learne or to teach Dispute you as men to bee tryed or rather as these that are 〈◊〉 and woulde subuert both Church and common wealth You may prate what you list and write as long as you will but wise men see well enough where at you shoote as hath been saide before And whereas you attribute their obstinacie which you call constancie to the mercie and grace of God you abuse both the name and grace of God contrarie to the commaundement of God Thou shalt not take the name of the Lorde thy God in vaine Besides you charge God with their treason and superstition the cause neither being his not depending vpon any worde of his And therefore it was not for him but against him and in his iuste indgemente hee found them out as I doubt not but in time it shall likewise fall out with all those that are so redie of whom you speake that carry so treasonable and traiterous mindes whereto if according to your confession they be still so bent and shall pursue that which others left I beseech the Lorde to appoint the time quickly that you may receiue a iust recompence and peace may bee vpon all Gods Israel amongest vs. The rest you say in master Charkes Preface is not worth answer neither surely is that which is answered alreadie which yet you haue accounted moste worthie of answere For your bare affirmation and wordes is no more proufe and reason then a 〈◊〉 is a milstone no more is your disabling of our cause in comparison of yours Not ours but Christes as yours is not yours but Antichristes And wee easily yeelde you that in respect of the worlde surely our cause is somewhat more beggerly then yours For Satan by Antichriste the Pope doth enable furnish and decke it with all possible pompe efficacie deceite lying signes and wonders that can bee Rome is a rose coloured whoore and your Rochettes and Crochets your Hattes and crownes are not decked with studdes of Iron but all to beedawbed with iewels and precious stones Her cup in her hand is of fine golde Shee is a whore not for euery man but kinges and princes commit fornication with her And for vniuersalitie it is cleare that all the inhabitants of the earth shal worship the beast whose names are not written in the booke of life they are not written in the booke of the lambe that is slaine Hee shall rule and giue them a marke in their handes and no man shall by nor sell without the marke of the beaste In deede in this respect Christe is a beggar true religion is beggerie and your cause is honourable and you are the Lordes of the worlde But heere I must warne you that whilest you talke of your wealth and your honour yet you forgate not to begge very beggerly the matter in question If you had wonne the cause then you might charge vs with pride and take the name of humilitie But if you bee so good a Phisition to knowe the disease of an heretike I wonder you coulde not finde your owne sicknesse to the death heretikes in deede and therefore pride such a disease in you as meane Phisitions may see and handle knowen to all that knowe but little seene to them that are halfe blind and apparant to the whole worlde without measure But Christ howe base and beggerly soeuer you make him yet is hee the high riches and very treasurie of God And as Augustine with the testimonie and consent of those sounde witnesses standing in mainteinance of the truth had an honourable cause and the other though Iulianistes Arrians Donatists and all the rabble of earth and hell set against him in the strength of flesh blood had a weake and beggerly cause euen so haue you that haue neither sentence of Scripture nor sounde Doctor for the space of the first 600. yeeres to take your parte your pith is so poore of these almost 1200 yeeres that we can neither see nor feele it and therefore it is a vaine popish bragge As for Luther whō you raue so much against it is a lie that our religion began with him For our religiō is the wisedome of God before al beginning Al the Saints of God that euer were in al the times ages of the worlde haue euer both opened their mouths spoken against Antichrist you his members All the Patriarches Prophets Christ himselfe and his Apostles Yea when Antichrist grew and occupied that holie place boasting himselfe as God in the greatest times of darknes yet God euermore stirred vp lōg before Luther was borne sundry excellent spirites to controll his abhominatōs and to stand for his blessed truth which as it hath gained against him made the towers of his pride to bowe towards destruction so beeing the breath of Christe it shall not cease til it haue vtterly ouerthrowne him But it is to be marked how your popish heate carried you here into a disdayneful reproch against one of your own names when you cal him a Rūnegate Frier If his order were holy then you doe amisse because of his heresie to disdayne his profession But a man may see what reuerence and conscience you beare to your owne titles And yet me thinks this should not so much gaule you in respect of vs cause you so to raue against vs seing he is one of your owne and hauing so farre proceeded amongst you brought out such is the streight of truth so harde batterie against you But blessed be God that euen out of your own bowels hath bred so sundry notable instruments to bewray your falshood to vindicate the truth As for his impugning of vs take you no care for that It wilbe best for you to keepe your own heads as hath bin said We easily pardon that which may be pardoned euery man seeth not al things and some differences may wel stand with the vnity of faith You papistes bee not al of a coate nor all of a religion your deuision is indeede in the bowels in matters of substance and weight and therefore I trust it is a true Prognostication of your vtter destruction when God shal appeare in glory You are deuided into infinite orders professions at warre contrary one to another Nay your opinions are so contradictorie as by no meanes they canne bee reconciled and so are your popes your Popes Canons At the death of your popes you are wont to publish that they are departed out of this life to euerlasting happines and rest and yet you commaunde herses to bee set vp and prayers to bee saide for them that they may be receiued to happines and rest Yee glorie of your consent and agreement in expounding the scriptures and yet your doctours teach that the scriptures are fitted and diuerslye vnderstoode for the time so as they maye bee expounded at one time according to the curraunte vniuersall ryte of the Churche but that ryte beeyng chaunged that also
therfore true 〈◊〉 trine wee receiue him and admit him As for that which like a Spider hee hath sucked out of that booke hee wrote against K. Henrie and vrgeth that hee might bring him and the doctrine which he taught which was not his but Christes into hatred with some great personages of authoritie I answere generally vnto it that wheresoeuer hee hath not kept that modestie that became one that was carefull for the saluation of them with whom he dealt wee do not nor will not defende him But I cannot thinke but that Luther knewe well enough that king Henrie was not authour of that booke hee was wise enough to consider that though the booke did carrie the kinges name yet some pelting popish Proctor was the authour whom hee repayeth in the same name wherein it was published It is plaine that not long before that hee had written verie gently vnto him And if hee being misseled by such as he gaue credite vnto did ouer 〈◊〉 set himselfe against the truth in which wee ought to respect no mans person Luther coulde doe no lesse but looking vpp to God set himselfe againste him Neither is this gathered by Parsons or obiected by the rest of the Papistes for that hee or they haue any regarde to the Matestie of a 〈◊〉 or for any loue they did beare to that famous king but to bring this excellent man and the truth whiche is far worse into hatred for all stories are full howe their Pope and they togeather haue offered violence from time to time against Princes Noblemen and Gentlemen of all sortes and degrees They haue not onely defaced them with euill woordes bearing Gods person bearing his swoorde as beeing his Ministers when they haue stoode for Gods truth and in their lawfull right and libertie but they haue plucked their crownes from their heads stamped vpon their neckes and hunted them to death This pelting Parsons keeping his olde nature is still vppon the soares and the offalles and reuedge pleaseth him best The matter beeing sounde and good hee passeth ouer hee considereth no circumstances but like a malicious wretch as farre from duetifull regard of 〈◊〉 and authoritie as anye might bee yet hee will 〈◊〉 a regarde in him and those of his sorte And yet they loued king Henrie not so well as the 〈◊〉 their holy water for beeing his owne inuention and deuised for the better furnishing of Idolatrie hee coulde not but loue it too well but as well as the wicked are wont to loue God which is neuer a deal For of all the Princes that euer were in Englande king Henrie was hee that gaue the Pope the wounde And no doubt had hee liued but till these times wherein the light of the knowledge of God doth so abounde and breake foorth hee would haue seene all their treacherie and as he abandoned the popes authoritie opened a passage vnto the holy scriptures ouerthrewe their shrines and grosse Idolatries brought downe their Abbeys and dennes of filthinesse and knauerie so woulde he haue chased out all the reste of their abhominations But if in a modest spirite this heate of Luther had beene founde fault with with no disfauour of the truth I would not for my part haue founde great faulte with it But considering Luther wrote for the truth and not against it considering also that this 〈◊〉 and those of his fether neither honour the name of that nobleking nor his memorie for the causes aforesaide I truste I shall finde fauour of those that are in authoritie to speake the more plainely in it and 〈◊〉 report what their speeches also haue beene of him In all their bookes and writings where they mention his name they account of him as of an 〈◊〉 fallen from their church They had it once in deliberation whether they should haue taken vp his bodye from the place where it was interred to haue burned it to ashes as they did Wickliefes long after his death and that in the time of the reigne of his owne daughter In his life the Pope excommunicated him and sought all the meane she coulde to set all the Princes of the worlde vppon his 〈◊〉 It was his practise and the practise of his shauelinges and prelates to make that breach betwixt him and the Emperour that had beene at such concord Cardinall Poole was the instrument to stirre vp the French king against him They are wont to alleadge that place vpon Amos out of M. Caluin against him against others for taking the name of supreme head of the Church But is it because they would giue it And yet themselues gaue it king Henry and subscribed to it and wrote bookes in defence of it when not wihstanding those good men that professed the Gospel were deceiued not knowing in what meaning it was either giuen or taken And those kinges that tooke it neuer chalenged it as the Papistes gaue it neyther was it euer giuen by Protestantes to the ende that they shoulde bee heades of the Church by any absolute authoritie to giue it newe lawes against the worde or gouernment as some home Pope to 〈◊〉 it according to their owne willes against the trueth of God but as was meet being Gods Lieuetenauntes they were acknowledged to bee the chiefe and that the care both of the Churche and common wealth did belong vnto them that it was their duetie as did good Ezechias Iehosap hat other kinges aboue all thinges to care that the religion of God 〈◊〉 be established and floorishe according to his written worde And if the Papistes made king Henrie head of the Churche in their sense or if hee tooke it otherwise they neyther gaue him that title aright neither did he take it as he ought and in truth it was themselues I meane the papists that gaue it as I haue saide before But our Soueraigne nowe Princesse doth neither receiue it nor take it in that meaning for this were to make the Churche a monster not subiect vnto her head Iesus Christ but subiecte to a mortall man whiche were indeede to erect a newe Popedome But if any thing were so amisse then they shoulde not muche maruell at it seeing those that were reformers then were suche as were but newelie called from Poperie and therfore could not but smell of that corruption Againe the trueth was not discouered at the first dash King Henry was not a Prince of a yeres standing Many thinges fel out in his 〈◊〉 and vppon manie occasions that brought him from the worse to the better and made him see and know also much more then he could put in practise for feare as his owne prouerbe was of bringing an old wal vpon his head No doubt he had a singuler courage yet these monstars were then so big so were they harnessed with power such poysō had they in their 〈◊〉 that they must be vanquished by the grouth of truth in time season not vppon the sodaine And which of
and that curssed estate in succession but also the supporter and maintayner of that kingdome by false myracles stronge delusions and woonders where by hee woulde confirme it What shoulde I speake out of your Legendes Festiualles and Stories of the continuall conference that in a manner all your Sainctes haue had with the Deuill whome they name almoste in euery leafe I speake nothing of Frauncis of Dunstone and Dominick the wonders and life of the one as in an Alcoran framed to ouerthrow al religion is set out in that booke of Conformities and the woonders and miracles of the other set out by Iohn Capgraue and the last by other Legendes As for that thou chargest Luther with pride for that by a fiction he setteth forth dialogue-wise in that spiritual conflicte it maketh nothing to the purpose neyther dooth that any whit make for the confirmation of a sensible conference that he reporteth of the death of Empser and Oecolampidius whome though in some ouer great bytternesse Luther accountinge them for aduersaryes him selfe hauing indured so manye sharpe assaultes supposed to bee ouercome by the Deuyll yet this maketh no more to prooue a bodilye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rest Fynally that Luther confesseth him selfe to haue 〈◊〉 a bushell of salte with him is also from the purpose For I am sure neither Parsons profession not his weede his Medoles his Agnus Deies and such other trumperies can ridde him from the like acquaintaunce with the Deuill Naye I saye not the lyke for hee by profession and religion is the Deuilles darling by a full resignation and possession and therefore eateth drinketh sleepeth with him obeyeth followeth and loueth him but those that feare GOD howsoeuer Sathan layeth at them rageth and stormeth against them exercising them with manye sharpe and fearefull conflictes that hee maye gayne them to damnation neuer sheweing him selfe more restlesse vnpacified with them then when they most resiste him yet he neuer so vanquisheth and ouercommeth them that he will bee at one or haue any 〈◊〉 peace with them Concerning Luthers death which this impure mouth chargeth to haue beene a dronken death and that from a deceitful deuil al which bee layeth downe by coniecture is more then villanous to charge so excellent and notable a man of GOD with Therefore whereas M. Charke deemeth iustlye that it is lacke of discretion I pronounce that it is extreame madnesse and more then impudencie in Parsons and all the packe of Papistes vpon the testimonie of such partiall witnesses to vtter any such horrible lyes and sclaunders And as for Iohn 〈◊〉 credit hee shall haue more credit being a professour of the Gospell a man singularly well learned and 〈◊〉 for his gystes and as appeareth by the stories hee hath written of greater intelligence then all the reste of Luthers enimies that neuer coulde come neere him Against whom if they would take any exception because of his religion they muste remember their owne rule that it was in a matter of facte whereof all men might be witnesses wherein though he woulde haue deceaued them yet hee coulde not And howsoeuer Sir Robert asketh the reason yet I see not why one Iohn Sleidan a Christian and an Historiographer shoulde not be preferred before al the packe of Papists being irreligious Apostates that haue auowed a matter they knewe not who though they liued in Luthers time yet liued not with Luther And though they were Gormaines yet coulde not therefore either knowe his life or his death Neither can Fontanus and Pontanus though they should haue noted some ouer sightes in Sleidan receiuing that which they had by intelligence nor Gasper Genepaeus who hath dubbed their lies of purpose nor Bartolomeus Latomus that dyed as a desperate man once cracke the credit of worthy Sleidan who though as you say he haue noted so many lyes in his historie yet he hath not proued anye and if hee had beene aliue to haue aunswered hee could not haue caried it so long in peace and silence And as for Gropper whome in your opinion you tearme to be so rare and excellent a man that commonlye called Sleidans booke the booke of lyes his authoritie ought not much to weigh with vs by your owne rule For if Iohn Sleidan were not to bee credited who yet had many writing with him beecause hee and they were Protestantes why shoulde we credit you being all partial Papistes And as for Charles the Emperour who was woont to interrupt the Reader with saying there the knaue lyeth it is but the reporte of lying Lindane and may be as very a lye for ought wee knowe as any of the rest And as for Guilielmus Mulenaeus that shoulde refute Sleidans Commentaries First we saye that we neuer yet sawe his refutation so that belyke though he would haue done it hee coulde not or hauing attempted to doe it durst yet neuer publyshe it Sleidan therefore though not alone but hauing manye that did ioyne with him though hee had beene alone yet beeing a Christian a learned and sincere writer ought to bee credited in this case and to ouerbeare a clowd of such false and partial witnesses as the Papistes are and euermore haue shewed them selues to be But now forsooth wee shal not want a sound testimonie to strike the matter dead against Luther to prooue that hee died a drunken death and that is out of Iustus Ionas beeing Luthers deere friende and his Cooke and as partiall towardes him as Sleidan him selfe See here the mallice of Sathan in this helhounde Parsons and such lyke from whence hee hath taken it For where hath Iustus Ionas whome hee calleth else where also Luthers Cooke though he were a woorthy and a notable man vttered anye such woorde Indeede hee is sometimes called by a borrowed speeche a thirde Elias and that is mentioned in that storie written by those notable learned men Iustus Ionas Michaell 〈◊〉 and Iohannes Aurifaber And this was onely doone in respecte of his great zeale and feruencie of spirite that he had in defence of the trueth of GOD and against error But what makes this for the mayntenaunce of that which hee vttereth not out of Iustus Ionas writing but out of 〈◊〉 Burdegalensis with 〈◊〉 name that hee maye seeme for to haue some power and authoritie he bedaubeth the margent of his booke to dasell the eyes of his reader You shal not want saith he a sound testimonie For I wil alleadge you Iustus Ionas Luthers deere friend c. For thus Pontacus writeth Martinus Lutherus quem tertium 〈◊〉 quidam ausi sunt vocare c. That is Martin Luther whome some dare call the thirde Elias going well typpled and 〈◊〉 to bedd was founde dead the next morning c. First wee shoulde heare it out of Iustus Ionas and now there is brought in the reporte of Pontacus the first a learned man that hath no such woordes the
the whole matter from vs and as was woorthye your wisedome skilfully rightfully you suffred not your selues to be circumuented by the crafte of a perfidious and wicked knaue So that as your moderation deserued not a common prayse so we hope you shal feele the fruit of it And for this your gentlenesse vsed towardes vs wee giue you great thankes Fare you well worthy men and brethren beloued of vs from our heart The Lord preserue and blesse you together with your Church This month of Ianuary 1552. By these testimonies it appeareth plainely what this Bolsecke was whom Parsons bringeth in as a witnesse against Caluine and heareth him to speake and helpeth him 〈◊〉 though his woorke of Caluines life forsooth were translated and misse caryed in the carriage A pitifull losse which yet that it may bee recouered Parsons hath stuffed this booke with a briefe recapitulation of the most odious matter for the better discharge of his credite with M. Charke But a man may see that Byrdes of a fether will together and if Parsons had beene one that had set eyther by credite or honestie he would haue beene loth to haue bin seene so familiar so conuersaunt with such an honest moome of whome hee hath learned such notable lyes For admitte that he knew Caluine as manye others did is it like that fuch a knaue hauing had intelligence of such horrible faultes as he aduoucheth to haue beene in Caluine that he would not then when hee was neerest to him when he was thus prouoked was heard and might haue beene heard in that Ecclesiasticall Senate when for an Heretike and trouble coaste he was afterwards banished out of Geneua is it like I say that hee would haue spared then to haue vttered it or if he did for feare or for other respects not then vtter it was it notlike when he came afterwardes to Berna where he boasted of fauour or to Lausanna from whence also he was of Lyons which in the very forefront of his booke carrieth so sacred a protestation that hee neither wrote nor spake any one thing for anger enuie euill will against the trueth and his owne conscience Are not heere thinke you goodly colours to gaine credite to so wicked and infamous a sclaunder For the first that you may knowe this cub as the Lyon by the clawe I will set foorth what this Bolsecke was that all Christian Readers may in the feare of God iudge of what credite such a one deserueth to bee amongest those that feare God then afterwardes I will examine euery circumstance of his euidence and compare thinges so together as I trust it shall euidently appeare to all that will not wilfully bee blinded that this Bolsecke is not onely a notorius roge and a runnagate but those men at whom he barketh are worthie excellent men reuerende for their giftes whilest they were a liue and many being now dead in the Lorde of a blessed and euerlasting memorie First therefore that you may see what holde the Papistes take of euerie riffe raffe that may but beginne a matter for them and what a shamelesse witnesse this is whom they bring in as if he were an honest man you must first vnderstande that this Bolsecke was a friar Carmelite who sodenly leaped from the profession of popishe diuinitie to practise of phisicke wherin yet though hee had not had that bringing vp that should haue made him fit for so necessarie a science yet hee was bolde and impudent and for the better compassing of estimation and credite which such kinde of spirites euer hunt after hee dispatched himselfe from Paris out of his cloyster to the Churche of Geneua where the discipline of Christe beeing euen thorowe some difficulties by the worthie labours of M. Caluine recouered brought in and fully setled in these Churches together with sounde doctrine which then had chased out the darkenesse of poperie from their publique assemblies though there were manie papists amongest them This Bolsecke was quickly 〈◊〉 out what hee was amongest them For hee perswaded himselfe as if he had been still in a cloyster and therefore knew not howe to beare himselfe in a reformed Churche And this was the cause that certaine naughtie and euill disposed persons with whom this Bolsecke ioyned hauing now in the beginning begun to barke against that comfortable doctrine of Gods euerlasting predestination and prouidence as though M. Caluin others had made God the authour of sinne culpable of their condemnation did so much then trouble that church This Bolseck therfore hauing deceiued the Dutches of Ferraria who in the beginning had conceaued som good opinion of him fauouring in some points the Gospel came to Geneua 〈◊〉 the yeere 1551. where in deed thogh he tooke vpon him to be a Phisitiō whō Parsons this Iesuit 〈◊〉 out with all his titles yet hee was neuer of any 〈◊〉 amongst those learned Phisitions that were there On a time one of the ministers in the assemblie as they call it a congregatiō propoūding vpon that text of S. Iohn He that is of god heareth the words of God yee therfore heare thē not because you are not of God c. did by occasion inuay against free wll that same foresight of workes which the papists much speake of prouing that same decree of Gods euerlasting predestinatiō to be certain c This Bolseck being present M. Caluin as he thought 〈◊〉 he was so bold impudent that hee could not any longer refrain but burst out openly to the disturbance of that congregation with many seditious vile opprobrious wordes set himselfe against y t excellent doctrine whereupō M. Caluin being now come thither or euer he had finished he did so notably confute him y t euē vpō y t sodain by many notable argumēts places especially out of S. Aug. hauing not thoght of any such matter before as the calfe had nothing to replie or say against it as y t storie saith If euer Cal. shewed what a mā he was he did it at that time There was at that time one of the Magistrats present who presently committed him to prison but the matter being hādeled by many disputatiōs in the Ecclesiasticall senate y t Senate of the Heluetiās hauing their opinion also asked concerning y t matter he was at lēgth cōdēned as a meere Pelagiā banished out of Ge neua y t 23. of Decēber 1552. Frō thēce he departed to the territories of the Lords of Berne where also he behaued himself in such sort that hee was twise or thrise banished out of their dominions as an impure seditious heretike till at the last seeing some hope of peace in the churches of Fraunce he labored thē to enter into the ministery at a Synode in Orleās kept there in the yere 1562. he acknowledged his fault faigned an earnest harty repētāce in such sort y t M. Beza sūdry others
had that same foule disease vpon him that he should haue stunke that no bodie could haue abidden him how could that be true that is written of him which yet was most true that he should be visited by so notable excellent personages For he was visited in the time of his sicknes not onlie by y e 4. Syndiques which are 4. chief lords magistrates of the towne to whō M. Cal. made a graue a notable exhortation that they should continue faithfull in that place wherein God had set thē but also by al the Ministers who according to the custome of that Church met at his house in token of that vnitie loue that was betweene thē tooke their repast together at a supper Among whō M. Caluin was brought forth sitting in his chaire to take of them as it were his last farewell in this life and notwithstanding that he were very sick yet he conceaued prayer himself as wel as he coulde cheered vp his guestes and before supper was ended withdrawing himselfe hee tolde them that a wall could not sunder them but that hee woulde bee ioyned with them in spirit After which time going to bed his sicknes grewe to be such as lying vpō his back he neuer rose againe till God had put an ende to all his miseries and receiued him into that euerlasting ioy whiche hee had from before the foundations of the worlde prepared for him Now therefore though Caluine had beene teinted and touched with as sore plagues and diseases as euer was 〈◊〉 and that in his ende the anguishe of his flesh had made him to speake as foolishly as euer Iob did if his bones had beene putrified and corrupted as Dauid confesseth his were he had had all the diseases in himself that many holy men haue cōplained to haue felt yet forasmuch as y e end of a mā simplie in it self is not enough for a mā to be iudged by God exercising his childrē as he seeth to be best for thē and seeing y e breastes bones of the wicked are as full of milke and marrow as the breastes and bones of the godly that neither outward prosperitie nor aduersitie in the ends either of the godly or of the wicked simply in thēselues are iust measures to measure y e fauor or displeasure of God by I cōclude y t thogh M. Caluine had had suche a disease yet hee dying in the Lorde and in the constant profession of his truth this growing vpon him by his great labours and studies taken against such helhoundes and enemies as you are I conclude that he dyed a glorious and an honourable death And besides the reasons before alleadged that he died not any such horrible death with any such discontentment and rage against God hereby it may bee prooued that hee was continually occupied in prayer in writing and ouerseeing sundrie bookes and writings that hee had in hand to finish that hee vttered many golden and excellent sentences made such a solemne and a godly wil died with such peace quietnes ha uing neither clogged himself with trāsitori things not being in loue with the world so as he yelded most willingly neither stirring hād nor foot as by the testimonie of them that were present is declared wheras Bolseck this heretike was both his enemie and also absent and therefore vnfit to giue any testimonie of him But nowe if a man shoulde turne ouer the leafe and looke to the life and death of Papists which as their doctrine is wicked and idolatious so their liues and their deaths are abhominable and hideous hee shoulde enter into such an argument as hee coulde not tell where to begin nor where to ende so copious and plentifull are examples of the iudgements of God vpon them And what peace and honour can bee in the death of them whose life and death is without God Diues in outwarde shewe and to the iudgement of the worlde dyed as a man blessed and Lazarus as a cursed man vpon whose liues and deaths yet if Bolseck and Parsons might haue sate as Iudges Diues shoulde haue been iustified and Lazarus condemned But those wicked ones whose doctrines and liues haue beene wicked and whose death therewithall haue beene marked with some notable iudgement of Gods wrath these indeede are examples vnto vs to make vs to feare So died Steeuen Gardiner a wicked and a wretched man very horriblie with his tongue swolne out of his mouth with such a hideous and fearefull countenance with suche stincke and dispaire as his owne side did loath him for it So likewise dyed Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Canturburie Cardinal Wolsey Latomus Francis Spira and diuers others Euen like as in the old time God brought strange iudgements vpon his enemies that were 〈◊〉 and mercilesse persecutors as vpon Antiochus Herode Iulian the Apostata Valerian Decius Maxentius and infinite others So also vpon men euen in our times whose liues were wicked hee made their deaths notorious and infamous by setting vpon them as it were visible signes of his wonderfull and vnsupportable iudgementes I referre the Reader for breuitie sake vnto a speciall booke written in the Frenche tongue wherein there are gathered together as into one summe the wonderfull iudgements of God that haue byn executed vpon wicked men declared both in their life in their death To which also may be added a speciall treatise which M. Foxe hath set downe in his booke of Actes and Monuments in the second part Nowe concerning the life of M. Beza and his maners which Parsons saith this worshipfull writer hath set downe during M. Beza his life and dedicated to the honorable Magistrates Councellours and other 〈◊〉 of the Citie of Geneua c. Although I shoulde not 〈◊〉 much to wearie myself seeing M. Beza is thanks be to God aliue both of sufficient age abilitie in Christ to answere for himself and may perhaps haue seene the booke if it bee deliuered there where it is dedicated yet because I know y t M. Beza will not file his handes vppon suche a shamelesse wretche and also because as Parsons in Englande so also another of the same fether in Scotlande haue been so eger to spread these sclaunders to the discredite of this reuerende and honorable person in Christe I haue thought it my dutie to examine his groundes and to weigh the circumstances of this as I haue done in 〈◊〉 life of M. Caluin First therefore where hee saith that hee hath doone it during his life that if it bee false hee may refute it this maketh no whit to the iustifiyng of his fact Hee that hath shewed himselfe suche a varlet against the truth and M. Caluin for it is it like beeing a bored and branded witnesse that hee will deale with any more 〈◊〉 towards M. Beza Shall wee thinke that his purpose is to finde out the truth or beeing confuted for falshood that hee
you talke of For her Maiesties warrant I can say nothing but if it should please her to graunt it I doubt you woulde not bee so readie to performe your promise and yet there is great oddes betwixt the promise of a faithfull princesse and your promise that alwayes haue beene false And I see not what cause we haue more to trust your safe conduit of the coūcel of Trent then Iohn Husse Hierom of Prage had to trust the councell of Constance You are large and gentle in promising but scant and cruell in perfourming and that may appeare not onely by your Popes Popish princes and confederates but euen by you all who holde it for a principle that to dissemble with an heretike such as you slannder vs to bee is a good pollicie And this trusting of your popish generation hath cost many a thousand godly men their liues What iudgement others are of I cannot tell but for my part I will truste you no further then I see you Howsoeuer a woolfe shall counterfet a lambe 〈◊〉 liue in a house like a dogge as many of you doe yet you cannot but shewe your woluish natures And therefore I am of minde there is no trusting of any of your offers There is small profite in disputing with obstinate heretikes And whatsoeuer you prate of disputation you cannot abide that true disputation which shall maintaine the truth but as Augustine once saide you loue to ouercome by a most impudent manner that you may gather that which you neuer brought 〈◊〉 that as the manner of all heretikes hath beene you may deface men and beeing conuicted of your treason and 〈◊〉 yee may 〈◊〉 to backiting and slaundering As for your prouoking of vs out of the lande it is all one with vs either at home or abrode to stande for the truth Wee feare not 〈◊〉 owne people we can be content before them to yeelde a reason of our hope though their iudgement may bee weake sometimes to 〈◊〉 it But seeing you are so francke if you will sende vs worde of your resolution vnder a conuenient number of your hands that you are readie in all places to trie this matter For wee woulde beeloth vpon suche a fickle man his word as your selfe is whose name wee knowe not vnlesse it be som great Parson to bee so prouoked but I say if you will send vs woorde your names and abiding places wee will become suiters for you that at Geneua or in some other Vniuersitie vnder the gouernment of the Gospell some conuenient number of you may bee admitted to set vp your questions and say what you can As for making of fermons you shall receiue our answere when we know your abiding and howe to send you word For the passage of your bookes it is not in vs to graunt they that are in authoritie are wise to consider how tollerable they are being the very bellowes of rebellion full of falshood slaunder and lying full of false doctrine heresie and cursed abhomination being full fraught of all kind of wicked immanitie and crueltie not touching the liuing but the deade not the common sort of men but the honour of the moste excellent men whom God in great mercies towardes his Churche hath raysed vp in these last times to display your cursed doctrine and moste abhominable liues 〈◊〉 is the cause of your bitter galle and spite against them A defence of master Charkes Preface to the answerer IN the first section there are nothing but wordes barely affirmed in the 〈◊〉 of their readinesse to haue their spirits proued And this hee prooueth by their bookes extant calling to tryall all sectaries and heere hee maketh an hotchpotch matching with true Ministers of Christe such heretikes as are them selues For hee matcheth Luther Carolostadius together that were at great oddes Zwinglius and Munser Caluine and Stancarus and yet hee knewe well enough that neyther Caluine nor anye of the rest did euer agree with anye that fell to heresies or did maintayne them But forsooth they haue confuted them Surely so as wicked men are wonte with darkenesse to confute light in them that were sounde or to confute heresies in heretikes themselues being the greatest heretikes that euer were as Tinkers who are wont when they indeuour to mend one hole to set downe another or rather in steede of mending one to make many O but they offer daily and take great paines yea they come with danger of their liues to make trial Indeede they proclaime defiance dare not come to the battle for notwithstanding the cōmandement of their superiors of voluntary trial I neuer knewe any to come in but against their willes to aduouche their errors But how wil they be tried Why forsooth they wil be tried by themselues they are the Church we are heretikes intruders and what not The spirits of the Prophets must be subiect to the Prophets Nowe they are the Prophetes to whom wee must render account of al our doinges But Sir defender that I may vse Hardinges owne phrase who made you iudge in your owne cause You begge shamefully that which is in question For first wee say that you are no true Prophetes but false Prophetes you vsurpe the name of the true Church being a false of the vniuersal if you be any being but a particular and therfore may 〈◊〉 as men as your owne Doctors haue confessed Whither thē shal we goe for the trial of spirits Surely the spirite must be iudged by the spirite For whatsoeuer sauoureth of the spirite shalbe tried by the spirite in those that are enlightened by it in whom the Churche consisteth and where the spirite is For the spirite is not without the Church and the Church is found in the Scriptures and no where els And therefore the Apostle saith The spirituall man iudgeth al things What better way can there be to finde out the spirite of error but by the spirite of truth And how shal they be discerned that boast of the spirite but by the only word of God suggested by the spirite When we offer therefore our spirites to be tried by the rule of S. Iohn concerning a true confession of Iesus Christ first also as the Apostle saith beleued with the heart and then confessed with the mouth which also hath this further 〈◊〉 to make vs cal vppon him and to acknowledge him our onelie Prophete king Priest derogating from him none of his offices but receiuing his whole worde and bringing into knowledge his whole counsels submitting our selues vnto his will This must needes be a plaine euident trial which indeed the Papists could neuer abide This is the cause that they shunne onely Scripture as a terrible bugge For if the trial should once come to that as indeede it ought to doe the matter would soone be at an ende I say it ought in all matters of Religion being necessary to the faith of a christian man whatsoeuer
them no impiety nor bynding the conscience as equall with the worde of God but are proued necessary to order and edification why these we receiue and allowe and follow thē as patterns to directe vs by But as God and men are to be discerned so are those traditions of God and the traditions of men farre vnlike and differing in authoritie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therefore those wicked traditions whiche you haue forged and fayned as necessary to saluation which want both a commaundement and a promise of God we vtterly detest them to wit of your sundrie sortes of masses applied to al diseases and danngers your Vigilles yeeres mynds and moneths mynds your processions churches dedicated to Saintes your counterfaite fastes from Butter flesh cheese and egges your faigned Reliques of Saintes your holie bread and holy water your Rosaries blessings exorcismes of salt ashes hearbes trees palme leaues flowers oyles flesh grease wine and cheese for the health both of bodie and soule Should we not I praye you vpon the credite of your Synagogue receiue all these Is it not a good ease by cleauing to the Scriptures onely to vnburthen and acquite our selues of all these abhominations If you may obtayne euery deuise without Scripture then wee must yeelde a woorshippe to the Asse vppon palme sunday we must carrie about the Sacrament like Idolaters 〈◊〉 worship the bread we must haue a Letanie of Saintes wee muste haue your Popishe confirmation and many iestes in it we must haue creame and spettlein Baptisme sensing swinging to euery idol we must haue an infinite number of Monkes Nunnes and Friers and euery one tugging for his order like caterpillers of the earth eating vs vp deuouring vs and together by the eares amongst themselues for their sundrye ceremonies kindes of seruice and a thousand such like wickednesses As for Martine Luthers opinion denying seuen Sacramentes and acknowledging 3. and then properly confessing but one and the confession of Auspurge that followed him teaching 3. and Melancthon 4. and Caluine but two and I cannot tel what because these make nothing for the proofe of that you haue in hande they shal receiue their answere in another place Though men haue their sundry opinions yet the Scripture is one and certaine we stande not to iustifie any mans priuate and particuler opinion but would haue al mens opinions brought to the triall of the worde of God Wherein though men doe double many times in their knowledge in respect of their ignorance time and grouth whiche maketh against you yet the trueth is one and hath certainely discussed that there are but two Sacraments which we onely follow and allow of But for these places alleaged by you I adde further that you might haue considered that Luther wrote that booke De captiuitate not the laste For if you had looked either into his great Catechisme or the little one that was the abridgement of the other you shoulde haue founde but two As for Melancthon who holdeth as you say 4 It appeareth you tooke them not by an euen tale For in his last common places where hee aunsweareth those wicked articles Báuaricae Inquisitionis he holdeth that there are properly but two Sacramentes howsoeuer more generally the name Sacrament was common to moe c. Now whereas you bring in M Caluine for the title of King Henrie calling himselfe head of the Churche and the Magdeburgens for holding that opinion stil as M. 〈◊〉 and they vnderstood it it was and is according to the Scripture that none cā be head of the Churche but Iesus Christ who is the onely king thereof We disclaime not one Pope and allow another But as God hath erected Princes in their seueral dominions to gouerne the people committed to their charge so wee hold that they professing the Gospell haue a soueraigne power and are heads of their dominions next and immediatly vnder God and therfore also are chiefe members of the Church and haue to doe as appoynted by God to see his lawes receiued and obserued and iustice administred amongest al states and persons according to the worde of God your cancred malice therefore shal not prouoke that mischiefe you ayme at Princes that are taught of God are wise to consideral circumstaunces both what mooued M. Caluin so to write and in what sense that title for a time was retayned As for that you write of the opinion of burning Heretikes and of bookes being written too or fro it helpeth your cause little It is enough that we haue testified by our example that Heretikes are to be put to death and if some Anabaptist or Heretike that woulde liue as they list haue started out such books out of their owne dēnes what is that to vs seeing we haue both answeared them are ready to aunsweare whatsoeuer they or you can obiect against the truth thereof Neyther doeth this helpe your crueltie that put not Heretikes to death but Christians and such as professe the Gospel of Iesus Christ against your cursed Idolatries Concerning Luthers heate against those that he called Sacramentaries in regard of those other excellent giftes that God bestowed vppon him for the benefite of so many we doe easily pardon We thanke God that crawling out of 〈◊〉 Dunghil of Poperie he was no more infected then he 〈◊〉 We doubt not but if he had liued til these dayes of light and knowledge he would haue had better iudgement both in that and some other poyntes of doctrine which hee did some what too toughly mainteyne You haue little cause therefore to condemne our Christian modestie and holye perswasion of his and suche like brethrens saluation who though they iumpe not with vs in all thinges yet holding the foundation are not to be condemned as desperate Heretikes And as for Maister Whitgift and M. Cartwright howsoeuer they haue differed and striued about the gouernment of the Church you shal finde that they both agree against your false Religion and wicked Abhominations and as the Lorde shal make them wise by his woorde they shall set them selues against euerye thing that is not according to it But must all the differences and disagreementes of men that professe 〈◊〉 worde of God be attributed to the word of God Is not this a fine conclusion There are amongest men that professe one God and one woorde of GOD greate differences some are too farre and some are too shorte some are wyse to discerne and some see but a little some haue a sounder knowledge and some a weaker Ergo to appeale to the Scripture onely is an vncertaine thing All pretende the authority of the Scripture Ergo all haue it Ergo the Scripture is a nose of waxe to serue to all purposes because men abuse it Muche like as if you shoulde reason the Spyder draweth matter of Venome from the Rose therefore the Bee must sucke no honye from it But to stay vppon Scripture onely you say It
suspiramus gementes flentes in hac lachrimarum valle 〈◊〉 ergo aduocatrix nostra illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos conuerte c. Al hayle Queene mother of mercy Al haile our life our sweetnes our hope To thee we crie the exiles of Eue to thee weegrone weeping and mourning in this vale of teares O therfore our aduocate turne those 〈◊〉 merciful eyes towards vs. It were too tedious and would require an whole volume by it selfe to set downe al their horrible prayers in their Breuiaries Portifories Portuises that they make to the Virgin and other Sayntes and that with setting such prices vpon them that they that say such and such a prayer with so manie Pater nosters Aue maries a Credo shal haue so manie yeeres and daies of pardon totiēs quotiēs for that is their Latine As for example whosoeuer shall say this prayer following before our blessed Ladie of pitie they beeing in the state of grace She will shewe them her blessed visage and warne them of the day and houre of death and in their last ende the Angels of God shall yeeld their soules to heauen and he shall obtaine 500. yeeres and so manie Lentes of pardon graunted by fiue holie fathers Popes of Rome The prayer is blasphemous and beginneth thus Obsecro te sancta Domina c. I beseech you holy Lady S. Marie mother of God most ful of godlines the daughter of the high king a most glorious mother a mother of Orphans consolation of the desolate the way of those that erre the saluation and hope of those that trust in thee A Virgin before her byrth a 〈◊〉 in her birth a virgin after her birth the fountayne of mercie the fountaine of saluation and grace the fountaine of 〈◊〉 and gladnes the fountain of consolation and forgiuenes c. The like is Aue Rosa sine spinis Al haile rose without thornes written for sooth with letters of gold in her breast and that which was shewed to S. 〈◊〉 by an Angel of her and that Aue Maria alta stirps lilij castitatis Al hayle Mary the high stocke of the Lilie of chastity For the saying of which Bonifacius the Pope graunted an 100. dayes of pardon that Aue wherein she is called the Queene of heauen the gate of Paradise the Ladie of the worlde for whiche Pope Sixtus graunted eleuen thousande yeeres of pardon for saying this before the Image of our Ladye Also another to her for whiche Celestinus the Pope graunted three hundred daies of pardon Another Aue for which Pope Sixtus graunted at the instance of the high and most excellent Princesse Elizabeth late Queene of England and wife to our Soueraigne Lorde King Henrie the seuenth God haue mercie on her sweete soule 〈◊〉 al Christen soules that euery day in the morning after 3. toulings of the Aue bel 3. times the whole salutation of our Lady Aue Maria gratiaplena that is to say at 6. a in the morning 3. Aue Maries at 12. at noone other 3 at 6 at euen other 3 for euery time so doing is graunted of the spirituall treasure of holie Churche 3. hundred daies of pardon totiens quotiens And also our holy father the 〈◊〉 of Canterbury York with other niene Bishops of this Realme haue graunted 3. times in the day 40. dayes of pardon to all them that be in the state of grace able to receyue pardon And this beganne the 26. day of Marche in anno 1482. anno Henrici 7. And the summe of the indulgence and pardon for euery Aue marie is eight hundred and sixtie dayes totiens quotiens It muste bee say de at the towling of the Aue bell Suscipe verbum Virgo Maria c. O Virgin Marie 〈◊〉 the worde whiche by the Angell was sent vnto thee from GOD c. This forsooth is the penaunce they speake of and their absolutions when they had committed all their knaueries and wickednesses to robbe Princes and to cousin them of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Then we must haue suche 〈◊〉 deuised shiftes to occupie superstitious people withall and one thinge euermore marke that there was neuer anie suche price set vppon anye seruice done to Christ as vpon that whiche was done to the Virgin or to some other Saynt The Virgin had the most they were so 〈◊〉 vppon the mother that in a manner they forgotte both Father and Sonne I am wearie in stirring this filthie Quakemyre of their cursed abhomination but that I see it verie necessarie seeing these fine witted Iesuites that will restore all and dispute the matter agaynst all that can bee brought defending euerie absurditie doe so greatly prouoke mee There is another prayer that whosoeuer sayeth deuoutely hee hath by the graunt of Bonifacius seuen yeeres of pardon and fortie Lentes and by the graunt of Pope Iohn the twentye two three hundred dayes of pardon But what spende I breath about beggerlye thinges There is one prayer not verye longe whiche yet if a man saye deuoutlie in the woorshippe of Saint Anna and our Ladie and her Sonne Iesus hee hath graunted by Alexander the sixth tenne thousande yeeres of pardon for deadlie sinnes and twentye yeeres for veniall sinnes totiens quotiens And because it is so shorte and yet the gayne so greate not to depriue thee of suche a commoditie to bringe thee out of Purgatorie For Iam sure the Pope is a manne of his woorde and thou needest not to feare but it is true seeyng it is printed and sette downe I will shewe it thee Aue Marye full of grace our Lorde is with thee Blessed arte thou amongest women and blessed is Saynte Anne thy Mother of whome thou Uirgin Marie cammest foorth without blotte and sinne and of thee was borne Iesus Christe the Sonne of the liuing GOD Amen Pater noster Aue Aue Maria. Is not heere an easie pennaunce to leade a wicked life in deadlie sinne tenne thousande yeeres And then marke howe manye times this may bee sayde in a daye and then what a summe this woulde mount too Indeede euen on the other side of the leafe there is another prayer as long though not so profitable but that is but to bee sayde before the Image of Saynt Anne of Marie and of Iesus for whiche Raymundus the Cardinall and Legate beeing somewhat more charie wold not lash out of the Spiritual Treasure of the Church so much as the Pope his Maister did but onelie graunted an hundred dayes of pardon totiens quotiens But is not this trimme stuffe that you translate Te Deum laudamus into Te matrem laudamus where you call her the wife of the eternall Father whom all the earth doeth woorshippe Whom all the glorious companie all Confessours doe call the Temple of the whole trinitie whome the whole Courte of Heauen doeth honour as the Queene of Heauen Thou arte the Ladye of Angelles the gate of Paradise the Lader of the
a Church yard Do you not thinke that this passeth sacrificing to the Virgin Mary And doe we not greate wrong vnto them When wee charge them with heresies Who care not what they holde nor what they set downe but agree as I haue saide with all and those the most grosse heretikes that cuerliued not in anie good thinges that they helde for these are none of theirs but euen in their greatest corruptions and villanies against God and his worde as may appeare by their doctrine and liues deliuered in all times and ages And this is verified of them concerning prayer for the dead as master Fulke hath iustly charged them ioyning with the Montanistes among whose heresies that is written though Augustine Ambrose Chrysostome did also in some sort hold it For they held it not as these do besides the foundation of faith though it bee an errour in faith nor in suche grosse manner though the corruption of that time had preuailed with them to make them erre Wee doe not therefore abuse the people but doe holde that whatsoeuer is condemned for heresie in the worde of God and so was accounted and conuinced as stood in and mainteined in the primatiue Church that we account condemne styll for heresie But where hee saith that wee holde heresies and culleth out those which are in deede no heresies but manifest truethes according to the worde of God as that of Aerius against prayer for the dead and that of Vigilantius for praying vnto Saintes it needeth no other answere then that which is set downe alreadie by writers from amongest vs of all sortes And it is a good answere that euery thing is not an errour which good men haue reckoned for errours for so without all cause the truth should be condemned and that which is false shoulde be vpholden and maintained The conditions therefore you speake of are not maintained seeing of the greatest heresies you cannot for all your malice accuse vs of any one And as for these errours which you woulde haue made so great heresies they are none but are according to the truth of God as those fathers held them were not so blasphemous as they are in you that hold litle or nothing of the foundation of faith As for the maner of heretikes wherewith you fit vs and still with your former two conditions whether our or your manners best 〈◊〉 them and agree with them shall in a fitter place appeare As for Augustines note of that propertie of the Donatistes that hated as you say the sea of Rome and called it Cathedram pestilentiae the chayre of Pestilence if wee shoulde graunte that Rome nowe were the same Rome that it was then how can it fit vs that neuer called any member of the Churche the chayre of Pestilence The Donatists in deede 〈◊〉 shut vp the Catholike Churche into a corner of the worlde and thought other Churches and Rome amongest the rest to bee no Church against whome Saint Augustine disputeth in the fiftie Chapter But of that you mention and specially of Rome which you name there is no worde not sillable in the fiftie and one Chapter But this is alwayes your propertie like obstinate heretikes as you are to abuse your Readers with quoting places out of the Doctors for a shewe onely of that which is not there as though all went of your side when neither worde nor matter tending that way can bee founde in the places by you alleadged But euen as heretikes are wont you ly by tradition and make no conscience to be daube your margent with shewe of Authorities when you haue not so much as a syllable to maintaine your errours Bring mee therefore that place directly out of Augustine When you answere againe that heretikes call the Church of Rome Cathedram Pestilentiae when in deede it was a member of the true Church if they did so they beare a iust condemnation But as it is now it is in deede the seate of Antichriste despising and persecuting the Catholike Churche of Christe and forsaking the scriptures by which it refuseth to be prooued mainteining false doctrine liuing therewithall abhominably And therefore must needes bee the chaire of Pestilence It must needes heerein agree with the Donatists that dreamed of a decay of the Church of an Apostacie and falling awaye so as though all were headged in at Rome and you onely as the two Tribes as Angustine speaketh had remayned in the temple that is in the Church No we aske you with Augustin Seeing wee doe not beleeue you howe will yee conuince vs Will you not 〈◊〉 vs by the holy scriptures where with so great manifestation they are reade to the ende that whosoeuer hee bee that once beleeueth those letters hee cannot but confesse these thinges to bee most true Againe if I must therefore bee compelled to beleeue these examples to bee true because they are there written when I cannot say they are false which are written Why doe not they also themselues beleeue the same Scriptures concerning the Church spread throughout the world Loe wee beleeue all those things let them also beleeue that which the Lorde saith that repentance and remission of sinnes is preached in his name throughout all nations beginning at Herusalem But what maketh all this for Rome or against vs vnlesse wee shoulde giue that they beg which is too too absurd that a particuler Church is the Catholike churche that Rome is the vniuersall churche which though we should giue them yet they are neuer the neare seeing God neuer forsaketh his and they are his whome hee hath foreknowen whom hee hath chosen whom he doth neuer reiect but keepeth them amidst all tryals and tentations bringing them to rest in the end Another propertie whiche must needes bee ours is for hating and cōdemning the life of Monkes and also for drawing Nunnes out of their cloisters and ioyning our selues with the same in pretended wedlocke First for that place out of the second booke against the Epistle of Parmenian there is not one worde tending that way and as for that Epistle to Eusebius In deede Augustine there complaineth of the breach of their discipline that two were allured by the Cyrcumcelians not because they woulde marry but because they woulde shake of the yoke of the Lordes discipline they went gadding vp and downe like vagabonds and gaue themselues to drunkennesse and so hee complaineth of a Subdeacon but what maketh this against vs We drawe them not like Circumcelians from the religion and discipline of Christe but beeing Christians and hauing not the gift of continencie wee giue them counsaile to marrie The Monkes and Nunnes which Augustine spake of are as like theirs as they are vnlike to Christians whose names they boast wee drawe them not out in any disordered sort to bring them to ryot and to allure them from God to make them harlots as themselues commonly did but wee shewe them of that libertie God hath left 〈◊〉
These are known almost to al writers and as these heads are out of order and vnitie so are their Canons and their decrees sometime as hereticall as they cal it as any of our propositions and sometimes as ouerthwart direct against the Gospel For that which they graunt in one Canon they foribid in another that which they build vp to day they throwe downe to morrow As for example in some Canons their popish Bishoplike authoritie is mittigated and all the rest are made equall vnto them But in others it is so extolled that all men what state or calling soeuer they bee of what giftes soeuer God hath blessed them withall yet they must be subiect vnto thē and contrary to that order which God hath appoynted they muste ryde men and vse them at their pleasures Somtime they say it is lawful for a Christian that is vnmarried to haue a Concubine and in others they cōdemne against Gods truth But your owne bookes as full as they are of leaues or rather lines so full they are of outragious and malicious lyes slaunders reproches reuilinges and raylings And let all the Papistes bring forth their whole packe of pelting and lewd writings inuectiues let them lay them to this learned godly and milde reply of M. Charkes who as 〈◊〉 of purpose laboured but too much considering with whom he had to deale to cut off that sharpnesse which had ben meet he had more vsed against such enemies of God as you are thē they shall see the differēce and therfore this lie in the entrāce cōcernig his entrāce sheweth y t before you begin you are a mā 〈◊〉 spēt of al truth mo 〈◊〉 such is that you say he begā so hotly with Cāpion But that his quiet behauiour cooled him with shame alacke there while They that knewe Campion as well as euer Parsons did knewe his milde spirite well enough And it is euident that both in the first second and third dayes disputation generally in all howesoeuer there were som difference he behaued him selfe more like a man of defiance that had beene at libertie in grace fauor both of God Prince then like a prisoner in the tower of London that in the testimonie of his owne conscience had to answer at another barre and felt the gilte of his own treasons which if any thing might haue cooled him no doubt that might haue done it And whatsoeuer you speak of humilitie it was not humilitie nor the assistance and confidence of a good cause sealed with that comfortable spirite of gladnesse aboue the rest that made him either gentle or soft but his owne naughtie cause and conscience that made him to counterfaite sometimes as I haue alreadie alleadged As for that note of the conference with those of Wisbitch which by your magisteriall authoritie you call a vaine pamphlet charging that reuerende man who hath taken such notable paines in the Church of god against your heresies It was not set foorth for any such cause as your malice pretendeth nor by him it was writen to a priuate friende as a report of it procured to be published before master Fulke knew of it was also sufficient to witnes how distrustfull they were of their cause or at least that they are not at concorde with you in the opinion concerning disputing with vs whom they deeme as you doe heretikes I haue saide of this before and therefore nowe speake the lesse of it againe But in your wise Censure those reuerend and learned fathers as you call them did very wisely in contemning his pride comraing thither vpon vanitie without warrant and yet it is euident by good testimony that hee went by commission from the Bishop of Eley and had better warrand for that his so dealing then you who for ought that wee know haue no warrand thus to prouoke vs. And if you say that Campion had a commaundement from his superiours we answere that the acknowledging of those forraigne superiours and powers contrary to the prerogatiue of our prince and lawes of our countrie brought him to the gallowes and so it will you if you come not with better priuiledge But you say the falshood of that scroule hath beene discouered to you since by letters from the parties themselues and that there is nothing in it that maketh not to our discredite that it is confessed therein that after wee had depriued them of all bookes yea of their very note bookes whiche to learned men are the store house of memorie then we asked whe ther they woulde come to Cambridge to dispute if leaue might be procured And because they contemned so pearte and cockish a 〈◊〉 c. Therefore wee say they refused disputation c. For the firste I woulde haue it marked that where you are wont so to complaine of streight and hard dealing by your owne confession heere there is entercourse of writing betwixt which because your lauish penne hath not spared to vtter it may bee a meane in good pollicie to cause them to bee streightlier looked vnto heereafter and your selfe to be sought out seeing their letters can finde you out But if it bee false why is it not confuted and the truth from themselues declared Perhaps you will say they haue written in deede so I haue heard they haue but as much to the purpose and according to the 〈◊〉 in deede as it was as men that had neuer heard of it And though their followers that hang vpon mens persons without looking to the veritie may be carried with suche poore deuises yet you must consider that wee are not to beleeue them in 〈◊〉 owne cause As for taking away their bookes wherof they and you so often complaine it is answered that they were suche as had beene lately written by those of your heresie The bookes of the holy scriptures and auncient Doctours were neuer denied you and though they made a shewe of readinesse to disputation yet they added such conditions as were not in any subiect to perfourme For they woulde bee all set at libertie they woulde haue all their scattered armie gathered together and then they woulde pitche the fielde the rather that they might get that by strength perforce and with multitude that they coulde neuer winne by truthe knowledge and learning And yet these men of whose readinesse and suite nowe to dispute you make so much vaunte at the first they would none of it and your greatest forefathers as I haue saide haue vtterly shewed themselues against it Master Fulke therefore neither went of his owne head nor for any such matter as you dreame of This you and those of your sort haue alwayes hunted after as men pusfed vp that make more reckoning like hypocrites of a little prayse and vaine glorie before men then of being approued vnto God And therefore you carry all men their persons and learning with the tempest of a
vs I pray you were euer so bolde malapert or vnreuerent in the raigne eares of his owne daughter to compare him to an ape at Paules crosse in other places as one of your whelps did for pulling down of Abbeis We neuer cōceiued secretly that which they haue rung out alowde in the eares of al and thorow out the whole worlde concerning that worthy prince by whom God gaue the pope such a deadly wound as I trust he shal neuer reuiue in that strength power that he had in this yle againe We neuer practised treasons rebellions when he was sharpest set against vs but alwayes with 〈◊〉 endured whatsoeuer was laid vpon vs when vpon small occasions diuers of our brethren were put to death by the instigation of suche as were about him when the sixe articles were procured and according to the faction that then was some were burned as they called it for here sie and others were executed for the supremacie and conspiracie In their Cronologies and writinges they euermore cal him beast tyrant not withstanding they are home borne men whiche Luther was not they speake a great deale woorse against him for good thinges then euer Luther did whō we make no prophet as you say for setting himselfe against GOD and his Gospel As for his termes of Ruffians and Rakehels they agree not to the Gospell but all knowe that Papists are Rakehelles For their Popes are the Gaylers of hell and they canfetch them thence with their Trentalles masses Diriges such other trūperies which are the rakes indeede and harrowes that they haue deuised to rake and harrowe hell As for Ruffianrie it is proper to poperye to their straightest and holyest orders Example of Campion and others who were founde in their apparrell as Ruffianlike as might bee As for that whiche hee obiecteth afterwardes of Luthers bitternesse against his brethren for the matter of the Sacrament whom hee calleth Caluinistes speaking of it there and afterwardes in the seuentie two seuentie three seuentie foure seuētie fiue seuentie sixe seuentie seuen pages vnder the Title of Protestantes dissention I shall neede to saye little in it it beeing but a quarrell 〈◊〉 of them to discredite the trueth wherein howesoeuer menne varie yet that is alwayes one and like it selfe Neyther ought the brawles of men to discourage anie from the loue of the Gospell 〈◊〉 wee see euen amongest the Apostles themselues as they were men sometimes that bitternesse that shewed them to bee men and yet was it no breach of that vnitie of the Spirite and of that agreement whiche in an holie profession of doctrine was helde amongest them And as I haue sayde before their contentions were not for matters of waight and substaunce but eyther for ceremonies or els for some suche errors as notwithstanding they were errors yet the foundation of faith might be kept 〈◊〉 and they might be saued of which sort wee take the errours that were amongest the auncient Fathers to be and these of the Lutherans Amongest whom of late though some intemperate spirites haue gone further then euer did their forefathers of whom they would seem to holde as Smediline Brentius Kemnitius 〈◊〉 Hamelmanus Holderus and the rest that mainteine grosser thinges and gather greater discordes then indeede there are or then euer Luther did and are 〈◊〉 bent to maintein al Luthers writings doctrine namely that first confession called the Augustine confession offred to the estates as a rule of faith from which none ought any whit to depart which yet was written in a time wherein they could not haue so mature and ripe iudgement when they studied to carrie those pointes of Religion whiche 〈◊〉 not best lyked nor receiued of those chief Princes more darkly closely then was 〈◊〉 yet being but a few and very rawe writing it as shoulde appeare but for an interim vntil the Lord should giue a clearer waye and make a freer passage for it What should all this preiudice the truth whiche we by the grace of God alwaies indeuouring to mainteine haue and doe set our selues against those that gainstand it And why shoulde those that fell into manifest heresies be iumbled in amongst vs For as wel you might match Simon Magus and Iudas with the 〈◊〉 and Augustin with Manicheus with Pelagius and the rest of those heretikes against whom he wrote and cried out Dissention Dissention and as well you might gather the bitter tauntes that passed betweene him and all the rest as to gather these therupon so to insult ouer vs as though it were not lawfull for vs to write against errors be they little or great at home or abroade but by the truth muste bee deuided Nay therein it is one and they are one that professe it when it discouereth errour and they that professe it stand for it and not against it Error and 〈◊〉 is not at one because they are manye and all agaynst trueth If we set our selues against Heretikes why should wee bee accounted amongest them or they amongest vs And though those iarres that fall out amongest brethren as many times we graunt there may be bytter and egar yet what make these to helpe you Papistes who agree not as hath beene noted before in the greatest and waightiest poynts of your religion As for our agreementes in substaunce of doctrine I referre them vnto that harmony published of late of the confessions of those reformed Churches that professe the Gospel as Heluetia Basil Bohemia Englande Fraunce Scotlande The lowe Countries and many other places and to that learned admonition written as an answeare to that booke of Concord set out by those called the Lutheranes wherein you shall find one and the same euerlasting truth whiche was from the beginning by vs and them mainteyned and professed Reade also that pithie and shorte Treatise written in the Latine tongue by Hieronyme Zanchus and dedicated to M. Henrie Knoles of the dissention about the Supper I leaue to speake of your contentions amongest your selues innumerable implacable betweene Thomists and Scotistes about meritum congrui condigni betweene your Friers blacke and white about originall sinne in the blessed virgine about solemne and single vowes auticular confession Transubstantiation and a thousand other greate pointes in discussing of which there neuer passed greater heate betwixt Zwinglians and Lutherans as they will needes call vs then hath passed amongest them who haue so thundered and lightened one against another as if they woulde haue set the whole world on fire and these brawles and contentions haue occupied their churches many yeeres Their vnitie therefore is in nothing els but in that they conspire against Christ as Herode and Pylate did I name not their nominalles and realles nor other light matters betweene Franciscans and Dominicans and betwixte those that were of sundrie orders amongest whom there was and are manie bitter emulations contentions raylings and strifes not onelie
about apparrell difference of meates obseruing of dayes diuersitie of orders but also about the waightiest matters not one teaching like another nor the same thinges but quite contrary Though therefore Luther in ouer great heat wryteth against the Tygurine Church and they reproue him againe for it sharpely as he deserued yet wherefore was this It was not about any such matter as could shake them off the foundation of faith neither doth this burden M. Charke with any shamelesse lie in defence of Luther For Luther might bee verye well called by him an holye and Diuine manne and by M. Whitaker a man of holy and blessed memorie and yet carrye the skarre of his rough and intemperate heate against so blessed and holy a Church as Tigurine was and specially in suche a matter And whereas you speake affirmatiuely and simplie that they called him an Arch-heretike it is not true they gaue him warning hee hauing vniustly called them a damnable sect that he should take heede least he declared him selfe an Archheritike And whereas you farther conclude that Luther had Diuelles which M. Charke denied because they wrote that he betrayed himselfe in these outragious speeches with his Diuels because they were 〈◊〉 you shewe your selfe too too malicious For they speake onlie of those intemperate spirites that had so inflamed him against them It is therefore no dissimulation in them to blind the people to giue him that praise that was due to him For howsoeuer he failed as a man in some pointes of lesse moment which was no maruel darknes hauing then couered the face of the earth the church of God being grieuously ecclipsed he being in a Friers cowle to the end it might humble him and those that woulde depend to much vpon his person to make them rest vppon that infallible rule of the trueth of God yet in trueth hee was both an holie and Diuine man of blessed and holie memorie whose praise we neither can nor wil enuie endued with most rare and excellent giftes from God of an excellent vnderstanding being enlightened of God himselfe with the light and knowledge of an heauenly doctrine a man of as exquisite learning wisedom eloquence courage zeale for the glory of god as that time might yeeld yet it is not meet neither do we make his writinges or any other mens sithens which haue beene more excellent equal with the word of God or rules of iudgement to stand vpon to the preiudice of that This honour we giue and reserue to God and to his holie worde alone Neither doeth this gainesaye Maister Charke for their care of concorde and vnitie in the Gospel For it maye appeare by their sundrie meetinges yeeldinges and greate toleration that at 〈◊〉 first they shewed one towardes another the studie and endeuoure they vsed for auoyding of termes when they agreed vppon the matter and taking suche as might beste fitte and expresse the trueth by their sundrye meetinges and presence of Princes on both partes and afterwardes when heates growe sorer and sorer from sparkes to flames and from flames to fires yet were there sundrie bookes written by men of more temperate spirites if it had beene the will of GOD to haue quenched the flame that that hurtefull contention might haue ceassed and as for the reformed Churches so farre foorth as they might without the betraying of the truth it is certayne they haue euermore kept peace and accounted them as brethren howesoeuer some amongest the others haue rather choosen to ioyne with you Papists and you with them as they haue beene 〈◊〉 in Religion to you and you to them The rest concerning this matter I leaue to Maister Charke himselfe And so doe I those Treatises whether the Iesuites be 〈◊〉 and of Friers Nunnes which you wil needs haue Religious seeing they are matters of doctrine only I wil note some weake collectiōs a few vncomely slanderous speeches vttered by you so passe it ouer as filth vnworthy to be ouerturned hauing also touched them as much as I thought necessary Heere you cauil againe at M. Charkes confuse order when hee is compelled of necessitie to followe yours and not his owne which in verie deede is nothing but a confuse heape without all order wholly besides the matter For what a reason is this to proue a different life from others from the examples of Elizeus Daniel Iohn Baptist and such extraordinarie persons Because they extraordinarily called of God fell from the common course of men to liue extraordinarily Why therefore the liues of Monkes Friers Iesuites and the rest leading a different life from the rest doe it by their authoritie and lawfully according to the word of God But if it be plaine euidēt that these extraordinary things which were in these extraordinary men that measure of the spirite working of miracles and manner of life be ceassed together with thē and haue not bin found in anie of that sort it followeth that they are ceassed how soeuer such brainsicke heades shal boast of them This argument of yours is like the rest of your arguments Elizeus to make the water sweete cast in salt Ergo we must haue holy water God said let vs make man according to our image Ergo images are to be made in the Church These extraordinary men exempted from men led a different life from the commō sort of men Ergo they were Monks Friers ergo a different life is set downe for vs which is a Non sequitur vnlesse you can proue that Iesuites from Elias from Elizeus Iohn Baptist and Christ haue that spirit of theirs doubled vpon them so as they haue the same testimonie from God of their calling and the same giftes to warrant their calling by And what though Hierō setting before these that were in the beginning far better then these later wicked ones idle lossels that consume the fat of the earth and are as the plague of caterpillers doth stir vp those that in his time liued in out places laboured and were vigilant in studying the holie Scriptures not mē of any professed religiō in the ministery but such as indeuoured to be made fit for the ministery of the gospel by som things that were in those singuler and extraordinarie men must these therefore be drawen in Rule and by and by make a newe ministerie and order so we shoulde not haue so manie notable men so many names and professiōs but indeed so many orders to hang vpō them as vpon their patrons And in deede this hath alwayes beene the patcherie of Poperie not to looke to Christianitie and to follow those things which are to be followed of vs but to looke to men and to beare their profession and order frō men so that among them in trueth Christ was vtterly lost and forgotten and this they receiued from the Gentiles as they did most of their things besides Neither is M. Charkes argument absurd that if
you say it is such a 〈◊〉 as hee made in the Tower surely both this and that in the Tower thankes bee to God were so twisted as your greatest Gordian could not otherwise vndoe them but by a plaine hacking them asunder as also you doe now As for Campions conclusion at Tyburne it followed rightly of those premises where into hee was entred For beeing a traytour hee receiued the rewarde of a Traitour and so did the rest that suffered and I beseeche God that such conclusions may followe to all the sort of you that shall enter into the like practizes For it is meeter that they dispute with the gallowes then with their pretended disputations to bring the truth into doubt to disquiet the state and to practise the ouerthrowe and destruction both of the Churche and common wealth But you aske what there is in this illation that can prooue the Iesuites a secte if all were graunted That they vow to preache heerein you say they doe but as the Apostles did that they did it of free coast why hee may bee ashamed to finde faulte with that seeing Christ commanded it As for whipping and tormenting themselues why Paule chastized his owne bodie hee carried the brands of Christe in his flesh and there is much talk in the scriptures of mortifiyng the flesh Surely all these doe proue them no table sectaries as like the Circumcelions as can bee and shewe most liuely vnto vs howe wickedly you peruert the scriptures to your owne damnation For will you make that commandement giuē to the Apostles stretch to the maintenance of a gadding ministerie in al places for al posteries in your order of Iesuits which yet is not reckoned amongest any the Ministers of Christe Was the office of the Apostles temporall their extraordinarie giftes ceasing their office of Apostleship also ceasing because they must bee called immediately of God bee conuersant with Christe and seehim in the fleshe whose ministerie was the wide worlde without all limitation as appeareth by the same commandement that you alleadge What bussarde but a Papist or an 〈◊〉 woulde euer alledge the scriptures so The Apostles forsooth vowed to preache Therfore Iesuites that are no Apostles haue no office place or calling in the Church they must vowe to preach The Apostles were commaunded to preach euerie where and of free coast as you say therefore the Iesuites will become newe Apostles and they will preache euery where and gad vp and downe of free cost And yet further as these argumentes are false so these scriptures whereupon they are grounded are wrested For where can they proue that the Apostles vowed to preache seeing preaching was layde vpon them of necessitie and was not voluntarie as they 〈◊〉 Againe how can they out of these proue that they must preach begging seeing they make nothing against the taking possessing of those things that are necessarie for Christe in the same places teacheth that the labourer is worthie his rewarde and themselues expound it that preachers may not carefully seeke after the superfluities of this life or any thing which may bee an impediment to their function But for necessaries they deserue them at their hands for whom they labour spiritually yea the Iesuites thēselues vnder this colour of free cost receiue double the value of the stipends of painful godly pastours whereas in deed they haue no right so to doe hauing no ordinarie calling in the Church of God As for the chastising that Paul vsed it was such as was inioyned and is necessarie for all Christians Mortification of the corruption of olde Adam is taught ought to be put in practise to the humbling of all to bring that vnder the obedience of Christ. This maketh nothing against that cherishing maintenānce of our 〈◊〉 which is meet to be done in sobrietie Paul speaketh therfore of taming the corruption of the fleshe would not haue men to hate their flesh It is written in the law of nature that no mā hateth his owne flesh but rather cherisheth nourisheth it For this is the reason of the commandement That hushands should loue their own wiues because they are one flesh with thē He meneth 〈◊〉 not that outward exercise of the body which bringeth little profit but the inwarde Moreouer the markes of Christ that S. Paule carried in his body were the 〈◊〉 of his stripes laid vpon him by persecutors and tyrants and such you were wont to lay vpon vs. But what maketh all these to proue whipping of your selues The examples of Iohn and of those holy men mentioned in the 11. to the Hebrewes proue no such matter the example of Baals Priestes that launced themselues would haue proued it better The one was extraordinarie in Iohn the greatest though the last amōgst the Prophets the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that holy men indured laid vpon them not by themselues but by others whē either they must haue forsaken God or els haue lost their liues As for Marcus Marulus whē wee get his booke and reade it wee will then tell you more of it but 〈◊〉 it bee of your religion wee perswade our selues that there is no greate 〈◊〉 or foundnesse in it But if whipping cheere be such a good cooling to your flesh eyther your Popish Votaries vse it not or els it hath not that effecte For in truth all the worlde 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and wicked 〈◊〉 belike they lay not on harde enough If it bee so good a remedie why doe you not vse it oftener Why do you not suffer others to lay you on that wil pay you more surely then your own partiall hands Certainely if you had done it in good earnest your kingdō wold not for shame haue stood so for the stewes as it hath done nor for the maintenāce of simple fornication to bee no sin neither woulde your monsters haue written in the praise of Sodomitree and haue been found so filthie in all their wayes as they haue beene Concerning Hieroms practise and others punishing their owne bodies so immoderately wee giue them no farther credite therein to folow their example then wee finde them warranted by the word of God Our liues are not our owne no more then our bodies are and therefore wee must cherishe them by those meanes that God hath appointed No man hath hated his owne fleshe but cherisheth it This is written in the lawe of nature which is the lawe of God Mortification respecteth the killing of the corruption of the olde manne it teacheth vs not to kill our bodies yee may aswell say you will pine your selues hang and draw your selues cut and slash your selues as whip your selues As for your 〈◊〉 and ruffianlike speech calling him runnagate Fryer as also you do Luther whiche I maruell considering it is an abasing of your owne order it is a fit couer for such a cuppe And yet I thinke you faile in your quotation For Peter Martyr neuer wrote vpon the thirde booke of
vnder shadow of a truth to vtter two or three lies together But hee that cannot catch a sishe is glad of a frog M. Charke quoteth those places out of Augustine to prooue what the Monkes were in his time First that they were farre vnlike ours And then that hauing vowed and yet lyuing lecherously as some of them did not following that whereto they had consecrate them selues but running with others of the worlde into lewde and lecherous life he put 〈◊〉 them in remembraunce therof But if he had seene that which we haue seene sithence he would haue cried out vpon such filthy Votaries as yours haue beene who vnder pretence of their vowed virginitie haue beene the verye goates and boares of the worlde and woorse too committing those sinnes that are not to be named Augustins telling thē of their sin doth not impeach the remedy of their sinne whiche is that whiche God hath set downe in his woorde He that cannot contayne let him marrie Besides you clyppe S. Augustines sentence For though he put a difference betwixte them that haue vowed and others yet in the same place hee teacheth that these are not the best vowes but he would rather that we should vowe our soules to God answearing an obiection and telling vs how to doe it by holy manners by chast thoughtes and fruitful workes by departing from euill and doyng that which is good I graunt that good and holy vowes are to be performed but if this be the way to perfection and a thing that pleaseth God best more to liue vnmarried then married although I deny not but it is an excellent gift of God and a thing that may make a man to go more cheerfully thorow that seruice God hath layd vpō him specially in the time of persecutiō why thē it ought to be followed of all religious men without exception but this cannot be For euen amongest the Apostles some were married men so were diuers holy men since both mynisters others And though you cānot suffer by any meanes this holy ordinance of God which yet you make a Sacrament which God hath appoynted and sanctified for the preseruation of mankinde and for a mutuall helpe and comfort one towardes another and a remedie against sinne to all men and women excepting none to be in place yet me thinkes it is horrible that you shoulde eyther preferre whoredome before it as you haue done or account it sinne when such as cannot contayne do takt it S. Aug. though you alleadge him afterwards that though a Nunne 〈◊〉 not marry but onelie haue a will to marry it is damnable yet he saith in the Chapter following and els where that such a marriage after such a vow is yet a lawful marriage he blameth them that call them adulteries And Epiphanius also though he blame such breaches of vowes and complayne of their rashnes yet he saith that iudgement is better then cōdemnation Those that play the 〈◊〉 secretlie or liue in whoredome vnder the colour of sole life and continencie to the ende they bee not shamed before men yet he sayeth God seeth them that seeth al secrets and wil finde out all their abhominations But hee concludeth that they were better to marry against their vowe and so after repentaunce be reconciled to the Churche then to adde sinne vnto sinne As for Basill though hee were ouer partiall in this poynt making Adam to bee of a mortall seede by marriage and Iesus Christe of an immortall seede by the incorruption of Virginitie as though heauen were prepared for none but for virgins which yet should help your rable of Friers 〈◊〉 but very little because vnder the colour of virginitie they were filthes brothels yet in the same book he wold haue such rather to marry and in the feare of God to gouern their families thē to do as they do And therfore he exhorteth thē to auoid these wanton baits wherby they wer allured takē He would not haue thē to trot vp down to bridals nor to giue ouer thēselues to filthy lusts As for Chrisost. authority Hieroms it is meet that when God speaketh they shold hold their peace herein they were marked knowen to dissent from the holy scriptures as men erring whilest they durst affirme that the marriages of such were woorse then adulteries and therefore M. Charke need not to blush at any thinge by you alleadged It is no new stuffe that you bring but such as hath bin worne out long agoe As for the lye you lay vpon M. Charke it is your owne and not his For he speaking of the old Monks onely saith they liued in their houses without superstitious vowes but he denieth not simply that they made vowes and the question is not whether they made any but how wel they did when they made them hauing neither abilitie nor warrant so to doe from God Concerning that whether Augustine the Doctor were a Frier or no which you would seeme to proue out of the 94. Sermon of Ambrose where mention is made of a blacke cowle and gyrdle of Lether your note booke deceiuing you For it is the 92. de Baptismo it prooueth no such thing but rather that he being chaunged from an Infidell and becomming a Christian his garmentes were also changed Besides that there is no mention in that place of the name of Monke and if there were both in that and others yet it prooueth not that Monkes were Fryers and if Augustine the Doctour were the founder of any monasteries yet these monasteries were far vnlike those Abbeyes that superstition erected afterwardes If any suche were they were schooles and Colledges for the rearing vp of a holie seed that migh 〈◊〉 afterwards supply the work of the ministery As for the other Frier Augustine if you wil needs haue him a Frier a foūder of Friers it appeareth by the booke of their order which I haue seene that it is of a later brood then Aug. the doctor it is plaine by histories written by men of your owne that the later Augustine which you wil haue to be our apostle was as ill a man in euery respect as M. Fulk hath reported him to be therfore I wil blot no more paper about him But if it be a vertue to haue beene a Frier mee thinkes you shoulde not twyte men with it so repochfully no more then you should charge Paule to haue been a Pharisey and if it be a wicked order as it is it is no shame to haue left it rather to haue chosen in the feare of God to be coupled with an honest wife then with a lewde strumpet and thus much in defence of him whom you call my L. of Hereford Concerning Christes spirit of voluntary pouerty which you are so often in hād with your exception against M. Charks reply is nothing He asketh whē Christ whipped himself Your Reply is he needed not because he had not
against the hayre who were punished for lying to the holy Ghost through hypocrisie and not for breach of any vow which you terriblie 〈◊〉 out to feare all your votaries to keepe them in the obedience of their rule contrary to the rule of Christe and his Gospel in thinges not in their power whereas this was in the power of Ananias and Saphyra concerning their own which they might haue kept As for the authorities whereby hee would proue that Christ and the Apostles vowed that voluntarie 〈◊〉 they haue beene in parte considered before and wee haue to leaue that to them beeing too muche addicted to that kinde of vowing without any warrant or grounde out of the booke of God The other of the blessings of God wherewith he saith the Iewes in the olde Testiment were deceiued and wee in the newe dandle our folowers tickling fleshly heartes whiche hee saith if hee bee not deceiued proueth Master Charke to bee one of those of whom the Apostle saith they serue not Christe but their owne belly c It is an impudent slaunder we teach men to esteeme of these earthly blessings as of those that god in great goodnes hath vouchsafed vs for the maintenance of this transitorie life and being good in creation and made for mans 〈◊〉 wee teach that they are lawfull by Christian libertie to bee vsed soberly which libertie yet wee hold ought to bee so moderated by charitie that we vse not our libertie to the offence of any but that wee forbeare euen of our right to the ende to doe good and to drawe others to Christ. As for pleasures and commodities from which men are called so 〈◊〉 and wherein none cleaue faster then such fleshe flies as himselfe and the rest of that carnall generation that wholy followe this worlde and their sinful lustes as if there were no other heauen vsing thinges not as 〈◊〉 and ladders to heauen and to spirituall thinges contenting themselues with titles and names of holinesse and deniyng the true practise of it These without all doubt are suche of whom the Apostle speaketh that serue not the Lorde Iesus but their owne bellies and vnder their sheepes coat beeing yet wolues come in vpon the 〈◊〉 and deuoure them hauing sweete wordes and blessing in their mouthes but the gaule of bitternesse and death in their heartes because they leade men from Christe and from his Gospel and specially of all others these hypocriticall and counterfet Iesuites whereof this Parsons hath shewed himselfe moste cunning by that desperate and poysoned booke of his resolutions which he hath lately sent abroad to make men builde vpon their owne righteousnesse and to forsake the righteousness of Christe Of Loyolas and Luther whome this slaunderous mouth coupleth together not withstanding their difference bee knowen and testified to the worlde alreadie and M. Charke hath sufficiently set it downe yet hee is still in hand with it fetching large strides that hee may passe ouer the things that pinched him most and being most materiall and cropping at words where he supposeth to take most aduantage he may bear the Reader in hande that nothing lay in his way to hinder him But these arguments of M. Charke which he so ouer hippeth of Loyalas beginning a asect M. Luthers faultes if any such were as they say he had whether they might distaine the Gospel these hee leaueth as poore deuises to solace himselfe in his miseries forsooth who taking vpon him to make a booke and his promise being passed thereof to his friendes for lacke of matter must runne out to such imaginations as neuer came into his masterships head Alacke seelie shifte when hee cannot answere them then he quarrelleth for propounding the arguments and though hee in the pride of his owne heart haue not onely taken vppon him to write a booke but to write many bookes and as hee calleth M. Fulke with an impure mouth the Poste horse of the Protestantes is in truth become not onely the packhorse but the Asse of all the Papistes to beare their burdens and to defende all their absurdities be they neuer so grosse hauing in deede as it shoulde appeare vowed to his friends others to deface Christe and all his seruants and to open his foule wide mouth against heauen yet must hee iudge M. Charke as taking vpon him either that he coulde not doe or els starting from that and seeking out occasions not to be furnished with sufficient defence of the truth But hee knewe his owne disease and that maketh him to iudge so of another It is the maner of all papistes to quarrell when they are pressed as thogh they were ouerladen and like 〈◊〉 men when they can not either swallowe or keepe in their corrupt stomackes wholesome medicines 〈◊〉 they gulp them vp in other mens faces And here he will needs yet iustifie his branded witnesses Cocleus Hosius Lindanus to whom he addeth Bartolomaeus Latomus against Sleidan and might haue added infinit others of like sort against that excellent man of God M. Luther all which are not only knowen to be parties such as being enemies no indifferēt men ought not to haue credite but being bored through the eares their railings lies slanders against the truth of god him for it knowē approued by their intēperat writings ought no more to be regarded thē y e ling of geese or the snarling of butchers curres Neither doth that shift of his hide his shame or proue his innocencie no more thē the breaches of our first parēts as being done not in a matter of controuerfie but of fact For we say there was neuer any such matter or fact they were all the sworne enemies of god who made no conscience to lye because ther was no feare of God before their eies What might not Satā suggest vnto thē they standing for false religiō enuying this mā aboue al the men in the world by whose ministerie in the strength of the gospel the foundations of their babylonical building was so shakē their crowne their belly so rauished spoiled y t they cared not what they said or wrot against him And we see by cōmon experience that godly men the holiest ministers haue not the most friends nay the more they loue imbrace the truth folow righteousnes the more doth y t world wicked mē rage against thē because they wil not run with thē to the same riot And what though they were Germans that foolish Cocleus tooke vpō him to write his story doth that proue that he was so priuie of Luthers life doings 〈◊〉 he must know al things truly or being not reprehēded that therfore hee deserued no reprehēsion still this beggarly Iesuite stādeth with his basket begging that which wil neuer be grāted For these were neither reuerend nor learned bishops but spitefull wretches hypocritees no true bishops but coūterfet crancks of Antichrists creatiō and therfore spared not to vtter
with damnable wickednes open shame reproofe of all y e godly slaūderous false lies against gods saints namely against Luther And first he wil examine the reports with a perhaps that they wil yeeld som occasiō of iustifiyng their reporters nay surely not a whit For if the reporters be such branded knaues their reports must needes be suspected of al good men This Parsons is no Eagle for he is still catching at flies yet he misseth thē or els rather is become a flie himself for he is alwaies vpō other mēs soares For that which M. Chark thought he had omitted of modesty wherein he was yet deceiued Concerning Prateolus report of Luthers being begottē of a diuel he followeth as thogh it 〈◊〉 needs be so because Prateolus was so impudēt to set it down for sooth by the report of as very knaues as himself by a matrone of Lipsia that belike was som popish drab that loued rather the cōpany of such lecherous 〈◊〉 thē the asseblies of the righteous And y t which is shameful in Prateolus to set downe reports in print especially against Luther a publike person is yet made a vertue by him in cōparisō of vs Protestāis who are wont as he saith to set downe things as absolutely done when we do but 〈◊〉 thē he set this downe but by heare say But what impudencie is this in M. Charke to say that Prateolus 〈◊〉 uoucheth it when he doth but set it downe as reported but first gentle Syr Robert tel vs where M. Charke saith he doth aduouch it and then 〈◊〉 vs also if to set a thing downe in print by report be not as much as to aduouch a thing by report his meaning is plaine that he would haue it left in the minde of the hearers that Luther being begotten of a Diuel his doctrine and all his doings was from the Diuell But where should Antichristes state haue been then This had beene to put the pope out of his inheritance and to doe him open wrong who though hee be not begotten of the Diuel in any corporall generation yet he is his eldest sonne in nature bearing his image in himselfe and in his members euen as Christe is the image of his father and beeing the only head of his Churche beareth his resemblance in him selfe and all his members As for that hee leapeth at out of an Epistle of Erasmus ad Epistolam 〈◊〉 non sobriam which his sobre spirite englisheth to Luthers drunken 〈◊〉 whereby hee woulde insinuate that Erasmus shoulde confesse some such thing or seeme to bee priuie to it it is but 〈◊〉 Hee that shall reade that Epistle cannot but thinke him to bee 〈◊〉 that will gather any suche thing out of it Besides it is well knowen that howesoeuer Erasmus houered betweene the gospel and poperie and kept him selfe close that hee might retaine his libertie yet hee thought wrote and spake honorably to great princes of Luther and iustified his doctrine so farre foorth as the Papists thēselues disclaime him for an heretike which he would neuer haue done if he had thought that he had been begotten of the Diuell And because Syr Robert will preuent all daungers vppon his owne imagination he deemeth that M. Charke will denie it in regard not so much of the fact for sooth as of the nature of the thing it self to wit that spirites can so abuse lewde women c. I thinke if I should deny it I should put him to his shiftes to proue it For although there may be strong delusions of Satan yet there cannot be any generation or com mixtion of such vnequall substances I know that not onely Augustine and Ludouicus vines vpon him but many others tell strange thinges of Incubi and succubi of such filthie spirites but doth this follow such a thing may bee therefore it is so or such strange thinges haue happened among Paganes and infidels therefore Luthers mother was oppressed so and he was begotten by the Diuell or els pratling Prateolus saith it was reported by a woman For as impudent as hee was yet he durst not say it for shame and from him and from others deadly affected 〈◊〉 the truth of the Gospell others haue receiued that horrible lye by tradition therefore it must needes bee true that these enemies to God and all good men affirme to deface the truth But for farther answere herin I referre him to that learned booke of Wierus de Praestigiis demonum and also to his booke de Lamiis Chap. 13. Wherein hee shall finde plainely proued against Malleus Malleficarum and all the pack of those fooles that it is a phansye and when he hath answered those reasons he shall heare what I can say farther in that point both against him and all the rest that are so 〈◊〉 to defend it The like may bee saide of the Thunderbolte which whether there were any such thing or not it neither helpeth nor hindereth the cause It rather sheweth by what meanes Luther beeing then ignorant and yet desirous to serue God as hee thought first after the studie of the Lawe bent himselfe to enter into a Monasterie And this beeing done in an vnsetled state when hee knewe not God and yet fauouring his iudgements was desirous to enter a religious life as it is to his speciall prayse so it disaduantageth your superstitious religion and your whole faction that by such deuised and voluntarie seruice that hath no warrant or ground in Gods worde thinke to please God As for 〈◊〉 credite and Coclaeus and the rest M. Charkes reasons stande yet vn touched which hath broken their heades and yet Syr Robert hath not healed them All men who haue any sparke of Gods feare whome the God of this worlde hath not blinded may easily see in all their bookes and writings that they haue written not only against Luther but against others the seruants of God that they make no conscience of lying Let them but reade Staphilus Apologie against Smideline of the dissentions of Lutherans as hee calleth them and that same pestilent booke of Pratcolus entituled Elenchus Heraeticorum Staphilus his Table of heresies and Coclaeus seuen headed beast with Fabius Antiologies with this booke of Lyndanus and the rest you shall finde nothing but horrible lyes gathered either directly against the meaning of the authours or els craftily and colourably against the truth to bring it into discredite And yet this monster amongest men saith wee belie Lyndan when wee say that he chargeth English men that professe the Gospel to worship the Diuell when yet it is euident that he saith casting down other images wee yet fauour the Image of the Diuell telling a tale of a 〈◊〉 that in Paules Churche looking about for images and finding none but the Image of the Diuel whiche was brought in by Papistes themselues and placed amongest their saintes drewe out his swoord thrust the diuel through bidding him to pack with the rest The
both in them selues and others yet they are pardoned and blotted out in them which is a most comfortable doctrine in deede farre of another nature then your desperate doctrine of iustification by workes The repetition therefore of Luthers woordes whiche you might haue spared together with the rest you haue stoln out of Staphilus and others The second concerning the ten commandements whether they appertaine to vs or no howe they appertaine to vs and howe they doe not is sufficiently declared by M. Charke how and in what sense Luther spake it but what wil satisfie a wrangling Iesuite who hath sworn to gainsay whatsoeuer is saide by vs be it neuer so truely saide For I appeale to all the Papistes and Iesuites in the world Did not Luther Doe not wee teache the commaundementes of GOD Doe wee not expounde them in our churches and schooles and set them as rules of our obedience But what will not suche 〈◊〉 instrumentes doe that theye maye deface the trueth and bring the teachers of it into hatred O blinde malice Wee neuer blotted out one of them as it is plain they haue done in al their Breuiaries Masse books Catechismes The like is that of the foure Gospels wheras in truth the gospell is one contayned in those prophetical Promises before the cōming of Christ as in those Euāgelists that were the 4. notaries therof as also in Paules Epistles And if he haue any such wordes of S. Iohns Gospel hee speaketh it onely by way of comparison not to discredite the other as this Sycophant woulde employ but to declare how diuinely S. Iohn wrote of the Diuinitie of Christ and other profound matters of our religion As for that he cauilleth because M. Charke cannot finde euery thing cited by him The truth is that himself as should appeare neuer read Luthers works but hath stoln these accusatiōs frō Staphilus others that wrote before them and onelye hath a little smoothed them as though they were some fresh merchandize neuer offered to the sale before True it is that Luthers workes haue been often published and some I thinke that he wrote wer yet neuer published but what maketh this for his excuse in not setting down places out of known books quoted directed in their seueral editions for the better triall of the truth and ease of the Reader Is there anie booke extant of Luthers that we who are more conuersant in thē then they should not find out if they would but direct vs to them But I ghesse and I suppose truelie that Luther wrote more as lecherous and godlesse a man as they would make him then the most of thē haue read those that are extant may be founde and had so that if there were any sincerity in them they should not lye by tradition or sende vs at aduenture to finde them we cannot tell where which is a token of their ignorance and taking things at the second hand not seeing them themselues The like is to be said of their cauil for the diuersitie of editions betweene the soft and the rough Lutherans Wee denie not but Luthers woorkes may be subiect to mens affections as other of the auncient Fathers haue beene and he may be made father of many children that are most vnlike him as was Augustine and other of the Doctours but what helpeth this their cause when he and his workes both are no farther allowed of vs then they agree with the woorde of God Wee knowe that euen as there is difference in fruites and mettals of wines in the first and latter vintage so we know that Luthers workes are to be considered according to the times wherein he wrote He writ many thinges being 〈◊〉 in his cowle soone after he had cast it of which 〈◊〉 somwhat 〈◊〉 it and GOD gaue him grothe according to that measure of grace in knowledge vnderstanding according as he saw meete for his church for the bulding of it He saw not al at once neither had he that sinceritie in the beginning whilest he would scarse come frō among you 〈◊〉 afterwards by the grace of God he attained vnto If therfore his works wer filed by himself or by others with his cōsent during his life or after I know not why he should not inioy this priuiledg as wel as al other authours writers who are woont as they grow in knowledge either to adde or detract inlarge or abridge their own works as they haue seene good yet ought not hereby to be therfore esteemed inconstāt or not like thē selues As for the cōplaynt of Iohn Alusco cōcerning the confessiō of Auspurge perhaps too toghly too much vrged stood vpō by Luthers schollers afterwardes in respect of the matter of the Sacramēt as it was first set out it helpeth not your cause For besides that it was found faulte with by some of our side the oftē setting of it forth was to better it being but written for a interim for the according of both sides which although it seemed a thing altogether impossible yet for the greatest matters and substāce of Doctrin it was in a maner brought to passe had not some intemperat spirits by the mallice of Sathan fought too too egarly and bitterly against it standing vpon tearmes and tautologies that haue in them no edification at al. That which he addeth out of that place alledged by M. Charke to proue that he spake in detraction of the Euāgelistes because he saith Paules Epistles may bee called more rightly the Gospel which he would make vs beleeue to be done of some tooth against the other is altogether friuolous and foolish which shewes that he hath a tooth against whatsoeuer Luther vttereth As though there were no Gospel in Paules Epistles or as though al were not the gospel of equal authority hauing bin indited by one the same spirit It appeareth y t this man measureth the Gospel by the titles set ouer those stories written by these principal notaries making so many Gospels as there were writers Authours who cannot forsooth abide y t Paules Epist. should be the Gospel or that the Gospel should be one And yet Paule doubteth not to call it his Gospel Here you cry out against M. Charke for not finding out that which you neuer found out your self but as you receyued it by tradition one from an other as often answered as euer it was obiected which I suppose you sawe not with your owne eyes and that made you to refer vs to Coclaens from whom you tooke it at the second hand thē taking an hold of our hemme by all edging Gesner that maketh mention of such a preface wherin by way of comparison onely he speaketh so off I am Epistle not denying the authority therof which you Campion falsely say both he we haue cut off from the body of the scripture yet Luther commendeth that Epistle in his Preface vpon it
loke towards vs. M. Chark and his sober wife shall stand in greater chastitie dignitie with greater assurance of comfort honesty in holy matrimonie and all that are so married in what honest state soeuer thē all Romish votaries Friers Nuns established in the popes kingdom wheresoeuer Perhaps they may perke vp as if they were honest For harlots wil haue harlots foreheads but though they be shameles impudent yet they are ne 〈◊〉 the honester The other point which you odiously stand vpon conteineth no such absurditie in it as you would seem to infer by pressing it in euery point For as the Lord hath giuē food for the maintenāce of this life so he hath appoincted by marriage the meane of continuing it As for your beastly inference that sheweth your knauish experience in matters that shoulde be farre from you if you were that you would seeme to be it becōmeth such a lewd losell filthie frier M. Chark defendeth M. Luth. modestly Parsōs pursueth him odiusly vnhonestly yet gaineth nothing for his purpose It is true so shall be found that he that shunneth marriage hauing not the gift of continencie as an vnholy thing considereth not that God hath created man woman for propagatiō he must needs be a filth make no conscience to cōmit all kinde of wickednes exāple of Popes Cardinals Friars Nuns Priests the rest of that lecherous generatiō who faring wel liuing idlie prodigally hauing vsed not only to keepe harlots but to be harlots thēselues against nature to 〈◊〉 things not to be spoken not matching themselues in matrimonie as god hath appointed but as he speaketh coupling thēselues in deede like beastes and worse then beastes with suche as are no matches for them And therfore his collections being false concerning these wordes of Luther his cōclusiō is violent vntrue vnhonest against those reuerēd learned mē the B. of Cāturburie Salisbury whom hee nameth liuing in the feare of god in that gift God hath bestowed vpō thē And alother holy B. of the primatiue Church that had that gift as Athanasius Cypriā Ambr Chrisost. Basil August who thogh they liued without mariage themselues yet neither disdained it in them selues nor others but woulde haue thought it a singuler blessing if it had pleased God to call them to that honor so far were they off by their writing of books in the praise of single life to condemne matrimonie either in themselues I say or in those that were married of their calling whom they highly esteemed and loued As for the last doctrine whereas hee woulde insinuate that estimation vpon our selues to bee as holy and iust as the virgin Marie the mother of God and the rest of the Apostles Wee answere that whatsoeuer God in mercie hath bestowed vpon vs whatsoeuer be his giftes and graces where with hehath beautified vs and whatsoeuer be the estate whereunto hee hath called vs yet as we knowe and confesse that of all others wee are the veriest wretches and greatest sinners vyle in our owne sight thinking of all others better thē of our selues especially of those excellent seruantes of God who had so rare and excellent gifts such large sides and strong shoulders to vndergoe so great offices yet we knowe and are assured that in Christe by the ministerie of his Gospel the whole storehouse and treasurie of his graces are opened vnto vs and as they sawe that which great Patriarkes Prophetes and kinges desired to see and coulde not so wee haue seene that whiche neither the virgine Marie beeing his mother after the fleshe nor those excellent Apostles which yet were examples to vs of his vnspeakeable mercie coulde euer attaine vnto The doctrine of Luther therefore whereat they cauill Luther regarding that they made more of the blessed virgin then they ought putting her in the place of her sonne nay preferring her before him whilest by her motherly authoritie they call vppon her to commaunde him nay whilest they attribute vnto her a more speciall seruice and more large then vnto Iesus Christe yea whiche is blasphemous turning all the Psalmes mentioning God vnto her therefore Luther had iust cause to say as hee did and M. Charke also to giue that interpretation vppon Luthers wordes which he did Is it not a blasphemous thing that they affirme that her death proceeded not of any naturall infirmitie by reason of the 〈◊〉 of her complexion Is it not absurde that they say that all the Apostles came myraculously together at her death Of like sort also is it that they say Christe descending from heauen associated with 〈◊〉 celestial powers entred into that blessed house wher shee lay and saide to her Cantic 4 ver 7. 8. What should I reckon vp their other blasphemeies in calling her the most righteous of all righteons the most holy of alholies the most gracious of all gracious And yet they compare her to Rahab the harlot saying that Whereas Rahab the harlot hydd the spies but one day and her house was not destroyed so by greater reason the virgine Marie lodging Christ niene monethes in her body shoulde not haue the same bodie destroyed and turned into ashes and therefore that it is more then likely that like as our blessed God woulde that the soule of this blessed Ladie althogh it is knowen shee was a very poore 〈◊〉 shoulde bee free from sinne so her most holy body shoulde bee free from all corruption And therefore they affirme that howesoeuer her bodye liued in mortall fleshe yet it was neuer defiled or subiect vnto sinne but was so faire that it sufficed to make God himselfe to take pleasure therein And therefore they abuse those same places out of Exodus the fifteene chapter out of Esay the sixteenth Chapter I will glorifie the mansion of my Maiestie saying that it was fulfilled in the assumption of the virgin Marie These blasphemies and such like absurdities wherewith they farced and filled their bookes were in cause that Luther writ as hee did that all Christians are alike holy as the mother of God yea that we are equall to Peter and Paul to the virgine and haue all goodnesse as plentifull as they had And yet heere nothing is withdrawen frō them to dimnish those graces and giftes which God bestowed vpon thē nor nothing arrogated to vs which thorow his goodnes are not by the ministerie of the Gospell bestowed vppon vs. His giftes they were that were in them and his they are that are in vs. They had singuler prerogatiues and so haue wee they in their places being so excellent officers had great measure of holinesse Wee in our place being true beleeuers are made partakers and heires in as large measure to our glorification to whome hee hath giuen power to bee made the sonnes of God as she though his mother was the daughter of God Besides their prerogatiues
He speaketh it not simplie as though Christians setting themselues against the Turke fighting against him doe therein sette them selues agaist GOD and fight against him But he saith that vnlesse Antichrist be ouerthrown and brought into order vnlesse wee forsake our sinnes and turne vnto God we striue in vaine against him being Gods rodd and not couching vnder it we fight against God hee sheweth that by our warres which haue beene made as couers to maintaine the Popes Cuppe he his forces haue beene mightely increased and the Pope hath established his tyrannie by his often consultations by his often prouocations to warre against the Turke and by gyuing out his Bulles and Pardons he hath sucked from all Christendome the fatte and wealth of it so hath weakened it against the Turk and hindered al reformation when it hath pleased God to lighten the harts of any Princes to see the trueth And good S. Robert is this to make a path to the Empire of Infidellitie The fift absurditie also is set down with no lesse malice then the former For whereas Parsons woulde beare men in hand that Luther shoulde dislke the Pope for holding that the soule is immortal the truth is that Luther disliketh that he should take vpon him beside the scriptures to make any new articles of fayth amongst which he reckoneth this to bee one as though it had no ground in the scripture that the soule is immortall but only rested vpon the Popes authoritie So the Pope doth also in other great matters of our fayth as in the misterie of the holy trinitie in the proceeding of the holy Ghost in the 〈◊〉 of Infants In al which he beareth vs in hand that we haue no scripture because we haue not their very words set downe though the matters be sufficiently confirmed by it These and such like Luther indeede calleth 〈◊〉 of the Romish dounghil And as for the last which hee citeth 〈◊〉 of his booke De captiuitate 〈◊〉 in the title of baptism this he hath taken 〈◊〉 of railing Staphilus for in that 〈◊〉 there are no such words in Luther and thereupon I wil gage my credit For wheras he saieth that neither 〈◊〉 nor angel on earth can lay any law vpon any Christian furder then he wil him selfe whereby he would insinuate the 〈◊〉 of al politike lawes and common weales by which they stande the trueth is that Luther speaketh of vngodly lawes brought into the Church by the Pope and such like besides the word of God superstitious in them selues and against Christian 〈◊〉 whereof hauing reckoned vp some in baptisme at last he commeth to this conclusion these are his words I say therfore neither the Pope nor the Byshop nor any man hath any right of ordaining or establishing any one sillable ouer a christian man vnlesse it be by his own consent and what soeuer is done otherwise is done by a tyrannicall spirit Therefore prayers fastinges donations and whatsoeuer other thinges else the Pope hath established in all his decrees not so manye as wicked hee hath ordayned them and exacted them by no right at all and as often as hee doth attempt any of these thinges so often he sinneth against the libertie of the Church c. We may therefore here see the monstrous malice of these wretches that thus pinch Luthers workes to bring him into disgrace with Christian Princes as though he were a subuerter and an ouerthrower of al wholsom lawes and good common weales Wheras he will not be aunswered but will needes haue it so that Martin Luther had bodilye conference with the deuill because lying Lindane and the rest of that Popish crue hauing receiued it by a lying tradition one from an other do aduouch it and because by a certaine Prosopopaeia Luther him selfe in that same booke De Missa Angulari translated by Iustus Ionas whome he calleth Luthers Cooke though hee were a Doctour of Diuinitie Whether this were so or no I must leaue it to the iudgement of all that feare God neyther dooth it any whit disaduauntage the matter though Luther had had euen such a strong assault that the Deuil might haue made semblaunce to haue appeared vnto him in some shape For he hath not onely assaulted many notable and godly men but also hath in some sorte appeared vnto them before our Sauiour Christ and euen since to Christe himselfe and to others hee hath appeared sundry times but yet he could neuer vanquishe them Why therefore should they obiect this against Luther who setteth out but the spiritual conflictes that he had with him which by the grace of God he ouercame And therefore alwayes keeping him selfe fast vnto the trueth was neyther possessed nor vanquished of that foule and wicked spirite It is not denied but that Luther according to his own reporte had many a sharpe combatte with the suggestions and tentations of that foule and wicked fiend as al the godly haue had haue and shal haue to the end of the world But what maketh this to proue a reall and sensible conference together with them Or how standeth it that therefore Luthers knowledge in diuinitie should be from the Deuil when beeing shaken of the Deuil in those false groundes wherein hee had stoode of Poperie and Idolatrie he betooke him selfe to the word of God and to such a ground as put Satan to flight Wherein he found rest and peace and exceeding comfort to his soule which he hath left in his writinges as a fauour of life vnto many that haue beene likewise afflicted His comfortable Commentaries vppon the booke of Genesis vppon the Psalmes and specially vpon those Psalmes of degrees and vppon the Epistle to the Galathians wherein as in a myrrour they may see the mans spirite shall testific to all posteryties that that which he learned hee learned not from the Deuill nor from man but from God and his holye and blessed worde And therefore Parsons aduise thy self wel take heede least in speaking against a man for man that is to vphold the kingdome of Antichrist thou do not open thy foule mouth against G O D. Though Luther be dead and man cannot requite it yee God will bee auenged of it If malyce had not blinded thine eyes and hatred sharpened thy tuskes to strike agaynst the trueth thou wouldest haue beene ashamed of the fome that hath falne from thee Thou myghtest haue seene that thyne owne Popes not one but many haue had familiar acquaintaunce with the Deuil haue had him at their commaundement to helpe them to their Popedoms and to assist them in other their accursed and abhomynable attemptes for the confirmation of their false and abhominable relygion And in trueth I doe not onlie saye it but by the grace of God will bee redie to proue it against thee and all the rest of you that the Deuil is not onely the Authour of al your religion the Father of Antichriste who is the Pope
that did their best to comfort him with such thinges as they thought meete hee cried out O my Lorde God howe greeuous anguish suffer I nowe about my heart I shall now die Lorde I thanke thee highly I shall nowe lay my bones in Izlibe mine owne natiue Citie And when some went about to comfort him againe hauing nowe sweat c. Yea saith hee but the sweate it colde and full of death I giue ouer this life for my paines increase more and more And further to prooue that hee was no drunken man hee made this notable prayer O my euerlasting father the God and father of our Lorde Iesus Christe yea the Lorde of all Ghostly comfort I render vnto thee most high thanks this houre that it hath pleased thine inestimable goodnesse to make open vnto me a sinner thy moste dearely beloued sonne my Lorde Iesus Christe whome I haue nowe I thanke thee in ful and perfect beliefe him haue I preached him haue I confessed him haue I loued and glorified whome the most wicked Pope with his cursed cormorants doe still yet darken disdayne mocke persecute and blaspheme I beeseeche thee most deare Lorde Iesus Christe mercifully to receiue my soule O my heauenlie father though I nowe leaue this mortall bodie and am taken away from this life yet doe I certainelie knowe that I shall euermore dwell with thee and that none shall bee able to withholde mee from thy gracious handes Then hee rehearsed sundrie comfortable sentences taken out of the scriptures to confirme himselfe in the hope of that glory And then receiuing the quantitie of a sponefull of a medecine that was ministred vnto him hauing 〈◊〉 againe repeated those wordes Lorde and father into thy handes 〈◊〉 commende my spirite c. Hee lay still and quiet and after a good pause beeing asked whether hee woulde perseuere in that doctrine whiche hee had taught hee aunswered with great courage and stomacke yea and so turning vpon his right side after that spake not Thus slept this sweete Luther in the Lorde whome these monsters did persecute a liue and now like mad dogs doe bite vpon being dead As for that which he addeth further concerning Protestants dissentions I haue touched it afore and will not enter into it againe It is confessed there are some differences amongest vs because wee are not all of equall birth growth iudgement and knowledge But our differences are not in matters of substāce or such as do break the foūdatiō vpon which if any man stande not hee is not with vs but against vs. And though Luthers schollers haue growne to greater heate and lesse modestie then was in that singuler instrument of God yea and to som opinions of more fearefull consequence yet we hope if they be Christes the Lorde shall reueile vnto them also his glorious truth in her excellent perfection and beautie And as for Papists dissentions contrarieties they are so many so waightie all besides the foundation as they may be ashamed once to obiect any such thing against vs but of this enough Nowe concerning the life of that notable and excellent man of God M. Iohn Caluine whose laborious and painefull workes ful of sinceritie and wonderfull iudgement beeing so many and so well written mighte not onely seeme to haue taken vp a whole man but euen to haue beene done by many men although I say not onely these workes but also his other painefull labours in his ministerie might giue a sufficient resemblance to all posterities to his friendes and veriest enemies what maner of man hee was yet not withstanding doth this Cerberus for hatred of the truth barke also at the credite of this most reuerent and excellent man And although as I haue noted afore they that are truely taught of God are not wont to measure the truth by men because the best men haue their faultes and imperfections yea the holiest and best that euer were that the truth might stande alone and not bee regarded in respect of mens persons yet this doggishe generation whose liues and very vertues not withstanding are the very sinckes and infections of the worlde that they may deface the Gospell they runne to mens persons and like flesh flies they lye still vpon their soares Wherein yet their stinging biting should nothing so much greeue vs if they did not first also wound vs themselues that they might haue matter and corruption to suck vpon though not from vs yet from their owne filthe to fat themselues withall Thus whereas they shoulde bee 〈◊〉 to God for the wonderful graces that hee giueth vnto his Saints for the edifiyng of his Church they enuie them they barke at the light because they loue darknesse more then light For if this were not so what cause haue they thus to raue against a very Gods man the most singuler and rare instrument that God hath raised vp in our time Wherein yet their fault were the lesse if they had any colour or probabilitie by any reasonable coniecture or warrāted testimonie against him For of all others who is this Bolsecke whom Parsons thus highly commendeth Whom as if hee had knowne hee affirmeth to haue liued with Iohn Caluine both in Geneua Berna and Lausanna thirtie yeeres agone whom hee dubbeth a Doctor of Phisicke and calleth him by a reuerent name as if hee were some greate personage skilfull and of experience such a one as shoulde haue professed and practised Phisicke euen in Caluines time whose booke of Caluines life was written in the yeere of our Lorde 1577. and dedicated to Monsieur Epynack Archbishop forsorth and Earle To conclude this is graunted and standeth fast fixed betwixt vs that it is not lawfull to make God a companion of the faulte or blame in mēs sinnes neither that the name of sinne dooth by anye meanes agree to him And yet this letteth not that that exercifing the power of his hande by a certaine wonderful incomprehensible iudgement thorugh Sathan and the reprobate as it were the organes of his wrath he should sometimes instruct the faythfull to patience and sometimes inflicte such punishments vpon the wicked as they deserue But this prophane 〈◊〉 cryeth out that God is wrapped in this guiltines when we make his prouidence the arbitrer of all thinges To conclude taking away al dif ference betwixte the secreete remoued cause and those neere causes hee suffreth not those aduersities that were layde vpon Iob to bee counted the worke of GOD vnlesse he also bee made guiltie together with the Deuill and those theeuish Chaldeans and Sabeans Wherefore as our brotherly coniunction requireth we beseech you thinke not muche to maintaine and vnburden by your subscription the doctrine of Christe laden and oppressed with the sacriledges of a vile naughty man which because we hope you will willingly doe and of your owne accorde it is in vaine with any carefull and diligent praires to intreate you Wee againe as
Surelye the reason is because it was deuised that beeing the further off and nowe brought in cunninglye to bee auenged vppon a dead man it might bee currande amongest Papistes amongest whome nothinge is so vsuall as lying and sclaundering As for Bolsecke his learning credite wisedome and honestie Parsons in praysing them sheweth his partial iudgement one Mule dooth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another in it For for the proofe of the firste to witte of learning there is no other proofe but this onely booke of Caluins life whiche beeing a barne of so longe a byrth and a woorke of so many yeeres vttered so out of season it carryeth nothing in the forheade but barbarous ignoraunce and scurrilitie And if hee bee of credite wisdome or honestie let Parsons also bee wise and honest As for the place of his lyuing I suppose Parsons knoweth not where Bolsecke lyueth whether in heauen or in hell I haue hearde credibly reported that for the time hee lyued 〈◊〉 nowe I heare hee is deade hee lyued like a fugitiue neyther in credite nor estimation eyther with Protestant or Papiste although I cannot thinke but the Papistes had cause to make some accounte of him that hauing grounde forth such a deale of stuffe for them against Caluine and Beza and beeing then of a Friar become a prieste amongst them as they saye hee was they should for his good seruicehaue set some greater price vppon him and rewarded him eyther to haue made him a Cardinal or at the least some Iesuite Thus much concerning Bolseckes and his protestation till we come afterwardes to speake of M. Beza Where hee saieth that Iohn Caluine was borne at Noion in 〈◊〉 the yeere 1509. hee saieth true beecause hee learned it of them that sette it downe beefore him that better knewe it then hee coulde tell them but in that hee saieth that hee was in his youth a horrible blasphemer of GOD we aske him how he knew it The place of his byrth hee knewe by information but Caluines 〈◊〉 hee coulde not knowe because it was not set downe in anye storie nor giuen him to vnderstande by any sincere information And although it had not beene much to the purpose nor ought not to waye against the trueth if 〈◊〉 youth ignoraunce and blindenesse hee had shewed him selfe suche a one yet they that knewe his parentage his friendes and the course of his youth beeing not partiall haue testified that hee was towardly his lyberal bringing vp in knowledge and his profiting in it that made him a man of so worthy gifts plainely confirming it And if hee had beene suche an execrable blasphemer in his youth is it likelye that hee eyther did or coulde so applye his booke as to come to such perfection euen in his youth at the age of 24. yeeres somewhat vnder to haue written those notable commentaries vpon 〈◊〉 de Clementia Againe when hee saieth that he became at length a Prieste by shiftes and had the cure of a certaine Chappel in Noton It is true that by his fathers procurement being a man of good reputation hee had a prebende in the Cathedrall Church of Noion but that hee euer came by it by anye shfting meanes it is the sclaunder of an impudent Fryar And if hee had come vnto it by any after that sorte yet this ought not muche to preiudice the trueth which then hee neyther knewe nor professed seeing the Popishe Church maketh no conscience of simony and shifting meanes to gette fatte By shopprickes and benefices the most of their Popes buying and selling their Popedomes and benefices as in a common market But yet that he was a priest though hee had a cure and preached certaine Sermons to the people it is vncertaine both because his yeeres had not fitted him to that highest place in their Antichristian kingdome by their owne Canons whoe might not bee a prieste vnder the age of xxx and also because he continued not longe in it his father chaunging his minde in 〈◊〉 to sette him to the studie of the Lawe and M. Caluine 〈◊〉 hauing receyued some light of the trueth by meanes of his 〈◊〉 M. Peter Oliuentanus that made him to withdraw from that abhomination As for beeing taken and conuicted in that horrible sinne of Sodomie if there were any such thing it was a fruite not of the Gospell but of Poperye amongst whome holye Matrimonie beeing detested and shunned as vncleaene and filthy in their Popishe vnction what other fruites coulde it yeeld but Sodometrie Buggerie Whoredome and all other kinde of filthinesse but that it was vnlikely that Caluine was euer teynted with anye such cryme Fyrst wee must thinke that if there had beene any such conuiction or condemnation it would haue 〈◊〉 set downe vppon recorde Besides who euer heard that the Papistes retayned any such law in Fraunce for that sinne hauing so many Abbeyes Nunneries and religious houses as they call them but most irreligious where they made no account of that sinne but alwayes accounted it as a sporte their Popes hauing dispensed with it in some Countries and some of their Cardinalles hauing written bookes in the prayse of it And if hee had beene condemned to haue beene burnte alyue why did not this villaine and wretched lyer set downe the manner of processe the fourme of pardon that was graunted and she we the like practise of anye burnte in the shoulder for the like offence The like is to be said of chaunging his name to make him agree with Luther which impudentlye hee saieth the whole Citie did testifie to Bertilier Secretarie of the councell of Geneua vnder the hande of a publique and sworne Notarie the same beeing extaunt and to bee seene c. For I aske what man of credite did euer see anye such testimony If it were a publique instrument it was not so easily concealed Againe who was this Bertilier Surely a knaue one of Bolsecks companions and of Seruetus faction that troubled the Church that hauing stoode excommunicate of the Church a longe time striued against the discipline of the Churche to bee admitted to the Lordes Supper which Caluine dutifullye resisting hee hated him for it to the death Nowe if Bertilier firste a secretarie and afterwardes a deuiser and vnderminer of the Church haue faigned some such thing what credit can it deserue amongest the godly M. Caluine witnesseth of him in an Epistle to M. Bullinger that beeing thrust from the Lordes Table for his vnbridled lustes and manifolde wickednesses till he should shewe amendemente hee despising the iudgemente of the Church woulde needes notwithstandinge bee admitted and when openlye through his contumacie hee woulde haue ouerthrowen the right of the Consistorie he had obtained of the Senate that which was necessarie for me to denye Furthermore because the brasen forhead of the man was known vnto me the wicked of purpose had set him against me that either he might ouercome me with his wayward stubbornnesse or
heretike But a man may see whither enuie and rage will carry a man But if M. Caluine were greeued as hee had good cause hauyng knowne him in those heresies so long and God casting the heretike into the Magistrates handes there where hee had corrupted many as the sequele prooued why shoulde any man blame M. Caluine who like a good Pastour resisted the Woolfe and endeuoured to drawe his sheepe out of his mouthe That hee therefore shoulde purpose his deathe and that vppon a priuate quarrell for finding faulte with his Institutions And also shoulde accuse him of heresie alluring him to come to Geneua it is a most horrible and monstrous Sclaunder For if M. Caluine had had any such purpose or had but barely accused him he beeing in truth no heretike then had master Caluine beene disappointed But whosoeuer acccused him because hee was both founde an obstinate heretike and also was crept thyther to trouble the Church vnallured and vnsent for by any the Magistrates did their duetie to purge their citie to the terrour of others of such a monster This was not done by Caluine alone as the storie of his life declareth who vsed all good meanes to reclaime him and as appeareth by sundry his Epistles was a suiter to haue had his punshimente mitigated And therefore it is but a tale that he telleth of any such secrete Letter written to Virette that should shewe the purposing of his death for any such quarrell And of like trueth is that of Seruets speedie passing thorow the towne howsoeuer M. Caluine hauing intelligence that he was there and also hauing knowne him long before in Paris to bee 〈◊〉 with that heresie and 〈◊〉 to holde it and spreade it to the infection of the worlde caused processe to bee serued and the suite to bee followed against him till the Magistrates had giuen him his iust rewarde As for that hee further 〈◊〉 M. Caluine that he should cause him to bee burnt aliue and that with a softe fier for his greater tormente making him like his Pope and his adherentes who yet burnt men quick not for heresie indeede as this man was but 〈◊〉 the euerlasting trueth of God it is moste false and sclaunderous seeing nothing was doone here but by the Magistrates and by the consent of the common Councel who had authoritie in such matters Of like trueth also is that 〈◊〉 be saieth that M. Caluine had written a booke a little beefore that heretiques should not be put to death and that nowe he shewed the contrary by his practise whereupon also hee giueth that marginall note that heretiques hold not a doctrine longer then it serueth their turne that forsooth manye Protestauntes hereby were offended and as hee speaketh grieuously scandalized If euer Caluine wrote such a booke I am sure some must haue seene it and yet if hee had in his time beefore God gaue him a sincere knowledge and iudgement delyuered out any such thing yet this prooueth not but vpon better aduise and iudgement he might haue the same 〈◊〉 that all other writers haue to retract it And of this I amsure that by the occasion of the death of this monster both he and M. Beza set out worthy woorkes of that argumente to prooue the trueth of that doctrine to all posterities And if there were any that were offended herewith they were no true christians but some such heretiques as were fauourers to that cursed wretch and to his cause Indeede Arrians Anabaptistes and those heretiques of the 〈◊〉 lye of loue and such like can at no hande indure that doctrine because they woulde liue as they lyste and spread their heresies abroade to the destruction of others Furdermore whereas hee accuseth M. Caluine for his maners that he shouldbe teinted with intollerable ambition and pride and thereof taketh vpon him to set downe some examples as y t to make himself famous he should deuise diuers letters and other workes in prayse of himselfe and publishe them vnder the name of Galasius and others that he should sende them to Viret who acquainted with the stile shoulde espie the deuise hee beeing offended shoulde be pacified with an aunswere that it was neces sarie for the credite of their cause and that he woulde shortly doe as much for Viret For proofe whereof hee saith 〈◊〉 these letters were founde in the studie of Viret with fortie more at what tyme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 away from Lausanna and they were shewed to the Lords of Berne who could neuer afterwards abide Caluine for it c. For confutation of all this they that knew Caluine in his life time and were throughly acquainted with him did knowe him to bee the moste simple and humble man considering his great giftes that lyued in the woorlde whoe 〈◊〉 in all his writinges and in his expositions vpon the Scriptures without anye ostentation or subtill deuises whereof he could haue found out as great store as others yet did he refer al to the edifying of the people and to Gods onelye glory and that hee shoulde deuise letters and woorkes in his owne 〈◊〉 and publishe them vnder the name of another it is shamelesse and villanous well becomming 〈◊〉 Bolsecke an Apostate Fryar to deuise it and 〈◊〉 Robert Parsons a shamelesse Iesuite to credit and publishe 〈◊〉 For Galasius hee was a woorthy and learned 〈◊〉 then and nowe as I suppose lyuing and whose name coulde not bee so abused Indeede Galasius did gather some of 〈◊〉 Lectures as from his mouth or which being gathered by others hee might translate into the Latine tongue out of the French which might as was 〈◊〉 both bee reuised and also published by M. Caluin But what is this to prooue that it was done in his owne prayse Againe what should it haue 〈◊〉 to haue sent them if any such thing had beene to Virette alone when others also could haue iudged and discerned of Caluines stile hee writing not 〈◊〉 in a corner but much to the whol world Furder if Viret were offended and wrote so to Caluine and that these Letters with one and fortie more were founde 〈◊〉 Virets studie and that they were shewed to the Lordes of Berne and they could neuer abide him for it why is there not so much as one set downe And why did those Lords of Berne afterwardes by so manye honorable testimonies and entercourse of messages testifie their loue both to M. Caluine and also to that state and towne And againe where was the perfourmance of that promise to Viret and Farrel concerning the setting forth of 〈◊〉 prayse As for that he addeth concerning his breaking downe of Images and raizing the pictures of Christ and all Saintes in Geneua and causing his owne to be drawen and set in place and giuing them also to diuers Gentlemen and Gentlewomen to hange about their neckes it is as monstrous a lye as any of the rest It is true that when the Gospel was
established there the Magistrats cast down being rightly instructed those instruments of 〈◊〉 adored and worshipped in euery place contrary to the wholsome doctrine of saluation but that Caluine did it himselfe or by anye extraordinarie course or caused his owne to bee put in place it is shamelesse and where is the proofe His picture might be drawen and was it cannot bee denyed hee being an excellent 〈◊〉 of rare and singular giftes but that it was procured to be doone by him selfe or set vp in places of the Citie or in the Church where the pycture of Christ as hee calleth it stoode to be adored and worshipped or that it was giuen or taken by him or of others to bee worne 〈◊〉 their neckes is moste sclaunderous Indeede the Papists lying Lindan a deadlye enemie Staphilus that rayler and others do charge him with such a thing But we may see from whence all these charges spring euen from that same father of theyrs that hath beene a lyar from the beeginning who hath no other postes nor pillars to vpholde his kingdome in credit with his lying and viperous generatiō The like is to be thought of that answere that he should say that he that cannot abide it let him burst for enuie As for that Legend that he should be a miracle worker especialy v. pon one Brul whom he should raise from death to life and the seruant of a Citizē of Geneua out of whom he should cast the deuil it deserueth no 〈◊〉 as hauing beene deuised by shamelesse and wicked Friars whereas there appeareth no colour of probabilitie of any such thing euer to haue beene done by M. Caluin Besides it is plaine and euident that M. Caluins doctrine is flat against both the one and the other For Caluin teacheth according to the scriptures that we are now not to look for 〈◊〉 that gyft being an extraordinary 〈◊〉 and onely found in the Prophets in Christ and in the Apostles And as for casting out 〈◊〉 though Papistes would make both that and the other a special 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 their religion yet they are indeede as farre from 〈◊〉 able to worke true myracles as we or any other Neither is it a marke of true relygion seeing that Antichrist shal come 〈◊〉 with a ful and powerful spirit of his 〈◊〉 the deuil to deceaue if it were possible euen the elect with lying signes and wonders Indeede the like 〈◊〉 wherof he speaketh here of raysing one from death was sette foorth long agoe to 〈◊〉 beene doone by a Iesuite who take vpon them the work of such miracles as one hath reported vnder the name of Cope an Englisheman yet was not the authour but another as hath 〈◊〉 founde since they cannot onely rayse the dead to 〈◊〉 but also they can make holye water to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and rattes to make barren women 〈◊〉 with childe and to doe manye suche feates beesides but also to coniure out Deuilles and to chase them awaye with the signe of the crosse and we may read in their new legends written of their doinges in the Indies and in other such places where they say they haue conuerted whole kingdomes and countries and brought them from Paganisme to their cursed religion And indeede these Iesuites that haue such exercise in working miracles and not onely imitate Christ in thinges that are supernaturell but in all thinges wil doe as much and more then euer hee did to whome the Pope who can doe what he liste for that purpose hath communicated of his power these are likely to take vpon them to worke such miracles as that storie mentioned beefore written in the Dutch tongue testifieth they did For the 〈◊〉 whereof I referre you to Harrie Steuens booke written in the French tongue intituled his Apologie vpon Herodotus where there is testified a number of examples of their vile and wretched dealinges I referre the Reader to the 333. 337. 379. and 380. pages of the same book As for casting out deuilles where with he chargeth M. Caluine and Parsons also vpon the credit of Staphilus in his marginall note moste falsely chargeth Luther vsing such counterfeite wordes drawen frō 〈◊〉 as doe liuely set out a counterfeit knaue who knoweth not that the Papistes were the greatest Coniurers in the world If M. Luther or Caluine through fayth and the earnest prayers of the Churche haue brought reliefe to any that haue beene either possessed or assaulted they did it not as miracle workers but through Gods assistance without taking vpon them any such power Contrariwise Papistes haue had more dealing with the deuill then they Erasmus in his booke of Epistles sheweth how a night Ghoast was coniured For there was saith he a certaine prieste that kept his own neice who because she was well monied lapped him self in a sheete and towardes midnight entred her chamber counterfeiting as if hee had beene a spirite the woman perceauing the misterie because she would shift of the purpose of this bug desired the helpe of a kinsman of hers who lying the next night in her chamber to defende her in steede of a conturing booke brought a good cogill who so bebasted the deuill that if he had not discouered him selfe to be a priest and so a knaue he had vtterly spoyled him In the yeere 1569. there was a Gentleman of Auspurgh in Germanye who hauing certaine men that made no account of that new found ' secte of the Iesuites a Iesuite him self to plant the greater estimation of ' their coate in their hearts hee disguised himselfe into the habite of his first founder the Deuil and after hiding him in a corner of the house hee so feared one of the maide 〈◊〉 as she had like presently to haue runne out of her wittes and telling this to one of her maisters men hee willinge also to make tryall of the matter founde it to bee true and beinge assaulted in the horryblest manner that this Iesuiticall Deuill could deuise the younge man drewe out his dagger and wrought a miracle for hee killed the Deuill So wee reade also else where howe familiar alwayes the Deuill hath beene with these cloister men Aenaeas 〈◊〉 that afterwardes was Pius secundus reporteth how familiar the Deuil was in a couent of Monkes to whome S. Bennet resorted So also in the Legend which they call golden but indeede 〈◊〉 or leaden in which there are stuffed many such tales of friar Iuniper that made a hoch poch of all thinges together whom Saint Frauncis so highly esteemed for a Saint who also berayed his bed and hath both these pranckes 〈◊〉 forth for his singular prayse in the book of Conformities of Sainte 〈◊〉 in the 62. and 63. leaues What should I speake of Friar Ruffian or Friar Rushe that would besiege the douill and threatned to vntrusse a poynte into his throate and so chased the deuill awaye Or of Saint Frauncis who to proue his virginitie stripped him selfe
starke naked before the byshoppe of Arsis and gaue him his breeches for a relique How hee was woont to speake to fowles to sing with nightingales to salute woolues and to carry them with him wheresoeuer he lysted Much lyke as Hildebrand the Coniurer hauing the deuill very familiar with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him alwayes about with him in the likenesse of a sparrowe What shoulde I speake of Saint Micharius that for killing a flea did seauen yeeres penaunce amongest bryates and thornes What shoulde I speake of Saint Dominicke that with a sweete oyntmente from vnder his cope did heale a Nun that had a griefe in her thigh And as for raysing vp men that were dead to life againe with whiche you charge M. Caluine here Saint Frauncis and his disciples aboue whome I am sure the Iesuites will take foule 〈◊〉 if they be not preferred they could doe it as easilye as drinke wine yea Christes 〈◊〉 were nothing in comparison of Saint Fraunces myracles 〈◊〉 Christe was transfigured but once Saint Frauncis twentie tymes Christe chaunged water into wine once and hee thrise Christe suffered the griefe of his woundes but a little while hee whole two yeeres together And as for raysing vp the dead of which we haue mentioned casting out deuilles making the blind to see the lame to walke the dumbe to speake it was but a play vnto him For thus it is written page 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 estdictus de 〈◊〉 in quo Beatus Franciscus fecit illud insigne miraculum quod 〈◊〉 medici filium primogenitum prius occidit contritum suscitando restituit There is a place called by the name of 〈◊〉 in which S. Frauncis wrought that same worthy miracle that first he killed the eldest Sonne of a certaine Phisition and by treading vpon him raysed him vp againe As for Christ hee did indeede these myracles to a fewe but S. Frauncis to manye For S. Frauncis gaue sight to more then a thousand that were blinde hee restored limmes to more then a thousande that were lame as wel men as beasts and hee forced the deuill to fly out of more then a thousand men and women Well sir Robert I will spare you for this time but if thou shalt hereafter dare once to hisse for the crediting of such monstrous lyes deuised by the Deuil I say to thee in the feare of God if thou shalt dare to broach suche absurdities and monstrous fables of good and holye men to stayne their faces with the filth and dyrte of your dunghill I will if God giue me lyfe not spare to rake your filth together and to cast it in your faces as the Prophet saith and into your teeth so as you shall neuer bee able but as menne drowned and choaked in your owne filth once to looke vppe agayne I will translate that booke of the Conformities of your Frauncis and gather out of your other woorshipfull Writers all the 〈◊〉 I can to measure that vnto you in truth which vniustly and falslye you haue powred out vppon Gods Sayntes to dishonour his holye name withall And thus much concerning these deuised things that you lay vpon Caluine and Luther Nowe for that which followeth concerning the lasciuious dealing of M. Caluine whome in mockage hee calleth a Prophet c Saying that there are many examples sette down of his loose beehauiour gathered by open signes importing great suspition of foule dishonestie both with man and woman kinde though he had alwaies a wench of his own c. This wretch might haue remembred first for the name of Prophet giuen thus in mockage to M. Caluine and also for the name of Elias giuen by a borrowed speech vnto M. Luther that they themselues in their filthy bookes shame not to preferre S. Frauncis beefore Iesus Christe in moste damnable tearmes saying that he was not worthy O horrible blasphemy to pul off his hose that hee did excell all the Apostles the Saintes and all Aungelles yea that hee was a Patriarche a Prophet an Apostle a Martyr a Doctour a Confessour a Virgin an Angell a Sainte most conformed to Iesus Christe And therefore as Christ had twelue Apostles so had he And as Iudas Iseariot betrayed Christe so Iohannes de Capella was deiected from his Maister S. Frauncis beecause hee disliked his M. profession as I suppose al the lesuites doe Concerning the other poynt what villanie is this vppon the reporte of suche a varlet as 〈◊〉 is dubbed by Parsons to discredite the trueth to bring M. Caluine a man spente in studie whose labours and learned woorkes testified then and shall testifie to all posterities how he was occupyed beside his publike ministerie in preaching reading his being continuallye occupied in writing woorthy monumentes and both in the publik pryuate affayres of the Church as a man teynted with foule dishonestie and to haue lead an incontinent life Whereas if he had turned the leafe on the other side to him selfe and suche like swine and considered 〈◊〉 dooinges I should wearie my selfe and annoy the whole world with the filth of their bauderies and vile abhominations For who knoweth not if hee knowe anye thing that all this cursed generation euen from the highest Pope to the lowest hedge Prieste with all theyr orders Cardinalls Abbots Pryors Moonkes Nunnes and Fryars of all sectes that drawe within the ropes of theyr Vowes and cursed Consecrations they all lyue as the Bores of the 〈◊〉 not onelye committinge all kynde of filthynesse in fornication and vncleannesse and such kinde of wickednesses but also gyuing ouer them selues to such abhominations as a man woulde blushe once to thinke muche lesse to haue them named And wheras he nameth M. Caluines daintines both for rare meats choyse of Wines and furniture of seruice and that when he would shewe so much fauour to anye manne as to goe foorth and dyne or suppe with him alwayes a siluer 〈◊〉 of his owne wine must bee carryed with him for his owne mouth and that hee hadde a Baker that made bread of purpose for him only of fine flower wette in Rose water and myngled with sugar 〈◊〉 and Annis seede c. and that he had a kinde of biskat made for him selfe c. 〈◊〉 the Lordes of Berne were offended c. I aunswere that all this is but a horrible slaunder like the rest and shewing the malice of this Momus that hath his finger in euerye dishe enuieth whatsoeuer M. Caluin dooth or enioyeth They that knewe him knew him to be a man of as sober diet as might be whose great studies and labours had brought him nowe so lowe that hee coulde hardelye feede vpon any thing If therefore hee had his owne wine with him and his owne dishe also of some little boyled meate as commonly they say he had and wheresoeuer he went did onely feede vpon that If he had I say a diet bread made for the nonce against his rewme where with hee was sore cumbred
as all great studentes commonly are why should this bee obiected vnto him as vsed to prouoke him to lust and wantonnesse from the suspition whereof hee was alwayes free had not these deuilishe deuises 〈◊〉 put in practise against him Besides if a man do but consider the 〈◊〉 he had with the continuall occasions of expence how litle he died worth they might somewhat testifie that he had not the thickest diet in the worlde farre vnlike to the superfluous excesse and cramming that is in the Papacie where in their kingly prouisions their Popes Cardinalls and Bishoppes dwelling in pallaces their Priors Friars and Nunnes in Abbyes more beautifull then Princes houses indued with all liuely hood and riche possessions where in sties they swil and deuoure the richest and fattest thinges of the earth following in a manner no profitable studie for the edifiyng of the Church of G O D what can this idlenesse this bellye cheere else breede but all kinde of iniquitie filthines and bawderie The Cardinall therefore that hauing roasted to his breakefast Partridges and Woodcockes and being serued without Oringes cryed out O quanta patimur What penaunce doe we endure And what doe wee suffer for our mother the holye Churche Belike he was serued far otherwise then M. Caluin and yet this hee spake at a generall Councell when hee had layne with a whore all night beefore What shall wee saye also to that Pope that before he was Pope in signe of humilitie and deuotion had no other cloth to feede vpon but a nette but when he had gotten that he fisht for he laid a side those clothes and fell to the lyke iolitye that all the reste of the Popes did I will not mention Pope Iulius Peacocke whiche hee preferred beefore the Apple in Paradise and his Gammon of 〈◊〉 whiche hee woulde haue in despyte of G O D but I will only mention one Peter Riarus which was first a Fryar Minor and afterwarde made Cardinall by Pope Sixtus the fourth who did not only weare cloth of golde himself in his house but his hangings couerlets were likewise of cloth of gold making a feast to one Elenor of Arragō y t passed by Rome to marry with Hercules de Est duke of Ferrara the seruice of the feast continued seuen houres his seruants at euery course chaunging themselues into newe Liueries If you will needes speake of furniture of seruice and of delicious daintinesse to cause lust loe heere a Prelate of your owne aduaunced from a dounghill that keepeth no measure And if this were so in a Cardinall who also kept his harlot openly named Tiresia so as her shoes were couered with pearle and precious stones what shall wee thinke of the Pope himselfe neither God nor man that by that fable of Christe said hee got so much riches if wee looke vpon his sumptuousnesse his braueries and other royalties who shall bee compared to him What temporall kinges or Lords shall be offended with him and thinke that neuer any of their old prophetes or newe tooke such care of their bodies as this new prophet doth Concerning his examples of the Gentlewoman of Mongis that stole as hee saith from her husbande at Lausanna and comming to Geneua her husbande durst not follow her and also a young straunge Gentlewomā that tooke a house nigh Geneua where 〈◊〉 was wont to lye when her husband was frō home the Ladie Iolland of Bredrode to whome M. 〈◊〉 shoulde vse perswasion of marriage whilest her husbande was aliue and hee beeing sickly shoulde will her to let him goe Let all these examples stande or fall as they shall deserue credite with the Christian Reader onely this I say Is it or can it be likely that M. Caluin who was so sharpe a Censurer and an executor of the Lordes discipline for that foule vice in others that hee could haue scaped scot free himselfe or if there had beene any such notorious signes of suspition as he speaketh of and y t with so many of name in such a place where the least infamie of such a persō so many enuying his honor could not haue byn kept close Shall we think I say y t this can carry any probabilitie of truth especially such a knaue being both partie witnes and Parsons as good as himselfe beleeuing broching y e same to the world Again why should the credite of a seruant if any such were or of such a Lady y t should not dare at Geneua but afterwards whē she was departed from the towne which Bolsecke being so very a knaue should heare frō her mouth weigh against the credite of so honourable a personage Againe if shee were godly why shoulde she conceale so lewde a thing so long or concealing it how shoulde shee come acquainted with Bolseck an heretike vnlesse shee fauoured his heresies also Or if it were told so in the hearing of so many why was it not before vttered and declared the truth searched out and hee detected in his life time But a man may smell this geare and easilie see whence all this forged stuffe commeth If I shoulde to requite into his bosome open the packe of their knaueries and of their wicked liues I might beginne a new booke for euerie storie is full of their villanies I referre the Reader but to the liues of their owne Popes as they are set downe in their owne histories and in euery booke c. Nowe in that hee doth leaue as hee saith infinite matters of other qualitie as of his singuler cosinage especially towardes the Queene of Nauarre by diuers feined contrary letters the like for which Friar Parsons referreth vs to this goodlie worshipfull boke I say nothing of them heere because they may bee considered of in another place when it shal pease God that that lying Legend shal be further examined sifted In meane time for that he saith so shamelesly that M. Caluine died so shamefull a death hauing besides those manifold diseases that M. Beza reckoneth vp in his life that horrible disease of lice and wormes which did eate his whole bodie ouer beside an vlcer which hee shoulde haue in his fundament and in his priuie members and shoulde make him so to stinck that none was able to abide him also that he shoulde die swearing cursing naming the diuels through desperatiō of his extreame paynes and that he should bewayle that euer hee had studied or written booke I leaue also this to the consideration and iudgement of the wise discreete and Christian Reader onelie this also I would note by way of examination in trying the iust waight of these circumstances that I might shew what probabilitie of truth there is in this report First therefore if M. Caluin besides those diseases that hee had which what they were is cōfessed by M. Beza set downe to haue growen vpon him by his great excessiue study if I say hee had
answere And surely I would wishe that I might bestow the rest of the time that I haue to liue in more profitable matter Notwithstanding I would haue this to bee wayed both of you and the other brethren whome I know to haue a care of the glory of God and of my credite and estimation that what you shall aduise to bee requisite for the good of the Churche I may imbrace and performe in deed to the vttermost of my power Farewell most worthie man and my dearely beloued brother The Lorde Iesus graunt that ouercomming all lets and hinderances wee may manfully and constantly enioying his power runne foorth our race euen vnto the goale Pray likewise for this Citie the Churche and ministerie euen as I pray with all my hearte the most good and mightie God that hee woulde blesse you and your labours From 〈◊〉 the 10. of October 1582. Yours wholie Theodore Beza I beseeche you that you will pardon the bad writing and letters of a trembling and shaking hande hasting by reason of the speedie departure of the carrier The like is to bee saide concerning the begetting of his seruant with childe and also murdering the same Peter Viret beeing a notable man being as he saith of counsell with him al set abroade forsooth by Bolsecke and dubbed vpon the report of a barber O shamelesse iniquitie at which euen the very heauens doe sweate and were it not that God in his long patience did suffer such wretches to trie the faith of his children and also to vtter their owne shame that all creatures myghte witnesse against them the earth woulde not beare them but euen cleaue that they might be swallowed vp quicke to hell and so come to a iust and full damnation Concerning that hee addeth that it shoulde proceede from 〈◊〉 that the young king of Fraunce shoulde haue beene taken at Amboys that Lions Orleans Poyters and other Cities shoulde haue beene surprised that hee shoulde contriue the death of the Duke of Guise and commit the execution thereof to Poultrot that hee shoulde bee the authour of those bookes which hee calleth seditious to wit of the booke intituled the Furies of Fraunce another the truth another the watch another the waking Bell and the last the life of the Queene mother they are to bee credited as all the rest are For first whether wee looke vpon the reporters or vpon the circumstances to proue these reportes they are both vnsufficient to proue any such thing againste so rare and notable a man For if that matter at Amboys had beene contriued from Geneua the stories beeing set downe so many so variable as well by Papists as by those of the reformed religion either one or the other woulde haue touched it they woulde haue set downe the guilties examinations and haue published thē to the world with the most sufficient proofes to haue brought that place into hatred And if so many Cities should haue beene surprised by their deuise the treason woulde haue beene further discouered their seuerall confessions that were racked tortured and executed for and about it should haue been published And concerning the Duke of Guises death the noble Admirall that was so cruelly murdered beeing charged with the same fact should not haue beene so cleared by all their histories one and other that haue written of it nor all the rest of the Protestants as they were as appeareth by sundrie the Frenche kinges Edicts and Proclamations that haue acquited them from it And touching the last concerning those bookes howe shoulde Bolsecke know that Beza was the authour was hee present with him Hath hee yet confirmed it by any sufficient testimonie Or did hee knowe it by any speciall reuelation Can no man write bookes but Beza Was Beza there that hee coulde so set downe their particuler dealinges Is it not rather likely that it was some from amongest themselues that being conuerted and escaping those 〈◊〉 in the detestation of such proceedinges wrote them that was of more intelligence and acquainted beter with matters of state then Beza either was or coulde bee But any man may feele these lyes they bee so grosse and shamelesse That whiche followeth deserueth no answere concerning Beza 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For all men knowe that knowe the state of a reformed Church that howesoeuer the Pope like a Tyrant rageth and raueth at Rome yet Beza cannot doe so at Geneua where albeit great price bee set vppon him in respect of his rare and notable giftes whome they honour loue as a singuler minister of Iesus Christe yet hee doth nothing alone but all is done by common consent of the Churche and of the states And therefore if any such Merline as you name were deposed from his ministerie I warrand you it was not for his goodnesse or for his sinceritie The like is to bee thought of Gaigne and the Lord of 〈◊〉 belike it was for some treason or conspiracie seeing the punishment was so capitall and deadly And as for such as you name to bee the furnishers and furniture of Geneua which you make an harborow of male factours and wicked liuers of banckrupts and suche as runne away from their husbandes and from their wiues though a thousand such Varlets as your selfe conspiring it against it shoulde sweare it yet they that haue dwelt there and knowe it knowe that it is most vniust and lewde that you report of it For no man can dwell and continue there no not a fewe daies without examination from whence he came whither he woulde but they must knowe of his life religion and honestie Seruetus may confute this sclaunder that beeing an heretike coulde not escape there how soeuer hee had escaped in Fraunce and in other Cities neither can any others if they haue beene any notorious offendours they will quickly bee founde out they can neither be there receiued nor find any such maintenance In deed in your Cities and Popes kingdome where lust beareth the sway and iniquitie hath gotten the vpper hande there vncleane birdes do nestle themselues as in an vncleane cage there wicked men that runne from their wiues and wicked women that leaue their husbands may haue protection and mainteinaunce enough for they tooke their beginning from suche good foundations and so did Rome it selfe which afterwards became that same rose coloured whoore that was the most glorious strumpet in the worlde whither for refuge of 〈◊〉 haue 〈◊〉 all the sinckes and chanels in the world Geneua yet 〈◊〉 graunted such dispensations for diuorses in cases against the worde of God as Rome hath done Geneua neuer maintained the stewes such witcheries and sorceries idolatries and blasphemies as Rome hath done And whereas you say that M. Charke vpon occasion giuen by himselfe hath hearde somewhat of the first beginners or restorers of our Gospell c. Wee 〈◊〉 that M. Charke hath giuen no suche occasion and you haue but testified and set out to the worlde the villanous spirite that dwelleth
frō faith to works making them the cause of iustification breathing out his poysō with a sweet breath with sweete words couering his deadly venome Leuit. 20. Gen. 4. 1. Re. 22. 38. 3. Reg. 2. 37. Rom. 13. Iugdes 14. Mark this frūper at the phrase of the scripture As though if twenty had alledged one thing hee that alledged but ten or two had concealed the 〈◊〉 Reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. Censura Fol. 17 117. 220. Pet. a Soto contra 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 119 1. Pet. 2. Iohn 15. Luke 15. 1. Tim. 3. Collos. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mulus 〈◊〉 seabit * In the disputations the last day when it was agreed that both sides should stay tyll their 〈◊〉 were set down In the preface to the dispu The 〈◊〉 which the Papists at 〈◊〉 require before they 〈◊〉 dispute What cause they had may appear by their own stories by the cruell death they were put to So doth Staphi Ius Ficklerus the rest to bring those that were sound godly into 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 14. 32 〈◊〉 a Soto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVittenb cap. de concilijs Alfonsus a Castro aduersus Heres lib. 1. cap. 8. Verractus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cap. 24. c. 1. Cor. 〈◊〉 15. August 〈◊〉 de correctione 〈◊〉 cap. 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epi. cap. 3. Where knowledge and trial is to be sought August lib. 1. de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cap. 1. ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our doctrine the same that the Prophets Christ and his Apostles haue taught Papists 〈◊〉 all things for the praise of men Mat. 6. Read all the Fathers this shalbe found true Councels against Councels Fathers against fathers Lib. 〈◊〉 Reade their workes who shal and they shal find in thē iudging thē by the Scriptures 〈◊〉 Illirie lib. de 〈◊〉 Papist Traditions infinite variable vnnecessary hurtful offensiue See their Pontificall their masse booke and such other good stuffe 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 Catechisme See the harmonie of the confessions of the Churches that cleare vs from this slaunder VVhē Luthers booke De captiuitate Babilonica was written King Henrie not the head of the Church as the Papistes vnderstand by head in their Antichrist Heretikes are to be cut off not such as they cal Heretikes but suche as they are thēselues who are proued to be Heretikes by Gods word This also he handleth afterwardes Concerning Luthers heat 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 of the Papists The papistes account that a fault in vs which they challenge them selues VVho vse grea ter libertie the Papists or we we that onelie keep our selues to the scripture or they that roue vp and downe are boūded within no lists or boundes Chrisost. in Ioh. bomil 16. 〈◊〉 3. in opere imperfecto Ioh. 10. 2. Pet. 1. 20. 2. Tim 3. 17. 〈◊〉 Ioh. 4. Testamente 〈◊〉 in the annotat vpon 1. Tim. cap. 2. Lut. Cortez in li. 3. distin 3. 〈◊〉 Aquin. Iohn de 〈◊〉 Cremata Iren aus lib. 1. Epiphanius August Read Tapperus Ficklerus the whole broode of them This may appeare through out S. August in many places They that denie the offices of Christ his kingdome priesthood prophetshippe they denie Christe Ephe. 4. For he meneth by Puritās not the Anabaptists spiritual illuminates but those that dutiefully seek the reformation of the Church 〈◊〉 Heb. 10. 11. c. Authoritie of the Pope vsurped The Masse an Idoll of the Popes making patched togeather by many long after Christes ascention 〈◊〉 7. 9 See there how trimly they alleadged interpreted the 〈◊〉 in defence of 〈◊〉 images Syricius The place 〈◊〉 of the 19. of 1. Tim. 4. 〈◊〉 Sozomenus So 〈◊〉 onius Tutelares dei Camp in Epist. set out by 〈◊〉 us In Paris a great 〈◊〉 against Iesuits and wheresoeuer they come where other such vermine are like vipers they gnaw out the bellies one of another Hier. in Epist. ad Eustochiū ad Rusticum Concil 〈◊〉 Concil 〈◊〉 Quest. 16. sub 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guliel de sancto amore Nicolaus de Cle. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Real presence An. bros hb. 〈◊〉 Sacra cap. 〈◊〉 And. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 11. Lib. de Sacra Lib. in Iob. 4. cap. 14. In 〈◊〉 22. This also he mētioneth afterward where looke for further answeare Vowes Psal. 76 Perfection in selling all Things spokē to singuler persons in respect not simply The place of Iames concerning Iustification 2. Cor. 9. Fathers Our owne writers Who is Caietane or Conturene against the whole Church Disputation Peter Martir first Latimer Ridley Cranmer at Oxeford in Queen Maries dayes Maister Philpot M. Elmer Haddon Cheney and the rest that disputed in the Cōuocatiō house 1553. Octob. 18. Reade M. Foxes booke of Acts and Monuments printed in 1570. fol. 1571. fol. 1579 in manie places Conference at VVestminster anno primo Regni Eliza. 〈◊〉 King 17. 4 Reade the spanish Inquisitiō Acts monuments of M. Foxe M. Cryspius historie in French of their martyrs and the last French history of the beginning grouth of the churches in Fraunce Popish writers 〈◊〉 agreed yet about the Canonical scriptures whiche are the bookes and matching their constitutions with Gods word 〈◊〉 20. cap. de libellis dist 19. cap. in Canonicis Agath dist 19. cap. Sic omnes Read August vpō this place and Hierome vpon 38. of Esay Ephe. 6. Gathered out of their 〈◊〉 Bibles Mat. 26. Luke 22. Luke 23. Rom. 8. Reed Rationale Diuinorū Gab. Biel Vaux his Catechism and there you shall see suche misteries fetched out of the scriptures as are pitifull to heare VVhy salte creame spitle are vsed why they haue lights at noone dayes why bels ringe not on good Friday but they vse wodden clappers and suche 〈◊〉 stuffe General 〈◊〉 Reade Onuphrius ioyned with Platina in his Epitom Doctors Consent in the truth allowed by vs. Vniuersalitie antiquitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catholique what it meaneth Howe wee are departed because they are gone from the truth 〈◊〉 Tim. 4. 1. Aug. con Epist. 〈◊〉 cap. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 worst great consent in 〈◊〉 In their 〈◊〉 Testament set out by the scho lers of 〈◊〉 ful of ridiculous 〈◊〉 1. Thes. 2. Ioh. 10. In his 〈◊〉 before his booke of images Diui. 17. 76. c. * Belarmi quest 5. in dicta scriptis Cocleus Hosius Pet. a 〈◊〉 Stapletonus 〈◊〉 7. lib. 2. cap. 12. saith that faith is not learned out of the scriptures Again that the holy ghost teacheth the church many things without thescripture Censu Colonien fol. 2 20. Andradi lib. 2 Concil Trident. Andradius in defen Conc. Tri. priest of Potiers of Later an in conc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Papae Eccius Verractus Pighius de Hierarch The impietie of the papistes in interpreting the holy scriptures In antididagmate Colo. sol 17. The doctors corrupted and many bastarde writings vnder their names thrust vpon vs. Euseb. li. 3. 〈◊〉 38 Nicepb lib. 3. cap 18. Epipha 〈◊〉 1. to 2. beresis 38. 〈◊〉 in vita Clem 〈◊〉 Gennadi in catal
appointed for the saluation of his people Campian in the disputations had at the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. fol. 309. Of the 13. to the Romaines The new Testament of Rhemes translated now into English by them selues which in 〈◊〉 was accounted an 〈◊〉 Newe Test. 〈◊〉 in Actes 10. Num. 15. Gen. 21. Printed 1560 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hier. in Dialog Aug. de 〈◊〉 Ser. 63. De lib. 〈◊〉 cap. 16. super 〈◊〉 tract 〈◊〉 Concil Tride sess 5. Sharpe speache wher it is right ly and best bestowed Mat. 12. Acts. 8. Deut. 〈◊〉 18. Act. 8. 20. 21 22. Sharpnesse not against the mildnesse of Christians Matth. 3 Luke 3 Esay 1. The first foun der of the order of Iesuits a lame souldier one that had li ued wickedlie and was brought to this touche by reading the Le gend Laurent Surius de 〈◊〉 gest fol. 455. Staphilus a runnagate so farre from honour that he was ne 〈◊〉 honest This boke was translated by Surius one of his owne 〈◊〉 writtē against Smidiline Read 〈◊〉 the sixth letter to the princes of Germanie against 〈◊〉 and his instructiōs giuen to his Legate Frideric primus Gregor 7. alias Hilde brandus ex Auentino Honorius 〈◊〉 The Papistes honor not king Henry the 8. Reade 〈◊〉 Duraeus in Whitakerum Genebrardus in hist. In Queene Maries time 〈◊〉 de reb gest S and de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fol. 564. fol. 〈◊〉 Loquens de Episco po Roffensi When he 〈◊〉 the death of Abel Poret Forest in his preface vpon that booke of Images read 75. 76. 77. 78 diuision c. Duraeus 〈◊〉 fol 7. Harmonia Eccle. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Io. Cas. fol. 16. 17. 18. c. 〈◊〉 Tbeo palat fol. 198. Sleidan lib. 6. lib. 13. 14. Collo 〈◊〉 VVormaciensco 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Smucaldense Asteburgense In Rates proto collo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 boni viri and sundry others Reade all their bookes writen in his matter Monkes friers drawn by srō Parsons Elizeus Daniel Ioh. Baptist. Popish argumē 〈◊〉 Gene. 1. Mat. 28. Mar. 16. Mat. 10. New testament of Rhemes in Mat. Chap. 10. Harding against Apol. Fol. 162. Discouerie of Iohn Nichols fol. 40. Pope 〈◊〉 builded the stewes for both kindes gaue leaue for Sodomitrie 〈◊〉 a Casa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rusti 〈◊〉 lib. 13. Math. 19. 16. All 〈◊〉 must renounce the worlde So did the Friars before the Franciscans Dominicans others In the description of their Seminarie of Rome wqich was taken before it was fully imprinted The Papistes vse their owne Names in derision The Pope his Cardinals Friers Monkes and Iesuitss no 〈◊〉 in Gods church What the lear nimg paines and holines of Papists are Mat. 7. Ephe. 4. Of wilfull chastitie Mat. 19. pag. 32. Reade Aug. 〈◊〉 Psal. 75. in medio De morib Eccle. cap. 31. De opere 〈◊〉 cap. 14. 15. Aug. in Psal. 75. 1 Cor. 7. Heb. 13. De bono 〈◊〉 cap. 9. Aug. 〈◊〉 lib. 〈◊〉 10. lib. de bono Coniug 〈◊〉 27. quest 1. 〈◊〉 Nuptiarum Epiphan lib. 2. 〈◊〉 1. 〈◊〉 de 〈◊〉 Al these places are set downe by others long ago haue receiued their answeare Of voluntarie pouerty Remember Pope Iulie that wold haue his pecocke in despite of God In S. 〈◊〉 orders Example by the Monkes of the Charter house Ezech. 16. 9. The pleasures and commodities that were in Abbcis Nūneries 〈◊〉 47. 11. Of selling all how that place is to be vnderstood 〈◊〉 5. 3. Rom. 16. New testament of Rhemes in Rom. Chap. 16. Parsons booke of resolutions the prim Of Luther of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 enough 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no bishops neither learned nor reuerend Doe you not thinke that it was Catella that intertained Canisius so brauely who for the affinitie 〈◊〉 their names went together as dogs in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of 〈◊〉 Epistle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Frideric 〈◊〉 ducem ad 〈◊〉 ad Campegiū Card. ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1519. Linda de 〈◊〉 Idolis 〈◊〉 See page 110. Fol. 10. 11. of the same book Fol. 40. In professio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de vero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 〈◊〉 fol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perticuler mēs faults ought not to bee obiected againste the Church or against the 〈◊〉 How infidelity may bee called the only sinne Howe the ten cōmandemētes 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 Of the 〈◊〉 Gospels Touching Luthers works Luthers works to be considered according to the times wherin they were written Confession of Auspurge Libro de 〈◊〉 Ab its qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the Gospel is one The Gospell is the same glad tydings of saluation compre hended in the wholscripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disputat 〈◊〉 in prof in Iaco. Campion chalengeth al professours of the Gospel and 〈◊〉 in a chief matter is ignorant wher that is written that 〈◊〉 deliuereth Read M. Whitakers preface aduersus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ri This concerning Iames is one of their chiese strings yet not one amongst an hundred haue felt it them selus but blind ly hit by 〈◊〉 at they were directed by others Dutch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 129 VVe neither do nor will defend any 〈◊〉 priuate opiniō further then it is warranted by gods word 〈◊〉 If any errours were in Luther he had them from the Papistes Pope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quest 7. cap. Quod 〈◊〉 Error conditio 〈◊〉 cognatio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disparsbus vis ordo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sisis 〈◊〉 si forte coire 〈◊〉 Iolius Coelest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad lib. 〈◊〉 Most impudēt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVhether matrimony and virginitie be equall Of the honourable state of Marriage In what respect Luther preferred marriage before 〈◊〉 The fathers caried with an excessiue affection to the praise of virginitie 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 The filthinesse of the popes virgins S. Paule saith hee hath no commandemēt and therfore it is a counsaile Parents must prouide for their children they may coun saile them but not compell them Hieroms sentence The third 〈◊〉 cleered from 〈◊〉 Howe wee esteeme our 〈◊〉 See their seruices and offices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Absurdities of the Ros. of the virgin Fol. 99. A. 〈◊〉 13. Fol. 99. b line 10 Fol. 101. b. line 3. Fol. 106. a. line 19. 〈◊〉 6. Fol. 105. Line 〈◊〉 Fol. 107 line 10. The causes that moued 〈◊〉 ther to write as he did to bring men from the virgin to Christe The giftes of God equally dispersed to al that are his howsoeuer it be according to measure Euery member hath not a like place nor 〈◊〉 Of Dionisius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 17. Act. 〈◊〉 Tbeod Gaza in 〈◊〉 Proble 〈◊〉 Our righteousnes is the righteousnes of Christe Truth shall pre uail It is as impossible to plucke the wings of the wind that it shoulde not blow as to stop Gods euerlasting truth Falshod thogh it be beautified haue many followers yet it shalbe destroyed Martyn Luther taught 〈◊〉 truth of God because it was from God and ouerthrowethe al false doctrin and heresie The truth is euerlasting The 〈◊〉 no 〈◊〉 doctrine These absurde doctrins 〈◊〉 ed
together by 〈◊〉 out of Luther Of Luthers Howe the aduersaries are wont to 〈◊〉 our assertions contrary to our true meaning Euerie iust mā sinneth ther ar imperfectiōs in our best workes The doctrine of the councell of Trent It cutteth not the sinewes of vertue to draw men from confidēce in them selues to truste in God neither doth it hinder good workes because we teach that wee are not iustified by workes Apocalyps How a man hath in his power to doe euill Iohn 15. August lib. de spiritu litera Cap. 4. In resp Luth. ad Articulum 36. Of fighting against the Turke How we fight against God 〈◊〉 we striue against his iudgements The Popes impietie who vnder pretence of waging 〈◊〉 againste the Turke hath kept in his owne tyranny and infidelitie So he did in the time of Henry the 3. Concerning the Popes pride in taking vpon him to make new articles of our fayth This is commōly set down in all Popish writers How lawes are not to be layde vpon Christians He meaneth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Canon spiritual lawes as they call them made equal with 〈◊〉 word VVhether Luther bodily cōferred with the deuill Luthers assaults many Read his Cōmentaries vpō the Epistle to the Galathiás Luthers doctrine not frō Satan nor frō man but from God Read al the histories that make mention of Pope Martyn Siluester the second of Boniface the 8. the 9. of Greg. the 7. 9. 10. the 12. of Heldeb Iobn Stella Antoni 〈◊〉 Nauclerus The Deuil the authour of the popish religiō Liber 〈◊〉 Iohn Capgraue Lombard bist Luther had no bodily conference with the Deuil though Dunston had when he held him by the nose with his tōges The godly haue many assalts with that enemy of their saluation The Papistes are the deuilles own darlinges by profession cōuersation Concerning Luthers death Iohn Sleidan a godly learned man These 〈◊〉 historio graphers partial because they were deadlye affected towardes the trueth Gropper Charles the Emperour How Luther was called a third Elias Pontacus Burdegalensis a liing historiographer Iustus Ionas is onely named and then Pontacus is alleadged Iohn 7. 8. Mark 11. Acts. 26. 〈◊〉 in A pol. Mertian ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lacta The grosse horrible 〈◊〉 of the papistes deuised against Reuerend and godly men Bolseck what he was Martyn Luthers death when it was and where The labours of Luther in his ministerie 〈◊〉 ching reading confuting confirming were wōderful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luthers praier Luthers godly prayer a little before his death Ex Melanct. Ex Sleidano 〈◊〉 Acts monuments fol. 966. 967. 981. 982. c. Abbas V sperg Casp. 〈◊〉 Luther con stant in his doctrine Our differēces Colloquium Mar purg in 1529. where Luther and Zwinglius were present agreed vpon all the chiefe points of religion Caluins life The works of Caluin many sincere Reade their Catalogue in the end of his life written by Beza set before his Commentaries vpon Iosua The giftes of God should be praysed in his seruants The nature of the wicked Bolsecks description set out by Parsons to the ende his testimonie might be 〈◊〉 Ephe. 1. 〈◊〉 Bolseck a 〈◊〉 Carmelite 〈◊〉 in vita 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 M. Caluin vpō the 〈◊〉 cōfuteth Bolseck out of the scrip 〈◊〉 out of 〈◊〉 Augustine 〈◊〉 inconstant a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in vita 〈◊〉 Cal. de 〈◊〉 Apostata 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 downe in 〈◊〉 before Iosua 〈◊〉 1574. 〈◊〉 80. The whole Church of Geneua to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sters of 〈◊〉 Fol. 〈◊〉 140. Anthony Cathaline against whom Caluin wrote being a companion of his was such a scholler that wrote in the end of an Epistle Perme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where 〈◊〉 was borne 〈◊〉 borne of good parentage and well brought vp Caluin no blasphemer Caluine vnder the age of 24. writeth those notable books of Clemencie 〈◊〉 extaunt In the papacie nothing but shifting chopping and changing 〈◊〉 and selling Reade their own stories Caluine by all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No 〈◊〉 Pope Sixtus 〈◊〉 is alleadged before and sundry 〈◊〉 Bertilier an vngodly man one of 〈◊〉 faction Fol. 127. 〈◊〉 M. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See it answered in the preface beSaunders reasons These thinges areset down in 〈◊〉 storie Whē K. Henry caused the religious houses to be visited anno 1538. D. Lee. D. 〈◊〉 D. Bedel others being 〈◊〉 Thomas 〈◊〉 being the publike notarie 〈◊〉 All these ditches came srom that 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 where that sinne was not accounted of 〈◊〉 de 〈◊〉 Epist. Farrel fol. 10. The vvōderful iudgements of God against such as resisted the truth 〈◊〉 Epist. 24. Caluins behauiour against his enemies He shold haue set the letters downe A likely matter that the Lords of Berna wold 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 banished 〈◊〉 amongst them of any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Michael Seruetus the vilest heretike that euer liued The malice of papists 〈◊〉 they care not what witnesses they take so they may haue some to bring in against vs. Caluins Institutions were like to be well corrected if 〈◊〉 might 〈◊〉 been put in trust with them Griefe for iniquity is a good griefe The Papists crueltie exceeding for one executed and burned aliue for heresie indeede in many yeeres they haue burned thousands in a few yeeres Who euer saw that booke Such Protestāts as him self belike he meaneth some Anabaptists or such like The notable works of M. Beza and Caluin occasioned by 〈◊〉 Horrible 〈◊〉 absurd false 〈◊〉 great humilitie Galasius hath turned some of Caluines treatises written in French into Latine So Claudius Zantes and Baldwine charge Beza Images ought to 〈◊〉 down Lying the sosidation of the Popes kingdō Caluin no miracle worker that belongs to Iesuits Bristow in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A miracle wrought vpon a whore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Bristow 〈◊〉 sorth solemnlye in three sundrye bookes in his motiues in 〈◊〉 Epitome therof by it self Copus in his dialogues Ex epist. Indicis The Papistes Coniurers such as had great familiaritie with the Deuill Apol. 〈◊〉 fo 347 The 〈◊〉 killed by a young 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Friar Iuniper Booke of 〈◊〉 Friar 〈◊〉 or Friar Rush. In Confo 211 Pope Hildebrād carried the deuil aboute with him in the lilcenes of a Sparrow 〈◊〉 prandium Trim knauery O horrible blasphemy 〈◊〉 the name of Prophet 〈◊〉 to Caluin of Elias to Luther in respect of his 〈◊〉 zeale In lib. Conform 〈◊〉 17. a litle after fol. 49. The stories are mentioned in euery 〈◊〉 Caluins 〈◊〉 Belike Bolseck was both his Cooke baker and butler or els very well acquáinted with him It is meruell you put not in that he had some iellies iunckets and comfects also What an enuious knaue is 〈◊〉 In the papacie nothing but 〈◊〉 cheere 〈◊〉 Apolo Sten fol. 325. In 〈◊〉 Tri. 〈◊〉 Fulgosa lib. 9. cap. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All filthie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 con cerning M. Cal uines death most shameles and impudent See M. Beza his answere to Claud. Xaintes 〈◊〉 fol. 392. CaIuin visited by many excellent persōages By the foure Syndiques of Geneua By the ministers If he had had such a soule dis ease is it like so litle while beefore his death that he would haue come forth and syt amongst them the end of M. Caluin was in the Lord proued by many reasons and argumentes Reade M. 〈◊〉 his desence of Caluin against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fol. 388. 389 390. c. The iudgements of God wonderfull fearefull against his enemies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ante 〈◊〉 de morte Ioh. 〈◊〉 Ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2298. M. Beza The purpose of the ad uersarie Whether M. Beza his father did curse him and disinherite him yea or no. A cursse for righteousnes is a blessing Concerning Beza his father reade his owne 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 of his owne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praefat. in Trage. Abrahami pag. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his wife 〈◊〉 chast 〈◊〉 Frarine in 〈◊〉 railing 〈◊〉 translated The Poets cōmonly read allowed com mēded amōgst the Papists most filthy wicked Amadis Oliue Cassandra siderid Neae c A 〈◊〉 filthy knaue there is no such word in the Epigram I blushe to 〈◊〉 downe the wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Platina 〈◊〉 Meiero Abbas 〈◊〉 Les 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fraunce Cronic Cronicor Mare bist 〈◊〉 Coucil 〈◊〉 tom 2. See the Articles to the num ber of 54. put in against him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called Stephana 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Textor 〈◊〉 de Monte This was a very strong 〈◊〉 for the purpose Cronicon Sigeberti 〈◊〉 Polonus 〈◊〉 temp Concil 〈◊〉 Plat. Naucl. Ioh. de 〈◊〉 Mariā 〈◊〉 Alexāder Borg. called Alex. the 6. His daughters name was 〈◊〉 who lay with the Pope her Father and with Valentin 〈◊〉 her own 〈◊〉 This was Anthonie Cathalyne as I ghesse All the histories in a maner written in the French tongue doe acquite the Admirall and the Protestāts Nothing 〈◊〉 alone in reformed Churches but by 〈◊〉 Rome had his beginning frō such a foundation Rome the mother of carnalitie carnall 〈◊〉 Men are not the beginners of the gospell Religion is not frō man thogh God giue his giftes vnto mē 〈◊〉 Zvvinglius The Papistes 〈◊〉 heretikes amongst those that are sounde professors to the end to deface them 〈◊〉 As was Siluester the seconde when hee saide Masse in a chappell called Hierusalem in Rome and Alexander the sixth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 The death of Gods saintes precious in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in not forsakinge his flock in the field did the dutie of a saith ful Pastor The people in well reformed Churches sorted to their own parrishes 〈◊〉
the Kings and sixteenth Chapter hee wrote onely vpon two bookes and the last was ended by Wolphius But as in this so in all the rest you bring vs very little of your owne reading but that which others haue scraped together for you As for our Eatons and Hinshawes if suche were aswell punished among you as they are amongst vs you woulde haue as few such loose liuers as wee haue and if both you and they were punished vppon iuste conuiction so as we desire the law of God hath appointed you should neuer trouble and pester the worlde The more wee haue the more is our sorowe and yet you haue no cause to hit them in our teethes since they are punished amongst vs and therefore not iustified by vs. You tell vs of one or two but wee coulde tell you of thousandes and those not punished but maintained because forsoth they were anoynted by that priuiledge exempted from the hande of the Magistrate Your other prophane and filthie speech woulde rather bee corrected by the rodde of correction as in an impure malicious 〈◊〉 then bee confuted by wryting as in a ciuill and honest aduersarie Your conclusion in deed maketh vp all and shall stande that the Iesuites whatsoeuer they prate of chastising and whipping themselues yet they are no fooles who haue not bodyes of yron but sensible as ours are and therefore will lay on soft enough for hurting them selues Your answere to the last reason hath no reason nor truth in it for neither is their order grounded vpon the holy scriptures nor vpon the practise of any auncient fathers no more then these superiors whom you name are superiours of the Church or haue any ordenance from God therefore the Iesuites order is a sect separated from Christe hath no part of that communion of Saints Whether the Iesuits vowed or no after the example of those heretiks that whipped themselues I leaue to M. Chark further to discusse but I take it howsoeuer you denie it that in such hard works they would be loth to adde that vnlesse they were bound by the vowe of their profession And herein you cannot denie but they whip themselues as those heretikes did thinking to attaine thereby a greater perfection then others But you laugh at M. Charke and I say you may laugh at your own follie and your laughter is madnesse for there were heretikes longe before these were bredd in your boweles that whipped themselues long before prating Prateolus or Alphonsus were borne and you learned to whippe your selues long before euen of them Baals Priestes not onely whipped thēselues but launced thēselues For the name of Iesuites you stumble at your owne straw graunting that which is in controuersie yet wrangling as though some wrong were offered you And it appeareth plainly in M. Chark by the places quoted in his booke 〈◊〉 in those Chapters that he vseth the same word And yet you say he is to impudent to attribute it to Turrian because he iustly calleth it a blasphemie for drawing to thēselues the name of his office yee call him 〈◊〉 gentleman and communicate that name vnto him which is none of his but yours For none haue Syrs added to their christen names alone but either knaues or popish Priestes and yet you tell him hee may haue his part in that comfortable name of Iesus if he exclude not himselfe wherein as you doe but tell vs that we knew before ouerthrow your rule of perfection so also you witnes som freewil with the Pelagiās to be in vs of your liberalitie graunt more thē in truth you mean for I suppose your meaning is not that all that haue part of saluation in the name of Iesus should enter by by into your new deuised order of Iesuits howsoeuer otherwise they be christians which yet maketh them not a distinct order frō other Christiās as Iesuites of y t name of Iesus do But you say this is no iniurie to others that you shew by fumblet exāples of seruing y t Q. onely with more deuotion then others whereby you insinuate that Iesuits are more deuout forsooth then others And that the Iesuites taking this name properly vnto themselues doe no more but testifio that they are deuouter seruants of his then others euen like as they that serue the Prince leauing all other things wherein the comparison is vnequall the one beeing lawfull when one is lawfully called for els none can bee a Pentioner or of the guard without iniurie to thē that are of that office the other being vtterly vnlawfull from the essentiall name of Iesus to drawe into an order and howsoeuer you iest at ryming Elderton whiche is one of your common places both in N. Discouerie and in other bookes as also in this yet you cannot so easilie auoid it For if you that will bee Iesuits ought to doe as Iesus did in all thinges to followe him to preach freely to worke myracles which you hold stil to be necessary in your Church and if in any your deuised orders then ought it to be most especially in that principall and high order for I thinke you will not suffer S. Francis to goe before him howsoeuer you beare with the virgin Marie for your new Annuncianists Why then you must like wise walk vpon the waters raise vp the dead cure the lame giue sight to the blinde c. as Iesus did Neither can that bee alike that Christians must doe the like too if they wil be called christians For the name Christian is a name common to all that are baptised into the common name of Christe and no name of any sect or order as is your proude name of Iesuites For so your order shold haue been 〈◊〉 in vpon and you would not be contented that euerie one shoulde haue parte in your hypocritical sect become fathers For if euerie one that is a christian were also a Iesuite why then the children borne and baptized within the couenant both young and olde that are Christians should be Frierly brothers and fathers both at once Concerning your religious orders so much hath been saide by many learned men as I neede not to stand vpon it A great difference hath bin shewed betwixt those auncient religious men as you call them that liued in times past and yours They sorted themselues into priuate places into Woods Deserts for the sauegarde of their liues where after wardes as it were in 〈◊〉 they might take oportunitie not onelie the better to serue God and to bee from the hauing of those common corruptions that were amongest men but followed their lobours labouring for their maintenance with their hands so farre off from being any secte or challenging any ministerie in the Gospel that they neither bear any mans name or tooke any mans office vpon them nowe what likenesse is there betwixt them and your vermin In deede afterwardes the worlde growing from worse to worse that which they did in