to the like endes arriued all heretikes traitours in all ages Many notable histories might here also be rehersed to set furth the due rewarde incident to treason but for as muche as mayster Iohn Christoferson deane of Norwith hath moste abundantly treated vpoÌ„ the same in a godly lerned worke whiche he made intitled An exhortacion against rebellion THEY haue also a similitude of godlines but deny the power therof This vice rehesed by saint Paul was to heretiks in al ages a large cloake for euery shower though the storme were neuer so great For a similitude of godlynes is a plaine dissimulation or hypocritical meanes to seme to the worlde to be godly although in dede quite coÌ„trary to the thing pretended This similitude of godlines printed so in the brestes of the protestantes doth merueilously in meruailous waies brust out to the face of the worlde Oh howe they reioyce in these their similitudes Was it not a pretie similitude at the fyrst chop in the begynnyng of the miserable alteration of religion to banishe the Popes authoritie whiche from the beginnyng was the cheife of the Churche here vpon yerth as is sufficiently recorded aswell in the volumes of auncieÌ„t doctours as in al cronicles written from the begynning And for what purpose was this practise begonne Doubtles to introduce heresie the guyde of all mischeif Was it not a pretie similitude of godlines to cause the kyng by the vngracious counsel of Cranmer and others to forsake his lawful and moste vertuous wyfe quene Katherine who for her huÌ„blenes and godly demeanor towardes the Kyng her husbande in â—ye worthely be compared to Sara Abrahams wyfe and the rest of the godly matrones in the olde testament And here beganne fyrst the occasion of all our misery and sorowe the calamitie wherof oure fathers haue partly felte and we their posteritie do feele the rest besechyng God to spare the residue of his plagues whiche this realme hath iustly merited for y â— diuorcement of this noble womaÌ„ from her true and lawfull husbande oure late soueraigne lorde Kyng Henry the eight Who can attribute sufficient prayse to this noble Quene or whoo can poure out sufficient teares to lament her sorowfull fate What duetie whiche ought to be in mariage wanted in her brest What obedience or humblenes of harte towardes her husbande lacked in the good education of â–ª this heuenly woman O what feruent loue towardes the poore commons remayned in her O what earnest affection towardes the poore members of Christe dayly dyd she expresse â—â— Her deuocion towardes God was inspeakeable her zeale towardes â—hâ— virgin â–ª Mary was wonderfull â–ª her continuall meditacions in the bloude and passion of Christe moste apparantly is knowen to the worlde Who to thintent she might geue occasion too others to meditate the like erected a â—uely monument called the Mounte which liuely worke afterwardes pitefully was rased O moste happie woman to happie too raigne amonges vs O moste vertuous quene more worthy to be crowned in heauen then to raigne vpoÌ„ earth Who moste paciently as a woman who had giuen ouer the brunttes of this world and had armed her selfe with pacience coÌ„tinued to th ende in the feare of God in pietie of lyfe in her accustomed deuocion and in her wonted constancie so that no aduersitie of fortune could leade her out of that path wherin she had bene treaded from her infancie And as her life was godly so was her death the circumstance where of Polydorus â–ª Virgilius in the laste booke of his cronicle â–ª describetâ— And to the intent it shall not bee thought y â— these her worthy praises are spokeÌ„ here for flattery or that theâ—be writteÌ„ without hoke the wordes of Polidorus Virgilius hereafter ensue After the deuorcement sayth he this noble woman was appoynted to remayne in a place in Bedfordshiere called Kymbalton a place for the situacion of no salubrite or holsomnes of ayer Where she beyng wonderfully armed with pacience lyued a holy and moste godly life After wardes for very sorrowe pensifnes of harte she began to waxe sicke Which when the king herd he entreated Eustace Cappucius the Emperours Embassadour to go and visite her whose commaundement accordinge too his duetie moste diligently with all expedicion he accomplyshed But this noble Queene within syxe daies after was affected with a great sickenes feling the panges of death begin to drawe nere she caused one of her gentlewomen that was learned to wryte two letters the one to the kyng and thother to the said ambassadour And theffect of this letter sent to the Kinges Ma. ensueth My deare and welbeloued soueraigne and husbande humble commendacioÌ„s togethers with my duetie remembred Nowe approacheth the houre of my death in the which extremitie very loue whiche I owe too youre maiestie enforceth me with these fewe wordes to put you in remembraunce of the helthe of your soule whiche you oughte to preferre before al traÌ„sitorie thinges and in respecte therof to neglecte al other cares of the bodye For the whiche both me your poore wyfe and also your selfe you haue protruded into many cares and miseries But I with harte do forgeue you and as hartely I do wishe God to forgeue thesame as presently with my good and deuout praiers I earnestly make peticion for thesame Moreouer I commende vnto you our dere doughter Marie the comforte of vs both to whome I beseche you too extende your fatherly pitie according to sondry my peticions here to fore made to your maiestie And furthermore mooste instantly I desire your grace to haue a respecte vnto my poore maydens and as time shal serue to see them well bestowed in mariage which request is not great being but .iii. in numbre And that it woulde please you too cause my poore officers and seruauntes to bee paide their wages due and that by the space of one hoale yere after my departure thei maie be founde of your graces liberalitie to thintente thei maie not wander like maisterles men Finally my last request is that mine eies onely wyshe to see your grace And thus I betake you to God In this sorte departed this godly womaÌ„ from the cares of her bodye to the ioyes of her soule the .viii. of Ianuarie 1535. in the .xxvii. yeare of his Maiesties reigne But when the kyng read her letters he moste louingly bedewed the same with the teares of his eyes Thus farre wryteth Polydore of the lamentable state of this noble Quene Katherine who for her vertue exercised in this worlde her loue shewed too all sortes of people was worthely named of theÌ„ the good quene Katherine And so named to this present day Whose name not onely in heauen for her vertuous behauiour deedes of of charitie is enrolled in the voke of lyfe but in earth is registred in the maine liedger of immortalitie So that to remembre the calamites whiche ensued this diuorcement it woulde make an yron harte
disgracyng him with all vile wordes and histories of his lyfe paste that possiblye hee could deuise he semed euen openly before the kyng to make a coÌ„batte with his spirit For as Plinye sayeth they that speake euel of dead menne seme to contende and fyghte with their spirites So this Prophete then to proue that his stoute diyng made not his quarell good had the wordes ensuing O say thei the maÌ„ died very boldly he would not haue done so had he not been in a iuste quarell This is no good argumente my frendes a man semeth not to feare death therfore his cause is good This is a deceiuable argument he wente to death boldely ergo he standeth in a iuste quarel The Anabaptistes that were burnt here in Englande in diuerâ— townes as I haue hearde of credible men I sawe theÌ„ not my selfe weÌ„t to their death euen intrepride as ye will saye without any feare in the world cherefully wel let them go There were in the olde doctors tymes another kynde of poysoned heretikes that were called Donatistes And these heretikes went to their executioÌ„ as though they shold haue gone to some â—oly recreation or banquet to some belly chere or to a plaie And will you argue then he goeth to his death boldly or cherefully ergo he dieth in a iust cause Nay that sequele foloweth no more theÌ„ this A maÌ„ semes to be afrayd of death ergo he dieth euill And yet our sauiour Christe was afrayde of death himself TheÌ„ he afterwards warneth his audience not to iudge those which are in authorite but to praie for them It becommeth not saith he to iudge great magistrates nor condempne their doynges Vnles their dedes be openly and apparantly wicked Charitie requireth the same for charitie iudgeth no maÌ„ but well of euery body c. Thus Latymer proueth that stoute diyng is no sure token of a good quarell and proueth it a false surmyse if anye doo beleue the cause of death to be true because of sturdines in the tyme of the same Also to proue that it is not the death that maketh a martir but the cause The cronicles make mencion of one Iohn Oldecastell a knyght a valiaunt man although he were wicked who with one Roger Acton togethers with him fauouriug Wickleffes opinioÌ„s coÌ„spired against the kynges maiestie then Henry the fyft onely to sette forwardes their conceiued opinions with a desperate company assembled thynkyng to obtayne the cytie of London from the kyng But beyng preuented he was takeÌ„ and put into the towre of London The sayd Acton also who within a whyle after was worthely put to death but Olde castell escaped pryson not withstandyng within a shorte space he was taken agayne then hanged drawen and quartered But he weÌ„t to his death so stoutly as though he had nothyng deserued to dye But if heresie and treason be no iust causes then he dyed wrongfully as in the cronycles more at large appereth If the stoutnes of death be a iust cause to proue a martyr then many whiche haue denyed Christe to be equall with the father which was the Arrians opynion were martyrs Then Ioane Butcher is a martir TheÌ„ the Flemyng whiche was burnt in Smythfielde in the tyme of kyng Edward is a martyr who lyued in such continencie and holynes of lyfe that before his goyng to meate he woulde fall prostrate vpon the grounde geue thankes to God the father hys dyete was so moderate that in two dayes space he vsed but one meale at the tyme of his death he was so frollicke that he fared muche lyke our martyrs in embracyng the redes kyssyng the poaste syngyng and suche other toyes In lyke sorte the grosse martyr Ioane Butcher handled the matter And where as one Skorie then preached before the people in tyme of her death she reuyled and spytted at hym makyng the sygne of the gallowes towardes him boldly affirming that all they that were not of her opinion shuld be dampned Yea she was so bold to say that a. M. in LondoÌ„ were of her sect Such the like was y â— charitie of Anne Askewe so ofte by Bale lykened to Blandina that true martyr of Christes churche in his furious boke which he wrote of her death a noble pece of worke mete for such a champion to be thauthor The sayde Anne Askewe was of suche charitie that when pardon was offered she defied them all reuyling the offerers therof with suche opprobrious names that are not worthy rehersall makyng the lyke sygnes too the preacher at her death as her pue fellowe systcr in Christ Ioane Butcher dyd at Skorie aforesayde These arrogant and presumptuous martirs in the time of their deathes doo lytle esteme the woordes of sayncte Paule sayinge If I had the spirite of prophecie and knew al misteries and all maner of cunnyng Also if I had all fayth in so muche as I could traÌ„slate and cary awaye mouÌ„taynes yet were I nothyng if I lacked charitie Moreouer if I dyd distribute all my goodes in fedyng the poore people and although I gaue my body to bee burned hauing no charitie it nothynge auayleth me Thus yf they estemed the Godly exhortacioÌ„s of holy scriptures they wold not so vncharitably vse theÌ„selfes especiallye at the extremitie of death But the deuel whose martyrs they bee dothe alwayes instructe his darlinges to followe hys ragyng steppes True are the wordes of the wyseman saying A sturdy harte shall susteine damage and he that loueth peril therin shal perish Therfore sturdynes and selfe loue is the onely cause of the martirdomes of our martyrs wherof do spryng innumerable faultes as Cicero saith When men puffed vp with stoutenes of opinion be shamefully inuolued in folish error Doutles a great faulte it is and coÌ„trary to ciuile life so to be addicted to self loue and arrogaÌ„cie as to thinke our selues to bee so learned that no perswasioÌ„ or terror can beate the mynde from that folly A pitifull case it is to see not only the learned which for waÌ„te of grace do fall but also blynde bayarde who although he be vtterly blind and dull yet his corage is suche that he careth not to leape ouer hedge and dytche I meane the symple ignoraunt whiche only for wante of knowledge do erre and yet haue such audacitie that they care not to spend their liues in their folly And for that these blynde bayardes doo so stycke in their opinions to death it is woÌ„dered at of many not of learned or godly men but of braynesicke foles which like fethers wyll be caried about with euery blast of newe doctrine At the deathes of whiche you shall see more people in Smythfeilde flockyng together on heapes in one daye then you shall see at a good sermon or exhortacion made by some learned man in a whole weke Their glorie is suche vpon these glorious martyrs And why is this because their myndes are geuen wholy to
The displaying of the Protestantes sondry their practises with a description of diuers their abuses of late frequented Newly imprinted agayne and augmented with a table in the ende of all suche matter as is specially contained within this volume Made by Myles Huggarde seruant to the Quenes maiestie Anno. 1556. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum GO on good booke God graunt that thâ—â— Suche frutefull fauour fynde From readers eies and hearers hartes To banyshe errors blynde And as thy trothe by trade and time Is tried endles trewe So trust thy playn apparant profe Shall endles troth renewe Though wresting wittes or taunting tonges Wyll seke the to deface To fawting foles or spitefull sprites Gyue neither eare nor place For as offence to none is ment So if offence do groo The faute is theirs the fruite is thyne Sythe troth doth force it so The maker myndes to mende eche mys That talke and tyme hath bred Of heresies and errors great That fansies late hath fed Whiche so with witte and wyll haue wrought As wronge hath wrested right From frutefull faieth to fruteles wordes And quenched vertue quyght Belefe is brought to talke of tongue Religion rackt amis Open praier lyplabour cald Fasting folyshe fondnes Prelacy is popishe pompe Vertuous vowes are vaine Ceremonies curious toyes Priesthod popery plaine Thus vice of vertue beareth brute True faieth is fled awey Presuming pryde possesseth place And fansy conscience key No man beleued in his skill Eche wight so wise doth seame As bothe vnskild and eake vnlearnde All learning yet will deame O endles error of selfloue Of ignoraunce the roote Confounder of all faieth and grace And bale in stede of boote O wilfull wretched wyll That workest endles woo O arrogance and heresy That wrestest scripture soo O hedles heapes of feruent sprites Why heat you so in hart By ending flamme to endles fyer Both soules and bodies part What ouerwening spirite Doth puffe you in suche pryde To thinke your selues more godly wyse Then all the worlde besyde What titles and what termes you vse It maketh moste men smyle Howe droncken in the lorde you are How closely you begyle You systers and you brethren both â–ª Thus eche to others saieth The lorde be praysde when fylthy lust Ye vse with feling faieth â–ª And what is founde in all your deades But fruites of lyberty Wynde and wordes wilfull workes A mase of mysery Though in this booke sharpe sense and wordes May seme to some appeare Remember that longe festred sores Sharpe corses doo requere â–ª And you that reade nowe reade to learne Come not with myndes prepard To fynde out fautes or fansy fede â–ª Let all delites be bard Thus wyshing well for whiche I wryte This booke then written thus For good mens gayne for ill mens grief Anâ— truth for to dysâ—us â–ª FINIS ¶ To the moste excellent and moste vertuous ladye and our woste gracious soueraigne Mary by the grace of God Quene of England Spaigne both Sicilies FrauÌ„ce Hierusalem and Irelande Defendour of the faithe Archeduchesse of Austria Duchesse of Millaine Burgundie and Braband Countesse of Haspurge Flaunders and Tyrole Your Maiesties moste faiethfull louinge and obedient seruauÌ„t Myles Huggarde wissheth all grace long peace quiet raygne from God the father the sonne and the holy Ghoste HAuing called too my remembrance my most drede soueraign the manyfolde miseries which by the iuste plague of God dothe nowe raigne amonge vs thoccasâ—ons whereof thoughe euerye man may trulye thinke his owne sinnes to deserue as they doo in dede yet other special causes there be which prouoketh Goddes vengeaunce to light vpon vs as cheifly infidelitie wherby God is most hainously dishonored for the whiche wee are most iustlye punished and also our rebellious murmuring against our regalerulers appointed of God to raigne ouer vs to whome we owe our due allegiauÌ„ce The punishmeÌ„tes of which offeÌ„ces beside al other vices whiche dothe abondauntlye flowe amonge vs at this daye God hathe most greuouslye executed in the olde time to the terroure of all traitours and riotous rebelles As namely for rebellion and mâ—rmuring against the magistrates Chorâ— Dathan and Abyron with manye hundrethes mo may be examples Whose terrible punishemntes the worlde dothe nowe litle regarde nether fearing God nor man And also where Christ cursed two great and notable cities for infidelitee whiche was Chorazin and Bethsaida giuinge them ouer to their own vanities for their faiethles behauoure This curse alsoo is cleane forgot amoÌ„ge vs which appeareth by the infidelitee nowe raininge But god hath not forgot to plague vs for it yet mercifullye and not to our desertes â–ª This I saie most noble Queene hath moued me with the assistence of my freÌ„de to make this litle worke moore profitable in matter then pleasaunte in stile for lacke of eloquence this moued me I saie as I can to displaie and opeÌ„ the horrible inormities of the protestantes Whose murmuringe against their magistrates may well match the rebelious Israelites in their infidelitee the cursed cities of Iurye condemned by the mouth of Christ Whiche ennormities to remoue so much as lieth in me by the helpe of Goddes grace though not in those whiche are peruerse in opinion yet I trust those that be wauering shal heare iuste cause to discredit them and to abhorre their detestable factions and also constant catholikes better confirmed in faieth and good liuinge Whiche thing to that ende being finished my dutie being considered in this behalfe I am thus bold to trouble your highnesse with this liâ—le volume which beyng before this tyme imprinted althouh not in suche perfection as the same is at this present hauyng called sith the first edicion the ayde of my frende and therfore thought it more mete the dedication vnto your maiestie moste humbly besechyng the same to pardon this my rude enterprise praying our LORDE GOD in whose handes are the heartes of all kynges longe to preserue the kinges maiestie And graunt vnto his highnes a safe retourne to bothe your noble heartes desires and comforte of both your maiesties realmes and also preserue your grace in long prosperitie to the discomfiture of all youre highnes enemies Amen Your hyghnes faiethfull and obedient seruaunt Myles Huggarde ¶ The prologue to the reader IT is commoÌ„ly seen that they which with preceptes and rules doo directe others and seme therein to excell because thei suppose thei can not be corrected do eyther much good ouer whome they haue the gouernement or els to y e same thei coÌ„ferre great damage they themselues not escapinge without infamy In lyke maner our late elders and ministers for so they termed themselues if with the holsome erudition of Goddes vndouted truthe and with the admouicioÌ„s and perswasions of the gospel they had applied the same to the correction of lyfe and amendement of the conuersation of them ouer whome they toke vpon theÌ„ the charge no doubte they had doone muche good too the common welthe and to the reformacion of mans
sententia decedere Vt ocius in caelo quemadmodum ipsi sperabant fruerentur aeuo What shall I nede to stande vpon the poore Monkes of the Charterhouse who were contented to suffer their bodies to be dismembred in peces and to be hanged vpon sondry gybbettes rather then thei would yelde to the depriuacion of the Popes authoritie Whose worthy names worthy perpetuall memory hereafter followe That is to saye Iohn Houghten Robert Laurēce Augustine Webster Humfrey Middelmore William Exmewe Sebastian Nedigate Wylliā Horn Iohn Rochester Iames Walwerke Rychard Bere Thomas Ionson Thomas Grene Iohn Dauye William Grenewoode Tho. Screuen Robert Salte Walter Pereson and Thomas Reding What nede I els to stay vpon the deathes of the good mē the Abbotes of Colchester Glastonbury and Redyng or els of Powel Fetherstone Abell Germayne Stone Forrest manye others to whome death was nothyng ferefull for the quarell of God and his churche These and a greate number mo died for the cause of the catholyke fayeth that fayeth whiche hath euer cōtinued from age to age with the consente of all kyngdomes christen euen from the begynnyng whose memory shall be magnified tyll the ende of the worlde But the deathes of oure cranke Heretykes lye dead and are buryed in the graue of cankred obliuion couered with perpetuall infamye excepte they be enrolled in a fewe threehalfepennye bookes whiche steale oute of Germanye replete aswell with treason against the Kyng Quenes maiesties as with other abhominable lyes Moreouer in the late kynges tyme Edwarde the syxte wherein heresie expressed her game there were many godly mē which for the defence of the moste honorable ▪ Sacramente of the Altar and the other sacramentes yelded their bodies to pryson As the late worthye Prelate Doctour Stephen Gardiner byshop of Wynchester with other Bysshoppes and men of greate learning Yea if their deathes had bene required they woulde with moste willing heartes haue suffered the same But the proceders then knewe well inoughe that that was not the waye too procede in their doynges leaste they should haue become odious to all sortes of people But they fared lyke VVyat the late rebell of Kent who went aboute to achyue his enterprise not with rapine and spoyle according to the nature of rebellion but with all lenite and gentlenes thereby too allure the peoples hartes the rather to embrace and aide his attemptes but as his cloake was then spanishe so was the others of late time Iewishe Then hauing all these not onely wel learned but also godly men whiche aswell haue suffred paynes of death for their religion as these protestātes haue for theirs what haue they gayned then by this obiection If the stoute death of a man doeth approue his cause good then what cause haue the protestantes to refell the religion nowe vsed But here to finyshe this matter to procede in further explication of the fantasticall feates and abuses of the protestantes let vs learne further of Saint Paule who saith these wordes Knowe this saith he that in the last daies shal come perillous tymes For men shal be louers of thē selues couetous boasters proude cursed speakers disobedient to fathers and mothers vnthankeful vngodly vnkinde truce breakers false accusers Riotors dispisers of them that be good Trayters heddy hygh minded gredy vpon voluptuousnes more thē the louers of God hauing a similitude of godlinesse but deniing the power therof and suche abhorre For of this sorte are they which enter into houses and bring into bondage women laden with sinne whiche women are led with diuers lustes euer lerning and neuer able to come to knowledge of the trut he Nowe lette euerye man weyghe these wordes of s Paule And note if we haue not had amonges vs the like false prophetes with the lyke cōdicions First he sayeth they shall be louers of themselues Christ saieth He that loueth himselfe more then me is not worthy of me Who be they whiche loue them selfes more thē they do Christe Doubtes they that prefer y ◠loue of this worlde before Christ geuing place to the worlde and the lustes thereof Which vice is commen to al men and vsed of to many especially to suche whereof mencion is made before whiche neglectynge the brynging of their affections into bondage liue as their owne sensualitie doth leade them not caringe for the holsome preceptes of goddes moste holy worde but disobeying the lawes of the magistrates constituted too a good purpose to yoke the heauye carcase to thyntent he maye the better obeye the preceptes diuine For if the appetites do rule with out resistance they will soone ouercome y ◠imbecillitie of nature A victory or fielde is soone won if there be none to resiste Then the protestantes beynge maryed priestes yeldynge the seruyce of their bodye to the fraylitie of the fleshe was thereof ouercommed But if they had bene good souldiours and had fought vnder the standerd of continencie no doubt but they had wonne the fielde Thinke you Alexander the great had he geuen his minde too serue his appefites in his first warres had proued so valiant a conquerour ▪ No truely For after his first victory agaynst Darius kyng of Persia hauing alwayes in his hoste the wyfe of thesame Darius whiche incomparably excelled all other women in beautie woulde neuer after he had once sene her haue her to come into his presence albeit that he caused her estate styll to be maynteyned and with asmuche honor as euer it was And to them whiche wondryng at the ladies beautie marueyled why Alexander did not desyre too company with her he answered saying It shoud be to him a reproche to be subdued by the wyfe of him whome he had vanquyshed This was a ryght conquerour worthy to wynne all the worlde whiche in this sorte could haue the victory ouer his owne lustes being a cruel fight for a faint harted souldior This fight fought Scipio surnamed Aphricanus whē he hadde wonne Carthage For emonges diuers women whiche were taken one most fairest emōges the rest was ▪ brought vnto him to do with her his pleasure But when he knew that she was affiaunced to another called Indibilis he caused him to be sent for and perceiuyng the louyng tokens betwene them he deliuered her to Indibilis paying for her raūsome and adding further an honourable porcion of his owne treasure This was another excellente victorye gotten of a famous souldior which would not thoughe he had libertie violate his mynde vpon the beautie of a woman But our protestantes and married preistes neglecting their first fayth cared not vpon whom they had bestowed themselues lytle waying the counsell of saint Paule that he can bee no good souldiour to God which enwrappeth himselfe with secular affaires These be thei which pretended godlynes and vnder the hypocrisie of marrying deceiued the simple begyled their owne selues For when they thought themselues surest of their fained wyues they did the soner