Brief Discourse of the Troubles at Frankfort, Answer 16 – Objection 17
The anſwere.
VVhithead.It is not a compulſion / but an almes. For no man is conſtrained otherwiſe then his owne good will and habilitie is / and that that is off good will / is no compulſion. And there ſhall no man off the richer ſorte (that is godlie) be fraide awaie from vsus by this meane / in as muche as ſuche as be godlie ſeeke off there owne accorde / whom they maye doo good vntounto. And wher they obiecte vntounto vsus againe the ſmall nomber off oures / whiche hauehave competent ynough to lyue vponupon themſelues / theis ſhulde be ſome men off mightie habilitie that woulde hauehave the magiſtrate perſwaded / that other are but beggers in compariſon off them. paraduenture Horne / whiche is the deuiſer here off / is admitted vnderunder hande into the felowſhipp off the purce with Chambers and theroff it commethe his ſo great ſwellinge / ſuch loftyneſſe and contempte off others: And where he addethe that there were but fyne that gaue at the collections before tyme / and the ſumme off that they gaue / came ſcarſe to 13. Dallers / it is a matter worthie to be knowen For abowte an halff yere paſte and more when Horne and Chambers had geuen warninge openly for certeine thinges that they were offended at / we wote not what / that they woulde geue ouer their Eccleſiaſticall miniſteries / whiche is no noueltie for them to doo nowe / afterwarde they went abowte to gather euerie mannes almes to the intent they might ſeeme at their departure from their miniſteries like good huſbandes of other mēnes liberalitie to hauehave left ſomethinge vntounto the churche. But ſeinge they gathered to this ende / and it was perfectly knowen to all men that their gatheringe was for this cauſe / certenly / we meruaile that there was ſo muche as one that woulde gaue anie thinge / or that the ſumme whiche they gaue / growed to ſo muche as 13. not Dalers but hallers or phēninges. But Chambers and Horne were not ſo euell knowen at that tyme: nowe yff they lyſt to aſſaie / they ſhall proceiue / that there is not one / that will pu… them in truſte with ſo muche as a myte. And yet ſins they departed from the congregation / there hathe bin more geuen (by the grace off god) vntounto the poore / then Horne and Chambers hauehave geuen off their owne / all the daies off their liffe.
The obiection againſt the 29. Article.
This lawe hathe theſe diſcōmodities: that firſte / Horne.it diſcloſeth the thinge ouermuche / that thoſe whiche were wont to be liberall vntounto vsus / are moſte deſirous to keepe cloſe / ſecondly / it is preiuditiall to priuate men whiche hauehave felte manie mennes priuate beneficence. Thirdly it nippeth and thwitethe awaie a great deale off that liberalitie / whiche might come to vsus / in that we ſo appointe a ſtrange collectour / and vnknowē to the geuers. Fourthelie it dothe wonderous ſuſpiciously importe the infamie off certeine that hauehave vſed theis labours. Fiftlie / it ſhall ſtrike a feare and a terror vntounto the geuer when he muſte ſe ſo manye handes ſubſcribed to publick letters and by this reaſon they ſhall be eloigned from vsus that would gladly ſuccor the poore.
Sixthly / it ſhalbe excedinge hurtefull to other congregations / and a loſſe to all other baniſhed men / wherſoeuer they are diſperſed. Finally / thes ſo openly ordeined lawes ſhall ſignifie vntounto oure Queene that we noriſhe and ſuſtaine oure congregation by hir ſubiectes. And that ſhall off neceſſitie cauſe / that they whiche were wont to geue vsus ſome what ſhalbe moſte diligently ſought owte to their vndooinge and oure moſte peſtilente plage.