since I haue full oft assayde, examine whosoeuer will xx. of these pilgrimes: and he shall not finde iij. men or women that know surely a commaundement of God, nor can say their Pater noster, and Aue Maria, nor their Creede readely in any maner of language. And as I haue learned and also know somewhat by experience of these same pilgrimes, tellyng the cause, why that many men and women go hether and thether now on pylgrimages: It is more for the health of their bodies, then of their soules: more for to haue riches and prosperitie of this world, then for to be enriched with vertues in their soules: more to haue here worldly & fleshly frendship, then for to haue frendship of God, and of hys saintes in heauen. For whatsoeuer thing man or woman doth, the frendship of God, nor of any other Saint can not be had, without keeping of Gods commaundementes.MarginaliaPilgrimage displeasaunt to god. Further, with my protestation I say now as I saide in Shreusbery, though they that haue fleshly willes, trauell farre their bodyes and spend mekell money, to seeke and to visite the bones or Images (as they say they doe) of thys Saint or of that: such pilgrimage going is neither praisable nor thankfull to God nor to any saint of God, since in effect, all such pilgrimes despise God and all hys cōmaundements and Saintes. For the commaundemēts of God they will nother know nor keepe, nor cōfirme them to liue vertuously by example of Christ and of his Saintes.MarginaliaGoods euill bestowed in pilgrimage. Wherfore sir, I haue preached and taught openly, and so I purpose all my life time to doe with Gods helpe, saying that such fond people waste blamefully Gods goods in their vaine pilgrimages, spending their goods vpon vitious hostelars, which are oft vncleane womē of their bodies: and at the least, those goods with the which they should do workes of mercy after Gods bidding, to poore needy men and women.

MarginaliaThe inconuenience that cōmeth by pilgrimage. These poore mens goods and their lyuelode, these runners about, offer to riche Priestes which haue mekill more liuelode then they neede. And thus those goodes they waste wilfully, and spend them vniustly agaynst Gods biddyng vpon straungers, with which, they should helpe and relieue, after Gods will, their poore nedy neighbours at home: ye and ouer this folly, oft tymes diuers men and women, of these runners thus madly hether and thither into pilgrimage: borow hereto, other mens goodes, ye and sometyme they steale mens goodes hereto, and they pay them neuer agayne. Also sir, I know well that when diuers men & women will go thus after theyr own wils, and findyng out one pilgrimage: they will ordeine with them before, to haue with them both men and women, that can well sing wanton songes, and some other pilgrimes, will haue wyth them bagge pipes: so that euery towne that they come through, what with the noyse of their singing, and with the sound of their pipyng, and with the ianglyng of their Canterbury bels, and with the barkyng out of dogges after them, that they make more noyce, thē if the king came there away, with all his clarions, and many other minstrels. And if these men and women be a month out in their pilgrimage, many of thē shall be an halfe yeare after, great iangelers, tale tellers, and lyers.

¶ And the archb. sayd to me: Leud losell, thou seest not far inough in this matter, for thou considerest not the great trauaile of pilgrimes: therfore, thou blamest that thyng that is praysable. I say to thee, that it is right well done, that pilgrimes haue with them both singers and also pipers: that when one of them that goeth barefoote, striketh hys toe vpon a stone, and hurteth hym sore, and maketh hym to blede: it is well done that he or hys felow begin then a song, or els take out of hys bosome a bagpipe, for to driue away with such mirth, the hurte of his fellow.MarginaliaWell spoken my Lord for Lincolnshire bagpipes.
And why then blamed Boner Philpot for singing in the stockes? For with such solace, the trauayle and wearines of pilgrimes, is lightly and merily borne out.

☞ And I sayd: sir, S. Paule teacheth men to weepe with them that wepe.

¶ And the archb. sayd. What ianglest thou against mens deuotion. Whatsoeuer thou or such other say, I say that the pilgrimage that now is vsed, is to them that do it, a praysable and a good meane to come the rather to grace.MarginaliaA new found way to grace of the byshops making. But I hold thee vnable to know this grace, for thou enforsest thee to let the deuotion of the people: since by authoritie of holy Scripture, men may lefully haue and vse such solace as thou reprouest. For Dauid in his last Psalme, teacheth me to haue diuers instrumentes of musike for to prayse therwith God.

☞ And I sayd:MarginaliaInstruments & musike of the old testament, how they are to be applyed and vsed in the testament. sir, by the sentence of diuers Doctours expounding the psalmes of Dauid: that musike and minstrelsie that Dauid & other saintes of the old law spake of, ought now nother to be taken nor vsed by the letter, but these instruments with their musike ought to be interpreted ghostly: For all those figures are called vertues and grace, with which vertues men should please god, and prayse his name. For S. Paul saith: All such things befell to them in figure. Therfore sir, I vnderstand, that the letter of this psalme of Dauid and of such other Psalmes and sentences doth slay them that take them now litterally. This sentēce as I vnderstand sir, Christ approueth himselfe, putting out the minstrels, or that he would quicken the dead damsell.

MarginaliaOrgaynes in the Church. ¶ And the archb. said to me. Leud losell, is it not lefull to vs to haue Organes in the Church for to worship therewithall God? And I said, ye sir, by mans ordinance: But by the ordinance of God, a good sermon to the peoples vnderstādyng, were mekill more pleasant to God.

MarginaliaA fit comparison my lord, & lyke your selfe. ☞ And the archb.sayd. that Organes and good delectable songs, quickned and sharpened more mens wits then should any sermon.

¶ But I sayd: sir, lusty men and wordly louers, delite and couet and trauail to haue all their wittes quickned & sharpned with diuers sensible solace: But all the faythfull louers and followers of Christ, haue all their delite to heare Gods word, and to vnderstand it truely, and to worke thereafter faithfully and continually. For no doubt, to dread to offende God, and to loue to please hym in all thyng, quickeneth and sharpeneth all the wittes of Christes chosen people: and ableth them so to grace, that they ioy greatly to withdrawe their eares and all their wittes and members, frō all worldly delite and from all fleshly solace. For S. Ierome (as I thinke) sayth.MarginaliaThe saying of Ierome. No body may ioy with this world and raigne with Christ.

☞ And þ^e archb. (as if he had ben displeased with myne aūswer) said to his clerkes. What gesse ye that this Idiot will speake there, where he hath no dread: since he speaketh thus now here in my presence? Well wel, by God,MarginaliaYou swere my Lord. thou shalt be ordained for. And then he spake to me all angerly.

MarginaliaThe 4. article concerning priests tythes. WHat saiest thou to this forth point, that is certified against thee, preaching openly and boldly in Shrewsbery, that priestes haue no title to tithes.

And I sayd. Syr, I named there no worde of tithes in my preaching. But more then a moneth after that I was arested: there in prison, a man came to mee into the prison, asking me what I sayd of tithes. And I sayd to hym. Syr, in this towne are many clerkes and priestes, of which some are called religious men, though many of them be seculars. Therefore, aske ye of them this question. And this man sayde to me. Syr, our prelates say, that we are also obliged to pay our tithes of all thinges that renue to vs: and that they are acursed, that withdraw any part wittinglye fro them of their tithes. And I sayd (sir) to that man, as w^t my protestation I say now here before you: that I had wonder that any priest dare say, men to be accursed, without ground of Gods word. And the man sayd. Syr, our priestes say, that they curse men thus by authoritie of Gods law.MarginaliaA paradox without Gods word. And I said. Sir I know not where this sentence of cursing is authorised now in the Bible. And therfore sir, I pray you that ye will aske the most conning clerke of this towne, that ye may know where this sentence cursing thē that tithe not, is now written in Gods law: for if it were written there, I would right gladly be learned where. But shortly this man would not go from me, to aske this question, of an other body: But required me there, as I would aunswer before God, if in this case, that cursing of priestes were lawfull and approued of God? And shortly herewith came to my mynde the learnyng of S. Peter, teachyng priestes specially to halow the Lord Christ in their hartes: beyng euermore redy (as farre as in them is) to aunswer thorough fayth and hope to them that aske of them a reason. And this lesson Peter teacheth men to vse with a meke spirit and with dread of the Lord.MarginaliaA difference to be put betwixt the old law and the new. Wherfore sir, I sayd to this man in this wyse. In the olde law, which ended not fully, till the tyme that Christ rose vp agayn from death to lyfe: God commaunded tithes to be geuen to the Leuites, for the great busines and daily trauayle that pertained to their office. But priests, because their trauel was mekil more easy & light, then was the office of the Leuites:MarginaliaPriests had the x. part of the tithes geuen to the Leuites. God ordayned that priestes should take for their lifelode to do their office, the x. part of those tithes that were geuen to the Leuites. But now (I sayd) in the new law, nother Christ nor any of his apostles tooke tithes of the people nor commaunded the people to pay tithes, nother to Priests nor to deacons.MarginaliaChrist commaundeth almes, not tythes, except tythes be almes. But Christ taught the people to doe almes, that is workes of mercy, to poore nedy mē (of surplus, that is superfluous of their tēporall goods) which they had, more then them neded reasonably to their necessary liuelode. And thus (I sayd) not of tithes, but of pure almes of the people, Christ liued & his apostles: when they were so busy in preaching of the worde of God to the people, that they might not trauel otherwise for to get their liueloode. But after Christes ascension, and when the apostles had receyued the holy