An Epiſtle
ſhulde not deceaue the people. Oure Balaam calleth defendynge of the fayth, the ſuppreſſyng, kepyng ſecrete, and burnyng of the worde of fayth: leſt the lyght there of ſhulde beter his darknes: leſt his owne Decretales & Decrees, his owne lawes and conſtitucions, his owne ſtatutes and inuencions ſhulde come to none effecte: leſt his intollerable exactions and vſurpacions ſhulde loſe theyr ſtrengthe: leſt it ſhulde be knowen what a thefe and murtherer he is in the cauſe of Chriſt, and how haynous a traytoure to God and man in defraudynge all Chriſten kynges & prynces of theyr due obedience: leſt we youre graces ſubiectes ſhulde haue eyes in the worde of God, at the laſt to ſpye out his crafty conueyaūce and iuglynges: and leſt men ſhulde ſe, how ſore he and his falſe Apoſtles haue deceaued all Chriſtendome, ſpecyally youre noble realme of Englonde.
Thus your grace ſeyth how brotherly the Jewyſh byſſhoppe and oure Balaam agree together, not onely in myter and outwarde appearaunce: but as the one perſecuted the Lorde Jeſus in his owne perſone, ſo doth the other perſecute his worde and reſyſteth his holy ordynaunce in the auctorite of his anoynted kynges. For ſo moche nowe as the worde of God is the onely trueth that dryueth awaye all lyes, and diſcloſeth all iuglyng and diſceate, therfore is oure Balaam of Rome ſo lothe that the ſcripture ſhulde be knowē in the mother tonge: leſt yf kynges and prynces(ſpecially aboue all other) were exercyſed therin, they ſhulde reclame and chalenge agayne theyr due auctorite, which he falſely hath vſurped ſo many yeres, and ſo to tye hym ſhorter: and leſt the people beyng taught by the worde of God, ſhulde fall from yt falſe fayned obediēce of hym and his diſguyſed Apoſtles, vnto the true obedience commaunded by Gods owne mouthe: as namely, to obey theyr prynce, to obey father and mother, &c. and not to ſteppe ouer father and mothers bely to enter in to his paynted religions, as his ypocrites teache: for he knoweth well ynough, that yf the cleare Sonne of Gods worde come ones to the heate of the daye, it ſhal dryue awaye all the foule myſt of his deuelyſh doctrines. Therfore were it more to the mayntenaunce of Antichriſtes kyngdome, that the worlde were ſtyll in ignoraunce and blyndnes, and that the ſcripture ſhulde neuer come to lyghte. For the ſcripture(both in the olde teſtament and in the new) declareth moſt aboūtdauntly that the office, auctorite and power geuen of God vnto kynges/is in earth aboue all other powers: let them call thē ſelues Popes, Cardynalles, or what ſo euer they will, the worde of god declareth them(yee and commaundeth them vnder payne of dampnacion) to be obedient vnto the temporall ſwerde:[1] As in the olde Teſtament all the Prophetes, Preſtes and Leuites were. And in the new Teſtament Chriſt & his Apoſtles both were obedient them ſelues, and taught obedience of all men vnto theyr prynces ād temporall rulers:[2] which here vnto vs in the worlde preſent the perſone of God, and are called Goddes in the ſcripture, bycauſe of the excellēcy of theyr office. And though there were no mo auctorities but the ſame, to proue the p̄eminence of the temporall ſwerde, yet by this the ſcripture declareth playnly, that as there is nothyng aboue God, ſo is there no man aboue the kynge in his realme but that he onely vnder God is the chefe heade of all the cōgregacyon and church of the ſame. And in token that this is true, there hath ben of olde antiquite(and is yet vnto this daye) a louynge ceremonye vſed in your realme of Englonde, yt whā your graces ſubiectes reade your letters, or begynne to talke or comē of your hyghnes, they moue theyr bonettes for a ſigne & token of reuerence vnto your grace, as to their moſt ſoueraigne lorde & heade vnder God, which thyng no man vſeth to do to eny byſſhoppe, wherby (yf oure vnderſtondyng were nat blynded) we myght euydently perceaue, that euen very nature teacheth vs the ſame, that ſcripture cōmaūdeth vs: and that lyke as it is agaynſt Gods worde that a kynge ſhulde not be the chefe heade of his people, euen ſo(I ſaye) is it agaynſt kynde that we ſhulde knowe any other heade aboue hym vnder God.
And that no preſt nor byſſhoppe is exempte(nor can be lawfully) from the obedience of his prynce, the ſcripture is full both of ſtrayte cōmaundemētes, & practiſes
of the
