A67922:2442
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol.…Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol.…
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol. 1] with an universal history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitive age to these latter times of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions against the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperors, as now lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realm of England and Scotland. Newly revised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time again published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the help of Christ our Lord) John Fox, which desireth thee good reader to help him with thy prayer.Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.
London: printed by John Daye, 1583London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1583
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
An other letter of Anselmus. Anselmus Archbishop, to Bernard Monk of the Abbey of S. Warburg greeting, and prayer. I Heard it said of your Lord Abbot that thou judgest it to be of greater merit, 1when a Monk either beareth himself, or desireth himself to be beaten of an other: then when he is beaten (not of his own will) in the chapter, by the commandment of the prelacy. But it is not so as you think. For that judgement that any man commandeth to himself is kingly. But that which he suffereth by obedience in the chapter is Monkish. The one is of his own will, the other is of obedience, and not of his own will. That which I call kingly, kings & rich proud men command to be done to themselves. But that which I call monkish, they take (not commanding, but obeying) The kingly is so much ⟨p. 196⟩easier, by how much it agreeth to the will of the sufferer. But the monkish is so much the grievouser, by how much it differeth from the will of the sufferer. In the kingly judgement, the sufferer is judged to be his own: In the monkish he is proved not to be his own. For although the king or rich man when he is beaten, willingly showeth himself humbly to be a sinner: yet he would not submit himself, to this humbleness at any other commandment, but would withstand the commander with all his strength. But when a Monk submitteth himself to the whips humbly in the chapter at the will of the prelate: the truth judgeth him to be of so much greater merit, by how much he humbleth himself more, and more truly then the other. For he humbleth himself to God only, because he knoweth his sins. But this man humbleth himself to man for obedience. But he is more lowly that humbleth himself both to God and man for Gods cause, then he which humbleth himself to God only, and not to Gods commandment. Therefore if he that humbleth himself shall be extolled, Ergo, he that more humbleth himself shall be more exalted. And where I said that when a monk is whipped, that it differeth from his will: you must not so understand it, as though he would not patiently bear it with an obedient will: but because by a natural appetite, he would not suffer the sorrow. But if ye say, I do not so much fly the open beating for the pains (which I feel also secretly) as for the shame: know then, 2that he is stronger that rejoiceth to bear this for obedience, sake.