bly spoken to the commendation and praise of wedlocke. But these vnshamefast faces do cal it a filthy and vncleane thinge, alledginge the leuitical priestes, which as often as they came vnto the office of ministration, were bounden to lie a parte from their wiues: wherby they being cleane and vndefiled, might handle the holy things: and our sacraments, for so much as they are much more noble and excellent thē theirs & daily vsed, it would be a very vncomelye thing that they should be handled by maried men. MarginaliaA popysh obiection against priests marryage refuted As thoughe that the offyce of the ministerye of the Gospell were all one with the leuiticall priesthode. MarginaliaLeuitical priestes in time of their minystration abstained frō their wiues Ergo christen priests must have no wyues. I do denye the argument. For they as figures dyd represent Christe whiche beinge mediator betwene God and man, by his singuler and absolute purity and clennesse, shoulde reconcyle the father vnto vs, forsomuch as on no parte sinners could exhibite or shew forth anye tipe or forme of his sanctity or holinesse, yet to the intent they might shadow him oute, with certaine similitudes or liniamentes, they were commaunded that when so euer they shoulde come vnto the sanctuarye or holye place, they shoulde purify them selues: aboue all mennes order or fashion, for then did they moste neare and properly figurate Christ which appeared in the Tabernacle, as peace makers to reconcile the people vnto God. This Image or personage, for so much as our Ecclesiasticall pastoures at this daye do not take vpon them or execute, in vain are they compared vnto them: Wherfore thapostle without al exception vpon a sure and good grounde dothe pronounce and say, that mariage is honorable amōgst all men, and that the whoremōgers and aduoutrers doo abide the iudgement of God. Besides all this, thapostles them selues by their exāples do proue that matrimony is not vnworthy of any office or function, be it neuer so excellent, for S. Paule 

him self is witnes, that they dyd not only kepe their wiues, but also caried thē about with them.

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MarginaliaThe iiii. article.That al those heresies commonlye called the heresies of Englande, or at the least the greater or most part of them to be now presētly vnderstand and knowen by the English men to be of them selues good and iust, and to be obserued of al faithful christians as most true and confirmable vnto the law of god, and that he hath perswaded many persons to imbrace the saide heresyes.

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Saint Ihon in his xi. chapter 

declareth how Caiphas hie bishop of Ierusalem did prophecy that Iesus shuld die for þ^e people, which thing he spake being vtterly ignoraunt. The like Image of blindnes we haue now presentlye in our lururious cardinal of s. Androwes & hys adherents, which accused religion of heresye, which in the yere of our Lorde 1540. was had in estimation in England, at the whiche time they proclaimed me an archheretik, althoughthey esteme the same religion for most christian, for what religion at that time was vsed in England, MarginaliaThe state of religyon in England An. 1540. the like the whole realme of Scotland did embrace, in this poynt only the English men differed from the Scottes, that they had cast of the yoke of Antichrist, thother not. Idols wer worshipped of both natiōs, the profanating of the supper and baptisme was lyke vnto them bothe, wicked superstition raigned on both partes, and true worship was deformed and defaced with detestable hipocrisye. Truely it is most false that they doo affirme & say, that I had subscribed vnto such kind of heresies, as thoughe they had bene confirmable vnto the law of God, whē as nothing is more aduerse or repugnante there vnto: For euen nowe of late, God of his goodnes and mercye had opened my daseling eies, and hath drawn me out of the filthy flow of Idolatry and superstition, in the which amongst others I haue so long time wallowed and tombled. Neither is it any les absurde, that they affirm me to haue allured many to embrace the same, except peraduenture they do vnderstand that I haue oftentimes wished, that the yoke of Antichriste shuld be shaken & caste of from the neckes of the Scots, as it is from the Englishe menne: which thing with a sincere and vpright hart, and with an earnest mind I do now also wish and desyre.

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MarginaliaThe v. article.That the scottish nation and their clergy be all together blinded, whome he did also say and affyrm that they had not the true catholik faith And this he dyd openly teach, and preached also that hys faythe was muche better and more excellent then the fayth of all the cleargy in the realme of Scotland.

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No man wil deny that people to be blinded which neither heareth Christ nor his apostles. such is þ^e people of Scotland, I speake of those vnto whome the veritye and truthe of Christe hathe not yet opened or manifested it selfe. There is no cause therfore why they shuld accuse me of heresy. Furthermore, how farre of the nation and people of Scotland be from the hearing of Christ, allbeit the premisses do sufficiently declare, in that they do challenge vnto the Romish Antichriste, the autoritye whiche Christ and his Apostles do declare, Christ him self to be endowed with all, & that contrary to the word of God they forbid priests to marry. I will adde some thing more vnto it, where by the matter may be more euident. MarginaliaAntithesis or comparisō betwene the religion of Scotish men and the religion of Christ. Christ calleth him self the dore, wherby all men ought to enter in at Ihon the x. chapter 

. Contrariwise the Scottes do say and affirme that we muste enter in by the virgine Mary, and Sainte Peter. Christ in the iiii. of Ihon  saithe: the tyme shall come when as the true worshippers shal worship the father in spirit and truthe, the Scots build them selues high tēpels and chapels for

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