Read John Bridges, Title page – Letter
Oh read ouer D. Iohn Bridges / for it is worthy worke: Oranepitome of the fyrste Booke / of that right worshipfull volume / written against the Puritanes / in the defence of the noble cleargie / by as worshipfull a prieste / Iohn Bridges / Presbyter / Priest or elder / doctor of Diuillitie / and Deane of Sarum. Wherein the arguments of the puritans are wisely prevented / that when they come to answere M. Doctor / they must needes say some thing that hath bene spoken.
Compiled for the behoofe and overthrow of the vnpreaching Parsons / Fyckers / and Currats / that hauehave lernt their Catechismes / and are past grace: By the reverend and worthie Martin Marprelat gentleman / and dedicated by a second Epistle to the Terrible Priests.
In this Epitome / the foresaide Fickers / &c. are very insufficiently furnished / with notable inabilitie of most vincible reasons / to answere the cauill of the puritanes.
And lest M. Doctor should thinke that no man can write without sence but his selfe / the senceles titles of the seueral pages / and the handling of the matter throughout the Epitome / shewe plainely / that beetleheaded ignoraunce / must not liue and die with him alone.
Printed on the other hand of some of the Priests.
Martin Marprelate gentleman / primate / and Metropolitane of al the Martins in England. To all the Cleargie masters wheresoeuer / sayth as followeth.
WHy my cleargie masters / is it euen so with your terriblenes? May not a pore gentleman signifie his good will vntounto you by a Letter / but presently you must put your selues to the paines and charges / of calling foure Bishops together. Iohn Canterburie / Iohn London / Thomas Winchester / William of Lincolne: and posting ouer citie & countrie for poore Martin? Why / his meaning in writing vntounto you / was not that you should take the paines to seeke for him. Did you thinke that he did not know where he was himselfe? Or did you thinke him to hauehave bene cleane lost / that you sought so diligently for him? I thanke you brethren / I can be well though you do not send to knowe how I do. My mind towards you / you shal from time to time vnderstand by my pistles. As now / where you must know / that I thinke not wel of your dealing with my worship / and those that hauehave had of my bookes in their custodie. Ile make you rue that dealing of your… / vnlesse you leaue it. I may do it / for you hauehave broken the conditions of peace betweene vsus. I can do it / for you see how I am fauored of all estates (the puritans onelyonly excepted.) I hauehave bene entertayned at the Court: Euerye man talkes of my worship. Manye would gladly receiue my bookes / if they coulde tell where to finde them. I hope these Courtier… will one day see the cause tryed betweene mee and you. I hauehave manie sonnes abroad / that will sollicit my suite. My desire is / to hauehave the matter tryed / whether your places ought to be tollerated in any Christian commonwealth. I saye they ought not: And I say / Iohn Canterburie and all / ought to be out of his place. EueryEvery Archbishop is a petty Pope / so is eueryevery Lord bishop. You are all the pack of you / eyther hirelings or wolues. If you dare aunswere my reasons / let me see it done. Otherwise / I trow / my friends and sonnes will see you one day deposed.
The Puritans are angrie with me / I meane the puritane preachers. And why? Because I am to open. Because I iest / I iested / because I delt against a worshipful iester. D. Bridges / whose writings and sermons tend to no other ende / then to make men laugh. I did thinke that Martin shoulde not hauehave beene blamed of the puritans / for telling the trueth openly. For may I not say / that Iohn of Canterbury is a pettie pope / seing he is so? You must then beare with my ingramnesse. I am plaine / I must neede call a Spade a Spade / a Pope a Pope. I speake not against him / as he is a Councellor / but as he is an Archbishop / and so Pope of Lambeth. What will the Puritane seeke to keepe out the Pope of Rome / and maintaine the Pope at Lambeth? Because you will do this / I will tell the Bishope how they shall deale with you. Let them say that the hottest of you / hath made Martin / and that the rest of you were consenting there vntounto… and so go to our magistrates and say / lo / such and such / of our puritane / hauehave vnderunder the name of Martin written against your lawes: and so call you in / and put you to your othes whether yon made Martin or no. By this meanes M. Wiggington / or such as will refuse to take an othe against the lawe of the land / will presently be founde to hauehave made Martin by the bishops / because he cannot be gotten to sweare that he made him not: And here is a deuice to fynde a hole in the coat of some of you puritanes. In life sort / to fynde the Printer / put eueryevery man to his othe / and fynd meanes that Schilders of Middleborough shalbe sworne to / so that if any refuse to sweare / then he may be thought to be the pri…ter. But bishops / let your fatherhoods tel me one thing? May you put men to their oth… against law? Is there any law to force men to accuse themselues? No. Therefore looke what this dealing wil procure at the length: Euen a plain premunire vponupon your backe / for vrging an oth contrary to statute: which is a piece of the forraine power bannished by statute.
For the rest that will needs hauehave my bookes / and cannot keepe them close: I care not how the bishops deale with such open fellowes. And bishops / I woulde I could make this year 1388. to be the woonderful year / by remoouing you all out of England. Martin hath tolde the trueth / you cannot denie it / that some of you do iniuriously detayne true mens goods / as Iohn of London: And some hauehave accounted the preaching of the word to be heresie / as Iohn of Canterburie / &c. All of you are in an vnlawfull callng / & no better then a broode of pettie Popes. It will be but Follie for you to persecute the Courtier Martin / vntill you hauehave cleared your selues (which you can neuer do) of the crimes he hath layd to your charge. Alas poore bishops / you would faine be hidden in a net I perceiue. I will grow to a point with you. HaueHave but a free disputation with the puritans / for the vnlawfulnes of your place / and if you be not ouerthrowen… I wil come in / and do vntounto you what you thinke good: for then I will say that you are no Popes. There was the Demonstration of Discipline / published together with mine Epistles which is a booke / wherein you are challenged by the puritane / to aduenture your Bishopprick… against their liues in disputation. You hauehave gotten a good excuse to be deaff at that challenge / vnderunder couler of seeking for Martin: Your dealing therein is / but to holde my dishe / whilo I spill my pottage: you defend your legges against Martine strokes / while the puritans by their Demonstration / crushe the very braine of your Bishopdomes. Answere that booke / and giuegive the puritan… the ouerthrow by disputation / or els I see that Martin hath vndone you. Be packing bishops / and keepe in the P…rcivants / or if you will needs send them abroad to molest good men / then pay them thei… wages / and let them not pull it out of poore mens throates like greedie doggs as they do. You striue in vaine / you are layd open alreadie. Fryar… and Monkes were not so bad… they liued in the darke / you shut your eyes / lest you should see the light. Archbishop Titus and Timothie / will neuer maintaine your popishe callings. I hauehave pulled off your vizards / looke to your selues / for my sonnes will not see their father thus persecuted at your hands. I will worke your woe and ouerthrow / I hope: And you are alreadie cleane spoyled / vnlesse you will grant the puritans a free disputation / and leaue your persecuting.
Eyther from countrie or Court /
M. Martin Marprelate / will do you hurt.
Rime doggrell /
Is good inough for bishops I can tell /
And I doe much maruell /
If I hauehave not giuen them such a spell /
As answere it how they cannot tell.
Doctor Bridges vp and downe /
Writeth after this fashowne.