MarginaliaArmachanus chargeth the Friers with disobedience. First, (sayth he) they are disobedient to the law of God: Thou shalt not couet thy neighbors house, Oxe nor Asse, nor any thing that is his: In that they procure the Popes letters to preach in Churches, and to take burials from churches, with licence annexed withal to receiue the auailes which rise of the same, which properly belōgeth to the right of parish priestes.

MarginaliaFriers disobedient to the rule of Scripture. Item, they are disobedient to this rule of the Gosepell: So do to other, as thou would haue done to thee.

Itē, they be disobediēt agaynst theyr owne rule, which being foūded vpon straight pouerty and beggery, this licence obteined for thē to require necessary for theyr labors of the people, is repugning agaynst the same foundation.

Item, they be disobedient to the rule of the Scripture, which sayth: let no man take honor vnto him, except he be called, as Aarō, Also saith S. Paul, how shall they preach, unlesse they be sēt. And how obserue they this rule of obedience, who professing to keepe the perfection of the Gospell, yet contrary to the Gospell, procure to thēselues pruiledges to runne before they be sent?

Itē, to theyr own rule they are disobediēt: For where theyr chapter sayth, that if any wil take vpō them this order, & will come to our brethren: let our brethren first send them to the prouincials to be examined of the Catholicke fayth and Sacraments of the Church. &c. Cōtrary wherevnto the friers haue procured a priuiledge, that not onely the prouincials, but other inferiors also may take vnto them indifferently, whom they can catch: so farre without al examination, that almost at this day there is no notable house of friers, wherin is not either a whole, or halfe a couent of lads & boyes vnder 10. yere old, being circūuented, which neither can skill of the Creed nor Sacraments.

MarginaliaFriers disobedient to their own professiō.Agayne, the rule of Frauncise sayth: that his brethren Obseruaunts must obserue not to preach in the Dioces of any bishop, without the consent of the Bishop: And moreouer the sayd Frauncise in his testament sayth: that if he had as much wisedome as Salomon, and found poore secular priests in the parishes where the dwel: yet he would not presume to preach without theyr will, and also would feare, loue, & honor them, & all other as his maisters, & so they be Hæc ille. Against which rule, how the friers do disobey, how litle they reuerence Bishops or secular priests: what priuileges, exemptions, & immunities they procure agaynst them, the world may see and iudge.

Itē, when none may be admitted to preach, or to heare confessions, unles they be entred into orders: and seing by the commō law of the Church, none must be admitted into holy orders, except he haue sufficient title of liuing and clothing: The friers therefore hauing no such title (being wilfull beggers) do disobey in both respects, that is, both in entring into such orders without conuenient title, and in exercising the office of preaching without such lawfull orders.

Moreouer the foresayd Frauncise in his testament cōmaundeth thus: I commaund (sayth he) firmely by vertue of obedience, to all and singular my brethren wheresoeuer they be: that none of them presume to obtayne in the court of Rome any letter of writing, either by himselfe or by any other meanes, neither for the Church nor for any other place nor vnder any coulour of preaching, nor yet for the persecuting of their owne bodyes &c. Against which testamen of Francise, the Franciscanes in procuring theyr priuiledges from the Bishop of Rome, haue incurred manifest disobediēce, as all the world may see. Neither will this obiectiō serue them, because the Pope hath dispensed with Francise rule. For if the testament of Francise as he sayth came from GOD, (and so should God haue three testaments) how then can the Pope repeale his precept, or dispense with his rule, when by the rule of the law. Par in parem non habet imperium?

MarginaliaArmachanus chargeth the Friers with auarice. Secondly, concerning the vice of auarice, manifestly it may be proued vpon them (sayth Armachanus) for els, seing so many charges belong to the office of a secular parish priest, as to minister the Sacrament at Easter, to visit the sicke with extreme vnction to baptise childrē, to wed, with such other wherein standeth as great deuotion: how then happeneth that these friers making no labor for these, onely procure to thēselues priuiledges to preach in churches, to heare confessions, and to receiue licence to bury frō parish churches but because there is lucre and gayne in these to be looked for , in the other is none?

MarginaliaAn other proofe Which also may appere by this: for otherwise if it were for mere deuotion onely, that they procure licence to bury from parish churches, and to preach: why then haue they procured with all, licence to take offerings? oblations and legacies for theyr funerals. And for theyr preaching, why haue they annexed also licence to require and take of thepeople necessaryes for theyr labor, but onely auarice is the cause thereof.

MarginaliaAn other proofe. Likewise for hearing of confessiōs: whē all good men haue enough to know theyr owne faults, and nothing list to heare the faultes of other: It is probably to be supposed by this theyr priuilege of hearing all mens confessiōs, that they would neuer haue been so desirous of procuring that priuilege, were it not that these friers did fele somme sweetnes and gayne to hang vpon the same.

MarginaliaAn other proofe. Item, where the rule of frier Francise forbiddeth them to company with any womē, to enter into Monasteries, to be Godfathers and Gossips to men and women: how commeth it, that they contrary to theyr rule, enter into the secret chambers of Queenes and other women: and made to know the most secret counsels of theyr doings, but that auarice and commodity haue so blinded their eyes, & styrred theyr hartes.

MarginaliaArmachanus chargeth the friers with price. Thirdly, that the friers fall into the vice of price & ambition, the sayd Armachanus proued thus.

To seek or to procure any high place in the Church, is a poynt of pride & ambition. Chrisost. in opere perfecto: Nūquam sine ambitione desideratur primatus in Ecclesia.

The friers seek and procure a high place in the church.

Ergo. the friers be proud and ambitious.

The Minor he proueth: To haue the state of preaching and hearing confessions, is in the church a state of honor.

The friers seeke and haue procured the state of preaching and hearing confessions.

Ergo. The friers seeke and procure an high place in the Church. &c.

MarginaliaThe 3. conclusion or article. His third conclusion was, that the Lord Christ in his humane conuersation was alwayes poore, not for that he loued or desired pouerty for it self. &c. Wherin this is to be noted, that Armachanus differed not frō the friers in this that Christ was poore, and that he loued pouerty: but here in stood the difference, in maner of louing, that is whether he loued pouerty for it self, or not. Wherin the foresayd Armachanus vsed foure probations.

First, forsomuch as to be poore, is nothing els but to be miserable: and seing no man coueteth to be in misery for it self: Therfore he concluded, that Christ desired not pouerty for it selfe.

MarginaliaArist. Ethio. lib. 1. His second reason was deriued out of Aristotle. Nothing (sayth he) is to be loued for it selfe, but that frō which (all commodities being secluded which folow therupō) is voluntarily sought and desired. But take from pouerty al respect of cōmodities folowing þ^e same, it would be sought neither of God nor mā. Ergo, he cōcluded, Christ loued not pouerty for it selfe.

Thirdly, agayne: No effect of sinne, said he, is to be loued for it selfe. But pouerty is the effect of sinne. Ergo, pouerty was not loued of Christ for it selfe.

Fourth, Item, no priuation of the thing that is good, is to be loued for it selfe. Pouerty is the priuation of the thing that is good, that is of riches (for God hymselfe is principally rich:) Ergo, pouerty for it selfe was not loued of Christ.

MarginaliaThe 4. conclusion of Armachanus against the Friers. The fourth conclusion was, that Christ our Lord and Sauior did neuer begge wilfully. Which he proued by sondry reaons.

1. First, for that Christ in so doing should breake the law, which sayth: Thou shalt not couet thy neighbors house, his wife, his seruāt, his made, his oxe, his asse, or any thing that is his, Exod. 20. In the daunger of which cōmaundement, he that beggeth voluntaryly must needes incurre.

2. Item, if Christ had begged voluntaryly he should haue committed agaynst an other cōmaundement, which sayth. There shalbe no begger, nor needy person among you. &c. Deut. 6.

3. Item, Christ in so doing should haue transgressed the Emperours law, vnder which he would himselfe be subiect (as appeareth by geuing, & bidding tribute to be geuē to Cesar) forasmuch as the same Emperours law sayth. There shall no valiant begger be suffered in the City.

4. Item, if Christ had bene a wilfull begger, he had broke the law of louing his neighbor: whō he had vexed, hauing no need. For who so without need asketh or craueth of his neighbor, doth but vexe him, in such sort as he would not be vexed himselfe. Which Christ would neuer do.

5. Item, if Christ had begged wilfully, he had moued slaūder therby to hys owne Gospell, which he with miracles did confirme. For then they that saw his miracle in feeding 5000. in wildernes, would haue thought much with them selues how that miracle had bene wrought, if he in feeding other, either could not, or would not feed himselfe.