Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 5 · Body of tract · Part 18
¶ The putting downe of Cardinall Wolſey.
COncerning the Cardinals putting Cardinall Wolſey a great traytor.downe, I conſider many thinges. Firſt that I neuer heard, or read, that any man being ſo great a traytor was ſo eaſely put to death. Then the naturall diſpoſition and inclination of the man, how yt his chief ſtudy, yea and all his felicitie and inward ioy hath euer bene to exerciſe that aungels wit of his (as my lord of Lincolne was wone to praiſe him) in driuing of ſuch driſtes to beguile all men and to binde the whole world with all. Wherefore I can none otherwiſe indge by an C. tokens euident vntounto whomſoeuer hath a natural wit, but that this is alſo nothing ſaue a caſt of his olde practiſe: ſo that when God had wrapped him in his owne wiles that he wiſt not which way out, (for the Emperour preuailed for al the Cardinals treaſon: and the french children might not come home: and he had learned alſo of his necromancie, that this would be a iopardous yeare for him) what for the treaſon that he had Cardinall Wolſey cō mitted treaſon agaynſt the Emperour.wrought againſt the Emperour, and what for yt mony which he had borowed of the Commons, leaſt any riſing ſhould be againſt him, then he thought to vndoe his deſteny with his policies and went and put downe himſelfe vnderunder a colour (which the proceſſe of the tragedy well declareth) and ſet vp in his roome to miniſter forth, & to fight againſt God as he had begun, the chiefeſt of all his Secretaries, one nothing inferiour vntounto his maſter in lying, faining, & bearing two faces in one hode, a whelpe that goeth not out of kinde from his ſyre, the chiefeſt ſtale wherewith the Cardinall caught the kinges grace, whome he called vntounto the confirmation of al that he entended to perſuade, ſaying: If it like your grace, More is a learned man, and knoweth it: and is alſo a lay man, wherefore he Cardinall Wolſey preferred More to he Chauncelour.will not ſay otherwiſe then it is, for any parcialitie to vswarde. Which ſecretary, yet muſt firſt deſerue it wyth writing againſt Martin, and agaynſt the Obedience, and Mammon, and be come the proctour of Purgatorye, to write againſt y• ſupplicatiō of beggers.
And then to blinde the world withall, many quarrels were picked: the Treaſon layd to the Cardinall charge.Cardinall might not ſpeake with the kinges grace, the broad ſeale was fette away, high treaſon was layd to hys charge. i. that he breathed (heard I ſay) in the kinges face, when he had the french pockes, (O hypocrices) but the very treaſon that he had wrought, was not ſpoke of at all, nor ought worthy of a traytour done to him at all.
Then they called a Parliament (as though the golden world ſhould come againe) wherin the hypocri…s to bleare mens eyes withall, made a reformation of mortuaries and probates Mortunries, probate of Teſtamentes.of teſtamentes, the root yet left behind whence all that they hauehave for a time weeded out, will ſpring againe by litle and litle as before, if they as their hope is, may ſtop this light of Gods worde that is now abroad. They made a reformation alſo of pluralities of benefices, Pluralitie of benefices.ordayning that henceforth no man may come by pluralitie of benifices with vertue and conning, but with ſeruing for thē in y• court. Which what other thing is it ſaue playne ſymony? O blinde buſſerdes and ſhameleſſe hypocrites. What care they to do, whether agaynſt God or their own lawes, to flatter great men withall, & to blind thē. But harke here. The tithes were Tithes.ordayned at the beginning to finde the preachers, and the poore people which now goe a begging: ſo that the church wardens ought to take the benefices The Churchewardens hauehave bene accuſtomed to gather the tithes, and to geue the Pa…o his reaſonable ſtipend, and to geue the re… to the poore.into their handes in the name of the pariſh, & deliuer the preacher of Gods word there dwellyng and preſēt a ſufficient liuing, & deuide the reſt among ye poore people. And the king is bound to maintaine that order, and not to reſiſt them except he will be an open tyraunt. Now I appele the conſciences of the kinges grace and of his lordes. What aunſwer will they geue when they come before Chriſt in ye laſt iudgement, for their robbing of ſo many ſoules in ſo many pariſhes, of Gods word, with holding eueryevery man ſo many chaplaynes in their houſes wyth pluralities of benefices, and for the robbing Princes hauehave herein much to aunſwere.of ſo many poore and needy of their due and dayly foode, whoſe need for lacke of ſuccour cryeth to God continually for vengeaunce againſt them, which we ſee daily by a thouſand miſfortunes fall on them, and on theyr wiues and children. Let them read Exodus and Deutronomie, and ſee what they finde there. Yea and what ſhall ſo many chaplaines do? Firſt ſlay theyr ſoules, & then defile their wiues, their daughters, and their maydens, and laſt of all betray them.
When this reformation the coloure and cloke of their hipocriſy was made, then the ſpiritualtie came douking before the kinges grace, and forgaue him The loane firſt forgeuen by the Clergie.yt mony which they had lēt their pope, to bring in the temporalty, & to make thē after their example to do likewiſe, as louing ſubiects, & no leſſe kinde vntounto their Prince thē the ſpiritualty. For their arſes were vpō thornes til y• lone was forgeuen, for feare of afterclaps. The loane forgeuē by the temporalitie.wherupon the tēporality forgaue their part alſo in hope of yt thy obteined not. For aſſone as the lone was forgeuē the parliament brake vp, becauſe our prelates, & their cōfederat frends had foūd y• they ſought, & caught ye fiſh for which they layed the bayt of all thoſe faces of reformations, and for which the Cardinall, to bring yt worlde into a fooles paradiſe, was compelled euē with his owne good will to reſigne his chauncellorſhyp, & that to whō he liſted him ſelfe. And as for the biſhoprike of Durham, The Byſhoprieke of Durhā.to ſay the very truth, he could not of good congruitie but reward his old chaplaine, and one of the chief of al his ſecretaries with all, ſtill Saturne, that ſo ſeldome ſpeaketh, but walketh vp & downe all day muſing and imagining miſchiefe, a douking hypocrite made to diſſemble.
Which for what ſeruice done in chriſtes Goſpell came he to the biſhoprike of London? Or what ſuch ſeruice did he therein? He burnt the new Teſtament, Tunſtall Byſhop of Durham brent the new Teſtament.calling it, Doctrinam perigrinam, ſtrainge learning. Yea verily: Looke how ſtrange his liuing in whoſe bloud that teſtament was made, was from the liuing of the pope: euen ſo ſtrainge is that doctrine from the popes law, in which onelyonly, and in the practiſe therof is Tunſtal learned. Which alſo for what cauſe left he the biſhoprike of London? Euen for the ſame cauſe he tooke it after that he had long ſerued for it, couetouſnes and ambition. Neither is it poſſible naturally that there ſhould be any good Biſhop, ſo long as the biſſhoprickes be nothing ſaue worldlye A Biſhopricke is a ſuperfluous honor, and a lew de liberty.pompe and honour, ſuperfluous abundance of all maner riches and libertie to do what a man liſteth vnpuniſhed: thinges which onelyonly the euill deſire, and all good men abhorre.
And aſſone as the Parliament was The Carnall clearely diſcharged.ended, the Cardinall had his charter, and gat him home: and all Biſſhops gat them eueryevery foxe to his hole, leuing yet their attournies behinde them: to come againe themſelues aſſone as the conſtellation is ſomewhat ouerrunne, whereof they be afrayd.