Marginalia1550. seale, and that not hard to haue it, but by a letter, and that also was not onely denied, but diuers good reasons, that hee should thinke it denied with reason, and so to bee contented with an aunswer. It was told hym in reducing that which was commonly called the Masse, to the order of the primatiue church, and the institution of Christ, the kings maiesty and his whole realme had their consciences wel quieted, against the which if any thing should be willingly committed, the same should be taken as an offence to God, and a verye sinne agaynst truth vnknownen. Wherfore to licence by open acte such a dede in the conscience of the kinges Maiesty and hys realme, were euen a sinne agaynst God. The most that might herein be borne, was that þ^e kings maiesty myght vpō hope of your gracious reconciliatiō, suspend þ^e executiō of his law, so þ^t you would vse the licence as it was first graunted. What so euer the embassador hath sayd to others, he had no other maner graunt from vs, nor hauyng it thus graunted, could alledge any reason against it. And where in your letter your grace noteth vs as breakers of the promise made to the Emperour, it shall appeare who hath broken the promise: whether we that haue suffered more then we licenced, or you that haue transgressed that was graunted. Now therefore we pray your grace confer the doyng of your chaplaines with euery poynt of the premisses, and if the same cannot be excused, then thinke also how long the lawe hath bene spared. If it pricke our consciences somewhat, that so much should be vsed as by the promise you may claime, how muche more shoulde it greue vs to licence more then you can clayme? And yet could we be content to beare great burden to satisfie your grace, if þ^e burthen pressed not our consciences, wherof we must say as the Apostle sayd: Gloriatio nostra est hæc, testimonium conscientiæ nostræ. For the other part of your graces letter, by the which we see you misconstrue our good wils in writyng to you, how so euer the law had proceeded agaynst your Chapleynes, our order in sending to you was to be lyked, and therin truly had we speciall regarde of your graces degree and estate. And because the lawe of it selfe respecteth not persons, we thought to geue respect to you, first signifying to you what the law required, before it should be executed, that beyng warned, your grace might either thincke no strangenes in the execution, or for an example of obedience cause it to be executed your selfe. Others we see perplexed with sodainnes of matters, your grace we wold not haue vnwarned to thinke any thyng done sodayne. Truely we thought it more commendable for your grace, to helpe the execution of a law, then to helpe the offence of one condemned by lawe. And in geuyng you knowledge what the kinges lawes required, we looked for helpe in the execution by you the kings maiesties sister. The greater personage your grace is, the nigher to the kyng, so much more ought your example to further lawes. For which cause it hath bene called a good common wealth, where the people obeyed the hygher estates, and they obeyed the lawes. As nature hath ioyned your grace to the kinges maiestie to loue hym moste entirely so hath reason and law subdued you to obey him willingly. The one and the other we doubt not, but your grace remembreth, and as they both be ioyned together in you, his maiesties sister, so we trust you wyll not seuer them, for in deede your grace cannot loue him as your brother, but you muste obey his maiestie as his subiect.

Example of your obedience and reuerence of his maiesties lawes is in stede of a good preacher, to a great number of his maiesties subiects, who if they may se in you negligēce of his maiesty or his lawes, wil not faile but follow on hardly, and then their fault is not their owne but yours, by example. And so may the kings maiesty when he shal come to further iudgmēt, impute the falt of diuers euil people (which thyng God forbid) to the sufferance of your graces doynges. And therfore we most earnestly from the depth of our harts desire it,that as nature hath set your grace nigh his maiesty by bloud, so your loue and zeale to his maiestie, will further his estate by obedience. In the ende of your letter ij. thinges be touched, which we can not pretermit: the one is, you seme to charge vs with permission of men to breake lawes & statutes. We thinke in dede it is to true, that lawes and proclamations be broken daily, the more pity it is: but that we permit them, we would be so sory to haue it proued. The other is that we haue suffred bruites to be spoken of you, and that also must be aunswered as the other. It is pity to see men so euill, as whom they may touch with tales and infamies they care not, so they misse not the best. Such is the boldnes of people, that neyther we can fully bridle them, to raise tales of you, nor of our selues. And yet whensoeuer any certayne person may be gotten, to be charged with any such, we neuer leaue them vnpunished. In deede, the best way is, bothe for your grace, and also vs, that when we can not finde and punish the offender, let vs say as he sayd that was euil spoken of: yet will I so lyue, as no credite shall be geuen to my back biters. Certainely, if we had credited any euill tale of your grace, we would frendly haue admonished you therof, and so also proceeded, as eyther the tale tellers should haue ben punished, or else haue proued their tales. And therfore we pray your grace to think no vnkindnes in vs, that any euil brutes haue bene spred by euill men, but thinke rather wel of vs, þ^t howsoeuer they were spred, we beleued them not. Hitherto your grace seeth we haue written somewhat at length, of the promise made to you and our meaninges, in our former writinges. And now for the latter part of our letter, we will as briefly as we can remember to you two speciall matters, wherof the one might suffice to reforme your proceedinges, and both together wel considered we trust shal do your grace much good. The one is, the truth of that you be desired to follow: the other is, the commoditie that therby shall ensue. They both make a iust commandement, and because of the first the latter followeth, that first shall be intreated. We here say your grace refuseth to heare any thyng reasoned, contrary to your olde determination, wherin you make your opinion suspitious, as that you are afeard to be dissuaded. If your fayth in thinges be of God, it may abide any storme or water: if it be but of sande, you doe best to eschew I wether. That which we professe, hath the foundation in Scriptures vppon playne textes and no gloses, the confirmation therof by the vse in the primatiue Church, not in this latter corrupted: and in deede our greatest chaunge is not in the substance of our faith, no not in any one article of our Crede. Onely the difference is, that we vse the ceremonies, obseruations, and Sacramentes of our religion as the Apostles, and first fathers in the primatiue Church did. You vse the same that corruption of tyme brought in, and very barbarie and ignoraunce nourished, and seeme to be bold for custome against truth, and we for truth against custome. Your grace in one or two places of your letter semeth to speake earnestly in the maintenaunce of your fayth, and therin (so that your fayth be according to the Scriptures) we must haue the like opinion. The saying is very good if the fayth be sound. But if euery opinion your grace hath (we cannot tell how conceiued) shall be your faith, you may be much better instructed. S. Paule teacheth you that faith is by the woorde of God. And it was a true saying of him that said: Non qui cuiuis credit, fidelis est, sed qui Deo. For where hath your grace ground for such a faith, to thinke cōmon prayer in the english church should not be in english? that Images of God should be set vp in the church? or þ^t the sacramēt of Christes body & bloud should be offred by the priestes for the dead? yea, or þ^t it should be otherwise vsed then by þ^e scripture it was instituted? Though you haue no Scripture to maintayne thē, we haue euident scriptures to forbid them. And although fault might be found, that of late Baptisme hath ben vsed in your graces house, contrary to law, and vtterly without licence, yet is it the worse, that contrary to the primatiue church it hath bene in a toung vnknowen, by the which the best part of the Sacrament is vnused, and as it wer a blynd bargaine made by the Godfathers in a matter of illumination, and thus in the rest of the thinges in which your grace differeth from the common order of the realme, where haue you ground or reason but some custome, which oftentymes is mother of many errours? And although in ciuill thinges she may be followed where she causeth quiet, yet not in religions, where she excuseth no errour, as in Leuiticus it is sayd: Ye shall not do after the custome of Egipt, wherin ye dwelled, nor after the custome of Chanaan: no, you shall not walke in their lawes for I am your Lord God, kepe you my lawes and commandements. The pointes wherin your grace differeth in your fayth as you call it, may be shewed where, when, how, and by whom they began, since the Gospell was preached, þ^e church was planted, and the apostles martired. At which time your faith depended vpon the Scripture, and otherwise there was no necessitie to beleeue. For as Hierome saith: Quod de scripturis non habet authoritatem, eadem facilitate contemnitur qua probatur. And because your grace as we heare saye, readeth sometyme the Doctors, we may alledge vnto you ij. or three places of other principall Doctours. August. sayth: Cum dominus tacuerit, quis nostrum dicat, illa vel illa sunt: aut si dicere audeat, vnde probat? And Chrisostomes saying is not vnlike. Multi, inquit, iactant spiritum sanctum, sed qui propria loquuntur, falso illum prætendunt. And if you will haue their meaninge playne, read the v. Chapter of the first booke of Ecclesiastica historia, and where Constantine had these wordes in the Councell. In disputationibus, inquit, rerum diuinarium, habetur præscripta spiritus sancti doctrina, Euangelici & Apostolici libri cum prophetarum oraculis plene nobis ostendunt sensum numinis, proinde discordia posita, sumamus ex verbis spiritus questionum explicationes. What playner sayings may be then these to answer your fault? Agayne, to infinite it were to remember your grace the great number of perticular errours (crept into the