their prayers vvith teares out of the Church doores and in vvildernesse As the faithful ought novv to do also mountaines vvooddes lakes prisons and gulfes being more fitte for a Christian as S. Hilarie speaketh then the Churches the Seruice and preaching in them much more altered profaned and blasphemous then they vvere in the daies of their complaint Your prisons are the onely schooles novv of true consolation vvhich no doubt God giueth you fully ansvverable vnto or rather surpassing the measure of your afflictions of vvhat sort and greatnes so euer they be or seeme to the vvordly that haue not the experience nor sense of such ioyes of consciences Death and dungeons be not so terrible things to Christes souldiars as they seeme to the vnacquainted because God giueth not the tast of such his comfortes to any but such as are in the trauail for him Our Sauiour had in his greatest agonie an Angel sent to giue him comfort S. Steuen the first Martyr after Christ for the most certaine coÌ„fort of al Martyrs that should folovv savv heauen open and the sonne of man standing on the right hand of God him self in cheereful and glorious countenaÌ„ce like vnto an Angel S. Peter that vvilleth vs to reioyse in our passions and sorovves suffered for iustice lacked not in his emprisonment and bands the office of an Angel also He and the rest of the Apostles after vvhipping and reproche vvent avvay reioycing in their hartes that they vvere coumpted vvorthy so to suffer they sung psalmes and hymnes often in their prisons and chaines the Three children vvere ioyfull in the fornace of fyre Daniel in the lake S. Athanasius six yeres in a dry cesterne and foure monethes in his fathers sepulchre breefely al such places vvere euer not onely full of Diuine consolation sufficient to the repulse of al contrarie terrors and temptations of the vvorld but also haue been springs of spiritual ioyes and comforts to others abrode It is the prisons that haue yelded vs so many godly prayers prophecies letters treatises both of old and later yeres diuers of S. Paules diuine epistles vvere endited by the spirit of Confession in prison there vvere the famous bookes of Comfort vvritten by Sir Thomas More and many mo goodly vvorkes in our time Therfore dere brethren vve are to craue comfort of you rather then to yeld any praying you for our Lordes loue that vve may be partakers of your paines and prayers as vve daily praise God pray and sacrifice for you in to vvhose seruices sufferings and bonds vve may by Christes grace shortly succede if it rather please not his vvisdom vvhich vve hartily and humbly vvith daily teares desire to moue the Queene our Soueraines hart to mercie and pitie vpon her innocent subiectes and by his diuine povver to vvithhold her Royall assent and hand from further making or executing of such lavves as be against his truth and glory and must needes be the vndoubted destruction of the Realme vvhich shal be the surer vvay doubtles for her Ma. tie to procure both eternal memorie and coÌ„mendation of clemeÌ„cie vvith al the posteritie and mercie and pardon at the iust mighty and terrible Gods hand vvho taketh avvay the life of the Monarches of the earth and calleth them to dreadful iudgement at his pleasure To him first be all honour empire and glorie and to his holy Israel the Church his peace and blessing then tribute to Caesar that is all duety prosperitie and felicitie in Christ to our noble Prince and most deere Countrie Psal 31. Viriliter agite confortetur cor vestrum omnes qui speratis in Domino Your louing felovv and seruant in Christ Iesus WILLIAM ALLEN ⧠The faultes in some copies escaped let the gentle Reader amend thus Fo. 5. pa. 2. Perreiue perceiue 14 form from 16. theatened threatened 18 Miletius Meletius 25 thervvise othervvise 59 for condemmation read condemnation 81 seditioÌ„s seditious 85 vnlearned vnarmed 85 emploied our vpon ovvne their Countrie employed vpon their ovvne Countrie 85 vpon the vpon the. 119 Israriote Iscariote 3. Augustine No libertie of Catholike Religion in England Socr. Ec. hist lib. 2. cap. 18. li. 4. ca. 12. 16. Niceph. li. 11. c 49. 50. Li. 5. de Bas trad Cyprian â—p 5. Niceph. li. 9. c. 23. The othe of the Supremacie Causes of going to Rome Hiero. ep 16. Rome alwaies the citie of refuge and recourse of al Christians out of al Nations Bede li. 1. hist Ang. Li. 4. c. 22. hist Ec. The Seminarie at Rome founded Hiero. praef li. 2. comm in ep ad Gal. Caluin De vtilit cred c. 17. Ep. 55. nu 3. The beginning of the Seminarie at Duay Ep. 162. Vniuersitie men and other coming to the Seminarie De vtil cred c. 7. The Seminarie inuited to returne to Duay The beginning of the Seminarie at Rome Priests of the Seminaries The Popes affection and loue toward our Nation The Popes Seminaries of other Nations The yong Prince of Scotland Ep. 8. ad Demetriadem Gods lawes and mans sometimes repugnaÌ„t Ep. 166. Luc. 22. Mat. 16. 28. 18. Io. 14. 16. Esa 59. Deut. 17. Malach. 2 Luc. 10. Act. 15. Religion altering with the Prince The first ParliameÌ„t of this Queene Li 4. c. 43. The othe of Supremacie The court of Parliament The Ecclesiastical souerainty and the temporal 1. Pet. 2. Esa 60. Ep. 169. Es 49. 60. Act. 20. Heb. 13. Knottes brokeÌ„ not loosed Magdeburg in praef CeÌ„t. 7. Calu in 7 ca. Amos. The absurdities of a temporal Princes Ecclesiastical souerainty 1. Cor. 14. 1. Tim. 2. Ep. 55. nu 2. Aug. li. 2. cont 2. ep Gaud. c. 25. The ancient fathers agaiÌ„st the Ecclesiastical iurisdiction of temporal Princes Ep. ad solit vit degentes Cited of S. AthanasiÌ„us in the ep aforesaid Suidas in verbo Leontius Li. imperf 2. ad Constantium Ep. 33. ad sororem Ibidem Orat. ad ciu Nazianz Li. 2. de Sacerdotio An exhortation to the Q. Maiestie The Bishops and Clergie of England emprisoned B. Fisher S. Tho. More the Carthusians and others Ep. 57. ad â—amasum Papam Al Heretikes vaunt of Scriptures CoÌ„t MaximinuÌ„ li. 1. in principio Heretikes folow their owne priuate sense of Scriptures Catholikes the Churches iudgemeÌ„t and consent of ancient fathers Sess 4. Io. 14. 16. Li. 32. c. 9. coÌ„t Faust Ec. hist li. 2. c. 9. 2. Thess 2. Act. 15. 16. Li. de ago christ c. 16. Ib. c. 4. The ancient fathers more like to vnderstaÌ„d the Scriptures theÌ„ the new preachers Li. 2. cont Iulian. in â—ine M. Iuel Their euasions and foul shiftes in ansvvering the Catholikes Ep. 166. in fine Ep. 69. nu 1. Let N. the Minister marke this that fled out of England for impunity of his disorders afterward abiured his heresies in Rome voluntarily and now is fallen in relapse at home Their craftie and hypocritical pretences Deut. 17. Mat. 18. Beza in 2. Thes 2. Retentiue Pag. 248. Aug. Fnchiri
whosoeuer doth credite and beleue he must needes be found with them vvhen the day of iudgement cometh But as for the most part they make these foul and open shiftes by disgracing and discrediting as much as in them lieth the Church and Councels and cheefe Pastors because of the scandals and faults of a fevv so sometimes they do it more closely and therfore more deceitfully vvhich their dealing is also much vvorth the noting For vvhē Sectaries pretēd to trust and obey the foure first or any other Coūcel general vvith this clause of exception so far as they determine according to expresse Scriptures Canonical there is a double deceit in their meaning First they vvould make the people beleeue that they reuerēce Councels secondly that they do the cheefe honour to the Scriptures vvhere in deede they dishonour both and make them selues iudges of both For to credit the Councels so far as they bring expresse Scriptures is no more but to trust the Scriptures vvhich if the simplest person in earth do euidently alleage he must be beleeued but vvhether the Scriptures alleaged by the Councels make for the purpose or cōuince that for vvhich they are cited that them selues vvil iudge no lesse then if the poorest tinkar in England had alleaged them Vvhich is no more as is plaine but to make them selues iudges of the Councels vvhich the simple people thought they had respected much by so solemne mētion and promises made of them Againe they purposely in naming the Scriptures adde Canonical that if an euident place be alleaged against them out of the holy Bible they may at their pleasure deny the booke to be Canonical and so escape Vvhere also they seeming to do honour to the Scriptures do in deede make thē selues iudges of the Scriptures deciding vvhich be Canonical Scriptures ād not graunting so much authoritie to the Councels and Church vvhich haue determined such things already to their hands So they bring al to their priuate fansie from the general truth and spirit of Gods Church An other vvay they vse also of like deceit to bring al to their priuate iudgement vvhen they pretend sometimes rather to be tried by Councels and Popes or Priests past many hundred yeres sithence then by the Councels See Apostolike and other iudgements of their ovvne daies pretending that they vvil yeld to the foure first Councels or See Apostolike and Popes vvhen they vvere good vvith an exception yet for their more security so far as they agree vvith Gods vvord for that they knovv that the Popes and Councels of old dealt not directly vvith their opinions though vvhen any came obiter in their vvaies they condemned them of heresies but vvith other Sectes and false Prophetes proper to those times Vvhereas in deede the old Councels and their decrees are rather instructions and recordes to vs and to the Councels in these daies thē iudgements or iudges of our actions or persons tovvards vvhom they proceeded not directly nor iudicially but the See Apostolike Prelates and Coūcels of our time vnder vvhose povver and iurisdiction al Christian men are be our iudges and may resolue define and determine iudicially in our cases of Controuersie and vve are bound to obey these as the former Christians those in times past God in the Scriptures plainely cōmaunding in doubtful cases to go to the Priestād Iudge for the time being ād vve are vvarned to obey the Church present not onely past the old fathers Popes and Councels being recordes of truth but the other being iudges of our causes and hauing iurisdiction of our persons Vvhich to auoid they feine an appellation to the former onely esteeming in deede of both alike as of men deceiued as of humane traditions and so forth as in their vvritings is most euident vvhere from Peters time dovvnevvard they make the cheefest fathers the ministers and furtherers of Antichrist Al this is no more but both to barke and flee at once for ansvvers be they none Let them obiect any thing against vs vve say to it roundly this must needes be the sense by comparing other Scriptures to the same thus such and such a Doctor expounde it thus the fathers interprete it thus such and such a general Councel vnderstande it If they obiect against praying for the dead vve giue them S. Augustines ansvver to Aerius and his vvhole booke de cura pro mottuis if they argue against the honouring of holy Relikes and Pilgrimage vve ansvver vvith S. Hieroms vvordes against Vigilantius if they dispute against the inuocation of Saints or vvorshipping the holy Crosse ād other memories of Christ or his Martyrs vve giue them S. Cyrils solution against Iulian the Apostata if they dispute against the holy Sacrifice vve appoint them to S. Chrysostoms solution vpon the Epistle to the Hebues if they contend against the corporal presence of Christes body and bloud in the Sacrament vve referre thē to Lateran Councel against Berengarius and to the iudgement of al antiquity if they alleage against sacred Images vve lay dovvne vnto them the ansvver and resolution of the second Councel of Nice of S. Gregorie to Serenus of S. Damascene in his 3 bookes of that argument if they stād vvith vs against the povver of Priesthod to remitte sinnes vve ansvver them as S. Ambrose and others did the Nouatians and so forth in al cases And yet they vvil not yeld but flee from al Councels and Fathers to their ovvne imaginarie sense of Scriptures pretending to be tried onely by them and by conferring the sense vvhich liketh thē to the like sence of other places conceiued alike in their ovvne imagination Vvherein they are like to the forgers of false coynes that vvould not haue their money tried by the touchstone but by some other peeces either of true and fine metals or of some such like forged vvare as their ovvne So that it falleth out betvvixt vs and the Protestants in such things as it did by Plutarchs report about tvvo famous vvrestlers in the games of Olympus of vvhich the one being both strōger and nimbler then the other did often and easily giue his felovv a faire fall but yet being laid on the ground he vvould neuer confesse that it vvas a fall but by vvordes gestures and shuffling to and fro so dasled the senses of the standers by that the victor could not get sentence of his side and therfore he vsed to say that he could easily ouerthrovv his companion but not stop his mouth or cause him to confesse so much Euen so vve can easily thankes be to God ouerthrovv the Protestants but vve can not tie their tonges Of vvhich kind of men S. Hierom also had this experience Facilius eos vinci posse quà m persuaderi that they may more easily be ouercome then persuaded And againe cùm disputare nesciāt litigare tamen nō desinunt vvhen they can not dispute yet they cease not to vvrangle
They vvere ouercome in Aërius Vigilantius Iouinian Imagebreakers Berengarius and others by many iudicial sentences and by plaine learning refuted before our daies they are condemned by the like meanes in our time yeld they vvill not til God miraculously cōfound their cheefe preachers And for further trial of our doctrine vvould God it might please our Prince to cōmaund some of vs her Catholike subiects abrode or of them vvhich be at home either in prison or at libertie to appeare before her Ma. tie or any indifferēt iudges in scholastical cōbat vvith any one or any number of Protestāts of her dominions or any other part of the vvorld Vvhich men though they durst not shevv their faces in the late General Councel vvhich is the proper place of such disputes vpon trifling and vnvvorthy pretences refusing the same blaspheming that holy assembly and barking at it in bookes a far of vvhen they durst not come neere it as the Heretikes condēned in the first foure great Councels did also tovvard the same yet their causes of feare or exception vvould cease in this case if it pleased her Highnes by her vvisdom and clemēcie to giue order for the libertie and saftie of both partes therein Neither neede our Aduersaries be curious in the case the personal feare or danger being on our side but the shame and confusion vve trust in God shal be on theirs Once there vvas a conference in deede but vvithout al order and indifferēcie and at that time vvhen there vvas such a greedly desire of nouelty and chaunge that vvil and affection forcibly ouerruled al the matter Novv so many yeres hauing both vvel cooled the inordinate heat that the people lightly haue in such cases and giuen good experience of the Sect vve doubt not but God vvould prosper the matter to the great good of the Realme and contentmēt of her Ma. ties and al doubtful consciences For though such disputes vvith the Catholike Churches Aduersaries out of Councels and fit places be not in them selues alvvaies so allovvable nor profitable yet oftentines they haue done good and haue been thought necessarie both of late and of old as vve see by the diuers conferences of S. Augustine and others vvith the Manichées Arians and Donatistes in Afrike and some in France and Germanie vvith the Caluinists and Protestāts And that this vve also might do vvith our Superiors liking vve most hartely desire trusting that our doctrine vvhich novv is condemned of fansie and humane tradition should then be inuincibly proued to be most agreable to Gods sacred vvord and holy Scriptures Thus also further being bold and of duety to his Holines vvho also is charged to haue instituted these Colleges to traine vs vp in erroneous doctrine bound to say as the truth is that in these his Colleges there be vsed as many meanes to attaine to the knovvledge of the Scriptures and Gods truth reserued in them and his holy Church as in many mo of theirs Our vvittes be of God as theirs are and alloted to vs by his goodnes in as plentiful measure as theirs our absence from our Countrie the aduersity and pouerty incident to the same being not excessiue is as fit for studie as the more plentiful and delicate state of our English Vniuersities at home being othervvise for that thing and for al vvorldly splendour the noblest Schooles in Christendom Our foundation in al kind of faculties requisite for the studie of Diuinitie is as deeply laid as theirs our diligence rather more then lesse our time both of age and studie more complete then theirs commonly can be that are for the most part in our daies so timely called out of the Schooles to pulpits and promotions Our order methode and course of Diuinitie kept and ruled by obedience and the Superiors prescription much more profitable then theirs that is mere voluntarie Vve haue mo disputations lessons conferences examinations repetitions instructions Catechizings resolutions of cases both of conscience and controuersies methodes and maners to procede in the cōuersion of the deceiued and such like exercises specially for daily practise in the Scriptures vvherein the Protestāts vainely pretend their cheefe praises to cōsist because they can promptly alleage the leafe and the line of their booke in our tvvo Colleges then are in their tvvo Vniuersities cōteining neere hand 30 goodly Colleges And as concerning Sermons no Sunday nor Holy day in the yere vvanteth one and tvvise a vveeke besides for the exercise of yong preachers declamations in matters of Diuinitie For the tonges also notvvithstanding so many their publike and priuate lessons and great vaunting of the same I vvould vve might haue opportunitie to shevv vvhether they or vve haue more commoditie of them either to the knovvledge of Diuinitie or to the aduantage of our cause As for the Maisters and Professors of our Colleges specially the Romane Readers of vvhom vve may vvith better reason and respect of our shamefastnes speake then of our ovvne here vvhom yet I trust our Aduersaries shal find sufficiēt vvhen God shal put them to the proofe vve may be bold to say they be in al kind the most choise and cunning men in Christendō for vertue learning gouernemēt and al education of youth vvherof vvould God our Nation at home might once take triall Novv for that part of education vvhich pertaineth to Christian life and maners because knovvledge and learning be obtained specially by prayer and godly behauiour impure persons being not so apt to receiue and obey the faith our cheefe endeuour is in both the Colleges to breede in our Scholers the feare of God deuotion and desire of saluation Vvhich is done by diuers spiritual exercises as daily examinations of their consciences often Communicating or Receiuing the B. Sacrament often confessing much praying continual hearing and meditation of holy things deepe conceiuing and compassion of their Countries state and danger of their deerest frendes soules Al vvhich things to tell in particular vvere to long Neither this much vvould vve haue said of such matters had not our necessarie defense driuen vs therevnto For vvhich and principally for the honour of God and his Holinesse eternal commendation vve haue touched the maner of that education vvhich our Aduersaries haue persuaded her Highnes Councel to be disagreable to Gods vvord Humbly thanking our Lord God that for our further vvarrant therein he hath giuen to these endeuours such effect that many haue found eternal good thereby in our Countrie and that he neuer suffered any as far as vve could perceiue and do remember vouchsauing to conferre vvith vs one moneth to go hēce not persuaded and contended in conscience though many yerely resort to both the Seminaries either vvholy doubtful or plaine Protestants Vvhereby vve find it certaine that many a good soul perisheth in our Nation onely for lacke of hearing and seeing the Catholike faith and practise therof The sensible comfort vvherof is so vnspeakable to al that truely do
Scotland Flanders and France against their natural Princes to the ruine and desolation of the greatest partes of those noble Countries Yea if you list not go from home call at the least to your remembrances into vvhat hazards the scepter and crovvne of Queene Marie and consequently of her Ma. tie that novve is came by the Protestants both in the said Queenes reigne and specially vpon the death of King Edvvard the sixt vvhen they attempted by armes vnnaturally to haue thrust out of the Regal throne both the one and the other their Zuinglian Bishops and Clergie not onely subscribing to the treasons but preaching diuers traiterous and seditious sermons at London and in the Vniuersities and other famous places of the Realme against both their royal persons and contributing and setting out souldiars to the maintenance of the same rebellion for vvhich some of the cheefe of them vvere conuicted by the high Court of Parliament of treason and the principal of that conspiracie othervvise a right vvorthie and noble Gentleman being aftervvard executed for the same confessed at the houre of his death that al that and other late mischeefes and miseries of the Real me proceded of heresie and forsaking the vnitie of the Catholike Church this they did then And aftervvard their felovves being fled to Geneua and other places ceased not to moue hostilitie both abrode and at home against the Realme as short a vvhile as they vvere absent sundrie vvaies and caused by the allovving and consent of Caluin and Knokes the tvvo fannes of sedition and calamitie of France and Scotland an abominable treatise to be published against the regiment of vvemen at once to defeat the Queene that then vvas her sister that novv is the Q. of Scotland and cōsequently the vvhole rase of renovvmed Henry the seuenth And vvhat shal I speake of the Puritans late malapert and seditious booke against her Ma. ties honorable intētions and against her next neighbour ād fre-end a principal Peere of Christendom Or of the diuers pestilent bookes set out these late yeres in french and other languages against the persons of sundrie Princes and Potētates of Christendom vttering and amplifying in particular most barbarously their opē or secrete faultes and feyning many crimes neuer committed to alter their subiects affection from them and so to prepare their hartes to rebellion against them a popular practise most common novv in the vvorld among Protestants as it alvvaies hath been a meane to aduance sedition none euer intending commotion or alteration either in the Church or Commonvvealth not vsing the same Vvhich kind of inhumane irreligious and vnciuil dealing vsed by Heretikes first against Popes and other principal persons of the Clergie to induce the people to their contempt being not duely punished by the temporal Magistrate but either vvinked at liked or of hatred to the order and of pollicy procured is novv vsed for like purposes tovvards Kings and Queenes also that be subiect to sinnes and the sight of the vvorld and yeld matter to slaunderous tonges and pennes as vvel as Popes and Prelates do and vvil hazard al the Commonvvealths that suffer it It is no good graue nor Christian gouernement to suffer a ribald to open in booke or pulpit to the people vvhose eares itch for such sport against Superiors of al states the particular faultes either feyned as they be commonly or taken vp by hearesy or in deede committed of Prelates Princes or peoples of other Nations If there vvere some Italian or English fugitiue that vvould take vpon him in Rome to make a preach before the Prelates or citizens there of al the sinnes donne in the Court or in London or by the Noblemen them selues or in their houses or through the Realme and not onely vvhat is in deede cōmitted but vvhat malice and impudencie may forge to be done should such a monster trovv ye be heard of honorable or honest men there or escape the coarde or galleies No doubtles none could be suffered so to do against any Prince famous citie or Nation Catholike or Protestant in the vvorld vvithout iust correction And yet alas in our Countrie men make sport or rather a solemne act of it and that is thought not vnvvorthy to be spoken in pulpits and aftervvard published and printed vvhich neither the Old Comedie nor Pasquino nor any ruffian or Carneuall-youth in Rome vvould speake vvithout a visard So are the māners and grauity of our forefathers altered by this nevv preach into Chās conditiōs detraction and malediction euen of Gods Priests and the Princes of the people vvhich the Apostle taught vs by his ovvne most humble example ought not to be vsed no not tovvards such as haue but the name and resemblance of true Priests and vvhich S. Iude by the fact of S. Michael proueth should not be vsed to the Diuel himself Oh vvhat a dis honour is it to our noble Countrie that can heare and beare such vvicked slaunderers returning home from honorable States Cities and Cōmonvveales and vttering nothing but onely filthy false and reprochful matter against them And hovv great a shame and iniquity is it that men borne in a civil Countrie can trauail so far and into such renovvmed places Churches and states and find nothing nor bring home to their freendes any thing but filth and ribauldry Vvhich kind of mē are like vnto one that should go to take the sight and vevve of some Princely palace or citie and vvhen he cometh there neuer looketh on the ma. tie magnificence beauty cōmodity order gouernement iustice or other such things neuer asketh for the vvise the godly the learned and the like for vvhich the places be notorious but onely rūneth to the chānels sinkes gutters iakes dunghils and other stinking offices of mans infirmities and acquainteth him self onely vvith the blacke guard ād other of abiect seruices and returneth vvith outcry that nothing is found there but stinke and lothsomnes Euen such in good sooth are these vnhonest Pilgrimes that as soon as they arriue in any famous citie seeke not after any things of excellent fame for vertue learning regiment religion deuotion but according to their ovvne tast hunt after nothing aske for nothing but vvhere the Stevves be vvho frequent them vvhat crimes iniquities or disorders haue beē done in thē vvhat vices the Princes or Priests are giuen to and so partly of that they find partly of that they feyne partly of that they borovv of vvanton Poetes and partly of that vvhich holy men haue of zeale and charitie reprehended they make vp a fardel of malicious slaunders and detractions of Popes and Princes and vtter such seemly vvares in their seditious sermons Vvherein for al that hovv spitefully so'euer they speake agaīst such persons in effect cōmōly they say nothing of importāce against thē that hath any shevv of truth or iust cause of blame in the sight of any vvise indifferent man But these be the