vnperfect hate: but through the perfect hate of your horrible heresie, and denying the fayth of Christ, that I may say with Dauid in the Psalme. Perfecto odio oderam &c. And I am very sorye for you, that you which in times past haue exellētly well, and fruitfully preached the Gospell in the pulpit, do nowe as wel fayle in the congruitie of the Latine toung, as in the other science naturall. For as it was heard thrise in one lecture you sayde appetitis, that is to saye, pronouncyng the myddle syllable longe, whych thyng not onely the maisters, but also the yong scholers vnderstoode. And many other faultes there in your Grammer, which for shame I dare not recite. I send vnto you these fiue cōclusions.

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Marginalia5. Conclusions sent.The first conclusion. It is an infallible veritie that the wordes of the foure chiefe doctours  

, expounding the holy scripture according to the veritie which the words do pretend, are to be holden and kept.

The second: He which importeth any equiuocatiō out of any of the Doctours expounding, for the coulouring of his text, his equiuocation is alwayes to be left.

The thirde: No peruersion of any reprobate is able to turne the congregation of the elect from the faith, because al thinges þ^t shal come to passe, are eternally in God deuysed & ordayned for the best, vnto the elect Christians.

The fourth: Like as the mystical body of Christ is the congregation of al the Elect: so Antichrist mistically is the church of the wicked & of al the reprobates.

The fift: The conclusions of Swinderby, be agreable to the fayth in euery part.

¶ This letter was thus subscribed.

By the spirite of God, sometime visityng you.

☞ Besides this epistle aboue prefixed, there is also foūd annexed with the same, a deuise of an other certayne letter coūterfeited vnder the name of Lucifer prince of darknes: writing to the Pope and al popishe Prelates, persecuting the true and right church (with all might and mayne) to maintayn their pride and domination in this earth, vnder a coulourable pretence & visor of the catholique church, & succession Apostolical. Which letter although it seemeth in some authors to be ascribed to Ockam, aboue mencioned: yet because I find it in the same Register of the church of Herford cōteyned, & inserted amōg þ^e tractations of Walter Brute, and deuised (as þ^e Register said) by þ^e Lollards: I thought no meeter place, then here to annexe the same, the tenour wherof thus proceedeth in words as follow.  

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MarginaliaThe epistle of Lucifer to the proud prelates of the popes clergie.I Lucifer prince of darknes and profound heauinesse, Emperour of the high mysteries of the Kyng of Acharont  

, Captaine of the dungeon, Erebus kyng of hell, and comptroller of the infernall fire: To all our children of pryde, and companions of our kyngdome, and especially to our Prynces of the Church of this latter age and tyme (of which our aduersary Iesus Christ, accordyng to the Prophet, saieth: I hate the church or congregation of the wicked) send greeting, & wish prosperitie to all that obey our commaundementes, as also to those that be obedient to the lawes of Sathan already enacted, & that are diligent obseruers of our behestes, and the precepts of our decree. MarginaliaThe difference betwene the bishops of the primitiue church and of the latter church.Know ye that in times past certaine vicars or vicegerents of Christ, following hys steppes in miracles and vertues, liuing and continuyng in a beggerly lyfe, conuerted (in a maner) the whole world from the yoke of our tiranny vnto their doctrine & maner of lyfe: To the great derision and contempte of our prison house and kyngdome: and also to the no little preiudice and hurt of our iurisdiction and authorytie, nor fearing to hurt our fortified power ond to offend the maiestie of our estate. For then receiued we no tribute of the world, neyther dyd the myserable sort of common people, rushe at the gates of our deepe dungeon as they were wont to do with continuall pealyng and rappyng, but then the easie, pleasant, & broad way, which leadeth to death, lay still without great noyce of trāpelyng trauaylers, neyther yet was trode with the feete of myserable men.MarginaliaHumilitie edifieth. Pride destroyeth. And when all our courtes were without sutets, Hell then began to houle: And thus continuyng in great heauines & anguish, was robbed and spoyled. Which thing considered, the impacient rage of our stomacke coulde no longer suffer, neyther the ougle retchelous neglygence of our great Captayne generall could any longer indure it. But we, seeking remedy for the time that should come after, haue prouyded vs of a verye trimme shift: For in stead of these Apostles and other their adherentes whyche draw by the same lyne of theirs, as wel in maners as doctrine, & are odious enemis vnto vs: We haue caused you to be their successors, & put you in their place, which be Prelates of the church in these latter times, by our great might and subtletie, as Chrysthath sayd of you they haue raigned but not by me. Once we promised vnto him al the kingdom of the world if he would fal down and worship vs, but he would not, saying: my kingdome is not of this would, and went his way, when the multitude would haue made him a temporall kinge. MarginaliaPlacing of proud prelates the cause of all mischiefe. The Church neuer well gouerned since the Deuils offers were takē of the Churchmen.But to you truely which are fallen from the state of grace, and that serue vs in the earth: is that my promise fulfilled, and all terrene thyngs be our meanes which we haue bestowed vpon you, are vnder gouernment. For he hath said of vs as ye know: The prince of the world cōmeth &c. and hath made vs to raigne ouer al children of vnbeliefe. Therfore our aduersaryes before recited, dyd pacientlye submit themselues vnto the Princes of the worlde, and did teache that men shoulde do so, saying. Be ye subiect to euery creature for Gods cause, whether it be to the Kyng as moste chiefest. And agayne: Obey ye them that are made rulers ouer you &c. For so their maister commaūded them saying: The kinges of the heathen haue dominion ouer them &c. But I think it long til we haue powred our poyson vpō the earth, and therefore fill your selues full. MarginaliaPride in prelates noted.And now bee yee not onely vnlyke those fathers, but also contrary vnto them in your lyfe and conditions, and extoll your selues aboue all other men. MarginaliaPopish prelates neither geue to God nor to Cæsar that which belongeth to God & Cæsar. The double iurisdiction of the popes 2. swordes commeth of Lucifer.Neyther do ye geue to God that which belongeth to him, nor yet to Cæsar that which is his: But exercise you the power of both the swordes, according to our decrees, makinge your selues doers in wordlye matters, fighting in our quarell, intangled with secular labours and busines. And clyme ye by litle & little from the myserable state of pouerty, vnto the highest seates of all honours, & the most princely places of dignitie by your deuised practises, & false and deceitfull wyles and subtlety: that is, by hypocrisy, flattery, lying, periurie, treasons, deceits, simonye, and other greater wickednes then which our infernal furies may deuise. MarginaliaThe outragies of the popes clergie described.For after that ye haue by vs bene aduaunced thither where ye would be: yet that doth not suffice you, but as gready staruelings more hūgry then ye were before, ye suppresse the poore, scratch and rack together all that comes to hand, peruerting and turninge euerie thing topsie toruey: so swollen, that redy ye are to burst for pride liuing like Lechers in all corporal delicatenes, and by fraude dyrecting all your doinges. You challenge to your selues names of honour in the earth, callyng your selues MarginaliaDominos. Sanctos. Sanctissimos.Lordes, holye, yea and most holy persons.

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Thus, eyther by violence ye rauen, or els by ambition, subtilly ye pilfer away, and wrongfully wrast, and by false title possesse those goodes whuch for the sustentation of the poore members of Christ (whom frō our first fall we haue hated) were bestowed and geuen: MarginaliaThe lasciuious and whorish lyfe of the Romish clergie.consuming them as ye your selues lyst, & therewith ye cherish and maintaine an innumerable sort of whoores, strumpets, and bawdes, with whom ye ride pompously like mightie Prynces, farre otherwise goinge, then those poore beggerly priestes of the primatiue Church. For I would ye shoulde buylde your selues ryche and gorgeous palacies, yee fare lyke Prynces, eating and drinking the most daintiest meates, and pleasauntest wines that may be gotten: ye hoord and heepe together an infynite deale of treasure, not like to him that sayd, golde and siluer I haue none, ye serue and fight for vs according to your wages O most acceptable societie or fellowship, promised vnto vs by the Prophet, and of those fathers long ago reprooued: Whilest that Christ called thee the Sinagogue of Sathan, MarginaliaThe whorishe latter Church of Rome.and lykened thee to the mighty whoore which committed fornicatiō with the kings of the earth, the adulterous spouse of Christ, and of a chaste person made a strompet. Thou hast left thy first loue and hast cleaued vnto vs, O our beloued Babilon, O our citizens, which from the transmigration of Ierusalem, come hether: we loue you for your desertes, we reioyce ouer you, which contemne the lawes of Simon Peter, and imbrace the lawes of Symon MagusMarginaliaPope successour not of Simon Peter but of Simō Magus. our friend, and haue them at your fingers endes, and exercise the same publiquely, buying and selling spirituall thynges in the Churche of God, and against the commaundement of God MarginaliaWicked and vnworthy minysters admitted in the Popes church. Vnworthy bestowing of benefices.Ye geue benefices and honors by petition, or els for money, for fauor, or els for filthy seruice. And refusing to admit those that bee worthy to ecclesiastical dignities, & perferring those that are vnworthye, you call vnto the inheritance of gods sanctuarie, baudes, lyers, flatterers, your nephues, and your owne children, & to a childish boy, ye geue many prebends: the least whereof ye deny to bestow vpō a poore good man: ye esteeme the person of a man and receyue giftes, ye regarde money and haue no regarde of soules. Ye haue made the house of God a denne of theeues. Al abuse, all extortiō, is more exercised, a hundreth fold in your iudgement seats, then with any secular tyrant.MarginaliaAcception of person. Bribery. Ye make laws & kepe not the same, & ye dispence with your dispensations as it pleaseth you, you iustifye the wicked for rewardes, and ye take away the iust mās desart frō him. And briefly ye perpetrate or cōmit all kind of mischief, euen as it is our wil ye should. MarginaliaLoue of Lucre.And ye take much paine for lucres sake in our seruice, and especially to destroy the Christian fayth. For now the lay people are almost in doubt what they may beleue, because if ye preach any thing to them at sometimes (although it be but seldome seene, & that negligently inough, euen as we would haue it) yet notwithstanding they beleue you not, because they se manifestly that ye do cleane contrary, to that ye say.MarginaliaExtortion. Peruerting of Iustice. Wherupon,

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