MarginaliaThe kinges mariage with Quene Anne.

the kyngs sayd hyghnes Mariage, which by the ripe iudgement, authoritie and priuiledge of the most and principall Vniuersities of the world, and then with the consent of the whole Church of England, he contracted with the most excellent, and most noble Ladye Queene Anne.MarginaliaSupreme head. After that, touchyng the Kynges Maiesties title as perteinyng to the supreme head of the Church of England.MarginaliaThe Bishop of Romes pretenced supremacie. Lastly of all, of the false pretenced supremacie of the Bishop of Rome in the realme of England, most iustly abrogated: and how all other Byshops beyng felowlyke to him in their function, yea and in some pointes aboue him within their owne prouinces, were before tyme bound to the kyng by their othe.

[Back to Top]

But be thou most surely perswaded of this, good reader, that the Byshop of Rome, if there were no cause els but onely this Mariage, would easely content hymselfe, specially hauyng some good morsell or other geuen him to chaw vpon.MarginaliaBonner knew well what morsell would best please his father of Rome, and that money and bribes would soone stoppe hys mouth. But when he seeth so mighty a kyng, beyng a right vertuous and a great learned Prince, so sincerely and so hartly fauour the Gospell of Christ, and perceiueth the yearely and great praye (ye so large a praye, that it came to as much almost as all the kynges reuenues) snapped out of his handes, and that he can no longer exercise his tyranny in the kyngs Maiesties realmeMarginalia* Seeing thou knewest the pope to be such a cruell tyrant, why then wouldest thou against thy knowledge, become hys slaughterman? (* alas heretofore, to cruell and bitter) nor make lawes as he hath done many to the cōtumelie and reproche of the Maiestie of God, whiche is euident that he hath done in tyme past, vnder the title of the Catholicke Church and the authoritie of Peter and Paule, (when not withstandyng hee was a very rauenyng Wolfe dressed in shepes clothyng callyng hymselfe the seruaunt of seruauntes) to the great damage of the Christen common wealth: here, here began all the mischief, therof rose these discordes, these deadly malices, and so great and terrible bustlyng. For if it were not thus, could any man beleue that this Iuppiter of Olympus (whiche falsely hath arrogated vnto himselfe an obsolute power without controlment) would haue wrought so diligently by all meanes possible, to styrre vp all other Kynges and Princes so trayterously agaynst this so good and godly and so true a Gospellyke Prince, as he hath done? Neither let it moue thee (gentle Reader) that Winchester did not before now, apply to this opinion, for he him selfe in this Oration sheweth the cause, why he did it not. And if he had sayd neuer a word, yet thou knowest well what a wittye part it is for a man to suspend his iudgement, and not to be to rash in geuing of sentence.MarginaliaWint. wryteth agaynst the pope with aduised iudgement. It is an olde sayd sawe: Mary Magdalene  

profited vs lesse in her quicke belief that Christ was risen, thē Thomas that was longer in doubt. A man may rightly call him Fabius   that with his aduised takyng of leasure, restored the matter: Albeit I speake not this as though Winchester had not boulted out this matter secretly with him selfe before hand (for he without doubt tryed it out long ago) but that runnyng fayre and softely, he would first with his paynefull study, plucke the matter out of the darke, although of it selfe it was cleare enough, but by reason of sondry opiniōs, it was lapped vp in darkenes, & then dyd he debate it wittely to & fro, and so at last after long and great deliberatiō had in the matter, because there is no better counseller then leasure and tyme, he would resolutely with his learned and consummate Iudgement confirme it.

[Back to Top]

Thou shouldest gentle Reader, esteeme his censure and authoritie to be of more weighty credence, in asmuch as the matter was not rashly and at all aduētures, but with iudgement (as thou seest) and with wisedome examined and discussed.MarginaliaNo newe matter to write against the Byshop of Rome. And this is no new example, to be against the tyranny of the Byshop of Rome, seyng that not onely this man, but many men often tymes, yea and right great learned men afore now, haue done the same euen in writyng, whereby they both painted him out in his right colours, and made his sleightes, falshode, fraudes, and disceitfull wiles openly knowen to the world. Therfore if thou at any tyme heretofore haue doubted either of true obedience, or of the kynges maiesties mariage, or title, either els of the B. of Romes false pretēsed supremacy, as if thou haddest a good smelling nose and a sound Iudgemēt, I thinke thou diddest not: yet hauing read this Oration,MarginaliaNote. (which if thou fauour the truth, and hate the tyrāny of the B. of Rome and his Satanicall fraudulēt falshode, shal doubtles wōderfully c?tēt thee) forsake thine errour and acknowledge the truth now frely offred thee at lēgth, consideryng with thy selfe, that it is better late so to do, thē neuer to repēt. Fare thou hartly wel most gētle reader, and not onely loue this most valiaūt king of Englād & of Fraūce, who vndoubtedly was by the prouidēce of God, borne to defend the Gospell, but also honor hym and serue him most obediently. As for this Winchester, who was long ago without doubt reputed amōg the greatest learned men, geue him thy good word with highest commendations.

[Back to Top]

The end of Byshop Boners Prologue.

MarginaliaThe inconstant mutabilitie of Wint. & Boner. What man reading and aduising this booke of Winchester De vera obedientia, with Boners preface before the same, would euer haue thought, any alteration coulde so worke in mans hart, to make these men thus to turne the catte (as they say) in the panne, and to start so sodenly frō the truth so manifestly knowen, so pithely proued, so vehemently defended, and (as it seemed) so faithfully subscribed. If they dissembled all this that they wrotte, subscribed, and sware vnto: what periurie most execrable was it before God & man? If they mente good fayth, and spake then as they thought, what pestilent blindes is this so sodenly fallen vpon them, to make that false now, which was true before, or that to be now true, which before was false? Thus to say & vnsay, & then to say againe, to doe and vndoe, & as a mā would say, to play fast or loose with truth, truely a man may say, is not the doyng of a man, which is in any case to be trusted, whatsoeuer he doth or sayth. But here a man may see what man is of hymselfe, when Gods good humble spirite lacketh to be his guide.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe Sermon of Tonstall before the king made on Palme Sonday. Furthermore, to adde vnto them, the iudgemēt also  

and argumentes of Tonstall Byshop of Duresme, let vs see how he agreeth with them or rather much exceedeth, th? in his serm? made before king Henry vpon palme sonday, remayning yet in print. In þ^e which sermō, disputing against the wrongfull supremacie of the Byshop of Rome, he proueth by manifest groundes most effectuously, both out of þ^e scripture, auncient Doctors, & of Councels, not onely that the byshop of Rome hath no such authoritie by the word of God cōmitted to him, as he doth chalenge: but also in requiring & chalenging the same, he reproueth and condemneth him wyth great zeale & ardent spirit to be a proude Lucifer, disobedient to the ordinarie Powers of God set ouer hym, contrary to Christ and Peter, & finally in raising vp warre agaynst vs for the same: he therefore rebuketh and defieth hym, as a most detestable sower of discorde, and murtherer of Christian men.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThat popes and bishops ought to be subiect to their soueraigns. FIrst, by the scripture he reasoneth thus & proueth, that all good men ought to obey the potestates, & Gouernours of the world, as Emperours, kings, & princes of all sortes, what name soeuer the sayd supreme powers do beare or vse for their countreys in which they be, for so S. Peter  

doth playnely teache vs. 1. Pet. 2. saying: Be ye subiecte to euery humane creature for Gods cause, whether it be king as chief head, or Dukes or Gouernours. &c.Marginalia1. Pet. 2. So that S. Peter in his Epistle commaundeth all worldly Princes in their office to be obeyed as the Ministers of God, by all Christian men. And according vnto   the same, S. Paule Rom. 13. sayth:MarginaliaWhosoeuer resisteth the high powers, resisteth God.
The Pope resisteth the high powers.
Ergo, the Pope resisteth God. Let euery liuing man be subiect to the high powers, for the high powers be of God, and whosoeuer resisteth the high powers, resisteth the ordinaunce of God, and purchaseth therby to hmselfe damnation. &c.

[Back to Top]

And in the same place of Tonstall, it foloweth: and lest men should forget their duetie of obedience to their Princes, it is thrise repeated: that they be the Ministers of God, whose place in their gouernance they represent: so that vnto them all men must obey, Apostles, Patriarches, Primates, Archbyshops, Byshops, Priestes, and all of the Clergie. &c. And therfore (sayth he) the Byshoppe of Rome oweth to hys soueraigne and superiour lyke subiection by the worde of God, taught vnto vs by Peter and Paule, as other Byshops do to their Princes, vnder whom they be. &c.

[Back to Top]

Also, an other  

expresse commaundement we haue of Christ, Luk. 22. who vpō þ^e occasiō of his disciples striuing for superioritie, discusseth the matter, saying on this wise: The kinges of the people and nations haue dominion ouer them, and those that haue power ouer them be called gracious Lords, but so it shal not be amongest you But whosoeuer amongest you is the greater, shalbe as the younger. And whosoeuer amongest you shall be chiefe, shal be as a seruaunt, and a minister. &c.MarginaliaLuke. 22.

[Back to Top]

And agayne, Christ speaking  

to Pilate of his kyngdome, declareth that his kingdome is not of this world.MarginaliaIoh. 28. and therefore sayth Tonstall, those that go about to make of Christes spirituall kyngdome, a worldly kyngdome, doe fall into the errour of some heretickes that loke that Christ after the day of iudgement, shall raigne withal his saintes heare in earth carnally in Hierusalem, as the Iewes doe beleeue that Messias is yet to come, & when he shall come, he shall raigne worldly in Hierusalem.

[Back to Top]

By these and such other places it may well appeare, that Christ neither before his Incarnation, (as Tonstall sayth) nor after his Incarnation, did euer alter the authoritie of worldly kynges and Princes, but by his owne worde, commaunded them still to be obeyed of their subiectes, as they had bene in the auncient tyme before. &c. And for examples of the same, he alledgeth first the example of Christ him

[Back to Top]