the truth ought not to be afeard of falshoode, as Esdras writeth in hys second booke, the third chapiter. Zorobabel declared that truth is of all thinges the most myghtye, and ouercommeth all thynges: Marginalia2. Esdr. 3.For Christ is the truth. Iohn. 14. I am the way, the truth. &c. MarginaliaIohn. 14.And the Deuill is the father of lyes. Iohn. 8. MarginaliaIohn. 8.He is a lyer from the beginning, and neuer abode in the truth, and there is no truthe in hym. Therefore if the Pope and hys priestes haue the truth, let them ouercome vs with the woord of God. But if they haue lyes, then they cannot long abide in all their presumptiō. Wherfore, we exhort & besech all the imperial Cities, all kings, princes, noble men, rich and poore, for Gods sake, & for his righteousnes, that one of them write hereof to an other, and that there may be some meanes made howe we may commune wyth you safely and friendlye, at some suche place as shall be fyt both for you and vs, MarginaliaA iuste and godly request of the Bohemians.and bring with you your byshops and teachers, & let them and our teachers fighte together with the woorde of God, and let vs heare them, and lette not one ouercome the other by violence or false suttelty, but onely by the word of God. And if your Bishops and teachers haue better proofes of their faith out of the holy Scripture, then we, & our fayth be found vntrue, we will receiue penaunce and satisfaction according to the Gospell. But if your Bishops and Teachers be ouercome of ours by the holy Scripture: then doo ye repent and harken to vs, and holde with vs. And if your bishoppes and teachers wyll cease from their spirituall pride, and repent and make satisfaction: then will we helpe you according to our power, and will compel thē, either to ioyne with vs, or els we will expell them out of Christendome. And if your Bishops and teachers wyll say, that it is not lawfull for lay men to heare such reasoning, or to be present at it: that may you vnderstande to tende to no other ende, but that they feare they should bee ouercome and put to shame in the sighte of you: MarginaliaWherfore the popes clergye will abyde no conference, with the laytie.For if they knew that they should ouercome therin, out of doubt, they would desire that euery man should hear it, and thereby, their glory shoulde become the greater, and their fame and prayses shoulde bee encreased vpon the earth. And if your Bishops & teachers counsell you to come to no hearing with vs, then do it whether they wyll or no, and suffer not your selues at any time to bee so foolishly seduced with their foolish pardons, but tary at home in your houses wyth your wyues and children. And let the Pope of Rome come to vs with all hys Cardinalles and bishoppes, and with all hys priestes, with hys own person & power to warre with vs, and let them selues deserue the absolution of sinnes, grace, & pardō, which they preach to you (for they haue great nede of forgeuenes of sinnes, grace, and pardon) and by the grace of God wee wyll geue them pardon inough, as they shall neede. MarginaliaThe popes pretensed excuse detected.But their subtille excuse is thys: they saye that it belongeth not to Priestes to fight with bodelye weapons, and true it is that it belongeth not to them: but it belongeth as little to them to styrre vp, to counsell, and to fortefye others thereto: MarginaliaRom. 1.
Galat. 6.For Paule sayth in the first to the Romaynes, and in the fift to the Galatians, that al that doo such things are worthye of euerlasting death.

And yf ye will not determyne to do any other thing then to fight against vs, then will we take the Lorde to our helpe, and his truth, and we wil defend it to þ^e death, and we wil not be afearde for the excommunciation or curse of the Pope, or his Cardinals, or of the bishops, because we knowe that the Pope is not God as he maketh himselfe, that he canne curse and excommunicate when he will, or blesse when he will: MarginaliaExperience of Gods blessing where the pope hath cursed.Who hathe nowe these manye yeares cursed and exommunicated vs, and yet notwithstanding, God and his gratious blessyng hathe bene oure helpe. But peraduenture ye will say, that though we see that bishops and priestes be euilMarginaliaObiection.and wicked, yet we cannot lacke them: for who shoulde baptise our childrē, who shoulde heare confessions, and minister the holy sacraments? and then also we should be within the excommunication of the Pope and of his bishoppes. MarginaliaAnswere.Welbeloued, ye neede to take no care for these matters. The excommunicating of the pope hurteth you nothyng. Feare ye the excōmunicating of god, and the Lord will prouide for those things wel inough. Yf ye would banish ill byshops and priestes, ye shoulde haue good priestes whiche should baptise your children, heare confessions, and minister the holye mysteries, because when the Deuill is banished, then place is made for the holy ghost: So, when ill bishops and priestes shall be banished, then place shall be made for good priestes & bishops. Also, your bishops and priestes say, that we are miscreantes and heretikes, and that wee beleue not on purgatory, vppon the Virgin Mary, nor vpon þ^e saints: wherin they say ill, for we wyll proue by the holye scripture, that we know better by gods grace, how we ought to beleue vpon purgatory, and vppon Mary the mother of our Lord, and vpon his welbeloued saintes, thē they can tell vs. Also, they say that we wil not be obedient to þ^e pope. Truely, when he shal become holy and iust, then we know well that we ought to be obedient to hym in all thinges, and not before. They saye also that we destroy gods holy seruice, in that we destroy monasteries, banishyng thence the wicked Monkes and Nunnes. MarginaliaThe popes false accusations answered.Truelye we did it, thinking once rhat they were holye, and that they did the reuerend seruice of god, but after that wee well perceyued and considered their lyfe and workes, then we perceyued that they were false lowlye hyyocrites, and wicked builders on high, and sellers of pardons, and masses for the dead, and such as deuoured in thēselues the sinnes of the people. And, where as they say þ^t they rise at midnight whē other men sleepe, & pray for the sins of þ^e people: forasmuch as the selling of their praiers & masses for the dead, for gifts, is no better then hypocrisye and heresye: therefore, if we speake agaynst them and destroy their monasteries, we do not therin destroy the seruice of God, but rather the seruice of the deuill, and the schooles of heretikes. And if ye knew them as we know them, ye would as diligently destroy them as we do. For Christ our Lord did not ordaine any such order, & therfore it must nedes come to passe þ^t shortlye it shall be destroyed, as our Lord sayth in the gospell of S. Math. þ^e 15. chap. Euery plant which my father hath not planted, shal be rooted vp. MarginaliaMath. 15.We desyre you also þ^t ye would diligently consider the articles here writtē, wherin your byshops and priestes are giltye.MarginaliaThe abuse of popyshe religion in makyng priestes. Cardinalls, &c.

The first article is, that when your bishops wil ordayne priests, they do it not, except he that is to be made priest haue sufficient liuyng, eyther enheritaunce lefte hym of his parentes, or of benefices: wheras notwythstandyng, Christ would that priestes shoulde bee poore, for as muche as it is enough for the scholer to be as his maister is, & for the seruant to be as his lord is: and the bishops wil that they should be riche vpon earth, which is vniust before the Lord.

The seconde article is, that bishops take money of such as are to bee ordeyned, but S. Peter did therefore sharpelye rebuke Simon Magus, when he woulde haue geuen hym money, MarginaliaAct. 8.as it is written in the 8. of the Acts.

MarginaliaThe abuse of popyshe religion, in taking orders.The third Article is, that they that come to be priests enter into priesthoode, not for Gods seruice sake, because they meane to preach and encrease it among the Christian people, so as the people maye bee edified and made better: but rather for an idle lyfe, and that they may eate well and drinke well, and that they may bee honoured and reuerenced vpon earthe: For euerye one wayteth vpō his priest as a thiefe and a robber, as Iohn writeth in his x. chapter.

The fourth Article is of excommunication, whiche