The Acts of English Votaries, Religious tract · Part 37 – Part 51
¶Contempt of marryage, with tayles.
I thynke a man myght fynde as honest stuffe as thys,stewes dyuynyte. in the scooles of my lorde of wynchestres rentes at the banke syde at London, yf he had nede of yt. Ye maye se by thys, the vertuouse stodye of these holye chast fathers, & the clarkelye conueyaunce of their fleshlye mouynges. Great pytie had yt bene, but yt had had place in their holy sayntes legendes to the ghostlye infourmacyon of other, but that we shuld not els wele hauehave knowne their bawdye hypocresye. If their vnuirginall vowes had not bene,Vota…yes lernynge. lyttle shuld the worlde hauehave neded thys lecherouse lernynge. Honest marryage hath no knowlege therof, and yet ys yt a pleasyuge seruyce vntounto God. Is not that (thynke yow) a straunge kynde of chastyte, that ys thus euerye weke poluted? Yet maye they after thys leruynge, euerye daye saye Masse, their vowe neuer hyndered, but in marryage they maye not so vndre payne of deathe. Now forsoth yt ys wholsom ware, & yt shulde come euen unto frome the deuyls blacke bowgett. Thys ys the reuerence these poluted wretches hauehave to matrymonye, beynge Gods clere instytucyon,Marryage contēpned. that they preferre all their fleshlye knaueryes vntounto yt. For yt onlye, hauehave they named men laye & women lewde,Laye, with tayles appoyntynge their chyldren tayles here in Englande in dyſdayne ād scorne. For nought was yt not that Saynt Paule called their lernynge Hypocresye, and the detestable doctryne of deuyls. 1. Timoth 4. Iohan Capgraue and Alexandre of Esseby sayth, that forcastynge of fyshe t…yles at thys Augustyne, Dorsett shyre men had tayles euer after. But Polydorus applyeth yt vntounto kentysh men at Stroude by Rochestre,Dorset & Stroude. for cuttynge of thomas Beckettes horses tayle. Thus hath Englande in all other landes a perpetuall dyffamye of tayles by their wryttē legēdes of lyes, yet can they not wele tell, where to bestowe them trulye.
¶Stryfe aboute the Eastre celebracyon.
NExt after thys Augustyne was Laurencius archebyshop of Caunterburye. And after hym Melitus. Than Iustus, Laurencius cū alijs.than Honorius, than Theodatus, and Theodorus, all blacke monkes and Italyanes borne to the nombre of .vij. Thys Laurence helde a great Synode with hys other prelates in the Ile of Mā ne, dysputynge there with the Scottyshe and Iryshe Byshoppes,Synodus. for the feast of Eastre, what daye yt shuld be yearlye celebrated, writynge from thens vntounto their other prelates a treatyse of the same. More thā an hondred years space, were the Papystes thā in controuersye for the daye of that Eastre celebracyon, ere they coude be quyeted.the feast of Eastre. Great paynes the relygyouse fathers toke in those dayes to strayne out a gnatt, that their lecherouse posteryte after them, myght the better swallowe in a myghtye camell. Math. 23. In thynges of small value they were thā verye scrupulose, but the wayghtyer causes they coude lete slyppe wele ynough. What so euer thys Laurence was to women by hys lyfe,Womē he was (they saye) verye cruell vntounto them after hys deathe. For in a se…tē towne called fordune, was a church buylded in hys name, where no women myght entre with offerynge nor without offerynge, but they had euer more sore bellyes of yt.Sore bellyes. I praye God they went not manye tymes thens with chylde, for there were manye fatte Canons and prebendes. Thys superstyeyouse fable borowe they of the paganes, whose opynyon was that no woman myght entre into the temple of Venus their great Goddesse in the mounte of Olympus,Venus with out a great vyllanye. Iacobus Zieglerus in sua Syria.
¶Great busynesse for their other tradycyons.
HEre passe I ouer the clowtynge in of their canonycall houres,Ceremonyes & rytes. of their absolucyōs for synnes, their temples, their aulters, their bel ryngynges, their lētes, their dyuersyte of orders and dyuysyons of paryshes, least I shuld be therin to tedyouse vntounto the readers. Aidanus, Good men.Finnanus, and Colmānus, beynge all iij. byshoppes of lyndyſfarne in Northunberlande one after an other, & Scottysh men borne, coude not wele awaye with the pryde and wanton toyes which they behelde in their Romyshe rytes, but perseuered styll in the symple ordre of the prymatyue churche, not contented to chā ge yt. For the which in those dayes, they had moche a do with these hygh stomaked Romanes. Hilda in lyke case, that was thā abbasse of Streneshalt (that we now call Whytby) a womā lerned,Hilda et Colmā nus. wyse, and vertuouse, dysputed with them in their generall counsell vponupon Colmannus syde, in the yeare of our lorde .DC. and lxiiij. concernynge the daye of their eastre celebracyon,664. their head shauynge, and other vnsauerye ceremonyes, and wrote afterwarde an ernest treatyse agaynst Agilbertus a frenche man and at that tyme byshop of Wynchestre.Agilbertus. All thys myght not helpe than, but in processe of tyme they had their whole myndes, magry all their hartes. Bedas Giruuinus li. 3. Ca. 25. De gestis Anglorum, Guilhelmus Malmesburye li. 3. De Pontificibus Ranulphus. li. 5. Ca. 17. Ioann es Capgraue and other.
¶Relygyouse examples dysuadynge marryage.
AFter Laurencius folowed Melitus melitusin the Archebyshoppes seate of Caunterburye, in the yeare of our lorde .DC. and .xix. whiche (they saye) both alyue & dead,619. dysuaded yonge men from christen marryage. As Saynt Columbanus a Scott,Columbanus. about the same tyme, came to the sell of an holye Nonne for ghostlye counsell. She bad hym, awaye, least wanton youthe wolde brynge them togyther wylde they nylde they. Saynt Edwyne kynge of Northumberlande gaue vntounto saynt Paulinus the archebyshop of yorke,Paulinus. hys yonge doughter Eanfleda, so sone as she was baptysed in the yeare of our lorde. DC. and. xxvi. that he shuld make her an vnholye Nonne. And the daye after the sayd Edwyne was slayne, he toke with hym both the doughter and mother, and so fled with them vntounto Rochestre in kent be water, neuer returnynge thydre agayne.fiacrius Saynt fiacre a Scottysh hermyte had so greate malyce vntounto women, that he plaged so manye of thē with the fowle euyll, as came within the precynct of hys monasterye, bycause one woman had ones complayned to the bysh…p of hys prodygyouse charmynges. Hector Boethius. Foillanus.Saynt Foillanus an Iryshe Byshop with hys bretherne was verye famy…yar and seruysable vntounto Saynte Ger…ruyde and her nonnes at Nigella, & made dyuerse barren women full gracyouslye to conceyue. Saynt keynwirye a Keyna.virgyne of wales, contēmpnynge marryage, fled from thēs to Saynt Myhels of the mounte, to kepe her vowed virgynyte amonge the holye fathers there, as vower with vowers. All these storyes hath Iohan Capgraue.
¶Other relygyouse examples of that age.
SEbba kynge of the East Saxōs,Sebba ys monked. was so bywytched of the Byshop of London and hys caskynge collygeners there for hys substaunce, that he had made hymselfe a monke, leauynge vntounto them both hys wyfe and possessyons, yf she had bene no wyser than he.
Yet was she by their incantacyous at the last deceyued, they hauynge of hym an innumerable summe of moneye, and he nothynge of them agayne but a mangye monkes cowle and hys buryall in Paules.Egbinus Whan Saynt Egbynes father was ones departed in wales, his mother resorted with hym to the abbeye of Saynt Sampson,Sāpson and there receyued of hym the habyte of a Nonne, bestowynge the rest of her lyfe amonge the good bretherne there.Eanswida. Saynt Eanswyde abbesse of folkstane in kent, inspyred of the deuyll, dyffyned christen marryage to be barren of all vertues, to hauehave but transytoryouse frutes, and to be a fylthye corrupcyō of virgynyte. Yet ware Marye, Iohan Baptyst, and Iesus Christ swete frutes, therof,Frutes of marryage. the iust fathers of the olde lawe not reckened. Saynt Paule sayth also, that by vertue of marryage, the vnfaythfull man ys sanctyfyed by the woman that ys faythfull. 1. Cor. 7. Neyther ded he at anye tyme teache marryage to be eyther a corrupcyon or yet an impedymēt of christen virgynite, whan he coupled the Corintheanes (which …ed styll marryed) a chaste vyrgyne to Christ. 2. Cor. Eanswida.11. But thys gentylwoman Eanswyde was moche better acquaynted with the monkes lernynge than with Christes, and with a chastyte rather to their behoue than to hys. Yet droue she out all the gyantes there, yf their churche legende be true. These storyes sheweth Iohan Capgraue.
¶The wanton toyes of the holye fathers.
ABout thys same tyme sent Pope Bonyface the fift, a shyrte with a golden collor,babyshe ioyes. and a fyne petycote of straunge makynge, vntounto kynge Edwyne with the blessynges of Peter and Paule. And vntounto hys wyfe Ethelburge a syluer glasse and a combe of yvoriye with the same, to vpholde them in thys newe christyanyte. Se these wanton fathers what toyes they vse, to set vp their kyngedome here. Neuer shall ye reade that Christes dysciples had anye soche wyttye polycyes. Saynt Petrock an hermyte of Cornewale,Petronus. was fayne euerye nyght from the crowe of the cocke to the sprynge of the mornynge, to stande naked in a pyt, to abate the hote mouynges of hys fleshe. And neuer coude he hauehave remedye of that dysease, tyll he went on pylgrymage to Rome & Hierusalē. Here was a newe sought out salue for that sore.Piranus Saynt Pyrane a Byshop also in Cornewale, had a fayre dammesell in the monasterye of hys mother wingell, called Brunett, whom the Lorde of the soyle toke vp for hys occupyēge. At the last he a greed with hym no lōgar to hauehave her, thā the bernacle or butture shuld breake hym of hys slepe, which chaunced sone after, & than he sent her home agayne. If these be not good honest legendes to be redd in the popes holye churche,legēdes tell me. Plentuouse shall ye fynde Iohan Capgraue in the rehersall of them and soche other.
The ghostly bestowynge of their vowes
A Nonne belōgynge to saynt Cota,Chastyte of …ar…es. and a monke perteyninge to saynt Pyrane, aboute the same tyme strake vp a couenaunt of louelove. And as they mett in a wode for perfourmaunce of the same, a yonge pygeon fell betwixt thē ād made them both ashamed, & so they went home agayne▪ i… lyke matter. Soche an other pagent was played at yorke, but it was longe after.Vowes obserued. The monkes of saynt Marye abbeye, and the nonnes of Clement thorpe mett togyther there at haye makynge, the abbottes fole beynge with them. And as the abbot enquyred of hym at supper for pastyme, where he had done all that daye. He fell in a great laughynge and declared before all hys gestes, that a sore battayle had bene foughten that after none betwixt hys monkes and the monkes of clemēt thorpe. But he thanked God that hys monkes had the best, for they laye euer aloft. Bycause that one of Saynt modwēs maydes,Modwenna. had layed her best beloues shoes at her beddes head, the spretes of heauen that were wonte to vysyte her, wolde not come there that nyght. After she had bene at Rome, and was comen home agayne, she dwelt at Scalesclyf,Heremite. where as an holye hermyte ded oft tymes vysyte her, and moche refreshe her with a legende boke of sayntes lyues. But no tydynges was there amonge them, of Christes holy gospell. Loke Iohan Capgraue.
¶Erkenwalde and Osith, with their Nondryes.
SAynt Erkenwalde the sonne of Vffa the first Kynge of the east ā gles,Erkenwaldus abbot of Cherteseye ād Byshop of London, buylded a Nondrye at Berkynge. And bycause there were at that tyme in Englāde no Nonnes to hys mynde (for Hilda his kynswoman was to great a scripture woman in those dayes) he sēt ouer the see for an old acquayntaunce of his called Hildelitha, lerned in arte, but not in Christes dyuynyte, Her made he there abbasse, commyttynge vntounto her gouernaunce, hys systre Ethelburge and a great sort more of yonge maydes,Ethelburga to be taught and made nōnes there. Soche rule was kepte amonge thē within a short space after, that God sent vponupon them a plage of pestylēce, which toke awaye all their chaplaynes, the cruell Da…s folowynge and burnynge vp that was left, monasterye, nonnes and all. Saynt Osith was marryed to Sigher Kynge of the East Saxons.Ositha. But bycause she loued the spirytualte moche better thā hym, whyls he was on a tyme in huntynge, she sent by a preuye lettre for Accas, and Bedeuuinus, Spirituall knauerye.Byshoppes of the East Angles, contaynynge Northfolke and Sothfolke, causynge thē to put vpō her a nonnes aparell. So made she him to beleue in his returne, that she had professed the vowe of chastyte, and gaue him therby a most wretched occasyon to lyue all the dayes of his lyfe after, in most synnefull aduoutrie. But a iust plage folowed. For in the yeare of our Lorde .DC.liii.653 was she slayne of the Danes, and her whore howse (nondrye I shuld saye) vtterlye destroyed. Yet was she in the Popes churche allowed for a stynkynge martyr, for contempnynge marryage. Iohan Capgraue.
¶The perfyght age of the Beast.
THeodorus a Greke,Theodo…s was of pope vptelianus constytute the sixt archebyshop of Caunterburye, frō Augustyne or sens the Papacye began, to make all sure here to Antichristes behoue, in the sixtye and sixe yeare of hys age, and in the yeare from Christes incarnacyon six hondred, syxtie, and sixe, which is in saynt Iohans Apocalyps the full age of the Beast,Apoc▪ 13. & the full nombre of man. Marke yt good reader. For now of a Beast,The fullye complete age. becometh he a kynge, ye, as Daniel calleth hym, the vnshame fast Kynge of faces. Daniel. 8. Presumynge to sitt aboue God in euerye mannys conscyence 2. Thessa. 2. Named yt is there, the nombre of man, and the nombre of the Beast,Nōbre of the beast for so moche as yt was the tyme, wherin mā nys lernynge most stronglye withstode the lernynge of God, to the prankynge vp of that odyouse aduersarye, the verye man of synne, and sonne of perdycyon, all blasphemyes therupon folowynge. Euydent is yt, by all the Englysh Chronycles, that than this Theodorus came hyther with the seale of that execrable Beast, to marke vp all to that most blasphemouse kyngdō. For neuer afore wrought the sprete of Antichrist, the mystery of iniquite so strongelye as at that tyme. For hyther than brought he all vayne & craftye scyences,Crafty scyēces. of countinge, calkynge, measurynge, syngynge, rymynge, reasonynge, arguynge, dyffynynge, shauinge, oylynge, exorcysynge, incantynge, & coniurynge. Loke Iohan Capgraue, in uitis Adriani, et Theodori Besydes that Bedas wryteth li. 4. Capit, 2. and Ranulphus li. 5. Ca▪ 18.
¶For the varyaunce had in supputaciōs
TO auoyde cōtrouersyes in the supputacyō of years, for so moche as some writeth hym to hauehave comē hyther in the yeare afore rehersed, & some .ij years after. Ye shall vnderstāde that Theodatus which was his predecessour,Theodatus departed in the yeare of our Lorde .DC.lxv. as witnesseth Hermānus Cōtractus in Chronico de ſexetatibus mundi. In the yeare folowynge was this Theodorus admytted of V…elianꝰ,Theodorus & receyued his full autoryte of byndynge and losynge (sayth Platina) to holde the Englyshe nacyon styll in that faythe. Marke yt. But by reason of serten delayes, yt was more than a yeare after ere he entered into Englāde. One cause of hys tarryaunce (Iohan Capgraue sayth) was the growynge of hys heare concernynge his crowne,Shauynge which was shauē afore after a farre other sort, he beynge a Greke. Hys abydynge there for that only cause, was more thā .iiij. Monthes, besydes other nedye matters. So that yt was the yeare of our Lorde .DClxviij.668. the xxvi. daye of Maye, and the seconde yeare of hys consecracyon ere he came into Kēt, as wytnesseth both Bedas and Ranulphus With hym sent Vitelianꝰ a monke borne in Aphrica, called Adriā,Adrianus. to loke to hys doctryne, least he taught anye thynge in the Englyshe churche that were not agreable to the Romyshe faythe (as the marriage of prestes, and the howselynge with leuened breade) for he ded not in all poyntes trust hym, bycause he was a Greke borne.A scole. Anon after he sett vp a Greak scole at Caunterburye of all maner ſcyences, as Rhetoryck, Logyck, philosophie, Mathesye, Astrologie Geometrye, Arithmetyck, and Musyck, and taught them there openly both in latyue ād Greke,Straunge sciences besydes the art Magyck Sortilege, Physuomye, Palmestrye, Alcumye, Necromancye, Chyromācye, Geomancye, ād witcherye, that was taught there also. Bedas, Ranulphus, and Iohan. Cap
¶Sealynges to the Beastes obedyence
THan constytute he the seyd Adriane both abbot and generall reader there,Adrianus whyls he cōpased aboute all the whole regyon for the Eastre celebracyon & other Romyshe rytes. This is the first archebyshop (sayth Iohan Capgraue) that all the Englyshe churche was sworne to.Character. Marke here the Seale of the Beast. Apo. 13. In the yeare of our Lorde. DC.lxxij.672 he helde a Synode at Thetforde in Northfolke,Synodus where as he enquyred of euerye mannys faythe towardes the Churche of Rome. Than constytute he byshoppes for euerye quarter, ād deposed all them that were not confirmed by the popes auctoryte, of whose nombre Ceddas the byshop of yorke was one.Ceddas More ouer he publyshed there a boke of the churches ordynaunces,Ordinaūces made by the forsayd Vitelianus, with permyssion of organes to make them myrye, commaundynge yt onlye to be obserued, Christes ordre sett a part. If this were not the departynge that Paule prophecyed to come .2. The .2. where shall we loke for any. A sayinge hath Ioannes de Molinis, Ioānes de Molinisin speculo carmel. Ca. 6. which (though he were a papyst) I fynde here most true. From the dayes of Heraclius the Emprour (sayth he) vntounto our tymes, the daye drawynge towardes nyght, the churche sufferinge a sore eclippes, is come to a downe goynge. Yea, she is almost at the case of a full departynge, et c. I thynke a truer sentence coude not than be vttered all circumstaunces therupon cōsydered. Great pytye was yt, that the churches posteryte than perceyued not so manyfest a defeccyon.
¶More sealynges yet to Antichristes kingedome.
IN the yeare of our Lorde DC.680 and lxxx.Synodus. helde this Theodorus an other coūsell at hatefelde in the west partyes. Where as he demaunded a reckenynge of the byshoppes and other curates, what faythe ād fauer their peoples had than to the churche of Rome, as pope Agathon had commaunded hym to do by hys wrytynges,Agathō which wrote than vntounto hym, to do all thynges wyselye. Ye knowe what that meaneth▪ I thynke. Here was non enquirye made, what beleue they had than there in the Gospell of our Lorde Iesus Christ. No, yt was an other maner of matter,No Gospell. that they sought. Oh, wonderfull was the workynge of that Serpentes generacyon. Polidorus sayth, li. 4. Anglice historie, that false relygyon & counterfett presthode, was than throughlye satled and placed there, the Actes of the, iiij generall counsels receyued in stede of the .iiij. Euāgelies.Synodus generalis. In the next yeare folowinge, was a generall Synode kepte at Constātynople in Grece, where as marryage was for euer permytted vntounto the Greke prestes, and vtterly forbidden the latynes, or all other besydes thē,Masse. the latyne masse receyuynge there hys first confirmacyon. But Theodorꝰ & hys monkes were at a good indyfferēt poynt for that, which had veyled within one mounsterye in the Ile of Thanete lxx.Mildreda. Nonnes, makynge fayre Myldrede their abbasse. Loke Iohā Capgraue Ranulphe and other Englyshe autors. In spyght of the former Acte,Vitiza. ded Vitiza the kynge of Spayne, permytt hys prestes by a lawe newlye made, to kepe so manye concubynes as they wolde. Michael Ricius de regibus Hispanie, et Paulus Constantinus Phrigio in Chronicis regnorum.
¶Chastyte, Monkes, Monasteryes, and Penaunce.
VVernerus Cartusiensis sayth, in Fasciculo temporum, Chastyte fre.that vowynge of chastyte was fre without constraynt, in the tyme of Saynt Gregorye & sumwhat after. Bedas reporteth li. 3. Ca. 6. De gestis Anglorum, et Ioannes Maior in gestis Scotorum li 2 Ca. 11. That a monkes cowle, after they had ones vowed chaſtyte, was holden in soche reuerēce, that no mā wolde in a maner than iourneye, vnlesse he had their blessynges Into a most wonderfull madnesse were the people than brought,Hypocresye worketh by their hypocrytycall wytcherye, the verye elect persones scant fre from that dampnable errour. Matth. 24. Marci. 13. For the vnthankefulnesse of men (sayth Iob) in settynge hys veryte lyght, doth God permytt the Hypocrytes to reigne ouer them in all power of deceytfull wonders. Iob. 34. 2. Thessal. 2. They ded than spedelye set vp monasteryes without nōbre,Monasteryes. all the realme ouer. Iohan Hardynge sayth in hys Chronycle, that kynge Oswye buylded within Nor thumberlande.oswius. xij. in one years space. In the yeare of our lorde. DC. and .lxxxiiij.684. helde Theodorus yet an other counsell in the North partyes at Twyforde,Synodus. where as he publyshed a serten boke of hys owne makynge, called A penytencyall summe, commaundynge hys clergye to put yt euerye where in practyse. Therin were contayned all maner of synnes and excesses, with aggrauacyons,Sūma peniten…ialis. reseruacyons, penaltees, sorowes, penuaunces, and ponnyshmentes. And thys was to terryfye, captyue, and snare the wretched cō scyences of men, euen to vttre desperacy on. And where coude hauehave bene sought out a practyse of more deuylyshnesses Sigebertus, Sabellicus, Tritemius, et Scriptores ferme omnes.
¶The foundacyon of their Purgatorye.
AT the same verye tyme, was there one Drithelmus in Northumberlande, whiche leauynge both wyfe and chyldrē in the yeare of our lorde .DC. and .lxxi.Drithelmꝰ 671. made hymselfe a monke at Mailros, Saynt Cuthbert thā beynge abbot there. The sayd Drithelmus fayned hymselfe on a tyme to be dead there was knauerye vponupon knauerye) and reported in hys returne,Foūdacyon of purgatorye. that he had seane by an Angels demōstracyon, both purgatorye ād paradyse, hell and heauē. After that he had subtylly declared this vntounto kynge Alphrede and other great men of the contreye there, at the request of the monkes, moche people resorted vntounto hym for counsell for their sowles from all quarters of Englande. So redye are the foles of thys worlde to heare lyes and illusyons,Illusyons. whiche neuer had louelove to the veryte. Thys knaue euermore commended vntounto them confessyon ād penaunce,Confessyon. fastynge, prayer, and almes dedes, specyallye and aboue all other, masse saynges,Masses ād monasteryes buyldynge. Was not thys thynke yow, a vertuouse christyanyte of these chast fathers, to begynne their holye churche with? Were yt not pytie but they were canonysed sayntes, and their feastfull dayes solempnysed twyse in the yeare,Canonysed deuyls? with ryngynges, syngynges, sensynges, and massynges, as thys Cuthbertes were and are yet to thys daye? I thynke the Turkes churche had neuer more knaues to their Sayntes thā these. For thys Drithelmus ys one of their sayntes also. Iohan Capgraue post uitam Adriani, Sigebertus, Vincencius, Antoninus, with dyuerse other,
¶Chastyte of Cuthbert and doctryne of Colfride.
SO cruell was thys Cuthberte vntounto women,Cuthbertus. after he became a Saynt of theirs, that nō myght come within hys sayntuaryes (they say) at Doilwein, Coruen, and Mailros in Scotlande, nor yet at Durham, Tynmouth, and Lyndefarne here in Englande, vndre payne of sodē deathe, their chā bers and selles exempted alwayes. Yet was the seyd Cuthbert verye famylyar in hys tyme with Ebba,Nōnes. Elsteda, & Verca .iii. holye abbasses, ād buylded for hys pleasure, a solempne nondrye at Carliell. Fynallye for the specyall good louelove he had vntounto Verca aboue all other,Verca. he commaunded in hys testament, that hys bodye after hys departynge, shuld be wrapped in the fyne lynnen clothe that she had geuen hym. Ye maye se by thys, that these chast fathers had their louers, and set sumwhat by their owne precyouse bodyes. Saynt Colfryde abbot of Girwin in Northumberlande,Colfridus. wrote vntounto Athō kynge of the Pyctes, that yt was as necessarye for the vowe of a monke or degre of a prest (prestes were than no vowers) to hauehave a shauen crowne for restraynt of their lustes,Shauē crownes. as for anye christen man to blesse hym agaynst spretes whan they come vpō hym. What wyse lernynge thys ys, I report me vntounto yow. Yet ys yt regettred of Bedas in hys .v. boke, De gestis Anglorum, Waldēand also of Thomas Vualden in hys volume, De sacramētalibus. ti. 9. Ca 80 to stoppe heretypkes mouthes with, besydes that Iohan Capgraue hath sayd in yt.