University of Virginia Library

I, Jacke Upland, make my mone to very God,
and to all true in Christ,
that Antichrist and his disciples,
by colour of holines,
walking and deceiving Christs church
by many false figures,
where through (by Antichrist and his) many vertues
been transposed to vices.
But the felliest folke
that ever Antichrist found,
been last brought into the church,
and in a woonder wise;
for they been of diverse sects of Antichrist,
sown of diverse countries and kindreds.
And all men knowne well that
they bee not obedient to bishops,
ne leege men to kings;
neither they tillen ne sowen,
weeden ne reapen,
wood, corn, ne grasse,
neither nothing that man should helpe,
but onely themselves,
their lives to susteine.
And these men han all manner power
of God, as they seyn,
in heaven and in yearth,
to sell heaven and hell
to whom that them liketh;
and these wretches weet never
where to been themselves.
And therefore, freer, if thine order and rules
been grounded on Goddis law,
tell thou mee, Jacke Upland,
that I aske of thee,
and if thou be or thinkest to be on Christes side,
keepe thy paciens.
Saint Paule teacheth that all our deedes
should be do in charitie,
and els it is nought worth,
but displeasing to God,
and harme to oure soules.
And for that freers challenge
to be greatest clerkes of the church,
and next following Christ in living,
men should for charitie
ask them some questions,
and pray them to ground their answeres
in reason and holy writ;
for else their answer would nought be woorth,
be it flourished never so faire,
and, as me thinke, men might skilfully
aske thus of a freer.

1.

Freer, how many orders bee in earth?
and which is the perfectest order?
of what order art thou ?
who made thine order?
what is thy rule?
is there any perfecter rule
than Christ himself made?
If Christs rule be most perfect,
why rulest thou thee not thereafter?
Without more, why shal a freer
be more punished,
if he break the rule
that his patron made,
than if he break the hests
that God himself made.

2.

Approveth Christ any more religions
than one that saint James speaketh of?
If hee approveth no more,
why hast thou left his rule,
and takest another?
Why is a freer apostata,
that leveth his order,
and taketh another sect,
sith there is but one religion of Christ?

3.

Why be ye wedded faster to your habits
than a man is to his wife?
For a man may leave his wife for a year or two,
as many men done;
and if you leave your habite a quarter of a yeare,
ye should be holden apostataes.

4.

Maketh your habit you
men of religion or no?
If it doe, then ever as it weareth,
your religion weareth;
and after your habit is better,
your religion is better;
and when yee have liggen it beside,
then lig ye your religion beside you,
and been apostataes.
Why buy ye you so precious clothes,
sith no man seeketh such,
but for vaine glorie,
as saint Gregorie sayth?
What betokeneth your great hood,
your scaplerie,
your knotted girdle,
and your wide cope?

5.

Why use ye all one colour
more than other christian men doe?
What betokeneth that ye been clothed
all in one manner clothing?
If yee say it betokeneth
love and charitie,
certes then ye be oft hypocrites,
when any of you hateth another,
and in that that ye wol be said holy
by your clothing.
Why may not a freer weare clothing
of another sect of freers,
sith holinesse stondeth not
in the cloths?

6.

Why hold ye silence in one house
more than another,
sith men ought over all to speake the good
and leave the evill?
Why eat you flesh in one house
more than in another,
if your rule and your order be perfect,
and the patron that made it?

7.

Why get ye your dispensations
to have it more easie?
Certes either it seemeth
that yee be unperfect,
or he that made it so hard,
that ye may not hold it.
And siker, if ye hold not
the rule of your patrons,
ye be not then her freers,
and so ye lie upon your selves.

8.

Why make you as dede men,
when yee be professed,
and yet ye be not dede,
but more quicke beggars than you were before?
And it seemeth evil a dede man
to go about and beg.

9.

Why will ye not suffer
your novises hear
your councels in your chapter house,
ere that they have ben professed,
if your councels been true
and after Gods law?

10.

Why make yee so costly houses
to dwell in, sith Christ did not so,
and dede men should have but graves,
as falleth it to dede men?
And yet ye have more courts
than many lords of England;
for ye now wenden throgh the realme,
and ech night will lig
in your own courts,
and so mow but right few lords doe.

11.

Why heire you to ferme
your limitors,
giving therefore each yeare
a certain rent,
and will not suffer one
in anothers limitation,
right as yee were your selves
lords of countries?
Why be ye not under your bishops visitations,
and leege men to our king?
Why aske ye no letters of bretherheads
of other mens praiers,
as ye desire that other men
should aske letters of you?
If your letters be good,
why grant ye them not generally
to all maner of men,
for the more charitie?

12.

Mowe ye make any man
more perfect brether for your prayers,
than God hath by our beleeve,
by our baptisme and his owne grant?
If ye mow, certes,
then ye be above God.
Why make ye men beleeve
that your golden trentall sung of you,
to take therefore ten shillings,
or at least five shillings
will bring soules out of hell,
or out of purgatorie?
If this be sooth, certes,
yee might bring all soules out of paine;
and that wol ye nought,
and then ye be out of charitie.

13.

Why make ye men beleeve
that he that is buried
in your habit
shal never come in hel,
and ye weet not of your selfe
whether yee shall to hell or no?
And if this were sooth,
ye should sell your high houses
to make many habites
for to save many mens soules.

14.

Why steal ye mens children
for to make hem of your sect,
sith that theft is against Gods hests,
and sith your sect is not perfect?
Yee know not whether the rule that yee bind him to
be best for him or worst.

15.

Why underneme yee not your brethren
for their trespasse after the law of the gospell,
sith that underneming
is the best that may be?
But ye put them in prison oft,
when they do after Gods law;
and by saint Augustines rule,
if any doe amisse,
and would not amend him,
ye should put him from you.

16.

Why coveit ye shrift and burying
of other mens parishens,
and none other sacrament
that falleth to christian folke?
Why busie ye not to heare
to shrift of poore folke,
as well as of rich,
lordes and ladies,
sith they mow have more plentie
of shrift-fathers than poore folke mow?
Why say ye not the gospel
in houses of bedred men,
as ye do in rich mens,
that mowe goe to church and heare the gospell?
Why covet you not to burie
poor folk among you,
sith that they been most holy,
as ye saine that ye ben for your povertie ?

17.

Why will ye not be at her diriges,
as ye have ben at rich mens,
sith God praiseth him more
than he doth other men?
What is thy prayer worth,
sith thou wilt take therefore?
For all chapmen yee need to bee most wise
for dread of simonie.
What cause hast thou that thou wilt not preach the gospel,
as God saith that thou sholdst,
sith it is the best lore.
and also our beleeve?
Why be ye evill apaid
that secular priestes
should preach the gospell,
sith God himselfe hath bodden hem?

18.

Why hate ye the gospell to be preached,
sith ye be so much hold therto?
For ye win more by yeare
with In principio,
than with all the rules
that ever your patrones made.
And in this minstrels
ben better than ye;
for they contrarien not
to the mirths that they maken,
but yee contrarien the gospell,
both in word and deed.

19.

Freer, when thou receivest a penie
for to say a masse,
whether sellest thou Gods bodie for that penie,
or thy praier, or els thy travell?
If thou saiest thou wolt not travell
for to say the masse but for the penie,
that certes if this be sooth,
then thou lovest too litle meed for thy soule;
and if thou sellest Gods bodie, other thy prayer,
then it is very simonie,
and art become a chapman worse than Judas,
that sold it for thirtie pence.

20.

Why writest thou hir names in thy tables
that yeveth thee mony,
sith God knoweth al thing?
For it semeth by thy writing
that God would not reward him,
but thou writest in thy tables,
God would els forgotten it.
Why bearest thou God in hand,
and slanderest him,
that he begged for his meat,
sith he was lord over all?
For then had he beene unwise,
to have begged and have no need thereto.
Freer, after what lawe
rulest thou thee?
Where findest thou in Gods lawe
that thou shouldest thus beg?

21.

What manner men
needeth for to beg?
For whom oweth
such men to beg?
Why beggest thou
so for thy bretheren?
If thou saiest, for they have need,
then thou doest it for the more perfection,
or els for the least,
or els for the meane.
If it be the most perfection of all,
then should all thy brethren do so,
and then no man needed
to beg but for him self,
for so should no man beg
but he needed.
And if it be the least perfection,
why lovest thou then other men
more than thyselfe?
For so thou art not well in charitie,
since thou shouldest seek the more perfection,
after thy power living
thy self most after God;
and thus leaving that imperfection,
thou shouldest not so beg for them.
And if it is a good mean,
thus to beg as thou doest,
then should no man do so,
but they been in this good meane;
and yet such a mean granted to you may never
be grounded on Gods law,
for then both lerid and leaud
that ben in meane degree of this world,
should go about
and beg as ye do.
And if all should do so,
certes well nigh all the world
should go about
and beg as ye done,
and so should there be ten beggers
against one yever.
Why procurest thou men
to yeve the their almes,
and saiest it is so needful,
and thou wilt not thy selfe
win thee that meed.

22.

Why wilt thou not beg
for poore bedred men
that bin poorer
than any of your sect,
that liggen and mow not go about
to help him selfes ?
Sith we be all brethren in God,
and that bretherhed passeth
any other that ye
or any man could make.
And where most need were,
there were most perfection;
either els yee hold them
not your pure brethren,
but worse, but then ye be
unperfect in your begging.
Why make ye so many
maisters among you,
sith it is against the teaching
of Christ and his apostles?

23.

Whose ben all your rich courts that yee han,
and all your rich jewels,
sith ye seyen that ye han nought
ne in proper ne in common?
If ye saine they ben the popes,
why gather yee then of poore men and lords
so much out of the kings hand
to make your pope rich,
And sith ye sain that it is great perfection
to have nought in proper ne in common,
why bee ye so fast about to make
the pope, that is your father, rich,
and put on him imperfection?
Sithen ye saine
that your goods been all his,
and he should by reason
be the most perfect man,
it seemeth openlich
that ye been cursed children
so to slander your father
and make him imperfect.
And if yee saine that the goods be yours,
then do ye ayenst your rule.
And if it be not ayenst your rule,
then might ye have
both plough and cart,
and labour as other good men done,
and not so to beg by losengery,
and idle, as ye done.
If yee say that it is more perfection to beg,
than to travell or to worch with your hand,
why preach ye not openly,
and teach all men to do so,
sith it is the best and most perfect life
to the help of their soules,
as ye make children to beg,
that might have bin rich heirs?
Why make ye not
your feasts to poore men,
and yeveth him yefts,
as yee done to the rich,
sith poore men han
more need than the rich?
What betokeneth that ye goe
tweine and tweine togither?
If ye be out of charitie,
ye accord not in soule.
Why beg ye and take salaries therto
more than other priests,
sith hee that most taketh,
most charge hath?

24.

Why hold ye not saint Francis
rule and his testament,
sith Francis saith that God shewed him
this living and this rule?
and certes, if it were Gods will,
the pope might not fordo it,
or els Francis was a lier,
that saied in this wise.
And but this testament that he made
accord with Gods will,
or els erred, he is a lier,
that were out of charitie;
and as the law saith, he is accursed
that letteth the rightful last wil of a dead man.
And this testament is the last will
of Francis that is a dead man;
it seemeth therefore
that all his freers been cursed.

25.

Why will ye not touch no coined money
with the crosse ne with the kings head,
as ye done other jewels
both of gold and silver?
Certes if ye despise the crosse,
or the kings head,
then ye be worthy to be despised
of God and the King;
and sith ye will receive money
in your hearts, and not with your hands,
it seemeth that ye hold more holinesse
in your hands than in your hearts,
and then be false to God.

26.

Why have ye exempt you from our kings lawes,
and visiting of our bishops,
more than other christen men
that liven in this realme,
if ye be not guiltie of traitorie to our realme,
or trespassers to your bishops?
But ye will have the kings lawes
for the trespasse doe to you,
and ye wil have power of other bishops
more than other priests,
and also have leave to prison your brethren,
as lords in your courts,
more than other folks han
that ben the kings leege men.

27.

Why shal some sect of you freers
pay ech a yere a certaine
to her generall provinciall or minister,
or els to her sovereines,
but if he steal a certaine number
of children, as some men saine?
And certes, if this ben sooth,
then yee bee constreined upon certein pain
to do theft, against Gods commaundement,
Non furtum facies.

28.

Why be ye so hardie to grant by letters
of fraternitie to men and women,
that they shall have part and merite
of all your good deedes?
And ye weten never whether God bee apayed
with your deeds, because of your sinne.
Also yee witten never whether that man or woman
be in state to bee saved or damned,
then shall he have no merit in heaven
for his owne deeds ne for none other mans.
And all were it so that he should have
part of your good deeds,
yet should hee have no more that God would give him
after that he were worthie;
and so much shall each man have of God's yeft,
without your limitation.
But if ye will say that ye been Gods fellowes,
and that he may nought doe
without your assent,
then ye be blasphemers to God.

29.

What betokeneth
that yee have ordeined,
that when such one as ye have made
your brother or sister,
and hath a letter of your seale,
that letter nought bee brought in your holye chapter,
and there be rad,
or els yee will not pray for him.
And but ye willen pray especially
for all other that were not made
your brethren or sistren,
then were ye not in right charitie,
for that ought to be common,
and semely in ghostly things.

30.

Freer, what charitie is this,
to overcharge the people by mightie begging,
under colour of preaching,
or praying, or masses singing?
Sith holy write biddeth not thus,
but even the contrarie;
for all such ghostly deedes should be done frely,
as God yeveth them freely.

31.

Freer, what charitie is this,
to beguile children
or they commen to discretion,
and bind hem to your orders,
that ben not grounded in Gods law,
agains hir friends will?
Sithen by this follie been many apostataes,
both in will and deed,
and many beene apostataes in hir will
during all her life,
that would gladly be discharged,
if they wist how;
and so many ben apostataes,
that shoulden in other states have been true men.

32.

Freer, what charitie is this,
to make so many freers
in every country,
to the charge of the people?
Sith persons and vicars alone,
ye, secular priests alone,
ye, monkes and cannons alone,
with bishops above them,
were ynough to the church
to doe the priests office.
And to adde more than ynough,
is a foule errour,
and great charge to the people,
and this openly against Gods will,
that ordained all thyngs
to be done in weight, number, and measure.
And Christ himselfe was apaied
with twelve apostles and a fewe disciples,
to preach and doe priests office
to all the whole world;
then was it better doe than is nowe at this time,
by a thousand dele.
And right so as foure fingers
with a thombe in a mans hand
helpeth a man to worch,
and double number of fingers in one hand
should let him more;
and so the more number that there were
passing the measure of Gods ordinaunce,
the more were a man letted to worch;
right so, as it seemeth,
it is of these new orders
that ben added to the church,
without ground of holy write and Gods ordinance.

33.

Freer, what charity is this,
to the people to lie,
and say that ye follow Christ in povertie
more than other men done?
And yet in curious and costly housing,
and fine and precious clothing,
and delicious and liking feeding,
and in treasure and jewels,
and rich ornaments,
freers passen lords
and other rich worldly men,
and soonest they should bring
her cause about,
be it never so costly,
though Gods law be put abacke.

34.

Freer, what charitie is this,
to gather up the books of holy write,
and put hem in tresorie,
and so emprison them
from secular priestes and curats,
and by this cautell
let hem to preach the gospell
freely to the people
without worldly meed,
and also to defame
good priests of heresie,
and lien on hem openly,
for to let hem to show Gods law
by the holy gospell
to the Christian people.

35.

Freer, what charitie is this,
to faine so much holines
in your bodily clothing,
that ye clepe your habit,
that many blind fools desiren to die therein
more than in another?
And also that a freer that leveth his habit,
late founden of men,
may not be assoiled
till he take it againe,
but is apostata, as ye saine,
and cursed of God and man both?
The freer beleeveth truth and patience,
chastitie, meeknesse, and sobrietie,
yet for the more part of his life
he may soon be assoiled of his prior;
and if he bring home to his house
much good by the yeare,
bee it never so falsely
begged and pilled
of the poore and needie people
in countries about,
he shall be hold a noble freer;
o Lord, whether this be charitie!

36.

Freer, what charity is this,
to prease upon a rich man,
and to intice him to be buried among you
form his parish church,
and to such rich men give letters of fraternitie,
confirmed by your generall seale,
and therby to bear him in hand,
that he shal have part of all your masses,
mattens, preachings,
fastings, wakings,
and all other good deeds
done by your brethren of your order,
both whilest he liveth,
and after that he is dead;
and yet ye witten never whether your deeds
be acceptable to God,
ne whether that man
that hath that letter
be able by good living
to receive any part of your deeds.
And yet a poore man,
that ye wite well or supposen in certen
to have no good of,
ye ne given to such letters,
though he be a better man to God
than such a rich man.
Neverthelesse this poore man
doth not retch therof;
for as men supposen,
such letters, and many other
that freers behoten to men,
be full false deceits of freers,
out of all reason,
and Gods law,
and Christian mens faith.

37.

Freer, what charitie is this,
to be confessors of lords and ladies,
and to other mightie men,
and not amend hem in hir living?
but rather, as it seemeth,
to be the bolder
to pill hir poore tenants,
and to live in lechery;
and there to dwell in your office of confessor
for winning of worldlie goods,
and to be hold great
by colour of such ghostly offices?
This seemeth rather pride of freers,
than charitie of God.

38.

Freer, what charitie is this,
to fain that who so liveth after your order,
liveth most perfectlie
and next followeth the state of apostles
in povertie and penance;
and yet the wisest and greatest clerkes of you
wend and send or procure to the court of Rome,
to be made cardinals or bishops
of the popes chaplens,
and to be assoiled of the vow of povertie
and obedience to your ministers;
in the which, as ye sain, standeth most perfection
and merit of your orders;
and thus ye faren as Pharisees
that sain one and do another to the contrarie,
Why name ye more
the patron of your order
in your Confiteor,
when ye begin masse,
than other saints,
apostles, or martyrs,
that holy church hold[eth]
more glorious than hem,
and clepe hem your patrons
and your avowries?
Freer, whether was saint Francis
in making of his rule that he set thine order in,
a foole and a liar,
or else wise and true?
If ye sain that he was not a foole, but wise,
ne a liar, but true,
why shew ye contrarie by your doing,
when by your suggestion to the pope
ye said that your rule that Francis made
was so hard,
that ye mow not live to hold it,
without declaration and dispensation of the pope?
And so by your deed,
ne let your patron a foole,
that made a rule so hard
that no man may well keepe;
and eke your deed prooveth him a liar,
where he saith in his rule,
that he tooke and learned it
of the Holy Ghost;
for how might ye for shame pray the pope
undo that the Holy Ghost bit,
as when ye prayed him to dispense
with the hardnesse of your order?
Freer, which of the foure orders
of friers is best,
to a man that knoweth not
which is the best,
but would faine enter into
the best, and none other?
If thou saiest that thine is the best,
then saiest thou that none of the other
is as good as thine;
and in this ech freer in the three other orders
wooll say that thou liest,
for in the self same maner ech other freer
wooll say that his order is best.
And thus to ech of the foure orders
bin the other three contrary in this point,
in the which if any say sooth,
that is one alone,
for there may be but one
be the best of foure.
So followeth it that if ech of these orders
answered to this question as thou doest,
three were false, and but one true,
and yet no man should wite who that were.
And thus it seemeth that the most part
of freers bin or should be
liars in this point,
and they should answere thereto.
If you say that another order of the freers
is better than thine, or as good,
why tooke ye not rather thereto as to the better,
when thou mightst have chose at the begining /
And eke why shouldst thou be an apostata,
to leave thine order and take thee to that is better,
and so why goest thou not
from thine order into that?
Freer, is there any perfecter
rule of religion
than Christ Gods sonne gave
in his gospell to his brethren?
or than that religion that saint James
in his epistle maketh mention of?
If you say yes, then puttest thou on Christ,
that is the wisedom of God the Father,
unkunning, unpower,
and evill will:
for then he could not make his rule
so good as an other did his,
and so he had be unkunning;
that he might not so make
his rule so good
as another man might,
and so were he unmightie, and not God;
as he would not make his rule
so perfect as another did his,
and so he had bin evill willed,
namely to himselfe.
For if he might and could,
and would have made a rule perfect,
without default, and did not,
he was not Gods Sonne almighty.
For if any other rule
be perfecter than Christes,
then must Christes rule
lacke of that perfection,
by as much as the other
weren more perfecter;
and so were default, and Christ had failed
in making of his rule;
but to put any default or failing in God
is blasphemie.
If thou say that Christes rule,
and that religion
which saint James maketh mention of,
is perfectest,
why holdest thou not
thilke rule without more?
And why clepest thou the rather
of saint Francis or saint Dominiks rule,
or religion or order,
than of Christes rule or Christes order?
Freer, canst thou any default assigne
in Christes rule of the gospell,
with the which he taught all men
sikerly to be saved,
if they kept it to her ending?
If thou say it was too hard,
then saiest thou Christ lied;
for he said of his rule,
“My yoke is soft and my burden light.”
If thou say Christes rule
was too light;
that may be assigned for no default,
for the better it may be kept.
If thou saist that there is no default
in Christes rule of the gospell,
sith Christ himself saith
it is light and easie,
what need was it to patrons of freers
to adde more thereto,
and so to make an harder religion to save freers
than was the religion of Christes apostles,
and his disciples helden,
and were saved by?
But if they woulden that her freers
saten above the apostles.
in heaven for the harder religion
that they keepen here,
so would they sitten in heaven above Christ himselfe,
for their more and streict observations,
then so should they be better
than Christ himslef, with mischance.
Go now foorth, and fraine your clerks,
and ground ye you in Gods law,
and gif Jacke an answer;
and when ye han assoiled me
that I have said sadly,
in truth I shall soile thee
of thine orders,
and save thee to heaven.
If freers kun not, or mow not,
excuse hem of these questions asked of hem,
it seemeth that they be horrible giltie
against God and her even christian;
for which gilts and defaults
it were worthy that the order,
that they cal their order,
were fordone.
And it is woonder that men susteine hem,
or suffer hir live in such maner.
For holie write biddeth
that thou do well to the meeke,
and give not to the wicked,
but forbed to give hem bread,
least they be made thereby
mightier through you.