A pistle to the Christen reader The revelation of Antichrist. Antithesis

Have we any end of this bottomless pit and hell? Were not only the oaths where with he bindeth / bishops / priests / mom kes / princes and universities / sufficient to make him the man of sin and son of perdition? For who is able to recite the perjuries / sith there is in a manner no man that sweareth with his will / and yet is he compelled to swear / where as is no necessity of the faith or of his neighbour's profit / wherefore thou takest the name of god in vain / for that which is not done with the affect and mind ⟨p. lxxij⟩of the heart / is done vainly and with sin. So that this kingdom of faces hath not only prevailed to corrupt the faith / but also to destroy good manners. In so much that he hath left nothing. But it is attainted and in a manner putrefied. And yet hath he cloaked and covered these cursed monsters with such a fine and beautiful colour of faces / and hath so defended them against every power both of virtue & weapon / that this king of faces was most mete to be the last monster in the end of the world / prepared against the great coming of Christ / that Christ might show his great virtue and power / in the greatness of this monster / here speak I nothing of the infinite evils by the which he transgresseth the .iiij.v.vij. and viij. commandments / for he taketh away the obedience which the children owe to their parents / stirring up and arming the sons against the fathers as it is seen in Hē rie the .iiij. and many other / ¹for he will that he be hard above / and afore all other Also that he replenisheth the world with blood and murder / making debate at his own pleasure be twixt kings and princes / being the occasion of great wars and contentions. So that a man may doubt / whether satan him self (if he reigned presently among us) might bring such things to pass as the Pope doth. Now doth this mighty ⟨image 74⟩these invade and subdue hole kingdoms and dukedoms. And devoureth bishoprics benefices / and all the goods movable & immovable in the hole world / through subsidies bulls / and other infinite crafts very subtle / crafty and lying / knitting / and unbinding all things / according to his pleasure. And this man of sin and son of perdition / conveyeth his matters on that fashion / that he denieth them to be since / ye and affirmeth that it is sin if any man resist or laugh at them.