ly and translated in the vulgar language, that all people may see and reade vpon them. And thereupon the syght of the bookes they lyghtly followe the true lyght of Gods worde, refusyng the horror of darkenes & false doctrine, wherby before they haue bene seduced frō the ryght teachyng and way shewed in the Byble. And thys is done, not of an hundred ne of a thousand, but generally of the whole cyties and countrie, both hyghe and lowe, fewe or none except. Our Prelates againwarde seyng this, that their dealing should, if this light were set vp, sone be detect and discouered, sent out commaundementes, that if any persones shall aduenture to kepe any suche bookes, thei shalbe in so doyng excommunicate from God and all his sainctes, & cursed as black as pitch, whether the bookes be in Latin, Englyshe, Frenche, Dutche, or any other tongne, as in deede menne seyng the frute in them shewed, hath set them forthe in all languages. But this ought not Christen menne to thynke any neweltie, for so did their forefathers the Prelates in Christes time, & after to the Apostles, yea, and it were wel tryed, I thynke it should be sone founde out, that they haue so dealte euer synce vnto this daye. For when Christe went about preachyng, the Scribes and Phariseis whiche were byshoppes then, and Prelates, gaue a general commaundement, that whosoeuer confessed hym to be Christe, should be cursed and put out of the Synagoge, that we call the churche, and so they were. Loke in the Actes of the Apostles, and you shall fynde howe they were in lyke maner serued, yea, loke in the olde Testament and you shal finde as I remēber, howe they procured of one that was a temporall Ruler at that season, to haue the prophecie of Hieremie (for he of all other is moste vehement against the dissimulation of priestes) to be burned. why then should we eschewe them or their workes, onles we knew a better cause why, whom our Prelates reiect and cast away? Seyng they render no reasonable cause of their enterpryse. But presumyng of their power, without any due autoritie that I can fynde in so doyng graunted them, wyll because they so commaunde in lykewyse haue all done, accordyng lyke the tyranous saying, I trowe it was of Sardanapalus 

, Sic volo sic iubeo sit pro ratione voluntas, that is to saye. Thus will I, thus byd I, my wyll shalbe reason and cause why. But I would to God that suche knewe what spirite they haue in them, if so it were sothe that thei haue the spirit which they claime and pretende to haue, I meane the spirite of Christe, whiche I dare saye, if they had in very deede, should sone alter such hawt language and doyng, and cause them to turne a newe leafe, for that spirite is full of softnes, and lenyte, lowlynes and humilitie, pacienceand temperancie, voyde of all wylfulnes and tyrannye, yea, it should cause them not to preuent, but easely to followe the counsell and doctrine of Christes Apostles and holy saincts, that be theyr interpretours. As saynt Paule whiche wryting vnto the Thessaloniās, wold them all to proue all thynges, and to retayne or holde that only whiche is good, in restraynyng from all that hath semblaunce of euyll. And saint Iohn would haue Christen people, to trie the spirites of them that should speake, whether they were of God or no? Also he wrytyng in an other Epistle vnto a noble womā and vnto her chyldren, sayeth, if any persone (quod blessed saint Iohn) shal come vnto you, brynging with hym the doctrine that is not of Christe, receyue hym not into your house, ne make hym any chere, so that in this he would haue wemen to knowe the doctrine of Christe and to loue that, refusyng to geue credence vnto foreine teaching, not sauering the same. In the Epistle also to the Corinthians, S. Paule wryting vnto all the generaltie of the cytie, sayth. Brethrē, be you no chyldren in wytte & vnderstandynge, but as concerning malice, be you therein chyldrē. In witt I would haue you perfyght, and why? Verely for none other cause, but that we should as he wryteth vnto the Hebrues, haue discretiō to iudge the good from ill, and contrariwyse the ill from good. And so lyke men odde and diuerse frō beastes, according to þ^e saying of the Prophet. Se that you be not like vnto an horse or a mule, which lacke vnderstāding. But that we should pray with hym in another Psalme. O Lorde do me to knowe the waye, that I oughte to lyue after and walke in. Saint Chrisostome accordyng vnto this, in a certayne of his commentaries vpon Mathewe, the booke is called Opus imperfectum Chrisostomi. Wryteth after this fashion, so nere as my remembraūce doth serue, and certaine I am that I shall not mysreporte hym, and that I wylbe tried when so euer it shall please you to bryng the booke.

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The priestes that were Phariseis in þ^e tyme (quod he) of Christ, made an ordinaunce, that whosoeuer should knowledge Ihesus to bee priest, should be cursed and excommunicate, if then the Phariseis or priestes that now do occupie their roumes, shoulde make a like ordinaunce, because they would not haue Christes doctrine to be professed for hyndryng of theyr lucre. Should we therfore geue in all poyntes credence vnto them, and leue to seke after the knowledge of Christes doctrine? Nay truely. Why quod he, shall we not be excused here in by ignoraunce, seyng we be forfended by the rulers to haue knowledge. he aunswereth, no verely, for if sayth he, when thou luste to bye cloth, thou wylt not be content to see on marchauntes ware, but go from the first to the se

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