A commission sent to the bloody butcher bishop of London, and to all covents of Frers, by the high and mighty prince, lord, Sathanas the devil of Hell.   

SAthanas king of sorrow/ prince of darkness and lord of Hell/ Abbot of apostasy, of the order of ypocresie/ provost of pride/ & provincial general of all mischief. Unto our true subjects of the order of all covents of liars, we do send our greeting with as good welfare as we have ourselves: desiring & charging you upon your allegiance that ye at all times be ready & obedient unto this our will and commandment. jesus Christ that miserable person, the son of Mari hath deceived us. For in time of his living upon the earth, he feigned in all things, using himself so sottellie & craftily, that we might not know surely what he was, he lived in great poverty and wretchedness without any worldly lordships. If any were rich and wise, he made them wretches, beggars, and stark fools to all men's judgement, 〈◊〉 them to live only in charity and 〈◊〉, to despise the world, and to refuse the vanities thereof. So that he & his simple fools taught the priests and clerks that 〈◊〉 be their successors and Christ's disciples/ 〈◊〉 so to live. And unto them he left certain foolish writings called the Pistels and Gospels, wherein they should always know their masters simple living, and how to live thereafter themselves. This wretched and simple Christ was not only content to live thus pevishly himself, but he reproved the lords, Bishops, high princes & priests our chaplains of honour, and all the scribes and Pharisees, the executors of our daily service (because they were contrary to his living and teaching) and the true fulfyllers of our high commandments: they that were altogether given (as our eternal will was) to covetousness and lordships. They had religious Abbots, holy orders, perfect commandments of the law, with all other things that becometh our servants to have. Which things seemed very holy and without deceit unto the eyes of the unlearned people. Therefore this cursed Christ, reproved openly our high Lords and great clerks. In so much that both we and they were in danger and fear of losing the mighty kingdom of this world which we have in peaceable possession. And doubtless if we had not (by our excellent learning) invented and found a short remedy: we had clearly been undone. But we and our faithful Lords, priests, Clerks, Scribes and Pharases withal our mighty parsons of our kingdom, found a means by our wisdom, might and power, to put him to 〈◊〉 after such a fashion and by the authority of the law: that no man could find fault in his condemnation, but every man judged him worthy of death, saving a 〈◊〉 foolish vagabonds that had no dwelling place/ whom also he had deceived with his false doctrine. So that we thought ourself/ and all ours to be out of danger for ever. But now that we knew not him to be God/ he hath deceived us, and set us in worse case than ever we were before, through the might of his Godhead. For he arose from death to life the third day/ and showed himself to his Disciples. Of this our soldiers which kept the sepulchre were witness, he did also teach & preach the kingdom of heaven to his friends which is contrary to our eternal lordships. And after. 〈◊〉. days he ascended up into heaven/ commanding his apostles to preach his gospel to every creature thorough out all the world. And ten days after he sent them his holy spirit which both taught them all verity/ and also strengthened and boldened them, so that they neither feared us nor our mighty power (though we put them to death) but went forth boldly & preached his gospel unto all men. So that they withdrew from our mighti lordships more people than ever their wretched master christ did. In so much that the high wai & clergy of our mighty kingdom was overgrown and woren clear out of knnwledge, where thorough we & our most eternal lordship's were almost destroyed. Wherefore we perceiving this (by our eternal wisdom) and many other jeopardies that might have fallen to our excellent parson/ ordained a general counsel of all Dukes, prince's/ barons, commons, with the cursed company of our religions and lordships of hell, to set a redress in all things. And so by our sage and wise counsel it was devised that every mischief must be destroyed by his contrary. And where as the mischief and destruction of our kingdom came by poverty, meekness, and despising of lordships (which all priests had learned of Christ and his disciples) therefore our highness thought with our wise counsel that our religion and true service must be recovered again with riches of priests, by mighty power, by sottell learning/ and by all worldly honour For this our highness hath devised and 〈◊〉 that priests of all degrees might be of a great multitude to have 〈◊〉 without number, to have also all manner of rule and worldly 〈◊〉, and so great power over every man, that no man might overface them. But to rule Lords and Kings and all the world at their pleasure. And thus to come with more diligence to our service and Lordships: & to bring this our high counsel the better to pass: we moved the Emperor in Pope 〈◊〉 his days by our 〈◊〉 and prinye means to give and 〈◊〉 Priests & clerks with all worldly lordships which was contrary to the doctrine of our wretched 〈◊〉 Christ. And for because we would not that it should be perceived: we devised this to be given under the colour of an alms. For Silvester was a little scrupulous and if we had not diligently enticed him under this colour of alms, he would have forsaken it. We also persuaded him to bestow it on holy Church, and so thorough our high wisdom we brought to pass that he took these worldly Lordships: and all his successors have followed his steps and in that thing succeeded him most fastest, so that now they have gathered so plenteously that they are lords and kings of the earth, and are become our true and faithful chaplains of honour. And then not long after we devised for them certain privileges that they and all theirs should be exempt from all due obedience and from under the correction of any good law. But that all other men should be rather unto them. Also because we could not be served in poor & little churches, we devised large monasteries, proud saying & piping with out heart. So that we made them honour our enemy christ with their lips, and honoured us with their hearts, we also have ordained that nothing should be ministered in our temples without money wherewith they might have welfare of body with delicate meats and drinks & gorgeous apparel in the sight of the world, & great places to maintain their lordships in: & because we would not be proved contrary to Christ, we devised that no man should call any of his goods several or pro per to his own use, saiing it is mine but rather to say in general/ it is ours/ or the patrimoni of s. Augustine, Dominike/ Frances/ or some other such saint. And because that men would think that we had devised these things of our own power, we by our eternal wisdom have ordained also that you our trusty 〈◊〉 of all the orders of liars should come in to bear witness that 〈◊〉 these things are lawful & good, and that ye might be more in estimation in the eyes of the simple peo ple, we devised that ye should come withal hypocrisy and dissimulation of living, simple of raiment, looking ruefully, speaking holily, croaking & ducking lowly unto every man: no thing saying that ye have, but all thing willing to have/ making long prayers for money. We have given you a title of begging of every man/ and you to give no man whereby you may increase in riches and jyve easily. And to hide all things from the sight of the people 〈◊〉 have given you large Monasteries to take your pleasure in. In the which solitary places/ under the colour of chastity, ye may 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 bawdry and commit most 〈◊〉 zodomitre. We have also devised that you should go to school under the pretence of godly preaching/ whereby you may come into more favour and power to increase our service. 〈◊〉 to bring you to world lie honour we have ordained that you shall take all the degrees of school, that men may give you the more: and by this means you may come to worldly lordships and well far, which at your beginning you 〈◊〉 utterly to refuse. Wherefore we perceiving your faithful and 〈◊〉 service that you bear toward us (in fulfilling of our high ordinance, and maintaining of our noble kingdom) have written unto you a letter of the ordinance and statutes of our most increable 〈◊〉 cel, confirming you how they shallbe continued & how our lordships shall be best increased. first we will you to keep no poverty nor meekness in heart, but in countenance only consider how we except you above all men, you must all so have meek words, and proud deeds, charitable outwards, and envious inwards, and see that you increase in riches & hate beggars, profess it in words, but 〈◊〉 in deeds. And that you may bring all these things to pass and alother the better about: we have devised you to be confessors to lords and ladies to the intent that ye may the more deeply inspire than with the doctrine of your God our Pope whom in anywise forget not to affirm to be Gods holy Uikar: which as you know well is the head Antichrist our faithful successor We have given you all feigned and worldly power to preach for money alleging always great necessiti: therefore do thus much for us again, that ye preach nothing that shall displease any great men, but rather that which shall most delight them & their appetites: for those be they which may soon depose both you and us if ye once displease them: & that our mortal enemies those beg gerly wretches of our adversary Christ do once with his peevish utter unto them your falsehood & hypocrisy, & so prevail among them. See that you learn your young noveses your precepts diligently. 〈◊〉 pli yourselves 〈◊〉 please all 〈◊〉 rich men, for so shall you maintain our true service. If any foolish wretches will teach the gospel of our enemy Christ. See that you stand stiffly in our name against them, crying and saying: their manner of teaching is 〈◊〉 doctrine, and heresy, and contrary to all that the fathers of our holy Church taught. And see that ye be diligent to accuse them to the head Lords and governoves, for the destruction of the worldly honour and riches of our carnal 〈◊〉/ and that under the colour of the 〈◊〉 of the holy Church. 〈◊〉 if any mighty Prince do manfully maintain our worldly regiment. See that ye crown him with 〈◊〉 vain glory of our famous title or other, and make him believe that it is more worth to him, and that he hath a greater treasure of it, then of many thousand pounds. But if they once smell to ward the gospel of our mortal enemy christ, whether it be by the reading of some of his elvish books, or else moved to pity thorough the patient suffering of death of his disciples whereby they then begin to suspect your falsehood. Then run unto the great bishops our true messengers, and cause them to turn the ruler's minds some other way by giving than money or corrupting them with some gay promises or great gifts And we on our part will do such diligence that against you come to the bishops our ministers, we will move the matter afore hand telling them that if your hypocrisy be once open, their pride and pomp cannot long be hid. See that among you with the help of our bishops without fail against all tempests and storms that may happen unto out kingdom: ye set up or cause to be set up of the temporal sort, of such as have the most subtle and practised wits and will be corrupted with money at the least 〈◊〉. or. three proctors, for two causes The one because the blind lay people shall think that men of small learning are 〈◊〉 enough to con found such 〈◊〉 opinions: and as though ye yourselves could do greater things. Another cause is this that if our kingdom chance to catch a fall in any region, you may yet say that you not so, but the temporal men writ so, and so leave your proctors in the dich and escape quite yourselves. Also if any crafty per suasion of worldly wisdom or subtle sophistry by our secret instigation do come unto any of your minds, that look you write always and send it, to your proctors. Be it provided always among you that if you chose but two proctors, let the one in any wise be much younger than the other, that he may when the old is blind and weary, help forth with those things that the other for age or blinds could not finish and so may our church be well defended. And then go to and be of good comfort, and take to you a lusty courage, make a good face, babble, lie, and cry out apace: saying that all maketh on your side christ, his holy apostles and all the old holy doctoures with the use of the holy church this fifteen hundred years. If the people would have 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: say the tongue that you speak (what language so ever it be) is so corrupt that it cannot be in that tongue translated, if any fool arise and translate it into any good language (better than ye your selves can do it) call him a new apostle and a stark 〈◊〉 against the holy church. If you see the people read it, and like it well, them say it is falsely translated and more fuller of 〈◊〉, than a net is full of holes and see that ye 〈◊〉 daily (or else let your proctors write a 〈◊〉) that it is so hard that no man can understand it: & allege the most hardest parables of the scripture and those that may seem most obscure to be understand of men's capacities and 〈◊〉, lo masters how understand ye this, affirming that ancient fathers which have studied all their lives in divinity, could never attain to the understanding of them, and so by this subtlety you shall make the rude people think that it is much more unpossible for them to perceive thein 〈◊〉 so drive them quite from the mind of reading of scripture, If some busy 〈◊〉 will die with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wreiched gospel (as he himself taught they should, and alhis beggarly apostles gave them 〈◊〉) than labour to great men to get out writeth of execution that they may be burnt in or de 〈◊〉 if it please your grace, they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parsons and would have us and the faith of holy church down first, and when they have a while 〈◊〉 their carnal and 〈◊〉 liberty, they will have your grace down also, and by that 〈◊〉 will make all 〈◊〉: and therefore if it please 〈◊〉 highness, it is necessary that you give out your write of 〈◊〉 that such pernicious and pestilent members may be put out of the hole & sound flock of the catholic and faithful people, we need to say no more, ye are wise and diligent enough in this our business, and your honour and profit. But besure that ye cease not till those gospel babblers be brought to the fire which they so long looked and laboured for, and when they be burnt, then send to one of your 〈◊〉 (the youngest were most meetest) to garntshe invent and furnish out some lies of them in writing, yea all clean contrary to that they said when they were alive, and let the proctor tell in his book of such things as the party that was burnt and he commoned 〈◊〉 together when no man was present by them except one of is own company that would say as himself hath written or said: for so may he lie largely and no man can reprone him, and this thing in anywise sethat you do not in your own name/ lest the people should know and believe ye said it of envy because these herelikes reproved in deed your false doctrine and naughty living. But let your temporal proctor do it, to blear the eyes of the commons withal, & make them believe that he will be indifferent: yea or rather if it come so best to pass, you may do it yourselves in the name of some proud boy, and for his labour call him a young gentleman, whom you may feign to have alleged against those heretics as many strong reasons as you yourselves could imagine: and let those your proctors never go plainly forth/ too the proof of any thing/ nor dispute the matter/ but with 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉, you cannot lie, calling these fools arrogant Heretics. And no we to conclude we 〈◊〉 you, that ye can do nothing to please us so highly, as to destroy 〈◊〉 enemy Christ/ and his 〈◊〉 Gospel/ there fore above all other things/ beware that it proceed not forth: for if his Gospel go 〈◊〉, we and all you are undone. 〈◊〉 least these lewd losels bear you down with their wretched bible, for you have 〈◊〉 of laws. 〈◊〉 hundred years old to maintain your estate with all, see that ye 〈◊〉 fast to them, 〈◊〉 to no other thing for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fall to his Gospel, they will give you no more 〈◊〉 as long as you be strong and 〈◊〉/ but will cry upon you to 〈◊〉/ as that beggarly wretch Paul 〈◊〉 teach in his 〈◊〉 she 〈◊〉. But beware of that, for then every man will despise you: we 〈◊〉 in your wisdom, wherefore we writ not many things to you, but take and print this our high commission in your hearts and work thereafter, as we trust in you, and ye shall have no less joy than ourselves have, far you well: trust us as we do unto you.  
Written in our bright and burning chair, from our infernal kingdom prepared to us and you with all our angels your lord and royal king Sathanas under our seal manuel.