TY  - BOOK
AU  - Fish,Simon
AU  - Arber,Edward
TI  - A Supplication for the Beggars
AV  - PR 
PY  - 2010///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Monasticism and religious orders -- England
KW  - Friars
N1  - Release date is 2010-05-21; Produced by Meredith Bach and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries.); Original publication data not identified
N2  - "A Supplication for the Beggars" by Simon Fish is an early Protestant pamphlet written in the spring of 1529. This text falls into the category of political and religious commentary, reflecting the social and ecclesiastical pressures of its time. It critiques the wealth and power of the clergy in England, particularly targeting their practices of extortion and immoral behavior, while calling for reform and accountability in the church.   In this bold treatise, Fish presents a fervent appeal to King Henry VIII, lamenting the plight of the poor and the burden placed upon them by the corrupt clergy, who he describes as "strong puissaunt and counterfeit holy, and ydell beggers." He argues that the excessive wealth gained through tithes, funerary fees, and other coercive means not only impoverishes the common people but also undermines the king’s authority and the overall well-being of the realm. Fish contends that these exploitative practices lead to societal decay, advocating for a system where the clergy should earn their living through honest work instead of begging and exploiting the vulnerable. The text is a passionate call for change, reflecting the growing tensions during the Reformation era as calls for accountability against ecclesiastical authority intensified. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32464
ER  -