mercifull, the Bishops lawe teaches to be wretchfull. For death is the greatest wretch that mē mowen done on him that guilty is.

There as Christes law teaches vs, to blessen him that diseazen vs, and to pray for him: the popes law teacheth to curse them, and in theyr great sentence that they vsen, they presume to damne hem to hell that they cursen. And this is a foule heresy of blaspheme, there as Christes law byddes vs be patient, the Popes law iustifies two swords, that wherwith he smiteth the sheepe of the Church. And he has made Lordes and Kings to sweare to defend him and his Church.

There as Christes law forbiddeth vs lechery, þ^e popes law iustifies the abhominable whoredome of cōmon women, and the Bishops in some place haue a great tribute or rent of whoredome.

There as Christes lawe byddes to minister spirituall thynges freely to the people: the Pope with his law selles for mony, after the quātity of the gift, as pardons, orders, blessing, and Sacraments, & prayers, & benefices, & preaching to the people, as it is knowne amongest them.

There as Christes law teaches peace: the Pope wyth his law assoyles mē for mony to gader the people, priests, and other to fight for his cause.

There as Chrites law forbids swearing: The popes law iustifieth swearing, and compels men therto.

MarginaliaThe contrarietie betwene the pope & Christ. Wheras Christes law teacheth his Priests to be poore, the Pope with his law, iustifies and mayntaynes Priests to be Lordes.

And yet the 5. cause is, for the Popes law that byshops demen men by, is þ^e same vnrightfull law that Christ was demet by of the Byshops, with the Scribes and with the Pharises. For right as at that time they gauen more credens to the 2. false witnesses that witnessed agaynst Christ then they deden to al þ^e people that witnesseden to his true preaching and his miracles: so the Bishops of the Popes law geuen more leuen by their law to two hereticks & Apostats, or two comen wymen that woulden witnesseden agaynes a man in the cause of heresy, than to thousands of people that were trew and good. And for the Pope is thys Antechrist and his law contrary to Christ his lawe, MarginaliaThe cause why Swinderby forsooke the pope.fully I forsake this law and so I reed all Christen menne. For thus by an other poynt of this law, they mighten cōquere much of this world: For whan they can by this law presēt a man an hereticke: his goods shulen be forfet from him & frō his heyres, and so might they lightly haue 2. or 3. false witnesses to recorde an heresye agayne what true man so hem liked. Herefore me thinkes, that whatsoeuer that I am a christen man I may lawfull appeale frō a false dome of the law, to be righteouslye demet by the trouth of Gods law. And if this appeale will not serue, I appeale opēly to my Lord Iesu Christ that shall deme all the world, for he I wot well, will not spare for no man to deeme a trouth. And therfore I pray GOD almighty with Dauid in the Sauter booke Deus iudicium tuum regi da, & iustitiam tuam filio regis: Iudicare populum tuum in iustitia & pauperes tuos in iudicio. That is. O God geue thy iudgement to the king, aud thy iustice to the kings sonne: to iudge thy people in iustice, and thy poore ones in iudgement, &c.

MarginaliaA fruitful letter to the Lords & Burgesies of the Parliament. IEsu that art both God and man help thy people that louen thy law, and make knowne through thy grace thy teachinge to all chisten men. Deare sirs, so as we seen by many tokens that this world drawes to an end, & all that euer haue bene forth brought of Adams kinde into this world shulē come togeder at domesday riche and poore, ichone to geue accompt and receiue after hys deedes, ioy or paynen for euermore: Therfore make we our werks good, ye while that God of mercy abides, and be yee stable and true to God, and ye shulen see hys helpe about you. Constantes estote & videbitis auxilium Domini super vos. This land is full of Ghostly cowardes, in Ghostly battayle few dare stand. But Christ the comforter of all that falleth (to that his hart barst for our loue) agaynst the fiend the doughty Duke comforteth vs thus: Estote fortes in bello. &c. Be ye strong in battell, he sayes, and fight ye with the olde adder. State in fide, viriliter agite. &c. Wake ye & pray ye, stond ye in beleue, do ye manly and be ye comfortet, and let all your thinges be done with charity: For Saynt Paule bidds thus in his Epistle, that saw the preuetyes of God in heauen: Euigilate iusti. &c. Awake ye that bene righteous men, bee yee stable and vnmoueable: Awake ye quickely and sleepe nought, and stond now strongly for Gods law. For Saynt Iohn in the Apocalips sayes, blesset be he that awakes: for nought to sleepers but to wakers God has behite the crowne of life. For the hower is noweas Paule sayth to vs, from sleepe for to arise, for he that earelye awakes to me, he shall finde me sayth Christ himseluen. This waking gostly is good liuing out of sinne: this sleepe betokens that which cowardeth a mans hart from gostlye comfort and to stand in the same through a deceaueable sleepe is this that lets a man of the blisse of heauen: the fende makes men bold in sinne and ferd to do worship to God: death is a likening to a theefe that preuely steales vpon a man that now is riche, and full of wele; anone he makes him a needy wrech; therfore sayd God by S. Iohn in the Apocalips in this wise: Be thou waking, for if thou wake nought, I shall come to thee as a theefe, and thou shalt not wit what houre. And if the husbandman (sayes Christ) wist what houre the theefe should come, he shoulde wake and suffer him not to vndermine his house. Saynt Peter therefore warneth and sayth: wake and be ye ware, suffer ye no man (he sayes) as a theefe but wilfullye for Gods loue, for it is time (as Peter saies) that dome begin from the house of God: Ye bene the body of Christ (sayes Poule) that needes must suffer with the head, or els your bodyes bene but deade and departed from Christ that is the head. And therefore curset be he (saayes Poule) that loues not Iesu Christ. And who it is that loues him, Christe himselfe telles in the Gospell: he that has my hestes, and keepes them, he it is that loues me. Cursed he be therfore (sayes Poule) that doth Christes workes deceiueably. Be ye not therefore (sayes Poule) ashamed of the true witnesse of Iesu Christ, for Christ our God sayes in his Gospell, he that shames me and my wordes, him shall mans sonne ashame when he shal come for to set in the siege of hys Maiesty. And each man he sayes, that knowes me and my wordes before men in this sinnefull generation and whorish, mans sonne shall knowledge him before my father sayes Christ himselfe, when he shall come with hys Aungels in the glory of his Father: Sithe ye therefore bene Christenmen, that is to say, Christes men, shew in deede that ye bene suche as ye daren shew you the kings men: for hit had bene, as Peter saies, better not to haue knowen the way of trueth, then after the knowing thereof to be conuerted backeward there from. We knowen Christ, that is trought, we sain all through our beliefe if we turne from him for dred, truely wee deny the troth.: And therefore sith our time is short, how short no man knowes but God, do we the good that we may to Gods worship, when we haue time: Be true (sayes God) to the death and you shall haue the crowne of life: And thinke on Iudas Machabeus, that was Gods true knight, that comforted hartelye Gods true people, to be the folowers of his law. And geue ye, he sayd, your liues for the Testament of your fathers. And ye shulen winne, he sayd, great ioy, and a name for euermore. Was not Abraham, he sayd, in temptation founden true, and was * Marginalia* Reckened.arectet vnto him euermore to righteousnesse, Ioseph in time of his anguish he kept truely Gods hest, he was made by Gods prouidence Lord of Eygpt, for his trouth. Phinees our fadure louing, he sayth, the zeale of God tooke the testament of euerlasting Priesthoode. Iosue for he fulfillet the worde of God was domes man in Israell. Caleph that witnessed in the Church, he tooke therefore the heretage, he sayth: Dauid in his mercy hee gate the siege of the kingdome in worldes. Hely for that he loued the zeale of Gods lawe, was taken vppe into heauen. Ananie, Azary, and Misaell, he sayes, weren deliueret thoore through true beliefe out of the hoat flame of fire True Daniel MarginaliaDaniel. 14.in his simplenes was deliueret from the Lyons mouthe. Bethinke ye therfore, he sayes, by generation and generation, and thou shalt neuer finde that he fayled that man that truely trusted in him. And therefore dread you nought, he sayes of the wordes of a sinnefull man: hys glory is, he sayes, but wormes and tordes: he is to day, he sayth, y made hye, to morow he sayes he is not foundē for he is turned, he sayes, into his earth agayn, & the minde of him is perishet. Sonnes therefore he sayes, be ye comfortet, and dye manly in the lawe: for when ye han done that that Gods commaundes you to doe, ye shulen be glorious in him. And Dauid the king sayes also on this wise in the Psalter MarginaliaPsal. 119.booke: blesset be they (Lord) that keepen thy law, in worldes of worldes they shall prayse thee. And in Leuiticus MarginaliaLeuit. 26.sayes God thus, gif that ye wenden in mine hestes & keepen my commaundementes, and done hem, I shall I shall bring forth theyt fruit,, and trees shall be fulfilled with apples. And ye shallen eat your bread in fulnes, ye shoulen dwell in your lande without drede, I shall geue peace in your costes, ye shall sleep and no man shall feare you. Euill beastes I shall done away from you, and sword shall not passe your termes, ye shuln pursue your enemies, and they shall fall before you, fifty of yours shulne pursue an hundreth of heren, an hundret of yours, a thousand of theyrs: your enemies, hee saieth shulen fal through sword, and your lute. I shall he sayes behold you and make you to waxe, and ye shall be multipliet: And I shall strength with you my couenaunt, ye shall eat the aldest, and the new shull come in theron. And ye shuln cast forth the old, I shall dwell in the midst of you. And I shall wend amonges you, and shalbe your God, and ye shulne be my people. If that ye heare me not, ne done nought all my hestes but dispisē my law and my domes, and that ye done not tho thinges that of me bene ordenet, and breken my commaundements and my couenant: I shall do these thinges to you. I shall visite you surely in