AN EPISTEL OF MOche learning, sent by saint Huldericus, bishop of Augusta, called Augsburgh, unto Nicolas bishop of Rome, the first of that name: against the unmarried Chastity of Pryestes.   

UNTO NICOLAS his lord and father, and most vygylaunt Provisor of the holy Church of Rome, Huldericus by name only a bishop, oweth Love as his son or child, and fear as his servant.  
Where as I have chanced of late days to find your decrees, sent over unto me, made upon the contynencye of Clerks or priests, to be far aalyenate from discretion: a certain fear truly with sorrow did vex me: fear, because of that, where it is said that the sentence of a Pastor is to be dread and feared, whether it be Just or unjust. truly I feared the weak and feeble hearers of the scripture, the which scant where a Just cause is, do obey that Sentence of it, & much mor the unjust they tread under foot, lest those should blind themselves by a precept of their own free will, through the onerous and importable transgress or usurping of their Pastor. And sorrow, truly and pity it was unto me, whiles I doubted how the membres should be ware of themselves, their head being taken in so grievous a sickness. For what can be more weighty, or what more worthy than the pity or compassion of the whole Church? And therein you the bishop of the highest seat (unto whom appertaineth the examination of the whole Church) to stray never so little out of the way, from the holy Discretion? And truly you have gone not a little out of the way. when that you willed the clerks or Priests (whom you ought to move to continency of wedlock) to be compelled unto the same by a certain Imperious violence. Why is not this (think you) justly by the common judgement of all wise men a violence, when contrary to the institution of the Gospel, and against the decree of the Holy ghost, any Man is compelled to execute private decrees? Where therefore many holy exemples are of the Old and New Testament (as you know) that teach discretion. Let it not be (I pray you) grievous unto your Fatherhod, a few of them, amongst many, to be graffed & intermixed in this little book. The Lord of truth in the old law hath appointed unto a priest wedlock, the which is not red where afterward he hath forbidden the same: But he saith in the Gospel. Math. nineteen. There are some gelded parsons that have chastised themselves for the Kingdom of heaven: But all men understand not this saying, let him take it that may take it. Wherefore the apostle saith. i Corin. seven. I have no precept of the Lord for virgins, but I give them my counsel. Whereby thou dost consider according to the former saying of the Lord, that all can not take this counsel. But thou seest many flatterers of the said counsel, that are willing to please men and not God, to commit many grievous things under their colour of continency, to use unlawfully the Father's wives, and not to abhor from the embracing of the male kind, and of Beasts. Lest therefore the estate of the whole congregation may chance to be to much weakened, by the calling about of this infirmity, growing even unto a very plague: Because of fornication (said he) let every man have his own wife. The which these hypocrites feign to pertain specially unto lay men. The which albeit that they be constituted in never so holy an order, yet doubt they not in deed to abuse other men's wives. And (the which we see not without tears) all men rage's in the abovenamed mischiefs. Truly those have not understand the scriptures a right, out of whose paps (because they have pressed them to hard) they have drunken blood in the stead of milk. For that saynige of the apostle, let every man have his own wife, doth truly except no man, saving the professor of contynencie (or him that hath prescribed in the lord to continue in his virginity. The which thing (most reverend Father) doth become your mighty power, that where any shallbe, that shall make unto you by hand or by mouth, any vow of chastity, and afterwards will forsake it, to bind the same of duty to execute the same vow, or to depose the same out of all orders by your canonical authority: and that you may be able, manly to fulfil the same, you shall have me and all other men of my calling to be unto you diligent aiders. But to the intent that you may know that such as know of no such vow, are not to be compelled: hear the apostle speaking unto Tymothe: saying, It becometh a bishop to be irreprehensible, the husband of one wife. And because that no man should return the same sentence to the Church alone, he added unto it. He truly that can not govern his own house, how shall the same give diligence unto the Church of God? Likewise he saith, let Deacons be husbands of one wife, the which can well govern their children and houses. And verily I know, that you are sufficiently taught, by the holy decrees, of the holy bishop Sylvester: that the wife is blessed by the Priest. Unto these and such like sentences of the scripture, the writer of the rule of Priests or Clerks, according, not without cause, saith, a priest ought to be chaste, or at the least fettered with the bond of one matrimony. Of the which things, he doth truly gather, that a bishop and deacon, are noted to be worthy blame, if they be divided in many women. And if they refuse one, under pretence of religion: Here the canonical sentence doth condemn both bishop and deacon, without difference of degrees. A Bishop or priest ought not to cast of his proper wife, under the pretence of religion: for if he so do, he ought to be excommunicate, and if he continue to be deposed. Saint Augustine also, a man not Ignorant of holy discretion, saith: There is none so grievous an evil but it is to be admitted to eschew the worse. We read also in the second book of Trypartita historya Canon dyscuc. xvi. Capitulo Si quis. that when the counsel of nice, would have establysshede the selue same decrees, that bishops, Pryestes and deacons, after their first consecration should utterly abstain from their proper wives, or should put of their degree.  
Paphnutius rising in the midst of them, (one of those martyrs which Maximus the Emperor) (their right eyes being plucked out, and their life legs cut of) did condemn, spoke against it: confessing marriage to be honourable, and affirming chastity to be the living with a man's proper wife. And persuaded the counsel, that they should make no such laws, affirming the cause to be grievous, and might be unto them or unto their wives an occasion of fornication. And this did Paphnutius express (albeit he was unmarried) And the counsel praised his opinion or sentence, and decreed nothing of that part, but left that in every man's will, and of no necessity. There are some that take. S. Gregory to be an help unto their sect. At whose temerity I laugh, and do lament their Ignorance, for why? They are Ignorant that the decree of this so perilous Turrian heresy, made by. S. Gregory was afterward with worthy fruit of repentance, purged by the same: for upon a certain day when he had cast his net into his pond or stew for fish, and saw above six thousand infants heads to be drawn up, he (taken with inward repentance) lamented, and confessing the decree that was made by himself, for abstaining from matrimony to be a cause of so great a murder: purged the same (as I have said) with the fruits of worthy repentance. And his own decree utterly condemned, he said that saying of the apostle. Better it is to Mary, thereto burn. Adding for his own part, Better it is to Mary then to give an occasion of death. This chance, peradventure if they had red with me (I think) they would not have judged so rashly: at the least fearing the precept of GOD. judge ye not, that you be not judged and of that Paul saith, What art thou that thou dost judge an other man's servant? Unto his Lord he standeth or falleth: & truly he shall stand, the Lord is mighty or able to ordain or dispose him. Let therefore your holiness cease to condemn those, whom you ought only to admonish or counsel: lest by a private precept (which God forbid) you be found contrary as well unto the new Testament, as unto the old. For as. S. Augustine saith unto Donatus, this only do we fear in your justice, Lest not for the consideration of Christian lenity or gentleness: But for the greatness of the mischief itself, you suppose it meet to be restrained: the which thing, for Christ'S sake, we desire you heartily not to do: for why? Sins are to be suppressed, that those may remain, that may be repentant. And the saying of. S. Augustyne, we will you also to remember, where he saith: Let nothing be done for the desire to do harm: and all things with charity to give Counsel, let nothing be done cruelly, nothing ungently. Also of the same I do exhort you in the fear of christ, all you that have not Temporal things, covet not to have them. And all you that have them, presume not in them. I say not, if you have them that you are condemned: but if you presume in them, you are condemned. If you seem unto your selves for such things to be men of great authority. If for your excellent unity, you forget the common condition of mankind. The which cup of discretion truly, ye may draw out of that apostolic fountain. Art thou unloosed from a wife, will not to seek for a wife. Art thou bound unto a wife, will not to seek to be unloosed. Where afterward it followeth. Those that have wives ought to be as though they had none. And those that use the world, as though they used it not. Also he speaketh of the widow: Let her marry Whom she will, only in the LORD. For truly to marry in the Lord, is to attempt nothing in the making of the Marriage, that the Lord doth forbid. Hiremye also saith: Trust you not in Words of lying: saying, the Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the lodged is, the which thing, Hierome expounding, saith: The same also may agree unto these virgins, the crack of their virginity, with an unshamefast countenance, they set forth their Chastity, when their conscience meaneth an other thing. And they forget the Definition of the apostle of a Virgin: That she ought to be Holy in Body and Spirit. What proffyteth the chasteness of the Body, when the mind is oppressed with whoredom? And if she have not other Virtues, that the Words of the Prophet doth describe? The which truly because we see you partly to have, and because it is not unknown unto us, that your discretion (albeit in this it be negligent) in other Institutions of your life, the same is preserved. We dispayr not, but that you will soon correct the evil fault of this intent. And therefore we do not taunt this your negligence (albeit it be very grievous) with so great a gravity, as we may do. And (all though truly unto the terms that are used) a bishop should appear to be greater then a priest: yet suppose we not, Augustyne to be less than Hierome. And a correction or a check is not to be refused or disdained of every inferyoure, specially where as he that is checked, is found to travail against the troth, and to please men. Nor yet we ought to take the disputations of every Parson (as S. Augustyne saith to Bonifacius) although they be never so catholic, and well praised men. As we do the Canonical Scriptures: Albeit, it be not lawful (saving the Honour that is due unto them) to disprove and refuse any thing in their writing: If perchance we find that they judge other wise than the truth is: The which by the help of GOD, is either perceived by other, or by us. And truly what can be more contrary unto the verity, than this? When the Verity itself speaking of the contynenye, not of one man, but plainly of all (except the number of such as are professed to continency) saith: He that can take it, take it, the which thing these men (whereof no Man knoweth) being Provoked or pricked to it, may chance to say, he that can take it, let him be stricken with a curse. What truly can be done by men more Foolyhe? What can be more bound unto the curse of GOD? Than where as some, that is to say: Either bishops or DEACONS, are running so headlong into the Lusts of the Body: That they can neither abhor Adultery, nor incest from the most Shamefulle embracing of the male kind (the moor shame) and yet they say, the chaste Marriage of Pryestes stink unto them: and will not desire the Pryestes as fellow servants to abstain from such things, by the compassion of right justice, or at the least monish them to be continent: but command them, as though they were servants, and compel them to abstain. Unto the which so foolish and shameful suggestions of such empery (I will not say counsel) they add, it is more honesty to be intrycate secretly with many women, then openly in the face of men and in conscience to be bound with one. And what truly would they not say? if they were of him and in him that saith, woe be unto you pharisees, the which do all things for men. And by the psalmist, because they please men, they are confounded: for as much as the Lord hath despised them. These be the men which should first persuade us, that in his sight (unto whom all things are naked and open) we ought to be a shamed to be sinners, rather then in the sight of men, to appear to be without spot. Albeit therefore that such through the deserts of their naughtiness, deserve counsel of no pity. we notwithstanding remembering our humanity, do minister unto them, the counsel of God's Authority, that never wanteth pity, from the bowels of charity. For truly this we say: O the ypocrit, cast out first a block out of thin own eye, & then shalt thou see, to cast out a moat out of thy brother's eye. And we desire them also to note, the thing that the Lord saith of the common woman. Look which of you is without sin, let him cast first the stone upon her. As who would say, if the law doth command it? If Moses do command it? I command it also. But I require meet or competent ministers of the law. Note well what you add: and mark well (I pray you) what you are: for if thou look well upon thyself (as scripture saith) thou wilt never slander any man. It is also signified unto us, of certain, of those, the which swell with so moche pride in their own conceit, that they presume to pill the flock of the lord, (for whom God's shepherds doubt not to minister or give their souls) with stripes without reason. Whose sentence. S. Gregory lamenting, saith: What shall become of the sheep, when the shepherds are made wolves? But who is sooner overcome, them he that rageth? Who shall judge the persecuter, but he that doth minister pacyentlie his back to the whips? Truly it wear well done, that it might be heard, for what fruit the Church of GOD should suffer so great a slander, & the clergy so great a despite of the bishops, and of their infidels. And verily I doubt not, to call those infidels, of whom the apostle Paul saith unto Timothe, that in the latter days, some shall go away from the faith, giving care unto the spirits of error, and unto the doctrine of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having a fired conscience, forbidding to marry. This truly if it be thoroughly and diligently seen, is the handful of all their cockle, and the content of all their madness, that whiles clerks or Pryestes, (being overcome with a pharisaical furor) are compelled to forsake the lawful company of one woman, fornicators, adulterers & the shameful ministers of other Pravities, are made like with them. These be they that do bring into the Church (like the blind that leadeth the blind) this heresy, that the saying of the psalmist may be fulfilled: Where like one for knowing of their error, he curseth them after this sort. Let their eyes be dimmed or bleared that they see not, and their back always bowed down. For as much therefore as no man (O apostolic Father) that knoweth you, is so Ignorant, but if you had foreseen, by the clearness of your substantial discretion, so great a plague to be like to grow, through the sentence of your decree: you would never have consented unto so evil suggestions of any manner of parsons. Wherefore by the fidelity of pure due subjection, we counsel you: that now at the least you lay watch, to put away so great a slander from the Church of God. And by your learning (as you know how) to pluck up by the roots out of the heard of God: the doctrine of the Pharisees: Lest the only darling of the lord (if she use any longer untrue husbands) pluck away the holy nation, the princely pryesthoade by a divorce, that can not be recovered again, from her dear spouse: that is to say CHRIST. For as much as no man without chastity (not only in the flower of virginity, but also in the knot of Matrimony) can see the Lord, the which liveth and reigneth, with God the father, and the holyghoost world without end Amen.