A Disclosing or Opening of the Man of Sin, Book 2 · Part 2
The manne of ſynne
¶ 1 Good peple / 2 theſe bokes contayned here in thys baggez or ſachell are 4 erronrouſe / heretycall / and noughtye bokes / and vvere remaynynge and founde in my hovvſe and cuſtodye / 5 vvhat tyme I vvas denounced and detected 6 to my lorde byſſhopp of London.
Hys dyſcloſynge.
1 Vvhan the wylye foxe fawneth,Ezech. 13. Prou. 11. Pſal. 36. beware your chyckens, as the common adage admonyſheth yow. For nought ys yt not, that he calleth yow here good peple, ye maye be ſure of yt. Vvych he, I praye yow? Euen my lorde bonner of London. For though the voyce be Tolwyns, the wordes of the voyce are my lordes.The wordes of Tolwis voyce are my lordes. Full heuye was he in hys hart good ſowle, to geue hym the vtteraunce of thē, yf he myght otherwyſe hauehave choſen. But he muſt nedes forth (they ſaye) that the deuyll dryueth, be he neuer ſo vnwyllynge. My lorde hath rhetorycallye begonne hys propoſycy on to wynne hys audytorye, and to make them attentyue and dylygēt, in callynge them good peple.
2 But whatys hys narracyon or proceſſesHys pontyfycall rhetoryck cōceruynge a ſachell. Ofſerten ſmall bokes contayned in a bagge or ſachell, whych Tolwyn ſhoke forth at Paules croſſe, with a feble countenaunce and a more feble ſtomake. And what ment my lorde in thys matter? That the peple ſchuld iudge Tolwyn an horryble heretyque, and that they ſchuld therbye be ware of ſoche noughtye hereſyes ageynſt holye churche. But what were theHereſyes not knowē but to the bagge hereſyes? Naye, that we can not tell. For they were faſt ſhutt vpp in a bagge, and myght in no wyſe be ſeane. The fathers in the prymatyue churche confoūded alwayes ther heretyques with the open teſtymonye of the moſt euydent ſcripturs, and not with the ſhakynge of bokes in a bagge. Yea, than was thā, and now is now. Thā were they called herety ques that ſpake ageynſt God. But now ys there non heretyquesDifference of heretyques now and than. except they ſpeake ageīſt holye churche. Than were ſerten philoſophers reaſons blaſphemouſe, but now they are good dyuynyte, and the verye ſcripturs are fou…e hereſyes. Therfor my lorde ys now moche wyſer than ſo. For yf the bokes were ſeane and the artycles throughlyeMy lorde playeth here 3. partes. knowne, hys ſelfe myght perchaunce be iudged both an herety que and a traytour, and alſo a cruell perſecuter of Chriſt in hys faythfull mēbers, whych were a great blemyſhe to hys lordhypp. And that cauſeth hym ſo ſecretlye to worke. It ys Inough for my lorde to ſaye, there be erroursThe kynges true ſubiectes abuſed. in the bagge, though he neuer brynge them forth. And yt ſchall become all the kynges true ſubiectes to beleue yt, vnderunder the peyne of hangynge or els burnynge. For whye my lordes quarell in thys, ys the kynges quarell. There ys now non hereſye but ys alſo treaſon (as yt was inThomas waldē in prologo primi li▪ cōtra wic leuiſtas. kynge harrye the fiftes tyme) that they maye be both partyners in one plage of the lordes vengeaūce, yf innocent blood be ſhedde. So naturallye good and louyn ge ys he to hys prynce.
3 But what meaneth my lorde to ſaye here, thys bagge or ſachell? Me thynketh the tone of thē had bene ſuffycyēt …nough in ſo lyght a matter. No ſer, not ſo. Ye knoweEquiuocacyon of thys myſtycall▪ terme, bagge. thys worde bagge ys ā equyuocall terme, and hath manye dyuerſe ſygnyfycacyons. Sumtyme yt betokeneth a ſafron bagge, ſumtyme an alame bagge. Sumtyme a moneye bagge, and ſumtyme an olde nayle bagge. Yea, ſumtyme a wallett, and ſumtyme the ende of a worne ſacke, with ſoche otherlyke. My lorde hath therfor declared rhetorycallye by a cyrcūlocucyonA tokē of remēbraū ce ageynſt an other tyme. what maner of bagge yt ys, euen a verye ſachel, that menne myght throughlye knowe yt ageynſt an other tyme. That yf Tolwyn ſchuld chaunce here after to be burned vponupon relapſe, they myght yet teſtyfye that hys hereſyes were ſchewed at Paules croſſe in ſoche a bagge as ys called a ſachel and that therfor be was wele worthye to dye.
4 But what meaneth my lorde to call theſe bokes erronyouſe, heretycall andThe bagge knoweth more thā we noughtye bokes▪ That can the bagge tell whych cōtayneth them, for we are not ſo farre taught as yet. Thys large circūſtaunce of ſpeakynge (I ſuppoſe) cometh of the angrye zele that my lorde hath in holye churches quarell, wherin he wolde all her yll wyllers wer clerelye conſumed.
5 The reſydue of thys text ys eaſye toThe feruent zele of my lorde for holye churche. In cuſtodye and out of cuſtodye. The popes ſworne benefactours. vnderſtande, as where theſe heretyque bokes remayned, where they where founde, and what tyme they were founde, as ys here ſett forth for a neceſſarye doctrine of thys newe Chriſten faythe. They were remaynynge in Tolwyns howſe, and they were founde in hys cuſtodye, ſoche tyme as he was in my lordes cuſtodye, and wolde fayne hauehave bene farder of.
6 And ſoche tyme alſo as he was denounced of the popes ſworne fryndes for not goynge proceſſyon, and detected of hys pr…uye ſpyes for not werkemālye makynge hys holye water,
7 VntoUnto the reuerende lorde late ryſen out of the donge hyll and now conſecrate byſſhop of London to vpholde rhe regne of antichryſt, tyll the lorde turne yt ouer with the breathe of hys mouthe. No leſſeLondon as fortunate as rome fortunate ys London than ys Rome yt ſelfe, to hauehave ſoche a gracyouſe gyde and ſpirituall paſtour as mynyſtreth ſoche godlye doctryne as here ys, to the edyfycacyon of ſowle. But who yt was that ſoughtA myſteſterye left here vndyſouſſed out theſe bokes to the clerer ſettynge out of thys wortlye pagent, that ſchall remayne ſtyll as a ſecrete myſterye vndyſcuſſed (whether they were hys accuſers or my lordes owne ſeruauntes, or els both together) becauſe yt ys not here expreſſed.