Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Account 5 – Account 7
¶To recite the processe of histories and councels about the matter of Images, it woulde require a long discourse, but it shall be sufficient here briefly to touch a few.
IT is manifest to them that read histories, that not onelyonly Emperors, but also diuers and sundry Councels in the East church hauehave condemned and abolished images both by decrees and examples.
Petrus Crinitus de honesta disciplina, lib. 9. cap. 9. ex lib…is Augustatibus, haec verba transcripsit. Valens, & Theodosius Augusti Imperatores praefecto praetorio ad hunc modum scripserit. Quum sit nobis cura diligens in rebus omnibus superni numinis religionem tueri. Signum saluatoris Christi nemini quidem concedimus coloribus lapide aliáue materia fingere, insculpere aut pingere, sed quocū que reperitur locotolli iubemus, grauissima poena eos mulctando qui contrarium decretis nostris, & imperio quicquam tentauerint. That is to say, Petrus Crinitus in his booke of honest discipline, the 9. booke, the 9. chapiter, wrote out of the Emperours bookes, these wordes. Ualens and Theodosius the Emperours, wrote to the high Marshall or Lieuetenant, in this sort. Where as wee are very carefull that the religion of almighty God should be in all thinges kept. We permit no man to cast, graue, or paint the Image of our Sauiour Christ, either in colors, stone, or other matter: but wheresoeuer it be found, wee commaund it to be taken away, punishing them most greuously that shall attempt any thing contrary to our decrees and Empire.
Leo the 3. a man commended in histories for his excellent vertues and godlinesse, who (as is iudged of some men) was the author of the booke De re militari, that is, Of the feate of Warre, beyng translated out of Greeke by sir Iohn Cheeke, and dedicated to king Henry the viij. your highnes father, by publike authoritie commaunded, abolishing of Images, and in Constantinople caused all the images to be gathered together on a heape, & burned them vntounto ashes.
Constantine the first his sonne, assembled a Councel of the bishops of the East church, in which Councell it was decreed as followeth. It is not lawfull for them that beleeue in God through Iesus Christ, to hauehave any Images neither of the Creator, nor of any creatures set vp in temples to be worshipped, but rather that all Images by the law of God, and for the auoiding of offence ought to be taken out of churches. Which decree was executed in all places where any Images were, either in Greece or in Asia. But in all these tymes, the bishops of Rome rather mainteining the authoritie of Gregory, weighing like christian bishops the perill of the Church, alwayes in their assemblies allowed Images.
Not long after the Bishop of Rome practising wyth Tharasins Patriarch of Constantinople obteyned of Irene the Empresse, her sonne Constantine being thē yong, that a Councell was called at Nice, in the which ye Popes Legates were Presidents, which appeared well by their fruits: for in that Councell it was decreed, that Images should not onelyonly be permitted in churches, but also worshipped, which councell was confuted by a booke written by Carolus Magnus the Emperour, callyng it a foolish and an arrogant councell.
Soone after this Councell, arose a sharpe contention betwene Irene the Empresse, and her sonne Constantine the 6. the Emperour, who destroyed Images. And in the end as she had before wickedly burned the bones of her father in lawe Constantine the v. so afterward vnnaturally she put out the eyes of her owne sonne Constantine the sixt.
About which tyme as Eutropius writeth, the Sunne was darkened most terribly for the space of 17. days, God shewyng by that dreadfull signe, how much hee misliked those kynds of proceedyngs.
To bee short, there was neuer thing that made more diuision, or brought more mischiefe into the church, then the controuersie of Images: by reason whereof, not onelyonly the East church was deuided from the West, and neuer since perfectly reconciled, but also the Emperour was cut asunder and deuided, and the gate opened to the Saracens and Turkes to enter and ouercome a great piece of Christendome. The fault whereof most iustly is to bee ascribed to the patrons of Images, who could not be contented wt the ensample of the Primitiue Church beyng most simple and sincere, and most agreeable to the Scripture. For as Tertullian sayth: Quod primum verum, quod posterius adulterinū. That is to say, What as is first, that is true, & that that is latter is counterfeit. But wt all extremitie, mainteined the vse of images in churches, whereof no profite nor commoditie did euer grow to the church of God. For it is euident, that infinite millions of soules hauehave bene cast into eternall damnation by the occasion of Images vsed in place of religion, and no history can recorde that euer any one soule was wonne vntounto Christ by hauing of Images. But least it might appeare that the West church had alwayes generally retained and commended Images. It is to be noted that in a Councell holden in Spaine called Concilium Eliberinum, the vse of Images in churches was clerely prohibited in these forme of wordes. Placuit in ecclesijs picturas esse non debere, ne quod colitur aut adoratur in parietibus depingatur. That is to say, Wee decree that pictures ought not to be in churches, least that be painted vponupon the walles which is worshipped or adored.
But this notwithstandyng experience hath declared, that neither assembling in Councels, neither writinges, preachings, decrees, makyng of lawes, prescribing of punishments, hath holpen against Images, to the which Idolatry hath bene committed, nor against Idolatry whilest Images stoode. For these blynde bookes and dumme schoolemaisters (which they call lay mens bookes) hauehave more preuailed by their carued and painted preachyng of Idolatry, then all other written bookes and preachynges in teaching the truth, and that horror of that vice.
Hauing thus declared vntounto your highnes a few causes of many which do mooue our consciences in this matter, we beseech your highnes most humbly not to strayne vsus any further, but to consider that Gods worde doth threaten a terrible iudgement vntounto vsus, if we being pastors and ministers in his Church, should assent vntounto the thing which in our learnyng and conscience wee are perswaded doth tend to the confirmation of errour, superstition and Idolatry, and finally, to the ruine of the soules committed to our charge, for the which we must geue an account to the prince of pastors at the last day, Heb. 13. 1. Pet. 5. Wee pray your maiestie also not to bee offended with this our plainnesse and libertie, which all good and christian princes hauehave euer taken in good parte at the handes of godly Bishops.
S. Ambrose writing to Theodosius the Emperour vseth these wordes: Sed neque imperiale est libertatem dicendi negare, neque sacerdotale quod sentiat non dicere. Item in causa verò Dei quem audies, si sacerdotem non audies cuius maiore peccatur periculo, quis tibi verum audebit dicere, si sacerdos non audeat? Epist. lib. 5. Epist. 29. That is to say, But neither is it the part of an Emperour to deny free libertie of speaking, nor yet the duety of a priest not to speake what hee thinketh. And agayne, In gods cause whome wilte thou heare, if thou wilt not heare the priest to whose great peril the fault should be committed? Who dare say the truth vntounto thee, if the priest dare not? These and such like speaches of S. Ambrose, Theodosius and Ualentinianus the Emperours did alwayes take in good part, and we doubt not but your grace will do the lyke, of whose not onelyonly clemē cie but also beneficense, we hauehave largely tasted.
We beseech your Maiestie also, in these and such lyke controuersies of religion, to referre the discussement and deciding of them to a Synode of your bishops and other godly learned men, accordyng to the example of Constantinus Maximus, and other christian Emperours, that the reasons of both parts beyng examined by them, the iudgement may be geuen vprightly in all doubtfull matters.
And to returne to this present matter, we most humbly beseech your maiestie to consider, that besides waightie causes in pollicie which wee leaue to the wisedome of your honourable counsailors the stablishment of Images by your authoritie, shall not onelyonly vtterly disceredite our ministers as builders vp of the thinges which wee hauehave destroyed, but also blemishe the fame of your most godly father, and such notable fathers as hauehave geuen their lyfe for the testimony of Gods truth, who by publike lawe remooued all Images.
The almighty and euerliuyng God plentifully endue your maiestie with his spirite and heauenly wisedom, and long preserue your most gracious raigne and prosperous gouernment ouer vsus to the aduauncement of his glory, to the ouerthrow of superstition, and to the benefit & comfort all your highnes louyng subiects.
¶A note of M. Ridley.
MAister D. Ridley sometyme B. of London, of whom mention is made,Referre this to the page. 1717. pag. 1717. was a man so reuerenced for his learning and knowledge in the scriptures, that euen his very enemies hath reported him to hauehave bene an excellent clarke, whose lyfe if it might hauehave bene redeemed with the summe of 10000. markes, yea, 10000. pounds, the Lorde Dacres of the North beyng his kinsman, woulde hauehave geuen to Queene Mary, rather then he should hauehave burned. And yet was she so vnmercifull, for all hys gentlenes in king Edwards dayes, that it would not be grā ted for no suite that could be made. Oh, that she had remē bred his labour for her to king Edward the 6. with Cranmer before mentioned,Reade before page. 1295. col. 2. 1205. in such sort that euen shee had yelded but the reward of a Publicane, Math. 5. then had the earth not so bene berefted of him as it was: but the Lord forgeue vsus our sinnes which was the cause thereof, and graunt that we neuer so prouoke his anger agayne, if it be his blessed will. Amen.
¶Another note of M. Ridley.
MAister Ridley late B. of London beyng prisoner in the tower, had there geuen the libertie of the same,Referre this to the page. 1717. to prooue belike whether he would go to Masse or no, which once he dyd. And M. Bradford beyng there prisoner also the same tyme, and hearing thereof, taketh his penne and inke, and writeth to hym an effectuall letter to perswade hym from the same, and sheweth the occasion that thereby should ensue, which (God bee honoured) did M. Ridley no little good, for he repented his fact therein, as he hymselfe maketh mention, writyng agayne in the latter end of the booke of Marcus Antonius, which he sent to M. Bradford, and neuer after that polluted himselfe with that filthy dregs of Antichristian seruice.