conde, from the seconde to the thyrde, and so further to knowe whereas is the best clothe, and best cheape. Thou vsing suche solicitie for a temporall profit, arte well worthy great reproche that wilt be more remisse and negligēt for thy soule health. Seke therfore about from one doctour or teacher vnto an other, that thou maiest knowe who doth moste duely and truely teache Christ, and hym folowe, accordyng to the saying of the Apostle, proue all and holde the good. And as it is sayde in the Gospel, that thou maiest knowe. Qui sunt probati nummu larij & qui non, that is to wytte, knowe who is true or lawfull chaungers or coyners, & who be not. He also addeth another similitude or parable. When thou goest (quod he) a iourney not knowyng perfightly the way of the same, thou wilt, least thou sholdest fayle of the right way, inquire of one man, and after of an other, and if thou shouldest chaunce to go somewhat wyde, yet thou wilt not so leue of thy iourney vndone, but make inquisition of new, to come where thou wouldest rest: So likewyse (quod he) ought we to seke about intentiuely for the wealth of our soule: Qui sunt probi clauigeri, et qui non, that is to say, who are the ryght keye bearers and who not: meaning there by, the keye bearers Christs Apostles, and bearers of his testimonie or message, whiche saying although it were wrytten of no autenticall autor (howe beit, it is written euen of him selfe, as I do shewe you in the sayde worke) but vttered of one that were in litle estimation, euery indiffernet mans reason hauing wyt, wold assent I doubt not, but that it is ful true. The same autor also in an Epistle whiche you shal fynd in a worke called Psegmata Chrisostomi. sheweth as I remember, how certaine menne deamed ill of hym, for because he did study Origines workes, whiche afore was condempned for an heretike, but he maketh apologie to the same, shewyng that Christian men ought not to be reprehended for so doyng. In whiche Apologie he bryngeth for his defence, the saying of Paule aboue rehersed, proue al thinges &c. Likewyse did saint Hierome, I wote not wel in what place of his workes, but you shal fynde it in a treatise called Vnio dissidentium in the passage De mandatis hominum. When it was obiected against him þ^t he retayned by hym the workes of Eusebius and of Origen, studiyng vpon them: he bryngeth for him that it was so lawful, the sayd place of the Apostle, making therwith an aunswere worthy to bee greatly noted. The same is also reported in the boke called Ecclesiastica historia, or els in Historia tripartita, I wote not now precisely wether 

. So that these and other mo autorities of the scripture, and semable ensamples of holye interpretours, shall make, that I & other may safely (no good lawe inhibiting, onles constitutions phariseicall) reade and searche the workes, not only of Luther, but also of all other, be they neuer so ill or good. Namely seyng I am a priest whome the Byshop of Norwiche ought not to haue admitted into orders, onles he had seene me to haue had iudgement to discerne good from ill, neyther ought any of you to geue to any suche orders, in whome you do not fynde lyke habilitie for to iudge the light from darkenes, and the truthe from falshode. And therfore, if for this you would punish me, I can not see but you shall condempne your selfe, iudging rather of sensual pleasure, then of equitie, whiche in men of your order were a great shame and muche vncomely.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaAnswer to the third article.Vnto your thyrde demaunde, where you do aske whether I was constitute priest and in what diocese, and of why byshop. MarginaliaLambert made priest in norwich.I saye that I was made priest in Norwiche, and of the byshopps suffragan of the same diocese.

MarginaliaAnswer to the fourthe article.Vnto the fourth wherin you do demaunde, whether it be lawfull for a priest to marye a wyfe, & whether a priest in some case be bound by the lawe of God to mary a wyfe. MarginaliaMariage of priestes whether it be lawfull & expedient.I say that it is lefull, yea, and necessary for all men, that hath not geuen to them of God the gift of chastitie, to mary a wyfe, and that sheweth bothe Christ and saint Paul. In the xix. of Mathew Christ speaking vnto the Phariseis that came for to tempt him, in the conclusion, sayeth in this wyse. Whosoeuer sayth he, shall forsake his wyfe except it be for fornication doyng, & marieth an other, committeth adoultrie, and whosoeuer marieth her so forsaken committeth adoultrie. With that, speaketh his disciples, If thus the case stande betwyxt a man & his wyfe: it shalbe hurtfull and not expedient to contracte matrimonie. He made aunswere, euery man cannot away with that saying, but they vnto whome it is geuen of God. Meaning that euery man coulde not abyde syngle or vnmaried. but suche vnto whome was geuen of God a special grace so to continue. And if with your better aduise I myght be somewhat herein bolde. I would suppose that wheras he doth saye. Non omnes sunt capaces, huius dicti, this worde Non omnes, ought to be here taken like as it is in many other places of scripture, as where in the psalme it is saide: Non iustificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis viuens. It is ment that no persone liuing shalbe iustified afore God. And in the Epistle to the Galathians, and to the Romaines. Where it is sayde: Ex operibus legis non iustificabitur omnis caro it is ment thereby nulla caro, so that non omnis, after the rule of equipollence, should be taken as muche as nullus, and then the sense shuld be thus. Nulli sunt capaces huius dicti nisi hiquibus datum sit. No man can be capax of this saying: or can so passe their life without mariage except those whiche haue it geuen them

[Back to Top]