The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

If they had known of Gods word but as much as the ten commandments, ¹they should have found that the Bishop of Rome was not only a traitor to the Emperor his liege Lord, but to God also, and an horrible blasphemer of his majesty, in calling his holy word and commandment heresy: and that which the Bishop of Rome toke for a just cause to rebel against his lawful prince, they might have known to be a doubling and tripling of his most heinous wickedness, heaped with horrible impiety and blasphemy. But lest the poor people should know to much, he would not let them have as much of Gods word, as the ten commandments wholly and perfectly, withdrawing from them the ⟨p. 607⟩commandment, that bewrayeth his impiety, by a subtle sacrilege. Had the Emperors subjects likewise known, and ben of any understanding in Gods word, would they at other times have rebelled against their Sovereign Lord, and by their rebellion have holpen to depose him, only for that the bishop of Rome ²did bear them in hand, that it was simony and heresy to, for the Emperor to give any ecclesiastical dignities, or promotions to his learned Chaplains, or other of his learned clergy, which all Christian Emperors before him had done without controlment? would they, I say, for that the Bishop of Rome bare them so in hand, have rebelled by the space of more then forty years together against him, with so much shedding of Christian blood, and murder of so many thousands of Christians, and finally have deposed their Sovereign Lord, had they known, and had in Gods word any understanding at all? Specially had they known that they did all this to pluck from their Sovereign Lord, and his successors for ever their ancient right of the Empire, to give it unto the Romish Clergy, and to the Bishop of Rome, that he might for the confirmation of one Archbishop, and for a Romish rag, which he calleth a Paul, scarce worth twelve pence, receive many thousand crowns of gold, and of other Bishops likewise great sums of money for their bulls, which is simony in deed: would, I say, Christian men and subjects by rebellion have spent so much Christian blood, and have ⟨p. 608⟩deposed their natural, most noble, and most valiant prince, to bring the matter finally to this pass, had they known what they did, or had any understanding in Gods word at all?