and iuſt prynces out of theyr rowmes. whoſe herte wolde not putte it(yee euē with lamentacyon) to remember but onely the vntollerable wronge done by that Antychriſt of Rome vnto youre graces moſt noble predeceſſoure kynge Johne I paſſe ouer his peſtelent pykynge of Peter wens out of youre realme: his ſtealynge awaye of youre money for pardons: benefices and byſſhoprykes: his diſceauyng of youre ſubiectes ſoules with his deuelyſhe doctrynes and ſectes of his falſe religions: his blondſheddyng of ſo many of your graces peaple, for bokes of the ſcripture, whoſe herte wolde not be greded(yee and that out of meaſure) to call to remēbraūce, how obſtinate and diſobedient, how preſumptuous & ſtubburne that Antychriſt made the byſſhoppes of youre realme agaynſt your graces noble predeceſſours un tymes paſt, as it is manyfeſt in ye Cronicles: I truſt berely there be no ſuche now within youre realme yf there be, let them remembre theſe wordes of ſcripture: Preſumptuouſnes goeth before deſtrucciō, & after a proude ſtomacke there foloweth a fall.[1]
What is now the cauſe of all theſe vntollerable and nomore to be ſuffred abhominacions: Truely euen the ignoraunce of the ſcripture of God. for how had it els ben poſſyble that ſuch blyndnes ſhulde haue come in to ye worlde, had not ye lyghte of Gods worde bene extyncte: How coulde men(I ſaye) haue bene ſo farre from the true ſeruyce of God, and from the due obedience of theyr prynce, had not the lawe of God bene clene ſhut vp, depreſſed, caſt aſyde, and put out of remembraunce? I sic was afore the tyme of that noble kyng Joſias, and as it hath bene alſo amonge vs vnto youre graces tyme: by whoſe moſt ryghteous admyniſtracyon(thorowe the mercyfull goodnes of God) it is now founde agayne, + as it was in the dayes of that moſt vertuous kynge Joſias.[2] And prayſed be the father, the ſonne, and the holy gooſt worlde without ende, which ſo excellently hath endewed youre Pryncely hert with ſuch feruentnes to his honoure, and to the welth of youre louyng ſubiectes, that I maye ryghtuouſly(by iuſt occaſyons in youre perſone) cōpare youre hyghnes vnto that noble and gracyous kynge, yt lanterne of lyghte amonge prynces, that feruent protectour and defender of the lawes of God: which cōmaunded ſtraytly(as youre grace doth) that the lawe of God ſhulde be redde and taught vn to all ye people: ſet the preſtes to theyr office in the worde of god: deſtroyed Idolatry and falſe ydols: put downe all euell cuſtomes and abuſyons: ſet vp the true honoure of God: applyed all his ſtudye and endeuoure to the ryghtuous admyniſtracyon of the moſt vncorrupte lawe of God. &c. & what felicite was amonge ye people of Jeruſalem in his dayes: And what proſperous health both of ſoule & body foloweth the lyke myniſtracion in youre hyghnes, we begynne now(prayſed be God) to haue experience.[3] for as falſe Doctryne is the origenall cauſe of all euell plages and deſtruccyon, ſo is ye true executynge of the lawe of God ād the preachyng of the ſame, the mother of all godly proſperite. The onely worde of god(I ſaye) is the cauſe of all felicite, it bryngeth all goodnes with it, it bryngeth lernynge, it gēdreth vnderſtondynge, it cauſeth good workes, it maketh chyldren of obedience, breuely, it teacheth all eſtates theyr office and duety.[4] Seynge then that the ſcripture of God teacheth vs euery thynge ſufficiently, both what we oughte to do, and what we oughte to leaue vndene: whome we are bounde to obey, and whome we ſhulde not obeye: therfore(I ſaye) it cauſeth all proſperite, and ſetteth euery thyng in frame: and where it is taught and knowen, it lyghteneth all darkeneſſes, cōforteth all ſory hertes, leaueth no poore man vnhelped, ſuffreth nothynge amyſſe vnamended, letteth no prynce be diſobeyed, permytteth no hereſie to be preached: but refourmeth all thinges, ameodeth that is amyſſe, and ſetteth euery thynge in order. And why? becauſe it is geuen by the inſpiracyon of God, therfore is it euer bryngynge profyte and frute, by teachynge, by improuynge, by amendynge and refourmyng all thē yt wyl receaue it, to make them parfecte & mete vnto all good workes.
Conſiderynge now(moſt gracyous prynce) the ineſtimable treaſure, frute & proſperite euerlaſtynge, that God geneth with his worde, and truſtynge in his infynate goodnes that he wolde brynge my ſymple and rude laboure beren to good effecte, therfore as the holy gooſt moued other mē to do the coſt therof, ſo was I bordened in God, to laboure in the ſame. Agayne, conſyderynge youre Imperiall maieſtye not onely to be my naturall ſoueraigne liege Lorde & chefe heade of ye church of Englōde, but alſo the true defender and maynteyner of Gods lawes. I thought it my dutye and to belange vnto my allegiaunce, whan I had tranſlated this Bible, not onely to dedicate this tranſlacyon vnto youre hyghneſſe, but wholy to commytte it vnto the ſame: to the intent that yf any thynge therin be tranſlated amyſſe(for in many thynges we fayle, euen whan we thynke to be ſure) it may ſtōde in youre graces handes, to correcte it, to amende it, to improue it, yee & cleane to reiect it, yf youre godly wyſdome ſhall thynke it neceſſary. And as I do with all humblenes ſubmitte myne vnderſtondynge and my poore tranſlacyon vnto ye ſpyrite of trueth in your grace, ſo make I this proteſtacyon(hauyng God to recorde in my cōſcience) that I haue nether wreſted nor altered ſo moch as one worde for the mayntenaūce of any maner of ſecte: but haue with a cleare conſeience purely & faythfully tranſlated this out of fyue ſundry interpreters, hauyng onely the many feſt irueth of the ſcripture before myne eyes: Truſtynge in the goodnes of God, that it ſhalbe vnto his worſhippe: quietnes and tranquilite vnto your hyggnes: a perfecte ſtablyſhment of all Gods ordynaunces within youre graces Domynion: a generall comforte to all Chriſten hertes, and a continuall thankfulneſſe both of olde and yonge vnto god, and to youre grace, for beynge oure Moſes, and for bryngynge vs out of this olde Egypte from the cruell handes of our ſpirituall Pharao for where were the Jewes(by ten thouſande partes) ſo moch bounde vnto Kynge Dauid, for fituuttynge of gteate Goliath and all theyr enemyes, as we are to yout grace, for delyuerynge vs out of oure olde Babylonycall capthayter. For ye which delyueraunce and victory I beſeke oure onely medyatoure Jeſus Chriſt, to aiske ſoch meanes for vs vnto his heauenly father, yt we neuer be vnthankfull vnto bunner, vnto youre grace: but that we euer increace in the feare of him, in obedience vnto your hyghneſſe, in loue vnfayned vnto oure neghbours: and in all vertue that commeth of God. To whom for yt defendynge of his bleſſed worde(by your graces moſt rightfull adminiſtracyon) be honoure and thankes, glory and dominyon, worlde without ende, Amen.
iecte and daylye oratour,
Mylis Couerdale.
iiii.
