And, as towchyng Christe in our manhode, he was called of God his eternall Father, as was Aaron, to be our euerlasting preste, accordinge to the ordre of Melchisedech, Hebre. 7. He was also, by his owne godlie mouthe, to the worlde declared that wele beloued Sonne of his, in whom he was most highly both pleased and pacifyed. Finally, he was, by bys most heauenly ordinaunce, constituted oure vniuersall doctour, and of him commaunded, as a most perfight maistre, of all men to be most diligently hearde and obeyed. From the shippe, from the customehowse, and from other homely ministerys called he not the stought, sturdye, and heady sort of men, but the lowly harted, simple, and beggarly ydiotes; them he elected most gracyously, and they not him, to be the ministers of his holy Gospell, Iohan 15. Them chose he out from the world, to gyue knowlege of saluacion to hys people, for the remission of their synnes,' Mat. 10. Luce 2. Those, sayth S. Paule, 'whom the Lorde appointed before, those hath he also called; and those whom he hath called, those hath he lykewise iustified' or made mete for that heauenly offyce, Rom. 8. For, How shuld they hauc preached, sayth he, vnlesse they had ben sent,' Rom. 10. Peter was to him an elect apostle, affirminge hys doctrine to be the wurdes of eternall lyfe, Iohan 6. Iohan was his derely beloued disciple, and became a most mightie thunderer out of the same, Act. 4. Paul was a peculiar chosen vessel vnto him, to manifest hys name before the gentyles, kynges, and chyldren of Israel, Act. 9.

The idolatour, the tyraunt, and the whoremongar are no mete mynisters for hym, though they be neuer so gorgyously mytered, coped, and typpeted, or neuer so fynely forced, pylyoned, and scarletted. The deceytfull prophetes, sayth the Lorde, made spedy haste, but I appoynted them not; they ranne a great pace, but I sent them not; they prophecyed fast, but not out of my Spret,' Hier. 23. To the wicked doar the Lorde hath spoken it, sayth Dauid, Whie doest thu so vniustly presume to talke of my righteousnesses? And, with thy polluted mouthe, of my eternall testament whie makest thu relacion? Psalm 50. After the apostles, immediatly succeded in the primative churche Tymotheus, Ignatius, Policarpus, Irenæus, Paphnutius, Athanasius, Lactantius, and other true ministers of the gospell: These loytered not in the vineyearde of the Lorde, as our ydell masmongers doe, but faithfully they laboured in sekinge Gods glorie and the sowles helthe of the people; but, whan great Constantine the Emperour had gyuen peace to the Christen churche, that all persecucion ceased, than came in ceremonie vpon ceremonie, and none ende was of them; euery yeare entered one poyson or other, as mannes fyckle nature, in this frayle lyfe, is neuer without vice.

So that S. Augustine, in his tyme, very muche lamented, that so many supersticions were than crepte in, confessinge the seruitude of the Christen churche to be more greuouse in those daies, than it was to the people vndre Moyses. And so muche the more he lamented the case, that, beinge but one man, he coulde not reforme it; neither was he able in euerye pointe to resist that euill, beinge with heretykes so sore tossed on euery syde. But what wolde he haue sayde, if he had seane the abhominable ydolatries of our time, without nombre? Specially the

worshippinge of breade and of wyne, which are only the seruauntes of our bellies, and corrupt in the same, yea, whan they are at the best and holiest; for, whan they haue done their office, beinge sacramentes of Christes bodie and bloude, that is to saye, preached the Lordes deathe till he come, and declared vs, of manie members, to be one misticall bodie in Christe, they ascende not into heauen, but, beinge eaten and disgested, they are immediatly resolued into corruption; yea, Christ sayth, that they descende downe into the bellie, and are cast out into the draught,' Math. 15. which declareth them vnmete to be worshipped.

This write I, not in vnreuerencinge the sacrament, but in detestacion of the abhominable ydolatries therin most bestially committed.

And, breuely to saye sumwhat of the Christen churche of our realme, in those dayes called Britaine, and now named Englande; what originall it had, and from whens; what continuaunce, what darkeninges, what decayes, what falle, and what rayse againe.

To fatche this thinge from the first foundacion, for that lande lyke as for other landes. By the eternall Sonne of God in Paradyse receyued Adam the first promise of saluacion, in the womans sede: This acknowledged Abel, in his first offeringe vp of the firstlinges of his flocke, and fatt of the same, beinge so instructed by that religiouse father of his, Gene. 4. By faithe' in his plentuouse sacrifice, sayth S. Paule, 'obteined Abel witnesse, that he was righteouse,' Heb. 11. This, with the right inuocacion of the name of God, taught by Seth and Enos, was continued by the chosen of that line, to remayne styll in remembraunce to their posteritees, and was renued after the floude by righteouse Noe, Gene. 8. To S. Paule also in reuelacion was this misterie shewed, ‘That the Gentiles likewyse were partakers of the promyse,' Ephe. 3. Wherunto S. Iohan sayth, that the lambe was slayne from the worldes beginninge, Apo. 13. that is to saye, in promyse, in faithe, and in misterie of their sacrifices. Applied is it also to those Gentiles, in the seyd Reuelacion of S. Iohan (who now, amonge other, includeth our lande) that they, from that tyme, haue cryed with a lowde voyce, seinge, Helthe be to him that sitteth vpon the seate of our God, and vnto the Lambe,' Apo. 7. and therupon Gildas, in Excidio Britanne, concludeth, that the inhabitours of our realme haue alwayes had knowledge of God, almost sens the worldes beginninge.

This rule of sacrifice and inuocacion helde Japheth after the floude also, the father of Europa, containinge our lande amonge others, accordinge to the prayer of his righteouse Father Noe, that he might dwell in the tentes of Sem. Gen. 9. or in faithe of the promised sede, which is Christe, Gala. 3. So perfyght was Melchisedech, or the forenamed Sem, a father than of the Gentiles, for that his kindrede, sayth Paule, is not reckened amonge the tribes, that he toke tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promyses, Hebre. 7, and Gene. 14. For so muche as God, sayth Luther vpon Genesis, established the kingedomes of the ilandes, whan they were diuided, by the chosen fathers, it semeth wele that they helde his true worshippinges, received a fore of them. To these holy fathers in the Gentilite for that realme, by course succeeded, as Berosus, Plinius, Strabo, Cæsar, and other authors writeth, the Samothees, Sarronites, Druydes, Bardes,

suche other, till the comWhich all acknowledged

Sybylles, Eubages, or Vates, Flamines, and minge of Iesus, Gods sonne in the fleshe. but one God, what though it were by the diversite of rytes and doctrines. This haue I written here, to declare what church was in our lande afore Christes cominge. I speake nothyng of them which fol owed straunge worshippynges, or manifeste ydolatryes of the heathen, as the Papistes do in thys age. If it be reasoned, how they coulde heare? S. Paule answereth it out of Dauid, that the heauens preached to them, all the worlde hearyng it, if none had done it els, Rom, 10, and Psal. 19, besyde the lawe of nature, which was also their leader.

In the 63. yeare after Christes incarnacion, to resort to my purpose, was Ioseph, an Hebrue, and disparsed disciple, thydre sent with hys companyons, by Philipp the apostle, than preachynge in Fraunce, as Freculphus, in the seconde part of hys chronycle, and Isidorus also, devita & obitu sanctorum patrum, rehearseth. He published there amonge them that gospell of saluacion which Christe first of all, and afterwardes hys apostles, had taught at Ierusalem; vntruly, therfore, are we reported of the Italyane writers, and of the subtylle deuysers of sanctes legendes, that we shulde haue our first faythe from Rome, and our Christen doctryne from their unchristen byshoppes. From the schole of Christe hymselfe, haue we receyved the documentes of our faythe. From Ierusalem, and not from Rome, whom both Peter, and also Christe, hath called Babylon, for that she so aptely thervato agreeth in ministryng confusion to the world. And this wele accordeth with the wurdes of the prophete, that the lawe of the gospell shulde come from Sion, and the wurde of God from Hierusalem, Esa. 2. S. Paule also, which had been christenly familiar at Rome, with Claudia Rufina, a Britayne borne, and with Aulus Pudens, her husbande, of whome he maketh mencion, 2 Timoth. 4. shulde seeme, in his owne persone, to haue preached in that nacion of ours, by this sainge of his in the same epistle and chaptre: The Lorde assisted me, and strengthened me, at my first answeringe, that by me the preachinge shulde be fulfilled to the uttermost, and that all the Gentiles shulde heare. That clause, all the Gentiles, includeth somewhat concerninge the Britaines, if they were than Gentiles, and in the west part of the worlde, as we can saye none other of them.

Bartholomeus Tridentinus, and Petrus Calo, reporteth, in their bookes of the Liues of Sanctes, that Timothe, S. Paules disciple, by his preachinge in Britaine, converted Kinge Lucius, and him baptised, in confirmacion of that is said afore. Nurrished, brought vp, and continued, was this British churche in the doctrine of faithe, without mennes tradicions, by the wurthie doctours of that age, Eluanus, Meduinus, Melanius, Amphibalus, and suche other like, till the time of Diocleciane, the tirannouse Emperour; which, by his wicked ministers, made hauock of the Christen flocke there, as testifieth Gildas. Though the Kings of Britaine in that age, Aruiragus, Marius, Coillus, Lucius, and Seuerus, with others, were not all christened, yet were they no cruell persecuters of Christes congregacion, that we reade of.

In the generall quyetuesse provided to the churche by the fore

named Constantine, Arrius, Pelagius, Leporius, and one Tymothe, partly by subtile allegories, and partly by open heresies greaily obscured the glory therof.

Anon after there folowed a certen kind of monkery, with an heap of ceremonies, but yet without blasphemouse supersticions, till Antichrist had fashioned them to his execrable vse.

In that age were Fastidius, Ninianus, Patritius, Bachiarius, Dubricius, Congellus, Kentigernus, Iltutus, Dauid, Daniel, Sampson, Eluodugus, Asaphus, Gildas, Beulanus, Elbodus, Dionotus, Samuel, Nennius, and a great sort more, by Christen doctrine, the vpholders of the Brittish churche, the cyuyle gouernours for the time, beinge dissolute and carelesse, as the forseyd Gildas, very sharply, doth laie it to their charge.

Consequently, whan the barbarouse nacions had subdued the Christen regions of Europa, specially here in this realme, the heathenish Saxons, the Christen Britaines, for not obeyenge and folowinge Gods wurde that time faithfully preached: Than entered in an other swarme of monkes, much warse than the other. For they had their beginninge of those solitary bretherne, which had fled to the wildernesse in the tyme of persecucion. These, lyke layeye locustes, sprange fourth of the pytt bottomlesse. They serued God in lyberte, and were fedde of their owne true labours. These serued Antichrist in bondage, and deuoured vp the labours of other. They were sumwhat ceremoniouse, but these altogyther supersticiouse. Of this lattre swarme, after the first enteraunce of Augustine the Romish monke, was Egbert, Egwine, Boniface, Wilfride, Dunstane, Oswolde, Lanfranck, Anselme, and suche other, without nombre, by whom the sincere faithe of the English churche decayed. These were bytter stingars in Antichristes cause, yea, terrible accusers, and suppressers of Kinges, and of other Christen magis trates. These caused the sunne, which is the clere verite of the Lord, to apere as sackeclothe made of heare, Apo. 6. placinge, in the rowme therof, their own fantastical doctrines, vaine tradicions, and supersticiouse ordinaunces. So that they made God's heauenly wurde to seme to the people darke, rough, harde, and vnpleasaunt, for their ydle bellyes sake.

Yet denye I it not, but some godly men were amonge them in those dayes; as Beda, lohan of Beuerle, Alcuinus, Neotus, Hucarius, Serlo, Achardus, Ealredus, Alexander Neckam, Nigellus, Seuallus, and suche other.

Which though they than erred in many thinges, yet was not their errour of obstinacie and malice. Than folowed the schole doctours with the iiij. ordres of friers, very wicked kindes of men; and they, with their sophisticall sorceryes, poysened vp altogyther, clerely ouerthrowinge the Christen churche, and settinge vp in her place the most filthye sinagoge

of Sathan.

In that malignaunt assemblye were false wurshippinges commaunded for Gods holy seruice, and monstruouse buggery, for a professed virginite, in our consecrate clergye admitted.

Thus were the people nusled vp from their yowth, in callinge vpon dead men, and ymages, the preastes and religiouse, in the meane time,

occupied in all beastly wurkes of the flesh. I haue the registre of the visitacions of the cloysters of Englande, and therfor I know it to their confusion. The monkes, afore their time, ded no more but mixe the Christen religion with the Paganes supersticions, but these fowle lecherouse locustes haue banished the Christen religion altogyther. They haue taken vpon them a power by vertu of transubstanciacion, farre aboue Gods power, as of corruptible creatures to make Goddes to be worshipped, bearing them a broade with Persical pompes, as it were, in their gaddinge and gagglinge processions, fit for wanton gossippes, to shewe their selues in their holy daye apparelinges.

Yet were there alwayes some in that miste of palpable darknesse, that smelled out their mischefes, and in part maintened the syncere doctrine; as Mathew Parys, Oclyf, Wickleff, Thorpe, White, Purueye, Pateshulle, Paine, Gower, Chaucer, Gascoigne, Iue, and now in our time, William Tindale, Iohan Frith, Bilneye, Barnes, Lambert, and a great sort more. Now, truly in this lattre age and ende of the worlde, God, shewinge great mercy to his elected heritage, hath gathered them togyther from the parels of perdicion, by the voyce of his holy gospell: Yea, like as by Hieremie the prophete, before that exile, into Babylon, by lohan Baptist, Christe, and his apostles before the destruction of Hierusalem, and by the apostles followers, before the diuision and first ruyne, and the Romish empire he called his disparsed remnaunt; so doth he now agayne, before hys generall comminge to iudgement, call togither hys churche of true beleuers, by the godly preachers of thys age. That wonderfull wurke of God, that noble prince, Kynge Henrye the 8, within thys realme by hys royall power assysted, after that he had gyuen an overthrowe to the great Golias of Rome, oure most godly Souerayne Kynge Edward the 6. for hys tyme perfourmyng the

same.

The fyrst, with noble Kynge Dauid, prepared thys buyldynge of the Lorde; but thys other, with the wyse Kynge Salomon, to hys power made all thinges very perfyght. And though now, after hys death, a Hieroboam, parauenture, is risen, which will sett up the golden calues in Samaria, or mayntayne the Popysh religyon agayne, in ymages, aulters, ydle ceremonyes, and blasphemouse supersticions. Yet doubt I it not, but a faythfull Asa shall folowe, either els a Iosaphat, an Ezechias, or a myghtye Iosias, which will dissolue those ydolatryes agayne. And, as concerning the fornamed Kynge Edwarde, I will recite here what hys wurthinesse ded for me his most vnwurthie subject, that I shuld, among others, be a collectour, or a caller togyther of the Christen flocke in thys age.

Vpon the 15. daye of August, in the yeare from Christes incarnation, 1552, being the first daye of my deliuerance, as God wolde, from à mortall ague, which had holde me longe afore: In reioyce that hys maiestie was come in progresse to Southampton, whiche was 5. myle from my personage of Byshoppes Stoke, within the same countye: Į toke my horse about 10 of the clocke, for very weaknesse scant able to sytt hym, and so came thydre. Betwixt 2. and 3. of the clocke, the same day, I drew towardes the place where as his majestie was, and stode in the open strete ryght against the gallerye. Anon, my frinde,