by minished and taken away. But afterward a certain nobleman said to me, What hast thou to do with the king's horses? I answered and said, I spake my conscience, as God's word directed me. He said, Horses be the maintenance and part of a king's honor, and also of his realm; wherefore in speaking against them, ye are against the king's honor. I answered, God teacheth what honor is decent for the king, and for all other men according unto their vocations. God appointeth every king a sufficient living for his estate and degree, both by lands and other customs; and it is lawful for every king to enjoy the same goods and possessions. But to extort and take away the right of the poor, is against the honor of the king. If you do move the king to do after that manner, then you speak against the honor of the king; for I full certify you, extortioners, violent oppressors, engrossers of tenements and lands, through whose covetousness villages decay and fall down, the king's liege people for lack of sustenance are famished and decayed. They be those which speak against the honor of the king. God requireth in the king and all magistrates a good heart to walk directly in his ways, and in all subjects an obedience due unto a king. Therefore I pray God both the king, and also we his people, may

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endeavour diligently to walk in his ways, to his great honor and our profit.

"Let him not prepare unto himself too many wives," &c. Although we read here that the kings amongst the Jews had liberty to take more wives than one, we may not therefore attempt to walk inordinately, and to think that we may take also many wives. For Christ hath forbidden this unto us Christians. And let us not impute sin unto the Jews because they had many wives; for they had a dispensation so to do. Christ limiteth unto us one wife only; and it is a great thing for a man to rule one wife rightly and ordinately. For a woman is frail, and proclive unto all evils; a woman is a very weak vessel, and may soon deceive a man and bring him unto evil. Many examples we have in holy Scripture. Adam had but one wife, called Eve, and how soon had she brought him to consent unto evil, and to come to destruction? How did wicked Jezebel pervert king Ahab's heart from God and all godliness, and finally unto destruction? It is a very hard thing for a man to rule well one woman. Therefore let our king, what time his grace shall be so minded to take a wife, choose him one which is of God, that is, which is of the household of faith. Yea, let all estates be no less circumspect in choosing

her, taking great deliberation; and then they shall not need divorcements, and such mischiefs, to the evil example and slander of our realm. And that she be such a one as the king can find in his heart to love, and lead his life in pure and chaste espousage; and then he shall be the more prone and ready to advance God's glory, and to punish and to extirp the great lechery used in this realm.

Therefore we ought to make a continual prayer unto God for to grant our king's grace such a mate as may knit his heart and hers, according to God's ordinance and law; and not to consider and cleave only to a politic matter or conjunction, for the enlarging of dominions, for surety and defence of countries, setting apart the institution and ordinance of God. We have now a pretty little shilling, indeed a very pretty one. I have but one, I think, in my purse; and the last day I had put it away almost for an old groat: and so I trust some will take them. The fineness of the silver I cannot see but therein is printed a fine sentence, that is, TIMOR DOMINI FONS VITÆ VEL SAPIENTIÆ; The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life or wisdom. I would God this sentence were always printed in the heart of the king in choosing his wife, and in all his officers.

"He shall not multiply unto himself too

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much gold and silver." Is there too much, think you, for a king? God doth allow much unto a king, and it is expedient that he should have much; for he hath great expenses, and many occasions to spend much for the defence and surety of his realms and subjects. And necessary it is that a king have a treasure always in a readiness for that, and such other affairs as be daily in his hands. The which treasure, if it be not sufficient, he may lawfully and with a safe conscience take taxes of his subjects. For it were not meet the treasure should be in the subjects' purses, when the money should be occupied; nor it were not best for themselves, for the lack thereof it might cause both it, and all the rest that they have, should not long be theirs. And so, for a necessary and expedient occasion, it is warranted by God's word to take of the subjects. But if there be sufficient treasures, and burdening of subjects be for a vain thing, so that he will require thus much or so much of his subjects, (which perchance are in great necessity and penury) then this covetous intent, and the request thereof, is too much, which God forbiddeth the king here in this place of Scripture to have. But who shall see this too much, or tell the king of this too much? Think you any of the king's privy chamber? No: for fear of loss of favor. Shall any of his

sworn chaplains? No: they be of the closet, and keep close such matters. But the king himself must see this too much.

Well then, if God will not allow a king too much, whether will he allow a subject too much? No, that he will not. Whether have any man here in England too much? I doubt most rich men have too much; for without too much we can get nothing. As for example, the physician. If the poor man be diseased, he can have no help without too much. And of the lawyer, the poor man can get no counsel, expedition, nor help in his matter, except he give him too much. At merchants' hands no kind of ware can be had, except we give for it too much. You landlords, you rent-raisers, I may say you step-lords, you unnatural lords, you have for your possessions yearly too much. For that herebefore went for twenty or forty pound by year, (which is an honest portion to be had gratis in one lordship of another man's sweat and labor,) now is let for fifty or a hundred pound by year. Of this too much cometh this monstrous and portentous dearth made by man, notwithstanding God doth send us plentifully the fruits of the earth, mercifully, contrary unto our deserts. Notwithstanding, too much which these rich men have, causeth such dearth, that poor men, which live