lightly
regarded among these men. How then if I call forth those for witness,
whom they themselves have used to honour? What if I say that Adrian, the
Bishop of Rome, did frankly confess that all these mischiefs brast out
first from the high throne of the Pope? Pighius acknowledgeth herein to
be a fault, that many abuses are brought in, even into the very mass,
which mass otherwise he would have seem to be a reverend matter. Gerson
saith, that through the number of most fond ceremonies, all the virtue of
the Holy Ghost, which ought to have operation in us, and all true
godliness, is utterly quenched and dead. Whole Greece and Asia complain,
how the bishops of Rome, with the marts of their purgatories and pardons,
have both tormented men's consciences and picked their purses.

As touching the tyranny of the bishops of Rome, and their barbarous
Persian-like pride, to leave out others, whom perchance they reckon for
enemies, because they freely and liberally find fault with their vices,
the same men which have led their life at Rome in the holy city, in the
face of the most holy father, who also were able to see all their secrets
and at no time departed from the Catholic faith: as, for example,
Laurentius Valla, Marsilius Patavinus, Francis Petrarch, Hierom
Savonarola, Abbot Joachim, Baptist of Mantua, and, before all these,
Bernard the abbot, have many a time and much complained of it, giving the
world also sometime to understand that the Bishop of Rome himself (by
your leave) is very Antichrist. Whether they spake it truly or falsely,
let that go. Sure I am they spake it plainly. Neither can any man
allege that those authors were Luther's or Zuinglius' scholars: for they
were not only certain years, but also certain ages ere ever Luther's or
Zuinglius' names were heard of. They well saw that even in their days
errors had crept into the Church, and wished earnestly they might be
amended.

And what marvel if the Church were then carried away with errors in that
time, specially when neither the Bishop of Rome, who then only ruled the
roost, nor almost any other, either did his duty, or once understood what
was his duty? for it is hard to be believed, while they were idle and
fast asleep, that the devil also all that while either fell asleep or
else continually lay idle. For how they were occupied in the meantime,
and with what faithfulness they took care of God's house, though we hold
our peace, yet I pray you,