But now for the fault of unpreaching prelates, methink I could guess what might be said for excusing of them.They are so troubled with lordly living, they be so placed in palaces, crouched in courts, ruffling in their rents, dancing in their dominions, burdened with ambassages, pampering of their paunches, like a monk that maketh his jubilee;munching in their mangers, and moiling in their gay manors and mansions, and so troubled with loitering in their lordships, that they cannot attend it.They are otherwise occupied, some in king's matters, some are ambassadors, some of the privy council, some to furnish the court, some are lords of the parliament, some are presidents, and comptrollers of mints.
Well, well, is this their duty?Is this their office?Is this their calling? Should we have ministers of the church to be comptrollers of the mints? Is this a meet office for a priest that hath cure of souls?Is this his charge? I would here ask one question:I would fain know who controlleth the devil at home in his parish, while he controlleth the mint?If the apostles might not leave the office of preaching to the deacons, shall one leave it for minting?I cannot tell you; but the saying is, that since priests have been minters, money hath been worse than it was before.And they say that the evilness of money hath made all things dearer.And in this behalf I must speak to England."Hear, my country, England," as Paul said in his first epistle to the Corinthians, the sixth chapter; for Paul was no sitting bishop, but a walking and a preaching bishop.But when he went from them, he left there behind him the plough going still; for he wrote unto them, and rebuked them for going to law, and pleading their causes before heathen judges: "Is there," said he, utterly among you no wise man, to be an arbitrator in matters of judgment?What, not one of all that can judge between brother and brother; but one brother goeth to law with another, and that under heathen judges?Constituite contemptos qui sunt in ecclesia, &c.Appoint them judges that are most abject and vile in the congregation."Which he speaketh in rebuking them; "For," saith he, ad erubescentiam vestram dico--"I speak it to your shame."So, England, I speak it to thy shame:is there never a nobleman to be a lord president, but it must be a prelate?Is there never a wise man in the realm to be a comptroller of the mint?I speak it to your shame.I speak it to your shame.If there be never a wise man, make a water-bearer, a tinker, a cobbler, a slave, a page, comptroller of the mint:make a mean gentleman, a groom, a yeoman, or a poor beggar, lord president.
Thus I speak, not that I would have it so; but "to your shame," if there be never a gentleman meet nor able to be lord president.For why are notthe noblemen and young gentlemen of England so brought up in knowledge of God, and in learning, that they may be able to execute offices in the commonweal? The king hath a great many of wards, and I trow there is a Court of Wards: why is there not a school for the wards, as well as there is a Court for their lands? Why are they not set in schools where they may learn? Or why are they not sent to the universities, that they may be able to serve the king when they come to age? If the wards and young gentlemen were well brought up in learning, and in the knowledge of God, they would not when they come to age so much give themselves to other vanities.And if the nobility be well trained in godly learning, the people would follow the same train.For truly, such as the noblemen be, such will the people be.And now, the only cause why noblemen be not made lord presidents, is because they have not been brought up in learning.
Therefore for the love of God appoint teachers and schoolmasters, you that have charge of youth; and give the teachers stipends worthy their pains, that they may bring them up in grammar, in logic, in rhetoric, in philosophy, in the civil law, and in that which I cannot leave unspoken of, the word of God.Thanks be unto God, the nobility otherwise is very well brought up in learning and godliness, to the great joy and comfort of England; so that there is now good hope in the youth, that we shall another day have a flourishing commonweal, considering their godly education.Yea, and there be already noblemen enough, though not so many as I could wish, able to be lord presidents, and wise men enough for the mint.And as unmeet a thing it is for bishops to be lord presidents, or priests to be minters, as it was for the Corinthians to plead matters of variance before heathen judges.It is also a slander to the noblemen, as though they lacked wisdom and learning to be able for such offices, or else were no men of conscience, or else were not meet to be trusted, and able for such offices.And a prelate hath a charge and cure otherwise; and therefore he cannot discharge his duty and be a lord president too.For a presidentship requireth a whole man; and a bishop cannot be two men.A bishop hath his office, a flock to teach, to look unto; and therefore he cannot meddle with another office, which alone requireth a whole man:
he should therefore give it over to whom it is meet, and labour in his own business; as Paul writeth to the Thessalonians, "Let every man do his own business, and follow his calling." Let the priest preach, and the noblemen handle the temporal matters.Moses was a marvellous man, a good man: Moses was a wonderful fellow, and did his duty, being a married man: we lack such as Moses was.Well, I would all men would look to their duty, as God hath called them, and then we should have a flourishing christian commonweal.
