An abridgement of the book of acts and monuments of the ChurchAn abridgement of the booke of acts and monumentes of the Church

Touching the possessions of the Church, he declareth that the king, and the Lords, and commons, may without any charge at all, keep 15. garrisons, & find 15000. soldiers, having sufficient lands and revenues to live upon) out of the temporalties, gotten into the hands of the Clergy,¹ & feigned religious men, which neither do that which belongeth to the office of Curates to do, nor yet to secular lords. And moreover, the king may have 20000 pound, to come freely every year to his coffers, and above: also, may find, and sustain, fifteen Colleges more, and 15000. Priests and Clerks, with sufficient living, and an hundred hospitals for the sick, and every house to have one hundred marks in lands: and all this to be taken out of the temporalties of the clergy, without any charge to the realm, &c. That the law of Sylvester the P. which is declared in 2. q. 5. ca. praesul. & cap. Nullam, is contrary to the law of Christ, and either Testament. And that those decretals of accusations, cap. quando, & qual. which do prohibit any clerks to be brought before a secular judge, ⟨p. 304⟩to receive judgement, do contain blasphemy, heresy, and error, and brings great gains to Antichrists coffers. That punishment of adultery belongeth to secular persons: and furthermore he maketh an exhortation to the Princes, to judge the Church of Rome, which he calleth the great and cursed strumpet, of whom S. John writeth Apocalypse. 17. Touching the laws, & determinations of the popes church, the Christians ought to repeal such of them as are against the word of God: and that the Canon laws are full of heresies. This was written of him, anno 1396. §1396which seemeth to be before his recantation at Saltwood, before Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Canterbury.

Touching the possessions of the Church, he declareth that the king, and the Lords, and commons, may without any charge at all, kéepe 15. garrisons, & find 15000. souldiers, hauing sufficient lands and reuenues to liue vppon) out of the temporalties, gotten into the hands of the Cleargy,¹ & fayned religious men, which neither do that which belongeth to the office of Curats to do, nor yet to secular lords. And moreouer, the king may haue 20000 pound, to come fréely euerie yere to his cofers, and aboue: also, may finde, and sustaine, fiftéen Colledges more, and 15000. Priestes and Clarkes, with sufficient liuing, and an hundred hospitals for the sick, and euery house to haue one hundred markes in landes: and all this to be taken out of the tēporalties of the clergy, wtout any charge to the realme, &c. That the law of Siluester the P. which is declared in 2. q. 5. ca. praesul. & cap. Nullam, is contrarie to the law of Christ, and either Testament. And yt those decretals of accusations, cap. quando, & qual. which do prohibit any clarks to be brought before a secular iudge,