The Image of Both Churches in Revelation 2

The Paraphrase.

1 And I will give pour saith the lord unto my two faithful witnesses / & they shall prophecy a thousand two hōdreth and .lx. days / against those enemies to the confort of my people. So that though my city by trodden down by their cruel laws of persecutiō to death / yet shall yt not be forsakē. And though my people be ouerloaded with their heythen superstycyons and blasphemous worshippings / yet shall they not be lost nor left all without socoure.

2 They shall have my .ii. witnesses with them to solace thē in their troubles / and to confort thē in there cares. Both Moses and Christ / both the law and the gospel / both the prophets & the apostles shall stand upon their side and be upon there part: yea / for so moche time as there enemies shall vex thē / and for so moche space as there adversaries shall trouble thē Even a thowsande two hundred and .lx. days / which maketh three year and an half / and is more then the .xlii. months by four score days and four. Which signifieth that the enemies shall not ever more keep down his word / but their days shall be shortened for his electes sake. The scole doctors with their sophistry hath fantasied the said two witnesses to be Enoch and Helias / and that they should come then from paradyse terrestre for the same puprose / because that Enoch was takē away of God / & Helias was carried hence in a fiery charet / neither understanding what paradyse is / nor yet knowing what yt is to be taken frō hence. Paradyse is the sweet rest of God appointed unto thē that depart hence in faith. The peculiar translations of Enoch and Helias were not only for a confirmacyon or strengthenynge of the faith of the fathers for their times / but also that they should be figurs of Cristes ascencion. And what godly wise man can give more to the figure than to the verity: More were not they preuileged frō death thā was Christ / though God would not then have yt so openly known / to declare his wonderful pour. Unlyke is it that God should cal witnesses from the dead not promisinge yt by his word / having pour also from stones to raise up Abraham's children / and to give the spirit of Helias to whom he pleaseth / like as he ded to Johan Baptist / and as he doth now to many other more in our age / as all the world may se and hear. These witnesses are two / for so moche as the truth of the lord in the mowthe of two or three godly persons ought to stand.

3 These two witnesses or faithful procestours of the afore said two testaments / hath continewed with the people of God sense the death of Steuē / for the more part secretly and unknown to the world. But now they are come a broad by the appointment of God to the utter confusion of the great adversary and man of sin as Paul doth call him. And unto them in this sixth age of the church the lord hath given the great pour of his living word / or the spirit of his inuincyble verity in moche more ample wise then afore time / for the abatement of the said enemies or synagoge of perdycyon.

4 Clothed they shall be in sack clothe (saith the lord) No pomp shall appear in their aparell / no glory of the world in their behauer. Neither shall they be accompanied with a garde of ruffelinge rutters. Neither shall they with Annas and Caiaphas sit upon life and death. Neither shall they bless in the strete with myter / cross / and cope. Neither claim the hyger seats in side gowns shaven crowns / and typpettes. Neither shall their be sack fryres nor franciscanes / monks / chanons / nor hypocrites. They shall not disfigure them selves to seme religious / nor say longe prayers to appear holy / but in a sober conversation auoydynge superstuite / they shall cōstātlye witness the truth of God to the universal world / to his glory and their edification. For sack clothe in the scriptures is a sign of sobryete / sadness / and temperaūce / as in helias and Johan Baptist.

5 These witnesses are two sweet olyue trees / shedynge forth the fatness of the scriptures / and dulcet saver of the spirit. God hath so blessed them / that their lips are full of grace. He hath anointed thē with the oil of gladness above their fellawes / of myrre / bawme / & aloes they dilectably smelle. Non other things utter they but his infallible veritees.

6 They are also two shynynge candelstickes / setting forth the light / or clearly opening the hid̄ mysteries of the scriptures / to the confort of the gētyles & glory of the Israelites. They are not the light itself but only instruments ordained to bere witness of the light. For there is but one light for all. Onelye a • e they the vessels of eleccion (as was paule / to carrye that light the world over.

They stand in the presence of the God of the earth / or the lord of all / as men of most high acceptacyon before him / rebye to do his will and to fulfill his conmandemēt and pleasure / having the oil of his spirit and the light of his eternal verity.

The Paraphrase.

i If any man will attempt to do them s • athe / or presumptuouslye seeketh by craf • ye colou • s / subtle reasons / and deceitful arguments / upon dangers / doubts / doctor • / old customs / and authority of fathers to hyndre their office / blemyshe their message / and darken their light • such fire shall proceed out of their mouths as shall consume their enemies.

2 The eternal word of the lord that they shall declare (which ys the consuminge fire) shall utterly destroy thē. So that nothing shall be seen of that they were afore. Neither cut show nor cord / cowl nor graye cote / bote nor black whode / rother nor scaplar / myter nor croser / sandale nor frock / shaven crown nor anointing. For all these are their enemies.

3 Cōsumed are they to there saluaciō that with Matthew become of Publycanes true Apostles / and with Paul of ferce persecutors charitable teachers. Contrarye wise are they consumed to their damnacyon / which being ouercomen by the manifest verity / wylfullye persist in their deuyllyshe errors with Antiochus and Pharaoh / with the Scribes and Pharisees.

4 For yt followeth. And if any man will hurt them / this wise must he be killed. Either must he be mortified frō the old Adam / and changed into a new man in Christ / or else by the said word must he both be judged and condemned for the utter adversary of God / with Satan his ancient captain. So must he be killed. And no death will be found like unto that death come they ones to the felynge of yt / though they account yt now very light.

5 For these witnesses have pour a • had Helias / to shut up heaven / that yt rain not in the days of their prophecienge / but yet non other wise thā by the afore said word. For the word of God ys the very key of David / which openeth the kingdom of God to thē that faythfullye believeth / and that speareth yt up also from thē which dwelleth in unfaithfulness. For it is said / in the days of their prophecyenge. This pour therefore is of the word / and not of the men. The word speareth and openeth / losoneth and byndeth / saveth and dāpneth. He that believeth (saith Christ) shall be saved / he that believeth not is judged alredye. No moyster of grace nor godly wisdom can light where sturdye frowardenesse is roted. The days of their prophecyenge in figure is non other than the aforesaid time / times / and half time / or the three years and .vi. months of Helyas.

6 In those days shall it not rain vpō the wicked / they shall have no grace to receive the verity. In parables and figurs shall that be hidden from thē / that shall be evident ynowe unto the faithful. With ears shall they hear and not understand / with eyes shall they se and not discerue. So blind will their hearts be. For such spake the prophets in fygurs / Christ in parables / and the Apostles in mysteries. The open truth of this reuelacion shall not the wicked perceive / till they taste the plages thereof. Soche is the nature of God's wisdom / that though it be not in glorious words / fine paputed terms / nor in perswasible reasons of mannes wit / but in plain simple speaking / yet can it not be known of the worldly wise. The sweet dew thereof will not be received of thē / in the aforesaid days of prophecy / but he that is blind shall be blind still.

7 These witnesses have also pour over waters / to turn them into blood. Whan they interpret and sincerely declare the pure berites of God / which are those wholesome waters that restrayneth the dāpnable dryness of the sowle / that refresheth the conscience / and cleanseth the heart of the sinner / they cannot chose but ernestlye condemn the perverse judgments / the covetous laws / and hypocritishe works of the ungodly. And then is all unclean unto them / thē is all bloodye. The gospel which was a stomblynge stone to the Jews / and mad folyshenesse unto the gentyles / is also now unto them nowrye new lerninge / sediciouse doctrine / and abhominable he resye. Yea / and they judge them worthy to be burned that doth teache it. Thus is it abhorred of them that shall perish and nevertheless to thē that believe / it is the pour of God unto salvation.

8 Fynallye they have pour to smyte the earth with all manner of plages / as often as they will. Uerye ca • the are they that regard not God's truth / as the lord said unto Adā after his offense. Earth thu art / and unto earth shalt thu return. Nothinge they esteem / but that which ys earthly. Nothinge they desire / but that is carnal. The froward creature will in no case know that is of the spirit. The light ys hateful unto sore eyes Uerr peynefull is brede to the mouthe that ys not whole. A great mote was Christ to the Jews / as his true preachers are unto the blind world yet to this day. For they smyte the earth.

9 They towche their living / they rebuke their falshede / they condēpne their wickedness. They reprove them of sin / of ryghtousnesse and of judgment. They force not to tell thē of there unfaithfulness / frawde / and hypocrisye / of their philosophers / prelates / and relygyouse. No greatter • lage ys yt to the ungodly than to hear of their evil doings. No greater pain / nor yet greatter ponnyshmēt / than to have their fawtes opened / and their clonynge colors condemned. That fretteth thē at the very heart. Deathe must be sought out for such preachers. No wonder is yt though this be here writ̄ for this age of the church. For never were more ernest witnesses then are now / and more are like here after to follow / till the manne of sin be fully known / and his kingdom clearly overthrown.

The Paraphrase.

1 And whan they have ones fynyshed their testimony (saith the lord) the beast that came out of the bottomless pytte / shall make war against them. No sooner shall the witnesses of God's verity in allages be taken from the world / than he hath prefixed. After nō other sort shall they be sent hence / than he hath appointed by his eternal decree. Iohā baptist was not enprysoned nor beheaded / till he had done his office. Christ was not taken / condemned / and crucyfyed till his hour was come. Paul was not putt unto death / till he had fulfilled his course.

2 The beast of the bottomless pytte ys the cruel / crafty / and cursed generation of Antychrist / the pope with his bishops / prelates / priests / and relygyouse in Europa / Mahomete with his dettynge dowsepers in Africa / and so forth in Asia and India / all beastly / carnal / and wicked in their doings.

3 These maketh war against God's witnesses / whan they hate them / curse them / blaspheme them / and persecute thē. Whan they withstand them with their crafts / impugn them with their lies / and vex them with their deuyllyshnesse / as necessary it is they should do. For if they have troubled the head / they must be • e also the members. If the howsholder be called Beelzebub / the howsholde must suffer the same. No better is the servant than his lord / nor the massenger than he that sent him.

4 They shall also overcome them / not with the scriptures / but with their beggerlye customs / constitucions / laws / decrees & tradicyons. They shall scourge them or dysgrade them in their synagoges. They shall deliver them up to iustyces / debitees / and rewlers / making them their bothers and slaves / so washinge their own holy hands frō the shedynge of innocents blood.

5 They shall kylle thē also by their counsel / to fulfill the measure of their fathers / that all ryghtuouse blood may light upon them which hath been shed upon earth. Yet shall they not hurt their souls / but through faith they shall have victory both over them and the devil.

6 And their bodies shall lie in the stretes of the great city. In this world shall their carcases remain / where as they have rewle and domynyon. Here shall they be judged and condemned. At their pleasure shall it be to hāge thē / head them / or burn them. And though they lay no hands upon them for soylynge their consecrate fyngars / yet must it be done by their ghostly cownsel / and ordered also after their spyrituall appointment. Non other is it to lie in the stretes of their great city / than after • oche laws as they have practysed toke brought unto death.

7 For spiritually is their city called. A glorious name usurp they as though they were nō of the world. They will be called the holy church / good ghostly fathers / godly dyuines / & spiritual menne / not cōsiderynge of what spirit they are spiritual. They are those into whō the unclean spirit hath entered with .vii. other spirits worse than him self. With the spirit of falshede / the spirit of filthiness / the spirit of lies / the spirit of wytchecrafte / the spirit of error / the spirit of blindness / and the spirit of cruelty. And of these only with such like are they spyrituall / and of no godly spirit as their fruits declareth. And therefore the spirit of god doth judge here this great city not to be called Hierusalē / but stinkinge Sodom / & most miserable Egypt / the prophecies and other scriptures agreynge to the same. For loke what filthiness and abhomynacion was in Sodom / what Idolatry and deuylyshnesse was in Egypt / the same is now reygnynge in this painted spyritualte / and is accounted there great holiness.

8 Amonge this consecrate multitude / or smered sort is Christ yet crucyfied / as he was among the Jews which knew him not / & yet boasted thē selves outwardlye for the peculiar chosen people of God. Not only ys Christ among thē persecuted / scourged / ponnyshed / and put unto death in his members / but also he ys proved of them an vnsufficyent Sauer without their daily doings. Their masses must be satysfactory sacrifices / profytinge both the quick and the dead. And that must men believe under pain of death and dampnacyon. Thus crucyfye they Christ again / and make a mock of him as wytnessed Paul / and yet do they call him their lord / not unlike to the tormentors / which crowned him with thorn / and saluted him with Ave rex Iudeorum.

The Paraphrase.

1 And as they lie thus dead in the stretes / or are contempned as heretykes / and despised as wicked doars / some of the people perverted by these enemies / some of the kynredes or sects of dyuysion / some of the tongues or blasphemous bablers / and some of the nacyons of all wicked workers shall behold their bodies iii. days and an half.

2 They shall for all ages abhor them / hate thē / reuyle them / and spyghtfullye report them. In there cronycles shall they write them for seducers of the people / & in their stories regestre them for damnable heretykes: For the .iii. days & an half dyuided into .vii. halves betokeneth the .vii. ages of the church wherein they have and shall still both persecute and blaspheme.

3 And these wicked sortes of people / kynredes tongues / and nacyons / or of false iustyces / priests / lawyers / and relygyouse shall not suffer their bodies to be put in graves. But be these witnesses ones judged heretykes by the clergy / and so condemned by the layte / either shall their bodies be resolved in to ashes by fire / or else consumed by the fowls of the air. Seldom shall ye se a known heretic buried among them / but most commonly burned. Examples of this hath been • a • elye seen here in England by Thomas hyttoon / Thomas bylueye Johan frith / George baynham / Williā tindale / Johan lambert / Robert barns / Wylliam Hyerome / Thomas garade / Richard spenser / and in Partrick hamilton of Scotland / with many other more. And longe afore our time in sir Johan old castle the lord Cobhā, sir Roger ac • on knight / sir Reynolde pecock bishop of chychester Master Iohā Ayshton / sir Willyam thorpe / sir Willyam • awtre / sir Richard with / sir Johan balle / sir Willyam tayloure / and sir willyam whyght priests / with diverse other. The body of Formosus was first taken up by Stephen the .vi. Bishopp of Rome and disgraded. After was yt beheaded / mangled / and thrown into the flood of Tiber by Sergius the third. Saint Herman after .xx. years from his burial was taken up and burned at Ferraria in Italy by Boneface the ryhht. The bones of Master Johan wycclef were taken up and burned also the .xl: year after his death / as waldene witnesseth to his boke de Sacramentalibus ti .ix. Capi .lxxxix. So was of late years in worcestre dyocese the body of master Williā Tracye esquire / & in Londō the body of Richard honne merchande taylour. Moreover Johan colet dean of Paul's in londō also / was not far frō the same for reading of Paul's Epistles by his life / had not other wayghtye matters been in the way. Soche heretykes shall not rest in their city / they shall not be buried among them. They shall not be shryued / canonysed / nor allowed for Saints / for they builded no monasteries / they set up no chaūteryes / they subdewed no Princes / nor yet died for the lybertees of holy church. They s • ode not in defense that priests doing Idolatry / theft / murder / wytche craft / whoredom / buggerye / with other abhominacyons should remain vnponnyshed. But rather to the contrary & that they should worshypp but one God / live by their labors / take w •• es of their own / & teache nothing but God's laws.

4 And they that dw • ll upon the earth (saith the lord (or have their felycite herewith the rich glotton / shall rejoice over them and be glad.

5 They shall clappe their hands whā these godly witnesses be brought out of the way They shall common / ryote / and bancket / having among themselves Ioye without measure that the heretykes be gone / so hateful ys the light to their eyes / and the verity to their wicked hearts.

6 And they shall send gifts or presents one to another for gladness / as for example. My lord bishop hath had a sum of many of the priests for doing his part so well. My lord abbote and master doctor have had phesondes / plouers & partriches pigges / gese / & capōs / for dysparynge / their matters so va • eauntlye▪ Master person hath been commended for scoldynge / and ser saunde • smelle smocke our perryshe priest for bearing false witness. Master friar hath had a treu • all and father limit our a bushel of ma •• or a che •• for playnge the knaves also. And hardelye my lord chief justice hath not been without his reward / no • yet master Chaūcelloure / neither master Scrybe. What made Thomas More for his time with so prodigiouse • y • an •• e to persecute the truth and seus / Godfathe of Norwich / whartō of Gongaye 〈◊〉 & Baker of k̄te / with such other like • but auri sacra fames / as 〈◊〉 both call it. Thus do they 〈◊〉 triūphe whā they have wrought my 〈◊〉 and moche it delighteth thē whā they been 〈◊〉 ungodly thi • ges.

7 For 〈…〉 prophets (saith the lord) vexed them that dwell on the earth▪ A great trouble it is to thē to have their faw • es seen / a sore vexacion to have their crafts known / and an exceeding displeasure to be put from their pleasant Euphrates by the preaching of such busy heretics. Moche was Herod offended with Johan / the bishops with cri • t / the prelates & religious with Paul / and a sore grefe it was to their hearts / whan they rebuked their vices.

The Paraphrase.

1 And after three days & an half (saith Saint Johan / ded the spirit of life by the pour of God entre in to them. In the mids of their Ioye and triumph whan they think them selves well quyeted / the heretykes thus taken a way / another storm falleth upon thē moche worse than the other. Manye more ariseth out of their ashes to their confusion and to the chosens confort. And the same witnesses they are again / giving the same testymonye / though they be not the same persons.

2 The same living spirit have they / confessinge the same verity / that had the other. No longe time can Christ's congregation be without faithful testes / he promysinge to be with them to the ende of the world.

3 These witnesses stood up / upon their fete. In the time full past ys this spoken for the certainte of the thing / though moche of it be to come. For so certē is it / as it were all fynyshed. An ernest stomach shall they have / and with moche boldness shall they speak. The ryghtouse shall stand up (saith the boke of wisdom) in great feruentnesse of spirit / against them that hath extremelye handled them / and taken away their labors / persecuted them / and blemyshed their doctrine.

4. And great fear came upon thē which saw them. Whan the Antichrystes se they cannot prevail / moche are they inwardlye anguyshed / vexed / and tormented. Then doubt they their fall / thā fear they their utter destruction. They trymble and quake whā they se their laws will no longer stand / nor their insurreccions no longer help them / lokinge for a terrible day. With horrible fear shall they wonder (saith the aforesaid boke of wisdom▪ at the comynge of the sudden health / gronynge for sorrow / and mournynge for very anguyshe of mind / and saying within them selves. These be they whom we sometime had in deuysion. Vnwisely / we thought their lives to be madness / & their ends to be without honor. And now they are 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 rekened among the children of God / & their portion is among the Saints. Therfor have we erred frō the way of truth / & the light of ryghtousnesse hath not shyned unto us. We have weryed our selves / in the paths of wickedness but the way of the living lord have we not known.

5 And they hard a great voice from heaven / saying unto them. Come up hither. The Antichrists shall hear this noise / they shall know thē to be in the favor of God / & great heuynesse it shall be unto thē. For this voice is the free eleccyon of God according unto grace and not after manes deseruynge. And it conmeth frō heaven as doth all other good gifts / frō the father of light. It calleth up them that afore walked somewhat after the flesh / and durst not for fear of pōnyshmēt witness the verity. It commādeath them to arise unto God / to be more perfect / more spyrytuall / more godly / and to have their conversation in heavē. They attēde unto the voice / they obey yt / and do after yt. For yt followeth.

6 And they ascended up into heaven in a cloud. By the pour of God they are taken up. From worldly affects are they changed to the pure love of God / and from carnal prudence to the wisdom of the spirit. In a cloud are they rapte. Compassed are they with this flesh / the ill desires taken from them. Euerye where resemble they Christ / and are daily better and better. They cease not of their progress / no pain cā separate thē from the love of Christ / till they perfyghtly come to the sight of the God of God's in the supercelestiall Zion.

7 And their enemies save them. The Antichrists knoweth that they are gods servants / the hypocrites perse • ueth they have heavenly knowledge Yea, many times they so report them both in their words and writings. In many of them Chronycles they • f • rme / t • at Bererga • ius / Johannes scotus the elder / Johan wycleff / Johan husse / Jerome of Prague / Thomas thedonensis a whyght friar of Bryttayne burned in Rome / Hieronimus sauonarola a black friar burned in florence / & diverse other more were men of most excellent wyttes / of most high learning / of most godly conuersacyō / of a most perfight life / fervent / constaūt / & unmovable in in the time of their deaths. Bylney / Baynhā Befeld / frithe / Tindale / Barns & other / are yet reported (yea of somewhich to this hewe hateth their opinions) to have died charetably and godly. Yet believe they never the better / they come never the senner to God. Their malice hath so blinded thē / and the cloud of ignorance so darkened their knowledge / that still they blaspheme and most cruelly persecute.

8 And in the same hour (saith saint Johan) there happened a great earthquake A terrible cōtradiccion ariseth ever from the carnal Sinagoge / & frō among the earthly minded hypocrites / whā the verite is • awght / as it was afore time in Christ / & in his Apostles / specyallye in Paul / and now of late days in many other poor preachers. Whā new witnesses arise / then wax they more mad / fierce / and felle / then they were afore. Then empreson they / then ponnyshe they / then make they acts and command in pain of death no more to speak in that name. Yet do they rather loose than wynne / fall than rise / dysprofyght that profyght.

9 For the tenth part of their city felle to the grownde. Their buyldinge upon sand will in no case endure. That God hath not planted must up by the roots. Their holy whoryshe church / which is here called Sodom and Egypt) is ruynouslye decayed. Their monasteries of monks / their houses of fryres / their colleges of Idle priests / with their nonnes / chanons / and chanteryes in many places are down. Tythes are not as they have been / nor trentals / nor other deuocions. Images are not sought / nor pardons in confession. The people inclineth to new learning / and goeth from their old believe of holy church. They that were monks / priests / and fryres are now become gospel teachers. Soche as afore were dead / standeth up now against them boldelye This fallen part is here the tenth / for it is the lords by the law. It is the same sheep that afore was lost / & now is brought to Christ's fold. These were called away from thens by the witnesses / the other stand yet still / and are every day worse and worse.

10 In the earthquake were slain names of men to the number of seven thowsande. An innumerable multitude hath been sent out of the way by these Antichrystes in their fury / but yet nothing have they slain but their names. Onelye have they hurt their bodies / upon their souls have they had no pour / no more than had Sathā upon the sowle of Job. Yet have not their names perished before God / for of him are they written in the boke of life. In no case are the wicked of the godly here putt unto death / though some do so understand it / but rather of the wicked the godly. For they never retayle their wrongs / but rather pray for their enemies.

11 And the remnaunt or resydewe were feared / saith saint Johan and gave glory to God of heaven. Of such as were left in their earthquakes or terrible persecucions / some remained in presone / Some were beggared / some were eryled / some fled / some lost their estimation and friends / and yet gave praise unto God.

12 In all their aduersitees they gloryfyed the name of their heavenly father and Lord. Thus have we here what is done alredye / and what is yet to come under this sixth trumpet blowynge (where under we are now) which all / be longeth to the seconde woo.

13 And these things ones accomplyshed the seconde woo will be past. And then loke bye & bye for the third woo / for it will follow anon after without fail / yea / so sone as this seconde woo is done.

14. In the latter age of all shall this third woo reign / such time as Gog and Magog most extremelye shall rage. And the universal judgment shall fynyshe that woo / as here after more euydentlye will opere. But consider that these woes are to the infydels. The faithful feareth them not / but receiving the word in a pure heart they bring forth fruit in pacyent sufferance.

The Paraphrase.

1 And the seventh angel blue (saith Saint Johan). The seventh sort of sincere preachers shall utter their message according to the will of God / they shall declare his pleasure as he hath appointed them. For though it be spoken here as past and done / for the certente of the thing / yet is it not fulfilled in effect. The word of God was without beginning / and his promise everlasting / yet ys yt not all performed in his creatures / but many things are yet to come.

2 After this blast of the angel were made greet voices in heaven. Manye (the congregation or kingdom of God / his Gospel ones purelye published by the preachers) shall spea • e godly things to the edyfycacyon of other. The simple poor weakelynges / idyotes / and infantes shall vttre the hidden wisdom of God to the confusion of the great wise men and sage senyours of this world. Yea / the liones in the strete / the out castes of the world / the forsaken people / shall wonderfullye praise the lord.

3 And these shall be their sayings / whā they shall se the Antichrystes confused and not able to speak again. The kyngedomes of this world / that were • ou • time wicked / cruel / and unfaithful / are now become the lords & his Christ's / of his only grace and goodness. Now fall they to the word that afore thought it folyshnesse. Now cleave they to the truth that sometime ded abhor it. Now have they in hand the gospel / that afore ded persecute it as sidiciouse learning and heresy.

4 And in this congregation shall he reign evermore. Continuallye is he with them / that in faith retayneth his verity. All this shall they vttre with no small rejoice. For doubtless after the seventh seal opening / and the gospel preaching / than a paceable time shall be / and fygured it is by the half hour spoken of afore. For it shall not continue to the ende. Longe may not Christ's church be vnpersecuted. But yet this peace for the time shall not only be an inward peace in the conscience (as ys always among the faithful) but an outward / quiet also / or a season without persecucyon abroad.

5 And the .xxiiij. elders (saith saint Johan) or the greatt number of saints departed (which sitteth before God on their seats / or resteth in his sweet peace / in such graces of the spirit as he gave them by their life time / as charyte / stedefastnesse / love / joy / peace mekenesse / ryghtousnesse / and such other like) fell down flat upon their faces.

6 Most humbly have they ever submytted them selves / referrynge unto God the father the benefyght of their creacyon / and unto Jesus Christ his son the free gift of their redempcyon. Yea / specyallye at this time / being under the altar of God / and knowing by his mere goodness the number of their bretheren shortly to be fulfilled / and them selves with them to be at a glorious liberty / after their ghostly sort they lawde him saying.

7 From the very depeth of our spyrytuall hearts / we render unto the most high thanks Lord God almighty / eternal father / Son / and holy Ghost / which art one essencyall God / and werst without beginning / and shalt be without endynge.

8 For thu hast taken upon the thy grete might. Now hast thu shown thy wonderful pour. Euer hast thu raygned among thy people / but never so gracyouslye / so plentuouslye / and so gloryouslye for our behoove.

9 The heythen evermore were angry whan thy t • wthe apered. Madde were the wicked Antychrystes whan thy glory shyned / and their pride demynished. They fretted for anger / they swelled for wodenesse / yea they s • ewe thy servants / and burned up thy people.

10 But now is thy wrath towards thē. Now will thy anger break out / now will thy vēgeaūce appear. Now shall thy terrible judgment without mercy be declared frō heavē vpō all ungodliness of those cruel enemies that with-hold thy truth in vnryghtousnesse.

11 Now shortelye enseweth the time of the dead / wherein they shall be judged some to joy some to heuynesse / some to glory some to pain.

12 Now approacheth the glad season wherein thu hast appointed to reward the true servants the prophets / and the faithful believers / made saints by the only death of thy son / and all them that yet feareth thy name / with eternal felicyte.

13 Non wilt thu seclude from this thy lyberall goodness / for no weakness nor pouerte. But so well the small as the great / the low as the high / the poor as the rich / the sick as the whole / the unlearned as learned / shall taste of thy inestimable clerenesse.

14 Onlye shalt thu destroy them that destroyed the earth / compellynge both it and all that therein is / not to serve the their heavenly creator / but their own stinking desires / lusts / and corrupt affec • yons / thy glory not ones esteemed nor regarded. Herin may we conjecture / that the seventh seal ones opened / and the .vii. trumpet blown / the last judgment day is not far of. Blessed is he that watcheth for the lords coming.

The Paraphrase.

1 And the temple of god (saith Saint Johan) was opened in heaven. Euydēt will the godly and spiritual estate of the true Christian church seme in those days / the gospel syncerelye preached. In faith shall men seek their living father / and not in dead Images nor other corruptible things. In spirit and verity shall they worship him and not in dumb ceremonies nor outward shadows. Speared is God's temple / whan his true worshipping is hid. And opened it is again / whan that is clearly seen. Tyll Christ's coming in the flesh nothing thereof apered. With the key of David opened ke the mysteries thereof. Wherbye through faith the conuersacyon of many is now and hath been ever send in heaven.

2 This temple thus open / anon the Ark of God's holy testament was seen therein. Christ showeth him self in his own colors / whan the gospel is truly received / which is that Ark / wherein all the riches of God's couenauntes / and the precious treasure of his promise is reposed / to man's behoove. And specially those by whom we are reconciled and saved. By him are we only brought to God's favor again / and graciouslye redeemed. Yea / all the sort of us have received of his habundaunt and ouerflowynge fullness. The sight of this Ark in the temple is non other / than a clear knowledge of him in his congregation. So oft are his mysteries euydent / as this temple is opened. So many times are they known as his word is truly taught.

3 And no small fruit is to be thought to come thereof. For there followed lyghteninges / voices / thonderinges / and earthquakes. Dyuerse respects hath the verity of God / according to diverse audyences. In manner of lightenynge it moveth some / making of earth heaven / and of sinners godly people. A sound or a noise only it is to some men / not regardynge the fruits thereof. To some it is an occasion of anger / spyght and madness / and to some of open blasphemy against the Holye Ghost. For what else doth the clergy / malycyouslye withstanding it / but wylfullye work against knowledge? And what doth the vndyscrete • ayte / blinded by them / but Bable they woote not what?

4 And a great hail also followed / which betokeneth the vehement and sharp judgments of God • towards such enemies of his verity. The most terrible tempest of his I • e abideth them. The Lord shall break into the lande (saith the Prophet • Isaiah) like a sore rempest of hail that breaketh down strong holds or castle • s. And the proud crown of the drunken Ephraemytes shall be trodden under foot. Not only ys the last age appointed to these thonderynges / and earthquakes / but they began also so sone as Christ apered in the flesh. No sonner was the young babe borne / but Herod for madness sought to slee him in his very infancye. The Pharisees and Scribes / the bishops / priests / and lawyers swelled at his preaching and never left till they had slain him. And this rewle with the prelates and hypocrites hath contynued ever sense / and still shall do till the latter day. Onlye ys there and shall be a moderacyon / that sometime yt ys not so extreme as at some. For if yt were always a like / there should non be left.

The Paraphrase.

1 And there apered / saith Saint Iohā) a great token in heaven▪ For no wonder ys this token here to be taken / as in other places of the Scripture / but for a type or figure / contayninge under mystery great things.

2 A woman was seen clothed with the son / yea / of Johan▪ For to God's only electes ys the verity shown to auauntage. Not Mary Christ's mother ys this woman / though many hath so fantasyed in their commentaryes. But yt ys the true christen church of whom Mary ys a most notable member

3 Thys woman the church (as Solomon's cantycles specyfyeth) ys fair / louelye / pleasant / sweet / wholesome / dilectable / undefiled as the Mone / excellent in clerenesse as the son / and glorious as an army of men with their banners and stremers. Thys woman ys bewtyfullye decked with the shynynge son of ryghtousnesse. Nō ys of her that hath not done on Jesus Christ / being renewed in their hearts by faith. Her children are not they that persecuteth God's word / no more than was Annas and Caiaphas. Johannes and Alexander.

Thys women 〈◊〉 to have the mo • ne under her f • te. To the church or congregation of God are all other creature 〈◊〉 . • ll 〈◊〉 things have the lord su • dewed unto her. She ys the right • heir and inheritoure of them through Christ / they with her to be delivered from the bondage of corrupcyon & to serve in liberty.

4 Upon her head was also a crown of twelve stars / which betokeneth not only the twelve Apostles declaring the glory of Christ's kingdom immediatlye after his death / but all other godly mynistres of the word also / which have done the same ever sense. Onlye regneth the true Christian church by the word of God / by the sincere scrypturs / by the doctrine of the Apostles / and neither by superstycyons nor ceremonies / neither by cownsels nor customs by doctors nor fathers / by myters nor rochettes / by typpettes nor whodes / by shaven crowns nor syne gowns / by crosses nor copes / by belles nor torches / by shrynes nor gyl • e Images / nor yet by .xii. cupples in a • yuerye with golden cheanes and garden 〈◊〉 . Her bewtye consisteth only in faith / and in the obseruacyon of God's holy commandemētes. Her true mynysters or preachers as very chosen Stars / showeth forth his glory to the edyficacyō of other / & not their own pomp aod magnificence

5 And she was as ys the woman with child. She cried trauelynge in birth / and was payned as one redye to be delivered. With Christ ys the church bygge whan her members are in full faith. In the heart ys he evermore conceived / and delivered forth such time as he ys declared unto other. For this cause Christ called them his mother which had faith and thereupon ded the will of his father. Of faith in the first promise that Christ should destroy the Serpent / was be first conceived in Adam and Eve / and so grew forth in ryghtouse Abel / in Seth / Enos / Enoch / Noah / Sem / There / Melchizedek / Abraham / and Loth. And as the promises waxed stronger (as in Abraham / Moses / David / and the Prophets) and the people of God more in number / so wexed the woman byggar and byggar / till the fullness of her time was come that she should be delivered. Which was such time as Christ apered to the world / taught / and was cōuersaūt here among menne. And this course have she kept ever sēs / & shall do to the latter day in thē that believe. Thus have she had Christ in her womb sense the beginning.

6 And being full of his heavenly spirit / she hath cried in the Patriarchs and Prhphetes / in the Apostles & faithful mynysters / as one trauelynge in birth. Her cry was the mighty and strong declaracyon of Christ's doctrine / the fervent zeal and desire of the glory of God / and of all-men's health in Christ. She trauayleth evermore a new like as ded Paul / till Christ be fashioned in her Christian members. Wyth all her strength she laboreth that the promised Sede may increase in the faith of all men.

7 Fynallye she ys payned with labors / dolours / blasphemies / troubles / and terrible persecucyons / and never ys delivered without them. Never ys Christ ernestlye received / till some of her members doth suffer. The constant spirit and inuyncyble standing by the truth in them / hath converted many. And like as the payned woman in all her agonies / ys moche conforted by the hope of a child / so are God's faithful witnesses / trustynge that by their pacyent and glad sufferance / Christ should be received and ryghtlye fashyoned in many. Yea / this causeth them to reyoce in all aduersite / and little to esteem their pains.

The Paraphrase.

1 After this (saith Saint Johan) apered in heaven another token or marvel / all diverse from the first. The true church (which is God's kingdom) was never yet without cōtradyccyō / nor without the crafty assaults of enemies. Adam was not so sone created / but he was immedyatlye assaulted of Satan. Christ entered not so sone the world / but he was bye and bye persecuted. The devil goeth about like a roaryngely on / seeking whom he may deuowre.

2 For behold there was seen a great reed dragon / betokenynge the said devil with his whole retynewe / full of deceit / craft / malice / poison / pride / and fercenesse / to enforce the psore weakelynges to consent unto his falshede. All reed his b •• ye seemed / in token that they which are of him / are all full of cruelty / spyght and blood shedynge / afflyctynge the constant believers for withstandinge his assaults. Seldō ys ke out of the earth / as witnesseth Job / but commonly in the company of men / impugninge the faithful. And no pour ys able to match him / unless yt cometh from above.

3 The said dragon had seven heads / sygnyfienge all the crafty wyles / and subtle suggestyons / that he hath practysed and used against Christ & his word under all the .vii. seals opening & the vii. trompettes blowynge▪ Verye easy yt is to conjecture what manner of heads they were / markynge other places of the scripture. A Serpentes head should seme to be the first / consyderinge that in the Serpēt he deceived our first parētes with his benemed crafts. This head so malycyouslye poysened manne / that God reap̄ted him of his creacyō / and destroyed his whole kind in the flood .viii. persons only reserved. After the flood had he the head of a Calf for the seconde / in sygnificacyon of the shameful Idolatry / and wicked worshipping that then begun in Nemroth / and so contyned in the heythen. The third was the head of a lyon / full of pride and oppression / expressed first in the cruel reign of the Assyryanes and Caldeanes / and after in the proud bishops and priests. The forth was a Bears / head / full of rauyne and cruelnesse / betokenynge the f • rce kingdom of the medes and perseanes. Consequentlye his fifth head was like a leopardes head of many colors / full of fycklenesse and change ableness. And that was the vnconstaunt reign of the Greeks. Hys sixth was the head of a Beast far unlike all other beasts / which sygnyfyeth the kingdom of the Romans with their monstruouse laws more than needeth. The seventh ys not unlike to a man's head / includynge all carnal wisdom / with all deuyllyshe polycyes and crafts / and this ys the very papacye here in▪ Europa / which ys the general Antichrist of all the whole world almost / which hath already subdued and destroyed the Empire of Rome. For he ys called the Apostate and man of sin. By this only head ys the Dragon named the enuyouse man. The whole body followeth the heads. As the devil ys malycyouse / wicked / ferce / cruel tyrannycall fall • e / execrable / and deceitful / • o are all his members. In the prudence of the flesh after him they walk in Idolatry / hipocreyse and all other filthiness. And like as a fore Christ's 〈◊〉 these heads were in the Serpe 〈◊〉 the golden Calves / in the kingdom of Babylon / in Nemroth / in Pharaoh / in antiochus / and in the pharisees and S • ribes bishops / lawyers / and priests / so have they been sense his time under the v • seals opening / and the. vii. trompettes blowynge / after the same 〈◊〉 Under the first / he had a Serpentes head in the Jews / most malycyouslye and subtyllye withstandinge Christ and his Apostles / pretēdynge the zeal of God & his laws. Under the seconde / he had a calves head in the Idolators / which sl • we the cons • eunt witnesses of Christ's verity. Under the third / the head of a proud lyon in the bold rabble of heretykes / presumynge against God's word to afferme ungodly things. Under the forth / the head of a Bear / in the gredye multitude of holy hypocrites and spiritual Antichrists / which hath rauyshed up the substance of this world / vsurpinge the empyre of the same. For then begun the papacye with Mahometes myscheff. Under the fifth / the head of a leoparde / in the dyuersyte of pestilent sects or execrable locusts / of whom everyone rejoiceth in his own color and invention. For then ded they sore increase. Under the sixth / the head of a Beast unlike to all other / in the Tyrannye of wicked gouer ••••• blinded and persuaded by the Prestes to flee God's servants for the vpholdynge of their stynkinge generation. For then was and ys yet done moche murder / vpō such as confesseth the truth. Under the seventh or last seal opening / shall he have yet still the head of a manne / in fleshelye polycyes and falshede of the pope and his prelates / in the doctors and priests / till God utterly shall destroy them with the breathe of his mouthe.

4 The said dragon had also .x. horns / or all subtle ways wherewith to impugn the feeble weak nature of man / or to provoke him evermore to rebel against God's commandments.

5 Upon his seven heads he had .vii / crowns / sygnyfiēge therbye that both he and his members hath not only possessed the afore named vices / but also they have over the world reigned in thē and yet do to this day. In pride / falshede / malice / craft / cruelty wickedness / & all other myscheues triūphe they yet.

6 And his tail drue towards him the third part of the stars (& in conclusion shrew them down to the • arthe. By worldly promocyons / lucre / favor / and other flattering / fan • asyes / hath he tangled many learned men / and plucked thē clean from Christ's true church / and from the life of the gospel / so prono •• ynge them whollye to give them selves to the stodye of erronyouse doctrine and lying prophecies / to seduce the worldly multitude and keep them in perpetual blindness.

7 So that they are now cast into the earth. They are become all carnal / filthy and ungodly in all their wisdom / stodye / and works / in all their counsels / preachynges / and teachinges. Now are they the wicked Apostles of Satan / no longer may they shine in the fit mament.

The Paraphrase.

1 And there happened at that time (saith saint Johan) a great battle in heaven. In the church is evermore variaūce and strife without ceasynge / betwixt the spirit and the flesh / the good and the bad / the faithful and the unfaithful. Non other is this battle but a very contradiccion / a dyuersite in faith / stodye / opinion / will / and work / about the laws or commandments of God / and also about the laws and traditions of men. Thys battle is wayghtye in cause / multitude / and continuance. The cause thereof is Christ / the gospel / faith / rightousnesse / man's health / God's high honor / and such other like on the one partye. Upon the other partye the cause is / error / hypocrisy / lies / ydolatrie / avarice / pride / cruelty / filthiness / with all such other. So great is the multitude / that non is fownde out of its Non is there but are in this army. Either they are good or bad / faithful or unfaithful / ryghtouse or vnrightouse. The rightouse are of the host of Michael / the vnrightouse are upon the dragons side. Continued have this battle frō the first beginning / and so shall still to the latter ende. Yea / though the dragon be bownde or tied up under the .vii. seal opening / that he rage not then as he hath done afore. Yet shall the spirit of wickedness / and a mind to do mischef reign inwardlye still in his members. for a Satan can be but a Satan / and a devil a devil.

2 Michael and his angels fought vale auntlye with the dragon. Spyrituall are they which hath done on Christ after the mind of Paul / and spiritual is their armor. Their gyrdinge is verite / their breast plate rightousnesse / their shilde a sure faith / their weapon the word of God / their helmet the hope of health / and for stedefastnesse of their fete their showinge the gospel. By interpretation is Michael to say / who is as God? or who is like unto God? And he betokeneth the constant ministers and sincere teachers of the gospel. The angels of Michael are all they that in a sure faith confesseth the eternal magnificence of God / and that non is like unto him. Contrarye wise the dragons angels are the hypocrites / liēge prophets / and erronyouse teachers.

3 These fight with the dragon / and the dragon and his angels with them. For he that ys not with Christ / ys against him. With the ryghteouse ys Michael. For mynystrynge spirits are the angels ordained for the confort of them which shall be saved. And commanded they are to wait vpō the faithful / to preserve and defend them. The wicked sort have the devil & his chaplaynes to fight for them / the ryghtouse have Michael and his angels. The wicked fyghteth with errors and lies / the ryghteouse with the only verity of God.

4. As vengeable and as ferce as they are / yet prevail they not / neither ys their place fownde any more in heaven. Faythe hath the vyctorye by the promise of God / though the blind world seyth it not. Ouercomen are the wicked whā their enterpryses taketh not / and clean overthrown whā their beggary ys contempned. And never ys the full vyctorye got̄ / no more than yt was in Christ / till the tabernacle of this body be laid a side. At that day ys the crown gotten / whom the lord hath laid up for the ryghtouse. And like as there ys daily fyghtynge / so ys there in some / daily vyctorye. Daily are the angels of darkness overthrown / daily are they cast out of heavē / which ys the true church. Daylye are they cōdēpned by the word of God / & judged for rebels against the holy Ghost / whose sin ys never forgiven.

5 No place have they any more with the chosen / no eleccyon nor acceptacyon / afore God. The more light they have had & the more they have tasted of the truth now forsakinge yt & rebellyng against yt with the devil / the farther they are frō God / & the more nygh unto dāpnacyon. Never believed he truly / that so had received the word. Lett nō think to be saved / unless he perseuereth to the ende.

6 And the great Dragō / or captain of all the unfaithful sort / that old crooked Serpēt which deceived Adā & ys called the devil or malycyouse accuser / yea / & also Satan the most cruel adversary with all his elyentes & spiritual adherents / are certain & sure to be cast out.

7 With the ryghtouse shall they have no porcyon for all their glorious titles. With the godly shall not their names be regestred / for all their holy vnccyōs. But with the prince of this world they shall be thrown forth.

8 For he by them / & they by him / hath deceived all the world / in lying tokens & wonders / & in the operacyō of errors / to the utter dāpnacyon of all thē that cōsenteth to their wickedness.

9 And he was cast into the earth / & his angels also were cast out with him / which is not else but that they are reserved to eternal dam • nation. For serving the creature rather than the lord that made all / God hath forsaken them / and given thē over to their own shameful lusts. All grace and goodness hath he takē frō them / and in all darkness hath he left them. Nothinge is now behind but hell fire / prepared for the devil and his angels. The church thus first bringing forth Christ among the Jews / and so by their cruelty dryūe out into the wyld desert of the Gentyles / hath been there fed of God in persecucyon ever sense / and shall be still till the term come out of the aforesaid thowsande / two hondreth / and three score days / whose ende is in the lords hands.

The Paraphrase.

1 And I hard a mighty great voice (saith saint Iohā) which is the whole agreement of all the sacred scriptures. And the voice said thus unto me.

2 Now is there in heavē salvation. In the church is the health of sowle now that the Idolatry with other abominations is thrown forth / & she clean delivered frō their beggary. Now appeareth the power of the lord / that his gospel is truly preached.

3 Now is it become our God's kingdom / that their doctrine is not of men.

4 Now hath yt the whole srengthe of his a noynted. All Christ's labors / merits / and deseruynges / his natyuyte / passyon / resurreccyon / and ascencyō / ys now her own good. Christ's vyctorye ys theirs / his crown / his scrpture / his seat / & kingdom ys theirs. Yea the possessyō of his fathers right hand us theirs.

5 For the enemy of our bretheren is thrown down / which cruelly accused thē before God day and night. The ad̄uersarye Sathā which quareled before the lord against paciēt Job / and vexed him sore in his substance and flesh / never ceasynge to this day to trouble the ryghtouse with Antichrists and tyrants / ys now over come by the vyctorye of faith / and his power greatly demynyshed in his members. Now is the kingdom of God increased / moche people being unfeignedly converted unto Christ

6 Conquerred him they have by no power of their own / neither merits nor works / but through the inestimable strēgthe which ys in the blood of the immaculate lābe Jesus Christ / and through the in vyncyble word of his verity / which they to the world have testyfyed.

7 In the witness thereof have they constauntlye suffered / and through faith in them have they with him aptayned vyctorye over the world / sin / hell / death / & the devil Not their own bodies have they spared to wynne this conquest.

8 But moche more have they loved Christ and his truth thā themselves / accountynge yt auauntage to give their lives for him.

9 Therfor reyoyce ye heavens / and all yow that in them doth dwell. Ye angels a boue ordained for man's confort / ye saints departed from the myst • yes of this worth / ye faithful believers remay • inge in this life / and ye fervent favorers of the lords verity / be glad that your bretheren hath gote the vyctorye of the devil and his angels to the glory of Christ.

10 But woo unto the wreched inhabitauntes of the earth / and of the see. No small danger is towards them that hath hard the voice of the lord / and still yet will follow the course of this wordle. No light parel hāgeth over their heads / that are inconstaunt / fickle / and wauerynge / giving back with every blast for the pleasure of their flesh.

11 Take hede of yt therefore / for unto yow that are such / the devil ys come down with his subtle suggestyons and crafts / with his wylye cauteles and ingyns. • monge yow doth he remain watchynge to have his pray / as he ded among the children of Israel / whan they were become unfaithful.

12 Tares will he sow to destroy the good seed / for his wrath is great to se himself thus dejected / and his hate is excedinge / beholdinge his kingedom decayed. Amonge yow must he wreak his anger / for he cannot harm the faithful. Through his envy same death first in to the world. If ye will escape his snares / loke ye give no place unto him / but in faith resist him manfullye.

13 He wexeth now mad / and fretteth with himself. He mindeth to make havoc and to do moche myschef / because he knoweth that his time is short. No longe season shall he have from hence forth to deceive. The latter day he perseyueth not to be far of / wherein great torments abideth both him & his. And that maketh him so wode. That maketh him so insaciablye desyerouse to noye / not carynge what spyght he worketh against God. And no wicked wyle leaveth he unsought / to perform his cruel intent. Woo unto them therefore that in these days taketh no hede. Woo unto them that Rombreth in wanton pleasures / whan most danger is / and the devil most bysye / not attendynge to the call and warning of God.

The Paraphrase.

1 And whan the Dragon or most furyouse serpent the devil / the head master of pride and father of lies / saw that he was thrown down unto the earth by the valeaunt ho • te of God. Or such time as he perseyueth the Idolatry / superstycyon / pomp / Hipocresye / and other abhominable filthiness / destroyed by the word of God in his malygnaunt Synagogue of proud painted prelates.

2 Thā persecuteth he the poor woman / which brought forth the manchylde. Than vereth he the true congregation that teacheh nō other but Christ / & confesseth non other saver / health / & redeemer. Them doth he torment and ponnyshe by his mytred Mahowndes & his shavē Sodomytes / subduynge unto them for that purpose the power of kings / and might of magistrates. Then sytteth Annas in consystorye / and Caiaphas in sessyons upon life and death. Then bringeth the woman her child forth in pain. By the martyrdom or death of godly witnesses ys Christ delivered / and left here behind in the hearts of many.

3 And unto the woman were givē two wings of a great egle / or the two testaments of God / contayninge the Prophecye and Gospel / with the love of God and our neyber. And these mighty wings were given her that she might fly with them into the wyldernesse. Euermore whan daungerouse persecucyon ys / the members of Christ's congregation (which are left here behind) hath authority of the old law to flee from yt with Jacob / Moses / David / and Helias / of the new law also with Christ and his Apostles. If they pursue ye in one city (saith the lord) flee yow into another. Not only to save your bodies / but to f • uctifye in the people. Set ye into the desert. Teache thē that were not taught afore. If ye cā not be suffered openly to preach / instruct men priuatelye in houses. Playe not the sluggardes in the lords vyneyarde. Be not niggardes over his free treasure. But as ye have plēiuouslye received it so liberallye distrybute it again.

4 From the face of the dragon hath the woman thus power to fly into the wilderness by the scriptures / whan her child is delivered and takē up to the trone of God for the unthankfulness of the people / that they have not in faith received him. And in moche danger are they left / having the devil and his angels thrown down among them with their wyles and crafty snares. In moche more parell are they / them they were afore.

5 A place hath she in this desert appointed of God / wherein she is norryshed for a time / for times / and for the half time / which is not else but his special proteccion among them that be poor in spirit / and are judged outcastes of the world. There is the true church norryshed with the pure word / not mixed with the leaven of Pharysees. There is the faithful congregation at all times fed / without the tradicyons of hypocrites. Onlye are they releued with the verity / & satisfied with the living prom • ses / & have been sense the time of Christ. Yea / sense the time of Daniel and afore. And this fedynge time of the lord in secretnesse / hath been sometime shorter / sometime longer / and sometime shortest of all / according to the times of persecucyon / and of blindness in the enemies.

6 To flee from the presence of the Serpente / have they evermore had commandments of the lord / and to shurne the suggestions of his angels. Warned they have been in no wise to go forth / whan they say / Christ ys here and there / for so moche as their crafts are such as would (if yt were possible) deceive the very electes.

7 And the Dragon (saith saint Johan) ded cast out of his mouthe water after the woman. A • doctrine, of Hypocresye / errors / and lies hath always passed from the Synagogue of Satan. Non other fruits hath gone from them / than waverynge superstycyons / Idolatry / and Heythen ceremonies. These hath • lowed forth like a great river. Daylye, have they augmented / and contynuallye increased. Innumerable are the cōberouse and unprofitable burdens of their fantasyes and dreams / wherewith they noye men's conscyences / drown their small faith / & ouerloade their souls.

8 Thys stinking water ded the Serpent vomete out by his rauenouse Antichrists) which are his insacyable mouthe) to stop the passage of the woman▪ He poured yt forth in habundaūce that he might cause her to be caught of the flood. Soche ys always the myscheuouse nature of the devil and his angels. Vengeable assaults have they / and innumerable crafts to deceive the innocent not knowing them. Oure first mother Eve was thus trapped in the beginning / & so had been drowned with Adam her husband / had they not had faith in the promised seed. An innumerable multitude hath been and are yet to this day swallowed up of this flood and without great difficulte non escapeth yt. Excedinge ys the compass / stodye / and practice of this false generation. Evermore pour they out their poison / they dyspute their matters with errors & lies / with counsels and customs / having upon their side the darkened powers.

9 Yet ys the lord merciful to his pore congregacyō / that they are not drowned with all this filthy flood. Non of yt ones toucheth their hearts. No parte of their faith doth all this ryff raff hynder. This dirty baggage accōbreth not their souls. Onlye are they satysfyed with the wholesome doctrine of Christ's spirit. And the earth ded help the woman (saith Saint Johan) The carnal multitude / the wise men of this world / the very reprobates from God / all dry without the true faith / drank up this filthy water.

10 They opened their mouths wyde / and swallowed up the great river clean / which the Dragon cast out of his mowthe. This erroniouse doctrine was ever more pleasant unto them. Moche more have they always delyghted in lies / and old wives dreams than in God's truth. Therto have they given their ears / with all auydyouse gredynesse and superstycyouse deuocyon have they embraced them. But the living waters of the lord sauoreth not in their mouths / their own broken cys • e • nes doth please them best. Better ys to a swine a filthy puddle / than a sweet rōnynge water. No where will he drink / but where he may wallow his earkas. No doctrine pleaseth them / unless yt maynteyneth their sin.

11 In drynkynge up this flood / yet ease they this woman. In seek multitude ys chrystes small flock not myssed, no • lo • ed for / nor yet many times in their abhominacyōs perceived to be absent. So gracyouse to them ys the lord / that in no wise are they harmed with those vnwholsō waters. They are not caught of that pestilent flood. It ouerwhelmeth not their faith.

12 And the dragon was wrothe with the woman (saith saith Johan) frantycke and mad ys the Synagogue of Satan / whan their wanton ware is forsaken / abhorred / and despised. Than frette they for anger / than swelle they for wodenesse. Than where they their tethe upon the innocent souls / and would tear them in pieces for very spyght. Thā Imagyne they new cawteles and wyles / and thereupon procure they new laws to be made / to trappe them in snares that they escape no way.

13 For the dragon in his wrath / made war with the remnaunt of her seed / which kept the commandments of God. All manner of ways hath this Serpente assayed to destroy Christ's true church. The Apostles he vexed with the Pharisees and P • estes / for the first age. With false bretheren and tyrants troubled he their successors for the seconde age. For the third / with innumerable Heresyes ded he accōbre them. For the fourth / with damnable sects of Hypocresye ded he oppress them. For the fifth brought he the world into a damnable peace of Idolatry and supersticyō. And for the sixth (seeing he cannot yet prevail) he maketh open war upon the remnaunt of her seed.

14 Now doth his Synagogue of Prelates / Prestes / Hypocrites / and tyrants / make wicked laws against them. Now do they persecute them for keeping the commandments of God / in marriage / in receyuinge meats with thanks giving / and in not going out to seek Christ here and there in their Masses and mutterynges / in their outward colors and shadows.

15 Now put they them to death / which have the Testimonye of Jesus Christ / preaching him for an only teacher necessary / for an only mediatoure and advocate / for an only saver and redeemer / for our only ryghtousnesse / wisdom / and health. For their war ys only against them that keep God's commandments / and that have the witness of Jesus Neither ys yt against bauds nor whores / against murderers nor thieves / against Idolators nor Hypocrites / sorcerers nor Sodomytes / aduowterers nor glottons / Idyotes nor liars / Idle priests nor vagabondes / scysmatykes nor traitors. Non of these seek they out. Non of these accuse they as their sessyons / but the only readers of th • gospel / and poor favorers of God's truth.

16 Upon the • re sand stand they ever more with their grāde captain / to fight this battle. Nō other laws have they to grownde themselves upon / but their own traditions and • customs / with such fantastycall acts as they daily make / or procure to be made of Princes for their own wicked purpose. And as their laws are beggerlye and weak / so is their usurped authority / so are their proud titles / so are their myters / their anoyntinges / and pompouse funccyons. All are sand / dust / and rotten powder before God / not grounded upon his word. All are unprofitable chaff. Yea / their selves are a ground unfruitful / sandye / and unsure / fytt for the dragon to stand upon to fight against Christ's members. For they are the very seat of Satan / and his continual dwelling place. And that he cannot do by himself / he bringeth evermore to pass by them. Innumerable also are their deuyllyshe practyses / their wyles / and their subtiltees to uphold their master / as a •• the sandes of the see.

The Paraphrase.

1 I beheld (saith Saint Johan) an execrable Beast / very odyouse and hateful to loke upon / rysynge out of the rauenouse roarynge see. For the wicked auaunceth themselves as the grene baye tree in ungodliness / and the Synagogue of proud Hipocrytes riseth up aloft / setting up their cristes / as doth the fat Cedar trees of libanus. All beastly are they / as was Elymas the sorcerer / full of filthiness / gyle / and falshede / yea / the very whelps of the devil subuertynge the ways of God. Non other ys this Beast here described / than was the pale horse in the forth age / the cruel multitude of locusts in the fifth age / and the horses of incomparable wodenesse for the sixth.

2 Seauē heads and .x. horns had this cruel beast not unlike therein / to the aforesaid rede dragon or Serpent. For▪ loke what pestylēt suggestyons in errors and lies / and what deceyuable power in signs and wonders hath regned in the devil for all ages / the same also hath regned in the wicked members of his Besty all body / in the furyous bishops / lawyers / doctors / priests / Hypocrytes / and false magistrates / for their heads are their universal crafts / and their horns their tyrannouse auctorytees / usurped primacyes / or malygnaūt magistrates. Thy strōge / mighty power lord (saith David) hath broken the dragons heads in the raging waters. Thu hast smyttē in pieces the heads of the greatele •• athan. Inhaunce not your horns so high ye styffnecked Antichrists / for the horns of the ungodly will the lord pluck down / and exalte the horns of the ryghtous / in the house of David his servant. More are the horns here in number than are the heads. For greatter ys the power than ys the suggestyon / the usurped authority than the craft / the Mageste than the error / and moche more myscheff may work.

3 Thys Beast had upon his .x. horns .x. crowns / sygnyfyenge his vyctorye / domynyon / and prymacye over the universal world / and that he through the wickedness of the people / ys the unworthy captain and prince thereof. In this only point • yffereth the Dragon from the Beast / the devil from his members / or Satan from his carnal Synagogue. He had .vii. crowns upon his .vii. heads. They have .x. crowns here upon their x. horns. For that he hath but in simple suggestyon / they have in double power of coaccyon. Whereas he doth but dallyenglye persuade / they may enforce and compel. Whereas he doth but easily move / they may by rygorouse authority constrayne. Whan he hath propowned ā error / they may by their power establyshe yt for an infallyble truth / and make of yt a necessary artycle of the christen believe / as they have done of purgatory / pardons / confessyō / saints worshipping / latten service hearing / and such like. Whā he hath ones made a lie (as he ys the father of all lies) they may auctoryse yt for an vnwrittē verity / like as they have done many. Moche more myscheff may they do / being his spyrytuall instrumente • than he can do alone / as largelye appeareth by their works. Never coude Satan have putt Christ unto death / had he not entered into Judas and so betrayed him / had he not entered into the Bishops and lawyers and so condemned him. Never had the Apostles / nor all other godly preachers sense their time / been sent out of the way / had not those mytred Mahometes' and priests wrought still their old feats.

4 Upon this be astes head was writ̄ the names of blasphemy against the lord and his Christ. Which are non other thā the proud glitterynge titles / wherewith they garnyshe their usurped authority / to make yt seme glorious to the world / having within thē contained / the great mystery of inyquite. What other else ys pope / Cardynall / Patriarke / lega • e / Metropolytane / primate Archebysshoppe / Dyocelane / Prothonotarye / Archedeakō / Offycyall / Chaunceller / Commissarye / Dean / Prebēde / Person / vycar / my lord Abbott / master doctor / and such like / but very names of blasphemy▪ For offices they are not appointed by the holy Ghost / nor yet ones mencyoned in the scriptures. What other ys yt but abhominaciō / the pope to write himself the most holy father / the general vycar of Christ / the supreme head of the Chris • en church / and the only dystrybuter of the treasurs of God? The bishops and priests also to call them selves their churches brydegromes / sytters in God's stead / forgeuers of sin / and our ladyes chaste knyghtes? Non other are they so abusynge their flock in leaving the just office of sincere preaching under such vain titles / after the mind of Zacharye / but very shameful Idols in deed. Their decrees / decretals / Constytuciōs / Canons / Rewles / Statutes prouyncyall and synodall / traditions / laws / fatherlye customs / and usages / not grounded upon God's commandments / are very deuylyshnesse and Hipocresye / blasphemynge the name of God. For why / to have the name of blasphemy upon their heads / is non other / than under a glorious title to maintain that thing which ys blasphemous / gloryfyenge themselves in the same. The ungodly (saith David) with mocks hath dysdayned the lord / and with open mouthe hath uttered wickedness against God.

5 And the stran̄ge fashoned beast (saith Saint Johan / whom I saw in this vysyon / was like in similitude to a catte of the mountain / full of many coloured spots in token of inconstancye / varyete / and fycklenesse.

6 Hys fete were as the fete of a bear / ferce / rough / and ill favored / in sygnyficacyon of cruelty / stubbornness / and vnclennesse.

7 And his mouthe seemed as the mouthe of a lyon / declaring him to be full of pride / rauyne / and excess. To such beasts as here are mencyoned compareth Danyel under hidden misterye / certain mighty kingedomes of the world. As to the lyonesse (which here ys called a lyon for the more cruelty now used than was in those days) the proud kyngedomes of the Assyryanes and Caldeanes. To the Bear the cruel kyngedomes of the Medes and Parthyanes. And unto the Catte of the mountain / the vnstedefast kingdom of the Greeks. Of pride / spoil / and roborye are the Assyrianes and Caldeanes condemned by Isaiah / Nahum / and Abacuch the Prophets. The Medes and Parthianes held captive the people of God / as witnesseth Hester / Paralipomenon / and Isaiah. The Greeks most spyghtfullye were bent against them under the cruel king Antiochus / as in the Maccabees ys euydent. No abomination nor mystery of iniquity / as Paul calleth yt / was ever found in these kyngedomes / but now reigneth manifold in the detestable Papacy or monstruouse kingdom of Antichrist / as all the world may se. No where was ever more pride vanyte and cruelnesse / Ydolatry whoredom and filthiness / hypocrisy falshede and fycklenesse / extorcyon vayneglorye and covetousness / sorcerye superstycion and vnfaythfulnesse. More than all the unfaithful kyngedomes under heavē / have this sodomyticall spyritualte defiled with their wytcherye the ho • ye temple of God / which is the Christian church. They have most shame fully abused gods chosen people / which are the vessels ordained to his glory. They have holden his free servants most myserablye captive / under their wicked decrees and tradycions. The cruelty of Pharaoh / Antiochus / and Caiaphas / compared to their tyranny / ys but as yt were a play / dallyaunce / or shaddow. In them ys all letherye and vnclennesse / all raging lusts and wantonness / all fleshly abuses and beastlynesse / no natural order observed. Nothinge in a manner are the cruel constytucions made against the Jews by the suggestyon of Aman / and by Antiochus / to their wicked laws and ordynaunces. For they were only against the body / theirs are against men's souls. So that the papysty call kingdom of antichrist are to be son both the lyon / the Bear / and the Catte of the mountain / they not only partycypatynge with all unfaithful regyons / but also doublynge with them in all abhomynacyons under the skye. The mouthe they have of a lyō / roaryng out evermore blasphemies curses / and bytternesse. The fea • e of a Bear / sygnyfieth their ravenous affeccyons / ronninge unto all pernyciouse euyls / • erye swyft also to the shedynge of blood.

cencyon.

11 And finallye as concerning authority / like as Christ being man toke power of God to do such miracles as non else could do / so ded he of the devil / being his wreched body to work pro • igyouse maruels and wonders in hipocrisye among the unfaithful multitude / by the secrete sufferance of God. So that in all peruertynge power / supremyte / and authority / he followeth his father Satan / yea / in every point. For like as he depryued simple Job / a man that feared God / of his substance / catell / children / and servants / and vexed him in his flesh with most grievous botches / so doth this gredye leuiathan / this malyciouse murderer / the man of sin / and body of the devil / with his deuourynge locusts / rob the poor people of their swear / labors / travail / and necessary living / sparynge neither sick nor soco • rlesse / poor widow nor fatherless / no goods gotten by thef • e / mannesslawter / extorcyon / bryb • rye / pollage / Idolatry / bawdrye / and all other ungodliness coming to them amiss in their private confessyons. And (that is most to be lamented) they defile • heir souls with all superstitions / false believe / and deuylishnesse / leaving their consciences all doubtful / desperate / and confortelesse. Finallye to conclude / like as in the body of Christ dwelleth the whole fullness of the godhede corporallye / so dwelleth there in this body of Satan the whole fullness of falsehede / craft / subtylte / malice / with power to work all manner of myschef / effectuallye / reallye / substanciallye and corporallye.

The Paraphrase.

1 And one of his heads (saith Saint Johan) seemed unto me / as it had been wounded unto death. And it was not so in deed / for his deadly wound was healed again. Euydent it is that in Iohans time / Rome the mother of all who redome had subject unto her the .vii. clymates or universal partes of the world / with all their powers / governors / kings / possessions / pomps / false worshyppinges / and such like. Whome some writers suppose mete to be taken here for the .vii. heads of this beast. But I find another thing in it / the body of these .vii. heads being but one / and still contynuynge so. For though all were at that time under her / yet is it not so now / and yet still remaineth this beast. Therfor I do take it for one universal Antichrist (as I ded afore) comprehendynge in him so well Mahomete as the Pope / so well the raging tyrant as the still hypocrite / and all that wickedly worketh are of the same body. The seven heads of this Beast / may so well be his presumptuouse doings for the .vii. ages of the church / as any thing else / and yet no preiudyce done to that hath been said afore. What should ail this wounded head here / not to sygnyfye his supremyte suppressed / his usurped authority and power dyminihsed / and his whole prodygyouse occupyenge condemned in this latter age of the church? I suppose nothing more manifes • / unless we have eyes and will not se. Are not now in many partes of Germany / and in England also the Popes pardons laid aside? His power put down / his name abolyshed / his purgatory / pelgrimages / and other peltryes utterly exyled? and so like to be within short space in other regyons also? If this be not a deadly woundynge of one of the Beasts heads / I think there is non. If this be not an apparent lykelyhode of his fall / there is non to be looked for.

2 But the healynge again of this mortal wound is like to mar all / and make the last error worse thā the first. In many places where as the gospel hath been preached / the Byshoppe of Rome deposed / sects shrynes and sanctuaries destroyed / monasteries / prioryes and fryeryes turned over / remaineth still their poison / with those same instruments wherewith they have wrought all myschef. Styll continueth their more than Iewyshe ceremonies / their prestybulouse priesthood / their vowynge to have no wives / and their Sodomyticall chastity. Styll remaineth their sale masses / of all abhominaciōs the principal / their prodigiouse sacrifices / their sensynge of Idols / their boyeshe processyons / their vncommaunded worshyppinges / and their confessions in the eat / of all trayterye the fountain / with many other strange obseruacyons whō the scripture of God knoweth not. Nothynge is brought as yet to Christ's clear institucyon and sincere ordinance / but all remaineth still as the Antichrystes left it. Nothyng is tried by God's word / but by the auncyent authority of fathers. Now passeth all under their title. Thowgh the old Bishops of Rome were of late years proved Antichrystes / and their names raced out of our books / yet must they thus properly for old acquaytaunce be called still owre fathers. If it were naught afore / I think it is now moche worse. For now are they become laudable ceremonies / where as before time they were but ceremonies alone. Now are they become necessary rites / godly constitucyons / semelye usages / and cyuyle ordynaunces / where as afore they had no such names. And he that dysobeyeth them shall not only be judged a fellon and worthy to be hanged by their new forged laws / but also condemned for a traytoure against his king / though he never in his life hyndred but rather to his power hath furdered the common wealth. To se this also with such like put in execucyon / the Bishops have authority every month in the year if they liest / to call a sessyon / to hange and borne at their pleasure. And this is ratyfyed and confermed by act of Perlament to stand the more in effect. If this be no healynge of Antichrists wounded head / never is like to be any. Whan men shall defend free will / and allow their popish Mass to be a sacrifice fatysfactorye for the quycke and the dead / latoure they any other (think yow) than the healynge of this wounder He likewise that in an open audyence mainteyneth our own works to iustifye / by Dimitte nobis / and other not ryghtlye understanded scriptures / doth he any other than prepare a salve for the same? Nay surely. No less also doth he that setteth men to open penance at Paul's cross / for holy water making / for procession and sensynge with other popetishe gawdes / constraynynge them to promise the anauncement of the old faith of holy church by such fantastical fopperyes / as Bonner biship of London ded now of late / to the lawhynge game and wonderment of all the world. Alas how is the people abused? Non other do they but mock Christian princes with flatterye / that give them old popish titles and blasphemous names of Antichrist. As to call them most Christian kings and defenders of the catholic faith / meaning the Popes old traditions / to heal the head of the beast. This is surely non other / but with the said Beast to receive authority / seat / and power of Satan. Lete them therefore take hede least they be fownde the same Antichrists that they have condemned / and so throw them selves double under the same plage. Necessarye it is they beware what they drink / or what titles they take upon them at their appointment / least they forgettynge them selves be found drunken by taking excess of the Babylonishe cup / and so perish with the wicked. Mark here dilygentlye this word head / and ye shall well perseyue how wonderfullye the story agreeth with the mystery.

3 And all the world (saith saint Johan) wondered at the Beast. All foolish / carnal / and worldly people / not understanding the wisdom of God's holy spirit / depēdeath all upon their beastly baggage / thinkinge all that they do to be godly / meritoryouse / & spiritual. They magnify it / praise it / and have it in most high estimation / yea / they have it in moche more price than any thing that is of God. In no wise will they from their old frenesye / such is their excedinge blindness. For whan they here tell / their customs shall continue / their governors agreynge to the same / they clappe their hands for Ioye / and sing Gaudeamus with the priests.

4 Yea / they worshypp the Dragon which gave such power to the Beast: With their hearts they rejoice trustinge upon longer contynuaunce / whan they se his head restored again in their rewlers / the godly teachers burned / and the preachers put to silence.

5 They worship also the Beast / so many as worshipped the Dragon. For as they which worship Christ / worship his father also / so they that worship Antichrist / agreynge to his laws and decrees / doth also worship the devil / of whom he received his pride. They wonder with the Jews that seeketh cauyllacions to cōtempne Christ's doctrine / as doth the filthy family of the do • • ynge dodypolles priests and unlearned lawyers. They worship with the heythen / that admitteth their power and alloweth their facts / as doth the foolish multitude / that never will be godly wise. Non other judgment remaineth in these days to these wonderers and worshippers of the newlye restored head of the Beast / than ded unto them / that with double deuocion agreed to the abominations of Mahomete and the Pope.

6 And this will be their saying as followeth in the text / spoken in the time past for the certente of the thing / as the manner of the scripture is.

7 Who is like unto the Beast / in outward glitterynge works / or in the e • terne obseruacions of counterfett religion.

8 Who is able to war with her the worldly powers now so depelye maynteyninge her quarrel? All seeketh the papists that they can in the world Imagyne / to uphold the glory / magnificence / and bewrye of their holy whoryshe church / or malignaunt muster. No cautels nor c • aftes leave they unsought nor vnserched out / to cause the people to esteem her of incōparable power. No small labor toke standyshe in hand in whittington College / whan he made his more than foolish boke of reproach against Barns being dead. Nor no less dylygence the wise Poete Johan Hontyngton / whan he regestred in his Genealogye of heretykes without grace / wit / and learning the names only of such godly men as were the popes enemies / no heretic against God ones mencyoned. Nomore ded Thomas Smythe / Richard Dallyson / William Stawne / Steuē Prowett / frire Adriane / quarrye the pardoner / with such other blind Popish Poetes and dirtye metristes / whan they uttered their shitten • ymes and poesies. And sure I am that many more be yet abroad of the same wicked zeal and spirit / to the great blasphemy both of God and his truth / now that the Beasts wound is made whole again / by so many new • acts / so many new tytled Bishops so fresh sale of benefyces / mastershyppes / and dignitees / spiritual offices / degrees / and auctorytes / as plentuouse as ever was in Rome. And least we should be depryued of our new pleasant Euphrates / and so be compelled by the word of God to follow the Monks / Canons / Nuns / and fryers in their bannyshementes. We have procured certain acts to be made for our commodyte / and those only to be published among the people ones in a quarter / or so oft as shall please us / to blemyshe all godly preachings of the scriptures. Thus seek we our selves and not God / our own strēgthe and not his / our own glory & not Jesus Christ's. But lete us not think that he sleapeth with Baal the false God, knowing the most hidden toughtes of the heart / but that he will within short space send forth his lyghtenynges and scatter us / bringing our heythnyshe deuyses to naught. For the kingdom of one faith in us and the pope thus manyfestlye in certain points divided / must surely decay.

The Paraphrase.

1 To this beast (saith Johan) was given a mouthe / not of God but of Satan / to speak great mighty things and blasphemies. So well is this spoken of the one as the other / so many as hath done upon the Antichrists lyuerye / title / power / authority / or name. Whan the verity of the lord was opened before them / they gave no thanks for it / but became vain in their thoughts / wherfor God gave them over into a lewd mind / darkenynge their hearts. So that now thynkinge them selves wise / they appear more foolish than afore.

2 Now speak they great things in their conuocacyons seanes and sermons / and all are sore blasphemies against God & his Christ. Now must they serve God by most straight commandment with old Romish beggary / though he most hyghlye abhorreth it / and no scrypturs may be red in the time thereof. For the scriptures must only pass as we will have them. How should the Beasts head else be healed again / or how should our church be known else to be his own Image? Oh beastly abhomynacion / and most hellyshe decree. Now must Christ be taken for no saver at all without our deseruynges. The supper of the lord that was sometime a mutual pertycypacyon of Christ's body and blood / must now be a new crucyfyenge of him / one traytoure playnge all partes / Judas / Annas Caiaphas / Herod / Pylate / and the Jews. Matrimonye must be judged vnclennesse though it be the ernest institucyon of God. No Popyshe vow may be dissolved / though it be well known a matter so deuilyshe / as hath made an hondreth thowsande Sodomytes. The Eucharystye may not be received in both kinds / though it be the express commandment of Christ so to be used. Without the blind bussynges of a Papyst / may no sin be soluted / for that is the vpholdynge of their kyngedom / with many other like blasphemies. Certen other great things are uttered by this mouthe / which now I pass over least I should be tedyouse to the reader. How be it this one great blasphemy that ys spoken / I cannot leave untouched.

Whereas they boast thenselves yet still alone to be the holy church / by the only vertu of their vnccyons and shauynges received first of the pope / the layte secluded. And under this most falsely usurped title / they will still be takē for the redemers of mennes souls. For they say that their Masses are satysfactorye sacryfyces for the quycke and the dead / iustyfienge / releuynge / and saving thē both from dampnacyon / ex opere operato. And over that abhominable swarm of Antichrists filthy mynysters / make they now their kings the heads most blasphemously / only to be by them upholden now in all their myscheues. Truthe yt is that a king is the • polytyque head / supreme governor / and great stay under God / of the people to his charge committed / & after that sort / their myghtie monarke also by the scriptures / which they have afore this time denied / worshyppinge them for most holy saints / which have most presumptuouslye rebelled in that behalf. But over that whoryshe church of theirs (whom Christ never planted) is Satan the only head / by the holy Ghostes fore judgments here. For to that beastly broad gave the Dragon his power / his seat / and his mighty authority. God forbid therefore that any Christian prince should at their false suggestyōs / admit so blasphemous a title. The devil (saith Job) ys the only head over all the children of pride. That voice therefore may be blasphemous / as coming from the mouthe of the serpent / if yt be not take good hede to.

3 *And power was given to the Beast to do these things for the space of .xlij. months / which is the .iii. years and an half of Helyas / the time / times / and half time of Danyell / and the thowsande two hundred and three score days of Johan. Not only for this age of the church / but also for all other ages / and by other heads also / hath the mouthe of this Beast uttered great things in blasphemy / lies in Hypocresye / and wonders under a deceitful power. But as concerning this latter healed head of the Beast / the time thereof will be short / as here after shall ap • re in the .xvij. chapter.

4 He opened his mouthe (saith the text) in reproves against God / speaking ill of his name / of his tabernacle / & of thē that dwell in heavē. Thys is in a manner all one with that was spoken afore in the .xi. chapter of the temple / the au • ter / and of them that worship in the temple / save only that his name ys here for his temple. In token that whan his temple ys blasphemed (which ys his cōgregacyon) his name ys blasphemed by the same / so ys his tabernacle Jesus / in whom bodelye dwelleth, the fullness of the Godhede / so are also they that dwell • n heavē / wherbye ys ment the true church / from whom the angels are not secluded / being their fellawe servants. These dwellerrs be they that have their conuersacyon in heaven under an undefiled faith / that seek those things which are above and not upon earth / that worship the father in spirit and verity / and that perseuereth true christyanes to the ende. Manye entereth this heaven of the lord / but all contynueth not in yt to the ende of their lives / the more ys the pyte.

5 Power was also given unto this beastly Antichrist / / to make battle with the saints / and to overcome them. Contynuallye do they with violence vex by their cer • all polycyes / authority / and laws / the sincere witnesses or preachers of the lord / sanctyfyed of him through faith in his holy word as were his Apostles / like as ded the malycyouse clergy of the Jews-Yea / they ded resist them with their more than tyrannouse proclamacyons / commissyons / and commandemētes with cruel Pharaoh / Amā / and Antiochus / to prove Christ in them the sign of contradyccyon & stone of reproach. They seek here / they honte there / and never leave raging till they have closed them up in presons.

6 Yet are they not so contented till they have ouercomen them in the syghe of the blind world / though not before God. Either shall they be compelled shamefullye to recante / or if they persyst in the verity / to suffer most peynefull death. By one way or other they must be overcomē / to hold the people in error. The Gardyner of wynchester was not ashamed now of late as I hard yt credyblye reported) to say unto one that was accused of his malygnaunt multitude / whan he was no longer able to withstāde the manif • st truth. Master Seyton we know ye are learned / and plentuouslye know ye are learned / and plentuouslye endued with knowledge in the scriptures / yet think not that ye shall overcome us. No / no / set your heart at rest / & loke never to have yt said that ye have ouercomen the bishops / for yt shall not be so. In deed yt is truth. For neither Christ nor his Apostles ded ever yet overcome yow.

Their vyctorye over yow ys not in this world / your kingdom being here. But be certain and sure of yt ye shall be ouercomen to your moche more rebuke / at the latter day whan all wrongs and iniuryes shall be revenged / which is not far of. Your lordelye estymacyon (which may not be hyndred here) will appear there not very precious. Yet do ye well to hold up a proud pecockes head as longe as ye may. Lose not an ynche of your hyght hardelye / but with your gogle eyes loke up like a man with a garde at your tail / like a sort of tormentors in a play. And with your lying judgments overcome these beggerlye vagabondes / and burn them also rather thā fail / to fulfill the measure of your holy fathers.

7 And autoryte was given to this Beast upon every kyndred / people / tongue / and nacyon. For non these Antichrists spare / neither high nor low / rich nor poor / sick nor hole / learned nor unlearned. But a iurisdiccyon they must have over thē / though yt be usurped. Ones in the year must they have them in confession / to know which way they are bente. That salve have they gotten in again / to heal up their wounded head. Be he nary • e or be he stranger / be he a rewler or be he cōmoner / he must obey them no remedy / or else stand forth at the sessyons with Christ among thieves. Not in one regyon / or where as one manner of language ys used / have they this authority / but in every lande / in every shere / in every town / and in every famylye must they have to do / corruptynge every man's faith.

8 For all that dwelle upon earth must worship this Beast. They must agree to the great things / no remedy. They must blaspheme God as they do. But blessed be the lord / nō doth that in their hearts but they only that dwell upon the earth / that have their felycyte here / that seeketh the prosperyte of this world / and regardeth non other life than therein is. The lambes of Christ's fold giveth hede to his voice / they regard his call / they follow his word / they walk in his light. They seek for no holiness but only in him / neither in water nor bread / ashes nor palms / robes nor relyckes / masses nor anoyntinges. He ys their only sufficient wisdom / ryghtousnesse / holiness / and redemptiō. His word ys their living water / the food of their souls / the lantern that shall gyde them / and the life that will not fail them. Non other doctrine do they covet / nor yet other precepts of living. Though they be here in the earthye / yet dwelle they not vpō yt. No contynuynge city have they here / but they seek unto another of moche more bewtye and pleasure / not builded of men. And for that they are redye rather to render by their lives / than to renounce the very • e. Onlye they which dwelle here doth worship the Beast / loving thenselves better than God / and their flesh better than his truth / having their whole trust in the mangye merits and dirty deseruynges of these beastly Hipocrites / and no thing at all in his sweet promises.

9 And therefore are not their names written of the lābe in the boke of life / which lamb was slain from the beginning of the world. Christ hath not allowed them by his word and promise. With the ryghtouse are they not regestred / as members of one mystycall body in him. In the similitude of his death are they not grafted unto him as the branches unto the vine / to be partyners of his resurreccyon. Their porcyon ys not in the lande of the living with him. They are non of those / whom the father hath given him / to partycipate with him in one spirit. Predestynate they are not unto life by him / nor so written up in the foreknowlege of God. Chosen they were not of the lord before the worlds constitucyō / to be his undefiled childrē in Christ.

10 He ys the meek lamb that was slain. He alone taketh away the sins of the world. In him only ys the life / for he is the life yt self. Yet ys he the life of nō other / but of those that only believe in him.

11 In that he was killed from the worlds beginning / is sygnifyed / that he died for all them which were create to be saved / and that his only death ys all their health / raise / and remedy / by the promise of God. For all they have eaten of one spyrytuall meat / and drunk of one spyrytuall rock / though yt came in the flesh longe after them. He only trode down the head of the Serpent. Sēs the beginning hath he been slain in his members also / as manyfes • yt ys • n ryghtouse Abel / Hyeremy / Johan Baptist / & such other like. They that are not written of the lamb in the boke of life for the children of God / are regestred in the boke of death for the chyldrē of perdycyō / reserved to eternal death for their infydelyte / with the devil and his angels.

12 He that hath an ear (saith the text) lete him take good hede. He that hath an vnderstādynge / lete him be admonyshed / by that which followeth here. Or he that hath received the wisdom of the spirit / lete him judge hereof according unto yt. Thus doth the holy Ghost aduertyse the faithful to consider / that what so ever things are written / they are written unto our lerninge.

13 He that leadeth into captivity / shall go into captivity. And he that kylleth with a sword must with a sword be slain. This warninge giveth the lord / take it if they list. For he will have his right judgments known. He that vexeth or afflicteth the just believers in body by outward ponnishmēts / he shall be afflicted in the spirit with an inward darkness or blindness of the sowle / that he may be the more captive to sin and to Satan. God will deliver him up into a lewd mind / and will give him strong delusion / to believe all manner of lies / that he might be dampened.

14 He that killeth the poor innocent for his faith with the prōsword / or sleeth him with any other torment / with the sword of the spirit (which is the lords word) shall he be both judged and condemned. The word that I have spokē (saith Christ) shall judge them at the latter day. And this is in manner all one with that was said in the .xi. chapter afore. If any man will hurt thē / fire shall proceed out of their mouths / and consume their enemies.

15 Nevertheless to the christiane is persecucion necessary. For here in this life is the patience of the saints proved / and their faith required. Here was Abrahā tempted and Job sore vexed / and both they were found Gode true faithful servants. Here were the Apostles contempned / reioysinge that they were found worthy for Christ's sake to suffer rebuke. The rightouse the lord trieth as gold in the furnace. He chasteneth every servant that he loveth / and scourgeth every son that he receiveth. Onlye is it faith that all the euyls of this world by patience overcometh / and so obtayneth the victory. The fruit which riseth to eternal life / is peaceable sufferance in faith. And that must be here in this life / where as we are vnperfight / to make us perfight.

The Paraphrase.

1 And I beheld (saith saint Johan) in this secrete reuelacyon of my lord / another Beast arysynge out of the earth. A figure ys this of all false Prophets and ungodly preachers. Beastlye are they evermore / vain / carnal / and corrupt in their stodyes / abhominable in the pract • synges of their wicked hearts / not sehinge God but their bellies / not Christ's glory but their own pride and vain glory.

2 From the earth they arise / all given to earthly wisdom. The only affects of this world doth move thē to teache / and no good zeal of the truth. Either are they tyckled with ambytion / prycked with auaryce / or else sturred with malice to inueye. These are the commō affects of the wicked. Thys going up have they frō wickedness to wickedness & shall have still till the lord destroy thē / like as have the just believers frō vert • to vertu in the spirit / till such time as they see him face unto face in the everlasting Zion. From the worlds beginning hath this Beast risen up in Cayn the first murderer / in the fleshelye children of men / in Cham the shameless child of Noah / in Ishmael and Esau / in Jannes and Jambres / in Balaham and Baals prophets / in the Beniamytes and Bels chaplaynes / in Phassur and Semeins / in Judas / Annas and Caiaphas / in Barichu and Diotrephes. And now sense their time most of all in Mahumetes doctors and the Popes queresters. Yea / still they are aloft in their beastly beggary / and will be till their mysschef be fynyshed. Who seeth not nowadays that hath light in the spirit / the malygnyte / Hypocresye / haw • e / craft / and deceit / in sertē false Prophets at Paul's cross in London / and in other places else.

3 This Beast had .ii. horns like the lābe at 〈◊〉 blush / but all counterfett and false in very deed / for he spake as ded the Dragon. The horns of Christ / are his high kingdom in the word. Onlye ariseth his church by faith in the glad tiding and promysys of God. That word ys the scepture of Christ's power / and the rod of right order where as he regneth. Non other strange scepturs are there / neither tradycyōs nor customs. Seven horns had Christ / for in him was the fullness of the verity. This Beast hath but two / and yet they are but false and coūterfe • t. They seme to be Christ's ad are not. These are the corrupted letter of the .ii. testamētes / falsely interpreted / and for a carnal purpose alleged. And therefore yt ys but apparent / Hypocrityshe / and deceitful / yea & clean repugnaunt to the lords meaning / not having the judgment of his spirit. Thys letter without the holy Ghost is death / and nothing pertaineth unto Christ. He ys the verity and life / this ys but a fable or fyccyon. Hys word ys spirit and life / this is but a brass pot sowndynge / or a latten candelstick, tynkelynge / fantastycall and • aynt / sophistycall & slayghtye. Though these seme like Christ's / yet are they non of his / but the very horns of the Beast. For they uphold Antichrists kingdom and not his / a worldly glory and not his / for his kingdom ys not of this world. No longer are they his words / his laws / nor his testimonies thā they maintain his right honor No newlye practysed worshippings alloweth he for his / but utterly abhorreth thē all as things raw and vnsauerye.

4 And therefore yt followeth / that this Beast spake as ded the Dragon. The doctrynes and teachynges of these false Apostles and deceitful masters / are lies in Hipocresye / and the very doctrine of devils / under title of the verity repugnaunt to the same. Not unlike to that the Serpent said unto the woman / ye shall not die if ye eat of the forbidden fruit / but ye shall be surely as God's / knowing both good & evil. They do as ded Satan in the desert. Always they persuade us / either of stones to make bread / or else to throw our selves down ward / or else to worship the devil. That is / to change the good creatures of God from their right use / as trees into Idols / sylkes / veluettes clothe / gold / and silver into superstyciouse ornaments / chaste Marryage into stinking whoredom and Sodomye with such like. To declyne from the dewtyes commanded of God to their Idle obseruacyōs / so making his commandments of non effect for the bane traditions of men. And fynallye to fall unto forbidden worshippings or abhomynacyons of Idolatry / of whom they are full. And for these they have with Satan also their mangled scriptur • to lay for thē / to prove that the help of dead saints ys necessary / their masses / merits / & works more than need / expedyent / & the fire of purgatory a fearful thing with the devil and all of such fantasyes. These are the prelates of Antichrists church / the .i • . horned monsters or great bellyed Bishops / ryghtelye described here of the holy ghost in this two horned beast. These beastly bushardes are not ashamed both to say and to wrytte / that in their myters they bear the figure of both testaments / whose verity they impugn with • o • he and nail. Verye truly they say / that they carrye the figure for in deed yt ys but a shaddow they bere. Not to gloryfye God / but their own beastly bodies with gold / pearl / & stone / like Mahownde • in a play / for his truth they most cruelly persecute. These are the very false Prophets / the instruments of Satan / the deceyuers / wolves / wagelynges / Judases / dreamers / liars / Idols / adversaries / adders whelps / foxes destroyenge the lords vyneyarde / deceitful workemenne / desperate shepeherdes / blind watchemenne / dumb dogs / devils incarnate / wicked seed / vnsaciate beasts / whose God ys their bealy & glory their confusyō. To all these & to many other such doth the Holye Ghost compare them / for that they have with their errors and lies turned the swetnesse of the scriptures into bytternesse / scarselye leaving one place thereof undefiled with their filthy dregs.

5 Thys Beast (saith Saint Johan) ded all things that the first Beast could do / even be fore his own face. The same lying power to deceive in Hypocresye hath this beastly broad that the great Antichrist hath / the same wylye crafts / and the same beastly kinds of Idolatry / and so doth use thē. The same abhominacyons maintain they the world over / that the pope maynteyneth at Rome / and Mahomete in barbarye of Turkeye. Yea / the same supersticyons and sorceryes / the same execrable tradycions & beggeryes. The same ceremonies have they / that he hath / the same vncciōs / the same orders / and the same Masses. The same idle obseruacions with unknown cloynynge / clatteringe / and wawlinge are still used in England / like as they were used afore / & with no less blasphemy to God.

6 To do such things in the first Beasts presence / is to do them where his power and authority is raygnynge / or where as is the seat of Satan / which is every place that admitteth strange worshiping.

7 Both the earth and them that dwell in the earth compel they to worship this first Beast. Not only enforce they thē to wicked Idolatry / that never would know the truth / but also many of those which hath great knowledge in the same. Oh / how many are in England / and in other regions also that in these days worketh against faith / knowledge / and the holy ghost / admittinge the priests abhominaciōs? Rather had they to dwell still in the earthly beggary with the blasphemy of God / thā either to be out of favor / or to loose there offices to have their goods hindered / or to hasarde their lives / so sweet are these wanton worldly pleasures. Rather had they to perish with the sons of Hel • and Samuel for abusynge the ordinances of the lord / and with Core / Dathan / and abiron for rebellinge against them to synke unto hell / than with Christ to take peynes in pouerte. But let not them think to be worthy of Christ / that better loveth their own carnal commodyte / than his heavenly verity.

8 Well / the Beast must they worship whose wound is made whole. His old rustye rewles new bournished / and his old Romish rags new patched / by a newlye confermed authority / must they enbrase in pain of death. The lamb shall not yet be suffered to appear. Styll for a time must these terrible te • magaūtes have more worship thā God / their tradiciōs preferred to his most pure word. And why should it not be so? have they not now a new refourmed church / in whom the Beasts wounded head is newlye restored? So longe as it is like the popes church / it must follow his rewles / and cleave to his ordynaunces. It shall not follow Christ in faith and in doctrine / till it appear like that church which he left here behind him whan he ascended. And that is not like to be yet.

9 First must there be wrought great wonders. Fire must be compelled to come down from heaven in thē sight of men / by this twohorned Beast. The discyples of Antichrist with their byfurked ordinaries must violently pluck • from the true christen church (whose regne is not of this world) the eternal word of the lord.

10 Then must they take from them the consumyge fire that Christ sent down into the earth of mennes hearts to dry up all malice and sin. Yea / they must deprive them of the cloven fyerye tongues / which the holy ghost poured upon the Apostles / to the confort of all the world. The treasure that Christ hath left here to socoure us / they must hyde under the ground / and the candle that he light us to se over the house / cōuaye vnderneth the bushel.

11 And these wonders shall they work in the presence of men. All redye have they taken in England / from the Bybels / the annotacions / tables / and prefaces / to perform this their damnable enterprise. They have streyghtlye forbydden the reading thereof / for time of their Romish service. Some have they burned / and some put to silence / and all in the face of the people. Yea / they reysed the maids of Ipp • swhy • e and of kente to work wonders & marvel • / and now of late the foolish North • n men to fight for their church. What practyses they have had in that ear / and that ear / to fetch away the true favorers and preachers of the Gospel at diverse times / he that well considereth / may say that the holy ghost hath here ryghtlye described thē / calling thē workers of wonders. The discrete cytezen of London master Packyngton was slain with a gonne at saint Thomas of Acres (as they call it) not without their preuyelegerdemayne. But this with other of their miracles I intend to declare more at large / in another treatise the lord lendynge me life. It is not longe ago also sense Alexander Seyton an excellent learned man with poor master Tolwyn / recanted at Paul's cross. Nor yet long afore sense good do • tour Crome was compelled to do the same. And now last of all / to take the scripture clean away / they have sought out great fawtes in the translacyon of it / and thereupon taken them away from the common peples reading. Great peynes they take to put it down / but they never swerr yet in the setting up of yt. Thus mind they to work their wonders / till they have buried it all in the earth. They lack now but .iiii. knyghtes to hire / to keep yt down still / that it rise no more up. O very 〈◊〉 of hell / and lymmes of the devil / how vain are your stodyes / and how wicked your practyses? I have no doubt but within short space God will destroy the counsels / and dyssypate the strengths of them that please menne. Yet lete no man marvel though they do these feats for the time. For if the gospel were taught without check / in a while▪ should nothing remain of that generation / neither myter nor rochet / shaven crown nor anoyntinge / and that know they well enough. For the word of the lord ys the breathe of his mouthe that shall destroy them / and the deuowringe fire that shall consume thē.

12 By the means of these signs (saith the text) which this Beast had power to do in the sight of the other Beast / or where his abusiōs doth reign with outchecke / he deceived thē that dwelt on the earth. Manye in this age are woēderfullye abused / through the dysseytful working of Satan in these horned. whoremongers / but yet non other than are earthly minded. Of some men in deed the eyes are bleared with their crafts / of some men the weak judgments blemyshed with their subtiltees / for want of dyscernynge the scriptures. Some menne are tangled with doubts / some troubled with terror / some tormented with fear / considering that for this new learning (as they will have yt called) some have been hanged / as were the three poor young men of Sothfolke for the rotten rode of Douercourt / Some burned / some be headed for things of naught / as ys known to all the world These things daseth their wits / and amaseth their minds. And earth ys the cause of all this. Were yt not that they moche more loved this worlds pleasures than Godt / it should never be so.

13 All the perswasyons of Antichrists prelates and preachers hath evermore been / and are now still unto such earthly inhabitauntes / that they should make an Image like unto this Beast. Which is always to chose such an Emproure with other worldly governors as shall be for their commodyte. He must by the worldly people be compelled to take autoryte / sceptur / and crown at their hands / so sworn to maintain their fleshelye libertees. He must also be fashioned by their wicked doctrynes and false counsels in confessions / like them in all superstyciouse living / and in the tyrannouse murder of innocent Christian men. Where such an head Ruler ys appointed / there ys his own figure made / and where such a Governor ys constitute / there ys his own Image se • up. For we must consider that this reuelaciō is in all points no story / specially here / as many writers have thought it to be / in supposynge an Antichrist to be borne at the latter ende of the world. But it is a misterye comprehendinge in it but one general Antichrist for all / which hath regned in the church in a manner sense the Ascencyon of Christ. And in this one point are all the commontours that I have seen / most fowlye deceived / yea / the best learned of them. I know well if there be any yet to come / he shall be but a menber of this. Agayne to our purpose.

14 Speciallye must they make a right Image of that Beast / which had the wound of a sword and ded live. This betokeneth that in these days they shall stir about them / & leave no ca • tells unsought / neither any false counsels vnfet frō other realms / to do their feats with / and to fashyon the Christ̄ Governors to their minds. As winchester ded the last time he was in France. After whose coming home / many great wonders were wrought in England / and fire was made to come down frō heaven. Consider the story afore / for the story declareth the misterye. That wounded head now healed / must be up hold̄.

15 He had a grievous wype with the • word (which is the living word of the lord) whan he lost his monks / chanons and fryres / his purgatory / pilgrimages / and shrynes. Yet was he not all dead. For though their cowles / coctes / and ro • hettes were of yet had they still the same popish hearts and the same super •• iciouse frowardenesse / that they were wont to have. This might have been found true / if it had been searched / w • an certain popish priests of mastre whartons retinue not far from Bongaye in Sothfolke ded calke for Cromwell and for other else, if the world had no • • hanged to their minds. I write not this thinknyge they can harm by the • e calkinge where as faith is residēt / but only to show / that their hearts are yet alive & how virtuously they are occupied. Manye things I cōsidre at this instaunt point concerning prince Edward / whō I doubt not but the lord hath sent for the singular comfort of England. Not that I • em • rously diffiue / any thing to come concerning him / cōsideringe it only in the lords pour. But I desire the said lord to preserve his bringing up / frō the cōtagiouse drinks of these false phisicianes. And this is to be prayed for of all menne / if ye pōder well the text / & mark their wonderful workinges / where the beasts head is restored.

The Paraphrase.

1 For power they have to give spirit to the Image of the Beast. It ys surely given them of the devil / whan they have ones fashyoned out the Beasts right Image / or made of an Emproure a tyr ••• t / or set in the place of a godly governor / 〈…〉 murderer up of gods people / by flatteringe praises to encorage them to all my chief / and by wicked counsel to prycke thē forewarde to make cruel acts of murder for vpholdynge their beastly genera • yon. The spirit that they do ministre unto princes evermore / ys not the correccyō of sin / the amendment of life / redress of the common wealth / prouisyon for the poor / nor the seeking of God's glory. But by flattering praises to uphold thē in their euyls / moche after this soort of speaking. Your magestes or graces are called most virtuous / most valeaunt / most worthy / most wise / most mighty and best learned among all Christian potentates. They are all but Asses / in comparyson to your worthynesses. If yt be your magestes pleasures to do this or that within your own domynyon / who shall be so bold to withstand yow? No / though God's holy laws be an hundred times against yt. Support the old religion of holy church against te Heretykes / and ye cannot chose but prosper in all your affairs. Lete it be treason against your own persons according to the acts of the Emperor Sigysmundus and of king henrye the fifth / if they do but ones speak against be • corrupt customs. Make cruel cōst •• uc • ons apace & proclaim thē abroad to show yourselves the popes lively Images.

2 Our office it is to cause the Beasts Image to speak. Let therefore your voices be hard. Be no dumb Idolles▪ but speak with bold stomachs. In his spirit make utterance without God's word of his old Romish rewles. Sende forth your proclamacions to be published everywhere / concerning his masses / his confessions / his ceremonies and his whorishe chastity. Let all things be blown forth under your titles / names / and auctoritees / to be observed under pain of death. If other realms report that ye abuse the dewtye of heysers or kings (which is the office of God esteem not their sayings / but stand well in your own consaytes. Interprete the scriptures at your own lust and pleasures as your law master of Rome hath done afore your time.

3 Cause so many to be killed / as will not worship the Image of the Beast / or obey such wicked laws against the verity of God / as hath been made by those Emprours that were the popes eldest sons / by the kings of France which were his younger sons / or by other princes else which were the defenders of his church / lete nō escape your • andes that inueyheth against our kingdom / but make havoc of them on every side as of heretykes and traitors / to prove the holy ghost true here in his fore judgment • . For that is your office / not appointed of God but of Satan. And in our cōmssiyon frō him also we have it / to be no slack mouers of yow thereunto. So hath Christ told afore in this reuelacyō unto saint Iohā the Evangelist. This is the ghostly counsel that we the horned Beasts / thus have in commission to give unto yow frō the mouthe of the Dragō. Whā such an Image or Id • louse prince is thus vpset or cōstytuted by authority (his oath ones made that he shall always defend them) he may in no wise speak but out of that spirit that their cōiurers / confessors I should say / have put in to him. He may make no laws but at their spiritual appoyntmēt / like as the Emprour Carolus doth now in these days. Moche after this sore became the ēprour Nero this beasts Image immediately after Cristes ascēsiō by the subtle slaightes of that spiritual sorcerer Simō Magus / at Rome to withstand the Christian preachers Peter and Paul / as largelye witnesseth Egesippus in his third boke de Hierosol • morū exci-dio / the secōde chapter. This Simō Magus by flatteringe praises crept first into his favor / promisinge him health / longe life / increace of power / and enlargement of his empyre / with cōtynuall vyctorye over his enemies / in case he would follow his counsel / upon this became he / not only his chief coūsellour / but also the high bishop of his sowle and conseruatoure of his body / the preseruacyon of his whole health & life to him committed only. All things after that was done vy his counsel to stop the Apostles preaching / he taken for the Emprours most familyar frynde / and a man most profitable to the common wealth of the Romans / and they sone after suppressed and putt unto most cruel death.

4 And he made all (saith Saint Johan) both great and small / rich and poor / free and bond / to receive a mark in their right hands / or in their fore heads. Whā this new raised Image of the Beaste / or sworn power to Antichrist / ys ones raised up or admitted by their autoryte / be he king or Reyser / prince or other potentate / he must strongelye defend that Synagogue of the devil / with whole mageste / crown / and scepture. By their only counsel must he than make laws (for they must give him spirit) and send out commandments abroad that their holy decrees be obseued. Commissioners and vysy • ours must out under that autoryte / as well to the clergy as layte. Than must all be sworn to it and so obey yt / both high and low / both Gentylman and ye man / both owner and farmer / both zytezen and townesman / both merchande and plowgh man / both mastre and servant / both natyue dweller and denyson. Yea / both Prystes in their colleges / Monks in their abbayes / Canons in their couentes / and fryers in their cloisters must after their sort do the same. Thys rewle hath been always for the cōmodyte of that kingdom / where as the powers have been thus by them perverted. Moche were it to show the manifold examples in that behalf. Charles the .v. now ēproure / to make this good / and to show himself to be the said Beasts Image / caused such acts to be published through out his whole domynyon against the Christian doctrine / wherein all they are declared heretics / scysmatyques / and excommunicates / which taketh not the pope for sayn • Peters only vycar and head of the christen church / non excepted / neither king nor Coruester / as there are now diverse of the contrary opynyon. The artycles of the louanyanes under his pryuilege / and the acts of the parysyanes vudre the frenc • e kings autoryte / proclaimed in this present year of our lord A .M.CCCCC.xlv. will make all this matter good.

5 And what is this else both in their clergy and commons / but to receive a mark in their right hands or forehea • es? for in admittynge those artycles & acts / they grant to obey those blasphemous doctrynes that shall both corrupt their life and faith / both their works and conseyence. For in consentinge unto errors in their faith / they spot their foreheads / having so their consciences marked with an hot iron. In full grauntynge also to do them in effect / they defile their hands / perfourminge such works as are impure before God. If they were gone quite frō Christ that wrapped them selves again with the works of the law appointed of God before his coming / moche more are they gone from him that tangle them sel • es with such works of bondage as he never knew / as are all their Idell obseruacions having no express commandments of the word of God. Onlye loke we (saith Paul) in spirit to be iustyfied through faith / which by love is mighty in operacyon.

6 And for them that so believeth is this disiunctyue or / put betwyn their hands and foreheads. For all they that outwardlye keep these heythnishe obseruacyons / have not their conscyences defiled with them / for their inward faythes sake / though they perform the outward works / doubtynge the terror of the laws. Yet would I counsel them not therein to trust / but at the word of the lord to go from it. For though loath dwelt in Sodom / yet at the lords voice he departed from thens.

7 This Image made also that no manne might vie or sell / save he only that had the Mark or the name of the Beast / or at the least the number of his name. The acts of Iustynyane the Emproure / shall make this good / so shall the constitucyons of Adelstane and Edgare and many other kings here in England which for the order and commody • e of the clerge made many polytyque laws. Specyallye king Inas Governor of the west Saxons / which first gave the Peter Pens unto Rome / and made him self a monk there. But in this spyrytuall generation among them selves / is non allowed for a merchande unless he come in by Symonye. Non was made bishop / pastoure / nor • urate / but paid for it their taxed sommes / bishops / to the pope / and the priests to the byshopps / besides Irem in bribes.

Non might else be allowed to utter to auauntage the wares of the beast / or distribute the rites of that holy whoryshe church.

8 Neither were any made free of that marte / unless they had the mark of the beast / which is not only the outward sign of their head shauinge and anoyntinge of their fingars / but also the inward prynte of their consciences / received by profession made to that wicked monster. For like as true faith in Jesus Christ is the mark of a perfygh • christiane / so is a false believe in popish traditions a token of Antichrists member. By their fruits (saith Christ) shall ye know them. For the one followeth the rewle of God's word / the other hath counterfeit works of men's prescripcion.

9 Els must they have the name of the Beast / to be called spyrituall men / or the holy consecrate number / as his holy fatherhode is called.

10 Or at the least they must have the nonebre of his name / which is a note of magnificence and worthiness. Less cā they not be called than lords / so many as are sworn to that spiritual markett. The most ragged ronegate / and idle ydiote among them / is no less thā a • ire / which is a lord in the Lattyn / as sir Johan / sir Thomas / sir Willyam. In the Lattyn only hangeth their great lordeshippes. Amonge their unknown lattyn hours / their masses / and their dyrigees / lieth their plentuouse patrimonye in their portasses and mass books. No • he that leaveth all with poor peter / may be called from fishynge / nor with Matthew from the custom house / to do these offices. But he that catcheth all with Judas and Simon Magus must come from Symonye to do them. Not he that is called of God as was Aaron shall have cure of sowle / but he that offereth to Corban with Annas and Caiaphas. Soche a world hath it been and is ye • still in the world abroad among them.

The Paraphrase.

1 Here is wisdom to be had (saith saint Johan. Lete him that hath wit / count the number of the Beast / for it is the Nombre of man. And his Nombre is six hundred / sixty and six.

2 For so moche as Christ hath willed us diligently to search the scriptures / and the holy Ghost here doth commit the judgment of this secrete to the wit of man / some writers hath deducted this Nomber out of certain Greke words / betokeninge this great Antichrist / because this present Reuelacion was first written in the Greke language. As out of antemos / which signifieth one contrary to God's honor / out of Arnume / which signifieth a denyer of God / and out of Teitan / which betokeneth the sun. All these .iii. vo • ables / though they seme diverse / yet contain they after the Greke rewles / neither more nor less than this set Nomber. And all this may stand both with scripture and reason. For he that ys not with Christ / ys against him / calling that ys good ill / and that ys ill good / mynystrynge darkness for light. Soche lying masters as hath brought in sects of perdicyon / hath denied the lord that bought them. They are not the light as they boast themselves to be (for all they loke to be called spyrituall) but they are the fallen Stars and very Apostaraes frō God / & Satans trāsfonemynge themselves into the angels of light by diverse kinds of Hypocresye.

3 Some expositors leaving the Greke / hath practysed the same thing by these .ii. Latin words. Dic lux / contaynynge in numeral letters the same set • Nōbre. Which sygnifyed that they call them selves the light / or men of a spyrytuall sort / being nothing less. For they in deed are the same self darkness that will in no wise receive the light / but rather persecuteth yt with most spyg • t and cruelty. After this sort might I bring in Diabolus incarnatus / or filius perdictonis / the devil incarnate or the son of perdycyō / for both they are the names of this beastly Antichrist by the scriptures / the one wantynge in the numeral letters but .iiii. of the Nōbre / & the other but .vi. which might be supplied in the other letters. But a monge all these this word Arnume most nyghlye toucheth the my • erye / which ys as moche to say / as I deny. Euydentlye seemeth he to have the mark of the Beast / or to be sealed with the Nombre of his name / that saith whan he heareth the manifest verity / I will never admit ye while I have a day to live / it is against good order / yt standeth not with laudable custom / our doctors agree not th •• unto / our holy canons alloweth yt not / yt hath not the holy fathers consent / 〈2 pages missing〉 us pray • and hope / for it hath great likelihood of a moche farther apperaunce.

• Sens the worlds beginning have the misterye of iniquity wrought in Ca • n and in his posteryte / and so contynued in the Beastlye menbers of Antichrist and so shall do still to the latter day. Therfor is yt no less than the Nombre of man / six hundred sixtye and six. Thus ys he tokened with all wickedness / that admitteth the false faith of this Beast / and followeth the same in his living by the subtle perswasyons of the Bishops and their lying Prophets / and ys sealed up to eternal dampnacyon / unless the lord call him in time. Not only in England ys healed the beasts wounded head / but also in other certain regyons. But for so moche as yt ys most lyuelye done there / and this boke written in that language / I have only brought forth here examples thereof in that purpose.

The Paraphrase.

1 I • oked (saith saint Johan) on the other side / and in a thought as it were / I beheld that a lamb stood upon mount Zion. Even the lamb of God Jesus Christ / that alone toke away the sins of the world. Alone doth he govern his faithful church / as the only and immediate head thereof / having non other to assist him in that office. For who is the king over Zion but he? Who shall reduce Israel again to his fold but he? Onlye is he with his congregation / to aid them with his word / to bolden them with his spirit / & to strēg • then them with his grace.

2 And with him were present an hondreth and .xliiij. thousand / having his fathers name written in their fore heads. So many as have in heart received his word / and in faith digested his ve • e / are the very children of Abraham / and are marked up for the sons of God by the seal of the holy Ghost.

3 For power have they givē thē to be God's chyldrē that believe in his name. And this is yt to have his name written in their fore heads. For their faith declareth them God's sons. Lete this set Nombre be non impediment to the reader / to be taken here for the universal multitude of the faithful / as well of the Gentiles as of the Jews that believeth / though yt otherwise appeareth in the .viii. chapter of this boke. For so well ys the Gentile that hath faith / a perfect Israelyte, / as ys the Christian Jew. Yea / moche rather was. Zacchaeus for his faith judged Abraham's child / than was Simon for fulfilling the works of the law. For God ys not parcyall. What so ever he be that feareth him / and worketh ryghtousnesse / ys accepted with him. And so ys yt meant here. And therefore ys not the difference written here as in the other place / but all ys Ioyned in one / to cōprehēde all under one. And as touching the equal certente in Nombre both here and there. Lyke as yt ys there • certeynlye known unto God / even so ys yt here / though yt be unto us both innumerable and uncertain. Not as concerning the Nombre yt self / but the common understanding thereof in the scriptures. For if the Nombre of one seventh be an infinite Nombre there / moche more of many seuenthes.

4 And I hard a voice from heaven (saith Saint Johan) which ys all one with the aforeseyd Zion / and ys the universal congregation of Christ / all clear from the superstycyons af men. For / from Zion cometh the law of the lord after Isaiah / and the word of God from Jerusalem.

5 Thys word ys as the noise of many waters / whan yt ys in the mouths of many diverse peples / of diverse natyons and languages / one not understanding another / and yet knowing yt yche people among themselves.

6 Verye like ys yt also to a great though̄der crack / mighty / fear full / and terrible to the flesh. Very hard ys thy word lord (said Christ's disciples) who is able to abide yt.

7 And the voice that I hard (saith Iohā) was moche after the noise that the harpers make whan they play upon their harps. Full of agrement are the holy scriptures / yea / full of sweet hermonye and concord. More precious are the verytes of the lord than ys gold / and their melodye more sweet than honye.

8 With them rejoiced David before the ark of the lord. In thē toke Paul a stomach / and confounded the Jews at Damas • us.

9 And swetelye they uttered with their voices a song that seemed all new / before the seat of the lord / before the .iiii. Beasts / and before the auncyēt elders. This song is the word of the lord / all new both to the good and to the ill. The faithful it reneweth in the spirit of their minds / prouokynge them to do on a new manne in Christ. The hearts of the unfaithful it so hardeneth / that they in disdain and spyght doth call it new learning / as ded the ignorant multitude at Capernaum / and the worldly wise men of Athens.

10 Before the seat of the lord was this song uttered / which is the godly disposed multitude. For like as the heart of an hypocrite is the very seat of Satan / so is the heart of a faithful man the seat of God and habitacle of the holy Ghost.

11 Before the .iiii. Beasts was it opened also by this number of godly teachers. Which Beasts are the private congregacions of the lord / remayninge here yet in the flesh / in the .iiii. quarters of the world.

•• Finallye before the elders was it song also. For non other doctrine is it / nor Gospel of glad tidings / than hath been sense the beginning / nor thā hath been thankefullye received of our old auncetours the Patriarchs / the Prophets / the Apostles / and the faithful fathers.

13 And no man could learn that new song / but the aforesaid hundred and xliiii. thousand / which were redeemed from the earth. On mighty / wonderful / yea and terrible sentence of the lord. Non that take them selves for the people of God / cā be accepted afore him for the true seed of Abrahā / nor for the just ministers of his word / unless they betokened afore with the holy spirit of his promise / and so predestinate to the life everlasting.

14 Non can syncerelye do that godly office to the profight of other / unless he be whollye taken from all fleshly and worldly affects. No man can come unto me (saith Christ) unless it be given him of my father.

15 The willful Jews believed not because they were not the sheep of his mark. Neither is it of him that willeth no • of him that ronneth but of the only martyr of the lord. Necessarye is it therefore that his spirit draweth moveth / and in • meth the heart. Els cannot the song be sweet / neither in him that singeth nor yet in the hearer. The notes of this new song are God's heavenly verytees / regestred in the faithful hearts.

16 And they that ded sing them to the praise of the lord / were not defiled with women. Wyth no strange doctrynes / nor yet Profane worshippings ys their faith contamynate / that unfeignedly have done on Jesus Christ. No • the spowsage of their souls have they broken by no filthy tradicyons of menne. Onlye have they with David sought the Testymonyes of God / and thought non like unto them. Onlye ded they cleave to his precious laws / estemynge all other but chaff / and very whoredom in the spirit.

17 Therfor are they virgins married unto Christ in faith / as were the Corynthyanes by Paul's preaching / whom he wished to continue a chaste virgins unto Christ. Never ys the maydenhede of the sowle lost / till erronyouse doctrine be received from the massengers of Antichrist the Bishops and Hipocrites.

18 The virgins / or uncorrupted believers doth follow the lamb wheresoerver he becometh. They go after Christ / that believing his word / doth fashion their lives unto yt. Lyke as they follow Antichrist / that fashion their works to his doctrine. They walk in his steppes / that forsake themselves with him / that beareth the cross of persecucyōs with him / or that suffereth death for the truth with him. And not they that seek thenselves / living here in all pomp / voluptuousness / and Tyrannye. From this place fatche the blind Papists / a great argument for their wyuelesse chastity / and that nō followeth Christ but they in this muster / because they are unmarried. Neither may Abraham / Moses / nor David / Zacharye / Peter / nor Philip / walk in this Nōbre / because they had wives. So parelouse a thing yt ys to have a wife. It ys great marvel they ad • itt Mary Christ's mother to yt / because she had a husband. Oh / ignorant Assee / and very beastly Idiotes. I think yow follow Judas which had neither wife nor child / unless he had thē sitting by other men's fyers / as many of yow have yet at this same day. What is virginite before God more than is marriage? No more than is circumcysyon in comparyson to vncircūcysyon. And that ys nothing. No more maketh the one than the other / to a Christ̄ life. Onlye ys yt faith effectuallye working by love / that the lord requireth of us.

Onlye respected he the faith of Mary / and not her virginite. They which live in matrimonye after the word of God / are accepted afore him for virgyns / and so are named of Saint Paul. An other ca • illacion they have / that non which hath offended afore / can be of this number. But they consider not what is spoken here afore / that they were redeemed from the earth / and that the spirit of the lord hath puryfyed their hearts through faith. Neither have they grace to remember that Christ's innocēcye is rekened for an whole & perfight rightousnesse unto them that believe in him / but they must bring in such tryfles / as are their own beggerlye merits.

19 And therefore it followeth also. These faithful believers (saith Saint Johan) were redeemed from men / being the first fruits to God and to the lamb. By non other were they redeemed / than by Christ▪ For of all the elect number / he is the only rightousnesse / wisdom / holiness / and redempciō. From the corrupt / blind / and froward multitude hath he called them / taken them / and clered them. And of deformed sinners / hath he made them fair / of vile pure / of wreched glorious / of blind perfyghtlye seeing / of liars true sayers / of obstinate gentle / of ill good / & of unfruitful profitable. For he yt is that taketh away the stonye heart / and giveth a soft heart for yt / so making us Abraham's children. Thus are we redeemed from men / wh • we are taken by his goodness from such corrupt usages as man's nature is inclined unto.

20 And for non other purpose / but to be the first fruits unto god / as were the altar offerings in the old law / in the hands of the high priests. For so moche as the elect Nombre are but a few or a certain taken out from the universal multitude / & are the porcyon of the lord (as were the said offerings) perteyninge unto Christ the only bishop of our souls / they are his first fruits. Yea / and his own very mystical members / and all but one offering unto God the father by him. For he is the only lamb that died for them / his own body being the only oblacyon and sacrifice.

21 And in their mouths was found no gyle. For non other words uttered they but his pure testymonyes. Non other taught they but his undefiled laws. Non other persuaded they to be observed of other / but his immaculate Gospel or easy burden of Christ. No importable yokes laid they upon men's / shulders / neither of Ceremonyes / fastinges / nor mass he • ynges.

22 For they are without spot before the trone of God. Both before them that are faithful and have right judgment in the sp • e • e (which are the very seats of God) appeareth their doctrine pure / and also their life innocent / before God himself. Neither are they spotted with filthy traditions / nor yet with vncomlye examples. And as concerning their former sins / they shall not be imputed unto them. They are remitted in Christ / and so forgotten afore God. Though this that here hath been spoken be concerning the whole Christian multitude and her preachers / yet doth it most specially touche the Jews or Israelytes that shall in this latter age be converted unto Christ. And so do I counsel the reader to understand it. For the mount Zion after the flesh was theirs. Not defiled are they with unmarried women / which are the whoryshe laws and unclean Supersticions of the Gentyles / upon non other harp have they commonly harped but upon the scriptures / though it hath not been to the pleasure of God / till now in this latter age / wherein they shall whollye turn unto Christ.

The Paraphrase.

1 An other Angel saw I (saith Saint Johan) fly in the mids of heaven. For Christ was the first Angel or massenger of the everlasting covenant of the father. This Angel here mencyoned is non other than he that had the seal of the living God in the vii. Chapter / and he that was clothed with a cloud in the tenth chapter. And he betokeneth those fervent mynysters wh • m God hach sent in this latter time / to admonish his people to flee from the errors of Antichrist and return to his heavenly veritees.

2 He flieth in the mids of heaven. An ernest / fervent / and faithful course take they in the middes of God's congregation (which is his heavenly kingdom here / to whō this reuelacion is written / like as ded Paulus / Silas / & Barnabas / Timothy / Titus / and Clemēs / with other of the Apostles / syncerelye to declare his word. Mightye stomaked are they in God's cause / both in their words and writings.

3 An everlasting gospel had this angel to preach unto them that sytte and dwell upon the earth / & to all nations / kynredes / and people. His eternal testament and covenant of peace hath the lord given unto them / to preach deliverance to the captive / health to the wounded / life to the dead / and remission to the sinful. Yea / to utter that word that is stronger than is heaven or earth / and that shall never fail him that truly believeth.

4 The sound of this gospel must go the world over / as in the Apostles time. Every where must it be spredde to the increase of faith. Amonge all nations of the earth / among all kynredes of the Israelytes / among all lāguages of the world / and among all kinds of people / of what sort so ever they be / whether they sytte upon the earth or dwell upon the earth / whether they be high or low / governors or subjects / masters or servants / owners or fermers. So that they sytt not nor dwell not within the earth / or have their felicyte here. For that is holy should not be given unto dogs / nor yet pearls laid before swine.

5 And he cried with a loud voice. With a mighty fervent spirit do they beat it into the heads of men / both by words / writings / and all they can make / to have the fear of God / and to give him his dew honor. And this is the doctrine they teache / and the counsel they give.

6 Fear ye God in all that ye do for the first point of godly wisdom is to dread least we offend him. Be constant in the word / and fear no displeasure of men. For no more can they do in their anger but slee the body / and bring it to the rest of God. No power have they over the sowle. Fear him only therefore / that whan he hath destroyed both / may throw them into hell.

7 Geue honor unto him / worship him / and serve him alone. Praise him / and glorify him above all. But yet after non other sort thā he hath appointed / which is in faith / spirit / and verity / and not in outward shadows with obseruacyon of times. He truly honoreth him that trusteth in him / that believeth his word / and that in spyght of all Antychristes confesseth it afore all men. After this sort therefore fear him / and worship him / nothing doubtynge the assaults of enemies.

8 For the hour of his judgment ys come. At hand is it that all the Antychristes and hypocrites shall by the invincyble word of God be judged / condemned / and destroyed. From heaven shall his wrath be declared vpō all their ungodliness. With the spirit of his mouthe shall the lord consume thē / and not longe after will the great day of his indignation towards them light suddenly upon them.

9 With all faithful obsequy worship him therefore that create heavē and earth in wonderful strength and bewtye.

10 That made the see and the fountaynes of water with all that in them doth move / whose power is eternal / knowledge non other God but him. Non other helper / redeemer / nor saver but his Christ. For all other Christ's not sent of him are but Antychrystes. Onlye bow your knees unto him / for only is his strength everlasting. Onlye obey his laws / for only a • e his laws clean.

The Paraphrase.

1 And there followed another angel (saith Saint Johan) which betokeneth another sort of preachers / whose office is here appointed thē of the holy ghost to declare unto the people the certente of the fall / of the aduowterouse / cursed / and malygnaunt church of hypocrites / here fygured by wreched Babilō. For though all the true prophets and preachers have but one word of God in their mouthe / yet passeth it diuerslye from them. Unto yche of them is givē a diverse utterance of the spirit to edifye. One is soft meek and gentle / as was David / Johan / and Peter / another is boystuouse / hard / and vehement / as was Helias / Isaiah and Paul. And all this worketh the self same one spirit. This diuersyte of teachers was neuermore plentuouse in the world than now in our time figured here by these two angels. Praised by the lord therefore.

2 And the tenoure or ground of this latter sort of preachers is this. She is fallen / she is fallen / even miserable Babylon th •• great city of whoredom / because she made all nacyons to drink of the wrathefull wyne of her fornycacion. So sure is it that the execrable church of Antichrist shall be overthrown / and utterly destroyed / as it were now performed in deed. Nothing shall be vnroted out that the heavenly father hath not planted. Sonner shall heaven & earth perish / than this promise be vnfulfylled.

3 For with the stinkinge whoryshnesse of her supersticiouse worshippynges / have she poysened all nations & peples / under heavē. The great governors / and learned lawyers of the world / hath she made in manner of beastly dronkerdes / wytlesse / faythlesse / and graceless / by their prostibulouse doctrine. And this shall be declared more at large in the .xvij. chapter following / where as she is more plentuouslye described.

The Paraphrase.

1 The third Angel also (saith Saint Johan) followed them in the third kind of preaching of the same self massage / that in the mouthe of .ii. or .iii. faithful witnesses all verity might stand.

2 And by this angel are they signified / that by the word of God stifflye impugn their wicked laws and ungodly ordynaunces / whose manner of ernest preaching is this.

3 If any mā worship the Beast / which is the great Antichrist. And his Image / which are those governors that taketh upon them his blasphemous titles / names / authority / or defense. If any man also receive his mark in his fore head / believing their laws to be a chrysten doctrine / or have the pryn • e of his seal upon his right hand / which is to fashion his outward works after the same. The same man shall drink of the wyne of God's wrath / which are the dregs of the pure wyne poured in the cup of his high dyspleasure. He shall taste of the everlasting dampnacyon / that is reserved in the latter curse or fearful sentence of their most terrible judge. To worship the Beast and his Image / is to accept them in conscience / and in the outward obedience with full consent of the heart. For that they blasphemously • pretend / without gods authority. As the Pope for God's vycar or forgeuer of sins / Mahomete for the great Prophet of the lord / the • ewlers of the earth for the popes elder or younger sons / for most christen kings / and defenders of the faith of that holy church.

4 To receive the Beasts mark in their fore heads and hands / is both to agre to such decrees / traditions / laws / constitucyons / acts / and proclamacyons / as they under those titles have made / only for their own covetousness and pomp / and neither for the glory of God nor yet for the right maintenance of the chrysten common wealth / as I have declared afore. And also to be sworn to the same / to subscrybe to it / to give counsel or aid to it / to maintain it by learning / to minister in it / to execute under it / to accuse / pōnyshe / and put to death for yt / or to think yt lawful and godly with such like.

5 These marked worshippers shall taste of the cup of God's indygnacyon / of calamyte sorrow and wrechednesse in the days of their fall here / and after the last judgment of unspeakable peynes and most grievous torments / in everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

6 The dregs that the lord hath poured out (saith David) shall the wicked of the earth drink. Cleane contrary are these Angels to the horned mynysters of Antychryst. For they maintain the Popes errors / these the only verytees of Christ. They labor for the glory of their Pope / these seeketh the only honor of God. They pra • e that their holy church shall cōtinewe / these say it shall down with shame. They require worship to the Beast and his Image / these will report it blasphemous / and the reward thereof dampnacyon. Mark in these .ii. sortes the preachers of our time / and judge which are of God. Agaynst both beasts in Christ's quarrel shall these Angels contend. Agaynst the Pope and his bishops / Mahomete and his doctors / will these godly ministers reply (whō the lord hath sent in this latter age for that purpose) condēpnynge by the scriptures their authority / iurisdiccion / and power / declaring also the plages that will fall upon them for wytholdynge the truth of God in vnryghtousnesse.

7 For these Antichrists and their worshippers with so many as beareth their token shall be ponnished in fire and brimstone / before the holy Angels / and before the lamb. Fire shall be kyndled (saith Moses) in the anger of the lord / and shall burn unto the bottom of hell. Upon the ungodly (saith David) shall he rain snares. Fire / brimstone / storm / and tempest shall be there porcyon to drink. The vehement indignation and mighty judgment of God / shall light upon them / as upon Sodom and Egypt / and shall both devour them and consume them.

8 And this shall be in the sight of Angels. Which are not only the spirits of heaven / but also the church of the faithful. Yea / the ryghtouse shall rejoice whan he •• yth the destruction / and shall wash his hands in the blood of the wicked.

9 In the presens of the lamb shall it be also. For he is evermore with his flock / and shall be unto the ende of the world / wherein he shall sytte and con • dempne them.

The Paraphrase.

1 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up evermore / as the flame of a furnace with most horrible stynke / for a perpetual sign of their ponnyshment / like as it ded from Sodom and Gomor / whā the lord overthrew thē.

2 So that they have no rest neither day nor night / so many as worship the Beast and his Image / receiving the print of his name.

3 Both in this life are they crucyat • with a troblouse and doubtful conscience / and also after this life with unspeakable peynes. For neither shall their worm die / nor yet their fire be quenched / all flesh abhorrynge them.

4 Thus shall they be with the Beast tormented / which have the spirit of the beast. For like as all the faithful (which hath been from the beginning) belongeth to one mistycal body in Christ / and shall be preserved by him / so doth the wicked pertain to one mystycall Antichryst / having all one spirit with him / and so shall with him perish.

5 Here is the patience of the Saints. In this life are their troubles. No pleasure is for thē in this world / but hate / rebukes / slanders / lies / persecuciōs / & death of their bodies. Their life upon earth is continual afflicciō / but glorious is the fruit of their labors. Manyfolde are the mysfortunes of the rightouse / but the lord cleareth them of all.

6 Here are they vexed that keep the commaundemētes & the faith of Jesus. Here are they had in derisiō / that behave thē selves as the ministers of God in moche patience / affliccions / need / anguyshe / labor / strypes / imprisōment / & such like.

7 Here are they chastened of the lord with many sore storms / that they should not be dampened with this world. Moche have they here to suffer of enemies / that only cleaveth to the word of God in life and doctrine.

The Paraphrase.

1 And I hard a voice from heavē (saith Saint Johan) saying unto me.

2 Wryte with thy pen / or mark surely this sentence following for thē that here suffereth in the truths quarrel.

3 Blessed are the dead / or they which are alredye departed / and that also shall here after depart in the lord. This voice from heaven are the infallyble scriptures / assertanynge the faith of Johan / of the sweet rest of the Saints in the hands of God. And that their ende is not without honor / as the vain sort supposeth / but they are counted among the dere children of God. Let them therefore that suffer in this age be ernestlye spreted / and not fear the torments of the enemies in Christ's cause.

4 For from hence forth (the spirit saith) that they rest from their labors. In a wonderful quyetnesse dwell they / by the very sentence of the holy ghost / and shall never more fele of any woo. God hath clean wiped away all tears from their eyes / all sor • wes and peynes from their bodies / the first dangers being past. Happye are they therefore and most godly fortunate / that are slain for Christ / because they will not worship the Beast and his Image / nor corrupt their faith with their wicked laws / but in a pure Christian believe departeth from hence to the lord. Theyr porcyon is in the lande of the living / and their lotte among the holy ones.

5 For certain • ye their works doth follow them. The promise • •• ward of God for constantlye standing by the verity / for the fruits of their christen patience / and for other exercyses of their faith / is evermore to their glory present with them. Not as deserved of thē / but of Christ / in whose faith they wrought here / and for the promise sake / that they should be God's heirs together with Christ. The lyuelye word also / which they ernestlye received here and so roted in their faith / will never suffer them to perish / nor to be hurt of the • conde death.

The paraphrase.

1 I looked yet further (saith Saint Johan) and euydentlye before me apered a whyght cloud / which betokeneth the true ministers of God's word. Whom the holy ghost calleth clouds by Isaiah / David / Peter / and Judas. For from thē falleth upon the people the sweet drops of his verytees.

2 Whyght they are as milk for their faith in the word. And for their Christian conuersacyon not blotted with Hypocresye of men's corrupted customs.

3 Upon this cloud was one sitting like unto the son of man / which ys verily Christ / in his gloryfyed manhood. For evermore ys he among his true preachers / giving them such utterance and wisdom / as all their enemies are not able to withstand. Always walketh he among the .vii. candelstyckes / which are his congregacyons as we had afore

4 He had vpō his head a gold̄ crown / in token of his eternal and uncorrupt kingdom / & in his hand a sharp syckle / which ys the sharp judgment or ryghtuousnesse of his word / for there with shall he reap his latter harnest. Accordynge to his word and promise shall he judge good and evil.

5 Thys syckle received he of his everlasting father / such time as he gave over unto him his universal judgments. By the order of this vysyon should the preachers seme in the last age of the church / moche to admonyshe the people of the latter day / with the coming of Christ again to judge both the quick & the dead as ys in their creed / or believe.

The Paraphrase.

1 And another Angel (saith saint Johan) came out of the temple / which ys the congregation of faith / consecrated as an holy temple unto God in the blood of the undefiled lamb Jesus. This Angel betokeneth those just menne / that with Simeon and anna the daughter of Phanuell / in this latter age are desy • rouse of the glory of God / and of the fynall redempcyon of man from bodelye corrupcyon.

2 These shall cry with a loud voice / with a fervent spirit shall they call unto Christ / which sitteth upon the cloud.

3 And this shall be their sainge. Thrust in the syckle and reap. Sende forth thy 〈◊〉 word. And like as yt hath created all things / so lete yt now try and judge all things.

4 For the time ys at hand to reap. For we are those upon whom the ends of the world are come.

5 And doubtless the corn of the earth y • rype / the world is at the best that yt will do. As it hath been ever / so ys yt still / all together sort upon myscheff. Lete thy word therefore fynyshe all / as yt hath began all. With the breathe of thy mouthe / 〈◊〉 the great Antichrist / 〈…〉 of sin / the son of perdycyon / and the adversary that hath exalted himself above God. Pour out thy indygnacion upon the kyngedomes that will neither know the / worship the / nor alone call upon thy name. Thu hast called thy harvest the ende of the world / lete it now fynyshe all in deed. Diuyde the chaff from the corn / the wicked sort from the ryghtouse. Gather the wheat into thy garner / and burn the chaff in unquenchable fire.

6 And he that satte on the cloud thurst in his syckle on the earth / and anon the earth was reaped.

7 He hath sent his mighty word / so quycke in operacyon as fire. Which shall not only consume the wicked generation of the Beast / but also reserve them to eternal dampnacyon.

8 The earth shall be cleared of thē as of all other filthy corrupcions / and hell replenyshed with them / to their perpetual care.

The Paraphrase.

1 And another angel (saith saint Johan) came out of the temple which ys in heaven or from the great number of Angels / having also a sharp syckle in his hand.

2 This Angel betokeneth those heavenlye spirits that the lord shall sēde forth to gather together his chosen from the iv. winds / whan his token shall appear in heavē These are the reapers of the lords harvest. These are they that shall go forth to gather all nacyons / and to separate the gottes frō the lambs / the ill from the good / and shall cast them into a furnace of fire / where as shall be waylinge and gnashinge of tethe.

3 And therefore ys their syckle here named sharp. Non other is their syckle / but this appointed office. Non other ys their harvest / but this gatherynge together. But these massengers shall not forth till they have commandment. And therefore saith Saint Iohā consequētlye.

The Paraphrase.

1 And another Angel came out from the altar which had power over fire. This ys the lord Jesus Christ / whom Malachias calleth the Angel of the covenant that was longed for. He ys the altar of the ryghtouse / and by him are they a sweet sacrifice unto God. Els coude they be but very abhominacyon. Tyll the judgment day shall he be an altar of means making to God the father for us. But that day ones come / no longer shall he be an altar or an advocate / but go clean from yt. He shall than become a judge over all the world / rewardynge everyone according to their works. Hitherto hath he mekelisytten upon the cloud / and not cut with his syckle. He hath had in his hand the judgment / and not judged.

2 But now hath he power over fire. By fire (which ys under his obedience / as are all other creatures else) shall he at that day judge the universal world. And more sharp / vehement / quycke ferce / mighty / and terrible shall his sētense be to the wicked / thā ys any fearful / flaminge / or cōsumynge wild fire.

3 For with a loud voice shall he cry unto him that hath the sharp syckle. An ernest charge and commandment shall he give at that day to the ministers of his ire / for to cast them into exteryoure darkness / after this sort here uttered in mystery.

4 Thrust in thy sharp syckle / and gather the clusters of the earthly vyneyarde / for the grapes thereof are r • pe.

5 Execute the vengeance committed unto yow / and rote out this rank ry • • ouse generation of the rauenouse Epicures.

6 For now are their myscheues at the full. Now are they most curyous in their facyons and fedynges / most covetous in their compassynges / most vain in their stodyes and most cruel in their doings. For with them shall yt be (saith Christ) as yt was in the days of Noah and Loth. They shall build and banket / ruffle and riot / bye and sell / and plant for their pleasures.

And suddenly as a snare shall that terrible day light upon them vnbewares / as ded death on the covetous iourer.

7 And the Angel (saith Johan) thrust in his syckle on the earth / he cut down the grapes of the vineyard of the earth / and so ded cast them into the great wyne fat of the wrath of God.

8 Accordynge to their commission they shall plage the earthly minded / for here ys the time past for the time coming used / for the certente of yt. Wyth sudden death shall they perce thē in this world / that contempnynge Christ's doctrine hath followed the course thereof in all concupiscence.

9 And fynallye they shall throw them into the lake of myserye / the pyt without water • nto the stinking • regges of hell • e / where as fire and brimstone shall be rewarded to drink. For the vyneyarde of the earth ys the carnal Synagogue of Hypocrites • and the grapes thereof are the glorious glottons / and frank f • dde porkelynges of that gredye gulf / even the enemies of Christ's cross / whose God ys their belly / whose glory is their confusion / and whose ende ys their dampnacyon / for they are earthly minded. This wyne fat of the wrath of God ys non other than his great bengeaunce / to be poured upon the unfaithful. Or else hell / prepared for the devil and his angels. Great / not only for the innumerable multitude that yt hath and shall receive / but also in that yt is insacyable.

10 And this wyntfatt was troddē without the city. Nothynge pertaineth yt to that city (of whom famous things are spoken) which ys the congregation of God / nor yet to the good creatures of God. No / not unto this world / which shall at that day be tried and pourged by fire. But under the earth shall yt be / and far without this world / secluded from the face of heaven in filthy and unspeakable darkness.

11 For blood will come out of this fat / evē unto the horse brydles. Wherein is expressed not only the terror of the place / but also of the peynes there in contained. For blood shedynge and murder are things very horrible & fearful to behold / contayninge in thē depriuacyon of life / which ys most terrible of all. The habundaunce thereof betokeneth the greatness of the grefe in the sufferance of them. The treadinge down also sygnyfieth / that no raise towards any relefe is to be looked for of them that be there. Unto them which at that day shall be in the city / will he that sytteth in the trone make all things new. All dolour / affliccyon / so row / pain / penurye / / wrath / condēpnacyon / and death / shall be past with them. Onlye shall they be trodden down in this wynefatt of God's wrath / that lived here like beasts without reason / and that wandered here like horses and mules in their own filthy lusts.

12 All shall be ponnyshed there / that was here unbridled / vnordred / and vngouerned after the word & pleasure of God. And therefore yt ys here said / unto the horse brydles. Euerye man shall receive in body according to that he hath done / whether yt be Good or evil. They that have wrought the storke of God in faith / shall reap according unto yt. The brydles also betokeneth the measure of gods judgment / not as concerning the time which • s everlasting / but concerning the pain ryghtlye measured according to the in aquite. For the lord hath set his judgments over the wicked in wayght and measure / the stripes agreynge in quantyte to the excess of sin / so moche torment to have / as their rejoice hath been in wickedness.

13 The space of these terrible tormētes or ponnyshmētes of hell / ys a thousand and .vi. hundred furlonges. A furlonge of the Greeks ys called the • on of hercules / and yt ys in lenghte an hundred and .xxv. passes or steppes. And commonly they used according to that lenghte / to measure their playenge places. Of whom Paul maketh mencyon to the Corinthyanes being Greeks / by them that rōneth in a course / and that proveth mastryes. In this thousand and .vi. hōdred furlonges here / ys comprehended the whole and universal course of the wicked for the .iiii. quarters of the world. The number of an hundred ys evermore an whole complete and perfect number. And .iiii. hundred .iiii. times nonebred ys .xvi. hundred / which maketh this number of a thousand and .vi. hundred / the number of .iiii. respectinge always the .iiii. climates of the world / which are the common habitacions of sinners. In them course they in all wanton kinds of living. In them work they their mastryes of all ungodly obseruacyons and false worshyppinges / walkinge in the large or open way which leadeth unto death. Accordynge to the nonbre & measure of this course / hath God here measured the place and ponnyshment. Not withstandinge never ys he without mercy. Maruelouse he ys in his works and judgments / which are vnsercheable. Blessed ys he that shall have his part in the city or congregation of the ryghtouse / and that shall se the peace upon Israel / whan the lord shall lead forth them with the evil doers / that hath yoked themselves with their laws. The lord grant us ones to taste the prosperyte of Jerusalem. Amen.

The Paraphrase.

1 And I saw (saith saint Johan) by the secrete goodness of my lord God / yet another token in heaven / great and maruelouse / strange and wonderful. For in the church or congregation of God are evermore uttered his wonderful and depe judgments / unto them only whom his grace appointeth / as unto Johan. And this is the token in mystery.

2 Seven angels had in their hands the seven last plages. Some exposytours have taken these Angels for the right ministers in the .vii. ages of the christen church. Some have thought them to be the perverse preachers and ungodly ministers of all the said ages / suffered of God strongelye to delude the unbelievers / that he which hurteth should hurt still / and that he which is in filthiness should still be filthy. Unto every age correspondynge an Angel / to declare the nature of those deceitful hyrelynges and lying masters. And this maketh them so to understand the text. They are here expreslye noted to be in heaven. Amonge the congregacyons of God are the false prophets and dissemblynge hypocrites evermore / as the chaff among the corn / the tares among the wheat / and the filthy dregs among the pure wyne. For that kingdom is as a net thrown into the see and gatherynge all manner of fishes both good and bad. In all ages hath the wicked generation increased / to impugn the truth / and styflye to stand up against God and his Christ / which is non other after their minds / than to mynistre the .vii. last plages here. For no poison is to the sowle so pestylent / nor yet venom so noyfull / as is false doctr • ne. No plage can be thought more deadly nor vyrulent / than to depryue us of that faith / of that verity / and of that life which is in Christ Jesus / or to bring us out of that way which he hath appointed. And all this seemeth no small lykelyhode of the just understanding of the text here. Yet giveth Frances Lan • bert a far better judgment / calling them the set sentences or vnvariable decrees of God / diffinynge his judgments against the wicked in this latter age of the world / at their appointed times to be uttered. For all these things are ioyntlye to be considered. These Angels came not only from heaven / which is the congregation (as they have mencyoned) but also out of the celestyall temple of the tabernacle of testimony / which is the omnipotent God and his Christ / as the .xxi. chapter here of declareth. They are also clothed with pure whyght lynnen / gyrded with golden gyrdels / they have golden vyals delivered unto them by one of the .iv. Beasts / and one of them commoneth with Johan / declaring unto him the judgment and fall of the great whore. Which are no arguments that they are here to be taken for ill preachers / though they here mynistre the last .vii. plages. Therfor shall we judge them here to be God's appointed purposes or eternallye decreed pleasures / against the willful obstynates and indurate rebellyous to the ende of the world. These are called the last plages / because they fall in the last age of the world / whom Isaiah / Hieremye / Oseas and Mycheas calleth the last days / Johan the last hour / and Paul the ends of the world. Seven are they named here in a universal respect both of the times / parsones / places / and perverse doctrynes of the whole world. And also because of the .vii. seals and the .vii. trompettes / to whose judgments they Ioyntlye agre / as in the next chapter following will appear more largelye.

3 For in them (saith the text) is fulfilled the wrath of God. The indignacyon of the lord is in them whollye declared. For what hate can he show more unto man / than to withdraw from him his grace / to leave him to himself / to suffer him in his own blind judgments / to give him over to his own filthy lusts / and to send him the operacyon of error to his double dampnacyon? A very fulfilling of God's anger is it also to appoint us a false Prophet or deceyuable curate / a wanton Prince or ungodly gouernoure. These therefore with such like are those plages / in whom is depelye accomplyshed the dyspleasure of God. And they are here named the last plages / for after them shall non other be seen / the latter day fynyshynge and clearynge all.

4 And I beheld (saith Saint Johan) in the same said vysyon / as it were a glassye see / or a great flowynge water in symylytude of glass / all mingled with fire. Non other is this see but the precious verity of the Lord / so clear as glass and so pure as crystal. This see gushed out of the hard rock stone / that was cloven a sonder in the desert. Whan he sent forth his spirit / these waters flowe • forth in habundaunce.

5 Most effectual and quycke is this see. And therefore it is here noted as mingled with fire / which signifieth the holy ghost. For never is the verity without God's spirit. A ferce fyerye streme calleth Danyel this see. All fyerye is thy word lord (saith David also) and therefore thy servant loveth it. This is the foūtayne of living water spryngynge up into the life everlasting. Unto this water should all they resort that are thurstye / thereof to take refreshynge.

6 Upon this glassye see were they seen of Saint Johan / that had obtained victory of the Beast / of his Image / of his mark / and of the number of his name. By whom are meant those constant christianes / which hath for all ages firmelye affermed the truth. For non aduersyte declinynge from it. Strongelye have these sense the Apostles time resysted the adversaries of God by his only word / perfystynge therein unto the death as ded Stephen / James / and Antipas with such other his faithful witnesses. Uictorye have they gotten by faith both of the Beast and his Image / both of the great Antychryst and his supporters / of the Pope and of Mahomete / with their maynteyners Emprours / kings / and magistrates / and of all them that usurp their title / name / seat / authority / pomp or power.

7 They have blemyshed likewise by the said word not only the mark of the Beast / which is a corrupted faith / but also the number of his name / which is the denial of God. Them have they to their rebuke uttered / and to their confusion declared. They have proved their orders damnable / their doctrine deuyllyshe / their religion hypocrisye / and their spiritualte plain wickedness / condempnynge them by the scriptures / as ungodly dyssemblers denyenge the lord which bought them. These are they whom the lord tenderlye norryshed / and gracyouslye brought forth upon the refreshynge waters / conuertynge their souls to his godly fear and love.

8 These stand evermore on the glassye see / they set sure fotynge upon the rock stone. Unmoueablye they persevere in the truth / never denyenge yt afore men.

9 And they have in their hands the harps of God / which are devour minds given all unto godliness / and reioysynge in spiritual things.

10 Harmonyouslye they sing the tuneable song of Moses the faithful servant of God / and the melodyouse sweet song of the lamb Jesus Christ.

11 Of both testaments they make utterance / declaring the wonderful works and terrible judgments out of the old law / and out of the gospel of gladness the most sweet mercy of the lord. Wythout ceasynge open they the scriptures unto other inwardlye reioysinge in spiritual hymns and psalms / having this evermore for the standing tenoure of their song.

12 Inestimablye great is thy goodness / and wonderfullye maruelouse are thy works O Lord God almighty.

13 Just are thy promises / and most perfightlye sure thy ways / thu glorious king of Saints / and graciouse gyde of the godly believers.

14 Who shall not evermore fear the / o mighty lord? who shall not always in heart gloryfye / thy blessed name?

15 Thu alone art holy / just / and perfight / for non is there good but thyself only. Thu art owre only maker / redeemer / and cōfortoure. Non other have we for owre God but the.

16 No doubt of it but the time will be that all kinds of people / both Jews and Gentyles / faithful and heythen shall seek unto the / and shall faythfullye in verity and spirit worship before the / acknowlegynge the for their only lord God.

17 Because thy wonderful judgments that sometime were secrete / are now to the world made openly known and manifest. Though this song be little and small / yet is therein contained all verity / that both Moses and Christ confesseth at large. Moreover what so ever the scriptures comprehendeth / either of the great omnipotēcye of God or of his most wonderful works / either of his loving mercy or of his benign pytie towards man / of his glorious name or mighty power / or that he is to be magnified and feared / or how that the faithful pertaineth only to his kingdom / or how that all people shall finallye be converted unto him. All is compendiouslye in this brief song here contained / what though it be not so word by word expressed. And as concerning that ys here last spoken / that his judgments are made manifest / it is to be understanded of those faithful creatures whom he calleth / clereth and iustyfyeth / and of non other. For unto them only are his heavenly verit • es known / to whom he wytsaueth to open them. Though the other outwardlye se the judgments of God / yet do they not inwardlye perceive thē / though they boast it never so moche. For it is not given them so to do. They must have eyes and not se / ears and not understand.

The Paraphrase.

1 And a non after that (saith Sayn • Johan) I looked yet more aduysedly. And suddenly as it were / the everlasting temple of the tabernacle of witness was open in heaven.

2 A mystery this is very ernestlye to be marked / as a thing of great wayght. The lord almighty is this eternal temple. He is the temple not made with hands / uncreated / glorious and full of mageste / comprehendynge in him all things / and he within non again comprehended. He is the lord of all. He measureth heaven with his span / he over reacheth all the world with his .iii. fingers. In him we live / we move / and have our being. The tabernacle of witness is the lamb Jesus Christ. He is that very tabernacle of God that was here among men / bearinge that faithful witness which giveth wisdom to babes. He is the propiciatorye or mercy seat / wherein we are hard and forgiven. Neither was this tabernacle of this manner building / but moche more perfect and greatter. This holy tabernacle is within the aforesaid temple / for Christ dwelleth in the father and the father in him.

3 Open is this temple in heaven / and the tabernacle seen / whan God is known by true preaching / and Christ's doctrine believed. For he came into the world / and for that purpose was borne / to bear witness unto the truth / whom the father willed only to be hard / concerning faith.

4 This temple and tabernacle open / or God and his word ones known in this latter age / the seven Angels cometh forth. The eternal decrees of God's secrete judgments appeareth / and are fulfilled in their times. As Angels or massengers of God they have in his eternyte their just plages in their season appointed to be exhybited.

5 And therefore are they said to come out from the temple which is God. Nothynge hath he purposed to the world / but he hath decreed yt afore the worlds constitucyon. For his purpose / mind / and pleasure / is as he is / everlasting. And as it falleth to the world by his assignment / it becometh a massenger / going out of the temple. So many hath he sent of such massengers / as he hath fulfilled decreed purposes. And marvel not though they be here called Angels / considering that it ys the common manner of the holy scrypturs evermore to call them Angels which uttereth the will / pleasure / and commandment of God / as they do here. After this sort are the priests called Angels / so ys Aggeus the holy Prophet / so is Saint Johan Baptyst / so are Christ's dyscyples / and also the publyque preachers.

6 What the plages are that they shall shed out of their vyals / will be shown clearly in the next chapter following / one after another.

7 These angels are aparelled in pure whyght lynnen / bright shynynge as crystal / and gyrded about their breasts with gyrdels of fine gold / which betokeneth their sincere clennesse / and their glorious perfyghtnesse. For what can be more pure and precious / than the eternal decrees of the lord? What can be more perfect and glorious than his prediffyned purposes? The laws of God are undefiled / the testimonies are true / the statutes are right / the ways are sure / the commandments are clear / the judgments are godly / the words are pure and precious. Yea / the gifts that come from the father of light are evermore perfect and good.

8 The gyrdynge of their breasts / ys the straight spearynge up of the secrete meaning of God's judgments from our carnal understanding / till such time as he openeth them unto us by his spirit. For yt belongeth not unto us to discern such secretes as the father reserveth to his own power.

9 And one of the .iv. Beasts or congregacyons (saith Saint Johan) delivered unto the aforesaid .vii. Angels vii. golden vyals replenished with the wrathful dyspleasure of God which liveth for evermore. Though the congregacyons be in the first chapter .vii. and in the forth .iv. understanded by the .iv. Beasts / yet are they here in • his place brought all unto one / and called one of the .iv. or else of the .iv. made one / for so moche as the universal christen church is of one consent / one faith / one batyme / one God / and pertaineth to one Christ. For so moche also as it confesseth / believeth / and teacheth one doctrine of health. One is my d • ue (saith the holy ghost) one is my dearly beloved darlynge. A Beast is it here noted / as living in the flesh / and not yet mortified by death.

10 The vyals of God's wrath are the ungodly reprobates / fytt only for destruccyon. Golden are they here named / because they appear glorious in the worldly judgments of men. Verye painted tombs are the dyssemblynge hypocrites / within full of stynkinge bones. A shynynge name of life have they and yet are they inwardlye dead. For all that they do is to be seen of men.

11 Full of wrath are they / wherbye is meant a sinful understanding / with damnable doctrynes. For very swyft are they to all ungodliness. The .vi. propertees have they which the lord hateth / and the seventh which he utterly abhorreth. A proud loke / a dissemblynge tongue / bloody hands / a wicked heart / fere rydye unto myschef / ways to practice lies / and sowynges of dyssencyon among bretheren. These are given of the true christen congregation to the .vii. Angels / or decreed purposes of God to be judged as they have eternallye diffyned. For non other is their continual prayer / but that his will be fulfilled / and that his predyfined intents against the perverse multitude be fynyshed at their conuenyent times. Non other is it to putt into the Angels hands the vyals of God's displeasure / than thus to commit them by faithful prayer to his purposed decrees or foreset ordinances.

12 But because that commonly whan God's judgments begin to wax known / all things are commoued and troubled / therefore is it said here consequentlye that the temple was full of smoke / by reason of the mageste of God and of his glorious power. This smoke are certain mysteries / representynge unto us the hidden mageste of God's eternal presence. Whose bryghtnesse can no frail understanding abide. Nor / all the world cowde not sustain it if all things were open and plain concerning it. In no wise could Moses presentlye se the face of God / only might he be suffered to se his back partes. For no man can se God and live. Onlye is he seen here in this life as in a glass or under a dark speaking. He appeareth unto us here in a mystycall smoke / like as he ded to the Patriarke Jacob in sleep / to Moses in the flamynge bushe / to Helias in the horle wind / to the Apostles in fyerye tongues / and unto Ananias in a secrete vysyon.

13 Under the shaddow of fygurate locucyon is his glory of the elect persons and faithful believers known. The unfaithful reprobates beholdeth the smoke / but neither perceive they in it the glory of God / nor the mageste of his presence. They neither conceive his wonderful works / nor yet his godly judgments. Their foolish hearts are so darkened / that though they know God / yet glorify they him not. They set the smoke and perceive the world troubled (as it is always whan the verity appeareth) but never the more faith nor godly knowledge have they. But that which is unto the faithful a raise / is unto thē a ruyne. That is unto the other the power of God unto health / is unto them slander and folyshnesse. And that is unto the other a sauoure of life unto life / is unto them a sauoure of death unto death. They remember not that the lord came down in fire unto Moses upon mount Synay whan it smoked all together like a burning furnace / and therefore bere they away no glorified faces / or consciences depured by a true perfect faith.

14 And no man was able (saith the text) to enter into the temple / till the .vii. deadly plages of the .vii. angels were whollye fulfilled. For though the true believers perceive in the mysteries of the scriptures / the present mageste and mygh tie power of God / yet enter they not in to full knowledge of him / being as yet subject unto vanyte. For here is their knowledge vnperfyght / and their prophecyenge also. And therefore acknowlegynge their imbecillite / and also waytynge for the reuelacion of the childrē of God / they say with Saint Paul. O the wonderful depenesse of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How incomprehensible are his judgments / and how unsearchable his ways.

15 And at this point. shall they still be till the last judgment day fynishe all. For the full enterynge into the temple is non other than a whole perfect or consummate knowledge of God and his misteryes. Which cannot fully be had / till that which is vnperfyght be done away / the creature delivered from bondage of corrupcyon. And till death be swallowed up / the vessel of corrupcyon becommynge incorruptyble / and the mortal body becommynge spyrituall. The ryghtouse shall than shine as doth the sun in the kingdom of their father / and glyster as doth the bright Stars world without ende. What the .vii. plages are / and what ys their fulfilling / will in this chapter following appear.

The Paraphrase.

AN other great voice hard Iohā out of the temple. A perfect / strong / and ernest assurance had he of the lord by a spiritual premonyshment / that the vnvariable decrees of his sert judgments should be fulfilled at their times of him appointed. Yea / assertayned he was infallyblye that they should in their dew seasons come to pass. For unto his friends openeth he his secrete counsels always / as he ded in old time unto his well beloved Israel / unto Moses / Zacharye / Ezekiel / and Daniel / with such other.

2 And the voice was unto the .vii. Angels under the .vii. Seals opening and the .vii. trompettes blowinge after this sort. Go your ways forth fulfillinge the purpose ye be ordained unto. Pour ou • your vyalles of wrath upon the earth.

4 Declare them first of all to the world / to be the reprobate vessels of dishonor / which of wylfulnesse contēpneth my eternal verity. Consequentlye send thē into most depe error / that they may wexe worse and worse / and not only to err in themselves / but also to bring other into error / that they may receive the double reward thereof / abydynge my most fearful judgment.

5 And in such time as the lord appointed / the first Angel went fourth under the first seal opening / and poured out his vial upon the earth. For in the first age of the church / to try her as gold in the furnace / permytted the lord by his eternal decree / the malycyouse Synagogue of the Jews to rage / and to do their ungodly feats. In the which their furyouse madness / not only ded they persecute the Apostles and first preachers of Christ from city to city / but also perverted the earthly minded multitude by many and diverse ungodly kinds of false doctrine in hipocresye. Of this sort was Himineus and Pheletus / becomminge of Sadducees false Christyanes / and denyenge the latter resurrection / whom Paul ded excommunycate. So were also Phigellus and Hermogenes / bringing in again circumcysyon with certain ceremonyal obseruacyons to blemyshe the Gospel of Christ. These with such like subuer • ed whole houses (saith Paul) teaching things that they ought not to have • aught for filthy lucres sake.

6 And whan they were thus by the decreed purpose of God shed upon the earth / or left unto their own earthly beastlynesse / all destytute of his grace for contempnynge his word so gracyouslye offered / there lyghted a noisome and tedyouse botche upon those menne which had the mark of the Beast / or an vnchristen believe through their perswasyons.

7 And vpō thē also that worshipped his Image / or accepted them for Godlye that made laws repugnaunt to his laws. For the great headed Rabynes of the Jews ded not only sport the consciences of the Israelytes their own natyue contre men / but also of the Greeks and latynes / the Asianes & Romans / compellynge them for their own traditions to make God's commandments of non effect. These having a pretence of Godlye living / denied the power thereof. Of this sort were they which entered into houses / and brought into bondage supers • y • youse women lo • en with sin. For a more depe understanding hereof / confer this with the first Seal opening and the first Trompet blowynge / and like wise the other .vi. following.

The Paraphrase

1 After this went fourth the seconde Angel of the seconde Seal opening effundynge his vial upon the see. Accordynge to the decree of God almighty for the seconde age of the Christian church / regned among the Christyanes deceitful bretheren and perverse teachers / betraynge the true mynysters and delyuerynge them unto death for Jesus Christ's sake / that his life might be se • ne in their mortal flesh. For in this life he proveth his electes with Abrahā and Job to save them / and to make thē just followers of Christ / whom yt behooved to suffer ere he ētered into his glory

2 Upon the see or wauerynge multitude was this vial shed. Onlye are the false Prophets received and taken of the foolish / fantastycall / and slypper wytted sort / as a rede shaken of every wind. Non regardeth them which hath set sure fotynge upon the hard rock Christ. Soche a vial or vessel of God's Ire was Mair the Idomyte which made the Talmud of the Jews / a boke more thā .x. Gybles after Nauclerus and other Historianes / full of blasphemies and lies condempnynge the doctrine of Christ. So was Rabbi Moses the Egypcyane / Rabyna and Rabasses with such other confyrmynge the same.

3 All bloody was this see / the vial ones shed thereupon. All fleshly were the people in their judgments / their hearts fulfilled with cruelty and mourther against Christ's true witnesses / through their perverse preachynges. Yea / in that furiouse rage they thought they ded god great good service whan they putt his servants unto death.

4 Thys blood was also in a manner as the blood of a dead manne. For dead was the doctrine that they taught / even the sleyng letter yt self. Dead were also their Ceremonyes / their rites / and their idle obseruacyons.

So that every living thing died in that bloody see. All they which semen through glytteringe hypocrisy to live / wanted the very life which ys hid in Christ / and that riseth offaythe in his living word. So ded they also which depended all upon the vain pleasures of this life / exercysinge here tyranny both in words and doings. Neither were they out of the same danger / that fell from the verity ones known / nor yet they which durst not receive yt for fear of persecution / but both perished in this see.

The Paraphrase.

1 Next in his course went out the third Angel / under the third Seal opening / and he poured out his vial vpō the watterye flowdes and fowntaynes / and all they became very blood. By his set decree for the third age of the church / suffered the lord false heretykes to rage in all kinds of error / strongelye to delude the unbelievers.

2 These lyghted upon the sweet waters / by whom are meant the sacred scriptures refreshinge the dry souls. Who so ever drynketh (saith Christ) of the waters that I give / he shall never be more a thirst.

3 Of these waters have they defiled both the rivers and welspringes with blood. Both the law and Gospel / the figure and verity / the commandment and promise / the doctrine of Prophets and Apostles have they corrupted with their false interpretacyons and glosses / with froward dryftesand opynyons / with vain traditions and worshippings / and with carnal wisdom and murtherynges. Of this sort were Eut • ces and Artius with such other like / as in the .viii. chapter afore.

4 And I hard (saith Saint Johan) an Angel / betokenynge those sincere witnesses / to whom God had opened for that age his secrete judgments. And this Angel said.

5 Omnipotent creator and lord which art not only of thyself at this present instaunt / but wart also essencyallye in thyself without beginning.

6 Thu heavenly lord art faithful in thy words and holy in thy works.

7 For as yt appeareth before our eyes / the decrees and fore judgments that thu madest afore / are now fulfilled in effect.

8 For the relygyouse mourtherers that of cruelnesse caused the blood of thy holy▪ Saints and Prophets / Apostles and Preachers to be shed / have now by thy just appointment very blood to drink as they are most worthy.

9 For sleynge of them whose massage they contempned / they had their just plage. Not onlie became they vain in their thoughts / their foolish hearts darkened (not unlike to them that hath ears andheare not / eyes and se not) but also there remained unto them after this life a perpetual vengeance without mercy for their cruel oppressyons / as a due reward of their error.

10 Yet another Angel hard I (saith Saint Iohā) evē out of the altar which ys Christ. Thys Angel sygnyfyeth those witnesses that sūtime confessed the truth here / and now resteth from their labors in the lord. These though they be departed / afferme that the other hath said afore. In token that now being departed they forget not that truth which they afore confessed / living still yet in the same. He that holdeth my word (saith Christ) shall never taste of death.

11 And this ys their saying in mystery / or words comprehendinge their secrete confession.

12 Even so lord God almighty. As the living believers saith of the by mouthe / so say we now in the spirit.

13 That thy decreed judgments are ever more true / and thy maruelouse workynges ryghtouse. The first ys called in some translacyons the Angel of waters / the other here reported to come from the altar / to sygnyfye both sortes.

The Paraphrase.

1 Consequentlye by the appointment of God / the fort Angel in the forth Seal opening poured out his vial of God's wrath on the sun. As the lord had eternallye prefixed / in the forth age of the Christian church. For the whole worlds pannyshmēt / was Christ sore blemyshed which ys the clear sun of ryghtousnesse. Sore ded the dissemblynge. Antichrists in those days darken the true glory of God with their many fold sects of Hipocresye. The pope had for his part an innumerable swarm of shorn smered Sodomytes / and Mahomete a fowl flock of frantyck fabyllers / which with their newlye painted relygyons and prodygyouse obseruacyons / made first all the world to wonder and than to worship Bel • all for Christ / taking darkness for light / and sin for ryghtousnesse.

2 These being very adversaries unto Christ / toke upon them his authority and seat / the one boastynge himself for his general vycar in earth / the other for the great Prophet of the lord / and so were received of the excecate world. Nedes would they seme to be the sūne / being the very shadows of death.

3 Permytted was this heersackye sun to vex menne with heat of fire. Syttynge in the temple of God which ys with in man / with such wicked laws as they made under the name of God and of Christ / they terribly vexed / tormented / and cruciated the weak consciences of men / leaving them commonlye in most peynefull desperacyon.

4 So that the men raged in great heat / speaking evil of the name of God / which had power over those plages. At their abhominable persuasions was Christ of them not taken for a merciful saver and gentle▪ redeemer / but for a froward chorle & intractable tyraūt / unless he were mollyfyed by the merits and callynges upon of other / & that coude not be had without money.

5 Power hath the lord over plages / to hold them or remove them. By his ryghtfull judgment / at his only pleasure he hardeneth. As the potter / may he breke them / or make them vessels of dyshonour.

6 In no wise ded this perverted multitude repent their wicked blasphemies to give him glory / for all their confessions / Mass hearynges / pylgrymages and satisfaccyons without number. For they were not according to his prescripcyon.

7 After non other sort will he be pleased and glorified / than he hath by his scriptures appointed. Nothynge less are their fantasyes than true repentance.

The Paraphrase.

1 In order succedeth by the dyuyne ordinance the fi • t Angel under the fifth seal opening / pourynge out his vial of God's indignacyon upon the seat of the Beast. After non other sort than the lord had afore predyffyned for man's vnfaythfulnesse sake / was the proud beastly kyngodome of the Papacy / and the execrable regne of Mahomete replenyshed with all filthy abhomynacyōs under the sun. For in the other age afore they ded but crepe into the hearts of menne through the glytterynges of hypocrisy and dissimulate sanctyte.

2 But here have they obtained the power / seat / and authority of the Beast / and so gotten unto them the mighty Monarchyes of the universal world. Here regned they without check in all vain glory / hawtynesse / malice / pride / murder Hipocresye / superstycyon / Idolatry / and blasphemy of God's name.

3 And therefore their kyngedomes as all one in deuylllyshenesse / became all dark / without the light of God's verity / full of the stynkinge smoke of the bottomless pytte. Than went the locusts abroad / and filled the world with ygnoraunce and blindness.

4 Euerye where gnewe they their tōges for very sorrow. In detractynge the verity / moche grefe they suffered in their desperate hearts their worms not dyenge / nor their fire quenched / the scorpyons of the earth stynginge them also.

5 Spyghtfullye they blasphemed the omnipotent lord of heaven for very anguish and dolour of their sores and wounds. For non other are the fruits of a desperate conscience than blasphemies of God / as in Cain / Judas / and such other like. Non other are the vtteraunces of an vnpenyten • heart / but heavy hateful mormurynges.

6 And therefore yt followeth / that they repented them not of their deeds. For in a crucyate or fearfullye vexed conscience can never dwell true repentance. So vnquietouse always ys the foolish desperate mind / as is the troubled raging see. A wicked heart is ladē with sorrows heapynge sin upon sin / the Synagogue of proud Hipocrytes having no health. In the fifth Seal opening & Trompet blowynge / is more of this misterye declared / which agreeth moche with this vial of God / like as doth the other with the other in their nombres though not in their figurs.

The Paraphrase.

1 In course now followeth the sixth angel of God's appointment / under the • ixt seal opening / shedinge out his Irefull vial upon the great river Euphra • es a flood of the Assyrianes or of Babylon / betokeninge in mystery the plesa • nt possessions and wauerynge delyghtes of the Papysticall clergy with such like.

• Into all filthy despres of carnal and worldly lusts gave the lord their har • s over in the sixth age of the christē chur • he for their vnbeleues sake / to do though • e things which are vncomlye and be • stlye. So that all their stodye / travail / • nd labor / sought to non other ende / • ut only to habunde in them. Wholly • • ere they given thereunto / and nothyn •• to the glory of God in all their practysed obseruacions.

3 Yet were the waters thereof in process of time dried up. Their welthye pon • pes / possessions / and pleasures (their fa •• se feats ones known) are and shall • be clearly taken away from them. For after Jesus Sirach / the plant of sin • shall be roted out in the proud Sinagoge of the wicked.

4 And all this shall be to prepare the way of the kings / from the spring of the sun. Never shall the governors walk in the ways of the lord / nor rewle according to Christ's doctrine nor yet that doctrine be apert and open till the waters be dried up / not one dro •• pe remayninge. So longe as the Pre •• stes dwell in wanton delights and va •• ne pleasures / either are the princes chyl • dyshe or else tyrannouse / according a • their needs requireth.

5 Never are they kings from the spri •• ge of the Sun / or according to Chri • stes rewle / seeking God's honor wit • David and Josiah. In England by th • Gospel preaching have many of th • se waters been dried up in the suppres • sion of monasteryes / prioryes / couen • tes / and fryres houses / yet are not a •• things brought unto Christ's cler • institucyon. A sincere Chrysten orde • cannot yet be seen there. And a grea • cause why. For all is not yet dried up there. The Bishops regne still in as moche vain glorious pomp / and with as many heythnyshe obseruacions as ever they ded. As cruelly hearted and as bloody minded are they yet as ever they were afore / no myschef unsought to hold in the waters. Mark how Wynchester / Durham / York / London / and Lyncolne worketh / with such other plesauntlye dysposed Euphratynes. But be of good confort and pray in the mean time. For the holy Ghost promyseth here they shall wydder away / with all that the heavenly father hath not planted. All that generation will the lords breath • consume. Now is the axe laid to the root of the tree / to hewe down the unfruitful branches / the wyddred reserved to unquenchable fire. God grant the princes at that day more christenlye to bestow the waters of Euphrates than they have yet been bestowed / no prouysyon made for the poor / nor yet order set for the Gospel preaching. For great part of it is now turned to the vpholdynge of dyse playnge / maskynge / and banketynge / yea • I would I coude not by just ocrasyons speak it brybynge / whorynge / and swearing / the towns / peples / and howseholdes miserablye decayed / which will not one day / be vnplaged / unless they repent.

6 Fardermore I saw (saith Saint Johan) in the same self visyon / three unclean spirits / one coming out of the dra • ons mouthe which signifieth Satan the devil / another out of the Beasts mouthe betokeninge the universal Antichrist / and the third out of the false prophets mouthe compared afore to the two horned Beast. And all they seemed in manner as frogs / both in their colors and facyons.

7 Idolatry was that ill spirit which first went out from the Serpent / & hath cōtynued ever sense in the world under the color of good works / as pilgrimage / deuocyon / and labor.

8 Erroure in abhominable filthiness was the spirit which came from the beastly Antichrist defilynge the whole christianite with innumerable superstitions under the color of chaste living / in priesthood / sacrifices / and ceremonies.

9 Hypocrisye was the fowl spirit which yssewed fromthe false preachers / poysoninge the catholic faith with false doctrine under the color of religion / pretendinge abstinence / prayer / and clennesse. These .iii. wicked spirits are not all unlike to the wild fire / smoke / and brimstone / which the terrible ferce horses euometed in the .ix. chapter of this present prophecy▪ For cursed / false / and impure they are. Their doctrine is wickedness / lies / and deuylishnesse / and the execrable wisdom of the flesh. In manner of frogs are they here described for their dyuersite of colors in ceremonies / doctrynes / and sects / for their filthy dwelling in the dirty tradycions of men / and for crookelynge of their unknown psalmodye and service / dysquietynge with their idle customs the consciences of the simple multitude.

10 These are the very spirits of devils / the ympes of Satan working such signs and miracles as would deceive the very chosen persons and bring them into error if it were so possible. But the lord evermore defendeth his.

11 A strong power have they by the working of Satan to show lying wonders and deceyuable signs among them that shall perish for detestynge the truth.

10 These shall by the permissiō of God be suffered to go at large / they shall strongelye delude the kings of the earth / and blind the governors of the vny • ersall world / making them drunken with the cup of all abhomynacyons.

13 And all this shall they do to gather them together by their wicked counsels / and to bring them into one cruel consent of battaylynge against Christ and his members / to receive the penalte thereof in the great day of the lord almighty.

14 Most busylye they gather them to battle / whan they move them to persecute the just believers with full ungodly acts / as now most of all in owrage / which God hath promised in short space to revenge. Of this will more be spoken in the .xix. chapter following. Least any man knowing the truth should tangle his own conscience with their spiritual sorceryes for fear of princes laws / under the vain hope of repentance in the ende of their lives / yt followeth in plain sentence.

15 Behold (saith the lord Jesus Christ) or ernestlye take hede unto it / for I come daungerouslye vnloked for / as commonly doth the thief / to thy hyndraunce if thu watch not in faith / but live in superstycyon. Though this / not without reasonable cause may be taken in a geueralte for the last judgment day / yet is it here spoken partycularlye of every man's departynge. As a premonyshment / he giveth this here of love / least any man should perish without warning.

16 Blessed is he (saith that Lord) which watcheth in the true christen believe / and liveth not in the vain but in the sure hope of life / sealed with the just promises of God. For all that he • oth shall prosper / and turn him to great advantage in the conclusyon.

17 Happye is he also that holdeth fast unto him his garments / or works of God's prescripcion (which are the fruits of the spirit) or that hath done on the Lord Jesus Christ / gyrdynge him sure unto himself by faith.

18 Least he be fownde a naked hypocrite without faith / verity / justice / charyte / with such like / or least the ryghtouse number at the latter day se his filthiness uncovered / and rejoice at his condempnacion.

19 He ys blessed which at that day shall be covered with the whight garment of the lamb / not having his sins imputed unto him.

20 To show the certente of the aforesaid battle / Saint Johan saith tha • the devil gathered together those wicked newlers into a certain place called in the Hebr •• • onge Armagedon. The unclean spirits that afore are named three of • heir diverse working in the Dragon / Beast / & false prophe • e are here brought into one / as all of one lying spirit whō Christ calleth the father devil. This one lying spirit which hath been a murderer from the beginning / comprehendynge in him all unclean spirits / like as doth the Beast all Antichrists / hath cōbyned together into • n exe • rabble zeal of fatherlye tradicyons / all vain glorious and ungodly minded governors against God and his Christ. And this hath not been without the secrete permission of God / willynge to prove his electes by strong sufferynges / that they might receive at his hand the reward of strong victory / or of his habundaunt riches.

21 This place here called in the Hebrew Armagedon betokeneth in misterye an hill of dylectable fruits / interpreted of some for the hill of the Gospel / and is commonly taken of the Hebrews for that is sweet or of value. And this without fail is the church / which oft times in the scriptures ys called the plentuouse hill of God / the hill of God's house / the hill of myrhe / the hill of oly • es / the hill of Zion / Carmelus / and • thanus with such other like. In this mount evermore are they bent to battle. There slee they the innocent lambes of Christ. All their power / malice / and tyranny / is there extremelie uttered at the Antichrists labor and desire / which are excedynglye drunken in the blood of holy martyrs / which hath been shed upon earth from ryghtouse Abel unto this day. But whan the almighty setteth kings vpō the earth / it shall be clear even in the darkness / that the hill of Basan is God's hill.

The Paraphrase.

1 Finallye the seventh Angel went forth under the seventh seal opening as God had eternally determined / throwynge out the content of his vial into the air. For the seventh age of the christen church by the very set purpose of God / are many converted to the truth / and become with Paul the vessels of eleccion / that afore were with Judas the vessels of wrath under the great adversary of God. Neither is it any blemishe unto them to be called here that they were afore / vyals of wrath / considering that Simon leprosus / being ones healed of his leprosye was ever after called a leper. In case like / Paul after his conuersyon was not ashamed to report him self both a Pharyse and also the son of a Pharyse.

2 These / by the mighty determynacion of God's strong judgment / are sent into the air. Most effectuallye are they lyghtened with the spirit of God / and provoked stiflye to stand up against the aerial powers regnynge in the fyckle fantastical Antychrystes and hypocrites / condēpninge by God's word their universal doctrines and deuyllyshnesse. These powers are no less than devils / whō Christ calleth fowls of the air / Peter ā Iohā man's adversaries / & saint Paul the governors of the es • darkenesses in spyrytuall wickedness.

3 Whils these things are in doing / out of heaven which is the universal congregation / yea from the very trone of God which is the elect faithful number (for they are only the seat of God) came a voice of reioysinge / saying after this sort.

4 It is done. All things are fynyshed. Christ's glory ones manyfestlye known / • ke world is at an ende.

The wicked hath done all their myscheffes / and the number of our bretheren is fulfilled. Thus shall they preach a full deliverance of the captyues / and the peceable year of the lord. Thys ys the silence of an half hour space mencyoned afore in the .viii. chapter / and the return of this world unto Christ in the .xii. Chapter. Not that there shall in those days be no enemies (for the remnaunt shall still remain) but that they shall not then openly dare rage / persecute / and kill / the world being at so the a universal quiet.

5 Yet shall there happen in those days voices / thonderynges / and lyghtenynges. Voyces of sweet blessings and dylectable promises to the faithful congregation. Thonderynges of terror to the unfaithful multitude / commaundynge things contrary to the flesh. And fearful lyghtenynges of condempnacyon to the reprobate hypocrites and desperate obstinates.

9 And all from one word of the lord or one Gospel preaching in diverse respects / no small earthquake following upon the same. What commocyons / heuye complaints / fearful tremblynges / sorrows / cries / grefes / syghynges / waylynges / grudgynges / gruntynges / gronynges / wepynges / and hands wryngynge will be among the earthly minded Antichrists and hypocrites / bishops / priests / prelates / holy water mongers / and parryshe clerks / lawyers / whores / carvers / paynters / and wax sellers / whan their who • ishe church shall be turned over by the judgment of the said word / yt is easy to conjecture.

7 Soche a one will this earthquake be (saith the text) so mighty and so strong / as never was yet sense men war upon the earth / or sense that earthly generation first began. Than shall be clean taken away the carnal church of Antychryst or the smered Sinagoge of sha • elynges. Neither shall the Pope with his dysgysed rabble any more be seen here / nor yet Mah • mete with his monstruouse muster.

8 In such wise shall their laws / secdes / and ceremonies be destroyed in those days / that no man shall be fownde so bold as ones to allow one of thē openly. Than shall the glory of Christ's name shine the world over / he making of his enemies / his f • te stole.

9 More over in this terrible earthquake the great spyrytuall city called Sodom and Egypt / or the holy whoryshe mother the church shall be disseuered into in partes / of the which .ii. shall still be wicked / the third converted unto godliness. Two partes shall be dispersed (saith Zacharye) the third shall remain to the lord. Of them which have and shall go out of mynsters and monasteryes / collegys and couentes / churches and cloisters / patryshes and nonneryes / one sort shall inwardlye be given to Antichrists superstycyousnesse and Hipocresye. An other sort upon diverse fleshelye consideracyons / shall faynedlye fall to the Gospel. The third sort only of love towards God and zeal of health in their neybers / shall unfeignedly cleave to the Scriptures. Thus shall the ungodly sort be coupled still with the Godlye in every lande and prouynce and be the moche greatter nonebre. Yet shall they for that time attempt nothing against them / the truth so strongelye regnynge. Never thelesse yet ys yt not to be thought that they shall than have nothing to suffer / considering that it is a kingdom of sufferance. Christ to head of that congregation suffered oned incommodyte or other always / so longe as he was here living. It shall therefore behoove thē / which are his mystical menbers / always to suffer. For the servant is no better than his lord / nor the soldier thā his head captain. And to make his good / the lord saith in Zacharye. The same third part will I lead through fire / and pourge yt as silver or gold in the furnace. Than shall every godly creature follow Christ in bearing his cross. They shall mortyfye their fleshly members / s •• ynge all fornicacyon / filthiness / Idolatre / covetousness / pride / anger / and malice. They shall help / suffer / and forbear one another / having pytefull compassion upon the weak / sick / and nedye. No dewtye besemynge a chrystyane shall they leave undone.

10 Therfor this great or general city thus divided / all other particular or nacyonall cytees must also fall. The blasphemous Pantheon of Rome ones peryshinge / all other churches of the unfaithful must needs follow sone after in their course. For the found acyon taken a way / the building cannot endure. So that from thens forth shall be no popish sects / no supersticiouse ceremonies / no heythnyshe obseruacions / nor open Idolatry in all the world. But whan the remnaunt of the wicked shall attempt a fresh to raise up again such abhomynacions / the lord shall so • enlye without warning fall upon them with his most fearful and terrible last judgment.

11 Great Babylon the aforesaid mother of all whoredom and filthiness / shall than come in remembrance before God. He shall than consider her abominable blasphemy / her pride / cruelty / murder / and sins without number / wayenge them in right balaunce according unto justice.

12 He shall also reward her to drink / the fierce cup of his wrath or wyne of his great indignacyon / which is the perpetual death of sowle. The very dregs of his Ire shall she taste / yea unspeakable sorrows and peynes without ende. For non other is it to come in remembrance before him at that day / but to be condemned / and receive ponnyshment according to her deeds.

13 Thā shall leuerye I will (which is a place of refuge within the see) flee away and not tarry. The mountains that are wont to give socour unto thē that be on the lande / shall not at that day be fownde. No confort shall she than have nor sure help any where.

14 No remedy will be at that day to flee from the fearful face of the judge. Than will neither merits nor ye • sowle Masses help / neither blessings nor knelynges / sacrifices nor sēsynges / wawlynges nor ryngynges / bussinges nor synginges / but will she nyll she / needs must she abide his heuye and terrible sentence.

15 And there fell great hail (saith the text) as yt had been wayghtye talentes. Always must yt be remembered that commonlye the time past ys used in this prophecy for the time to come / for the te • tente of the things here spoken. This hail ys non other than the heuye tempest or plage of the said fearful and terrible judgments of the lord / which shall on that woofull day fall suddenly • s a thycke hail vpō the miserable multitude of them that boasted themselves to be the holy church / and upon their wicked followers compared here unto Babylon.

16 This plage ys here also for non other cause lykened unto talentes / bu ••• r that yt ys in wayght and measure to be mynystred unto them by the preordynacyon of God. So moche pain and sorrow ys due unto that whoryshe generation / as she hath glorified herself in filthy delyghtes / and so many ponnyshmentes to be rewarded her. Yea / double must she have according to her works.

17 Out of heaven shall this vehement hail fall / from the fearful sentence of the lord Jesus Christ / which shall than sit as a judge in the middes of his faithful congregation / they sittynge with him as the body with the head in condempnacyon of the wicked.

18 And upon the men shall yt light. For the great whore or the city called here Babylon / is in this place to be takē for that yt comprehendeth / even for men / in whom also are included womē by the common usage of the Scriptures.

19 These men shall spyghtfullye blaspheme God because of the hail / plage / or terror of their torments. They shall cry out of him / wysshinge that he had no such pour so to torment them.

20 For the tempest ys great / and the su •• feraunce thereof exceeding painful. As the lord ys mighty / so are his judge • mentes whan they fall. Vehemēt / ferce and strong ys the lord (saith Isaiah) 〈◊〉 ys the tempest of hail breaking ou • 〈◊〉 every side / and bearinge down strōge holds.

The Paraphrase

1 After this came (saith Saint Johan) one of the .vii. Angels or vnuaryable decrees of the lords eternal judgments / which had the .vii. vyals of his wrath as afore hath been declared.

2 And this Angel or set purpose of God / as an heavenlye massenger talked with me in mystery.

3 Of favorable goodness in secrete manner he assertayned me therbye of this wonderful judgment here following / to be fulfilled at the latter ende of the world. And thus yt said unto me.

4. Come hither frynde Johan / I will show the in secretenesse the terrible judgment of the great whore or coūterfett church of Hipocrites / as God hath appointed yt. Nedes must this whore b • Rome / for that which ys here after spoken / that she ys the great city which re • neth over the kings of the earth. Euident yt is both by the scriptures and cronycles / that in Iohans days Rome had her domynyon over all the whole world. And being infected with the abhominacyons of all lands / ryghtlye ys she called Babylon or city of confusion / not only in this reuelacyon but a • so in the first Epistle of Peter. And like as in the scriptures oft times under the name of Jerusalem ys meant the whole kingdom of Judah / so under the name of Rome here may be understanded the universal world with all their abhominacyons and deuylyshenesses / their Idolatries / withchecraftes / sects / supe • stycyons / papacyes / presthodes relygyons / shauinges / anoyntings / blessings / sensings / processions / and the devil and all of such beggeries. For all peples sēs Christ's ascencyon hath this Rome infected with her pestylent poisons gathered from all Idolatrouse nacyons such time as she held over thē the monarchyall suppremyte. And like as Babylon had the Israelytes captive under a bodylye trybute / so hath this Rome had the Christians both in their bodies and souls. At the writynge of this Prophe • ye felt Johan of their cruelty being exyled into Patmos an I will of Lycya for the faithful testymonye of Jesus. And so ded I poor creature with my poor wife and children at the gathering of this. present Commentarye / fleynge into Germany for the same.

5 No marvel though she be here called a great whore. For nowhere were ever yet seen so many Idolle wurshyppynges so many vain obseruacyons so many superslycyouse sects / so many errors in Hipocresye / so many false Prophets / and so many prodygyouse kinds of filthiness / no / not in Sodom yt self nor yet in miserable Egypt.

6 This Babylonyshe whore or disgised Synagogue of shorelynges / sitteth upon many waters or peples that are fantastical / fyckle or foolish. For nō are in conscience subject unto her / that are constātlye grounded in the sure doctrine of faith. Onlye alloweth her traditions the wauerynge witted multitude / the slypper and vnstedefast nonebre / obeynge thē in their hearts of fear and not of love / so throwynge themselves into a most cōfuse Chaos or vawte, of doubtful do • rage.

7 With this stinking strompett have the mighty potentates of the universal earth / the Emprours / Kynges / Princes / and other notable governors committed most shameful whoredom in the spirit by many strange worship pynges / agreynge among themselves to her wickedly decreed laws and customs. To longe should we stand here in this place / if we should describe them all seuerallye in their colors at large as they be.

8 Through the crafty legardemayne of the Prestes on the one side / and the cruel constytucyōs of Princes on the other side / the dwellers of the earth or worldly minded multitude are drunken with the wyne of her fornycacyon spyrituall / or practysed worshypyynges besides the prescripte rewles of God's word. Not only they which have been covetous / carnal / lewd / and wretched hath followed their abhomynacyōs / but also an innumerable sort of the elect number hath believed their lies and errors. Yea / they have been so dased with their dottages / and so tangled with their customs / that as men losynge their wits without all godly remembrance / reason / wisdom / dyscressyon / understanding / judgment / and grace / the laws of God laid a part / the cōmaundemēts neglected and the scriptures despised / they have no • only kneled / crossed / kyssed / set up lyg • tes / and holden up their hands before rotten posts / but also called them thei • fathers in heavē. Yea (I axe God mercy • a thousand times) I have been one o • them myself. And this ys to this day • principal religyō of that whoryshe chu •• che / called deuowte pilgrymage or ho • lie stacyons of prayer / many great pa •• dons granted and many false promy • ses made to allure the people thereunto •

9 But blessed be the lord / whose woe •• de in this age both admonyshed many • as the Angel ded Johan / and brough • them also clean from her abhominacy • ons / into a secrete consideracyon of th • spirit / unknown to the world / there • both to se her pride and also to under • stand her judgment. For yt followeth i • the text / that the angel cōuayed Johan away into the wilderness in the spret ••

10 In mystery here the holy ghost d •• clared afore what the lord should work • in menne having his grace / at the latte • days of the world. Into the wylderne •• se flee they with David / which leauy •• ge the customed ways of men / afte • the course of the scriptures seek up thei • lord God in faith / worshyppinge him only in spirit and in verity.

The Paraphrase.

1 And I saw / saith Saint Johan / in mystery a woman (for an whore at the first blush seemeth only a woman) syetynge upon a rose coloured Beast. This Beast ys the great Antichrist that was spoken of afore / or the Beastlye body of the devil / comprehendynge in him Popes / Patriarchs / Cardynalles / legates / Bishops / Doctors / Abbottes / Pryors / Prystes and Pardoners / Mōkes / Canons / Fryres / Nuns / and so forth. Temporal governors also / as Emprours / Kynges / Princes / Dukes / erles / lords / iustyces / deputyes / judges / lawyers / mayers / balyues / constables / and so forth / leaving their own dewtyed offices as to mynyster ryghtlye / to serve their abhominacyons.

2 All rose coloured ys this Beast / in token of tyrannouse murder and blood shedynge over those that will not agree to their deuyllyshnesse.

3 Full of blasphemous names ys this Beast also / as your holiness / your grace / your lordeshyp / your fatherhode / your mastershyp / your reverence / honor / hyghnesse / worship / magnyficence / goodness / God's vycar / spiritual syr / ghostly father / phesycyan of souls / defender of faith / head of the holy church / and so forth / besides the names of their propyrtees / feats / and pagentes / as processyon / byshoppynge / anelynge / purgatory / pilgrimage / pardon / Mass / matins / evensonge / placebo / candelmasse day / palm sondaye / ashe wedynsdaye / holy rood day / Saint Thomas day / and so forth.

4 This Beast had .vii. heads and ten horns / sygnyfyenge his universal crafts and suggestyons to destroy the graces and gifts of the holy ghost / and also his falsely borrowed primacyes and tyrannouse auctorytees to withstand the commandments of God.

5 Upon this Beast sitteth a woman. For what else auaunceth or beareth out this malygnaunt muster▪ in their copes / crosses / oils / myters / robes / rellyckes / ceremonies / vygyls / holy days / blessings / sensynges / and folynges / but a wanton foolish and fantastycall religion / a vain glorious pomp / and a shynynge pretence of holiness in superstycyō calling yt their holy church? She ys said here to sit upon this bloody Beast / as to be stayed / quyeted / and satled by them. Mark what labors and peynes that crafty and wylye Winchester taketh with Bōner To • stall and other of his faccyon / as her own sworn • ouldy our to hold up this glorious whore in her old estate of • omyshe religyon. Oh / he grunteth and groueth / he sweteth and swelleth / he fretteth and belleth / he bloweth and panteth / he calke •• s and • anteth / he sturreth and never ceaseth / to bring his matters to pass.

6 In token that this hipocriticall church standeth in the murder of innocents / this woman ys here gorgyouslye appareled in purple / as gyltye of their deaths which hath been slain / and also in fresh scarlett as evermore fresh and rydye to continue in the same blood shedyng. For if such terrible slaughter were not / the true Christian faith should increase / to the great dymynyshment of her glory.

7 She ys in like case floryhshynglye decked with gold / precious stone / and pearls / not only in her manifold kinds of ornaments / as in her copes / corporasses / chesybles / tunicles / stools / fannoms and myters / but also in mystery of coūterfett godliness. Manye outward brags maketh this painted church of Christ / of his gospel / and of his Apostles / sygnyfyed by the gold / precious stone / and pearls / which ys but a glytterynge color. For nothing mindeth she less than to follow them in conuersacyon of living.

8 More over • n her hand which ys he exteryoure mynistracyon / she hath a golden cup / full of abhomynacyons and filthiness of her execrable whoredom. This cup ys the false religion that she daily mynistreth / besides the chalyce whom her merchantes most dampnablye abuseth. And yt containeth all doctrine of devils / all Beastlye errors and lies / all deceitful power / all glytterynge works of Hipocrites / all crafty wisdom of the flesh / and subtle practyses of man's wit / besides philosophye / logyck / rhetoryck / and sophystry. Yea / all prodygiouse kinds of Idolatry / fornicacyon / sodometrye / and wickedness. Outwardlye yt seemeth gold / pretendynge the glory of God / the holy name of Christ / the sacred scriptures of the Bible / perpetual virgynyte of life / and all are but counterfeit colors and shadows of Hipocresye in the outward letter and name.

9 Full of abhominacyons ys the drink of the execrable faith of that Romish relygiō received of other / and full of filthiness also. For both retayneth the people thereof innumerable kinds of Idol worshippings under the title of God's service / and also their shauelyn • ges of prodygyouse beastlynesse in lech •• rouse living under the color of cha •• tyte. Here were moche to be spoken o • Saint Germans evil / Saint Sythe key / Saint D • c • mbers ores / maste • Johan shornes bote / Saint Gertrude rattes / Saint Job for the poxe / Sayn • Fyacre for the ague / Saint Apolyne fo • tothe • ache / saint Gracyane for lost thrif • Saint walstone for good harvest / sayn • Cornelis for the fowl evil / and all o • there Saints else almost.

10 Of the buggerye boys also amon • ge prelates and priests / ghostly father and relygyouse / might moche be said h •• re / were yt not for infectynge mennes e •• es / ears & vnderstandynges. For all th • se noyfull nocumentes are the holy fr •• res of the whoredom of that holy • whoryshe church.

11 In the forehead of this glytteryng whore / which ys her outward show • ys written a name / expresselye decla • rynge what she ys. By her ungodly fr •• res ys she known to the elect seruan • tes of God / having the light of th • Scripture • ▪ In their consciences aperet • she non other than a postyferouse who • re / by the judgments of the same.

12 Averye mis ••• ye is this show to th • infydels / an hidden secrete / an vnkno • ne wonder. For they are so blinded with her foppryes and tangled with her toys / that they judge all that she doth / holy / relygyouse / and perfygh • . And all this suffereth God for their vnbeleues sake / destroyenge nevertheless the wisdom of the wise and prudence of the prudent in his.

13 Her very name agreynge to her fruits / ys this. Great Babylon / in myschete far above the city of the Cha • deanes / and moche more full of confusyon. For she ys the oryginall mother / the cause / the beginning / the rote / the spring / and the fountain of all spiritual fornyca • yōs / and in a manner of all fleshly abhominacyons also done upon the earth. Thys is to the faithful sort / as a written name of her / euydent / clear open and manifest. But to the unfaithful yt ys only as a mystery / hid̄ / dark / obscure / and neglect. For so are the secretes that God openeth to babes / and hydeth from the wise.

14 And I (saith Saint Johan) perceived yt evidently in mi fore vnderstādinge / that this woman the very wise of the devil and of his beastly body (for the Bishops are the husbands of their Romish churches) was all drunken in the bloody slaughter of the Saints / or ernest Christ̄ believers / & in the excedinge tyrannouse murder of th • faithful witnesses of Jesus or sincere • preachers of his word. For neither o • both she spareth. Besydes all Godly • wisdom ys she / and forgetful of herself / through this same bloody drunk •• nesse / so great excess hath she taken.

15 And whan I perseyued and saw her with all her adders whelps so beas •• ty she (saith Saint Johan) with exceeding wonder I marueled. Not only tha • she was thus ouersett with blood drin • king or outragyouse murtherynge o • innocents / but also of her exceeding great abhomynacyons.

16 And most of all I wondered that the almighty God could with so moche pa • cyence suffer her in such mischief.

The Paraphrase.

1 And as I was thus with my sel • • aruelynge / the Angel or a fore named • ecre of the Lord said unto me these words.

• Wherfor dost thu thus marvel / thu mortal man?

For thy gentle and meek expectacy • n I shall show unto the / the misterye of this wretched woman / and of the cru • ll Beast that beareth her / which hath • ii. heads and .x. horns. By this shall • • hu know the true church from the • alse / the just preachers from the hypo • rites / the sincere doctrine from their subtle sophysmes / and their lawful an • • oryte from their cruelly usurped presumpcyons. For that showeth the lord unto his electes / that he will not have known of all men.

4 The execrable Beast or carnal kingdom of Antichrist which thu hast se a • ne here in misterye / was as concerning his beginning in Cain first of all / and so continued forth in the fleshly children of men / in the chaplaynes of Pharaoh / Hiero • oam / Baal / and Bel / in the cruel bishops / priests / and lawyers with such other like till the death of Christ and so forth.

5 And now the said Beast is not in power and auc • oryte as he hath been. For in Iohans time / certain years before the wrytinge of this reuelacyon / was the proud clergy of the Jews utterly destroyed by Titus and Despasiane / in the terrible syege of Jerusalem. Not with • standing / yet shall this beast rise again in the Romish pope and Mahomete / and in their false prelates & doctors.

6 He shall ascend out of the bottomless pytte from the stinkynge den of Satan / exaltynge himself in worship above all that is called God. But in the conclusion he shall have an ende.

7 Into perdicyon shall he go without fail. The Lord shall first utter his wickedness (as now in this age) and than with the spirit of his mouthe consume him and destroy him. So that his high clymynge up / shall at the last be the chief cause of his fall. Yet shall his wicked remnaunt ones again set up their crystes / and persecute a fresh / but that shall •• e no full raise unto him.

8 And the rabble of reprobates which dwell on the earth / or for earthly commodytees contempneth God's truth / shall wonder ones again not without moche inward rejoice / that their church riseth again out of the old hypocresyes.

9 Whose names are not regestred in Christ which is the large boke of life / and hath been both the life and the lyghe of men sense the first constitucyon of the movable world. No / they are not numbered among those ryghtouse that shall regne with him in glory.

10 These adversaries of God and his word shall have moche gladness in their wicked hearts / whan they behold the Beast thus coming up again that was of such magnificence and now is but a thing of nowght / that was esteemed above God / and now is proved dampnacyon. So longe is this beastly Antychryst / as he worketh the mystery of iniquity in the reprob • te vessel • / and whan he leueth that working than is he no longer. Mark in this process past the nature of God's eternal decree for this age of his church. First it showeth and than it condempneth the cursed Sinagoge of the devil. In significaciō whereof the true preachers of our time hath many festly opened her wickedness unto all the world / whereupon her utter destruccyon must shortly follow. Watche good Christian reader / and pray ernestlye.

The Paraphrase.

1 Here is a meaning which comprehendeth wisdom. A sincere vnderstaudynge shall herein be requisyte. Necessarye it is therefore to take hede / least thu hold the harlot and Beast for that they boast them selves to be / to thy dampnacyon.

2 The .vii. heads of the Beast aforemencyoned / by the plain diffinicyon of the holy ghost are here to be taken for vii. mountains / or the universal princelye monarchies of the .vii. clymates of the world.

3 Upon these the woman / that Babylonyshe harlot Rome (from whom hath yssewed all spiritual whoredom) in most proud manner sitteth / having over them a universal dominyon. For in Iohans time / to Rome was all the world subject. Under whose cruel regne was Christ done to death / so hath his faithful members been ener sense by a new raise • kingdom in the same.

4 These heads are also .vii. kings or goueunours of the aforesaid monorchyes seduced by all kinds of crafty errors and deuylyshe suggestyons of that Beast. So that y • y • mark well this place / the head with the tail and the cause with his effect / in these present significacyons shall no preiudyce be found to that hath been said in the other / though they seme very diverse. For both the governors and also the lands / or the peples subject unto them have vniuersallye been blinded by their wylye toytchecraftes. And so have the worldly porentates with the spyrytuall Antychrystes agreed / that both they have usurped one malygnaūt medlynge over the souls of men to corrupt their faith / the princes applyenge their powers unto the same. And that causeth the holy Ghost here to call them the beasts heads under the title of mountains and kings. For under their princelye auctoritees hath all their myschefes been fulfilled to uphold this whore against Christ and his word.

5 Fyue of these heads are fallen from the universal monarchye of Rome. All the dominyons of Africa and Asia hath renounced the obedience of her empyre. Onlye cleaveth Europa unto her / which is the least of the three / and yet not all thereof. Whan the Papacy grew / the whole empyre of the Greeks called Constantynople / fell clean from the la • nes / and became with other diverse monarchyes / the possession of Mahometes sect / or of the Agarenes and Turks. Of the other empyres may a like conjecture be had. Thus have they declyned from her / not so going forth nor yet rysynge up unto Christ / for only is it said here / that they were fallen.

6 And one head is (saith the text) at this present time remaynynge / the other head is not come as yet / but will come her after. This head remayninge is the sixth / and it is that feeble empyre that Rome now holdeth / and have holden sense Iohans time. The power of this empyre is ruynouslye demynyshed / and the notable fame thereof decayed betwixt the Popyshe prelates and the French men / a great part of the lands becommynge Saint Peters patrimonye. To make it a fytte head of the Beast to the vpholdynge of this whorishe church (the authority thereof maynteyninge her laws) Gregory the fifth Pope committed the emprours chosynge unto .vi. princes of Germany .iii. of them being Archebyshoppes. He appointed also the king of Bohem for the seventh / than being trybutarye unto him and his own feed man as an odd persons to way upon their sydes / if need / place / and time should require yt. Prouyded always that he should take his oath and receive his crown imperyall at Rome. So that now though it still be the same in title that it was in Iohans days / yet is it so diverse from it through dimynishment of power / and so unlike in outward magnifycence / as it never had been the same.

7 The seventh head that is not yet come / is the Papysticall kingdom of our Romish spiritualte. For thereof apered nothing in Iohans time / nor yet more than .v. hondreth years after it. The Bishops of Rome (as they call them) from Peter to Sylvester / were very poor souls / simple creatures / and men not regarded but despised of the world. They were no new law makers for the more part / but rather they gave their whole dilygence to se those laws observed / whom the holy ghost had made to their hands. Neither were they any Mass sayers / sowle syngers / or procession goers / but as was Saint Paul with the other Apostles / simple preachers only / and for their sincere preaching / they suffered the death of their bodies. But after the Donacyon of Cōstantyne and other plentuouse almesses committed unto their hands for the socoure of the poor / they became all confessors / and toke them to their ease at home. Than was labor very tedyouse unto them / preaching very troblouse and peynefull. Than stodyed they all to please the powers / peceablye to hold still their pleasant possessions / and by spyrituall polycyes to increase them more and more / the poor in a manner forgottē. Then came in that holy ceremonye and that / with latten hours / serving of Saints / and prayenge for the dead / to provoke men to offer to Corban. Thus crept they up in hypocrisye day by day / till such time as Johan of Constantinople contended with Gregory of Rome for the supremyte. In the which contencion though Gregory laid for himself Saint Peters keys with many other sore arguments and reasons / yet was he commanded by Mauricius the Emperor after the general Synod / to obey the said Johan / as the universal head bishop of the whole world. Than were these holy fathers compelled to tarrye a layser / and under crafty colors to wait their pray. In process of time whan Phocas was Emprour / Boniface the third a man of a wylye practice / perceyuynge him moche given to bane glory and covetousness / greatly also to dissalowe the acts of Mauricius his predecessor / through flatterye and mede obtained of him that the church of Rome should be holden from thens forth for the head church of the world / and he for the head bishop. Whā this was ones gotten / than rose they up so high / that the Emprour became their fore stole / and all other chrysten princes their waytynge • laues / to ride and run / make and mar / strive and fight / slee and kill / at their commandment and pleasure. Thus became the Romish Pope the seventh king / that was in Iohans time yet to come. If thu mark in the crouycles good reader / thu shalt find that Phocas the first Pope maker slew his master the Emprour Mauricius / signifyenge in my sterye the said Pope making to be an utter destruccyon to the empyre. The Popes name was also at that time Boniface / which is as moche to say as bona facies / a good face. Which betokened that this new raised kingdom should show a fair face evermore / or a shynynge pretence of holiness / what myschef so ever it wrought either against God or man in abhominable supersticyon.

8 And whan this seventh king cometh (saith the text) he must continue a space / or abide a little season. He must have a time by the permyssion of God / strongelye to delude the unbelievers / which will neither se nor hear / read nor yet thankefullye receive his word of salvation / so gratyouslye offered them. So corrupt are the fleshelye affects of men / that moche more prone they are to lies and supersticyons / than to the verity of the lord / which is to be lamented. Christ came first in the name of his heavenly father / but him will they not receive. The Pope cometh in his own wicked name / and to him run they by heaps. Whose contynuaunce here hath been but a time. For yet is it not a thowsande years sense the Papacy first began under Phocas / which is but as a day before God / and that day will he shorten by his own promise for his electes sake / which to remember is their great comfort. And a great cause why. For sone after that shall they be fully restored in to the perfect number of the children of God.

9 And the execrable beast (saith the text) that of late days was in authority over all the world / yea / syttinge above God in the conscyences of men / and now is become of no reputacyon among men (God opening his myscheffes) is even the eyght in nonebre. And yet never the less is one of the .vii. heads. For both is he the beastly body itself comprehendynge in him the universal abhominacyons of all the earthly kyngedomes / and in that point diverse from the seven heads / and so the .viii. in number.

10 And also he is one of the .vii. heads and the seventh in number / in vsurpynge this proud worldly kingdom thus after a vain temporal sort. Ouer & besides all this / may he also be called the eyght in the cursed remnaunt which after the peceable silence of christen liberty (Satan loosoned) shall most cruelly persecute Christ's congregation a fresh / as in the .xx. chapter here following will appear.

11 This Beast with his carryage / the Antichrist with his church / or Satan with his Sinagoge / shall not only go in to destruccyon here by the mighty breathe of God's mouthe / or the true preaching of his Gospel / but also into dampnacyon everlasting in the ende of the world with the devil & his angels.

The Paraphrase.

1 And the .x. horns) saith the Angel unto Johan) which thu sawest here upon the heads of this rose coloured Beast / are in significacyon .x. kings. Some hath taken these .x. kings for all those Emprours of the larynes sense Charle main / which have sworn them selves obedyent to the Bishop of Rome. Some have thought them to be those princes which here in Europa have afore time been subject to the Empire of Rome. As the kings of England / France / Spain / Portyugale / Castele / Denmark / Scotland / Dngarye / Goheme / and Napels. But these considre not that they be yet more in number / as Aragone / Nauerre / Cycyle / Cypress / Sardyne / Swethen / Pole / and such other / and are all included in the seven heads as members of the afore rehearsed empyres. Neither mark they that they are above the heads as horns / and more in number than the heads / betokenynge a rygorouse authority and ferce power / which they proudelye usurp over them everywhere. Afore they were but suggestyons / but here are they ernest doers. For in every region hath the beastly Antichrist of Rome his Metropolytanes and primates. As in England are Caunterberye and York / in France / Thuronensis and Remensis / in Spain Tholetanus and Te • raconēsis / in Portingale Hispalensis and Bracarensis / in Ireland Armachanus and Dublimensis / in Dennemarke Lundensis and Opsalensis / in Germany Colon • ensis and Maguntinus / in Hungarye Serigon • ensis and Colocensis / in Italy Pisanus and Rauennas / in Sycyle Panormitanus and Messanensis / with an infynite number of bishops / prelates / priests / and religious / besides the fyghtynge orders of the Rhodes / the Prussyanes / the Redemers of captyues / the Aragondes / the Beorgyanes called de alga / the Monteseanes / the Castylyanes / the Lusitaneanes / the Calatraneanes / and Saint James warryours.

2 These had not yet at that time received the deuylyshe kingdom of pestilent vsurpacyon over the souls of men. For though in Iohans days arose certain Antichrists / as Hebion / Cerinthus / Diotrephes / Carpocras / and so the like / yet were they nothing to these.

3 But now in deed they have received the same self authority and power with the Beast / that he toke afore of the Dragon / in manner of kings to rewle in the hearts and consciences of men to his behoove.

4 For so moche as their authority is not of God like as is the authority of kings / it is said here as kings / or as men counterfeatynge them / in vsurpynge a governance not freely given them of God / but of the devil.

5 All at one hour received they this authority with the Beast. And that (I suppose) was in the general counsel of Lateran at Rome / gathered under the title to recover Jerusalem again. Whereas confession in the ear was cruelly extorted of Christian people under pain of death and damnation by the whole consent both of the princes / and bishops / at the former suggestiō of innocent the third / besides other wicked things. As to hear lattyn service / to go procession on Sondayes / to pray unto dead Saints / to worship Images / to bye Masses for the dead / to fast the fridayes / with purgatory / pardons / merits / and fryres orders. In the said counsel became the Metropolytanes as kings / 〈◊〉 by the authority thereof appointed they that 〈◊〉 . Balyues / and other 〈◊〉 / as bishops Curates / and Pari •• he Prestes to have cure and charge of so idle / and in the said ear confession to receive their accounts.

6 These counterfett kings are all of one deuyllishe mind / practice / and purpose against God and his▪ verity.

7 And fully they are fixed to give their whole power / their stodye / and their strēgthe unto the behoove of the Beast▪ Not according to God's mind will they rewle / but all after his will & pleasure / agreynge always unto him as menbers to their head / to serve wickedness after wickedness in Babilō. His popisshe decrees will they seek / his deuylishe decretals will they follow / his ceremonials will they observe / & nothing of the sacred scriptures. What learning so ever they have / what gifts of nature / fortune / or grace / all must be to the maintenance of his fantastycall fopperyes. To him are they sworn to do him homage / to obey his laws / to kiss his fete / & for his glories sake to persceut • the Gospel.

10 And in so doing they shall fygh • with the lamb / which ys Jesus Christ. They shall impugn his truth whan they think to do him service. For that myschese they do to one of his / they do to his own person.

9 But be they never so dogged / yet shall the lamb overcome them in his faithful members / yea / by pacyent sufferance only. The vyctorye (saith Sayn • Johan) which overcometh the world / is a sure Christian faith. Upon their side fyghteth he which ys most mighty and strong / yea the lord that ys valeaune in battle. And he shall first overcome them in this life with the mighty breathe of his mouthe / scatterynge them away as dust from the earth. And after this shall his terrible judgment forever condemn them.

10 For he ys by the authority given him of his father / the lord of all lords and by his own eternal Godhede the Kynge of all kings / having all power in heaven and in earth. He ys constyt •• te judge of the quycke and the dead / having alone the everlasting Empire with his father and the holy ghost / and of his kingdom shall never be an ende▪

11 By his permyssion doth all kings regne / he hath their hearts in his hand and judgeth their thoughts. Both may he give them his spirit / and also take yt frō them / and of his enemies he shall make his forestole. He ys the same sto • ne after Danyell that without any ha •• des was cut out of the mount / which breaketh the Irō / the copper / the earth / the silver / and the gold in pieces. By whom are meant the universal kyngedomes of this world.

12 Of this his vyctorye are all they pa •• tyners with him / which are upon his sy • de by faith. Most specyallye those true • servants of his / which after they ar • called by grace and chosen by faith / persevere still constant / fervent / faith • full / and sure in his verity to the latte • ende of their lives.

13 Not only the lamb therefore shall o • uercome the Beast / but they also afte • the doctrine of Paul that are called and chosen in him / not fallynge from his tr •• che for any temptacyō or grefe / but stā • dinge fast by yt unto the very death. For those that the lord hath prefixed afore / he hath called / justified / and allowed. These auaunceth not themselves with the proud / but mekelye they submit their crowns / referrynge all vyctorye to the lamb / as men that could have done nothing in that behalf without him.

The Paraphrase.

1 And after this longe communicacyō (saith saint Johan) the aforeseyd Angel said thus unto me / to make up his tale with.

2 The wauerynge waters which thu sawest here now of late in mystery / where as the Babylonyshe whore sitteth upon the rose coloured Beast / are in sygnyficacyon all manner of peples of the carnal nacyons / and the superstycyouse folk of many sondrye tongues.

3 Not only in one place of the world rewleth this wanton religion of Antichrist / but in every lande / in every dominion / in every cumpanye / among all occupacyons and languages. The foolish multitude everywhere / being blinded by their subtle sorceryes / & neither having faith nor yet the fear of God before their eyes / as a raging flood (the banks broken down) • o •• eth headlynges into all blasphemy and deuyllyshnesse.

4 More over the afore named .x. horns (saith the Angel) which thu by the will of God beholdest here in spirit / upon the said Beast of destruccyon / are those very persons which also shall hate the whore. Her abhominacyons ones known by the Gospel preaching / they shall abhor her laws / despise her authority / and contempne her customs. They shall defeat her of those lands and possessyons which now she unjustly ho • death.

5 They that afore were her friends shall than be her mortal enemies / denyenge her both tribute / obedience / and service / so leaving her without all co • fort. Not only are these the temporal governors / as the king of England / the king of Denmark / the Duke of saron / the Landgraue of hesse / and other Princes of Germany / with such other as will here after follow the same pryncyples / but also the Metropolytanes and Bishops / the Doctors and Prelates. As are all redye Thomas Crāmere the arche Bishop of Caūterburye / Hermannus de weda the archebyshopp of Coleyne / Godryck the Bishop of Holye / Barlowe the Bishop of Saint David's / Byrde the Bishop of Chestre / Thu •• leby bishop of Westmynstre / 〈◊〉 tymer and Nicolas Sharton of late years Bishops of Worcester and Salysburye / with such other like as will here after follow their trade. Though they were afore the horns of the Beast for defense of the whore / yet are they now fallen from him / and more shall every day to make her desolate of honor and naked of rentes and possessions.

6 So shall they chace that Babylonyshe harlot Rome with their preachers / that neither shall they leave her color nor yet bewtye. Considre what Iohā Reuclin / Martyne Luther / Erasmus / Occolampadius / • winglius / Pomeran / Buter / Capito / Melanchthon / Grineus / Calninus / Brencyus / Frances Lābert / Bullinger / and such other hath done against her alredye. Lyke wise here in England / Bylneye / Cyndale / Frith / Barns / Cromwell / Coverdale / Turner / George Ioye / Rose / Rydleye / Warde / Becō / and other else / leaving her neither Rellyques nor Rodes / Sectes nor Shrynes / Abbeys nor Pryoryes / many more coming after them of the same sort. These shall make her so desolate that no manne shall in process of time regard her. They shall leave her so naked / that all the world shall abhor her that shall lo •• upon her. Yea / in the conclusyon they 〈…〉 her flesh.

7 Besydes the taking away of her carnal profyghtes and pleasures / they shall confound her fl • shelye understanding of the scriptures / and utterly consume the superfluouse obseruacyons of her whoryshe c • remonyes.

8 Finallye with fire shall they burn her / in brynginge unto naught all her abhominable rewles / customs / & kinds of Idolatry. All these ones plucked away by the euydent word of God / no longer shall this harlot appear. For no lōgar contynueth the whore / than the who redome ys in price. Take away the rites and Ceremonies / the Jewels and ornaments / the Images and lyghtes / the lordeshyppes and fatherhodes / the altars and Masses / with the Bishops and Prestes / and what is their holy whor • she church anymore? Not only is this flesh eating and burning declared nowadays in outward experymentes / as in the rebellyouse Monks and Prestes of England / and in thē that arose there in the Northe / specyallye in friar forest and Margare •• Chenye / which were for their church consumed / like as were Baals chaplaynes at the broke of Cyson by Helyas / but also misticallye in that is spokē of here afore.

9 For God hath (saith the Angel) all blindness secluded / put it into the hearts of those and such other Godlye men by the infusyon of his spirit / to fulfill his decreed will so pleasure in this behalf / as utterly to destroy the Popyshe religion or filthy abhominacyons of Antichrist.

10 He hath given yt them more over to do these things to his glory / through the agrement of faith that they have in the vnyte of his Godlye truth / to the abolyshment of all Sectes / false Prophets / and conjurers of Egypt.

11 Fynallye by his grace he hath moved them / through knowledge of his word to render up her blasphemous kingdom (whom sometime of ignorance they usurped) unto the malygnaunt Beast again / as the horns of his pestylēt heads. After this sort ded good Latimer and Shaxton give over their Bishop-ryckes / and so hath diverse other Godlye men their promocyons and livings / as many more yet here after will do.

12 For as they have begun so shall they continue in demynyshynge the abhomynacyōs of this whoryshe church / till the words and promises of God by his Apostles and Prophets / which can never fail / be whollye fulfilled in effect / and till his last judgment do fynyshe all. But thus do not all they which have done of the yoke of the Popes obedience or blotted out his name. For the greatter number of them retayneth still the blasphemous obseruacyons and Ceremonies of his Romish religion / some making new laws of death for the establyshment of the same / as ys in England the act of the .vi. Artycles with diverse other more. And for this remaineth here still the Beast as receiving the rendered kingdom of the whore. In whom ys also comprehended the wicked rēnaunt that shall work the last mischief / whom the lord shall ende with his said judgment. This Beast ys not without his lyuelye Image still working the same feats that himself wrought afore / though his head be greuouslye wounded in diverse quarters of the world. Neither ys he without crafty. Phesycyanes / to mynystre life to the same. Who ever forswore the Pope more ernestlye / thā ded Stokyslaye and Sampson / Gardyne • and Tunstall / wylson and friar wattes / with such other holy prelates? Yet labor they tothe and nail to have Babylon still Babylon / Sodom Sodom / & Egypt Egypt. But marvel not of the ordynaūce of the lord / which all at one time provided Moses to gyde his people and yet hardened Pharaoh against them which sent his son Jesus Christ to save them / and yet suffered the Prestes to murder him / cōsideringe he ys that potter which maketh both the vessels of honor and dishonoure.

13 Breuelye to conclude the whole of this matter (saith the Angel) the gorgyouse aparcled womā / or glytteringe church of antichrist / which thu sawest here of late in misterye / ys also in resemblance the great city Babylon / the mother of all the spiritual abhominacyons and Idolatryes done upon the earth. For like as from Zion hath the law commē forth and the word of God from Jerusalem / so hath yssewed forth from this Babylonyshe Rome such a false Relygyon into Emprours / princes / and peples / as with fylthyr superstycyons hath poisoned all the world.

14 For a kyngedom she hath over the kings or noble governors of the earth / a false power / a usurped authority / and a seat of very pestylence. Alas for pytye that so worthy potentates should be in subieccyon to so slynkynge an whore / to so vile an harlott / being so the servants of sin and captive slaves to all wickedness / from the which the lord ones deliver them. Amen.