A Disclosing or Opening of the Man of Sin, Book 2 · Part 3
The manne of ſynne.
¶ 1 And the names of the ſeyd bokes are theſe. 2 A boke of frythes …3 A boke called Thorpe 4 and olde caſtell. 5 The olde God and the nevve. 6 Rydleyes commētaryes vpō ſaynt Paule to the Epheſyanes.
Hys dyſcloſynge.
1 SVmwhat we are lyke to hauehave out of thys ſachell, to proue Tolwyn anNames of bokes but nothynge els. heretyque by. Vve ſchall hauehave the names of the bokes therin cōtayned, though we hauehave nothīge els. And that ys Inough to make foles beleue the mone ys made of a grene cheſe. If my lorde ſchuld ſaye that ſaynt Paules epyſtles in Englyſhe weThe olde faythe ād beleue of holy churche. re hereſye, as hys predeceſſours hath done they muſt geue credence to yt. For whye they muſt nedes beleue as holye churche doth teache them, though they ſchuld go to the deuyll for yt, as they are lyke to do, yea, both that holye churche and her chyldren, vnleſſe they repent in tyme. For whan the blynde doth leade the blynde,Gal. 4. Lucae. 13. Math. 15. Ioan. 8. they muſt both fall into the dytche. The onlye lyght of ſaluacyon ys Chriſt, and alone the waye to eternall lyfe. He that walketh not in that light, ſchall neuer atteyne vntounto that lyfe, hauehave he neuer ſo manyeIoan. 14. Ioan. 1. Eſa. 55. counterfe…t lyghtes of my lordes holye churche of antichriſtes foundacyon. Names of bokes hath my lorde here promyſed vsus, whych ſchuld declare Tolwyn an heretyque.
2 But he halteth verye ſore at the firſt,My lorde halteth at the fyrſt. geuyng vsus a boke of frythes without a na me. Of a lykelyhode hys lordſhypp neuer opened that boke, or els he lyked not ther of the tyttle, iudgynge frythes name, Ynough to cōdempne yt without anye farder ſyght of yt. Yet hath he broken couenaunt (no derogacyō be yt to hys honour)My lorde breaketh couenaūt in that he hath promyſed here not the names of the mēne which made the bokes, but the names of the ſelfe bokes. Sure I am that Iohan fryth made no boke without a name. Eyther yt had the tyttle of a dyſpu…acyon ageynſt purgatorye, or of an anſwereThe bokes that Iohā frith cōpyled. vntounto mores epyſtle, or of the examynacyon of hys artycles, or of an exhortacyō to the folowers of Chriſtes goſpell, or of a myrrour to knowe owr ſelues by, or of a bulwarke ageynſt raſtell, or els concernynge the ſacrament of the bodye and blood of Chriſt, yfyt were hys. And as touchynge the reuelacyō of antichriſt,The reuelacyon of antichryſt tranſlated by Iohan Frith. though he ded tranſlate yt out of a foren tonge into Englyſhe, with an antitheſis annexed vntounto yt, yet was yt not of hys makynge. But trulye yf I myght vtter my cō ceyt, I wold ſaye that thys boke of frythes were hys diſputacyon of purgatorye, by cauſe yt ys here vnnamed. In dede by the goynge downe therof, my lordes kychyn ys not the warmer, nor yet hys purſe the wayghtyer, and therfor yt muſt nedes be hereſye.
3 Thorpe and oldecaſtell are the names of .ij. dyuerſe menne, and not of one ſeuerallThe examynacyō of maſter Vvyllyā Thorpe. boke, and therfor though my lorde hath pervſed the bagge, yet hath he not dyſcretelye pervſed the bokes. For a monſtruouſe thynge yt were .ij. menne to beo…e boke, vnleſſe he coude brynge yt in by ſome ſtraunge fygure of the canon lawe whych now adayes worketh manye newe myracles. The boke of maſter Vvyllyam thorpes examynacyon comprehendethThe chefe artycles theryn cō prehēded onlye theſe artycles. That Images ſchuld in no caſe be worſhyped. That mē ſchuld not go to them on pylgrymage. That preſtes hauehave no iuſt tytle to tythes by the goſpell. That yt ys not law full to ſwe are by anye creature. And that the ſacrament of Chriſtes bodye ys no accydent without a materyall ſubſtaunce as fryre Thomas hath fantaſyed.
4. The other ſmall treatyſe called the examynacyon of ſer Iohā oldecaſtell the lordeSer Iohan oldecaſtel the lorde cobham. Cobhā and worthye warryour of Ieſus Chriſt contayneth onlye theſe artycles. That byſſhopes hath made lawes for ther couetouſneſſe, whom no Chriſten menne ought to folowe. That no preſt ought by goddes lawe to ſytt vponupon anye mannys deathe. That ſens venym was ſhedde into the churche they neuer folowed Chriſt. That the pope in hys lawes and lyuynge ys vntounto Chriſt an aduerſarye. That theArtycles cōtayned cheflye in hys examynacyō churche of Rome ys the neſt of antichriſt, whoſe tayle are monkes and fryres. That the ſacrament of the aulter ys Chryſtes bodye and bread after Chriſtes and Paules doctryne. That mānys ſaluacyon, came in by Chriſt ād not by the croſſe he dyed on nor yet by anye other dead thynge. That God oft tymes curſeth where as byſſhoppesSore matters to be condēned doth bleſſe. And that an ignorāt preſt lyuynge wyckedly ought to heare no mā nys confeſſyon. In the condempnacyon of theſe artycles, ye alſo condempne manye godly thynges that owr gracyouſe prince hath done by the auctoryte of gods worde ſo forgetfull are ye of yourſelfe in yourMy lorde cōdēneth the kynge. dronken generacyon. Nothynge ys lyke to be allowed at your handes (I ſe well) that maketh ageiſt your glytterīge regne of blaſphemye. Styll are ye of the ſameLyke ys my lorde to the olde brutes of Babylon. ſelfe burnynge zele and ſtomake, that Tho mas Beckett, Vvyllyam Cortenaye, Tho mas Arundell, Harrye Spenſer, and ſoche other terryble termagauntes of yowr ſpy rytualte were in the quarell oſ yowr holye churche. A wonderfull thynge ys yt, that ye neuer repent yowr myſchefes, nor yet recant yowr errours, ſuperſtycyons, and blaſphemyes. But euermore perſecuteEuermore perſecute our byſſhops with Cai phas. and murther for the vpholdynge of thē playenge ſtyll the ſame partes that other cayphaſes hath done before yow. Not on lye are ye contented to beholde the cruell actes of yowr popyſhe predeceſſours, but alſo ye muſt conferme them a freſhe by a newe conclempnacy on of the popes enemyes to the great ſlaunder of yowr prynce, leaſt ye ſchuld loſe yowr part in theAn eaſye part hath my lorde played he re. vengeaunce promyſed for the ſhedynge of innocentes blood. Lett menne dylygēt lye ſerche thoſe. …. treatyſes, ād they ſchall eaſelye perſeyue what a faythfull part ye hauehave played here, in condempnynge in a maner all thynges that he hath made lawfull by the ſcripturs.
5 The boke of the olde God and theThe olde God and the newe newe was compyled (ſo farre as I can re membre) by one Hermannus a germane more than, xx. years a go. And onlye yt toucheth the pryde, couetouſneſſe, and tyrannye of the byſſhopp of Rome, the Idotrye of hys churche, and the hypocryſye of hys ſectes. Moche do I maruele wheri thatGod ys he re named onlye to hys condempnacyon. boke ſchuld offende yow, but that I knowe your hart by your frutes. Thys ys the fyrſt tyme that god ys named in thys ſecō de proceſſe of my lordes declaracyon, and yt ys in the tyttle of thys hereſye boke, els had yt gone by at thys tyme, and therfor thanke the boke for yt and not hym.
6 The commentarye whych the vertu ouſe lerned manne maſter Lancelot Rydleye made vponupon ſaynt Paules epyſtle toRydleyes commentaryes vponupon Paule to the Epheſyanes. the Epheſyanes for the true erudycyon of hys Chriſten bretherne, hath my lorde he re alſo cōdempned for hereſye. But what the cauſe ys I can not tell. Vnleſſe yt be for auauncynge the goſpell, as the thynge wherby we are made ryghtouſe without eyther decre or ceremonye. Or els for admony ſhynge vsus to be ware of mennys tradycyons and doctrines, leaſt we ſchuld byTradycyons maye not be touched. them truſt in anye other thynge than in Chriſt, ād leaſt we ſchuld for ther glytterynge gawdes refuſe the ſpyrituall armou re ageynſt the deuyll and hys members, whom Paule hath there preſcrybed vntounto vsus. So charytable ys my lorde to ChryſtesNothynge cōmeth from my lorde but condemp nacyon. congregacyon, that nothynge cometh frō hym to ther edyſyége neyther … preachyn ges nor yet in wrytynges, but all in condempnacyons of both to ther deſtruccyō. Here ys thys latter boke called rydlyes cō mentaryes, as though they were manye vponupon thys one epyſtle beynge but one, by cauſe he wyll be true in nothynge.