The maid of Kent.

Such as were possessed with devils fled

from

Christ.

A false delusion to bring us to Idolatry.

St. Bartholomew.

Our Lady bid the maid of

Kent small pleasure.

Orestes.

spired with the Holy Ghost, and had the devil within her
both at once.
And inasmuch as the maid of Kent was
inspired by the Holy Ghost by their confession, whence
came that stopping of her throat, that raving, those
grievous pangs, that tormenting, disfiguring, drawing of
her mouth awry, and that fearful and terrible counte-
nance? If of the Holy Ghost, and then why not the
revel and gambols of the maid of Ipswich also? and
then what matter maketh it whether a man have the devil
or the Holy Ghost in him? If ye say of the devil, then
had she likewise both the devil and the Holy Ghost both
at once. Moreover, those possessed, which Christ helped,
avoided Christ and fled from him, so that other which
believed were fain to bring them unto him against their
wills. For which causes, and many more that might be
made, thou mayest conclude, that the devil vexed them
and preached in them, to confirmed feigned confession and
dumb ceremonies and sacraments without signification and
damnable sects, and shewed them those revelations. And
as soon as they were brought before our Lady's image,
departed out of them, to delude us and to turn our
faiths from Christ unto an old block. As we read in the
Legend of St. Bartholomew, how the devils hurt men
in their limbs, and as soon as they were brought into a
certain temple before an idol, there they departed out of
them, and so beguiled the people, making them believe
that the idol had healed them of some natural diseases.
Howbeit let it be the Holy Ghost that was in the
maid of Kent. Then I pray you what thing worthy of
so great praise hath our Lady done? Our Lady hath
delivered her of the Holy Ghost, and emptied her of
much high learning, which, as a goodly poetess, she
uttered in rhimes. For appose her now of Christ, as
Scripture testifieth of him, and thou shalt find her clean
without rhime or reason. The maid was at home also
in heavenly pleasures, and our Lady hath delivered her
out of the joys of Orestes and brought her into the mise-
ries of middle earth again.

THE SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER.

As for Doulia, Hyperdoulia, and Latria, though he shew not with which of them he worshipped the Cardinal's hat, is answered unto him already.

THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER.

In the xviiith where he would fain prove that the Traditions. pope's church cannot err, he allegeth things whereof he might be ashamed, if he were not past shame, to prove that the bishops have authority to lade us with traditions neither profitable for soul nor body. He bringeth a false allegory upon the overplus that the Samaritan, if it were laid out, promised to pay when he came again, for the bishops' traditions. Nay, M. More, besides that allegories which Allegories. every man may feign at his pleasure, can prove nothing, Christ interpreteth it himself, that it betokeneth a kind mind and a loving neighbour, which so loved a stranger, that he never left caring for him, both absent as well as present, until he were full whole and common out of all necessity.

It signifieth that the prelates, if they were true apostles and loved us after the doctrine of Christ, would sell their mitres, crosses, plate, shrines, jewels and costly shows, to succour the poor and not rob them, of all that was offered unto them, as they have done and to repair things fallen in decay and ruin in the commonwealth, and not to beggar the realms with false idolatry and image service, that they have not left them wherewith to bear the cost of the common charges.

And moreover when the scribes and pharisees taught their own doctrine, they sat not upon Moses's seat, but on their own. And therefore Christ, (so far it is of that he would have us hearken unto man's doctrine) said, Beware of the leaven of the scribes, pharisees, and sadducees, which is their doctrine; and rebuked them for their doc

A true ex

position of the parable of the Sa

maritan.

All that

God hath

not planted

shall be plucked by the

roots.

Bishops should be servants and not lords.

Acts xv.

The pope

will not

up

obey prin

God have commanded

him so to do.

trine, and brake it himself, and taught his disciples so to do, and excused them, and said of all traditions, that whatsoever his heavenly Father had not planted should be plucked up by the roots. And thereto all the perse cution that the apostles had of the Jews, was for breaking of traditions.

Our prelates ought to be our servants as the apostles were, to teach us Christ's doctrine, and not lords over us, to oppress us with their own. Peter calleth it tempting of the Holy Ghost, (Acts xv.) to lade the heathen with aught above that which necessity and brotherly love required. And Paul rebuketh his Corinthians for their overmuch obedience, and the Galatians also, and warneth all men to stand fast and not to suffer themselves to be brought into bondage.

And when he saith, Peter and Paul commanded us to obey our superiors; that is truth, they commanded us ces, though to obey the temporal sword which the pope will not. And they commanded to obey the bishops in the doctrine of Christ, and not in their own. And we teach not to break all things rashly, (as M. More untruly reporteth on us) which is to be seen in our books, if men will look Traditions, upon them. Of traditions therefore understand generally : He that may be free is a fool to be bound. But if through wiliness thou be brought into bondage; then if the tradition hurt thy soul and thy faith, they are to be broken immediately, though with the loss of thy life. If they grieve the body only, then are they to be borne till God take them off, for breaking the peace and unity.

Christ's burthen is easy and gentle.

Then how sore maketh he Christ's burthen! If it be so sore, why is M. More so cruel to help the bishops to lade us with more? But surely he speaketh very undiscreetly. For Christ did not lade us with one syllable more than we were ever bound to, neither did he any thing but interpret the law truly. And besides that, he giveth unto all his, love unto the law: which love maketh all things easy to be borne, that were before impossible.

And when he saith, Ye be the salt of the earth; that it Matt. v. was spoken for the bishops and priests only, it is untrue; but it was spoken generally unto all that believe and know the truth, that they should be salt unto the ignorant, and the perfecter unto the weaker, each to other every man in his measure. And moreover if it be spoken unto the prelates only, how fortuneth it that M. More is so busy to salt the world with his high learning? And last of all the salt of prelates, which is their traditions and ceremonies without signification, is unsavoury long ago, and therefore no more worth, but to be cast out at the doors and to be trodden under foot.

The salt of

our pre

lates is un

savoury.

love, and charity,

And that he saith in the end that a man may have a good faith with evil living, I have proved it a lie in another place. Moreover faith, hope, and love, be three Faith, sisters, they never can depart in this world, though in the world to come love shall swallow up the other two. Neither can the one be stronger or weaker than the other. But as much as I believe, so much I love, and so much I hope, yea, and so much I work.

THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER.

IN the nineteenth, he proveth that praying to saints is good, and miracles that confirm it are of God, or else the church, saith he, doth err. It followeth indeed, or that the pope's church erreth. And when he saith it is sin to believe too much, I say, we had the more need to take heed what we believe, and to search God's word the more diligently, that we believe neither too much nor too little.

And when he saith God is honoured by praying to saints because it is done for his sake: I answer, if it sprang not out of a false faith, but of the love we have to God, then should we love God more. And, moreover, inasmuch as all our love to God springeth out of faith, we should believe and trust God. And then if our faith in God were greater than our fervent devotion to saints, we

are three sisters.

should pray to no saints at all, seeing we have promises of all things in our Saviour Jesus, and in the saints none at all.

John xxi.

The virginity of our lady.

Antichrist is known.

Paul's traditions were the

doctrine of the gospel.

THE TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTER.

IN the twenty-fifth how juggleth he, to prove that all that pertaineth unto the faith was not written, alleging John in the last, that the world could not contain the books, if all should be written. And John meaneth of the miracles which Jesus did, and not of the necessary points of the faith.

And how bringeth he in the perpetual virginity of our lady, which though it be never so true, is yet none article of our faith, to be saved by. But we believe it with a story faith, because we see no cause reasonable to think the contrary.

And when he saith many mysteries are yet to be opened, as the coming of antichrist. Nay, verily, the babe is known well enough, and all the tokens spied in him, which the Scripture describeth him by.

And when he allegeth Paul's traditions to the Thessalonians to prove his phantasy, I have answered Rochester in the Obedience, that his traditions were the gospel that he preached.

And when he allegeth Paul to the Corinthians. I say that Paul never knew of this word Mass. Neither can man gather thereof any strange holy gestures, but the plain contrary; and that there was no other use there than to break the bread among them at supper as Christ did. supper, and And therefore he calleth it Christ's supper, and not

Christ's

not mass.

The consecration.

Mass.

A

There was learned the manner of consecration. great doubt, as though we could not gather of the Scripture how to do it. And of the water that the priest mixed with mingleth with the wine. A great doubt also, and a perilous case if it were left out. For either it was done to

Water

the wine.