A second admonition to the parliament

So that in deed the titles of our university doctors / and bachelors of divinity / are not only for vain glory sought¹ and granted / but there they are the names of course / conferred rather by y• profane judgments of them that know not what office of y• church they belong too / and by the importunate suit and means made / by such vain men as desire to clime / and to have high names / and also of a §30blind custom partly / which (besides the graces gotten easily by friendship / or corrupt bribery / compounding I should say / although no show of learning be uttered / nor exercises kept) doth in respect of continuance of standing in manner throw these titles upon many dolts / which neither do / nor can do any thing y• is required in a teacher or doctor. And a plain case it is / y• often tation ⟨p. 17⟩and outward glory is sought by these names / & by the name of master of Art / which is esteemed many degrees beneath the titles of Doctor / or Bachelor in divinity / for otherwise they would not offer those titles to such as the universities would show pleasure unto / as to noble men and others / as though they were noble names / nobilitating them that otherwise were unnoble / and adding to their nobility that without §10them were noble. And thus have they turned upside down / and made a mockery of God his or••• / conferred upon his church for the benefit of the same / except they will not be ashamed to profess themselves herein to follow the² heathenish tradition of profane schools which rather seek by such titles to advance learning / as they say / then by their learning to advantage the church of God. For none other are true teachers or doctors / but they which do teach / and §20be found meet / and be called by the church to teach / how so ever the university doctors seem to have some indelible Character / that once and ever doctor / as the popish priests once shaven / were ever priests / and can never be no priests after / but such doctors as these / though they had never so many graces / shall be but idol doctors / as truly doctors / as an image s a man / which hath nothing but the show of a man / eyes and see not / ears and hear not / and so they / teachers & doctors / and teach not. These vain names become