Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

How the

pope divideth the

poor peo ples alms.

Monks.

Monks

made ministers to the poor.

Monks rob

the poor.

poor, which thou shalt read in stories that it was in some cities above twenty, thirty, and forty, yea, an hundred thousand pound, and all the lands given for the same purpose, they have stolen from them, and have divided it among themselves. And therewith did they at the beginning corrupt the great men of the world, and climb up to this height where they now be. And for that they have striven among themselves this eight hundred years. And to maintain that which they have falsely gotten, hath the pope stirred up by a sword of war in all Christendom this eight hundred year, and hath taken peace clean out of the world.

When the bishops, priests, and deacons were fallen, and had received of the pope the kingdom that pertained unto the poor people, and had robbed them and parted their patrimony among themselves, then sprang the orders of monks. Whose profession was, to abstain from flesh all their lives, to wear vile raiment, to eat but once in the day, and that but butter, cheese, eggs, fruits, roots, and such things that were not costly, and might every where be found. And they wrote books, and wrought divers things to get their living withal. When the laymen saw that the priests were fallen into such covetousness, and that the monks were so holy, they thought, These be meet men to minister our alms unto the poor people. For their profession is so holy that they cannot deceive us as the priests do and made the monks tutors and ministers unto the poor, and gave great lands and riches into their hands, to deal it unto the poor. When the monks saw such abundance, they fell after the ensample of the priests, and took dispensations of the pope for their rules, and strait profession, which now is as wide as their cowls, and divided all among them and robbed the poor once more. And out of the abbies took he the most part of bishoprics and cathedral churches, and the most part of all the lands he hath, besides that there remain yet so many mighty abbies and nunneries thereto.

friars.

As soon as the monks were fallen, then sprang these Begging begging friars out of hell, the last kind of caterpillars, in a more vile apparel, and a more strait religion, that (if ought of relief were left among the laymen for the poor people) these horseleeches might suck that also. Which drone-bees, as soon as they had learned their craft, and had built them goodly and costly nests; and their limiters had divided all countries among them to beg in; and had prepared livings of a certainty, though with begging; then they also took dispensations of the pope for to live as largely, and as lewdly as the monks.

And yet unto the laymen, whom they have thus falsely robbed, and from which they have divided themselves, and made them a several kingdom among themselves, they leave the paying of toll, custom, and tribute, (for unto all the charges of the realms will they not pay one mite) and the finding of all the poor, the finding of scholars for the most part, the finding of these foresaid horse-leeches and caterpillars, the begging friars, the repairing of the high-ways and bridges, the building and reparations of their abbies and cathedral churches, chapels, colleges; for which they send out their pardons daily by heaps, and gather a thousand pounds for every hundred that they bestow truly.

If the lay-people have war, or whatsoever charge it be, they will not bear a mite. If the war be theirs, (as the one part almost of all war is to defend them) they will with falsehood make them bear the greatest part; besides that they must leave their wives and children, and go fight for them, and lose their lives. And likewise in all their charges they have a cast to poll the lay-people. The Scots cast down a castle of the bishop of Durham's, on the Scottish bank called Noram castle. And he gat a pardon from Rome for the building of it again, wherewith I doubt not but he gat for every penny that he bestowed three.

And what do they with their store, that they have in so

The charge

of the lay

people.

How the spiritualty bestow

their trea

sure.

great plenty everywhere; so that the very begging friars, in short space, to make a cardinal or a pope of their sect, or to do what feat it were for their profit, would not stick to bring above a king's ransom? Verily, make goodly places and parks of pleasure, and gay shrines, and painted posts, and purchase pardons, wherewith they yet still poll, and pluck away that little wherewith the poor, which perish for need, and fall into great inconveniences, might be somewhat holpen and relieved. And lay up in store to have alway to pay for the defending of their faith, and for to oppress the truth.

HOW THE POPE MADE HIM A LAW, AND WHY.

The rope maketh

laws.

The pope

hath feigned the gift

AFTER that the pope with tyranny was climbed above

his brethren, and had made all the spiritualty his subjects, and had made of them and him a several kingdom among themselves, and had separated them from the lay in all things, and had got privileges, that whatsoever they did no man should meddle with them; and after also he had received the kingdoms of the earth of Satan, and was become his vicar to distribute them; and after that the emperor was fallen in like manner at his feet, and had worshipped him as god, to receive his empire of him ; and all kings had done likewise to be anointed of him, and to be crowned of him; and after that the world, both great and small, had submitted themselves to receive the beast's badge; then, because that Christ's doctrine was contrary unto all such kingdoms, and therefore had no law therein how to rule it; he went and made him a several law of his own making, which passed in cruelty and tyranny the laws of all heathen princes.

And in his law he thrust in feigned gifts of old emsaying that the emperor

of Constan- perors that were out of memory, Constantinus had given up the

tine.

empire of Rome unto

St. Silvester, which is proved a false lie, for divers causes : one, that St. Silvester being so holy a man as he was, would not have received it contrary to his master's commandments and doctrine: another, that the emperors reigned in Rome many years after, and all bishops sued unto the emperor, and not to the pope, which was but bishop of Rome only, and not called Father of fathers. Moreover, that no authentic story maketh mention that any emperor gave them their patrimony, but that Pepin, which falsely and with strength invaded the empire, gave it unto him. Then put he in the grant of Phocas; then the gift of Pepin confirmed by the great Charles; then a feigned release of the election of the pope given up again unto pope Paschal by the emperor Lewis. For they themselves had granted unto Charlemagne, and his successors for ever, the election or denomination of the pope and bishops, to flatter him withal, and to make him a faithful defender, and that in a general council which (as they say) cannot err. Nevertheless, pope Paschal, though he believed the council could not err, yet he thought them somewhat over-seen to make so long a grant, and therefore he purchased a release of gentle Lewis, as they pretend. But verily, it is more likely that they feigned that grant to excuse their tyranny, after they had taken the election into their hands again with violence, when the emperors were weak, and not able to resist them; as they feigned the gift of Constantine, after they had invaded the empire with subtilty and falsehood. And, last of all, they brought in the oath of Otho, with the order that now is used, to choose the emperor.

[blocks in formation]

HOW THE POPE CORRUPTETH THE SCRIPTURE,
AND WHY.

The pope corrupteth the Scripture, and

why.

Peter (saith

the pope) was the

head of Christ's church.

All minis

ters have as
great a
charge
given
them of

God as
Peter had.

Peter preached, but the pope preached

Lot.

MOREOVER, lest these his lies should be spied, and

lest haply the emperors following might say, Our predecessors had no power to bind us, nor to minish our might; and lest kings following should say after the same manner, that the sword, and full power to punish evildoers indifferently, is given of God to every king for his time, and therefore that their predecessor could not bind them contrary unto the ordinance of God; but rather that it was unto their damnation to make such grants, and that they did not execute their office. And, therefore, the foul and misshapen monster gat him to the Scripture, and corrupted it with false expositions; to prove that such authority was given him of God, and challenged it by the authority of Peter; saying that Peter was the head of Christ's church, and that Christ had made him lord over the apostles, his fellows, in that he bade him feed his sheep and lambs: John the last, as who should say that Paul, which came long after, was not commanded to feed as specially as Peter, which yet would take none authority over the bodies, or over the faiths of them which he fed, but was their servant, for Christ's sake, Christ ever the lord and head; and as though the other apostles were not likewise as specially commanded as Peter; and as though we now, and all that hereafter shall love Christ, were not commanded to feed Christ's flock, every man in his measure, as well as Peter! Are not we commanded to love our neighbours as ourselves as well as Peter? Why then are we not commanded to care for his flock as well as Peter?

Moreover, if to feed Christ's sheep is to be greatest, (as no doubt to feed Christ's flock is to be great, and most to feed, is to be greatest: in which office, though Peter was

« AnteriorContinuar »