Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)

Great is the damnation, that hangeth over the heads of fornicators, and adulterers. What shall I speak of other incommodities, which issue, and flow out of this stinking puddle of whoredom? Is not that treasure, which before all other, is most regarded of honest persons, the good fame and name of man and woman, lost through whoredom? What patrimony, what substance, what goods, what riches, doth whoredom shortly consume and bring to naught? What valiantness and strength, is many times made weak, and destroyed with whoredom? What wit is so fine, that is not doted and defaced through whoredom? What beauty (although it were never so excellent) is not obscured through whoredom?

Great is the dampnacion, that hangeth ouer the heades of fornicatours, and adulterers. What shal I speake of other incommodities, which issue, and flowe out of this stinkynge puddell of whoredome? Is not that treasure, which before all other, is most regarded of honest persons, the good fame and name of man and woman, loste through whoredome? What patrimony, what substaunce, what goodes, what riches, doth whoredome shortly consume and brynge to naughte? What valiauntes and strengthe, is many times made weake, and destroyed with whoredome? What wyt is so fyne, that is not doted and defaced throughe whoredome? What beautye (althoughe it were neuer so excellent) is not obscured through whoredome?

Is not whoredom an enemy to the pleasant flour of youth? and bringeth it not grey hairs and old age, before the time? What gift of nature (although it were never so precious) is not corrupted with whoredom? Come not the French pocks, with other diverse diseases of whoredom? From whence come so many bastards and misbegotten children, to the high displeasure of God, and dishonour of ⟨image 77⟩holy wedlock, but of whoredom? How many consume all their substance and goods, and at the last fall into such extreme poverty, that afterward they steal, and so are hanged through whoredom? What contention and manslaughter cometh of whoredom? How many maidens be deflowered, how many wives corrupted, how many widows defiled, through whoredom? How much is the public weal impoverished, and troubled through whoredom? How much is Gods word contemned and depraved by whoredom & whoremongers? Of this vice, cometh a great part of the divorces, which (now a days) be so commonly accustomed and used, by mens private authority, to the great displeasure of God, and the breach of the most holy knot and bond of matrimony. For when this most detestable sin is once crept into the breast of the adulterer, so that he is entangled with unlawful, and unchaste love, straightways, his true and lawful wife is despised, her presence is abhorred, her company stinketh, and is loathsome, whatsoever she doth, is depraped, there is no quietness in the house, so long as she is in sight: Therefore to make short tale, must she away, for her husband can brook her no longer. Thus through whoredom, is the honest and innocent wife put away, and an harlot received in her stead: and in like sort, it happeneth many times in the wife, towards her husband. O abomination? Christ our saviour, very God and man, coming to restore the law of his heavenly father, unto the right sense, understanding, & meaning, (among other things) reformed