their power and cunning, and how deuout they were in prayers, how feruent they were in heauenly desires, and how they absented them from spectacles of vaine sayings and hearings, and how stable they were to let and to destroy al vices, and how laborious and ioyfull they were, to sowe and to plant vertues. These heauenly conditions and such other, haue pilgrimes, or to endeuour them for to haue: whose pilgrimage God accepteth.

And agayne, I sayde, as their workes shewe, the moste part of men and women that goe nowe on pilgrimages, haue not these foresaid conditions, nor loueth to busie thē faythfully for to haue. For as I well knowe, since I haue full oft assayde, examine whosoeuer will xx. of these pylgrimes, and he shall not finde three men or women that know surely a commaundement of God, nor can say their Pater noster, & Aue Maria nor their Creede readely in anye maner of language. And as I haue learned & also knowe somewhat by experience of these same pilgrimes, tellynge the cause, why that many men and women go hether and thether now on pilgrimage: It is more for the health of their bodies, then of their soules: more for to haue ryches 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 frindship of God, and of his saints in heauen. For whatsoeuer thinge man or woman doth, the frendship of God, nor of any other Saint cānot be had, wythout keeping of Gods commaundementes. Further, with my protestation, I say nowe as I sayde in Shrewsbury, though they that haue fleshly willes, trauel farre their bodies and spend mekel money, to seeke and to visite the bones or Images (as they saye they doe) of thys Saint or of that: Marginalia Pilgrimage displeasaunt to God. such pilgrimage going is neither praisable nor thankful to God nor to any saint of God, synce in effect, al such pilgrimes dispise God and al his cōmaundements & Saints. For þ^e cōmaundemēts of God they will nother know nor keepe, nor cōform thē to liue vertuously by example of Christ and of his Saints. Wherefore sir, I haue preached and taught openly, and so I purpose al my life time to do with Gods help, saying that such fond people waste blamefully Gods goods in ther vain pilgrimages, Marginalia Goods euill bestowed in pilgrimage. spending their goods vpon vitious hostelars, which are oft vncleane womē of their bodies: & at the least, those goods with the which they should do works of mercy after Gods bidding, to poore needy men and women.

These poore mens goods and their liuelode, these runners about, offer to riche priestes which haue mekill more liuelode then they neede. Marginalia The incōueniēce that commeth by pilgrimage. And thus those goods they wast wilfully, & spend them vniustly against gods bidding vpon straungers, with which, they should helpe and relieue, after Gods wil, their poore nedy neighbors at home: ye & ouer this folly, oft times diuers men and women, of these runners thus madly hether and thither into pilgrimage: borow hereto, other mens goodes, ye and sometime they steale mens goods hereto, and they pay them neuer again. Also sir, I know wel that when diuers men and women wil go thus after their owne wills, and fyndinge out one pilgrimage: they will ordeyne wyth them before, to haue with them both men and women, that can wel sing wanton songs, and some other pilgrimes, wil haue with them bagge pipes: so that euery town that they come through, what with the noyse of their singing, and with the soūd of their piping, and with the iangling of their Caunterbury bels, and with the barkyng out of dogges after them, that they make more noyce, thē if the king came there away, w^t all his clarions, & many other minstrels. And if these men and women be a month out in their pilgrimage, many of them shall be an halfe yeare after, great ianglers, tale tellers, and lyers.

¶ And þ^e Archb. said to me: Leud losel, thou seest not farre inough in this matter, for thou considerest not þ^e great trauaile of pilgrims: therfore, thou blamest that thing that is praysable. I say to thee, that it is right wel done, that pilgrimes haue with them both singers and also pipers:Marginalia Well spoken my Lord for Lincolnshire bagpipes. that when one of them that goeth barefoote, striketh his to vpon a stone, and hurteth him sore, & maketh him to blede: it is well done that he or his felow begin thē a song, or els take out of his bosom a bagpipe, for to driue away w^t suche mirth, the hurt of his fellow. Marginalia And why then blamed Boner Philpot for singing in the stockes? For which such solace, the trauayle and wearynes of pilgrymes, is lightly, and merily borne out.

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

¶ Aud the Archb. said, what ianglest thou against mēs deuotion? Whatsoeuer thou or such other say, I say that þ^e pilgrimage that now is vsed, is to thē that do it, a praysable and a good meane to come the rather to grace. Marginalia A new found way to grace of the bishops making. But I hold thee vnable to know this grace, for thou enforcest thee tolet the deuotion of the people: since by authoritie of holye scripture, men may lefully haue & vse such solace as þ^m reprouest. For Dauid in his last Psalme, techeth mē to haue diuers instruments of musike for to praise therwith God:

☞ And I saide: sir, by the sentence of diuers Doctours expoūding the psalmes of Dauid: tht musike and minstrelsie þ^t Dauid & other saints of the olde lawe spake of, ought now nother to be taken nor vsed by the letter, but these instrumēts with their musike ought to be interpreted ghostly: Marginalia Instrumētes & musike of the old testament, how they are to be applyed and vsed in the new testament. For al those figures are called vertues and grace, with which vertues men should please god, & praise hys name. For S. Paul sayth: al such things befell to them in figure. Therfore sir, I vnderstād, that the letter of this psalme of Dauid and of such other Psalmes and sentences doth slay them that take thē now litterally. This sentence as I vnderstand sir, Christ approueth himselfe; putting out þ^e minstrels, or that he would quicken the dead damsell.

¶ And þ^e Archb. said to me. Marginalia Orgaynes in the Church. Leud losel, is it not lefull to vs to haue Organes, in þ^e church for to worship therewithall God? And I sayd, ye sir, by mans ordinance: But by þ^e ordinance of God, a good sermon to þ^e peoples vnderstāding were mekil more pleasant to God.

☞ And the Archb. said, Marginalia A fitt comparison my Lord, & like your selfe. that Organes and good delectable songs, quickned & sharpened more mēs wits then should any sermon.

¶ But I saide: sir, lusty men & worldly louers, delite and couet & trauail to haue al their wittes quickned & sharpened w^t diuers sensible solace: But al the the faythful louers and followers of Christ, haue al their delite to heare gods word, and to vnderstand it truely, and to worke therafter faithfully and continually. For no doubt, to dread to offēd God, and to loue to please him in all things quickneth and sharpeneth all the wittes of Christs chosen people: and ableth them so to grace, that they ioy greatly to withdrawe their eares and al their wits and members, frō al worldly delite and from all fleshly solace. For S. Ierome (as I thinke) sayth. Marginalia The saying of Ierome. No body may ioy with this world & raigne with Christ.

☞ And þ^e Archb. (as if he had ben displeased w^t mine aunswer) said to his clerks. What gesse ye that this Idiot wyll speak there, wher he hath no dread: since he speaketh thus now here in my presence? Wel, wel, Marginalia You sweare my Lord. by God thou shalt bee ordayned for. And then he spake to me al angerly.

Marginalia The 4. article concerning priestes tithes. WHat saiest thou to this fourth point, that is certified against thee, preaching openly & boldly in Shrewsbury, that priests haue no title to tithes?

And I sayd. Sir, I named there no worde of tythes in my preaching. But more then a month after that I was arested: there in prison, a man came to mee into the pryson, asking me what I sayd of tythes. And I sayd to him. Sir, in this towne are many clerkes and priests, of which some are called religious mē, though many of them be seculars. Therefore, aske ye of them this question. And thys man sayd to me. Syr, our Prelates say, that we also are obliged to pay our tithes of all thinges that renue to vs: and that they are accursed, that withdraw anye part wittingly fro them of their tythes. And I sayd (sir) to that man, as w^t my protestation I say now before your: that I wonder that any priest dare say, men to be accursed, without the ground of Gods word, Marginalia A paradox without Gods word. And the man said. Syr our priests say, that they curse men thus by authoritie of Gods law. And I said Sir I know not where this sentence of cursing is authorised now in the Bible. And therefore syr, I pray you that ye will aske the most cunning clerke of this towne, that yee may know wher this sentēce of cursing thē þ^t tithe not, is now writtē in gods law: for if it were writtē there, I wold right gladly be learned wher. But shortly this mā would not go fro me, to aske this questiō, of an other body: But reqnired me there, as I would aunswer before God, if in this case, that cursing of priests were lawfull & approued of God? And shortly herewith came to my mind the learning of S. Peter, teaching priests specially to halowe the Lord Christ in their harts: being euermore redy (as farre as in them is) to aunswer thorough faith and hope to thē that aske of them a reason. And this lesson Peter teacheth men to vse with a meeke spirit & with dread of the Lord. Wherefore sir, I said to this man in this wise. Marginalia A difference to be put betwixt the old law and the new. In the old law, which ended not fully, till the time that Christ rose vp againe from death to life: God cōmanded tithes to be giuen to the Leuits, for the great busines and daily trauaile that perteined to their office. But priests, because their trauel was mekil more easy & light, then was the office of the Leuits: Marginalia Priestes had the x. part of the tithes geuen to the Leuites. God ordeined þ^t priests should take for their liuelode to do their office, the tenth part of those tithes þ^t were giuen to þ^e Leuits. But now (I said) in the new law, neither Christ nor any of his apostles tooke tithes of þ^e people