Now let my Refuter comfort himself and his Catholics, with the weak defence of heresy, and the strong bulwarks of Roman truth; who, in the mean time, must be put in mind, that he puts on me the burden, which should lie upon his own shoulders. I have produced histories, which affirm peremptorily, that the English Clergy were never forbidden to marry until Anselm's time: it is now his task, to disprove this assertion of theirs, by equal authority to the contrary; which till he have done, the day is ours.

SECT. XVII.

His Fourth Ponderation, is "the difficulty of this grant in King Edward's Parliament'."

And is it possible the man should not see the greater difficulty, that was found in the enforcement of this glorious celibate? How Alfere and the nobles dispossessed the Monks of Dunstan; justly restoring the married Priests to their ancient right: how Lanfranc durst not speak it out; Anselm did, but prevailed little: let Girardus, then Archbishop of York, witness". After whom, Roger, Archbishop of that See, as Neubrigensis records ", thrust out Anselm's Monks, and stood for the liberty of marriage: insomuch as, in the succession of times, even by royal leave also, marriage of spiritual persons yet continued. Neither could Anselm's successors, Radulphus, Gulielmus de Turbine, and the rest, notwithstanding all their Canons and practices, prevail against it. How plain is that of the Saxon Chronicle! "Thus did the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishops, which were in England: and yet all these decrees and biddings stood not: all held their wives, by the King's leave, even as they did. Insomuch as Archbishop William referred it to the King. The King decreed, that the Priests should continue with their wives still."

Neither were any thing more easy, than to give store of instances, in this kind.

What need I give more than that of Galfride B. of Ely', who was avouched before the Pope himself to have married a wife? which "evangelical excuse," uxorem duxit, was made for his not appearing at Rome with the rest"? of Richard, Bishop of

f Refut. p. 347.

h Neubr. 1. iii. c. 5.

Vid. suprà. Epist. ad Ansel.

Pope Paschalis, writing to Anselm, saith, that there was at this time so great a number of Priests' sons in England, that the greater part of the Clergy consisted of them.

Chron. Saxon. Anno 1129.

'Chron. Jornal.

m Habet excusationem evangelicam resp. est ab Epis. Arelat. Alexandro Papæ.

Chichester; Robert, Bishop of Lincoln; married men, after these decrees?

Yea, good evidences of ancient charts are ready in our hands, to shew the use and legal allowance of these marriages, for no less than two hundred years after.

As for those idle words, which his sauciness throws after our reverend Martyr, Archbishop Cranmer, (whom he falsely affirms to have been the first married Archbishop of this kingdom, when as Archbishop Boniface sat married in that See, three hundred years before him") and King Edward's Parliament, we answer them, with silence and scorn. Let losers have leave to talk.

The approbation, and better expedience of single life, in capable subjects, we do willingly subscribe unto. The lawfulness, yea, necessity of marriage, where the gift of continence is denied, our Saviour and his Chosen Vessel justify with us. So as I still conclude, "He, that made marriage, saith it is honourable: what care we for the dishonour of those, that corrupt it?"

SECT. XVIII.

His Last Ponderation is leaden indeed: "That, from the bickerings of our English Clergy with their Dunstans, it will not follow, that continency was not ancient; but was repiningly, lately, unjustly imposed. By this reason, he will prove there was never thief or malefactor in our country, before the time of King James; since all judges have yearly bickerings with such people." Thus he. But did ever such "loose" besom sweep the press before?

Reader, vouchsafe, yet once more, to cast thine eye upon the close of my Epistle. Doth my argument run thus wildly as he makes it? The English Clergy had bickerings with their Dunstans, therefore continency was repiningly and unjustly imposed! Canst thou think I have met with a sober adversary?

My words are, that our histories "teach us how late, how repiningly, how unjustly" our English Clergy " stooped under this yoke." And what can his sophistry make of this?

Are ye not ashamed, ye Superiors of Doway, are ye not ashamed of such a champion; fitter for a troop of pigmies to trail a reed in their bickerings with cranes, than to be committed with any reasonable or scholar-like antagonist? In the bickerings with his Dunstans, the patients pleaded prescrip

n Anno 1250.

"Refut. p. 351.

P C. E. writes in the margin. " Master Hall's loose manner of disputing."

tion; as we have shewed out of Malmesbury: and taxed his Saints with novelty. In my bickerings with him, I plead Antiquity, Scripture, Reason; and tax him, most justly, with impudence and absurdity. How well is that man, that is matched but with an honest adversary!

THE CONCLUSION.

The

THE Conclusion follows: a fit cover for such a dish! reader was not weary enough, but he must be tired out with a tedious recapitulation.

Wherein my Refuter recollects all his dispersed folly, that it may shew the fairer: telling his Protestant friend, what I have bragged, what I have undertaken, what I have not performed; how I have falsified, how I have mistaken: what himself hath in all passages performed against me; how he hath answered, how he hath conquered.

The best is, the Conclusion can shew no more, than the Premises. By them, let me be judged.

Those have made good to my reader, that C. E. hath accused much, and proved nothing; vaunted much, and done nothing; railed much, and hurt nothing; laboured much, and gained nothing; talked much, and said nothing.

It is a large and bold word: but, if any one clause of mine be unproved, if any one clause of mine be disproved, any one exception against my defence proved just, any one charge of his proved true, any one falsehood of mine detected, any one argument of mine refelled, any one argument or proposition of his not refelled; let me go away convicted with shame. But, if I have answered every challenge, vindicated every authority', justified every proof, wiped away every cavil, affirmed no proposition untruly, censured nothing unjustly, satisfied all his malicious objections, and warranted every sentence of my poor Epistle; let my apology live and pass, and let my Refuter go as he is, C. E. Cavillator Egregius.

Let my cause be no more victorious, than just: and let honest marriages ever hold up their heads, in despite of Rome and Hell.

With this Farewell, I leave my Refuter; either to the acting of his unbloody executions of the Son of God, or the plotting of the bloody executions of the deputies of God, or (as it were his best) to the knocking of his beads. But, if he will needs be meddling with his pen; and will have me, after some jubi

Refut. p. 353, &c.

I only except that one slip of my pen, that I said Gratian cited a sentence out of Austin, which was indeed his own.

lees, to expect an answer to my six-weeks' labour; I shall, in the mean time, pray, that God would give him the grace to give way to the known truth, and sometimes to say true.

Yet, to gratify my reader at the parting, I may not conceal from him an ancient and worthy monument, which I had the favour and happiness to see in the Inner Library of Corpus Christi College, in Cambridge: an excellent treatise; written, amongst seventeen other, in a fair set hand, by an author of great learning and antiquity. He would needs suppress his name; but describes himself to be Rotomagensis. The time, wherein it was written, appears to be amidst the heat of contention, which was betwixt the Archbishop of Canterbury and York, for precedency: which quarrel fell betwixt Rodulph of Canterbury and Thurstin of York, in the year 1114; at which time Pope Paschalis wrote to King Henry concerning it"; and was renewed after, about the year 1175. The Discourse shall speak enough for itself.

• Of Rouen, in France.

As also the contention betwixt the Church of Rouen and Vienna.
Rog. Hoved.

VOL. IX.

ROTOMAGENSIS ANONYMUS.

AN LICEAT

SACERDOTIBUS INIRE MATRIMONIA.

SCIRE volui, quis primus instituit, ne Sacerdotes Christiani inire deberent matrimonia, Deus an homo.

Si, enim, Deus, ejus certè sententia et tenenda et observanda est, cum omni veneratione et reverentiâ.

Si, verò, homo et non Deus, de corde hominis et non ex ore Dei talis egressa est traditio: ideoque, nec per eam salus acquiritur, si observetur; nec amittitur, si non observetur: non, enim, est hominis, salvare vel perdere aliquem pro meritis; sed Dei proprium unius est.

Scilicet, quòd Deus hoc instituerit, nec in Veteri Testamento, nec in Evangelio, nec in Apostolorum Epistolis scriptum reperitur: in quibus, quicquid Deus hominibus præcepit, insertum describitur.

Traditio ergo hominis est; et non Dei, non Apostolorum institutio. Quemadmodum et Apostolus instituit, ut oportet, Episcopum esse unius uxoris virum: quod minimè instituisset, si adulterium esset quòd Episcopus haberet, simul, et uxorem et Ecclesiam ; quasi duas uxores, ut quidam asserunt.

Quodque de Scripturis Sanctis non habet authoritatem, eâdem facilitate contemnitur, quâ dicitur. Sancta enim Ecclesia non Sacerdoti uxor, non sponsa; sed Christi est: sicut Johannes dicit, Qui habet sponsam, sponsus est.

Hujus, inquam, Sponsi Ecclesia, sponsa est; et tamen huic sponsæ licet in parte inire matrimonia, ex Apostolicâ traditione: dicit enim Apostolus ad Cor.-Propter fornicationes, inquit, unusquisque uxorem suam habeat, et cætera: usque, Volo omnes homines esse sicut meipsum; sed unusquisque proprium donum habet à Deo, alius quidem sic, alius verò sic.

Non, enim, omnes habent unum donum, virginitatis scilicet, et continentiæ: sed quidam virgines sunt, et continentes; quidam verò incontinentes: quibus concedit nuptias, ne tentet eos Sathanas, propter incontinentiam suam; et in ruinam turpitudinis corruant.

Sed et Sacerdotes quoque, alii quidem continentes sunt, alii verò incontinentes: et qui continentes sunt, continentiæ suæ