A Most Faithful Sermon

A Sermon preached before the Kynge.

V Idete & cauete ab auaricia. Take heed and beware of covetousness, take heed and beware of covetousness, take heed and beware of covetousness, take heed & beware of covetousness. And what and if I should say nothing else these three or. iiii. hours (for I know it will be so long, in case I be not commanded to the contrary) but these words Take hede and beware of covetousness, it would be thought a strange Sermon before a Kynge to say noteynge elsse but Cauete ab auaricia. Beware of Covetousness. And yet as strange as it is, it would be like the Sermon of Jonas that he preached to the Ninevites, as touching the shortness, and as touching the paucity or fewnes of the words: For his Sermon was, Ad huc quadraginta dies, et Nineveh subuertetur. There is yet fourtye days to come, and Nynyue shall be destroyed. Thus he walcked from street to strete, & from place to place round about the Citye, and said nothing else, but there is yet. xl. days (quod he) and Nineveh shall be destroyed. There is no great ods nor difference at the lest wise, in the number of words, no nor yet in the sense or meaning between, these two Sermons: There is yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be destroyed, and these words that I have taken to speak of this day: Take heed and beware of Covetousness. For Nineveh should be destroyed for sin, and of their sins Covetousness was one, and one of the greatest, so that it is all one infeffect. And as they be like concerning the shortness, the paucity of words, the breuitye of words, & also the meaning & purpose: So I would they might be like in fruit and profit, for what came of Jonas sermon? what was the fruit of it? Ad predicacionem Ionae crediderunt Deo. At the preaching of Jonas they believed God. Here was a great fruit, a great effect wrought, what is that same, they believed god? They believed God's Preacher God's Offycer, God's Minister Jonas, & wer converted from their syn. They believed that (as the preachersayd) if they did not repent & amende their life, the Cyty should be destroyed within fourtye days. This was a great fruit, for Jonas was but one man, & he preached, but one Sermon, and it was but a short Sermon, neither as touching the number of words, and yet he turned all the whole City great & small, ritche and poor, king and all. We be mani preachers here in England, and we preach many long Sermons, and yet the people will not reap̄t nor convert. This was the frut, the effect and the good that his Sermon did, that all the whole City at his preaching converted and amended their evil living & did penance in sakcloth. And yet here in this Sermon of Jonas is no great curiousnes, no great clerklines, no great affertacyon of words, nor of painted eloquence, it was none other but Ad huc qua di aginta dies, & Nineveh subuertitur. yet fortye days & Nineveh subuertitur, and Nineveh shall be destroyed, it was no more. This was no great curious Sermon, but this was a nyppynge Sermon, apynchynge Sermon, a biting Sermon, it had a full byte, it was a nyppynge sermon, a rough Sermon, and a sharp bitynge Sermon. Do you not hear marvel that these Ninevites caste not Jonas in prison, that they did not reuyle him, and rebuke him? They did not revile him, nor rebuke him, but God gave them grace to hear him, and to convert and amend at his preaching. A strange matter, so noble a Citye to give place to one man's Sermon. Now England cannot abide this gear, they cannot be content to hear God's Minister and his threatening for their sin. Thoughe the Sermon be never so good, though it be never so true. It is a naughty fellow, a seditious fellow, he maketh trouble and rebellyon in the Realm, he lacketh dyscression, but the Ninevites rebuked not Jonas y ^e he lacketh dyscression, or that he spake out of time, that his Sermon was out of season made. But in England if God's Preacher, God's Minister be any thing quike, or do speak sharply, then he is a foolysh fellow, he is rash, he lacketh dyscression. Nowadayes if they cannot reprove the doctrine y ^• is preached: then they will reprove the Preacher that he lacketh dew consideracion of the times, and y ^• he is of lernyng sufficient, but he wanteth discressyon, what a time is this pycked out to preach such things, he should have a respect and a regard to the time, and to the state of things, and of the Commō w •• l. It reioiseth me sometimes when myfrend cometh and telleth me that they find faute with 〈…〉 y dyscressyon, for by lykelyehoode (think I) the doctrine is true, for if they could find faut with y ^e doctrine, they would not charge me with the lack of discression, but they would charge me with my doctrine, & not with the lack of discressyon, or with the inconueniency of the time, I will now ask you a question: I pray you when should Jonas have preached against the Covetousness of Nineveh, if the covetous men should have appointed him his time? I know y ^• preachers ought to have a dyscressyon in their preaching, and that they ought to have a consideraciō and respect to the place and to y ^e time that he preacheth in, as I myself will say here that I would not say in y ^e country for no good. But whan then? syn must be rebuked, sin must be plainly spoken against. And when should Jonas have preached against Nineveh, if he should have forborne for the respects of the times, or the place or the state of things there? For what was Nineveh, a noble, a rich and a wealthy City. What is London to Nineveh? like a village as Islington or such another in comparison of London. Suche a Cytye was Nineveh, it was three days journey to go through every strete of it, and to go but from street to street. There was noble men, rychmen, wealthy mē, there was viciouse men and covetous mē, and men that gave them selves to all voluptuouse living, and to worldelynes of geting riches was this a time well chosen and discritely takē of Jonas to come & reprove them of their sin, to declare unto them the threatnynges of God, and to tell them of their Covetousness, and to say plainly unto them, that except they repented and amended their evil living, they and their City should be destroyed of God's hand within. xl. days? And yet they heard Jonas & gave place to his preaching. They heard the threatenings of God, and feared his stroke and vengeance, and believed God, y ^e is, they believed God's Preacher & Minister, they believed that God would be true of his word, that he spake bi the mouth of his prophet, and there upon did penance to turn away the wrath of God from them. Well what shall we say? I will say this and not spare, Christ saith: Nineveh shall arise against y ^• Jews at the last day and bear witness against them, because that they hearing God's threatenings for sin. Ad predicacionem Io 〈…〉 e in cinere & sacco egerunt penitentiam, they did penance at the preaching of Jonas in ashes and sackcloth (as the text saith there) and I say Nineveh shall arise against England (thou England) Nineveh shall arise against England, because it will not believe God, nor hear his Preachers that cry daily unto them, nor amend their lives, and specially their Covetousness. Covetousness is as great a sin now, as it was then, and it is the same sin now, it was then, for God hateth sin, and all Covetousness as much now, as he did then. And he will as sure stryke for syn now, as he did then. But ah good God that would give them a time of reap̄taunce after his threatening. Fyrst to se whither they would amend or not, or he would destroy them. For even from the beginning of the world they fell to sin. The first age from Adam which was about two thousand years they fell ever to sin, and they had prechers Noah and Enoch and other holy fathers. And in y ^t time a great multiplicaciō was that grew in two thousand years. For the Scrypture saith: The sons of God saw the daughters of men that thei wer fair, & thei toke them wives frō among all that they had chosen. Thys is a long matter to speak of all. But what meaneth this the sons of God saw the daughters of mē? who wer these sons of God? The sons of God were those that came of the good mē, of y ^• good preachers, and of the holy fathers, that wer gods mē, as they that came of Seth and Enos, that were good men, and of others. For our graundemother Eve, when Cayne had killed Abel, and then she had another son by Adam, who was called Seth, What did she? She gave thankes to god for him, & acknowledged that God it was which had given him unto her, for she said: Dedit mihi deus semē pro Abel quem occidet Cain. GOD (said she) hath given me another seed in steed of Abel whom Cayne slew. Here is a long matter to talk on. Som will say, was this a natural mother, was this naturally done to publish the sin of her own son. what needed she to speak of that matter, or to make any rehearsal of that matter, to open the sin of her son, what needed she this to do? yes, she was now a good womā, whē she believed the serpent, she was not good. But now she hath repented y ^t deed, and had taken hold of the promise of God, that there should come of her a seed, that should tread down and destroy the head of the Serpente. She had taken hold of this promys and was now a good womā and a godly woman, she opened the faute of her son and hyd it not. Here could I say somewhat to them (if I would) that spake so much against me for my preaching hear the last year, Oh what a great matter is made of it, and what a do, & what great faut is found with me for speaking that I did of the Lord Admiral: A great matter is made of it: But I will tell you, and I will speak now with a clear conscience: If it were to do again and having the occasion that I then had: I would speak it again every word of it, yea and a great deal more to. I spake it for none hatred. I spake it but for an example of others to be ware thereby, and if it were in the like occasion to be spokē again, I would speak it again. There be some that think and say y ^t I was hired to it, and that my Lady of Somersetes grace hired me to it. and that I was her feed man, & had money of her to speak it. Well, so god help me, and as I shall answer in my conscience, in my remembrance I never talked with her grace touching that man in my life, nor 〈◊〉 gave she me any thing in her life, for any such purpose, & therefore they are to blame that speak so of m • .

But • wys I could say somewhat to them again if I would, I know the bottes that nip them by the guts.

But to return to Eve, and declare that the sons of God are to be understanded tgose that came of good men, as of Seth and Enos, and the same good parte of generation. And the daughters of men are to be understanded of thē that came of Cain and of his seed. And therefore our graunde mother Eve bad beware of maryinge with Cain's seed, for feas of falling from God to wickedness thereby. And here I would say a thing to your majesty, I shall speak it of good will to youre highness, I would I were able to do youre grace good service in anything, ye should be sure to have it. But I will say this For God's love beware where you marry, choose youre wife in a faith full stock. Beware of this worldly policy, mary in god, mary not for the great respect of alyaunce, for thereof cometh all these evils of breakinge of wedlock, which is among Princes and noble mē. And here I would be a Suter unto your magestye, for I come now rather to be a Suter and a Peticyoner then a Preacher, for I come now to take my leave, & to take my, Vltimum uale, at lease wise in this place, for I have not long to live, so that I think I shall never come here into this plate again, and therefore I will ask a petycyon of youre highness: For the love of God, take an order for maryages here in England. For here is marriage for pleasure & boluptousnes & for goods, and so y ^t they may join land to land, and possessions to possessions, they care for no more hear in England. And that is the cause of so much adultery, and so much breach of wedlock in y ^• noble men, and gentlemen, and so much deuorcynge. And it is not now in the noble men only, but it is come now to the inferyor sort. Euerye man if he have but a small cause will cast of his old wife and take a new, and will marry again at his pleasure, and there be many that have so done. I would therefore wish that there were a law provided in this behalf for adulterers, and that adultri should be punished with death, and that might be a remedy for all this matter▪ Ther would not thē be so much ad ultry, whoredom and lechery in England as there is. For the love of God take hede to it, and se a remedy provided for it. I would wish that adultri should be punished with death. And that the womā being an offender, if her housbande would be a suitor for her, she should be pardoned for the first time, but not for the second time. And the manbeing an of fēder should be pardoned, if his wife be a suitor for him, for the first time, but not for the second time, not if he offended twice. If this law were made there would not be so much adultery nor lechery used in the realm as there is. Well I trust once yet as old as I am, to se the day that lecherye shall be punished. It was never more need, for there was never more lechery used in England as there is at this day, and maintained. It is made but a laughinge matter, and a triste, & it is a sad matter and an earnest matter. For leachery is a great sin, Sodom & Gomore was destroyed for it. And it was one of the sins raygnyng in Nineveh for which it should have been destroyed. But think ye that leacherye was alone? No no, Couetuousnesse was joined with it. Covetousness followeth lechery, and commonly they go together. For why, they that be givē to voluptuousness, and to the vice of lechery, must have wherewith to maintain it, & that must be gotten by covetousness. For at the first when men fell to sin, and chiefly to lechery, where fore the world should be destroyed (the book faith) there were Giaunts in the earth in those days. And after that the sons of God had come to the daughters of mē, and there had engendered with them. The same became mighty men of the world, and men of renown. &c. Thys is covetousness, for y ^• boke saith. Terra • rat replet • iniquitate, the earth was reple ate with iniquity, for they oppressed the poor. They made them haues, pessaūts, villains & bondmē unto thē. These were Gyauntes, so called of the property of Giauntes, for they oppres the weaker, and take from them what they list, by force, violence and oppressyon. They were Gyauntes of the propertye of Gyauntes, not that they wer greater men of stature and strength of body then other mē wer. For certain writers speaking of this matter, say: that they were Gyantes for their cruelty and covetous oppression, and not in stature or pro 〈…〉 ritye of body. Forther is no reason why Sethes children could beget on Cain's daughters greater mē then others were in stature of body. But they were Gyauntes in the property of Gyaunts for oppressyng of others by force and violence. And this was covetousness wherewith God was so dyspleased, that he repented that he had made man, and resolved utterly to destroy the world, and so called to Noah, and told him of it. And I will not dyspute the matter with them (saith God) from day today, and never the nere, but if they will not amend within an hundredth and. xx. years. I shall bring in an vnyuersal 〈…〉 oud over their ears and destroy them all. Thys was preached by Noah to them, and so that god of his goodness patience and long sufferance, gave them a time to repent and amend after his threatenynges, because they should se their evil doings, and return to God. So they had an hundredth and. xx. years to repent. This Noah was laughed to scorn, they like doddypoles laughed this godly father to scorn, Well ye think little of the history, if ye will know the menynge of it, it is a great show what anger God hath to sin.

But how long hast thou England thou England? I cannot tell, for god hath not revealed it unto me, if he had, So God help me I would tell you of it, I would not be afraid, nor spare to tell it you for the good will I bear you, but I cannot telle howe longe time ye have, for God hath not opened it unto me: But I cā tell you that this lenity, this long forbering and holdynge of his hand, provoketh us to repent & amende. And I can tell that whosoever contempneth this riches & treasure of God's goodness of his mercy, his patience and long suffering, shall have the more grievous cōdempnacion. This I can tell well enough, Paul telleth me this, and I can tell that ye have time to repent as longe as you live here in this world, but after this life I can make no warante of any further time to repent. Therefore repent and amende while ye be here, for when ye are gonne hence, ye are past that. But how long that shall be whether tomorrow or y ^• next day, or xx. year, or how long, I cannot tell. But in the mean time ye have many Jonasses to tell you of your fauts and to declare unto you gods threatenings, except ye repent and amend, therefore to return to my matter, I say as I said at the beginning: Vide te et cauete ab auaricia. Videte. se it. First se it, and then amend it. For I promise you great complaints there is of it, and much crying out, and much preching, but none amendment that I se. But Cauete ab auaricia, beware of covetousness. And whi of covetousness Quia radix omnium malorum auaricia & 〈…〉 piditas. For Covetousness is the root of all evil, and of all mischief. Thus saying of Paul took me away from the gospel y ^• is red in the church this day, it took me from the epistle, that I would preach upon neither of them both at this time, I cannot tell what alled me. But to tell you my imperfeccion: whē I was appointed to preche here, I was new come out of a sick nes, whereof I looked to have died and weak I was. Yet nevertheless whē I was appointed unto it, I took it upon me, how be it I repented afterward that I had done. I was displesed with myself, I was testi as Jonas was when he should go preach to the Niniuits. Well, I looked on the Gospel that is red this day, tut it lyked me not, I looked on the Epistle: tushe I could not away with that nether. And yet I remember I had preached upon this epistle once afore king Henry the. viii. but now I could not frame with it, nor it liked me not in no sauce. Well, this saying of Paul came in my mind, and at last I considered and waied the matter deeply, and then thought I thus with myself: Is Covetousness the root of all mischefe, and of all evil? then have at the root, & down wythal Covetousness. So this place of Paul brought me to this text of Luke, Se and beware of Covetousness Therefore you prechers out with your swords, and stryke at the root, speak against Covetousness, and cry out upon it. Stand not tyckynge and toyinge at the branches, nor at the boughs, (for then there will new boughs and branches springe again of them:) but stryke at the root, and fear not these Giauntes of England, these great men and men of power, these mē that are oppressors of the poor. Fear them not, but stryke at the rote of all evil, which is mischeuouse covetousness. For covetousness is y ^• cause of rebellyon. I have forgotten my logyke, but yet I cā iumble at a Silogisme, & make an argument of it to prove it by. Covetousness is y ^• rote of all evil: Rebelliō is an evil, Ergo. Covetousness is y ^e root of rebelliō. And so it was in deed. Covetousness was the cause of rebellyon this last Sōmer, and both parties had covetousness, as well the gentle men as the commons. Both parties had Covetousness, for both parties had an inor dynate desire to have that they had not, & that is covetousness, an inordinate desire to have that one hath not. The commons would have had from the gentlemen such things as they desired. The gentlemen would none of it, and so was there covetousness on both sydes. The Commons thought they had a right to the things that they inordinately sought to have. But what then, they must not come to it that way. Now on the other side the gentlemen had a desire to keep that they had, and so they rebelled to against the kings commandment, and against such good order as he and his councelle would have set in the realm. And thus both parties had covetousness, and both parties did rebel. I heard say that there was godly ordynaunces deuysed for the redress of it. But the Giants would none of it in no sauce. I remember mine own self a certain Giaunt, a great man, who sat in commissiō about such matters. And whē the tounsemen should bring in what had been enclosed, he frouned and chafed and so nere looked and threatened the poor mē, that they durst not ask their right. I red of late in an act of parliament: and this act made mention of an act that was made in king Henries days (the. iii. I trow it was, yea and such another buysynes there was in king Edward's time the second also) In this parliament that I speak of, the gentlemen and the commons wer at varyaunce as they were now of late. And there the gentle men that were landlords, would needs have away much lands from their tenantes, and would neds have an act of parliament y ^• it might be lawful for them to enclose & make several from their tenauntes and from the commons such porcions of their lands as they thought good, much a do there was about this act. At last it was concluded & granted y ^• they might so do, Provided always that they should leave sufficient to y ^• tenant. Well it was well y ^t they wer bound to leave sufficient for them. But who should be the judge to lymite what was sufficient for them. Or who shall now judge what is sufficient, well I for my part cannot tell what is • ufficiēt. But me thought it was well that the tenauntes & poor commons should have sufficient, for if they had sufficient (thought I) they had cause to be quiet. And then fell I to make this argument within myself. If at y ^t time it were put in their will and power, that they might enclose leaving to the tennant that wer sufficient for him, if they had it then in their power (thought I) that they might this do, they would leave no more then suffyciente. If they left to the tenaunts and pore commons no more in those days but suffycyente: then if they had ani more taken from them sense that time, then had they now not sufficient. They in Christ ar equal with you. Peres of the realm must needs be. The poorest ploughman is in Christ equal with the gretest prince that is. Let them therefore have sufficient to maintain them, and to find them their necessaryes. A ploughlande must have sheep, yea they must have sheep to dung their ground for bearing of corn (for if they have no sheep to help to fat the ground, they shall have but bare corn and thynne.) They must have swine for their food to make their veneryes or bacon of, their bacon is their venisō (for thei shall now have bangū tuum if thei get any other venyson) so y ^• bacon is their necessary meat to feed on, which they may not lack. Thei must have other cattels, as horses to draw their ploughe and for carriage of things to the markets, and kine for their milk and chese, which they must live upon and pay their rēts. These cattle must have pasture which pasture if thei lack, the reaste must needs fail them. And pasture thei cannot have, if the land be taken in and enclosed from thē. So (as I said) there was in both partes rebellion. Therefore for God's love restore their sufficient unto them, and search no more what is the cause of rebellyon. But se and beware of covetousness, for covetousness is the cause of rebellyon. Well now, if covetousness be the cause of rebellyon, then preaching against covetousness is not the cause of rebelliō. Some say that the preching now a days is the cause of all sedition and rebellion, for sense this new prechynge hath come in, there hath been much sedition, & therefore it must needs be that y ^• prechyng is the cause of rebellion here in England, forsoothe our preaching is the cause of rebelliō, much like as Christ was cause of the destrucciō of Jerusalem. For (saith Christ) Si non uenissē & locutus suissem eis, peccatum non haberent. &c. If I had not come (saith Christ) and spoken to them, they should have no sin. So we preachers have come and spoken to you: we have drawn our swerdes of God's word, and stryken at the roots of all evil, to have them cut down, and if ye will not amend, what cā we do more. And preaching is cause of sediciō here in England, much like as Eli was the cause of trouble in Israel, for he was a preachet there, and toulde the people of all degrees their faults, and so they wynched and kycked at him, and accused him to Ahab the king, that he was a seditious fellow, and a troublous precher and made much uproar in the realm. So the king sent for him, and he was brought to Ahab the king, who said unto him: Art thou he that troubleth all Israel? and Eli answered & said: nay, thou and thy fathers house are they that trouble all Israel. Eli had preached gods word, he had playnlye told the people of their evil doings, he had shown them God's threatenynges: (In gods behalf I speak, there is neither king nor Emperor, be they never in so great estate, but they are subject to gods word) and therefore he was not afraid to say to Ahab: it is thou and thy fathers house that causeth all the trouble in Israel. Was not this presumptuously spoken to a king? was not this a seditious fellow: was not this fellows preaching a cause of all the trouble in Israel? was he not worthy to be cast in bocardo or little ease? No, but he had used gods sword which is his word, and don nothing elsse that was evil, but they could not abide it, he never dysobeyed Ahab's sword which was the regal power. But Ahab dysobeyed his swerd, which was the word of God. And therefore by the punyshmente of god much trouble arose in y ^• realm for the sins of Ahab & the people. But God's preacher gods prophet was not the cause of y ^• trouble. Thē is it not we Preachers that trouble England. But here is now an argument to prove the mater against the preachers. Here was preaching against covetousness all the last year in Lent, and the next sonmer followed rebellion: Ergo preaching against covetousness, was y ^• cause of the rebellyon, A goodly argument, Hear now I remember an argument of master Mores, which he bringeth in, in a boke that he made against Bilney & here by the way I will tell you a merytoy. Master Moore was once sent, in commissyon into Kent, to help triout (if it might be) what was y ^• cause of Goodwin sāds and the shelf that stopped up Sandwych haven. Thyther cometh master Moore, and calleth the country afore him, such as were thought to be mē of experience & mē that could of lykelyhod best certify him of that matter concerning the stoppyng of Sandwich havē. Among others came in before him an old man with a white head, and one that was thought to be little less thē an hundredth years old. When master Moore saw this aged man, he thought it expedient to here him say his mind in this matter (for being so old a man it was lykely that he knew moste of any man in that presence and company.) So master Moore called this old aged man unto him, & said: Father (said he) tell me if ye cā, what is the cause of this great arising of the sands & shelues hear about this haven, the which stop it up that no ships cā ariue here. Ye are the eldest man that I can espy in all this company, so that if any man can tell any cause of it, ye of like lyhoode can say most in it, or at leste wise more then any other man here assembeled. yea forsooth good master (quod this old mā) for I am well nigh an hundredth years old, and no man here in this company any thing nere unto mine age. Well then (quod master Moore) how say you in this matter? what thike ye to be the cause of these shelues and 〈…〉 attes that stop up Sandwych haven? Forsothe syr (quoth he) I am an old mā I think that Tenterton steple is the cause of Goodwin sandes, for I am an old mā syr (quod he) and I may remember the building of Tentertō steple, & I may remember when there was no steeple at all there. And before that Tenterton steeple was in buildynge, there was no manner of speaking of any flats or sands that stopped the heaven, and therefore I think that Tenterton steple is the cause of the destroyinge and the decaying of Sandwyche haven. And even so to my purpose is preaching of God's word the cause of rebellyon, as Tenterton steple was cause that Sandwich havē is decayed. And is not this agai matter, that such should be takē for great wise men, y ^t will thus reasō against y ^e preacher of God's word? But here I would take an occasyō by the way of a dygressyon to speak somewhat to my Sisters the womē to do them some good to, because I would do all folks good if I could, before I take my Vltimum uale (at least wise here of this place) for I think 〈◊〉 shall no more come here. For I 〈◊〉 I have not long to live. So that I judge I take my leave now of the court forever, & shall no more come in this place. Ahab was a king, but Jezebel Jezebel she was y ^• perilous woman. She would rule her husband the king, she would bear a stroke in all things, and she would order maters as pleased her, and so will many women do, they will rule their husbands and do althinges after their own minds. They do therein against the order by God appointed them. They break their Iniuncyon that God gave unto them. Yea, it is now come to y ^• lower sort, to mean men's wives, they will rule and apparelle them selves gorgeously, and some of them far above their degrees, whither their husbands will or no. But they break their Iniuncion, and do therein contrari to God's ordynance. God saith: Subdita eris sub pote • tate uiri.

Thou shalt be subject under the power of thy husband. Thou shalt be subject. Women are subjects, ye be subjects to your husbands, At the first y ^• mā & the womā wer equal. But after that she had given credyte to the serpent, then she had a iniunccion set upon her: Subditaeris subpotestate uiri, thou shalt be subject under y ^e power of thy husband. And as for 〈◊〉 part of her iniuncciō she taketh, & she taketh one part of her pēnance, because she cannot avoid it: and that is: In dolore paries: Thou shalt bring forth children with pain and traueile. Thys parte of their iniunccyon they take, and yet is the same so grievous, that Christome saith: if it were not for the ordinance of God which cannot be made frustrate by mā, they would never come to it again for no worldly good. But god hath provided here in. And (as Christ saith in the Gospel: Muiter cū parit tristici • habet. etc. The woman when she beareth child hath sorrow, but afterwards she remembereth not the pain, because there is a soul brought forth into the world. But as it is a part of your penance ye we men to travel in be aryng your children: so is it a part of youre penance to be subjects unto your husbands, ye are vnderlynges, vnderlinges, and must be obedyente. But this is now made a trifle and a small matter. And yet it is a sad matter a godly matter, a gostly mater. A matter of damnaciō and salvation. And Paul saith y ^t a womā ought to have a power on her head. What is this to have a power on her head? It is a manner of speaking of the scripture, & to have her power on her head, is to have a sign and a token of power, which is by coueringe of her head, declaring that she hath a superioure above her, by whom she ought to be ruled and ordered. For the is not immediately under God, but mediately. For by their iniunccion the husband is their head under God & they subjects unto their husbādes. But this power that some of thē have is disgused gear and of strange facyons.

They must we are Frenchehoodes, and I cannot tell you I, what to call it. And when they make them ready & come to the covering of their head, they will call and say, give me my French hoode, and give me my Bonet or my cap & so forth. I would wish that y ^• women would cal the covering of their heads by the terms of the scripture. As when she would have her cap, I would she would say give me my power, I would they would learn to speak, as the holy ghost speaketh, and cal it by such a name as Sainte Paul doth. I would they would (as they have much pryckynge) when they put on their cap, I would thei would have this meditaciō, I am now putting on my power vpō my head, If they had this thought in their minds, they would not make so much pricking up of them selves as they do now a days. But now hear is a vengaunce devil: we must have our power from Turkey of Ueluet, and gay it must be. Far fet, dear bought, and when it cometh it is a false sign. I had rather have a true English sign then a false sign frō Turki. It is a false sign when it covereth not their heads as it should do. For if they would keep it under the power as they ought to do, there should not any such Tussockes nor tuftes be seen, as there be, nor such laying out of y ^• here nor breydynge to have it open. I would marvel of it how it should come to be so abused and so far out of order, saving that I know by experience, that mani will not be ruled by their husbands as they ought to be. I have been desired to exhort some, and with some I could do little in that mater. But there be now many Adams that will not displease their wives, but will in this behalf let them have all their own minds and do as them listeth. And some others again there be now a days y ^• will defend it, & say it may be suffered well enough, because it is not express in Scripture, nor spoken of by name. Thoughe we have not expressed mention in scripture against such laying out of the hear in Tussockes and Tufftes: yet we have in scripture express mencyon. Detortis erinibus, Of writhen hear, that is for the nonce forced to courle. But of these tussocks that are laid out now a days, there is no mencyon made in scriptures, because they were not used in scripture time. Thei wer not yet come to be so far out of order, as to lay out such tussocks and tufftes, but I will tell the, if thou wilt needs lay it out, or if thou wilt neades show thy hear and have it seen: go and powle thy head or round it, as mē do, for to what purpose is it to pul it out so, and to lay it out? some do it (say they) of a simplicity, Some do it of a pride. And some of other causes. But they do it because they will be quarter masters with their husbands, quarter masters? Nay, half masters yea some of them will be hole masters and rule the roast as they list, them selves. But these defenders of it will not have it evil, because it is not spoken of in scripture. But there be other things as evil as this which are not spoken of in scripture expressly, but they are employed in scripture as well as though they were there expressly spoken of. For the Prophet Isaiah saith. Vequi consurgitis mane ad comessandum, ad Ebrietatem sectandam, et potan do usque aduesperam, ut uino estuetis. Woo unto you that arise early in the morning, and goo to drynckynge until night, that ye may swim in wine. This is the scripture against banqueting and drunkenness. But now they banquet all night, and lie a bed in the day time till none, & the scripture speaketh nothing of that. But whan then? the devil hath his purpose this way, as well as the other, he hath his purpose as well by reuellynge and keeping ill rule all night as by rysynge early in the morning and banquetinge alday. So the devil hath his purpose both ways. Ye noble men, ye great men I wote not what rule ye keep: For God's sake here the complaints and suytes of the poor. Many complain against you y ^• ye liea bed till viii. or. ix or. x. of the clock, I cannot tell what revel ye have over night, whether in banquetyng, or dycynge, or cardynge, or how it is. But in the morning when poor Suters come to your houses, ye cannot be spoken withal. They are kept sometimes without youre gates, or if they be let into the hall or some utter chamber, out cometh one or other. Sirre, ye cannot speak with my Lord yet, my lord is a sleep or he hath had business of y ^• kings all night. &c. And thus poor Suters are driven of from day today, that they cannot speak w ^t you in. iii. or. iiii. days, ye a hole month, what shall I say more? ye a hole year sometimes err they can come to youre speech, to be hard of you, For gods love look better to it, speak with pore men when they come to your houses, and dyspatche poor suitors, as in deed some noble men do, and would Christ that all noble men would so do. But some do. I went one day myself be time in the morning to a great mans house, to speak with him, in business that I had of min own. And me thought I was up betimes, but whē I came thither, the great man was gone forth, about such affairs as behooved him, or I came. Welle, yet (thought I) this is well, I like this well. Thys man doth somewhat regard and consider his office and duty. I came to late for mine own matter, and lost my journey, and my early risinge to and yet I was glad y ^• I had been so begyled. For God's love follow this example ye great men, and arise in the mornynges, & be redi for men to speak with them, and to dyspatche Sewters that resort unto you. But all these I bring to dysproue them that defend evil things, because they be not expressly spoken against in the scripture.

But what forceth that? when the dyuyll hath his purpose and is served as well one way as another way: though it be not expressye spoken against in scripture, yet I rekē plainly enough employed in the scripture. But now to come to my matter again. Videte et cauete ab auaricia, See and beware of Covetousness, and I shall desire you to consider. iiii. things, Quis dicat, quid dicat, cui dicat, et quare dicat, who speakethe it, what he speaketh, to whom he speaketh, & wherefore he speaketh it. As here Christ speaketh, to a rich man against avarice. And whi against auarise? what shall be the ende of all covetous persons? eternal damnacyon. For the covetous persons (saith Paul) shall not possess ne enter into the kingdom of God, hear therefore I shall desire you to pray. &c.

V Idete cauete ab auaricia, See, and beware of couetousenes. First who spake these words? Forsothe Christ speak them, if I had spoken them of myself, it had been little worth. But Christ spake, and upon a good occasion: The story is Duo litigaban 〈…〉 inter se. there were two at strife between thē selves. Luc. xii. and by this it appeareth that Christ spake thē well. Christ spake these words at that time, and now he speaketh them by his preacher, whom ye ought to believe and so it is all one. But upon what occasion did he speak it, there wer. ii. brethren at strife together for lands, wealthy men (as it appeareth) and the rich fellow would not tarry till Christ had ended his sermon: but interrupted it, and would needs have his matter dispatched by and by. He was at Christ's Sermon, but yet he would not differ his worldlycause till Christ had made an end of his godly exhortation. Thys was a thorny brother, he was a gospeller, he was a carnal gospeller (as many be now adaies for a piece of an abbey or for a porcyon or chaūtry lands) to get somewhat by it and to serve his comodytye: He was a gospeller one of y ^e new brethrē somewhat worse then a rank papiste. How be it a rank papist now a days shall sooner have promocyon then a true Gospeller shall have, the more pity. But this was a thorni gospeller, he heard Christ's preaching and followed him for company, and heard his words. But he was never the better for it, but the care of the world, so choked the word of God in him, that he could not hear the sermon to y ^e end, but interrupted the sermō for his worldly matter yer it wer all done? And what was Christ then doing? forsoo the he was sowing of good seed, but it fell upon stonye ground, so that it could not take any rote in this fellow to bring forth good fruit in him. And let me tell you of the seed that Christ was then sowing. Bear with me a while and seeing that I come now to take mine Vltimū uale of this place, hear me pacientlye, and give me leave a lytell while, and let me take my leave honestly. At the time when this fellow interrupted Christ's sermō, he was preaching a longe Sermon to his Dyscyples, and to the people being gathered together in a wonderful great multitude as appeareth in the xii. Chapter of Saynte Luke's Gospel, and there he first of all taught his disciples a good lesson, saying: Cauete uobis a farmento Phariseorum. Beware in any wise (saith he) from the leaven of the Pharisees. What is this leaven of the Pharisees? Leavē is sometimes taken for corrupt living, which infectethe others by the evil example thereof, and against such corrupt living, God's preachers must cry out earnestly, and never cease till it be rooted up. In the Cytye of Corinth one had married his stepmother, his fathers wife. And he was a iolye fellow a great riche man, an alderman of the Cyty, and therefore they wyncked at it, they would not medle in the matter, they had nothing to do with it, and he was one of the head mē, of such rule & authority that they durst not, many of them. But. S. Paul hearing of y ^t matter, writ unto them, and in God's behalf charged them, to do away such abhomynacyon frō among them. Saint Paul would not leave them, till he had excommunicated the wicked doer of such abomination. If we should now excommunicate all such wicked doers, there would be much a do in England, Ye that are Magestrates, she we favor for affeccion to such, & will not suffer they may be rooted out or put to shame. Oh, he is such a man's servant, we may not do him any shame, Oh, he is a gentlemā. &c. And so the thing is not now any thing looked unto. Lecherye is used thoroweoute England, and such lecherye as is used in none other place of the world. And yet it is made a matter of sport, a matter of nothing, a lawghyng matter, and a tryste not to be passed on, nor not to be refourmed. But beware ye that are magestrates, their sin doth leaven you all, Therefore for gods love beware of this leavē. Well I trust it will be one day amended. I loke not to live long, & yet I trust (as old as I am) to live so long as to se lechery punished. I would wish y ^t Moses law were restored for punyshment of lechery, & that the offenders therein might be punished according to y ^• prescripcion of Moses law. And here I will make a suit to your hyghenesse to restore unto the church y ^• discipline of Christ. In excommunicatinge such as be notable offenders, nor never deuyse any other way. For no man is able to deuyse a better way then God hath done, which is excommunicacyon to put them from the congregation till they be confounded. Therefore restore Christ's discyplyne for excommunicaciō. And that shall be a mean both to pacifi gods wrath and indygnacion against us, and also that les habominacion shall be used, then in times paste hath been, and is at this day. I speak this of a conscience, and I mean and move it of a good will to your grace and youre realm. Bring into the church of England open discipline of excommunicacion that open sinners may be strycken with. Somtime leaven is taken for corrupt doctrine, and so it is here taken in this place when he saith: Be ware of the leaven of the Pharisee is. For Christ intended to make his discyples teachers of all the world: and therefore to beware of corrupt doctrine. And that that he said to them he saith also to us. Receyue no corrupt doctrine, no myngle mangle: yet there be leaueners yet still and mingle manglers, that have soured Christ's doctrine, with the leaven of the Pharysyes. Yea and where there is any peace of leaven, they will maintain that one piece, more then all the doctrine of Christ, and about that purpose they occupy and bestow all their wits. This was the first seed. The seconde seed was Nihil occultum, quod non reuelabitur. There is nothing pryuye or hidden that shall not be revealed and opened. It parteyne the all to one purpose, for there he taught his disciples too beware of the leaven, which was hypocrysye declaring unto them that hypocrisye, would not be all ways hidden but such as wer not sincere should be known at the last day, and all that was taught should at length be known. It hath also another meaning for it is God's proverb. There is nothing so pryuye but it shall be opened, at lease wise in the great day of reconnynge.

In the dreadefull day of the general account, in the day of reuelacion. Then shall it be openly know en what so ever is done: be it never so pryuelye done. These fellows that have their fetches and their far compasses too bring things too their purposes, work they never so preuely never so couertlye, yet at the last day, their doings shall be openly revealed. Vsque ad sacietatem uisionis (saith the Prophet Isaiah) that is, till all the world shall see it, to their shame and confusyon that are the doers of it. As the Prophet Jeremy saith: Sicut confunditur fur qui deprehenditur. &c. Even as a thief that is taken with the manner when he stealethe. So shall sinners be openly confounded, and their evil doings opened. Yea and though it be not known in this world, yet it shall be known at the last day to their dampnacyons. In deed God hath veryfyed his proverb from time to time. Nothynge is so preuy the which shall not be reueyled. Whē Cayne had killed his brother Abel: he thought he had conveyed the matter so preuelye and so closelye, that it should never have been known nor have come to light, but first God knew it well enough, and called unto him saying: Cain where is thy brother: Abel? tut he thought he could have begyled God to. And therefore he answered. I can not tell, what (quod Cain) am I set to keep my brother? I cannot tell where he is. But at last he was confounded, and his murder brought to light. And now all the world readeth it in the Bible. Josephes brethren had sold him a way: they toke his motely cote and he sprinkled it over and over with blood, they thought all was cock sure, they had conveyed the matter so secretly, that they thought all y ^e world could never have espied it. And yet out it came to their great benefit. And now it is known to us all as many as can read the Bible. David saw a fair woman wash her naked. Thoughe he was straight way ravished, he was clean gone by and would needs have her. He sent for her Yea he had gentlemen of his chamber about him that went for her by and by and fet her. And here I have another suit to your highness. Whē you come to age beware what parsons ye have about you. For if ye be set on pleasure, or dysposed to wantonnesse. Ye shall have mynysters enough, to be furtherers and instruments of it. But David by his wisdom and policy thought so to have cloaked the matter, that it should never have been known. He sent for her husband Urias, and shown him a fair countenance, and looked mere lie on him, and sent him forth to war that he might do his pleasure with Bersaba afterward, & he thought he had wrought woēderous pryuelye. He thought all the matter cock sure. But the Prophet of God (Nathan) came and laid his fault plain before his face, & who is now that knoweth it not? Elyzeus servant Giezi, a bribing brother, he came coulourablye to Naaman the Sirian: he feigned a tale of his master Elisha, as all bribers will do & told him that his master had need of this and that, and took of Naaman certain things and brybed it away to his own behoove secretly, and thought that it should never have come out, but Elisha knew it well enough. The servant had his bribs that he sought, yet was he strykē with the lepre, and so openly shamed. Thynke on this ye that are brybers when ye goo secreatelye about such things, have this in your minds whē ye deuyse youre secreate fetches and conueiaunce, how Eliseus servant was served and made to be openly known. For gods proverb will be true: there is nothing hidden y ^t will not be revealed. He that toke the silver basin and ewer for abrybe, thinketh that it will never come out, but he may now know that I know it, and I know it not alone, there be mo besides me that know it. Oh briber & bryberye, he was never a good man that will so take bribes. Nor I can never believe that he that is a briber shall be a good justice. It will never be merye in England till we have the skins of such. For what needeth brybynge where men do their things vprightlye, as for men that are officers and have a matter of charge in their hands. But now I will play saint Paul. And translate the thing on myself. I will become the kings offycer for a while. I have to lay out for the king twenty thousand pounds, or a great sum whatsoever it be, well when I have laid it out, and do bring in mine accompt, I must give. iii. hundredth marks to have my byls warranted. If I have done truly and uprightly what should need me to give a penye to have my bylles warraunted? if I have done my office truly, & do bring in a true accompt: Wherefore should one groate be given? yea one groate for warrantinge of my byls? Smel ye nothing in this? what needeth any bribes giving except the byls be false? no man giveth brybs for warrantyng of his bills except they be false byls. Well such practice hath been in England, but beware it will out one day. Beware of God's proverb: there is nothing hidden that shall not be opened. Yea even in this world, if ye be not the children of dampnacyon. And hear now I speak to you my masters Mynters, Augmentacyoners, Receiuers, surueiers, and Auditors: I make a piticion unto you: I beseech you all be good to the Kynge. Be good to the king, he hath been good to you, there fore be good to him, yea, be good too youre own souls. Ye are known well enough what ye were, afore ye came to your offices, and what lands ye had then, and what ye have purchased sense, and what buyldynges ye make daily, well I pray you so build, that the kings workmen may be paid. They make there mone that they cannot get no money. The poor laborers, gunmakers, poudermen bowmakers. Arrowmakers, smiths carpenters, soldiers, & other crafts cry out for their duties. They be vnpayed some of them three or. iiii. months: yea some of them half a year: yea and sum of them put up bylles this time. xii. mōths for their money, and can not be paid yet. They cry out for their money,) and as the Prophet saith) Clamor operariorum ascendit ad aures meas. The cry of the workmanne is come up to mine ears. Oh for gods love let the work men be paid, if there be money enough? there will whole showers of gods vengeance rain down upon your heads. Therefore ye mynters, and ye Augmentacioners, serve the king truly. So build and purchase that the king may have money to pay his workmen. It seemeth evil fauouredli, that ye should have enough where w ^t to build superstuously, & the king lack to pay his poor laborers. well, yet I doubt not but that there be some good officers. But I will not swear for all, I have now preached iii. Lents. The first time I preached restitucion, restitucion (quod some)? what should he preach of restytucyon let him preach of contryssyon (quod they) and let restitucyon alone.

We can never make restitucyon, (Thē say I) if thou wilt not make restitucion, thou shalt go to the devil for it. Now chose the either restituciō or else endless dāpnaciō. But now therbe two manner of restitucioners, secret restitucion, and open restitucion whither of both it be, So y ^t restitucion be made it is all good enough. At my first preaching of restituion, one good man toke remorse of consyence, and acknowledged him self to me, that he had deceived the king. And willing he was to make restituciō, & so the first lēt came to my hands twenty pounds to be restored to the kings use. I was promised. xx. pound more the same lente, but it could not be made, so that it came not. Well, y ^e next lent came three hundrethe and twentye pounds more. I received it myself, and paid it to the kings Counsel. So I was asked, what he was that thus made restytucyon.

But should I have named him? nay they should as sone have this wesaūt of mine. Well, now this lēt came one hundredth and fore score pounds. x. s. which I have paid and delivered this present day to the kings comcel. And so this mā hath made a godly restituciō. And so (quod I to a certain noble man that is one of the kings council) if every man y ^t hath beguiled the king should make restytucion after this sort, it would coughe the king. xx. M. pounds I think (quod I) yea that it would (quod the other) a whole. C. M. pounds. Alac alac, make restitucion for God's sake make restitucion, ye will cough in hell elsse, that all the deuylles there will laughe at your coughinge: There is no remedy but restitucion open or secrete, or elsse hell. Thys that I have now told you of was a secret restitucion. Some examples hath bē of open restitucion, and glad may he be that God was so freēdly unto him to bring him unto it in this world. I am not a fraied to name him. It was master Sheringtō, an honest gentleman and one that God loveth. He openly confessed that he had deceived the king, and he made open restitucyon. Oh what an argument may he have against the devil, whē he shall move him to desperacyon, God brought this out to his amendment. It is a token that he is a chosen man of god and one of his elected. If he be of God he shall be brought to it, therefore for gods sake make restitucyon, or else remember God's proverb: There is nothing so secret, &c. If you do either of these two in this world, then are ye of God, if not, then for lack of restitucion, ye shall have eternalle dapmnacyon. Ye may do it by means, if you dare not do it yourselves, bring it to another, and so make restituciō. If ye be not of God's flock, it shall • e brought out to your shame and damnation at the last day, when all evil men's sins shall be laid open before us. Yet there is one way, how all our sins may be hidden • which is repent and amende, Recipiscentia, recipiscentia. Repentynge and amending is a sure remedi, and a sure way to hyde all, y ^• it shall not come out to our shame and confusiō. Yet there was another seed that Christ was sowing in that sermon of his, & this was the seed: I sai to you my friends fear not him that killeth the body: but fear him, that after he hath killed, hath power also to caste into hell fire. &c. And there to put his disciples in comfort and sure hoope of his help, and out of all doubt and mystruste of his assystence: he bringeth in unto them the example of the sparrows, how they are fed by God's mere prouydence and goodness, and also of the hears of our heads, howe that not so much as one hear falleth from our heads without him, fear him (saith he) that when he hath killed the body, may also caste into hell fire. Matter for all kinds of people hear, but specially for kings. And therefore hear is another suit to youre highness. Fear not him that kylleth the body: Fear not these forayne Prynces and forayne powers. God shall make you strong enough.

Stycke to God, fear God, fear not them, God hath sent you many storms in youre youth. But forsake not God, and he will not forsake you: Peraduēture ye shall have that shall move you, and say unto you: Oh syr, oh such a one is a great man, he is a mighty Prince, a king of great power, ye can not be without his frendeship, agre with him in Relygyon, or elsse ye shall have him youre ennemye. &c.

Well, fear them not, but cleave to God, and he shall defend you. Do not asking Ahab did, that was a frayde of the Assirian king, and for fear lest he should have him to his enemy, was content to forsake God, and to agre with with him in religiō, and worshippynge of God. And a non sent to Urias the high Priest, who was ready at once to set up the Idolatry of the Assirian king. Do not your highness so, fear not the best of them all, but fear God. The same Urias was Capellanus ad manum, a chaplain at hand, an elbowe chaplain. If ye will tourne, ye shall have that will tourne with you, yea even in their white rotches. But follow not Ahab: Remember the hear howe it falleth not without gods providence Remember the sparowes howe they build in every house, and God prouydeth for them. And ye are much more precious to me (saith Christ) then sparowes or other birds. God will defend you, that before your time cometh, ye shall not die nor myscary. On a time when Christ was going to Jerusalem, his dysciples said unto him: They there would have stoned the, and wilt thou now go thither again? What (saith he again to thē) Nonne duodecem sunt horae die. &c.

Be there not twelve hours in y ^• day? (saith he). God hath appointed his times, as pleaseth him, and before the time cometh that God hath appointed, they shall have no power against you. Therefore stycke to God and forsake him not, but fear him, and fear not mē. And beware chiefly of two affeccions: fear and love. Fear as Ahab, of whō I have told you that for fear of the Assyriā king he changed his religion, & thereby purchased godsh ie indignaciō to him & to his realm. And love, as Dinah Jacob's daughter, who caused a change 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 of religion, by Shechem and Hemor who were contented for lust of a wife to the destrucciō and spoylynge of all the whole city: Read the Chronicles of England and France, and ye shall see what changes of religion hath come by marriages, & for marriages.

Mary my daughter and be baptized, and so forth, or elsse. &c. Fear them not. Remember the sparowes. And this rule should all estates and degrees of men follow, where as now they fear men and not god. If there be a judgment between a great man and a poor man: Then must there be a corrupciō of justice for fear. Oh he is a great mā, I dare not dysplease him. &c. Fi • upon the, art thou a judge and wilt be a frayed to give right judgment? fear him not be he never so great a man, but vpryghtlye do true justice. Likwyse sone pastures go frō their cure, they are afraid of y ^• plage, they dare not come nye any sick body: but hyer other, and they go away themselves. Oute upon the. The wolf cometh upon thy stock to devour them, and when they have most need of the, thou runnest awa • from them. The souldioure also that should go on warfare, he will draw back as much as he can. Oh I shall be •• ain. Oh such and such went and never came home again: Such men went the last year into Norfolk, and were slain there. Thus they are afraid to go. They will labor to tarry at home. If the king command the to go, y ^u art bound to go, & serving the king, thou seruest god. If thou serve God, he will not shorten thy days to thine hurt. Well saith some, if thei had not gone thei had lived unto this day. How knowest y ^u that? who made the so privy of gods council? follow thou thi vacaciō, & serve y ^• kig, whē he calleth the. In seruig him y ^u shalt serve god. And til thy time come, y ^u shalt not die. Jt was merueyle that Jonas escaped in such a cytye, what then? Yet God preserved him, so that he could not pearish. Take therefore an example of Jonas, and every man follow his vocation not fearing men, but fearing God. And other seed that Christ was sowing in y ^t sermon was this: Qui confessus me fuerit hominibus, confitebor et ego illum coram pair meo. He that confesseth me before mē, I shall also confess him before my father. We must confess him with mouthe. It was of a bishop not longe a goo asked as touching this, laws (saith he) must be obeyed and ciuyle ordinance, I will follow outwardly, but my heart in religion is free to think as I will, So said Frier Forest half a papist, yea worse then a hole papiste. Well another seed was: he that sinneth against the holy ghost, it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world, nor in the world to come.

What is this same sin against the holy ghost? an horrible sin that shall never be forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come: what is this sin? final impenitency, and some say, impūgninge • f the truth. One came to me ones, that dyspayred, because of sin against the holy ghost. He was sore troubled in his conscience, y ^t he should be dāpned, and that it was not possible for him to be saved, because he had sinned against the holy ghost. I said to him: what man (quod I) comfort yourself in these words of the Apostle: Christus est propiciatio pro peccatis nostris. And again: Ideo me misit pater in mundū, ut qui credit in me nō pereat, sed habeat uitam eternam. My father hath for this purpose sent me into the world, that he which believeth in me, may not pearyshe, but may have the life everlasting. Also: Quaqumque hora ingemuerit peccator saluus erit. In what hour soever the sinner shall mourn for his sin, he shall be saved. I had scriptures enough for me (as me thought) but say what I could say, he could say more against himself, then I could sai at y ^• time to do him good with all. Wher some say that the sin against the holy ghost, is original sin: I alleged against that, the saying of sainte Paul. Sicut par unius delictum. &c. And si qui segerit penitenci • . If a mā had done all the sins in the world, and have true repentance, with faith and hope in God's mercy, he shall be forgiven. But whatsoever I said he could still object against me and aduoyde my reasons. I was fain to take another day, & did so. Lette me goo to my book (quod I) and goo you to youre prayers, for ye are not all together without faith. I got me to my study, I red many doctoures, but none could content me, no expositoure could please me nor satisfy my mind in the matter. And it is with me as it is with a scholar of Cambridge, who being demanded of his Tutoure howe he understood his lesson, and what it mente: I know (quod he) what it meaneth, but I can not tell it, I can not express it. So I understood it well enough, but I can not well declare it. Nevertheless I will boungle at it as well as I can. Now to tell you by the way what sin it was that he had committed, he had fallen from the truth known, And afterward fell to mockinge and scornynge of it. And this sin it was that he thought to be vnforgeueable. I said unto him, that it was a vehemente manner of speaking in scripture, yet (quod I) this is not spoken vnyuersallye, nor it is not mente that God doth never forgive it, but it is commonly called Irremyssyble, vnforgeueable, because that God doth seldom for give it, but yet there is no sin so great but God may forgive it, and doth forgive it to the repentaunte heart, though in words it sound that it shall never be forgivē: As priuilegiū paucorum non destruit regulam universal • n. The priueledge of a few persons doth not destroy an universal rule or saying of scripture. For the scripture saith: Omnes moriemur. We shall 〈◊〉 everyone of us, yet some shall be ra • te and taken a live, as saint Paul 〈◊〉 For this privilege of a few doth n • t hurt a generaltye. An irre 〈…〉 le sin, an inexcusable sin yet to him that will truly repent, it is forgeueable, In Christ it may be remytted, if there be no more but one man forgiven, ye may be that same one man that shall be forgiven. Vbi a bundauit deli • tum, ibi abundauit et gracia.

Where iniquity hath habounded there shall grace habounde. Thus by little and little this man came to a settled conscience again, and toke comfort in Christ's mercy. Therefore dyspayre not though it be said it shall never be forgiven. Wher Cain said my wickedness is so great that God cannot forgive it. Nay thou liest saith Agustine to Cain. Major est dei miseri cordia, quam iniquitas tua. The mercy of God is greater then thine iniquity, Therefore despair not, but this one thing I say: beware of this sin y ^• ye fall not into it, for I have known no mobut this one man that hath fallen from the truth, and hath afterward repented and come to grace a gain, I have known many sense God hath opened mine eyes to see a little, I have known many (I say) that knew more then I, and some whō I have honored, that have after wards fallen from the truth, but never one of them (this man except) that have returned to grace and to the truth again. But yet though God booth very seldom forgive this sin, and although it be one of the sins that God doth hate moste of all others, and such as is almost never forgiven, yet it is forgeueable.

In the blood of Christ, if one trueli repent, and lo it is universal. As there is also another scripture, Vaeterre cuius rexpuer est. Woo be to the Lande, to the Realm: whose Kynge is a child, which some interpreate and refer to childish conditions. But it is commonly true the other way to, whē it is referred to the age & years of Childehod. For where the king is within age, they that have governance about the king, have much lybertie to live voluptuously and licēciousti, & not to be in fear how they govern as they would be if the king wer of full age, & then commonly they govern not well. But yet Josiah & one or two mo though they wer children yet had their realms well governed and reigned prosperoustye, and yet the saying. Vaeterre cuis rexpuer est, nevertheless true for that. And this I gather of this irremyssyble sin against the holy ghost, that the scripture saith it is never forgiven, because it is seldom forgiven. For in deed I think that there is no sin which God doth so seldom nor so hardly forgive, as this sin of falling away from the truth, after that a man ones knoweth it. And in deed this took best place with the man that I have toulde you of, and best quyeted his conscience. An other seed was this. Be not careful (saith Christ) what ye shall say, before judges and Maiestrates, when ye are brought afore them for my names sake, for the holy ghost shall put in youre minds even at the present hour what ye shall speak.

A comfortable saying and a goodlye promise of the holy ghost? that the adversaries of the truth (saith he) shall not be able to resist us, what? shall the adversaries of the truth be dum? nay, there be no greater talkers nor bosters & facers thē they be. But they shall not be able to resist y ^• truth, to destroy it. Hear some will say, what needeth universities then and the preservation of schools, the holy ghost will give always what to say. Yea, but for all that, we may not tēpt God: we must trust in the holy ghost, but we must not presume on the holy Ghoste. Hear now should I speak of vniuersytyes, and for preferring of schools. But he that preached the last sondaye spake very well in it, and substauncyallye and like one that knew the estate and condycyon of the vniuersytyes and Schools very well. But thus much I say unto you magestrates. If ye will not maintain schools and vnyuersities, ye shall have a brutalytye. Therefore now a suit again to your highenes. So order the matter that preching may not decay. For sureli if preaching decay, ignorance & brutishnes will enter again. Nor give y ^• prechers livings to seculet men. What should secular men do with the liuigs of preachers? I think there be at this day ten thousand Studients les then wer within these. xx. years, & fewer preachers & that is the cause of rebelliō, if there good bishops, there should be no rebelliō. I am now almost come to mi mater, sauig one saying of Christ which was another seed. Date, et dabi tur uobis. Geue and it shall be given vn to you. &c. But who believeth this? if mē believed this promise they would give more thē they do & at least wise they would not stick to give a little, but now a dais mens study is set rather to take gifts & to get of other mens good then to give any of their own, so all o there the promises are mistrusted and vnbeleued. For if the rytch mē did believe this promise of God, they would wyllynglye and readly give a little to have the overplus. So where Christ saith of iniuryes or offenses and trespasses. Mihi unidictam & ego retribuam. &c, Leave the aduengynge of wrongs a lone unto me, & I shall pay thē home &c. If the rebels had believed this promise, they would not have don as thei did. So all the promises of God are mistrusted. Noah also after the flood feared at every rain, least the world should be drowned and destroyed again, till God gave the rainebow. And what exercise shall we have by y ^e rainbow? we may learn by y ^• rainbow y ^• God will be true of his promises, & will fulfil his promises. For god sent y ^• rainbow &. iiii. M. years, it is, & more sē • e this promise was made, and yet god hath bē true of his promise unto this day. So y ^• now whē wese y ^• rainbow we may learn that god is true of his promise. And as God was true in this promise, so is he & will be, in all y ^• reast, but the covetous man doth not believe that god is true of his promise, for if he did, he would not stick to give of his goods to the pore. But as touching that I spake afore, whē we see the rainbow, & se in the rainbow that that is like water, & of a watri color and as we may and ought not only to take there of hold and comfort of gods promise, that he will no more destroi the world with water for sine but also we may take an example to fear god, who in such wise hateth sin Likewise whē in the rainbow we see that that is of firy couloure, and like unto fire we may gather an example of the ende of the world, that accept we amend the world shall at last be consumed w ^t fire for sin, and to fere the judgment of God, after which they y ^• are dāpned, shall be burned in hell fire. These wer thesedes that Christ was sowing, when this couetuouse man came unto him. And now I am come to my matter. While Christ was this preachig, this covetous fellow would not tarry till all the sermō was dō, but interrupted the sermon, evē suddenly choppig in. Master (quod he) speak to mi brother, that he may devide the inheritance with me. He would not a bide til the end of the sermō. But his mind was on his halfepeny, and he would needs have his matter dispatched out of hand, Master (quod he) let my brother, devide with me. Yet this was a good fellow, he could be contented with parte, he disired not to have all together alon to himself, but could be content with a deuysyon, and to have his part of y ^• inheritance, & what was the enheritāce, Ager. So that it was but one piece of ground, or one farm. This couetousmā could be content with the half of one farm, where our men now a days cannot be satisfied with many farms at once, one mā must now have as many farms as will serve many men, or else he will not be contented nor satisfied. They wylier now a days one w ^t another, except thei have all. Oh saith the wise mā: Ther be three things wherein my soul delighteth: Cōcordia fratum, amor proximorum, et uir ac mulier been sibi consentientes. The vniti of brethrē, y ^• love of neighbors, & a mā & wife a greting well together. So that y ^• concord of brethrē & a greeing of brethrē is a gay thing. What saith Solomon of this matter. Frater qui adiuuatur a fratre quasi ciuitas firma, et turris fortis. The brother that is helped̄ of his brother is as a sure and well fenced city, and a strong Tower he is so strong. Oh it is a great matter whē brethren love and hold well together. But if the one go about to pulle down the other, then are they week both of them, and when one pulleth down his fellow, they must needs down both of thē, there is no stay to hold thē up. Mark in the Chronicles of England. Two brethrē have raygned jointly together, the one on thissid Hūber, & the other beyond Hūber in Scotland & all that way. And what hath come of it? So long as thei have agreed well together, so long thei have prospered. And whē thei have ierred thei have both gone to wrak. Brethrē that have so reigned here in England have quarelled one with a nother, & the younger hath ben contented with his portion (as in deed the yōger brether commonly ierreth first) but by the cōtencion both hath feared y ^• worse. So when there is any contenciō between brother & brother for land, commonly they are both undō by it. And that crafti marchāt (what ever he be) that will set brother against brother, meaueth to destroy thē both, but of these ii. brethrē whether this mā here wer y ^• elder or the yōger I cannot sai, scripture telleth me not whither of these, ii. was y ^• yōger. But a lykelihod this was younger, for once it was a plain law that primogenitus, y ^• is to say y ^e elder brother had duplicia, & therefore of likelihood it should be the yōgest brother y ^• found himself agreued, & was not content: but Christ said unto him: y ^u man who hath made me a judge or a deuider betwē you? Christ answered him bi a question, and mark this question of Christ, thou man Quis me cōstituit iudecem aut diuisorem superuos. It is no small mater (saith Austē) of what inteneiō one asketh a questiō, as Christ in another place of y ^• gospel, asketh who was neighbor to the pylgrime that was wounded. Ther was (saith Christ) a man that went from Jerusalem to Hierico, and fell among thieves, and they wounded him, & left him for dead. And a priest came by, y ^t was his own contriman & let him lie a Levite came by and would show no compassion vpō him: at last a Samaritan came by, & set him on his horse, & conueighed him to the city and provided surgery for hi. &c. Now who was neighbor to this wounded mā (saith Christ)? Qui fecit illi misericordiam (quod y ^• lawyer). He that shown merci unto him. He that did y ^• office of a neighboure, he was neighbor. As ye may perceive by a more famylyer example of the Bishop of Exceter at Sutton in Staffordshire. Who is Bishop of Exceter? forsooth master Coverdale. What? do not all mē know who is bishop of Exceter? what he hath ben by shop many years. Well, say I master Coverdale is Bishop of Exceter, master Coverdale putteth in execucyō y ^• Bishops office, & he that doth the office of the Bishop, he is the Bishop in deed. Therefore sai I master Coverdale is Bishop of Exceter. Alack there is a thing that maketh my heart sory. J he are that Mayster Coverdale is poisoned. Alacke a good man, a godlic preacher, an honest fatherly man, and if it be true, it is a great pyty and a lamentable case, that he fedeth thē with gods word, and there feed him a gain with poison. Alacke, shall poysonning come now hither into England out of Italy? But to the purpose of Christ's question, who made me a judge between you? here an Anabaptist will sai: Ah Christ refused y ^• office of a judge, ergo there ought to be no judges nor magistrates among Christian men. If it had ben a thing lawful, Christ would not have refused to do the office of a judge, and to have determyded the varyaunce between these. ii. brethren. But Christ did thereby signyfy, y ^• he was not sent for that office. But if thou wilt have a trial and a sentence of that matter according to the laws, thou must go to y ^• temporal judge y ^• is deputed therefore but Christ's meaninges was, that he was come for another purpose, he had another office deputed unto him thē to be a judge in temporal matters, Fgo ueni uocare peccatores ad peniteci • , I am come (saith he) to cal sinners to reap̄tāce. He was come to preach the gospel, the remission of syn, & the kingdom of god & ment not thereby to disallow the office of temporal maiestrates. Nai, if Christ had meant that there should be no magestrates, he would have bid him take all, but Christ ment nothing so. But the matter is, y ^• this covetous man, this brother toke his mark amis, for he came to a wrong mā to seek redress of his matter, nor Christ did not forbid him to seek his remedy at the magestrats hand, but Christ refused to take vpō hi y ^• office y ^• was not his calling. For Christ had another vocation then to be a judge between such as cōtēded about matters of land. If our rebels had had this in their minds thei would not have ben their own judges, but they would have sought y ^• redress of their grief at y ^• hands of the king & his maiestrates under him appointed. But no marvel of their blindness & ignorance for the Bishops ar out of their dyoces, y ^• should teach thē this gear. But this man perchance had heard, and did think y ^• Christ was Messias, whose reign in words soundeth a corporal and a temporal reign, which should do justice, and se a redress in all matters of worldly controversy. Which is a necessary office in a Christyan realm and must needs be put in execucyon for mynystryng of justice. And therefore I require you (as a suitor rather then a preacher) look to your office yourself, and lay not all on your officers backs. Receive the bills of supplication youreself, I do notse you do so now a days, as ye were wont to do the last year.

For God's sake loke unto it, and se to the ministrig of justice your own self and let poor Suters have answer. There is a king in Christiandom, and it is the king of Denmark that sytteth openlie in justice thryse in y ^e week & hath doors kept opē for the nones. I have hard it reported of one y ^t hath been there and seen the proof of it many a time and often. And the last justice that ever he saw done there was of a priests cause, that had had his glebe land taken frō him (and now here in England some go about to take away all) but this priest had had his glebeland taken from him by a great mā. Well, first went out letters for this mā, to appear at a day, process went out for him according to the order of the law, & charged bi virtue of those letters, to appear afore the king at such a day. The day came. The king sat in his hal readi to mi minister justice: The priest was there present: The gentlemā this Lord, this great man, was called, and commanded to make his apperaunce, according to the write that had been dyrected out for him. And the Lord came, & was there, but he appeared not: No quod he king? was he sommonid as he should be? had he any warnig to be here? It was answered, yea, & y ^• he was there walking up & down in the hal, & that he knew well enough that that was his day, and also that he had all redye ben called, but he said he would not come before y ^• king at that time, alled gig y ^t he needed not as yet to make an answer, because he had had but one sūmoninge. No quod the king? is he here present: yea forsooth sir said the priest. The king commanded him to be called, and to come before him. And y ^• end was this. He made this lord this great man to restore unto the priest not onli the glebelād which he had taken from the priest, but also the rent & profit the rof for so long time as he had wholdē it frō y ^• priest which was viii. years or thereabout (saith he) whē ye can show better euydence thē the priest hath done, why it ought to be your land, thē he shall restore it to you again & the profits thereof, y ^• he shall receive in y ^• mean time. But til that day come, I charge ye y ^t ye suffer him peaceably to enjoy y ^t is his. Thys is a noble king, & this I tell for your example, that ye may do the like. Loke vpō the matter yourself. Poor. men put up • ils every day, & never the nere. Confyrme your kingdom in judgment, and begin doing of your own office yourself, even now while you are young, and sit once or twice in the week in council among your lords, it shall cause things to have good succes, and that matters shall not be lingered forth frō day today. It is good for every mā to do his own office, & to se that well executed & discharged. Ozias king in Judah, he would needs do the office of y ^• priest, and he would needs offer incense in the sanctuary which to do, was the priests office. But he was suddenly stricken with the leprie of his labor, & so continued alepre all days of his life. S. Johns disciples would have had him to take vpō him y ^t he was Christ. But what said Ihō? Nemo sibi assumit quicquam, nisi datū fuerit et de super. No man may take any thing upon him self, except it be given unto him frō above. If the Deuōshire mē had well considered this, they had not provoked y ^• plages that they have had light vpō thē. But vnprechig prelaci hath ben y ^• chiefest cause of all this hurly burly & cōmociōs. But if Christ may challenge any kind of mē for taking his office vpō thē, he may say to y ^• mass mongers. Who gave you cōmissiō to offer up Christ? who gave you authority to take mine office in hand? for it is onli christs office to do y ^• . It is a great matter to offer Christ, if Christ had offered his body at the last supper, then should we so do to, who is worthy to offer up Christ? an abhominable presumcyon Paul saith Accepit panē, postquam gracias egissit fregit ac dxit, Accipite, edite. He took bread and after that he had given thanks, he brake it, and said. Take ye, eat ye &c, & so said: Hoc est corpus meum, He gave thanks, well then in thangs giving there is none oblation, & whē he gave thanks it was not his body. Whē I was in examinaciō. I was asked many questions, & it was said to me what Christ did that should we do, a bishop gathred that upon these words. Hoc facite inmei recordacionem. Then said he to me, how know ye that they eat it before he said, hoc est corpus meum. I answered again and said: how knowye y ^• they did not eat it. &c. so I brought into him y ^• place of Paul above said, and that in thanks giving is none oblacyon, and when he gave thankes it was not his body, for he gave thankes in the beginning of supper, before they eat any manner thing at all, as his accustomed manner was to do. I wonder therefore that they will or dare by this text take upon thē to offer Christ's body. They should rather say: Quis me constituit oblatorem? who made me an offerer? But whē Christ said: Quis me constituit iudicem aut diuisorem superuos? who hath made me a Judge, or a deuyder of lands among you? Christ did refuse another mans office an office y ^• he was not of his father deputed unto. Christ's kingdom was a spiritual kingdom, & his office was a spiritual office & he was a spiritual judge. And therefore when the womā takē in adultery was brought before him, he refused not to play the judge, but said: Quis te accus at? and she say again Nemo domine. No mā Lord (saith she) then said he, Nec ego te cōdem no. Nor I cōdempne the not. Vade et no li amplius piece are. On thy ways, and sin no more. Hear he toke vpō him his own office, and did his offyre, for his office was to preach & to bid fynners amend their evil living, and not to be a temporal judge in temporal causes. And here is another occasiō ofa suite to your highness, for the punish ment of Lechery. For lechery floweth in England like a floudde. But now to make an ende in temporal causes he fayde. Quis me constituit iudicem, &c. Who made me a judge of temporal causes among you, and of worldly mattiers: Thus came this fellow in hear with interruptynge of Christ's sermō, and received the answer which I have rehearsed? Thou man thou fellow (quod he) who hath made me a judge, among you? And he said unto all the audyence: Videte, et cauete ab auaricia. See and beware of Couetousenesse. Whye so? O 〈…〉 a nō in abund anci a cu • us quam uita eius et. ex his que possidet. For no man's life standeth in the habundaunce of the things which he possesseth. We may have things necessary, and we may have haboundaūce of things, but the haboundaunce doth not make us blessed. It is no good argument. Quo plus quis quc habet, tanto beatius 〈◊〉 uit. The more riches that a man hath the more happellye and the more blisfullye he liveth. For a certain great man that had purchased much lands a thousand marks by yere or I wot not what, a great portion he had. And so on the way as he was in his iournie towards Londō, or frō London, he fell sick by the way. A disease toke him, that he was constrained to lie upon it. And so being in his bed the dysease grew more and more up on him, that he was by his friends, that were about him very godly advised to loke to himself, & to make him ready to God, for there was none other lykelyhode but that he must die without remedy. He tried out, what? shall I die (quod he) wounds, sides, heart, shall I die, and thus go frō my goods? go fet me some Phisiciō that may save my life, wounds and sides shall I thus die? Ther lay he still in his bed like a block with nothing but wounds and sydes shall I die? Within a very little while he died in deed, and then lay he like a block in deed. Thet was black gowns, torches. Tapers and ringing of belles, but what is become of him, God knoweth, and not I. But here by this ye may perceive that it is not the haboūdance of riches that maketh a man to live quietly and blysfully. But the quiet life is in a mediocrity. Mediocres optime uiuunt. (saith he) they that are in a mean do live best. And there is a pro uerbe which I red many years ago Dimidium plus to to. The half sometimes more thē the hole. The mean life is the best life and the most quiet life of all. If a man should fil himself up to y ^e throat he should not find ease in it, but dyspleasure, and with the one half he might satisfy his greadye appetide. So this great riches never maketh a mans life quiet, but rather troublus I remember here a saying of Solomon, and his example. Coacernaui mihi argentum et aurum. I gathered silver & gold together (saith he) I provided me syngers, and womē which could play on instruments to make men mirth and pastime. I gate me Psalte ryes & songs of musycke. &c. & thus my heart rejoiced in all y ^t I did. But what was the end of all this? Cum cōuer tissem me ad omnia, when I considered (saith Solomon) all the works that my hands had wrought. &c. loe, all was but vanity, and vexacyon of mind, & nothing of any value under the sun. Therefore leave covetousness, for believe me if I had an enemy. The first thing that I would wish to him, should be that he might have abo •• dance of riches, for so I am sure, he should never be in quiet. But think ye there be not many that would be so hurt? But in this place of the gospel. Christ spake and declared this unquietness and vncerteinti of great riches by a sim • litude and parable of a great rich man, who had much land that brought forth all fruits plentifullye. And he being in a pride of the matter, and much unquiet by reason that he had so much, said to himself: What shall I do, because I have riot 〈…〉 e enough where to bestow my fruits that have grow̄ unto me of my lands? I will thus do (saith he) I will pul down my barns, and build greater barns, and I will say to my soul. My soul thou hast much goods laid up in stoare for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink and be merye. But God God said to him. Stulte hac nocte, animam 〈◊〉 tuam repetunt abs te. Thou fole, thou fool, this night will they take thy soul frō the again. And thē, whose shall those things be which thou haste provided? Even so it is w ^t him (saith Christ) that gatheryth riches unto him self, & is not Rich toward God. &c. But yet the Couetousmā cā never be content.

I walcked one day with a Gentelmanne in a parcke, and the manne regarded not my talk, but caste his head and eye this and that way, so that I perceived he gave no great ear to me, which when I saw: I held my peace. At last, oh (quod the Gentylman) if this park wer mine, I would never desire more while I lived. I answered, and said, Sir & what if ye had this parck to, for there was another parck evē hard bi? this gentelmā laughed at the mater. And truly I think he was dyseased with the dropsy, the more he had, the more covetous he was to have still more & more. Thys was a farmer that had a farm hard by it, and if he might have had this park to it, he would never have desired more. Thys was a farmer not altogether so couetus a mā, as there be many now a days, as for one gētlemā to rake up all the farms in y ^e cōtry together in his hands all at ones. And here one suit more to your highness. Ther lacketh one thing in this realm that it hath need of, for God's sake make some promoters. Ther lack promoters, such as wer in king Henry the seuenthes days your graundfather. Ther lack men to promote the kings officers whē they do amiss, and to promote all offenders. I think there is great need of such men of godly dyscressyon, wisdom, and conscience, to promote trāsgressoures, as rētrai soures, oppressors of the pore, extorcioners, bribers, vserers. I here there be vserers in England, that will take xi. in the hundredth: But I here of no promoters to put them up. Wereade not y ^t this covetous farmer or lāded man of the gospel, boughte corn in the markettes to lay it up in stoore, and then sell it again. But and if it please your highness? I here say that in England, we have lande Lord's (nay step Lord's I might say) are become grasyers, and burgesses are become regraters, and some farmers, will regrate and bye up all the corn that cometh to markets and lay it up in store, and sel it again at an higher price, when they se their time: I heard a macchaunt man say that he had trauayled all the days of his life, in the trade of marchaundyse, and had gotten. iit. or. itii. thousand pounds by byinge and sellinge, but in case he might be lycenced or suffered so to do, he would get a thousand pound a year by only byinge and sellynge of grayne hear within this realm. Yea and (as I hear say) Aldermē are now a days become Colliers. They be both wodmongers, and makers of cools. I would so God help me, what so ever he be: I would wish he might eat nothing but coles for a while, till he had amended it. There cannot a poor body by a sack of coles. but it must come thorough their hands. But this rich man that the Gospel speaketh of, was a covetous man. God had given him plenti but that made him not a good man, It is another thing that maketh a good man. God saith, Sinon audieris uoe • m meam: If thou obey not my voice &c. And therefore worldly riches do not declare y ^e favor or disfauour of god. The scripture saith: Nemo scit an sit a moredignus, an odio. God hath ordained all things to be good. And the devil laboreth to turn all things to mans evil. God giveth mē plenty of riches to exercise their faith and charity, to confirm thē y ^t be good, to draw thē that be naught, and to bring thē to repentance: And the devil worketh all together to the contrary. And it is an old Proverb, the more wicked the more fortunate. But the unquietness of this covetous richman, declareth the vnquyetnes of the mid that riches bringeth with it. Fyrste they are all in care howe to get riches, & thē are they in more care how to keep it still. Therefore y ^• apostle saith Qui uolunt dite yere incidunt in tentaciones uarias. Thei that studi to get great riches do fall into many diverse temptaciōs. But the root of all evil is covetousness. What shall I do (saith this rich man.) He asked his own brayneles head what he should do, he did not ask of the scripture. For if he had asked of the scripture, it would have told him, it would have said unto him: Frange esurienti panem tuū. &c. Break thy bread unto the hungry. All the affeccion of men now a days, is in building gay & sumptuouse houses, it is in setting up and pulling down, & never have they done building. But the ende of all such great riches and covetousness is this: Thys night thou fool thy soul shall be taken frō the. It is to be understand of all that rise up from little to much, as this rytch mā that the Gospel spake of did. I do not dyspyse riches, but I wish that men should have riches, as Abrahā had, and as Joseph had. A mā to have riches to help his neighbor, is a godly riches. The worldly riches is to put all his trust and confidence in his worldly riches, that he may by them live here gallantly, pleasauntly, and voluptuously. Is this godly riches? No no, this is not godly riches. It is a cōmō saying now a days among many: Oh, he is a rich mā, he is well worth five hundredth pounds. He is well worth five hundred pounds that hath given five hundredth pounds to the poor, otherwise it is none of his. Yea, but who shall have this five hundred pounds? For whom hast thou gotten that five hundredth pounds? What saith Solomon. Ecclesia. v. Est alia infirmitas pessima, quam uidi sub sole, diuitiae conseruate in malum domini sui. Another evil (saith he) and another very naughty imperfection riches hoore ded up & kept together to the owners own herme, for many times such riches do perish and cōsum away miserabli. Such a one shall sontime have a sonne saith he, that shall be a veri beggar, & live all in extreme penurye. Ogoodly riches that one mā shall get it, & another come to devour it. Therefore Videte, et cauete ab auaricia. See and beware of couetusnes. Beleue gods words, for they will not deceive you, norlye. Heauē and earth shall perish: but Verbum domini, manet in eternum. The word of the Lord abide than 〈…〉 • ndureth forever. On this leavened faith, this unseasoned faith▪ Beware of this unseasoned faith A certain mā asked me this question: Diddest thou ever sea mā lie 〈…〉 e long that had great titches? Therefore saith y ^e wisemā if god send the riches, use thē. If God send the abundance, use thē according to y ^e rule of gods word, and study to be rich in our savior Jesus Christ. To whom 〈◊〉 the father and the holy ghost, be all honor glory and praise forever and ever.

Imprynted at London by John Day: dwelling over Aldersgate beneth S. Martins. These books are to be sold at his shop by the little Cūduite in Chepesyde.

Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum▪ Per septenium.