The Second to Seventh Sermon to His Majesty, Sermon 1

The Second to Seventh Sermon to His Majesty · Sermon 1

QVecunque scripta sutit: ad nostram doctrinam. &c. All thynges that are wrytten in Goddes boke, in the holy Byble, they were wrytten before oure tyme, but yet to contynue from age to age as long as the world doeth stand.

In thys Boke is contayned doctrine for al estates,In goddes boke is cōtayned doctryne for al estates. euen for kynges. A kynge herein maye learne how to guyde hym selfe, I tolde you in my laste sermon muche of the dutye of a kynge. And there is one place behynde yet, and it foloweth in the texte.

Postquam autem sederit in solio regni sui. &c. Deute. xviiAnd when the Kynge is sette in the seate of hys kyngdome, he shall wryte hym out a boke & take a copy of y^• pryestes or Leuites. He shall hauehave the boke wyth hym, and why? to reade in it all the dayes of hys lyfe, to learne to feare God, and learne hys Lawes, and other thynges, as it foloweth in the texte wyth the appurtenaunces and hāgynges on, that he turne not frome God, neyther to the ryght hande, nor to the lefte. And wherfore shal he do thys? that he may lyue longe, he and hys children. Hitherto goeth the text. That I maye declare thys the better to the edifiynge of youre soules and the glory of God, I shall desyre you to praye. &c. Et posquam sederit &c. Before I enter into thys place (right honourable audyence) to furnyshe it accordyngly, whych by the grace of god I shal do at leasure, I woulde repete the place I was in last, & furnyshe it wyth an history or two whiche I lefte oute in my last sermō. I was in a matter cōcerning the sturdines of the Iewes,The styfnecked Iewes & our Englysh men cōpared to gether. a frowarde and styfnecked kynde of people, much lyke oure Englyshe men nowe a dayes, that in the minoritye of a Kynge, take vponupon them to breake lawes & to go by wayes. For whē god had promysed thē a kyng, whē it came to the point they refused hym. These men walked by walckes, and the sayynge is, many bywalkes,An Englyshe adage otherwyse called an old said say many balckes, many balckes muche stumblynge, and where muche stumblynge is, there is sometyme a fal, how be it ther were some good walkers among thē, that walked in the kinges highe waye ordinarilye, vpryghtlye, playne Dunstable waye, and for thys purpose, I woulde shewe you an hystorye whyche is wryten in the thyrde of the kynges.

Kynge Dauid beynge in hys chyldhode,…ij. of kynges, the fyrste Chapt. an olde man, in hys second chyldhode, for al old men are twyse chyldren, as the Prouerbe is. Senex his puer. An olde manne, twyse a chylde, it happened wyth hym, as it doth oftentymes, when wycked men, of a Kynges chyldhode take occasyon of euyl.

Thys Kynge Dauid beyng weake of nature and impotente, in so muche that when he was couered with clothes, he coulde take no heate, was counsayled of his seruauntes to take a fayre younge mayde to nouryshe hym, and to kepe hym warme in hys bodye, I suppose she was hys wyfe. Howe be it he hadde no bodilye companye wyth her, and well she myghte be hys wyfe. For thoughe the scripture doeth say: Non cognouit …am. He knewe her not, he had no carnall copulation wyth her yet it sayeth not: Non duxit eam vxorem. He maryed her not. And I canne not thynke that kynge Dauid woulde hauehave her to warme hys bosome in bedde, excepte shee hadde bene hys wyfe, hauynge a dispensatyon of God to hauehave as manye wyues as he woulde.

For God had dispensed wyth theym to hauehave manye wyues. Wel: what happened to kinge Dauid in his chyldhode, by the chylde of the deuyll? Ye shall heare. Kynge Dauid hadde a proud sonne, whose name was Adonias,Adonias. iij. of Kynges the fyrst. a man ful of ambition, desyrouse of honoure, alwayes clymbyng, climbinge. Nowe, whylse the tyme was of his fathers childhode, he wold depose hys father, not knoweyng of hys fathers mynde, saiing. Ego regnabo. I wil raigne, I wyll be kyng, he was a stoute stomacked chyld, a biwalker, of an ambitious mynde, he wold not consente to hys fathers frēdes, but gate him a charret, and mē to runne before it, and dyuerse other adherentes to helpe hym forthward, worldely wise men, such as had bene before of hys fathers counsayle, great men in the world, & some no doute of it, came of good wil thynkynge no harme, for they woulde not thynke, that he did it wythoute his fathers wyll, hauynge suche greate men to set hym forth, for eueryevery man cā not hauehave accesse at al tymes to the kynge, to knowe hys pleasure, well: algates he woulde be Kyng, he makes a great feaste,Ioab captain general of Dauids army. and thether he called Ioab the ryngleader of hys fathers armye, a worldlye wyse man, a bywalker, that woulde not walke the Kynges hye way, and one Abiathar the highe prieste. For it is maruayle if any michyefe be inhand, if a prieste be not at some ende of it, they toke hym as Kynge, and cried, Viuat rex Adonias. God saue kynge Adonias, Dauid suffered all thys, & lette hym alone, for he was in hys chyldhode a bedred man.

But se howe God ordered the matter, Nathan the Prophete and Sadoc a priest, and Banayah, & Crethytes, and Phelethytes the Kynges gard, they were not called to the feast.

These were good, men, and woulde not walke bywayes, therefore it was foly to breake the matter to them, they were not called to counsell.

Therefore Nathan when he harde of thys, he commeth to Bethsabe Salomons mother and sayeth. Heare ye not howe Adonias the sonne of Ageth, raygneth kynge, Dauid not knowyng? And he bad her put the kynge in mynde of hys oth that he sware that her sonne Salomō should be kynge after hym, thys was wyse counsayle accordynge to the Prouerbe. Qui vadit plane, vadit sane.

He that walketh in the hye playne vaye, walketh safelye. Upō thys the wente and brake the matter to Dauid,Bethsabe sueth to Dauid & sollicites her sonnes Salomōs matter. and desyered hym to shewe wo should raygne after hym in Hierusalem, addynge that yf Adonias were kynge, she and her sonne after hys death shoulde be destroied, saying: Nos erimus peccatores. We shalbe sy…ers, we shalbe takē for traytors, for though we ment no harme but walked vpryghtly yet because we went not the by way with hym he beynge in authoritie wyl destroye vsus, And by and by commeth in Nathā, and taketh hyr tale by the ende, & sheweth him howe Adonias was saluted kynge, & that he hadde byd to dynner the Kynges seruantes, al sauinge hym and Sadoc, and Banaiah and al hys brethren the kynges sonnes saue Salomon. Kynge Dauid remembryng hym selfe, swore, as sure as God lyueth, Salomō my son shall raygne after me, and by and by commaunded Nathan and Sadoc and hys garde the Cerithes & Phelites, to take Salomō hys sonne and set, hym vponupon hys mule, and an…it hym Kynge▪ and so they dyd criynge, Vi…at Salomō Rex. Thus was Salomō throned, by the aduyse and wyl of hys father, and thoughe he were a childe, yet was his wil to be obeyed & fulfylled, and they ought to hauehave knowē hys pleasure. Whylse this was a doyng there was suche a Ioye and outecrye of the people,The Ioye of the people for theyr newe kyng. for theyr newe Kynge, and blowynge of trompettes, y^e Ioab & the other company beinge in theyr iolytye, and kepynge good cheare. heard it, and sodaynlye asked what is thys ado? And when thei perceiued, y^t Salomō, by y^e aduyse of hys father was annoynted King, by and by there was all whysht. all theyr good chere was done, and al y^t were wyth Adonias wente awaye, & lette hym raygne alone. yf he woulde, and whye? He walked a bywaye and God would not prospere it.

God is against priuate authoryte & inordinate doynges.God wyll not worcke wyth pryuate authoritie, nor wyth anye thynge done inordinatlye. When Adonias sawe thys that he was left alone, he toke sanctuarye, and helde by the hornes of the aultare, and sware that he woulde not departe thence, tyll Salomon woulde sweare that he shoulde not lease hys lyfe. Here is to be noted the notable sentence, and greate mercye of Kynge Salomon.The mercye of Salomon is notable.

Let hym (sayeth he) order hym self lyke a quyete man, and there shall not one heare fal frō hys heade. Sed si inuentum fuerit, malum in eo. But yf there shall be any euyll foūde in him, yf he hath gone aboute anye myschyefe, he shall dye for it. Upon thys he was broughte in to Salomon, and as the boke sayeth, he dyd homage vntounto hym, and Salomon sayed to him. Vade in domum tuam.

Get the into thy house, bylyke he meante to warde, & there to se hys wearynge, as yf he should saye,Tyme tryeth traytours frō the trusty. shew thy self without gal of ambicion, to be a quyet subiecte, and I wyll pardone the for thys tyme. But I wyll se the wearynge of the.

Here we maye se the wonderfull greate mercy of Salomon for thys notoryous treason, y^t Adonias had cōmytted, it was a plaine matter, for he suffered hym selfe to be called kynge, it hūg not of vehemēt suspitiō or cōiecture nor sequel or cōsequēt yet notwythstandynge Salomon for that present, forgaue hym, sayinge. I wyll not forget it vtterlye, but I wyll kepe it in suspence, I wyll take no aduauntage of the at thys tyme. Thys Adonias & Absolon were brethren, and came boeth of a straunge mother, and Absolon lyke wyse was a traytoure and made an insurrection agaynste hys father. Beware therefore these mothers, and let kynges take hede howe they marye, in what housses, in what fayeth. For strange bringyng vp bringeth straunge maners.…ote of what force education ys. Nowe geueth Dauid an exhortacion to Salomō, and teacheth hym the dutye of a Kynge, and geueth hym a lesson, as it foloweth at large in the boke, and he that lyste to reade it, maye se it ther at full. But what doeth Adonias all thys whyle?Adonias schrinkes in y^e wetyng and prouethnogth in the wearyng. He must yet clymbe agayne, y^t gal of ambition was not out of his hert. He wil now mary Abisaas the yōge quene that warmed kīg Dauids bosome, as I told you, & commeth me to Bethsabe, desyering hyr to be a meane to Salamon hyr sonne that he myght obtayne hys purpose. And bryngeth me out a couple of lyes at a clappe, and cōmytteth me two vnlawfull actes. For fyrste he woulde hauehave bene Kynge wythoute hys fathers consente, and now he wyll mary hys fathers wyfe, and the .ii. lyes are these. Fyrste, sayed he to Bethsabe, thou knowest that the Kyngdome belongeth to me, for I am the elder. The kyngedom was myne,ij. lowde lyes at a clap made by Ambitious a Adonias. he lyed falsely it was none of hys. Then sayed he all the eyes of Israel were caste vpō me, that is to saye, all Israel consented to it, and there he lyed falslye. For Nathā, Sadoc, and other wyse men, neuer agreede to it. Here was a greate enterprise of Adonias, he wyl be climbing styll. Well Bethsabe wente at hys requeste to hyr sonne Salomon, and asked a boune, and he graunted hyr what so euer she did aske. Notwythstanding he brake his promis afterward and that rightwell, for all promysses are not to kepte, speciallye if they be agaynste the worde of God.When promises maye not be performed Or not standynge with a commune profit, and therefore, as sone as Salomon heard that Adonias would hauehave maryed the yonge quene Abisaak: naye then let hym be kynge to, sayed he. I perceyue now that he is a naughty man, a proude herted fellowe, the gal of ambition is not yet out of his herte, and so commaunded hym to be put to death. Thus was Adonias put to execution,Adonias put to death iij. Kyng. ij. wheras yf he had kepte hys house & not broken hys iniunction, he myght hauehave lyued styll.Abiathar deposed & made a quondam .iij. Kyng. ij Abiathar, what became of him? The king (because he had serued hys father before hym) woulde not put him to death, but made him as it were a quondam. Because thou hast bene wyth my father sayed he, & diddest cary the arck before him I wyl not kyll the.

But I wyll promyse the, thou shalte neuer mynyster anye moore. Vade in agrum tuum. Get the to thy lande, and lyue theare. A great matter of pittye & compassyō, so God graunt vsus al, suche mercye. And here was the ende of Elis stocke, accordyng to the promyse and threatenyng of God. As for the Phelethites we do not read that thei were punyshed. Mary Semey traunsgressed hys Iniunction for he kepte not hys house, but wente oute of Hyerusalem to seke two seruaūtes of hys, that had runne from hym, and when it came to Salomons eare, it coste hym hys lyfe. I hauehave rypt the matter nowe to the pyll, and hauehave tolde you of playne walkers, and of bywalkers, & howe a kynge in hys chyldehode is a kynge, as well,Ioas was but vij yeares old when he was made Kynge, iiij. Kyng. xij. Iosias was viij.iiij. Kyng. xxij as in any other age. We reade in scrypture of suche as were but .xii. or .viii. yeares olde, and yet the worde of the holye Goost called them kynges, sayinge: Cepitr… guare. He began to raygne, or he began to be kynge. Here is of bywalkers. Thys hystorye woulde be remembred, the Prouerbe is: Felir quē faciunt aliena pericula cautū.

Happye is he that can beware by an other mans ieoperdy. For yf we offende not as other do, it is not oure owne desertes. If we fal not, it is Goddes preseruation. We are al offenders. For auther we maye do, or hauehave done, or shall do (excepte God preserue vsus) as euyll as the worste of them. I pray God we maye all amende and repente. But we wyll all amende nowe I truste. We muste neades amende oure lyues euerye man. The holy communiō is at hād, and we maye not receyue it vnworthelye.

Wel, to returne to my hystory. Kynge Dauid (I say) was a kynge in hys second chyldhode And so,Kynges though they be chyldrē yet they are kynges. yonge kynges thoughe they be chyldren, yet are they kynges notwythstandyng, and thoughe it be wrytten in scrypture: Ve tibi O terra vbi puer est Rex. Wo to the, O Land, where the kīg is a chyld: it foloweth in an other place. Beata terra vbi rex nobilis. Blessed is the Lande, where there is a noble Kynge. Where Kynges be no banketers, no players, and they spend not the tyme in haukynge, and huntynge.

And when had the Kynges mayestye a Councell that toke more payne boeth night & daye for the settynge forthe of Gods word,The kynges honourable councel worthely commē ded▪ and profyt of the cōmune wealth? And yet there be some wycked people that wyll saye.

Tushe, thys geare wyll not tarye,The comune saying of the popyshe hope dayes. it is but my Lorde Protertours, and my Lord of Canterburyes doynge. The Kynge is a chyld, he knoweth not of it.

Iesu mercy, howe lyke are we Englyshe men to the Iewes,Englysh men worsse then the Iewes. euer stubburne, styfnecked, and walkynge of bye wayes. Yea I thynke no Iewe woulde at any tyme saye. Thys geare wyl not tary. I neuer hearde nor read at any time that thei saied.

These lawes were made in such a kynges dayes, when he was but a chylde. Let vsus alter them. O Lorde what pittye is thys, that we shoulde be worsse then the Iewes?

Blessed be the lande sayth the worde of God, where the Kynge is noble. What people are they that saye, the Kynge is but a chylde? HaueHave not we a noble Kynge? Was there euer Kynge so noble? So Godlye? brought vp with so noble counsaylours? so excellent, and well learned Scolemaysters? I wyll tel you thys, and I speake it euen as I thynke. Hys maiestye hath more Godlye wytte and vnderstandynge,A trewe and harty report of M.L. by y^e kynges maiestye. more learnynge and knowledge at thys age, then xx. of hys progenitors, that I coulde name, had at anye tyme of theyr lyfe.

I tolde you in my laste sermō of minysters of the kinges people, and had occasyon to shewe you, howe few noble men were good preachers, and I left oute an hystory then whyche I wyll nowe tell you.

There was a byshop of Winchester in Kynge Henry the .vi. dayes,The hystorye of a byshop of Winchester in Kyng Henry the .vi. tyme. whyche kynge was but a chylde, and yet were there manye good Actes made in hys chyldehode, and I do not reade that they were broken.

Thys byshoppe was a great man borne, and dyd beare suche a stroke, that he was able to shoulder the Lord Protectour. Wel, it chaunced that the Lord Protectour and he fell out, and the byshoppe would beare nothynge at all wyth hym, but played me the Satrapa, so that the Regente of Fraunce was faine to be sēt for frō beyōd the Seas, to set theim at one, and to go betwene them.

For the byshoppe was as able and readye to buccle wyth the Lorde Protectoure, as he was wyth hym.

Was not this a good prelate? he should hauehave bene at home a preachynge in hys Dioces in a waniant. Thys Protector was so noble and Godly a mā, that he was called of eueryevery mā the good Duke Humfrey.The good Duke Humfrey. He kept suche a housse, as neuer was kept synce in Englande, wythout any enhaunsyng of rentes I warrāt you, or any such matter. And the byshop for stāding so styflye by the matter, & bearynge vp the order of our mother y^e holie church,The byshop had a cardynall hat but a tyburne typpet would a be come him better. was made Cardinall at Calice, & thyther the byshop of Rome sent hym a cardinals hatte. He shuld hauehave had a tiburne tippet, a halpeny halter, and allsuche proude prelates. These Romish hattes neuer broughte good into Englande.

Upon thys the bishop goeth me to the quene Katherin the kinges wyfe, aproud woman & a stout, & perswaded hir, that if the duke were in such authoritie styl, & lyued, the people wold honor him, more thē they dyd the king. And the king shuld not be set by, & so betwene thē, I cā not tel how it came to pas, but at .s. Edmundesbury in a parliamēt the good Duke Humfrey was smothered.Duke Humfrey was smothered.

But nowe to returne to my texte, and to make further rehearsall of the same, the matter begīneth thus. Et pasquā sederit rex And when the kyng is sette in the seate of hys Kyngedome, what shal he do? shal he daunce, and dally?What is the office ofaking newly chosen banket? hauke and hunte? No forsothe syr. For as God set an order in the Kynges stable as I tolde you in my last Sermon, so wyll he apoynte what pastyme a Kynge shall hauehave. What must he do then? He must be a student. He muste wryte Goddes aboke hym selfe. Not thynkynge bycause he is a kynge, be hath lycence to do what he wyll, as these worldlye flatterers are wont to say. Yea, trouble not your self syr, ye mai hauke & hunt, and take youre pleasure. As for the guydinge of your kyngdome and people, let vsus alone wyth it.

These flatteryng clawbackes are originall rotes of all myschyefe,Flatteryng clawbackes and yet a Kynge maye take hys pastyme in haukinge or huntynge or such lyke pleasures.How a kynge may take hys pastyme. But he must vse them for recreation when he is wery of waighty affayres, that he mai returne to thē the moore lustye. and thys is called pastime with good companye.The kyng must wryte y^e boke of Deutero. him selfe Deut. xvij He must write out a boke hym selfe. He speaketh of wrytynge bicause printynge was not vsed at y^e tyme.

And shall the Kynge wryte it out hym selfe? He meaneth he shall se it wrytten, and rather then he shoulde be wythout it, wryte it hym selfe.

Iesus mercy, is God so chary wyth a kynge to hauehave hym wel brought vp & instructed? Yea forsoth. For if the kyng be well ordered, the realme is wel ordered. Where shall he hauehave a copye of thys boke? of the Leuites. And why? Bicause it shal be a true copye, not falsifyed.

Moyses lefte the boke in an olde cheste, & the Leuites had it in kepyng. And bycause ther should be no errour, no addition, nor takynge away from it, he byddeth hym fetch the copye of the Leuites. And was not here a greate miracle of God. how this boke was preserued? It had layne hyd many yeares and the Iewes knewe not of it.

Therefore at lengthe when they had founde it and knew it: they lamented for theyr ignoraunce, that had so long bene wythoute it, and rente theyr clothes, repentyng theyr vnfaythfulnes, and the holy bible Goddes boke,Goddes boke hath bene preserued hyther to by a wonderful myracle, no God a mercy vntounto the bysshoppes▪ that we hauehave amonge vsus, it hathe bene preserued hytherto by wonderfull miracle of God (though the kepers of it were neuer so malitiouse) firste euer sythe the byshope of Rome was firste in authorytye, they hauehave gone about to destroye it, but God worketh wonderfully, he hathe preserued it mauger theyr beardes, and yet are we vnthankefull that we can not consider it. I wil tel you, what a byshoppe of thys realme sayed once to me, he sent for me & meruayled that I woulde not consente to suche tradytyones,What a bysshop sayd to M. L. as were then sette out.

And I answered hym, that I woulde be ruled by Gods boke, and rather then I wolde dissent one iote frō it, I woulde be torne wyth wylde horsses. And I chaunced in our cōmunication, to name the Lordes supper. Tushe sayeth the Byshop. What do ye call the Lordes supper? What newe terme is that? There stode by hym a dubber, one Doctour Dubber he dubbed hym by and by, and sayde that thys terme was seldome red in the doctours. And I made answer, y^t I would rather folowe Paule in vsyng hys termes, then them, though, they hadde all the doctours on theyr syde. Whye sayed the byshoppe,A Byshop y^t asked wheather y^e people myght not be ordred with outscriptures can not we wythoute scriptures order y^e people? how dyd they before the scripture was fyrste wrytten and copied out? But God knoweth, ful yl yet woulde they hauehave ordered theim. For seyng that hauyng it, they hauehave deceyued vsus. in what case shold we hauehave bene nowe wythout it? But thankes be to God, y^t by so wōderful a myracle hathe preserued y^e boke styll. It foloweth in the text. Habebit secum &c. The Byble must not be forgotten in tyme of progresse and pastyme.He shal hauehave it w^t hym in hys progresse, he muste hauehave a man to carrye it, that when he is haukynge and huntynge or in any pastyme, he maye alwayes comune with them of it. He shall reade in it not once a yeare, for a tyme, or for hys recreation when he is weary of haukyng or huntyng but Cunctis diebus vite sue. All the dayes of hys lyfe. Where are those worldlynges now? These bledder puffed vp wylye men? Wo worth them that euer they were about any King. But how shall he read thys boke? as the Homilies are read.How homely they handle the godlye homylies. Some call theym homlyes, and in dede so they maye be well called, for they are homely handeled. For though the Priestes reade theym neuer so well, yet yf the Paryshe lyke them not, ther is suche talkynge and bablynge in the Churche, that nothynge can be heard, and yf the paryshe be good, and the pryest naught he wyll so hacke it, & choppe it, that it were as good for theym to be wythout it, for any worde that shal be vnderstande. And yet (the more pytye) thys is suffred of your graces byshoppes in theyr diocesses vnpunished. But I wyll be a suter to youre grace,M. L. request to the kynges grace. that ye wyll geue youre byshoppes charge year they go home, vponupon theyr allegiaunce to loke better to theyr flocke, & to se your maiesties iniunctiōs better kepte, and sende youre visitours in theyr tayles.

And if they be founde negligent or fauty in theyr deuties oute with them.Out with the neglygent byshoppes. I require it in Gods behalfe, make thē quondams all the packe of them. But peraduenture ye wyll saye Where shall we hauehave anye to put in theyr rowmys?

In dede I were a presumptuous fellow to moue your grace to put them oute, yf there were not other to put in theyr places. But youre mayestye hath diuers of your chaplayns, well learned men, and of good knowledge, & yet ye hauehave some that be bad inough,Hangers of y^e court. hāgers on of the court, I meane not those. But if your mayesties chaplayns, and my Lorde Protectours be no… able to furnyshe theyr places, there is in thys realme, thankes be to GOD, a great syghte of laye men well learned in the scryptures, and of vertuouse & Godly conuersation, better learned then a greate syght of vsus, of the cleargy.

I can name a numbre of them that are able and woulde he glad (I dare say) to minister the function, yf they be called to it.M. L. wolde hauehave learned laymen to furnyshe the rowmes of bysshoppes. I moue it of conscience to your grace, lette them be called to it orderly, let them hauehave institution, and geue them the names of the cleargye. I meane not the name onlye, but lette theym, do the function of a byshop, and lyue of the same. Not as it is in manye places, that one shoulde hauehave the name, and cyghte other the profyte.

For what an enormitye is thys in a chrystian realme to serue in a ciuilitye,An enormytie in a comune wealth wherby the clargy is lyke to be brogth into slauerye. hauyng the profyt of a Prouostshyp and a Deanry, and a Personage?

But I wyll tell you what is lyke to come of it. It wyl bryng the cleargy shortely into a very slauerye. I maye not forget here my Scala celi, that I spoke of in my laste sermon. I wyll repete it now agayn, desyering your grace in Goddes behalfe that ye wyl remembre it.

The Byshop of Rome had a Scala celi, but his was a mas matter. This Scala celi, is the true ladder that bryngeth a manne to heauen,The Scala celi & hys .v. steppes. the toppe of the ladder or fyrst greese, is thys.

Who so euer calleth vponupon the name of the Lorde, shall be saued. The seconde steppe. Howe shall they call vppon hym, in whom they hauehave no beleue? The thyrd stayer is thys. How shall they beleue in hym of whō they neuer hearde? The fourth steppe. Howe shall they heare wythout a preacher? Nowe the nether ende of the ladder is. Howe shall they preache, except they be sent? This is the fote of the ladder, so that we maye goo backeward now, & vse the schole argumēt. A primo ad vltimum. Take away preachyng, take away saluation.

But I feare one thynge,The feare is past for it is done all redy. and it is: lest for a salfety of a lytle money, you wyll put in chauntrye Pryestes, to saue theyr pentions.

But I wyll tell you, Chryst boughte Soules wyth hys bloude, and wyl ye sel theym for golde or syluer?

I woulde not that ye should do wyth chauntrye pryestes, as ye dyd with the Abbottes, when Abbeyes were put downe. For when their enormities were fyrst red in the parliamēt house, they were so greate and abhominable, that there was nothynge but downe with them. But within a whyle after,New byshoppes of olde Abbottes. the same Abbottes were made byshops as there be some of them yet a lyue to saue and redeme theyr pentiōs. O Lorde, thinke ye, that God is a fole, & seeth it not, and if he se it, wyl he not punyshe it. And so nowe for salfety of money, I wolde not y^t ye should put in chauntrey priestes, I speake not now against suche chauntrey priestes as are able to preache, but those that are not able, I wyll not hauehave them put in. For if ye do thys, ye shall answere for it.

It is in the text, that a king ought to feare god, he shal hauehave the dreade of God before hys eyes, worcke not by wordlye polycye,Wordly polycye feareth not God. for worldly policie feareth not God.

Take hede of these claubackes, these venemouse people that wyll come to you, that wyl folowe lyke Gnatoes and Parasites, if you folowe theym,Smel feastes or flatter…rs. you are oute of youre boke. If it be not accordynge to Gods words that they counsayle you, do it not for any worldle policye, for then ye feare not God.

It foloweth in the texte. Vt no… eleuetur coz eius. That he be not proude aboue hys brethreen. A kynge muste not be proude, for God myght hauehave made hym a shepheard, when he made hym a kyng, & done him no wronge.

There be many examples of proude kynges in scrypture.

Pharao Exod. vij.viij ix.x.As Pharao that woulde not heare the message of God. Herode also, y^t put Iohn Baptiste to death, and wolde not heare hym, he tolde hym, that it was not lawefull for hym to marye hys brothers wyfe.

Ieroboam also was a proude kynge.Ieroboam iij. Kyng. xij An other kynge there was that worshipped straunge Gods and Idols, of those men whō he had ouer come before in battayle, and when a Prophet tolde hym of it. What sayd he. Who made you one of my coū cel? These were proud kynges, theyr examples are not to be folowed.

But wherefore shall a kynge feare God, and turne neyther to the ryght hande, nor to the left? Wherfore shall he do all this? vt longo tēpore reg…et ipse, et filii tius. That he may raigne long, he and hys chyldren.Thogh his termes are homely yet are the good inogh for the persones that &c. Remembre thys I beseche your grace. And whē these flatterers, and flybbergybbes another daye shall come & clawe you by the backe and say.

Syr trouble not your selfe. What should you study? Why shold you do this or that? Your grace maye answer them thus. and say. What Syrra, I perceyue you are wery of vsus,Suche an answer woulde cut his comb & make hym to go away as he had a flea in hys eare. and our posteritye. Doeth not God sai in such a place. That a king shold wryte out a boke of gods lawe, and reade it? learne to feare God. And whye? That he and his, might raygne long I perceyue nowe thou arte a traytour.

Tell hym thys tale once, and I warrant you he wyll come no more to you,… charme to chase away claubackes. neyther he, nor any other after such a sorte.

And this shal your grace dryue these flatterers and claubackes awaye. And I am afrayed I hauehave troubled you to longe. Therefore I wyll furnyshe the texte nowe wyth an hystory or two, and then I wyll leaue you to God. Ye hauehave hearde howe a king ought to passe the tyme. He must read the boke of God, & it is not inoughe for hym to reade, but he must be acquainted wyth all scripture, he muste studye, and he must praye, and how shal he do both these.…j. of kyng. iij

He maye learne at Salomon, GOD spake vntounto Salomon,ij. of Chrenicles, i, b when he was made a kyng, and bade hym aske of hym what he woulde, and he shoulde hauehave it. Make thy peticion sayed God, and thou shalt obtayne.

Nowe marke Salomōs praier: Domine, o Domine deus, said he: O Lord GOD, it is thou that hast caused me to raigne, & haste set me in my fathers seate,Salomon is a president of prayer for kynges. for thou GOD onelye doest make kynges. Thus should Kynges prayse God, and thanke god as Salomon dyd.

But what was hys petycion? Lorde, sayed he: Da mihi cor docile… He asked a docyble herte, a wise herte,Salomon asketh wisdome and wysedome to go in and to go oute, that is to begyn all myne affayres well, and to bryng them to good effecte and purpose, that I maye learne to guyde and gouerne my people. When he had made his petyciō it pleased God well that Salomon asked wysdome, & neyther rytches nor longe lyfe, & therefore GOD made him thys answere. Because thou hast chosen wysedome aboue all thynges, I wyll geue the it, & thou shalt be the wysest kynge that euer was before the, and so he was, & the wisest in al kīdes of knowledge, that euer was syth. And though he dyd not aske ritches, yet God gaue hym both rytches and honoure, more then euer anye of hys auncetours had.

So youre grace must learne howe to do, of Salomon. Ye must make your peticion,Study and prayer muste be coupled to geather. nowe studye, nowe praye. They must be yoked to gether, and thys is called pastyme wyth good companye. Now when God had geuen Salomon wysedome, he sente him by and by occasyon to occupy hys wyt.God minystres occasiō to vse his gyftes at one time or other. For God gaue neuer a gyft, but he sent occasyon at one tyme or another to shewe it to Gods glory. As if he sent rytches, he sendeth pore mē to be helped wyth it. But nowe must men occupy theyr goodes otherwayes. They wyl not loke on the poore, they muste helpe their children,How shoulde we hauehave mo vpskypped gentlemen were it not for theyr purchasyng. & purchase them more lād thē euer theyr grandfathers had before thē. But I shall tell you what Chryst said. He that loueth his childe better thē me, is not worthye to be my dysciple. I cā not se how ye shal stande before God at the later daye, when thys sentence shall be layed agaynst you.

But to returne to my purpose,iij. of kyng. iij there were two pore women came before Salomon to complayne. They were two harlots,The cōplaynt of the two harlottes to Salomon. and dwelled together in one house, & it chaunced with in .ii. dayes they chylded bothe. The one of these womē by chaū ce in the nyght, had killed her chyld, and rose pryuely & wēt to the other woman, and toke her lyue chylde awaye, and lefte her dead chylde in hys place.

Upon that they came bothe before Salomon to hauehave the matter iudged, whose the chylde was. And the one sayde: it is my chylde. Naye sayeth the other, it is myne. So there was yea, and naye, betwene them, and they helde vp the matter with skoldynge after a womanly fashyō. At the lēgth Salomō repeted theyr tale as a good iudge oughte to do, and sayd to the one woman.

Thou sayst the child is thine, yea sayed she. And thou sayest, it is thyne to the other. Well, fetche me a swerd sayed he. For there was no way nowe to trye, whiche was the true mother, but by naturall inclinacyon.

And so he sayed to one of hys seruaūtes. Fetche me a swerde and deuyde the chylde betwene them. When the mother of the chylde that accused the other. hearde hym saye so. Naye for Goddes sake sayed she, let her hauehave the whole chylde, and kyll it not. Naye quod the other, neyther thyne, nor myne, but let it be deuyded.

Then sayed Salomon. Geue thys woman the chylde, thys is the mother of the chyld. What come of this? Audiuit omnis Israel. When al Israell heard of thys iudgemente, they feared the kyng.Wysdome causeth a king to be feared. It is wysdome and Godly knowledge that causeth a kyng to be feared. One word note here for Gods sake, and I wyll trouble you no longer.

Woulde Salomon beynge so noble a kynge heare .ii. poore womē? They were poore, for as the scripture saith. They were to geather alone in a house, they hadde not so muche as one seruaunt betwene them boeth.

Woulde kynge Salomon I say heare them in his own person? Yea forsothe. And yet I heare of manye matters before my Lorde Protectoure,M.L. request to my Lord Protectours grace. and my Lorde Chaunceloure that can not be hearde. I muste desyre my Lorde protectours grace to heare me in thys matter, that youre grace would heare poore mens sutes your self.M. Money wyl be herd she soundes so shyrle and speaketh so pleasantly y^t eueryevery man is glad to hauehave her & take her in their handes. Putte thē to none other to heare, let them not be delayed. The sayinge is nowe that money is heard eueryevery where yf he be ryche he shall soone hauehave an ende of his matter. Other are fayne to go home with wepīg teares for ani healp they can optaine at ani Iudges hand. Heare menes suetes your selfe I require you in goddes be halfe & put it not to the hearing of these veluette cotes. these vpskippes.Veluet cotes & vpskyppes Nowe a mā can skarse knowe them from an auncyent Knyght of the countrye.

I can not go to my boke fo… poore folkes come vntounto me,M.L. is troubled in solycytyng poore mennes suytes. desirynge me that I wyll speake y^t theyr matters maye be hearde. I trouble my Lorde of Canterburye, & beynge at hys house nowe and then I walke in the garden lokyng in my boke, as I canne do but little good at it. But some thynge I muste nedes do to satisfye thys place.

I am no soner in the garden and hauehave red a whyle, but by & by commeth there some one or other knocking at the gate.

Anone cometh my man and sayth. Syr, there is one at the gate woulde speake wyth you When I come there, then is it some one or other y^t desireth me that I wyll speake that hys matter might be heard, and that he hathe layne thys longe at great costes and charges, and can not once hauehave hys matter come to the hearing, but among all other, one specially moued me at thys tyme to speake. Thys it is syr.The gentylwomānes cō playnt to M. L. A gentylwoman came to me and tolde me, that a greate man kepeth certayne landes of hyrs frō hyr, and wil be hyr tenaunte in the spite of hyr tethe. And that in a whole twelue monethmonth she coulde not gette but one daye for the hearynge of hyr matter,Lawyers are lyke Swytcheners that serue where they may hauehave most money. and the same daye when the matter shoulde be hearde, the greate manne broughte on hys syde a greate syghte of Lawyers for hys counsayle, the gentilwoman had but one man of lawe: and the great man shakes hym so that he can not tel what to do, so that when the matter came to the poynte, the Iudge was a meane to the Gentyl woman, that she wold let the great man hauehave a quietnes in her lande. I beseche youre grace that ye wyll loke to these matters. Heare them your selfe. Uyeue your Iudges? And heare poore mens causes. And you proude Iudges herken what God sayeth in his holy boke: Audite illos, ita paruum vt magnum. Heare them sayeth he, the small as well as the greate, the pore as well as the ryche. Regarde no person, feare no man. Why? Quia domini iudicium est. The iudgement is Goddes.

Marcke thys saytnge thou proude Iudge? The deuyl wyll brynge thys sentence at the daye of Dome. Hel wyl be ful of these Iudges if they repente not and amende.

They are worsse then the wycked Iudge that Chryste speaketh of,Luke y^e .xvi… that neyther feared God, nor the worlde. There was a certayne wyddowe that was a suter to a Iudge, and she met hym in eueryevery corner of the streate, criynge. I praye you heare me, I beseche you heare me, I aske nothyng but ryght

When the Iudge sawe hyr so importunate, though I feare neyther God, sayth he, nor the worlde, yet bycause of hyr importunatnes I wyll graunte hyr requeste.

But owr Iudges are worsse then thys Iudge was. For they wyll neyther heare men for Gods sake,Except before except that is to saye except yt be for money. nor feare of y^e world, nor importunatenes, nor anye thing else. Yea some of them wil commaunde them to warde, yf they be importunate. I hearde saye, that when a suter came to one of theym, he saied: What felow is it that geueth these folke counsayll to be so importunate? he would be punished and commytted towarde. Mary syr, punyshe me then, it is euen I that gaue them counsayll, I woulde gladlye be punyshed in suche a a cause. And yf ye amend not, I wyl cause thē to crye oute vponupon you styl: euē as long as I lyue. I wyll do it in dede, but I hauehave troubled you long. As I began wyth thys sentence. Quecunque scripta sunt, &c. So wil I end now with this texte. Beati qui audiūt verbū dei, et custodiunt illud: Blessed are they that heare the word of god and kepeth it. There was an other sute, & I had almost forgotten it. There is a poore womā y^t lyeth in the Flete,The poore womā lyinge in the Flete. and can not come by anye meanes that she can make, to her answere, and woulde fayne be baylled, offerynge to put in suerties worth a thousande pounde and yet she can not be heard. He thynk this is a reasonable cause, it is great pitie y^t such thinges shold so be. I besech God, that he wyl graunte that all that is amysse may be amēded y^t we may heare hys word, & kepe it, that we may come to the eternall blisse, to the whych blysse I beseche GOD to bryng both you & me. Amen.