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KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural
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or for the
obseruinge of any soch obseruances.
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God for thy bitter passion rore they out by and by / what an
heretike is this? I tell the that holy church nede to
allege no scripture for them for they haue the holy gost
which inspireth them euer secretly / so that they can not
erre whatsoeuer they saye / doo or ordayne
. Whate wilt thou despice the blessed sacramentes
of holy
church wherwith god hath bene serued this .xv.
hundred yere (ye verely this .v. thousand yeres / even sens
caim hithirto / and shall
endure vnto the worldes end / amonge them that
haue no loue vn to the trueth to be saued therby) thou art
a stronge heretike and worthy to be burnt. And then he is
excomunicat out of the church. If
litle flocke feare not that bogge / then they
goo strayght vn to the kinge. And it like youre grace /
perelous people and sedicious / and
euen ynough to destroye youre realme / if ye se
not to them betimes. They be so obstinat and tough / that
they will not be conuerted / and rebellious agenst god and
the ordinaunces of his holy church. And how moch moare
shall they so be agenst youre grace / if they
encrease and grow to a multitude. They wyll peruert all and
suerly make new lawes and ether subdue youre grace vn to
them or rise
agenst you. And then goeth a parte of litle
flocke to potte and the
rest scatter. Thus hath it euer bene and shall
euer be / lett noman therfore disceaue him selfe.
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When . . .
agenst you. The account of the inner-ecclesial
dualism ends with the two parties in dialogue. Carnal multitude interrogates and indicts
([I3, “they rore out . . . sinnes”; I3, “No saye they . . . soule and body”; I3v, “God for they bitter . . . to be burnt”]), while
Little Flock defends itself doctrinally ([I3, “Nay brethern . . . hir purgacion”; I3, “Sir the blessynges . . . I3v . . . soch obseruances”]). Carnal
multitude then turns to warn the king of the subversion likely to follow
from Little Flock's obstinacy against traditions and ecclesial
sacraments ([I3v, “And it like youre grace . . . rise agenst you”]). [This note refers to text which also appears on I3.]
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