An apology, or answer in defence of the Church of England concerning the state…An apologie, or aunswer in defence of the Church of England concerninge the state…

O holy Scribes and Pharisees, unto whom this holiness was never known. O holiness and Catholic faith. These things Petre never taught at Rome: Paul lived not at Rome after this manner: They did not openly maintain baudery: they did not exact any impositions or taxes upon harlots: They did not allow that open adulterers and murderers should go unpunished. They did not receive them, neither into their bosoms, neither into Council, nor into their family, nor into the assembly of Christian men. These men truly ought not so heinously to exclaim against our life. It were a great deal more wisdom for them, first other to make good their own doings before men, or at the least to cover them somewhat more cunningly.

O holy Scribes and Pharisees, vnto whome this holines was neuer knowne. O holines and Catholike faith. These things Petre neuer taught at Rome: Paul liued not at Rome after this maner: They did not openly maynteine baudery: they did not exacte any impositions or taxes vpon harlots: They did not allowe that open adulterers and murderers should goe vnpunished. They did not receaue them, nother into their bosomes, nother into Councell, nor into theyr family, nor into the assembly of Christian mē. These men truly ought not so haynouslye to exclayme agaynst our life. It were a great deale more wisdome for them, first other to make good their owne doynges before men, or at the least to couer them somwhat more conningly.

For we do keep in ure our old & ancient laws,¹ and so far forth as it may be in these days, and manners, and in so great a corruption of all things, we do execute diligently and earnestly Church discipline: as for stews for common whores or flocks of concubines & harlots, we have not. Nor we do not prefer adultery ⟨image 26⟩before marriage: nor we do not occupy bawdery: nor we gather no rents upon bawdy houses: nor we do not suffer incests and devilish abuses of bodily lust, nor such as Aloisius, or as Casus, or as Diazius the murderer to go unpunished. For if these things had liked us, we needed not to have departed from the fellowship of these men, where those things do flourish and are had in price, & by reason of our departing, thus to fall into the hatred of men and into present perils. Paul the fourth had not many months paste in prison at Rome certain Augustine friars & divers Bishops, & a great number of other godly men, for the cause of religion. He put them to tortures, he examined them upon interrogatories, he assayed always that might be. At the last how many could he find of all these to be men of unordinate lusts, how many whorehunters, how many adulterers, how many incests? Thanks be unto our god, although we be not such as we ought to be, & such as our profession doth require, yet what so ever we be, if we be compared with these men, even our life and our innocency shall easily confute these slanders. For we do exhort the people not only with books and sermons, but also with examples and well doing, unto all kind of virtue and of good deeds. We teach that the gospel is not an ostentation of knowledge, but the law of life: and as Tertullian saith, that a christian man ought not to speak nobly,