to know (of faithfulnes) one commaundement of God.

And thus full many men and women now, and specially mē that are named to be principall limmes of holy church, styrre God to great wrath, & deserue his curse for that they call or hold them iust men, which are full vniust, as their vicious wordes, their great customable swearyng, and their slaunderous and shamefull workes shew openly and witnes. And therfore, such vicious men and vniust in their own confusion, call them vniust men & women, which after their power and cunnyng busie themselues to liue iustly after the commaūdement of God. And where sir ye say, that I haue distroubled the cōminaltie of Shrewsbury, and many other men and women with my teachyng:MarginaliaIerusalem troubled by the preaching of Christ. If it thus be, it is not to be wondred of wise men, since all the comminaltie of the Citie of Ierusalem was distroubled of Christes owne person, that was very God and man, and most prudent preacher that euer was or shall be. And also all the Sinagoge of Nazareth was moued agaynst Christ, and so fulfilled with ire towardes him for his preaching, that the men of the Sinagoge rose vp and caste Christ out of their Citie, & led him vp to the top of a moūtaine for to cast him downe therehedling. Also accordingly hereto, the Lord witnesseth by Moses, that he shall put dissention betwixt his people, and the people that contrarieth and pursueth his people. Who sir is he, that shall preach the truth of Gods word to the vnfaithfull people, and shall let the sothfastnes of the Gospell, and the prophecie of God almightie, to be fulfilled?

¶ And the Archbishop sayd to me. It followeth of these thy wordes, that thou and such other thinkest: that ye do right well for to preach and teach as ye do, without authoritie of any Bishop. For ye presume, that the Lord hath chosen you onely for to preach, as faythfull disciples and speciall folowers of Christ.

MarginaliaThe word of God ought truely to be preached ☞ And I sayd, Syr by authoritie of Gods law and also of Saintes and Doctours I am learned to deme, that it is euery Priestes office and duetie for to preach busily, freely & truely the word of God. For no doubt, euery Priest should purpose first in his soule, & couet to take the order of priesthode chiefly for to make knowen to the people the word of God, after his cunning and power: approuing his wordes euer to be true by his vertuous workes, and for this entent we suppose that Byshops & other Prelates of holy church, should chiefly take and vse their prelacie, and for the same cause Byshops should geue to Priestes their orders. For Byshops should accept no man to Priesthode, except that he had good will and full purpose, and were well disposed, & well learned to preach.MarginaliaIf this lesson had bene wel folowed, the world had not bene brought into such darknes by blynde & dumme priestes. Wherfore sir, by þ^e bidding of Christ, and by example of his most holy liuing, & also by the witnessing of his holy Apostles and Prophets, we are bounde vnder full great payne, to exercise vs after our cunning and power (as euery Priest is likewise charged of God) to fulfill duely the office of priesthode. We presume not here of our selues for to be estemed (neither in our owne reputation nor in none other mans) faithfull disciples, and speciall folowers of Christ. But sir, as I sayde to you before, we deme this by authoritie chiefly of Gods word, that it is þ^e chief duetie of euery priest, to busie them faithfully to make the law of God knowen to his people, and so to cōmune the commaundemēt of God charitably, how that we may best, where, when, and to whom that euer we may, is our very dutie. And for the wil and busines that we owe of due debt to do iustly our office through the styrring and speciall helpe (as we trust) of God, hoping stedfastly in his mercy:MarginaliaAn effecteous prayer, God graunt in all ministers. we desire to be the faithfull disciples of Christ, and we pray this gracious Lord for his holy name, that he make vs able so to please him with deuout prayers, & charitable Priestly workes, that we may obtaine of him to folow him thankfully.

¶ And the Archbishop sayd to me: Leud losell, whereto makest thou such vayne reasons to me? Asketh not Saint Paule, how should Priestes preach, except they be sent?MarginaliaWhy he preached wythout the byshops licence. But I sent thee neuer to preach. For thy venemous doctrine is so knowen through out England, that no Byshop will admit thee to preach by witnessing of their letters. Why then lewd Idiot, willest thou presume to preach, since thou art not sent nor licensed of thy soueraigne to preach. Sayth not S. Paul, that subiectes ought to obey their soueraignes, and not onely good and vertuous: but also tyrauntes that are vicious?

MarginaliaHe aunswereth to the question concerning the letter of licence ☞ And I sayd to the Archbyshop. Syr, as touchyng your letter of licence or other Byshops, which ye say we shuld haue to witnes that we were able to be sent for to preach? We know wel that neither you sir, nor any other Byshop of this land, will graunt to vs any such letters of licence, but if we should oblige vs to you, and to other Byshops by vnlefull othes, for to passe not the bondes and termes which ye sir, or other byshops will limit to vs. And since in this mat ter your termes be some to large, & some to straite: we dare not oblige vs thus to be bounden to you for to keepe the termes which you will limite to vs, as you do to Friers, & such other preachers.MarginaliaThe incōueniences of seeking of the byshops letters or licence. And therfore, though we haue not your letter sir, nor letters of other Byshops written with inke vpon parchment: we dare not therfore leaue the office of preachyng (to which preaching, all Priestes after their cunnyng and power are bounde, by diuers testimonies of Gods law, and great Doctours) without any mention makyng of Byshops letters. For as mekell as we haue taken vpon vs the office of Priesthode (though we are vnworthy therto) we come and purpose to fulfill it with the helpe of God, by authoritie of his own law, and by witnesse of greate doctours and Saintes, accordingly here to trustyng stedfastly in the mercy of God.MarginaliaThe witnes of the preachers, is the good lyfe of the folowers. For that he commaundeth vs to do the office of Priesthode, he will be our sufficient letters and witnes, if we by example of his holy liuing and teachyng, specially occupy vs faithfully to do our office iustly: yea the people to whom we preach (be they faithfull or vnfaithfull) shall be our letters, that is our witnes bearers: for the truth where it is sowen, may not be vnwitnessed. For all that are cōuerted and saued by learning of Gods word, & by working there after: are witnesse bearers: that the truth and sothfastnes which they heard and did after, is cause of their saluation. And agayne, all vnfaithfull men and women which heard the truth told out to them, and would not do there after: also all they that might haue heard the truth, & would not heare it, because that they would not do there after:

All these shall beare witnes against themselues, and the truth which they would not heare, or els heard it and despised to do there after, through their vnfaithfulnesse, is & shalbe cause of their damnation. Therfore sir, since this aforesayd witnessing of God, and of diuers Saintes and Doctors, & of all the people good & euil, sufficeth to all true preachers: we thincke that we do not the office of Priesthode, if that we leaue our preaching, because that we haue not, or may not haue duely Byshops letters, to witnesse that we are sent of them to preach. This sentence approueth Saint Paul, where he speaketh of himselfe, & of faithful Apostles and disciples saying thus. We neede no letters of commendation as some preachers do, which preach for couetousnesse of temporall goodes, and for mens praysing. And where ye say Syr, that Paule biddeth subiectes obey their soueraignes, this is soth, and may not be denyed.MarginaliaTwo maner of soueraignes. But there is two maner of soueraignes, vertuous soueraignes and vicious tyrauntes. Therfore, to these last soueraignes, neither men nor women that be subiect, owe to obey in two maners.MarginaliaHe meaneth prelates that be vnuertuous. To vertuous soueraignes and charitable, subiectes owe to obey wilfully and gladly, in hearyng of their good counsel, in consenting to their charitable biddinges, and in working after their frutefull workes.

This sentence, Paul approueth where he sayth to subiectes. Be ye myndefull of your soueraignes, that speake to you the word of God, and folow you the fayth of thē, whose cōuersation you know to be vertuous. For as Paul sayth, after these soueraignes, to whom subiectes owe to obey in folowyng of their maners: worke besely in holy studying, how they may withstand and destroy vices, first in themselues, and after in all their subiectes, and how they may best plant in them vertues. Also these soueraignes, make deuout and feruent prayers for to purchase grace of God, that they and their subiectes may ouer all thyng, dread to offend him, and to loue for to please him. Also these soueraignes to whō Paule biddeth vs obey, as it is said before, liue so vertuously: that all they that will liue well, may take of them good example, to know & to keepe the commaundementes of God.MarginaliaTwo maner of obeying: 1. In folowing their doinges and examples. 2. in suffering their wronges. But in this foresayd wise, subiectes ought not to obey nor to be obedient to tyrauntes, while they are vitious tyraūts, since their will, their counsell, their biddynges, and their workes are so vitious, that they ought to be hated and left. And though such tyraunts be maisterfull and cruel in boastyng and manasing, in oppressions and diuers punishings: S. Peter byddeth the seruauntes of such tyraunts, to obey meekely such tyrauntes, sufferynges paciently their malitious cruelnes.MarginaliaWicked rulers are not to be followed in euill. But Peter counselleth not any seruaunt or subiect, to obey to any Lord or Prince, or soueraigne in any thyng that is not pleasing to God.

¶ And the Archbyshop sayd vnto me. If a soueraigne byd his subiect do that thyng that is vicious, this soueraigne herein is to blame: but the subiect for his obedience, deserueth meede of God.MarginaliaWell reasoned my lord and lyke a clarke. For obedience pleaseth more to God, than any sacrifice.

☞ And I sayd. Samuell the Prophet sayd to Saul the wicked king, that God was more pleased with the obediēce of his commaundement, then with any sacrifice of beastes. But Dauid sayth, and S. Paule, and S. Gregory accor-