A67926:3139
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. 2, part 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. 2, part 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
No title page in the transcription: set from the catalogue record.
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.
But our Prelates seeing this, and that there dealing should, if this light were set up,1 soon be detect and discovered, have sent out commandments, that if any persons shall adventure to keep any such books, they shall be, in so doing, excommunicate from God, and all his Saints, and cursed as black as pitch, whether the books be in Latin, English, French, Dutch, or any other tongue: as in deed men seeing the fruit contained in them have set them forth in all languages. But this ought not Christen men to think any novelty, for so did their forefathers the Prelates in Christs time, and after to the Apostles, yea and if it were well tried I think it should be soon found out, that they have so dealt ever since, unto this day.2 For when Christ went about preaching, the Scribes and Pharisee is which were Bishops then & Prelates gave a general commandment, that whosoever confessed him to be Christ, should be cursed and put out of the Synagogue, that we call the church, and so they were. Look in the Acts of the Apostles, and you shall find how they were in like manner served: yea look in the old Testament and you shall find (as I remember) how they procured of one that was a temporal ruler at that season, to have the prophecy of Jeremiah (for he of all other is most vehement against the dissimulation of priests) to be burned: why then should we eschew them or their works, unless we knew a better cause why,3 whom our prelates reject and cast away, seeing they render no reasonable cause of their enterprise? but presuming of their power, without any due authority, that I can find, gram ted unto them so to do, will, because they so command, so have all done, according to the tyrannical saying (as I trow) of Sardanapalus: Sic volo, sic jubeo, sit pro ratione voluntas: That is to say: So will I, so do I command: and that my will for reason stand.
But our Prelates seeing thys, and that there dealinge should, if this light were set vp,1 soone be detecte and discouered, haue sent out commaūdements, that if any persons shall aduenture to keepe any such bookes, they shalbe, in so doing, excommunicate from God, and al his Saintes, and cursed as blacke as pitch, whether the bookes be in Latin, English, French, Dutch, or any other tongue: as in deede men seing the fruite conteined in them haue set them foorth in all languages. But this ought not Christē men to think any newelty, for so did theyr forefathers the Prelates in Christes time, and after to the Apostles, yea and if it were well tried I thinke it should be soone founde out, that they haue so dealt euer since, vnto this daye.