The Praier and Complaynte of The Ploweman Unto Christe - Controversial Content

Controversial Content

The Prayer was highly controversial, owing to its questioning of some of the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church. Thomas More (1478-1535) was probably referring to the Prayer, when he attacked the "Ploughmans Prayour" in his preface to his Confutation of Tyndale's Answer (published in 1532 by More's nephew, William Rastell). In 1546, the Prayer was among the books banned by name in England, according to Robert Steele, along with all the works of John Frith, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe, John Bale, Robert Barnes, Miles Coverdale, and others.

The preface to the printed version (by "W.T") underlines some of the controversial content, for example comparing the Protestant reformers to Christ. Both were attacked as "innovators" when, according to the preface, they were only teaching the true and ancient doctrines. In this way, the Prayer is mustered up as an old proto-Protestant English text showing the truth and putatively traditional basis of Protestant teachings. The text of the Prayer echoes other reformist texts, such as Rede Me and Be Nott Wrothe.

W.T., in his preface, also argues that those in positions of wealth and power are corrupted by self-interest, and only the poor commons can see the truth of scripture. Some of these criticisms are directed toward the king and other rulers; W.T. does explicitly denounce the murder of Archbishop John Fisher, whom the king had executed 1535 for refusing the Oath of Supremacy. Helen White contends that the Prayer contains a "very radical theory of the nature of property".