cannot be defended without great incōuenience of all sides.

Ouer and besides, Eneas Syluius writing of theyr doctrine and assertions MarginaliaEneas Syluius in Bohemica historia de Valensium dogmatibus.(perchaunce as he found them, perchaunce makyng worse of them, then they taught or mēt) reporteth them after this maner, which I thought here to set out as it is in the Latin.

ROmanum præsulem reliquis episcopis parem esse. Inter sacerdotes, nullum discrimen. Presbyterum non dignitatem sed vitæ meritum efficere potiorem. In English.

The byshop of Rome to be equall wyth other bishops. Amongest priestes to be no difference of degree. No Priest to be reputed for any dignity of hys order, but for the worthynes of his life.

The soules of men departed, eyther to enter into payne euerlasting, or euerlasting ioye. No fier of Purgatory to be founde. To pray for the dead to be vayne, and a thyng onely found out for the lucre of Priestes.

The images of God (as of the Trinitie and of saintes) to be abolished. The halowing of water and palmes to be a mere ridicle. The religion of begging Fryars to be founde out by the Deuill. That priestes should not incroch riches in thys worlde, but rather follow pouertye, being content wyth their tythes, and mens deuotion. The preaching of the word to be free to all men called thereunto

That no deadly suine is to be tollerate, for whatsoeuer respect of a greater commoditie to insue therupon. The cōfirmation which byshops exercise wyth oyle, and extreme vnction: are not to be counted amongest the sacramentes of the Church. Auriculere confession to be but a toy: to suffice for euery man to confesse hym selfe in hys chamber, to God. Baptisme ought to be ministred onely wyth pure water, without any mixture of halowed oyle. The temple of the Lord to be the wide world. MarginaliaThe temple of the Lord that is, the proper habitatiō wherin God most properly dwelleth and worketh. That is the very place maketh not the ministration of holy thinges either more or lesse holy.The maiesty of God not to bee restrained more within the walles of temples, monasteries and chappels, so that his grace is rather to be found in one place, then in another

Priestes apparell, ornaments of the high aulter, vestimentes, corporaces, chalices, patines, and other Church plate to serue in no steede. For the difference and respect of the very place: to make no matter, where the priest doth consecrate, or doth minister to them which do require. To be sufficient to vse onely the sacramentall words without all other superfluous ceremonies.

The suffrages of saintes reigning with Christ in heauen, to be craued in vayne, beyng not able to helpe vs. In saying or singing the houres and Mattens of the day, the tyme to be but lost. A man ought to cease from his labour no day, but onely vpon Sonday.

The feastes and festiuals of saintes, ought to be reiected. Item, such fastes as be coacted and inioyned by the Church, haue no merite in them.

These assertions of the Valdenses, beyng thus articled out by Eneas Siluius, I thought to geue them abroad both in Englishe as they are in Latine: to the intent, that as they are the lesse to be doubted, beyng set out of a popes pen: so we may the better know both them hereby,what they were: and also vnderstand how thys doctrine now preached and taught in the Church, is no new doctrine, which here we see both taught & persecuted almost. 400. yeares agoe. And as I haue spoken hetherto sufficiently concerning their doctrine: so now we will briefly somewhat touch, of the order of their lyfe and conuersation, as we finde it regestred in a certayne olde written booke of Inquisition.

MarginaliaDe moribus et consuitudine Valdensium.MOdus autem Valdensium talis est. &c. The whole proces commeth to this effect in Englishe. The maner of the Valdenses is this: They kneeling vpon their knees, leaning to some banke, or stay, do continue in their prayers with silence, so long as a mā may say. 30. or 40. tymes Pater noster. And this they do euery day with great reuerēce, being amōgst thēselues, & such as be of their owne religiō, & no straungers with them, both before diner & after: likewise before supper & after: also what tyme they go to bed: and in the morning whē they rise: & at certaine other times also, as well in þ^e day, as þ^e night. Itē they vse no other prayer, but þ^e prayer of the Lord, & that without Aue Maria, and the Creede, which they affirme not to be put in for any prayer by Christ, but onely by the Church of Rome. Albeit they haue and vse the seuen articles of fayth cōcerning the diuinitie: and seuen articles concerning the humanitie, and the x. commaundementes, and seuen workes of mercy, which they haue compiled together in a compēdious booke, glorying much in the same, and therby offer thēselues, rea-dy to aunswere any man for their fayth.

Before they go to meate, they haue this grace, Benedicite. Kyrieeleyson. Christe eleyson. Kyrieeleyson. Pater noster: MarginaliaTheir maner of grace before meate.which being sayd, then the elder amongest them begynneth thus in their owne tongue: God which blessed the fiue barly loaues and two fishes in the desert, before his disciples, blesse this table and that is set vpon it, or shalbe set vpon it. In the name of the father, of the sonne and of the holy Ghost. Amen. And likewise agayne when they rise from meate, the seniour geueth thankes: MarginaliaTheir grace after meate.saying the wordes of the Apocalips: Blessing, and worship, and wisdome, & thankes geuing, honor, vertue, and strength to God alone for euer and euer. Amen. And addeth moreouer: God reward them in their bosoms, and he beneficiall to all them, that be beneficiall to vs, and blesse vs. And the God which hath geuen vs corporall feeding, graunt vs his spirituall life, and God be with vs, and we alwayes with him. To which they aunswere agayne. Amē. And thus saying grace, they holde their hands vpward looking vp to heauē. After their meate and grace sayd, they teach and exhort amongest themselues conferring together vpon their doctrine. &c.

MarginaliaReinerius an old inquisitor against Valdenses.In their doctrine and teaching they were so diligent & paynefull, that Reinerius a writer about their tyme, (an extreme enemy agaynst them) in a long proces, wherin he describeth their doctrine & teaching, testifieth: that he heard of one whiche did know the partie, that a certaine heretike (sayth he) onely to turne a certayne person away from our fayth, and to bring him to his (in the night, and in the winter time) swamme ouer the riuer called Ibis, to come to hym and to teach hym: moreouer so perfect they were then in the Scriptures, that the sayd Reinerius sayth, he did heare and see a man of the countrey vnlettered, which could recite ouer the whole booke of Iob word by word, without booke: with diuers other, which had the whole new testament perfectly by hart.

And although some of them, rather merely then vnskilfully, expounded the wordes of 1. Ioan. Sui non receperunt eum, MarginaliaPius videtur Iocus, in lasciuos sacerdotes.Swine dyd not receaue him: yet were they not so ignoraunt and voyde of learnyng: nor yet so few in number but þ^t they did mightely preuayle. In so much that Reinerius hath these wordes. Non erat qui eos impedire auderet propter potentiam & multitudinem fautorum suorum. Inquisitioni & examinationi fæpe intersui Et computatæ sunt. 40. Ecclesiæ, quæ hæresi infectæ fuerunt: ac in vna parochia Cammach fuerūt decem eorum scholæ. &c. MarginaliaThe power and multitude of Valdenses.That is. There was none durst stoppe them, for the power and multitude of their fauourers. I haue often bene at their inquisition, & examination. And there were numbred xl. Churches, infected with their heresie, in somuch that in one parish of Cāmach. were. x. open scholes of them. &c. Hæc illæ.

And yet the sayd Reinerius, whē he hath sayd all he cā, in deprauyng and impugnyng them: yet is driuen to cōfesse this of them, where he doth distinct their sect from other sectes and hath these wordes: Hæc vero leonistarum secta magnam habet speciem pietatis, eo quod coram hominibus iuste viuant, & bene omnia de Deo credant, & omnes articulos, qui in symbolo continētur, Solam Romanam Ecclesiam blasphemant & oderunt. MarginaliaValdenses in all other pointes sound, but onely for holding agaynst the church of Rome.That is: This sect of Leonistes, hath a great shew of holynesse: in that both they lyue iustly before men and beleue all thynges well of God, and hold all the articles conteined in the Crede. Onely they blaspheme the Romish church, and hate it. &c.

Now to touch somwhat their persecutions. After they were driuen out of Lyons, they were scattered into diuers and sondry places (the prouidence of God so disposing) that the sounde of their doctrine might be heard abroad in the world: Some, as I sayd, went to Bohemia. Many dyd flie into other prouinces of Fraunce. Some into Lombardy, other into other places. &c. MarginaliaThe crosse commonly foloweth the worde.But as the crosse commonly followeth the veritie and sincere preachyng of Gods word: so neither could these be suffered to lyue in rest. They are yet to be sene, the consultations of Lawyers, Archbyshops, and byshops of Fraunce, as Harbonensis, Areletatensis, Aquensis, and Albanensis, diuised amongst themselues, and yet remayne in writing, for the abolyshing, and extirping of these Valdenses, written aboue. 300. yeares agoe: wherby it appeareth, there was a great number in Fraunce.

MarginaliaValdenses persecuted more then 200 yeares ago by Antichrist.Besides, there was a whole councell kept in Tholouse about. 355. yeares to fore, and all agaynst these Valdenses: The which also were condemned in an other councell at Rome before that.

What great persecutions were raysed vp against them in Fraunce, by these iiij. Archbyshops before mentioned, it appeareth by their writings, wherof I will recite some of their wordes, which towardes the end be these: Quis enim est solus ille peregrinus, qui condemnationem hære-