A Civil Nosegay, Part 8 – Part 9
¶ Whether a iuge ought to iuge according to equite or accordinge to the poſytyue lawe called the Lawe wrytten.
IT is better, be the opinion of Ariſtotle in the thirde of the polytykes to iuge thynges or cauſes by the poſytyue lawe, becauſe that vncertayne opinions lyghtly bryngeth forth, & engēdreth diſcordes of cityzens, where as no written The Lawe writen.Lawe is, there be vncertayne opynyons or elles contrarye, for it maye often times fortune, that to other iudges another thyng may beſemed & thought, alſo the wrytten lawe doth good, becauſe it coercyth the affeccions of Iudges, he that cōmaundeth the Lawe to be aboue God, he geuyth alſo to the lawes an empyer, he yt cōmaundeth a mā to be prefarred, prefarreth beſt for couetouſnes & anger, or dy… leaſure depraueth alſo the beſt mē ▪ The law is amynd with out coeutouſnes, what nedeth in ſo manyfolde a thyng, many argumentes. There is no lawe pryncipally made of this caſe, if a mā in great neceſſite taketh away mettes, or elles be courſe of age dothe offend, ſience, this caſe is by ſome meanes not lyke that maner of kinde, wherof principally the law doth ſ…eke / here now equite hath place, ſo the law to put homicides Homicides.to deth, is made principalli of murther, conſtituted & petulantly don.
¶ Patroclus be chaūce in play killed Patr… clus.his felow, here the diſſimilitud of caſes requireth ſome mitigaciō of payne. The conſtitucion of the The ſaboth daye.ſaboth day doth principally forbid workynges, that plucketh fro publike ceremonies. Then yf labors be done, which do not abduce fro ceremonies, do neither let nor hurte the example, the caſe is vnlyke therfore euqite iudgeth ſuche doynges not to be forbiddē. Thecleſiaſticall tradicions were fyrſt ordeyned & Tradicius.made, principally that thingꝭ ſhuld be don in order, ſince that puplically it is couenient for the Churche, therfore equite dyd Iudge tradicions without fawte or blame to be violated, where as Tradicius.the publyke order was not diſſipated. This diſtinciton dothe ſhewe where equite hath place / as who Equitie hath place.ſaythe in a caſe wherof the Lawe wrytten do not principally ſpeake,
¶ Therfore Areſtotle ſayth, that the auctoryte of Iudges ought to Lawes writtenbe gyuen to lawes that they may moderate them, as Phyſycions do moderate Pharmacum. And pharmacum.in the fyrſte of Etheces, he ſaythe that Lawes be to be conſtitude of that whiche moſt often chaunſeth or happeneth, but yf any any cyrcumſtaunce letteth or chaungeth wherof Lawes oughte to b… mad… ▪the cauſe, there is commaunded Equite to be Counſeylled with.
¶ Therfore he ſaythe the Lawe is as leſbia, That is to Saye, a leady or a heauye Rule / which… is to be Moderated / and apply… felowes one or equal. and the principall fyne or cōcluſiō of the mageſtrat to be the conſernuacion and keping of the lawe. &c. The mageſtrat The mageſtrat do punyſhe heretykes.which bereth y• ſword ought to prohibit alſo hereſes .i. wyeked & vngodly techinges & puniſhe heretykes, that is auctors of euyll & wycked tecahinges, but in obſcure thynges the cognicion of the churche goeth before, & thus properly the mageſtrat ſeruith the glory of god, & his fūction is y• worſhyppinge of god whē he ſtudieth to defēd to propage & ornate true lernyng & cōtrary weſe to prohibit wicked teachynges, who that doth thus dothe his principall office whiche properly perteineth to the glory of God / whiche properly deſerueth that title wherwith mageſtrates be to garnyſſhed in the ſalme. I ſayd ye be Gods, as who ſayth becauſe they hauehave their office deuinly conſtituted & ordenid. And they ought to gyue to men deuine thinges, relygyon, Iuſtice, dyſcyplyne peace and ſuche other.
¶ And for this cauſe they be called of Mageſtrat be Nurſes to the church….Eſaias? Nurſes of the churche becauſe they ought to noryſhe and to defende Godly teachers.
¶ And they ought not to exercyſe cruelnes on Chriſtan men nor lawes contrary to deuine or natural ought not to be obſerued.
¶ The Eccleſiaſticall power / is The eccleſiaſticall power▪the deuine commaundement? in teachyng the Goſpell adminiſtra the Sacramentes / ordaynynge the mynyſters of the Goſpell annuncyatynge remyſſyon of Synnes to Euerye bodye / or to many Conſtytutynge Iudgemedtes of doctrines here is my wel beloued ſōe, here hī. therfor criſt, although he ꝓponith diuerſite betwene thē ye kno & do not kno yt he doth not vtterly deliuer thē yt kno not, whē he ſaith, he y• knoweth ye wyll of his maſter & doth it not, ſhalbe ye mor puniſhed, yet he yt knoweth not, doing thīgꝭ wordy pa…e ſhalbe les puniſhed it is cōmēly ſaid, ſāctaruſticitas .i. holi ruſticite as who ſaith aplanemā of y• coūtre, he thīketh no hurt, be this māer of ſaying many excuſeth their folly or foliſhnꝭ, as who ſaith it is a pity or a godlines not to knoth auēgeliſt, but eraſmꝰ truly & grauely rephēdeth yt ſaiīg, & ſaith yt nomā Euangetyſt.cā be a chriſtē mā but y• he kno mani thingꝭ for y• euāgeliſt is a certē excellēt wiſdō which no mā wt out gret cure meditaciō, colaciō of lernīg & cōmunicaciō wt lerned mē, doth optaine, & peter doth cōmaūd and byd vsus to be redy to render our accōpte, ſecōdarly, nether ye affectated ignoraūce of mās poſitiue law, nor y• ignoraūce of y• dede doth excuſe, Affectated ignoraūce, is of yt th…g Affectated ignoraunce.which eueri mā as wel of ye law as of y• dede is boūd to, know this Ygnoraſice doth ariſtotle elegātly ſpeke, of ſaying, ignoraūce which any mā willingly doth accerſe do not excuſe, but is a puerſite, & ſo is vniuerſall Ygnoraunce.ignoraūce yt is whē we kno nothīg at al of thos thingꝭ which we ought to do & alitil after headdith yt a iug ought to puniſh ye ignoraūce, if a mā be to hīſelf cauſe of ignoraū ce, & thꝰ ignoraūce of law doth not excuſe a iuge which is boūd to kno be vertue of his office, nor affectatid ignoraūce ī a mās own, ꝓpper dede, as if a mā beīg īpoſſeſſiō of any thyng do not know, whether that thynge be leyde to pledge to hym, or gyuen Alitigator or aſutor in the lawe, Ygnoraunce of lawe dono… excuſe, as ſ…enola ſayde, it is a ſtenola.fowle thynge for anoble man and cōmyng to his cauſes or to ſuyte, not to knowe the lawe wherin he is toſſed or ſuyde, but from this degre be wont to be except, women and ſogeris to whom the error of the lawe is pardoned. The thyrde is a probable Ygnoraunce of dede eyther of his owen, or of an other mans which hath an excuſacion.
¶ As the ſyſter of Iacobes wyfe, was gyuen to hym, and he knewe Syſter of Iacobes. Wyfe.it not, ſuche is the Ygnoraunce, wherof Paule doth ſpeke, he is forgotten that knoweth not for he erreth excuſably, becauſe it is a curioſyte to interrogate or aſke thoſe thynges that pertayne not to our purpoſe / it is therfore excuſable / where only ygnoraunce of the faute is the cauſe, but wher not ygnoraunce, but our couetouſnesis the cauſe of the fawte there ygnoraunce doth not excuſe, as dronken perſons to offende. &c.
¶ Voluntarye offences.
VOluntarye offences be tho, in the which both counſeill is gyuen and fre wyll, not voluntary Not voluntary.offences be tho, when counſeyll is not adhybyt or wyll by violence is forbydden, or els is ouer throwen, and ſynneth in a thing vnpoſſible.
¶ Not Voluntarye and vyolent, ought to be vnderſtond one thyng which as are ſtotle ſaith hath th… beginnīg extrinſecally or outwardely, wyll may cohybyt affections and many hurtes purpoſed, wyll may prefar one before another for as true vertue is then, when iudgement & fre wil be adhibit, ſo the chife degre is of delictes or fautes when a man doth offend both conſultly & with fre wyll. Thother degres be ſomtyme more lyghte, as when eyther wyll is impydited or iugement is not giuen, & frō hence doth ſpring .v. deg…ꝭ, which ī fautꝭ & iniuries we muſt cōſyder, the iuge, deceyt, open, faut lyght offence, lyghteſt & ſoden chaunce. Dole or Dole or dec…yte.deceit hath no excuſe open, faut or blame is neibour to deceit as whē affecrated ygnoraunce is delicted, for this is not vnwyllynge, but it is very malis, as ariſtotle ſayth a light faut & lighteſt hath the more excuſe, for here will doth not come to do a myſſe & although deligence is deſired, yet ther is none affectated neclygence in ſuch fautes. Soden Soden chaunce Adraſtus.chaunce hath an excuſe for nether the mynde neyther the wyll, doth truly offend, as adraſtus goyng to kyll a wylde bore, kylled creſesſone, or yf a man caſteth doune fro the top of an houſe, a tile into a place where as no body is wont to be ocupied or to walke, & by chaunce hurteth or kylleth one. That is therfore to be obſeruyd, yt all theſe degres do ſpryng & come, ether of the error of iugement or by ſome impediment of the wyll, voluntarys be properly called thoſe, in the Voluntarys.whiche do concure Counſeyll, and fre wyll / many Queſtyons be her to be ſturted and moued whether a Chriſtian mā may laufully repel vyolence be vyolence, and how he maye do it / whether dyuyſyon of thynges be laufull for Chriſtian men, whether it be laufull to make warre or kepe battell. The Euangelyſt do not abholitte, economyor polacy, but doth greatly approue them, wherfore the vſe of al thynges polyticall is graunted to Chriſtian men, with the vſe of deuiſyon of thynges, Iudgementes, battelles, and ſuche other.