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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04286	An apologie for the oath of allegiance first set foorth without a name, and now acknowledged by the authour, the Right High and Mightie Prince, Iames, by the grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. ; together with a premonition of His Maiesties, to all most mightie monarches, kings, free princes and states of Christendome.	James I, King of England, 1566-1625.; Paul V, Pope, 1552-1621.; Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.	1609 (1609)	STC 14401.5; ESTC S1249	109,056	264

before hee lost his head to fil it with I haue great reason to doubt if he would haue constantly perseuered in induring his martyrdome for that one most waightie head of doctrine And surely these two captaines and ringleaders to martyrdome were but ill folowed by the rest of their countrymen for I can neuer reade of any after them being of any great account and that not many that euer sealed that weighty head of doctrine with their blood in England So as the true causes of their first falling in trouble wherof I haue already made mention being rightly considered vpon the one part and vpon the other the scant number of witnesses that with their blood sealed it a point so greatly accounted of by our Cardinal there can but smal glory redound therby to our English nation these onely two Enoch and Elias seruing for witnesses against our Antichristian doctrine And I am sure the Supremacie of Kings may and will euer be better maintained by the word of God which must euer bee the true rule to discerne al weighty heads of doctrine by to be the true and proper office of Christian Kings in their owne dominions then he wil be euer able to maintaine his annihilating Kings their authorities together with his base vnreuerend speeches of them wherewith both his former great Volumes and his late Bookes against Venice are filled In the old Testament Kings were directly Gouernours ouer the Church within their Dominions purged their corruptions reformed their abuses brought the Arke to her resting place the King dancing before it built the Temple dedicated the same assisting in their owne persons to the sanctification thereof made the booke of the Law new-sound to be read to the people renewed the couenant betweene God and his people brused the brasen Serpent in pieces which was set vp by the expresse cōmandement of God and was a figure of Christ destroyed all Idols and false gods made a publike reformation by a Commission of Secular men and Priests mixed for that purpose deposed the hie Priest and set vp another in his place and generally ordered euery thing belonging to the Church-gouerment their Titles and Prerogatiues giuen them by God agreeing to these their actions They are called the Sonnes of the most High nay Gods themselues The Lords anoynted Sitting in Gods throne His seruants The Angels of God According to his hearts desire The light of Israel The nursing fathers of the Church with innumerable such stiles of honor wherwith the old Testament is filled wherof our aduersary can pretend no ignorance And as to the new Testament Euery soule is commaunded to be subiect vnto them euen for conscience sake All men must bee prayed for but especially Kings and those that are in Authority that vnder them we may lead a godly peaceable and an honest life The Magistrate is the minister of God to doe vengeance on him that doth euill reward him that doeth well Ye must obey all higher powers but especially Princes and those that are supereminent Giue euery man his due feare to whom feare belongeth and honour to whome honour Giue vnto Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is Gods Regnum meum non est huius mundi Quis me constituit Iudicem super vos Reges gentium dominantur eorum vos autem non sic If these examples sentences titles and prerogatiues and innumerable other in the old and new Testament do not warrant Christian Kings within their owne dominions to gouerne the Church as well as the rest of their people in being Custod es vtriusque Tabulae not by making new articles of faith which is the Popes office as I saide before but by cōmanding obedience to be giuen to the word of God by reforming the religion according to his prescribed will by assisting the spiritual power with the temporal sword by reforming of corruptions by procuring due obedience to the Church by iudging and cutting off all friuolous questions and Schismes as Constantine did and finally by making decorum to bee obserued in euery thing establishing orders to be obserued in al indifferent things for that purpose which is the only intent of our Oath of Supremacy If this Office of a King I say doe not agree with the power giuen him by Gods word let any indifferent man voyd of passion iudge But how these honourable offices styles and prerogatiues giuen by God to Kings in the old new Testament as I haue now cited can agree with the braue stiles and titles that Bellarmine giueth thē I can hardly conceiue 1. That Kings are rather slaues then Lords 2. That they are not only subiects to Popes to Bishops to Priests but euen to Deacons 3. That an Emperour must content himselfe to drinke not onely after a Bishop but after a Bishops Chaplen 4. That Kings haue not their authority nor office immediatly from God nor his Lawe but onely from the Law of Nations 5. That Popes haue degraded many Emperours but neuer Emperour degraded the Pope nay euen Bishops that are but the Popes vassals may depose Kings and abrogate their lawes 6. That Church-men are so farre aboue Kings as the soule is aboue the body 7. That Kings may be deposed by their people for diuers respects 8. But Popes can by no meanes bee deposed for no flesh hath power to iudge of them 9. That obedience due to the Pope is for conscience sake 10. But the obedience due to Kings is onely for certaine respects of order and policie 11. That these very Church-men that are borne and inhabite in Soueraigne Princes countreys are notwithstanding not their Subiects and cannot be iudged by them although they may iudge them 12. And that the obedience that Churchmen giue to Princes euen in the meanest and meere temporall things is not by way of any necessary subiection but onely out of discretion and for obseruation of good order and custome These contrarieties betweene the booke of God and Bellarmines books haue I heere set in opposition ech to other Vt ex contrarijs iuxta se positis veritas magis elucescere possit And thus farre I dare boldly affirme that whosoeuer will indifferently weigh these irreconciliable contradictions here set downe wil easily confesse that CHRIST is no more contrary to Beliall light to darkenesse and heauen to hell then Bellarmines estimation of Kings is to Gods Now as to the conclusion of his letter which is onely filled with strong and pithy exhortations to perswade and confirme Blackwell to the patient and constant induring of Martyrdome I haue nothing to answere saue by way of regrate that so many good sentences drawen out of the Scripture so well and so handsomely packed vp together should bee so ill and vntruely

all his Visions in the said Booke hee directly imitates the fashions of the Prophet Ezekiels Daniels and Zacharies Visions borowing their phrases that prophecied before CHRIST to vtter his Prophecies in that was to speake of the last dayes shall finde it very probable that in these three dayes and a halfe hee imitated Daniels Weekes accounting for his Week the time between CHRISTS first and second comming and making Antichrist to triumph the halfe of that time or spirituall Weeke For as to that literall interpretation as all the Papists make it of three yeeres and a halfe and that time to fall out directly the very last dayes saue fiue and fortie before CHRIST his second comming it is directly repugnant to the whole New Testament For CHRIST saith That in the latter dayes men shall be feasting marrying at all such worldly finesse when the last houre shall come in a clappe vpon them One shall bee at the Mill. One vpon the toppe of the house and so foorth CHRIST telleth a Parable of the fiue foolish Virgins to shew the vnlooked-for comming of this houre Nay he saith the Sonne of man nor the Angels in heauen know not this time S. Peter biddeth vs WATCH AND PRAY euer awaiting vpon that houre And S. Iohn in this same Apocalyps doeth twise tell vs that CHRIST will come as a theefe in the night And so doeth CHRIST say in the Euangel Whereas if the Antichrist shall reigne three yeeres and a halfe before the latter day and that there shall be but iust 45. daies of time after his destruction then shall not the iust day and houre of the latter day be vnknowen to them that shall be aliue in the world at the time of Antichrists destruction For first according to the Papists doctrine all the world shall know him to be the Antichist both by the two Witnesses doctrine and his sudden destruction And consequently they cannot be ignorant that the latter day shal come iust 45. dayes after and so CHRIST shal not come as a theefe nor the world be taken at vnawares contrary to all the Scriptures before alleadged and many more And thus haue wee proued Rome to be the Seat of the Antichrist and the second halfe of that spiritual Weeke between the first and second comming of CHRIST to be the time of his Reigne For in the first halfe thereof the mystery of iniquitie beganne to worke but the man of sinne was not yet reuealed But who these witnesses should be is a great question The generall conceit of the Papists is that it must be Enoch and Elias And herein is Bellarmine so strong as hee thinketh him in a great error if not an Heretike that doubteth of it But the vanitie of this Iewish fable I wil in few words discouer The Cardinall in his booke of Controuersies bringeth sowerplaces of Scripture for probation of this idle dreame two in the Olde Testament Malachie and Ecclesiasticus and two in the New CHRIST in Matthew hee might haue added Marke too and Iohn in the xi of the Apocalyps First for the generall of all those places I dare boldly affirme That there is not a word in them nor in all the rest of the Scriptures that saith that either Enoch or Elias shall returne to fight against Antichrist and shall be slaine by him nor any such like matter Next as to euery place in particular to beginne with Malachie I know not who can better interprete him then CHRIST who twise in Matthew chap. xi and xvij and once in Marke tels both the multitude and his owne Disciples that Iohn Baptist was that promised Elias And herein doth Bellarmine deale most vnfaithfully with CHRIST for his demonstration that Antichrist is not yet come because E●och and Elias are not yet returned hee for his probation thereof citeth these wordes of Christ in the xvij of Matthew Elias shall indeed come and restore all things but omits his very next words interpreting the same That he is alreadie come in the person of Iohn Baptist Nay wherby he taketh vpon him to answere Biblianders obiection that CHRIST did by Iohn the Baptist vnderstand the prophecie of Elias comming to be accomplished he picketh out the words Qui habet aures audiat in the xi of Matthew immediatly following that purpose of Elias making of them a great mystery and neuer taketh knowledge that in the xvij by him selfe before alledged CHRIST doth interpret Malachy in the same maner without any subioyning of these words Qui habet aures audiat adioyning shamelesly hereunto a fowle Paraphrase of his owne telling vs what CHRIST would haue saide nay in my conscience hee meant what CHRIST should and ought to haue said if he had beene a good Catholike setting downe there a glosse of Orleance that destroyes the Text. Thus ye see how shamefully he abuseth CHRISTS wordes who in three sundry places as I haue said interpreteth the second comming of Elias to be meant by Iohn the Baptist Hee likewise cauils most dishonestly vpon that word Venturus For CHRIST vseth that word but in the repeating their opinion but interpreting it that hee was alreadie come in the person of Iohn Baptist As if hee had said The prophesie is indeed true that Elias shall come but I say vnto you that Elias iam venit meaning of Iohn Baptist and so he first repeates the words of the Prophesie in the future time as the Prophet spake them and next sheweth them to be now accomplished in the Person of Iohn in the present time Neither can these words of Malachie Dies magnus horribilis falsifie CHRISTS Commentarie vpon him For if that day whereupon the Sauiour of the world suffered when the Sunne was totally obscured from the sixt houre to the ninth the vaile of the Temple rent asunder from the top to the bottome and the earth did quake the stones were clouen the graues did open themselues and the dead arose· If that day I say was not a great and horrible day I know not what to cal a horrible day Which day no doubt had destroyed the whole nation of the Iewes without exception by a iust Anatheme if the said Iohn the fore runner had not first conuerted many by the doctrine of Repentance and by Baptisme But why should I presume any more to interprete Malachy since it is sufficient that CHRIST himselfe hath interpreted him so And since Ipse dixit nay ter dixit per quem facta sunt omnia what mortall man dare interprete him otherwise nay directly contrary Now for that place of Ecclesiasticus as the sonne of Syrach onely borroweth it from Malachie as appeareth by these wordes of his of conuerting the sonnes hearts to their Fathers which are Malachies owne words so doth CHRISTS Comentary serue as well to interprete the one as the other it being no shame for that mortall Iesus to bee commented and interpreted by the immortall and true IESVS

Law and the Prophets which would be the fittest witnesses for conuincing of Antichrist But why they haue exempted Moses and put Enochs head in the yoake I cannot conceiue But I haue too much laboured in the refuting of this foolish and indeed childish fable which I am so farre from beleeuing in any sort as I protest in GODS presence I cannot hold any learned Diuine in our age now to be a Christian that will beleeue it but worthy to bee ranked with the Scribes Pharises that raued and dreamed vpon the comming againe of Elias though CHRIST told them the contrary As for some of the Ancients that mistooke this matter I doe not censure them so hardly for the reason that I haue already alledged concerning them And hauing now refuted that idle fable that those two Witnesses were Enoch and Elias it falleth mee next to guesse what in my opinion should be meant by them I confesse it is farre easier to refu●e such a groundlesse fable as this is contrary to all grounds of Diuinity and Reason then to set downe a true interpretation of so high and darke a mystery And therefore as I will not presume to binde any other man to my opinion herein if his owne reason leads him not thereunto so shall I propone such probable coniectures as I hope shall be free from Heresie or vnlawfull curiosity In two diuers fashions may the mysterie of these Witnesses be lawfully and probably interpreted in my opinion Whereof the one is that by these two Witnesses should be meant the Olde and New Testaments For as the Antichrist cannot chuse but bee an aduersary to the word of GOD aboue all things so will he omit no endeuour to disgrace corrupt suppresse and destroy the same And now whether this Booke of the two Testaments or two Witnesses of Christ haue suffered any violence by the Babylonian Monarchy or not I need say nothing Res ipsa loquitur I will not weary you with recounting those Common Places vsed for disgracing it as calling it a Nose of waxe a dead Letter a leaden Rule and a hundred such like Phrases of reproch But how far the Traditions of men and Authority of the Church are preferred to these witnesses doeth sufficiently appeare in the Babylonian doctrine And if there were no more but that little booke with that pretie Inscription Del ' Insuffisance del ' Escriture Sainte it is enough to proue it And as to the corrupting thereof the corruptions of the old Latine translation must not be corrected though it bid euertere domum in stead of euerrere for seeking of a penny And though it say of Iohn Sic eum volo manere donec veniam in place of Si though it bee knowen a plaine lye and that the very next wordes of the Text disprooue the same Nay so farre must we be from correcting it as that the vulgar Translation must be preferred by Catholikes to the Bible in the owne Originall tongue And is it a small corrupting of Scriptures to make all or the most part of the Apocrypha of equall faith with the Canonicall Scriptures contrary to the Fathers opinions and Decrees of ancient Councels And what blasphemous corrupting of Scripture is it to turne Dominus into Domina throughout the whole Psalmes And thus our Ladies Psalter was lately reprinted in Paris Is not this to confound CHRISTS person with hers And as for suppressing of the Scriptures how many hundreth yeeres were the people kept in such blindnesse as these witnesses were almost vnknowne for the Layicks durst not being forbidden and the most part of the Cleargie either would or could not meddle with them Thus were these two witnesses of Christ whom of himselfe saith Scrutamini Scripturas illae enim testimonium perhibent de me These two Oliues bringing peace to all the beleeuers euen peace of Conscience These two Candlesticks standing in the sight of GOD and giuing light to the Nations represented by Candlestickes euen in the very Order of the Roman Masse Thus were these two Witnesses I say disgraced corrupted and suppressed nay so suppressed and silenced as he was brent for an Heretike that durst presume to looke vpon them kept close in a strange tongue that they might not be vnderstood Legends and lying woonders supplying their place in the Pulpits And so did their Bodies lie in the Streetes of the great Citie spiritually Sodome for spirituall fornication which is idolatrie spiritually Egypt for bringing the Saints of God in bondage of humane Traditions Quare oneramini ritibus So did their bodies I say lie 3. daies and a halfe that is the halfe of that spirituall Weeke betweene Christ his first and second comming and as dead carkases indeed did the Scriptures then lye without a monument being layed open to all contempt cared for almost by none vnderstood by as few nay no man durst call for them for feare of punishment as I haue already said And thus lying dead as it were without life or vigour as the Law of God did till it was reuiued in Iosias time The Inhabitants of the earth that is worldly men reioyced and sent gifts to other for ioy that their fleshly libertie was now no more awed nor curbed by that two edged sword for they were now sure that to doe what they would their purse would procure them pardons from Babylon Omnia vaenalia Romae so as men needed no more to looke vp to heauen but downe in their purses to finde Pardons Nay what needed any more suing to heauen or taking it by violence and feruencie of zeale when the Pardons came and offered themselues at euery mans doores And diuers spirituall men vaunted themselues that they neither vnderstood Olde Testament nor new Thus were these two Witnesses vsed in the second halfe of this spirituall Weeke who in the first halfe thereof were clad in sackecloth that is preached repentance to all Nations for the space of fiue or sixe hundreth yeeres after Christ GOD making his Word or Witnesse so triumph riding vpon the white Horse in the time of the Primitiue Church as that they ouercame all that opposed themselues vnto it beating downe euery high thing as Paul sayth excluding from heauē all that beleeue not therein as strongly with the spirituall fire thereof conuincing the stiffenecked pride of vnbeleeuers as euer Moses or Elias did by the plagues of Egypt and famine conuince the rebellious Egyptians and stiffe-necked Israelites Neither shall it be enough to disgrace corrupt and suppresse them but KILLED must they be at the last To which purpose commeth forth Censura generalis vt mucrone censorio iugulare eas possit and cutteth their throates indeed For the Authour ordaineth all Translations but their owne to be burnt which is yet commonly practised nay he professeth he commeth not to correct but to destroy them controlling and calling euery place of Scripture Hereticall that

to the Emperours for their Confirmation And this lasted almost seuen hundreth yeeres after CHRIST witnesse Sigebert and Luitprandus with other Popish Historians And for Emperours deposing of Popes there are likewise diuers examples The Emperour Ottho deposed Pope Iohn the twelfth of that name for diuers crimes and vices especially of lecherie The Emperour Henry the third in a short time deposed three Popes Benedict the ninth Siluester the third and Gregory the sixt as well for the sinne of Auarice as for abusing their extraordinarie authoritie against Kings and Princes And as for Kings that haue denied this temporall Superioritie of Popes First we haue the vnanime testimonie of diuers famous Historiographers for the generall of many Christian Kingdomes As Walthram testifieth That the Bishops of Spaine Scotland England Hungary from ancient institution till this moderne noueltie had their Inuestiture by Kings with peaceable inioying of their temporalities wholly and entirely and whosoeuer saith hee is peaceably solicitous let him peruse the liues of the Ancients and read the Histories and hee shall vnderstand thus much And for verification of this generall assertion we will first begin at the practise of the Kings of France though not named by Walthram in this his enumeration of Kingdomes amongst whom my first witnesse shall be that vulgarly knowen Letter of Philip le Bel King of France to Pope Boniface the viij the beginning whereof after a scornefull salutation is Sciat tua maxima fatuitas nos in temporalibus nemini subesse And likewise after that Lewes the ninth surnamed Sanctus had by a publike instrument called Pragmatica Sanctio forbidden all the exactions of the Popes Court within his Realme Pope Pius the ij in the beginning of Lewes the eleuenth his time greatly misliking this Decree so long before made sent his Legate to the said King Lewes with Letters patents vrging his promise which he had made when he was Dolphin of France to repeale that Sanction if euer hee came to bee King The King referreth the Legate ouer with his Letters-patents to the Councel of Paris where the matter being propounded was impugned by Ioan. Romanus the Kings Atturney with whose opinion the Vniuersitie of Paris concurring an Appeale was made from the attempts of the Pope to the next generall Councell the Cardinall departing with indignation But that the Kings of France and Church therof haue euer stoken to their Gallican immunitie in denying the Pope any temporall power ouer them and in resisting the Popes as oft as euer they prest to meddle with their temporall power euen in the donation of Benefices the Histories are so full of them as the onely examples thereof would make vp a bigge Volume by it selfe And so farre were the Sorbonists for the Kings and French Churches priuiledge in this point as they were wont to maintain That if the Pope fell a quarrelling the King for that cause the Gallican Church might elect a Patriarch of their owne renouncing any obedience to the Pope And Gerson was so farre from giuing the Pope that temporall authoritie ouer Kings who otherwise was a deuoute Roman Catholike as hee wrote a Booke de Auferibilitate Papae not onely from the power ouer Kings but euen ouer the Church And now permitting all further examples of forraigne Kings actions I will onely content mee at this time with some of my owne Predecessors examples of this Kingdom of England that it may thereby the more clearly appeare that euen in those times when the worlde was fullest of darkened blindnesse and ignorance the Kings of England haue oftentimes not only repined but euen strongly resisted and withstoode this temporall vsurpation and encroachment of ambitious Popes And I will first begin at King Henry the first of that name after the Conquest who after he was crowned gaue the Bishopricke of Winchester to William Gifford and forthwith inuested him into all the possessions belonging to the Bishopricke contrarie to the Canons of the new Synod King Henrie also gaue the Archbishopricke of Canterburie to Radulph Bishop of London and gaue him inuestiture by a Ring and a Crosiers staffe Also Pope Calixtus held a Councell at Rhemes whither King Henry had appointed certaine Bishops of England and Normandie to goe Thurstan also elected Archbishop of Yorke got leaue of the King to goe thither giuing his faith that hee would not receiue Consecration of the Pope And comming to the Synode by his liberal gifts as the fashion is wanne the Romanes fauour and by their meanes obtained to bee Consecrate at the Popes hand Which as soone as the King of England knewe hee forbad him to come within his Dominions Moreouer King Edward the first prohibited the Abbot of Waltham and Dean of Pauls to collect a tenth of euery mans goods for a supply to the holy Land which the Pope by three Bulles had committed to their charge and the said Deane of Pauls compering before the King and his Councell promised for the reuerence he did beare vnto the King not to meddle any more in that matter without the Kings good leaue and permission Here I hope a Church-man disobeyed the Pope from obedience to his Prince euen in Church matters but this new Iesuited Diuinitie was not then knowen in the world The same Edward I. impleaded the Deane of the Chappell of Vuluerhampton because the said Deane had against the priuiledges of the Kingdome giuen a Prebend of the same Chappell to one at the Popes command whereupon the said Deane compeered and put himselfe in the Kings will for his offence The said Edward I. depriued also the Bishop of Durham of all his liberties for disobeying a prohibition of the Kings So as it appeareth the Kings in those dayes thought the Church men their SVBIECTS though now wee be taught other Seraphicall doctrine For further proofe whereof Iohn of Ibstocke was committed to the goale by the saide King for hauing a suite in the Court of Rome seauen yeares for the Rectorie of Newchurch And Edward II. following the footsteps of his Father after giuing out a Summons against the Abbot of Walden for citing the Abbot of S. Albons and others in the Court of Rome gaue out letters for his apprehension And likewise because a certaine Prebend of Banbury had drawen one Beuercoat by a Plea to Rome without the Kings Dominions therefore were Letters of Caption sent foorth against the said Prebend And Edward III. following likewise the example of his Predecessors Because a Parson of Liche had summoned the Prior of S. Oswalds before the Pope at Auinion for hauing before the Iudges in England recouered the arrerage of a pension directed a Precept for seasing vpon all the goods both spirituall and Temporall of the said Parson because hee had done this in preiudice of the King and Crowne The saide King also made one Harwoden to bee declared culpable and worthy to bee punished for procuring the Popes Bulles

points that I haue already handled The Antichrist is foure times in my opinion described by Iohn in the Apocalyps in foure sundrie visions and a short Compendium of him repeated againe in the xx Chapter He is first described by a pale Horse in the vision of the Seales in the sixt Chapter For after that CHRIST had triumphed vpon a white Horse in the first Seale by the propagation of the Gospel and that the red Horse in the second Seale is as busie in persecution as CHRIST is in ouercomming by the constancie of his Martyrs and that famine and other plagues signified by the blacke Horse in the third Seale haue succeeded to these former persecutions Then commeth foorth the Antichrist vpon a pale Horse in the fourth Seale hauing Death for his rider and Hell for his conuoy which rider fitted well his colour of palenesse and he had power giuen him ouer the fourth part of the earth which is Europe to kill with the sword and vse great persecution as Ethnick Rome did figured by the red Horse and to kill vvith spirituall hunger or famine of the true word of GOD as the blacke Horse did by corporall famine and with death whereby spirituall death is meant For the Antichrist signified by this pale Horse shall afflict the Church both by persecution and temporall death as also by alluring the Nations to idolatry and so to spirituall death and by the beasts of the earth shall hee procure their spirituall death for hee shall send out the Locusts ouer whom he is King mentioned in the ninth Chapter of this booke and the three Frogges mentioned in the xvj of the same for intising of all Kings and Nations to drinke of the cup of her abominations That that decription now of Antichrist endeth there it is more then plaine for at the opening of the first Seale the soules and blood of the murthered Saints cry for vengeance and hasting of iudgement which in the sixt Seale is graunted vnto them by CHRISTS comming at the latter day signified by heauens departing away like a scrol when it is rolled with a number of other sentences to the same purpose But because this might seeme a short and obscure description of the Antichrist hee describeth him much more largely specifikely especially in the vision of the Trumpets in the ninth Chapter For there hee saith at the blowing of the fift Trumpet Heresies being first spread abroad in three of the four former blasts to wit in the first third and fourth blast for I take temporall perecution to be onely signified by the second blast hee then saw a starre fall from Heauen to whom was giuen the key of the bottomlesse pit which being opened by him with the smoke thereof came foorth a number of Locusts whom he largely describeth both by their craft and their strength and then telleth the name of this their King who brought them out of the bottomlesse pit which is Destroyer By this Starre fallen from heauen being signified as I take it some Person of great dignitie in the Church whose duetie being to giue light to the world as CHRIST saith doeth contrary thereunto fall away like Lucifer and set vp a Kingdome by the sending foorth of that noisome packe of craftie cruell vermine described by Locusts and so is the Seat of the Antichrist begun to bee erected whose doctrine is at length declared in the second vvoe after the blast of the sixt Trumpet where it is saide That the remnant of men which were not killed by the plagues repented not of the works of their hands that they should not worship Deuils and idols of golde and of siluer and of brasse and of stone and of wood which neither can see heare nor goe As for worshipping of Deuils looke your great Iesuited Doctor Vasques and as for all the rest it is the maine doctrine of the Romane Church And then it is subioyned in this text that they repented not of their murther their sorcerie their fornications nor their theft By their murther their persecution is meant and bloody massacres For their Sorcery consider of their Agnus Dei that will sloken fire of the hallowed shirts and diuers sorts of Reliques and also of Prayers that will preserue men from the violence of shot of fire of sword of thunder and such like dangers And iudge if this be not very like to Sorcerie and incantation of charmes By their Fornication is meant both their spirituall fornication of Idolatry and also their corporall fornication which doth the more abound amongst them as well by reason of the restraint of their Churchmen from marriage as also because of the many Orders of idle Monastike liues amongst them as well for men as women And continuall experience prooueth that idlenesse is euer the greatest spurre to lecherie And they are guiltie of Theft in stealing from GOD the titles and greatnes of power due to him and bestowing it vpon their head the Antichrist As also by heaping vp their treasure with their iuggling wares and merchandise of the soules of men by Iubiles Pardons Reliques and such like strong delusions That he endeth this description of Antichrist in the same ninth Chapter may likewise well appeare by the Oath that that Mightie Angell sweareth in the sixt verse of the tenth Chapter And after the blast of the sixt Trumpet that time shall be no more and that when the seuenth Angell shall blow his Trumpet the mysterie of GOD shal be finished as he had declared it to his seruants the Prophets Onely in the eleuenth Chapter he describeth the means whereby the Antichrist was ouercome whose raigne he had before described in the ix Chapter and telleth vs that the two witnesses after that they haue beene persecuted by the Antichrist shall in the end procure his destruction And in case any should thinke that the Antichrist is onely spoken of in the xj Chapter and that the Beast spoken of in the xiij and xvij Chapters doth onely signifie Ethnicke Rome there needeth no other refutation of that conceit then to remember them that the Antichrist is neuer named in all that xi Chapter but where hee is called in the seuenth verse thereof the Beast that commeth foorth of the bottomles pit which by the description of the place he commeth out of prooueth it to be the same Beast which hath the same originall in the xvij Chapter and in the very same words so as it is euer but the same Antichrist repeated and diuersly described in diuers visions Now in the xij and xiij Chapters and so foorth till the xvij he maketh a more large and ample propheticall description of the state of the Church and raigne of the Antichrist For in the xij Chap. he figureth the Church by a Woman flying from the Dragon the Deuill to the wildernesse And when the Dragon seeth he

thinke he doth not meane by his Diuina Dogmata the word of the God of heauen but onely the Canons and Lawes of his Dominus Deus Papa otherwise all his Primacie of the Apostolike Sea would not be so much sticken vpon hauing so slender ground in the word of God And for the great feare he hath that the suddennes of the apprehension the bitternes of the persecution the weaknesse of his age and other such infirmities might haue bene the cause of the Arch-priests fall in this I haue already sufficiently answered him hauing declared as the trueth is and as the said Blackwel himselfe wil yet testifie that he took this Oath freely of himselfe without any inducement therunto either Precebus or Minis But amongst all his citations he must not forget holy Sanderus and his Vi●ibilis Monarchia whose person and actions I did already a little touch And surely who will with vnpartiall eyes read his bookes they may well thinke that he hath deserued wel of his English roman-Roman-Church but they can neuer thinke but that he deserued very ill of his English Soueraigne and State Witnesse his owne books whereout I haue made choice to set downe here these few sentences following as flowers pickt out of so worthy a garland Elisabeth Queene of England doth exercise the Priestly act of teaching and preaching the Gospel in England with no lesse authority then Christ himself or Moses euer did The supremacy of a woman in Church matters is from no other then from the Deuill And of all things in generall thus he speaketh The King that wil not inthrall himselfe to the Popes authority he ought not to be tolerated but his Subiects ought to giue all diligence that another may be chosen in his place assoone as may be A King that is an Heretike ought to be remoued from the kingdome that he holdeth ouer Christians and the Bishops ought to endeuour to set vp another assoone as possibly they can Wee doe constantly affirme that all Christian Kings are so far vnder Bishops and Priestes in all matters appertaining to faith that if they shall continue in a falt against Christian Religion after one or two admonitions obstinately for that cause they may and ought to be deposed by the Bishops from their temporal authority they hold ouer Christiās Bishops are set ouer temporall kingdomes if those kingdomes do submit themselues to the faith of Christ We doe iustly affirme that all Secular power whether Regall or any other is of Men. The anoynting which is powred vpon the head of the King by the Priest doeth declare that he is inferiour to the Priest It is altogether against the will of CHRIST that Christian Kings should haue supremacie in the Church And whereas for the crowne and conclusion of all his examples he reckoneth his two English martyrs Moore and Roffensis who died for that one most weighty head of doctrine as he alleadgeth refusing the Oath of Supremacie I must tel him that he hath not bene well informed in some materiall points which doe very neerly concerne his two said martyrs For it is cleare and apparantly to be prooued by diuers Records that they were both of them committed to the Tower about a yeere before either of them was called in question vpon their liues for the Popes Supremacie And that partly for their backwardnesse in the point of the establishment of the Kings succession wherunto the whole Realme had subscribed and partly for that one of them to wit Fisher had had his hand in the matter of the holy mayd of Kent he being for his concealement of that false prophets abuse found guiltie of misprision of treason And as these were the principall causes of their imprisonment the King resting secure of his Supremacie as the Realme stood then affected but especially troubled for setling the crowne vpon the issue of his second marriage so was it easily to be conceiued that being thereupon discontented their humors were therby made apt to draw them by degrees to further opposition against the King and his authoritie as indeed it fell out For in the time of their being in prison the Kings lawfull authoritie in cases Ecclesiasticall being published and promulged as wel by a generall decree of the Clergie in their Synode as by an Act of Parliament made thereupon they behaued themselues so peeuishly therein as the old coales of the Kings anger being thereby raked vp of new they were againe brought in question as wel for this one most weighty head of doctrine of the Pope his supremacy as for the matter of the Kings marriage and succession as by the confession of one of themselues euen Thomas Moore is euident For being condemned he vsed these wordes at the barre before the Lords Non ignoro cur me morti adiudicaueritis videlicet ob id quod nunquam voluerim assentiri in negotio matrimonij Regis That is I am not ignorant why you haue adiudged me to death to wit for that I would neuer consent in the busines of the new marriage of the King By which his owne confession it is plaine that this great martyr himselfe tooke the cause of his owne death to be only for his being refractary to the King in this said matter of Marriage and succession which is but a very fleshly cause of martyrdome as I conceiue And as for Roffensis his fellow Martyr who could haue bene content to haue taken the Oath of the Kings Supremacy with a certaine modification which Moore refused as his imprisonment was neither onely nor principally for the cause of Supremacy so died he but a halting and a singular Martyr or witnes for that most waightie head of doctrine the whole Church of England going at that time in one current and streame as it were against him in that argument diuerse of them being of farre greater reputation for learning and sound iudgement then euer he was So as in this point we may wel arme our selues with the Cardinals own reason where hee giueth amongst other notes of the true Church Vniuersalitie for one we hauing the generall and Catholike conclusion of the whole Church of England on our side in this case as appeareth by their booke set out by the whole Conuocation of England called The institution of a Christian man the same matter being likewise very learnedly handled by diuers particular learned men of our Church as by Steuen Gardiner in his booke de vera obedientia with a preface of Bishop Boners adioyned to it De summo absoluto Regis Imperio published by M Bekinsaw De vera differentia Regiae Potestatis Ecclesiasticae Bishop Tonstals Sermon Bishop Longlands Sermon the letter of Tonstall to Cardinall Poole and diuers other both in English and Latine And if the bitternesse of Fishers discontentment had not bene fed with his daily ambitious expectation of the Cardinals hat which came so neere as Calis