s and works of their own invention: the children of light
contrary. The worldlings, if they spy profit, gains, or lucre in any
thing, be it never such a trifle, be it never so pernicious, they preach
it to the people (if they preach at any time), and these things they
defend with tooth and nail. They can scarce disallow the abuses of
these, albeit they be intolerable, lest in disallowing the abuse they
lose part of their profit. The children of the light contrary, put all
things in their degree, best highest, next next, the worst lowest. They
extol things necessary, Christian, and commanded of God. They pull down
will-works feigned by men, and put them in their place. The abuses of
all things they earnestly rebuke. But yet these things be so done on
both parties, and so they both do gender, that the children of the world
shew themselves wiser than the children of light, and that frauds and
deceits, lies and money, seem evermore to have the upper hand. I hold my
peace; I will not say how fat feasts, and jolly banquets, be jolly
instruments to set forth worldly matters withal. Neither the children of
the world be only wiser than the children of light, but are also some of
them among themselves much wiser than the other in their generation. For
albeit, as touching the end, the generation of them all is one; yet in
this same generation some of them have more craftily engendered than the
other of their fellows.

For what a thing was that, that once every hundred year was brought forth
in Rome of the children of this world, and with how much policy it was
made, ye heard at Paul's Cross in the beginning of the last parliament:
how some brought forth canonizations, some expectations, some pluralities
and unions, some tot-quots and dispensations, some pardons, and these of
wonderful variety, some stationaries, some jubilaries, some pocularies
for drinkers, some manuaries for handlers of relicks, some pedaries for
pilgrims, some oscularies for kissers; some of them engendered one, some
other such fetures, and every one in that he was delivered of, was
excellent politic, wise; yea, so wise, that with their wisdom they had
almost made all the world fools.

But yet they that begot and brought forth that our old ancient purgatory
pick-purse; that that was swaged and cooled with a Franciscan's cowl, put
upon a dead man's back, to the fourth part of his sins; that that was
utterly to be spoiled, and of none other but of our m