord hartelye for the health of hys church, absteyning them prudently from these indurate enemyes of Christ and of hys people, and from all theyr Sacramentes, since to them all that know them or may know, they are but fleshly deades and false: as S. Ciprian witnesseth in the first question of decrees, & in the first cause. MarginaliaCipr. 1. q. 1 cap. Si quis inquitCa. Si quis inquit. For as thys saint & greate doctor witnes there, that not onely vicious priestes, but also all they that fauour them or consent to them in theyr viciousnes: shall together perysh with them, if they amend them not duely, as all they peryshed that consented to Dathan and Abiron. For nothyng were more confusion to these foresayd vicious priestes, than to eschewe them prudently in all theyr vnlefull Sacramentes, whyle they continue in theyr sinfull lyuyng slaunderously, as they haue long tyme done & yet do. And no body nede to be afrayde (though death dyd followe by one wyse or other) for to dye out of thys world without taking of any Sacrament of these foresayd Christes enemyes: since Christ will not fayle, for to minister hymself all lefull and healfull Sacramentes and necessarye at all tyme (and specially at the end) to all them that are in true fayth, in stedfast hope, and in perfecte charitie.

But yet some mad fooles say (for to eschewe slaunder) they will be shriuen once in the yeare, and comuned of theyr proper priestes, though they know thē defouled with slaundrous vices. No doubt, but al they that thus do or consent priuely or apertly to such doing, are culpable of great sinne: since S. Paul witnesseth, that not only they that do euill, are worthye of death and dampnation, but also they that consent to euill doers. Also (as theyr slaunderous works witnes) these foresayd vicious priests, despyse and caste from them heauenly connyng, that is geuen of the holy ghost. Wherfore, the Lord throweth all such despysers from hym, that they vse nor doe any priesthode to hym.

No doubt than, all they that wyttyngly or wilfully, take or consent that any other body should take any Sacrament of any suche named priest, sinneth openly and damnably agaynst all the Trinitie, and are vnable to any Sacrament of health.

And that thys foresayd sentence is altogether true, into remissiō of all my sinfull lyuyng, trustyng stedfastly in the mercy of God, I offer to hym my soule.

And to proue also the foresayd sentence true with the helpe of God, I purpose fully for to suffer mekely & gladly my most wretched body to be tormented, where God wyl, of whom he wyll, and whan he will, and as long as he will, and what temporall payne he will and death, to the praysing of hys name, and to the edification of hys church.

And I that am moste vnworthye and wretched caytife, shall nowe thorowe the speciall grace of God, make to him pleasaunte sacrifice with my moste sinfull and vnworthye bodye. Beseching hartelye all folke that reade or heare thys ende of my purposed testamente, that thorowe the grace of god, they dispose verelye and vertuously all theyr wyttes, and able in like maner all theyr members for to vnderstand truely, and to kepe faythfully, charitablye,