A reply to an answer made of M. Doctor Whitgifte Against the admonition to…A replye to an ansvvere made of M. Doctor VVhitgifte Against the admonition to…

And as touching Ambrose house / albeit the word doth not employ so great gorgeousness nor magnificence of an house as the palaces and other magnifical buildings of our bishops: yet the cause whereupon this rose / doth more excuse Ambrose / who being taken from great wealth and government in the common wealth / giving over his office / did retain his house and that which he had gotten.

And as touching Ambrose house / albeit the word doth not employ so great gorgeousnes nor magnificence of an house as the palaces and other magnificall buildinges of our byshoppes: yet the cause whereupon thys rose / doth more excuse Ambrose / who being taken from great wealth and gouernment in the common wealth / geuing ouer hys office / dyd retayne hys house and that which hee had gotten.

But our bishops do maintain this pomp and excess / of the charges of the church / with whose goods a great number of idle loitering serving men are maintained / which ought to be bestowed upon the ministers / which want necessary finding for their families / and upon the poor / and maintenance of the universities. As for these riotous expenses of the church goods / when many other ministers want / and of making great dinners and entertaining great Lords and magistrates / and of the answer to them that say they do help the church by this means / I will refer the reader to that which Jerome writeth in a certain ¹place where this is handled more at large. By this which I have cited it appeareth / what was one cause of this excess and stately pomp of the bishops / namely that certain noble and rich men / being chosen to the ministry and living somewhat like unto the former estates wherein they were before / others also assayed to be like unto them: as we see in that point the nature of man is too ready to follow / if they see any example before their eyes. But there is no ⟨p. 126⟩reason because Ambrose and such like did so / therefore our bishops should do it of the churches costs. Nor because Ambrose and such like did tarry in their trim houses which they had built them selves of their own charge before they were bishops / that therefore they should come out of their chambers or narrow houses / into courts and palaces builded of the churches costs.