uen for obseruing the customes of the sayd church: Or whether it be geuen and graunted by the sayd sea to the foresayd Byshop, or to the Chapter of the sayd Church ioyntly and seuerally, or to what person or persons els, that no man by compulsion should haue admission or prouision for any person in their Church wherby they cannot be interdicted, suspended, or excommunicate by the letters Apostolicall obtayned, or to be obtained hereafter, vnder what forme of words soeuer: yea although the whole tenour of the said indulgence be inserted word for word in the sayd your letters or by any other indulgēces to what person or persons soeuer, of what estate dignitie or place soeuer, vnder any maner or forme of wordes graunted hereafter by the sea aApostolike: by the which indulgences the effect of the sayd prouision may be by any maner of wayes hindred or deferred: Yet of our certaine knowledge we will that they shall want their strēgth in the prouision made or to be made for the sayd Fridericke in the Church of Lincolne: And if any upon the premisses or any of them shall alledge against the foresayd Fridericke, or his procurator: That you will cause them to be cited on our behalfe, so that they beyng cited perēptorily shall within the space of two monethes of your citation, personally appeare before vs there accordyng to the law to make aūswere to the sayd Fridericke, vpon the premisses: Any priuilegies or indulgencies what soeuer, geuen and graunted either generally to the kyngdome of England, or perculiarly to any other person of what state, degree, and place soeuer, graūted by the foresayd sea, vnder what soeuer maner and forme of wordes for them not to be called vp beyond the sea, or out of their owne Citie or Dioces by letters Apostolicall, vnder what soeuer forme of wordes obtained, to the contrary in any wise notwithstādyng: All which priuilegies and indulgences, we will in no case shall stand in any force or effect to the sayd partes. Moreouer, the day and forme of the citatiō, we will that ye faythfully do intimate vnto vs by your letters containyng the tenor therof. And if both of you can not be present at the execution hereof, yet we will notwithstanding that one of you do execute the same without fayle. Dated the vij. Kal. Febr. the 10. yeare of our Popedome.

As there is no man which hath any eyes to see, but may easely vnderstand in readyng this letter of the Pope, how vnreasonable his request is, how impudently he commaundeth, how proudly he threatneth, how wickedly he oppresseth and racketh the Church of God, in placyng boyes and straungers in the ministery & cure of soules, MarginaliaA double commendation of B. Grosted.and also in makyng them his prouisiours, to rauen vp the Church goodes: So is it no great maruell, if this godly bishop Robert Grosted was offended therewith. Who in my mynde, deserueth herein a double commendation, not onely that he so wisely did discerne errour from sinceritie and truth: but also that he was so hardy and constaunt to stand to the defence therof agaynst the Pope, accordyng as in this his aunswere to the Pope agayne may appeare, as foloweth.

Salutem. Pleaseth your wisedome to vnderstand, that I am not disobedient to any the Apostolike preceptes: but both deuoutly and reuerently with the naturall affection of a sonne obey the same: And also am an vtter enemy to all those that resist such Apostolike preceptes, as a child zelous of his fathers honour. And truly I am no lesse then bound therunto by the precept and cōmaundement of God. For the apostolike preceptes are none other nor can be, thē the consonāt and vniforme to the doctrine of the Apostlees, and of our Sauiour Christ beyng the maister and Lord of all the Apostles: whose type and person, specially in the consonant and vniforme hierarchie of the Church, the Lord Pope semeth to beare (the same our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ, saying) who soeuer is not with me, the same is agaynst me: Therfore, agaynst hym, neither is nor can be, the most diuine sanctitie of the sea Apostolicall. The tenour then of your foresayd Apostolicall letter is not consonant to true sanctitie but vtterly dissonaunt and disagreyng to the same. First, for that vpon the clause of this your letter and many such other letters like, which clause alwayes ye so much do vrge (Non obstante) induced and brought in vpon no necessitie of any naturall law to be obserued: doth swarme, and floweth with all inconstancie, boldnes, pertinacy, impudency, lying and deceauing, and is also a sea of mistrust in geuing credit to no man. Which as it swarmeth with these, so in lyke maner with innumerable other vices which hang and depend vpon the same: mouyng and disturbyng the puritie of Christian religion and lyfe agreable to the same, as also the publique tranquillity of men. Moreouer, next after the sinne of Lucifer (which shalbe in the latter tyme, to wit, of Antichrist the chyld of perdition, whom the Lord shall destroy with the breath of his mouth) there is not nor can be any kynde of sinne so repugnant and contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles and holy Scripture & to our sauiour Christ him selfe more hatefull, detestable and abhominable: then to destroy and kill mens soules by defrauding them of the mystery of the pastorall office which by the ministery of the pastorall cure ought to saue and quicken the same. Which sinne, by most euident places of the Scripture such men are decerned and knowen to commit: which beyng in the authoritie of the Pastorall dignity, do serue their owne carnall desires and necessaries, with the benefite of the mylke and wooll of the shepe and flocke of Christ: and do not minister the same Pastorall office and charge to the benefite and saluation of those their shepe. The same therfore by the testimony of the Scripture, is not the administration of the Pastorall ministery but the killyng and destruction of the shepe. And that these two kynd of vices be most vyle and wicked (although after a differyng sort) and farre excedyng all other kynde of wickednesse, hereby it is manifest: For that the same are directly contrary to two vertues most chiefly good (although differryng in themselues) and vnlike together. For that is called most wicked which is contrary to a thing most best. So much then as lyeth in the offenders, the one of their offēces is directly against the deitie, which of himself is always essentially and supernaturally good: The other is against the deification and the Image of God in man, which is not alwayes but only by the participation of Gods lightsome grace essentially and naturally God. And for asmuch, as in things beyng good, the cause of good is better then the effect: & like as agayn in euil things the cause of euil is worse, then the effect of euill procedyng therof: hereby it is manifest: That the inducers of such wicked destroyers of gods Image and deificatiō in the shepe of Christ (that is the church of God) are worse thē those chief destroyers, to wit, Lucifer and Antichrist.

And as in these degrees of wickednes how much more excellent such be, who hauing a great charge committed to them of God (to edificatiō, and not to destruction) are more bound to kepe away and exclude such wicked destroyers frō the Church of God: MarginaliaPower geuē to masters to edification only, not to destruction.So much is it also of that, that this holy seate Apostolicall to whom the Lord Iesus Christ hath geuen all maner of power (to edification as the Apostle sayth, and not to destruction) can commaund, or will to go about any such thyng, vrging vnto so great wickednes, so odible, detestable, and abhominable to our Lord Iesus Christ, & also so pernicious to mankynd. For this should be a great defection, corruption, and abuse of the sayd seat and fulnesse of power, and an vtter seperation from the glorious throne of our LordMarginaliaTwo principall princes of darknes Lucifer and Antichrist.Iesus Christ, and a neare neighbourhode vnto the two most principall princes of darknesse, sitting in the chayre of pestilence, prepared to the paynes of hell. Neither can any man which is subiect and faithfull to the sayd see (and not cut away from the bodye of Christ, & frō the sayde holy see) with sincere and vnspotted conscience, obey such manner of preceptes and commaundementes, or what so euer other attemptes proceedyng, yea though from the hygh order of aungels themselues: but rather ought of necessitie with all their strength to withstand and rebell agaynst the same. Wherfore my reuerend Lord, I am lyke an obedient chyld vpon my bound duty of obedience and fidelity, which I owe to both the * Marginalia* He meaneth either Christ & the church or els Peter and Paule.parents of this holy Apostolicke see, and partly for loue of vnity in the body of Christ ioyned wyth the sayd see: do not obey but withstand and vtterly rebell agaynst these things in the sayd letter contayned, and especially which vrge and tend to the foresayd wickednesse, so abhominable to the Lord Iesus Christ, so repugnaunt to the holinesse of the holy Apostolicke see, and so contrary to the vnitie of the catholicke fayth. Neither for this cause can your discretion determine any extremity vnto me, because all my doing and gainsaying in this matter is no resistance nor rebellion, but a childly obediēce to the deuine precept and honour due both to * father & mother. Marginalia* Id est, bothe to Christ & hys churchBriefly therfore repeating my wordes I say: that this holy Apastolicke see cannot do any thyng but to edification, and nothyng at all to destructiō: For this is the fulnes of power to be able to do all thynges to edification. But these which you call prouisions, be not to edification, but to manifest destruction. The holy Apostolicke see therfore cannot nor ought to attempt any such thyng, because that flesh and bloud which cannot enter into the kyngdome of God hath reuealed the same and not the father of our Lord Iesus Christ whych is in heauen.