The Confutation of the 13 Articles, Title page – Poems

The Confutation of the 13 Articles · Title page – Poems

The confutation of. xiii. Articles, wherunto Nicolas Shaxton, late byſhop of Saliſburye ſubſcribed and cauſed be ſet forthe in print the yere of our Lorde. M. C. xlvi. whē he recanted in Smithfielde at London at the burning of meſtres Anne Aſkue, which is liuely ſet forth in the figure folowyng.

❧ In the nexte page ſhalt thou finde the contentes of thys little boke.

❧ Imprinted at London, by Iohn Day, and William Seres, dwellyngs in Sepulchres pariſh, at the ſigne of the Reſurrection, a litle aboue Holbourne conduite.

❧ Cum gratia & priuilegio ad imprimendum ſolum.

¶ The contentes of thys boke.

Fyrſte certayne meters ſente by maiſter

Shaxton to hys wife.

Thē the Epiſtle geuē hym at Hadley.

Then hys ſubmiſſion to the Kynge.

Then his opinion in the Sacrament before he recanted.

Then hys. xiii. Articles ſ…uerally confuted.

In the firſt is cōfuted the opinion of traunſubſtantiation.

In the ſecond, the beliefe that the ſacrament

reſerned, remaneth Chriſtes body & bloude.

In the thred, that it oughte to be worſhipped with Godly honour.

In the .iiii. that it is a dayly ſacrifice.

In the .v. that it is propiciatorpe.

In the .vi. that it is auailable for the quycke and dead.

In the .vii. that it neede not to be geuē to the people vnderunder both kyndes.

In the .viii. that the prieſt mai receue it alone

In the .ix. that the maſſe is agreable to Chriſtes inſtitution.

In the .x. that the church may orden vnpreschynge prelates,

In the .xi. that voterers may not marie.

In the .xii. that auriculer confeſſion is neceſſarye.

In the .xiii. that man hath fre wyll.

To the late Biſhop of Saliſburie, Nicolas Shaxton, his well willer and faithful frend in Chriſt. Robert Crowley wyſheth eternall health thorowe Chriſte oure Sauioure.

IMmediatlye after you had cauſed your articles to be put in printe (beloued in Chriſt) I was ſtirred wyth the deſyre to hauehave them confuted. Not for any diſpleaſure that I had conceyned towardes you, or anye other, by whoſe meanes you ſhoulde be willed or (as it maye be thought) required to ſet them abrod to the world: but onelye for the louelove I beare to Chriſtes trueth, whyche I woulde not (if my wit and knowledge were coreſpondente to my wyll) ſuffer to be hindered by anye ſo blaſphemouſe doctrine of Antichriſtes ſchole, as are theſe Articles of yours. I call them yours, bycauſe you ſubſcribe to them, and ſet thē forthe vnderunder your name. But if I were required to ſay my cō ſcience: I coulde not deny but I thinke them to be Wyncheſters workemanſhyp, becauſe they agre ſo well wyth hys doctrine, & that chiefelye in the deuyl leiſhe detection of hys maiſter the deuylles ſophiſtry, whych he ſet abroud ſhortly after theſe Articles of yours But woulde God you were as well confuted by me, as he is anſwered by Anthony Gilbie. Wel, as I coulde ſo hauehave I done, bicauſe I would not that ſo neceſſarie a thyng ſhold be left vndone. Not for the ſcarſitie of thē that be able to do it much better: but bycauſe none other hath takē in hande, neyther was it lyke that any woulde hereafter occupy theyr tyme in it, becauſe the matter doeth nowe dayly more & more grow out of mind And becauſe the copies of youre Articles be not communly to be ſolde: moſt men thinke them in maner extinguiſhed for euer. And in very dede, had not certaine honeſte men enfourmed me of the great numbre of thē that thorowe youre recantation were eſtabliſhed in your erroures: I hadde not taken this enterprice in hande, nother yet finiſhed it when it was begon. But whē I vnderſtode what hynderaunce to Gods trueth, your Authoritie, hath already and myghte here after do if your articles ſhould remayne vntouched: I thought it to leſſe then neceſſarye to ſpend ſome tyme in it, truſting that God wil geue the encreaſe boeth in youre herte and in the hertes of as many as are not obſtinate blind veſſels of Gods Ire ordeyned to deſtructiō.

If my wrytyng can not ſatiſfie you, in anye of your Articles: I praye you write vntounto me (whether you ſhal thinke it beſte) priuately or apartly, that I may either enſtruct you further, other els be enſtructed of you.

And if youre age or other impedimente wyll not ſuffer you to declare youre mynde in all thynges concernynge youre Articles: yet let vsus knowe what you wyll ſaye to the copy of your owne hande which you writte beynge in priſon.

If you kepe ſilence and wryte nothynge agayne: then maye ye well thynke that we wyl iudge you obſtinate and yet to hauehave nothynge to ſaye, for nowe is it fre for you to ſpeake your conſciēce, ſo far as the ſcripture wyl beare you. If you can by the ſcriptures defend youre Articles and proue them to be chatholyke and Godly: I ſhal wyth all readines embrace theym and reuoke all that I hauehave wrytten to the contrarye. Otherwyſe I require you (euen in the name of Chriſte whome you profeſſe in that you wyll be called chriſten) that you acknowledge your errours, that ſuche as were offended by you, may hauehave occaſion by you to ryſe agayne.

I am not ignoraunte of your behauioure ſence your recantataion, boeth in the citye of London and els where. Your priuate communication (beſydes youre ſermons daſhed ful of ſorowful teares and depe ſyghynges to alure the people to the Romeiſhe waye agayne) is openly knowen to all men. Men knowe alſo, howe you hauehave (vponupon occaſion geuē, to ſpeake of perſecution) affirmed the good byſhoppes of Wyncheſter and London, and ſuch other, to be the onelyonly ſufferers of perſecution in theſe dayes.

Blame me not therfore, thoughe I be earneſte wyth you, ſyth many men hange vponupon youre wordes, and one of youre good byſhops ſpared not euen in the preſence of hys prince to declare hym ſelfe not to be al of the beſt. Whoſe emendemēt I moſt hertely beſeche the Lorde Ieſu graunt me to ſe. And yours alſo (maiſter Shax tō) if it be poſſible, that we may reioyce togyther after all thys diſcorde in opinions and matters of religion, The ſpirite of the liuing God worke in you the thing I hauehave prayed for.

Amen.

❧ From London the .xxvi. day of Nouēberin the yere of our Lord God. M. D .xlviii.

▪ Theſe thynges … enſuinge were made alſo by the ſayed Nicolas Shaxton after hys recantation & ſent vntounto hys wyfe, whō he refuſed to kepe company wythall as before he had done) ſuppoſynge (by lyke) that this ſhould be for hyr a remedy in the ſtde of hym hir lawfull huſbande, for as then he thought neuer after to take hyr agayne for hys wyfe: but thoughte by thys hys exhortatiō to be ſufficiētly diſcharged. The coppe hereof was had at hys wyues handes.

❧ Receyue this little ingredience,

Agaynſt the griefe of incontinēce.

S…ffer honger, thurſte laboure,

S…oyde euil thoughtes, ſtudie in ſcripture

Kepe thine eye, ill cōpany eſchue

Leaſt delite and deſire them do enſue,

Whyche if they get in theyr heade,

Thy body liuyng, the ſoule goſtly is dead,

If thy brittle fleſhe doeth rage,

Twyg it ſharply til that it doth ſwage,

Cuſtome thys, watche and praye,

God wil geue the his gift, I dare well ſaye,

Hys promiſe wyll he ſurely fulfyll

So thou aſke, thus ſekeſt & knockeſt ſtyl.

Praye longe inough wythout this,

Thou tēpteſt God not doing that in the is.

And ſo prayinge canneſt not obtayne

But ſynneſt greately, & laboureſt in vayne,

❧ Probatum eſt, & is founde ſure,

It ſhall heale the, put it in v…e.

I Thought beſte to write it in rime,

To remembre it the better in due tyme

The ryme is baſe, the medicine is good

But to vſe it ryght paſſeth fleſh & bloud.

So doeth it to thynke a good thought

Deſyre or do well can we nought.

To praye ſome while a man is content.

To the reſte euen contrarywyſe bent.

Yet by grace all maye be done,

Thoughe the fleſhe rebelleth eft ſone.

I hauehave learned ſaith Paule in whatſoeuer ſtate

I am in, therwith to be cōtêt erly & late

I can be lowe, I know alſo to excede.

In all thynges am I enſtructe in dede.

Boeth to be ſatiate, and eke to be hungry

To ſuffer nede and alſo to hauehave plenty.

I can do all in hym that me conforteth

So ſhal he do that duly to Chriſt reſorteth,

To the wyllyng ther is nothyng to hard

If good wyll be gone, al is but marde.

Put good wyll to if, and boldly begyn

Thou haſt half done, cōtinue, thou ſhalt win

Thine enterprice I put the out of doubte

Hope in God he wil bring it well about.

I wyll ioyne hereto a larger declaration

At more leaſure in ſolute oration.

Read it frende but ſet affection a ſyde

Wher it is coūcellour ther is a leude guide

Read it ſoberly and be no lenger blynde

Blaſyheme not God neither be to him vn…nd

Say not it is impoſſible to liue chalte

By Gods grace eaſilie do it thou maiſt

Wythout whom we can do nothynge

By whome to effecte we ſhall it well bringe

The thing is harde but louelove maketh it light

None ſhalbe crowned but he lawfully ſight

This crown is not traunſitory nor corruptible

But euerlaſting glorious & immarciſſible

Which graunt vsus God & perſōs thre

The euer liuynge bleſſed trinitie.

AMEN.

❧ To Nicolas Shaxton.

If Paule had knowê it to be Gods wyll

To hauehave this medicine put in vre:

Thinke you it had paſſed his ſkill

To vſe the ſame in hys greate cure?

Me durſte preſcribe no remedie1. Cor .vil

Agaynſte fleſhlye incontinence:

But onelyonly chaſte matrimonie,

Whyche kylleth all concupiſcence.

Wherfore ech chriſtian I exhorte

To choſe a make of honeſt minde

To whoſe chaſte bed they may reſorte

And do as nature doeth them bynde.

Finis, Quod, R. C.