Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/142



That a childe is not verelie baptised, if the priest that baptiseth, the godfather, or the godmother, ben in deadhe sinne.

God wot in heauen they said full false; but thus I said, and yet I say: that the praiers that an euill priest praies (liuing in lecherie or other deadlie sinne) ouer the child when it shal be halowed, ben not acceptable to God as ben the praiers of a good priest. And the better and clenner the priest is, the godfather, and the godmother, the more graciously God will heare him, if all they ben not greatest nor most rich in the world. Vnde gg. xiii. q. vii. cap. 'In grauibus.' 'Cum is qui displicet ad intercedendum peccator admittitur, irati animus procul dubio ad deteriora prouocatur.'

The xi. conclusion is this, that friers and priestes putten vpon me falsly: That no man, liuing against the lawe of God is a priest, how euer he were ordained priest of anie bishop.

Certes this is false, for I said neuer thus in these termes: but thus I said, and thus I say with a protestation put before: That what euerie pope, or cardinal, bishop or priest, or any prelate of the church, comes to his state or dignitie by simonie, and in simonie occupies that office, and holy churches goodes: I say that hee is a theefe, and that by the dome of God, and comes but to steale and kill. loh. 10. 'Fur non venit nisi vt furetur, et mactet, et perdat.' And furthermore I say, that what pope, cardinall, bishop, prelate, or priest, in manner of liuing, or teaching, or lawes making, contrarie to Christes liuing and his lawes, or anie other ground, put in ruling of the church of Christ, but by Christ and his lawes is very Antichrist, aduersarie to Jesus Christ and his apostles. {{lang|la|'Aliud fundamentum nemo potest ponere, præter id quod positum est, quod est Christus.' Et patet I quæst. 3 c. 'Si quis.' Et I quaest. 6 c. 'Ego autem.' 'Quicunq.'

But this worshipfull father bishop of Hereford, that here is, sayes thus in his writing: That I William of Swinderby, notwithstanding the foresaid reuocation and abiuration (not setting at heart, but from euill to worse, he saies, peruerted so his dioces) he saies I come running about by diuers places; and by mine owne follie, he saies, that I haue presumet to preach many heresies, errours, blasphemies, schismes, and other diffames, and to holie canons and determination of holy church contrarie and repugnant, which where and when, within forth more speciallie it shall be shewed forth, that ye bee falsely enformed, y$e$ I haue presumed in diuers places in your dioces to preach heresies, errors, blasphemies, schismes and other diftames. And sire, all the country knowes whether this be sooth or not: for sire, I presume not, sithen it is the office of a priest, by the lawe of Christ, to preach the gospell; ne nought I did for presumption; but for the charge that I haue of God by priesthood (if all I be unworthie), and to the worship of God, and helpe of christen soules, freely, without gathering of her goods, for my preaching. If I erred in this, I will bee amended. And sire, touching your mandement that ye senden to me, there was sent none. And sire, I made neuer yet disobedience vnto you, ne to your ministers: and yef all I had, me owes more to obeyche to God then to you, in that that ye bidden contrarie to Christes bidding. And sire, as ye saine that I had no mind of my hele, it is to lightlie demet: for God forbid, but yef there lie hele more then in your bidding. For God wot for hele I did it, of mine and of the people, and that was in my minde. But sire, it semes me that ye charge not, by euidence of the punishing, so greatlie the breaking of Gods hests, as ye done of your own. And sire, if it be your wil, in default that the people wanted you to teach hem (and her curates did not), by the desire of the people that weren hungrie and thirsty after Godsword, ichone to beare vp others charge as Gods law bids, I preached: not for disobedience to you; but sire, in fulfilling of the obedience that Gods law bids me doe. In excusing of my selfe to you of that ye blame me of, in open shewing to holie church, with the protestation that I first made, I answere thus to the articles that ye have put to me.

{{lh|100%|{{overfloat left|depth=7em|width=4.5em|{{sm|1. Article.}}}}}}The first is this: That I William of Swinderby, the Monday the first of August, the year of our Lord 1390, preaching to the people in the church of Witney of your dioces, helde and affirmed (as ye saine) that no prelate of the world, of what state or degree that he be, hauing cure of soules, being in deadlie sinne, and hearing confession of his suget, does nought in assoiling him, ne he assoiles him not of his sinne: and also, in amending his suget openlie sinning, and him for his desertes cursing, his sentence bindes not, but if that prelate be as clean {{fine block/e}} {{sidenotes end}}