A Mystery of Iniquity Disclosed and Confuted, Part 12
A mysterye.
1 These praters of dyuynite vvith their affynyte. hath sought about
2 The vvorlde through out
3 For vngracyou…e teachers to be their preachers.
4 Conuenerunt in vnum aduersus dominum & aduersus Christum eius. psal. 2.
The openinge. 1.
LIke himselfe is Pantolabus alwayes / as the common sayinge is. A fole in the mornynge and all daye after not wyse. He calleth these greate lerned menne praters of diuynyte / yet was he neuer able to vnderstande one leafe of their workes. I thynke yf he were narrowlye examyned / he shulde a pere not to knowe what true diuy…ite is Of late yeares now at Oxforde their principall diuynes / as doctor Roper / doctor kyngton doctor Molle / & soche other / made their open complayntes that in .xxviii. yeares stodye they coude not vnderstande Dons. And as for Christes diuynite / I will beare them recorde / they knewe yt nothynge at all. I thynke these for that tyme in their disputacyons and lecturs were Iolye pratlers of diuynite. And their frutes wolde declare a great sort of them to be lyttle better now. Is not here (thynke you) in this worke of Pantolabus / a plesaūt patche of diuynite: It is no maruele though so noble a clarke as he complayneth of pratynge / whan his selfe pratleth here so folyshlye. youre draffyshe diuynes / as Dons / Thomas / Guido / Gyles / Ockam / Baconthorpe / Durande / Gabriel / Dorbel / and a thousande more / hath done lyttle other these .iii. hondreth yeares but establyshe lyes in hypocresye to falsyfye the scripturs / yet were they no praters of diuynite but good doctors of holye churche. O beastlye Baalamytes / lerne ones to be godlye wyse.
2 What you & youre affynite hauehave sought the worlde ouer / and what ye seke yet s…yll / yt is knowne in this age to manye / yet are ye not ashamed of yt. ye hauehave sought out all the sorceryes of the Gentiles / to fyll the peple with their supersticyons. ye hauehave robbed y• Sophisters of their subtyle conueyaunces / to begyle y• poore innocent sowles. The wylye inuencyons of …ogycke / the craftye colours of Rhetoryke / & the preuye practyses of philosophie hauehave ye gathered togyther / to deceyue all y• worlde that knoweth not your craftes. Not one slayght is there nor cast of good legerdemayne that anye iugler hath / but ye hauehave sought yt oute for auauntage. Soche subtyle sekers ye are yet to this daye: What ye hauehave sought in other mennis howses / hawles / stabyls / barnes / butteryes / kychy…s / chambers / parlours / and sumtyme in the good mannys bedde / I thynke there be fewe alyue but knoweth. There is not a poore wenche that taketh wages / but ye must hauehave y• tent part for preuye tythes. There is not a labourer which lyueth by the sweate of his browes / but ye must hauehave a patche therof / though his chyldren shulde famyshe at home. youre sekynge about y• worlde through oute is an other maner of matter than the trauayle of those godlye menne hath bene / whom ye here accuse in youre ydelnesse.
3 If euer there were in the worlde teachers more vngracyouse than you / I ma…uele / or yf there euer were more peruerse preachers / I wondre. What other hath bene youre doctryne afore tyme / but that the peple shul'd beleue as holye churche doth teache them? That is to saye that the Pope was Gods vycar in earthe / & the head of that holye churche. That he coude not erre / & that his curse was most to be feared. That purgatorye was peynefull / pylgrimages wholsom / masses merytoryouse / diryges medicynable / holye water good for spretes / & soche other wretched wytcherye. All the …odye of youre bysshoppes / practyse of youre prestes / dilygence of youre relygiouse / and labour of youre vnyuersytees / was about non other thynge / but to maynteyne soche beggerlye baggage. And yt apereth by Wynchestre / Bonner / Tonstall / & soche other / that ye seke yet non other thynge els. The solempne declara…yōs of Seyton & Tolwyn shall yet stande forth for wytnesses / yf nede be / besydes the workes of Standysshe & Pantolabꝰ. O most shamelesse hypocrites / how dare ye be so bolde to report other menne for vngracyouse teachers / your selues offerynge so vngracyouse documētes to y• worlde… Remoue first of all y• great beame of your owne / ere ye take y• small mote from your neyber. He that shall conferre your teachynges wt y• worde of God / shall fynde them vngracyouse ynough
4 The scripture here alleged for your vngracyouse purpose: Conuenerū …t in … adu…rsus domin… & aduersus Chrisium eius / maye saye that he is full vngracyouslye handled. Dauid spake it in prophecye agaynst y• heythē tyraūtes / that shuld withstande both y• lord & his worde. These (sayth he) come togyther agaynst God & his Christ. Into this myschefe fell at y• last y• cruell counsell also of y• Iewes / y• bishopes / pharisees / lawers / scribes / & doctours wt the vndiscrete rewlers peruerted by thē. And euer sens yt hath ben… your bloodthurstye generacyon / styll persecutyng Christ in his faythfull members. They are y• false peple that ymagyne vayne thynges. They are the tyraūtes that withstande gods veryte / burnyng / hāgyng / & drownyng y• poore innocentes for yt. Who are y• kynges of y• earth but they? The other beare onlye y• name / & are but their bochers & slaues. But this shuld Pantolabꝰ hauehave also consydered. Qui habitat in celis / irridebiteos / & tanqu… ̄ vas figuli confringet eos. He that sitteth in heuen shall scorne their practyses in y• dredefull daye / & dashe them in peces lyke an earthen vessell that is throwne agaynst an harde wall. Let not those termagauntes thynke so to escape y• great vengeaūce of his indigna…cyon. For there yt doth abyde thē in dede. Though they take here their vayne pleasurs for y• tyme / yet is not y• iudgemēt farre of / neyther slepeth their dānacyon / but is redye to lyght vponupon thē wt vengeaūce.