more facilitating of their purposes they advance the secular power of Princes and of all soveraigne Estates above all that themselves either crave or desire alone for this end that their clerks may ride upon the shoulders of Soveraignitie to tread under the feet of their domination first the Subjects and then the Soveraignes themselves The tyrannous usurpation of the Canterburians are as many and heavie as these of the Romist Clergie How much our men are behinde the greatest tyrants that ever were in Rome let any pronounce when they have considered these their following maximes They tell us first that the making of all Ecclesiastick constitutions doth belong alone to the Bishop of the Diocesse no lesse out of Synod then in Synod That some of the inferior clergie may bee called if the Bishops please to give their advice and deliberative voice That the Prince may lend his power for confirming and executing of the constitutions made but for the work of their making it is the Bishops priviledge belonging to them alone by Divine right (a) Samuel Hoards sermons pag. 7. By the Chruch I meane the Churches Pilots who sit at the sterne Heads members divide all bodies Ecclesiasticall and civill what ever is to bee done in matters of direction and government hath alwayes beene and must be the sole prerogative of the heads of these bodies unlesse wee will have all common-wealths and churches broken in picees Ibid. pag. 8. The key of jurisdiction which is a power of binding and lousing men in foro exteriori in the coutts of justice and of making lawes and orders for the government of Gods house is peculiar to the heads and bishops of the church Ibid. p. 31. what was Ignatius and Ambrose if we look at their authoritie more than other bishops of the church That libertie therfore which they had to make new orders when they saw cause have all other prelats in their churches Edward Boughanes serm Pag. 17. Submit your selves to those that are put in authoritie by kings so then to Bishops because they are put in authoritie by Kings if they had no other clame But blessed bee God they hold not only by this but by a higher tenor since all powers are of God from him they have their spirituall jurisdiction what ever it be S. Paul therfore you see assumes this power unto himselfe of setting things in order in the kirk before any Prince become Christian 1 Cor. 11.34 The like power hee acknowledgeth to be in Titus 1.5 and in all bishops Heb. 15.17 Ibid. pag. 18. Kings make lawes and bishops make canons This indeed it was of necessitie in the beginning of Christianitie Kings made lawes for the State and bishops for the kirk because then there was no Christian Kings either to authorize them to make such lawes or who would countenance them when they were made But after that Kings became nourishing fathers to the Church in these pious and regular times bishops made no Canons without the assent and confirmation of Christian Kings and such are our Canons so made so confirmed Chounei collect pag. 53. Reges membra quidem filios Eccesiae se esse habitos reiecisse contempsisse nonnunquam audivimus obediunt simulque regnant Iura quibus gubernari se permittunt sua sunt vitalitatem nativam ex praepositis Ecclesiae tanquam ex corde recipiunt vivacitatem ex ipsis tanquam ex capitibus derivant Samuel Hoards pag. 9. Nor did they exercise this power when they were in Counsell only but when they were asunder also Speaking of apostles as they are paterns to all bishops 2. That in a whole Kingdome the Bishops alone without the privitie of any of the clergie of any of the laitie may abolish all the Ecclesiastick judicatories which the standing and unrepealled lawes which the constant customes ever since the reformation had setled and put in their rowme new forraigne courts which the kingdome had never known scarce so much as by their name (b) Our Chrurch Sessions our weekly presbyteries our yearly generall Assemblies whereof by our standing lawes wee have beene in possession are closse put downe by our book of Canons and in their rowme Church-wardens officiall courts synods for Episcopall visitation and generall Assemblies to bee called when they will to be constitute of what members they please to name are put in their place That at one stroke they may annull all the Acts of three or fourscore National Afsemblies and set up in their roome a Book of Canons of their own devysing (c) So is their book entituled Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall gathered and put in forme for the governement of the Church of Scotland and ordained to bee observed by the clergie and all others whom they concerne That they may abolish all the formes used in the worship of God without any question for threescore yeares and above both in the publicke prayers in the administration of the Sacraments in singing of Psalmes in preaching the Word in celebrating of Marriage in visiting the sicke and in ordination of Ministers Neither this alone but that it is in their hand to impose in place of these accustomed formes foure new Bookes of their owne of Service of Psalmes of Ordination of Homilies All this our Bishops in Scotland have done and to this day not any of them to our knowledge can be moved to confesse in that deed any faile against the rules either of equitie or justice what ever slips of imprudence there may bee therein And all this they have done at my lord of Canterburies direction as wee shall make good by his owne hand if ever we shall be so happy as to be permitted to produce his owne authentick autographs before the Parliament of England or any other Judicatorie that his Majestie will command to cognosce upon this our alleadgance Readily Rome it self can not be able in any one age to paralell this worke which our faction did bring foorth in one yeare It is a bundel of so many so various and so heavie acts of tyrannie Certainly England was never acquaint with the like wee see what great trouble it hath cost his Grace to get thorow there one poore ceremonie of setting the Communion table altar-wayes for there themselves dar not deny that it is repugnant to the established Lawes of their church and state for any Bishop yea for all the Bishops being joined to make the poorest Canon without the voices of their convocation-house or Nationall Assemblie yea without the Parliaments good pleasure (d) VVhites examination of the dialogue pag 22. By the lawes of our kingdome and Canons of our Church many learned persons are appointed to be assistants unto bishops and in our nationall Synods in which all weightie matters concerning religion are determined nothing is or may be concluded but by the common vote and counsell of the major part of the convocation which consisteth of many other learned Divines besides Bishops Andrews sermons
Tedders in his sermon at the visitation of the B. of Norwitch all subscribed by the hands of my L. of Canterburies Chaplane Bray Oliver Baker or some others THE PREFACE IT is fallen out much beside our expectation Wee did expect nothing lesse then warre that the storme of warre should now againe begin to blow when we did esteem that the mercy of GOD and justice of our Prince had setled our Land in a firme peace for many generations at least for many daies ever while some appearance of provocation should have arisen from us for the kindling of the wrath of our enraged enemies whose furie though we know well not to be quite extinguished yet we did surely think it would not breake forth in haste in any publick and open flame til some new matter had been furnished or some probable colour of a new quarrell could have beene alleadged against us When we have scattered that cloud of calumnies We have committed nothing that can bee pretended with any goodly colour for the breach of the late pacâ—fication which by their tongues and pens they had spread abroad of our rebellion many other odious crimes when by our frequent supplications informations remonstrances declarations and other writs wee have cleared aboundantly the justice of our cause the innocencie of our proceedings to all the ingenuous minde of the Yle and to so many of our neighbour nations as have beene desirous to cognosce of our affaires when our gracious and just Prince in the very heat of his wrath raised alone by their mis-informations even while armes were in his hand hath beene moved with the unanimous consent of all his English Counsell of all his Commanders and whole armie to acknowledge us good and loyall Subjects And after a full hearing of our cause in his Campe to professe his satisfaction to pronounce us free of those crimes which before were falsely blazed of us to send us all home in peace with the tokens of his favour with the heartie embracement of â—hat armie which came against us for our ruine When we in a generall Assembly of our Church with the knowledge and full consent of his Majesties high Commissioner whole Counsell have justified our opposition to the innovation of our Religion and Lawes by the Prelaâ—es our excommunication of them therefore the renewing of our Covenant and all the rest of our Ecclesiastâ—call proceedings when our States in Parliament were going on in a sweet harmonie to confirme the weaknesses set right the disorders of our Estate that no farther then clear equitie reason law yea the very words of the pacificatorie Edict did permit wheÌ„ our whole people were minding nothing but quietnesse having cast their neckes under the feet of our reconciled king put all their Castles Canons in his hand without any securitie but the royall Word and received heartily all those fugitives who had taken armes in the Prelates cause against their Countrie having no other minde but to sit down with joy gâ—e about our own long neglected businesse praising God and blessing the King The martiall mindes among us panting for languor to be imployed over sea for the honour of the Crowne in spending their bloud against the insolent enemies of his Majesties house While these are our only thoughts It was more then marveilous to us that first the dumbe and obscure whisperings and at once the loud blasts the open threats of a new more terrible and cruell warre then before should come to our eares that our Castles should be filled with straÌ„gers be provided with extra ordinarie victuals and munition as against a present assault or long siege Many of our Nobles tempted to leave our cause numbers of assayes made to breake the unitie of all our Estates and at last our Parliament commanded to arise the Commissioners thereof after a long and wearisome journey to Court for the clearing of some surmised mistakes about moods and formes of proceedings refused presence a Parliament in England indicted as the rumour goeth to perswade that Nation our dearest neighbours with whom our cause is common to imploy their meanes and armes against us that so our old nationall and immortall warres may be renewed to make sport to Prelates a bridge for the Spainyard or French to come over Sea and sit downe masters of the whole Yle when both Nations by mutuall wounds are disabled for defence against the force of an enemie so potent as either France or Spaine are this day of them selves without the assistance which too like shall bee made them by the Papists of the Yle and many more who will not faile to joyne for their owne ends with any apparent victory Wee admire how it is possible that intestine armes without any necessity should be takeÌ„ up at this season Compassion hope and all reason call now for peace at home that at last we may gett some order of our enemies abroad when all the Forces the whole Yle can spare are most earnestly called for by the tears of his Ma. only sister by the bloud long desolation of her most miserable Subjects by the captivitie and banishment of all her hopefull Children Prince Charles lying dayly under the hazard of the French hang man at Paris Prince Robert of the Austrian at Vienne the rest of that royall bloud lying so many yeares with their Mother banished in a strange Countrie Pietie would command us to put up all our homeward quarrels though they were both great and manie let be to forge any where none reall can be found Yea hope would allure us to try now if ever our Armes on those spitefull Nations the hereditary enemies of our Religion and of our Yle when God hath made them contemptible by the cleare successe hee giveth dayly to every one that riseth against them Banier with a wing of the Swedâ—sh Armie dwelling in spite of the Emperour all this yeare in the heart of his Countries a part of Weymers forces with a litle help froÌ„ France triumphing on the Rhene for all that Baviere Culen the Emperour or Spainiard can doe against them That very great and strong Armado all utterly crushed in our eyes by the Hollanders alone without the assistance of any The very French not the best sea men having lately beaten oftener then once the Spanish navies in the Mediterrian Shall we alone sit still for ever shal we send alwayes nought but base contemptible derided Supplications to these intractable Princes shall we feed our selves still with their scornfull promises which so oft wee have found to our great disgrace most false yea rather then to beate them by that aboundance of power which we have if God will give us an heart to imploy it rather then to pull downe those tyrants who have shed rivers of Protestants bloud who hath loÌ„g tred on the persons of our nearest friends and in them on our honour Is it now meet we should choose
It was the continuall song of all the Bishops and Clergie in England till D. Laud gott absolute credite with the Duke of Buckinghame that the Popes Antichristianisme was an engine of such efficacie as was able of it selfe alone if well manadged to overthrow the wals of Rome For this I give but two witnesses two late English Bishops both of them deponing before all England to King Iames and he accepting their testimonie (a) Caeterum agendo quam nihil agant ambitioso magnorum voluminum apparatu non nisi lituras scribaÌ„t disputatione ista de antichristo liquido constare poterit quia si causam hanc obtinuerimus esse romanum pontificem antichristum de reliquae contraversia dubitandi non erit relictus locus quia de Antichrists doctrina quin pernitiosa sit impia dubitari non potest Abbots of Salisburrie in his dedicatorie Epâ—stle to king Iames before his Treatise of Antichrist Downame of Derry in the first paragraph (b) Illa mihi imprimus questio quae est de antichristo dignissima semper est visa in qua decti determinandi omnes tum ingenij tum industriae nervos contenderent illa enim de veritate quam nos in hac causa singulari Dei benificio tenemus si inter omnes semel conveniret de reliquis statim contraversijs actum esset debellatumque neque aliquid in pâ—sterum periculi fores quemquam â—mnino Christianum cui sua caâ— esset salus detecto jam antichristo agnitoque adhesurum of his booke dedicated also to K. James upon that same subject Notwithstanding my lord of Canterburie For making the way to Rome more smooth spareth not to cause raze downe to the earth this fort Montagu White his non-such divines as we heard them stiled at his Graces direction by his Herauld Heylene will have the kings unanswerable arguments proponed by him even to forraine Princes not onely counted weake but plaine frensies This word doth Featlie cite from their Appeal (c) Pelag. redi v. 2 tab pag. 39. As for the Protestant arguments taken out of the Apocalypse to prove the pope to be the Antichrist Bellarmine calleth them deliramenta dotages And the appealer to show more zeal to the Popes cause straineth further tearmeth them apocalypticall phrensies Christopher Dow is licentiat by Canterburie to affirme that howsoever our Divines at the beginning of the Reformation in the heat of dispute did upbraid the Pope with Antichristianisme yet now that heat being cooled the matter to men in their sober blood appeares doubtfull (d) P. 53. Many learned in our church especially when the greatest heat was stricken betweene us and Rome have affirmed the Pope to be the Antichrist yet to them that calmely and seriously consider it it may not without good reason be disputed as doubtfull his Graces Herauld appointed to speake for his lord by the State doth correct this simple Dow and puts the matter out of all doubt assuring by good scripturall proofe by a text miserablie abused that the Pope is not was not and can not be Antichrist (e) Pag. 128. I have yet one thing more to say to you in this point S. Iohn hath given it for a rule that every spirit that confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God but is that spirit of Antichrist whereof yee have heard So that unlesse you can make good as I thinke you can not that the pope of Rome confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh you have no reason to conclude that he is that Antichrist And that in this matter there may heereafter betwixt the Canterburians and Rome remaine no shaddow of Controversie their man Shelfoord comes home to Bellarmine well neere in omnibus making Antichrist one single man a Iew preaching formall blasphemies against Christ natures person three yeares and an half killing by his hands Enoch and Elias And least any footsteppe of this beliefe should ever appeare in the church of England Canterburie confesseth that the place of the publicke lyturgie wherein it was imported was changed by his own hand (g) Star-chamber speach pag. 32. the first place is changed thus from Root out that Babylonish and Antichristian sect which say of Ierusalem into this forme of words Root out that Romish and Balylonish sect of them which say This alteration is of so small consequence that it is not worthie the speaking or if there be any thing of moment in it it is answered in the next where the chiefe thing he sayes is that he was commanded to alter it by the King for to remove scandall from the Papists They are conteÌ„t to have the popes authoritie set up again in England This scarre-crow being set aside at once the Pope the Cardinals and all their Religion began to (f) His fifth sermon through the whole looke with a new face Anent the Pope they tell us first (h) Montag antigage pag. 41. Gens abium unaquaeque tandem suas sibi plumas repetendo surtivis coloribus denudatam propriis etiam quod non oportuit improbantque vehementer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 circumcisaÌ„ nudam ridendum exsibilandam corniculaÌ„ exposuerunt that the reformers did him pitifull wrong in spoyling him not only of those things he had usurped but of many priviledges which were his owne by due right and should have beene left to him untouched Againe they will have us to believe that the Sea of Rome was truelie Peters Apostolick chaire that Peter was truelie a Prince among the Apostles that the Pope is (i) Cant. relat of the confes pag. 183 A primacie of order was never denyed to S. Peter that Rome had potentioren principatum then other Churches the Protestants grant and that not only because the Roman Prelate was ordine primus first in order and degree which some one must be to avoide confusion but also c. Ibid. pag. 154. Austen sayeth indeed that in the Church of Rome there did ever flourish the principalitie of an Apostolick Chaire this no man denyes Ibid. pag. 133. No man of learning doubts but the Church of Rome had a powerfull principalitie within its owne patriarchat Montag Antigag pag 51. Damus à Petro ad aetatem Augustini in Ecclesia Romana Apostolicae cathedrae semper viguisse principatum Ibid. pag. 57. Quae ratio erat olim singulorum in suis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Episcoporum eadem erat in provinciis Metrapolitarum in terrarum orbe patriarcharum rectè autem quis negat consultum eratolim cautum per canones vetustae Ecclesiae ut Romanus ille primus nec hoc negatur Episcoporum cui tot per occidentem suffraganei adherebant suam sententiam rogatus adhiberet ubi fides Ecclesiae universalis aut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in rebus ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spectantibus agitabatur quicquid sanciretur suo suffragio confirmaret priusquam
the King is to destroy his Monarchike government to dethrone him and make him no King to subject him to his people and make them his masters or at least collegs in the Empire (l) Joannes Wemius pag. 18. Quo casu dicerâ—m non proprie esse regnum sed aristocratiam vel democratiam Ibid. pag. 23. Hoc esset ex rege non regem eum facere Ibid. p. 38. Quod si alicubi non habeat rex potestatem leges serendi nisi ex populi in comitiis consensu sic fundamentaliter limitato propriè Rex non est ac non tam acceptans est populus quam cum Rege ut collega Regem ferens ibid. pag. 53. Non est imperium illud vere Monarchicum sed principatus quidam imperans ille non Monarcha aut Rex sed tantum Princeps ut Venetorum dux residente in optimatibus aut populo imperii summa But thanks be to God that our gratious Prince hath so oft declared himselfe to bee farre from all such thoughts yea that my lord of Canterburie himselfe is forced whiles to let drop from his fingers cleane contrare maximes (m) Relat. of the Conference pag. The statute Lawes which must binde all the Subjects can not bee made but in and by Parliament the supreame Magistrate in the civill state may not abrogat Lawes made in Parliament Ibid. pag. 158. Tiberius himself in the cause of Silanus when Dolabella would have flattered him into more power than in wisedome he thought fit then to take to himself he put him off thus No the Lawes grow lesse when such power enlargeth nor is absolute power to bee used where there may be an orderly proceeding by Law Even in no imaginable case they will have tyrants resisted Lastlie they teach us in the matter of resistance first that do the Prince what he will he may never be resisted by any or all his Subjects that not only a private man must give over all defence though most innocent of his own life against the Prince though his most unjust violence (n) Ioannes VVemius p. 21. Teneri videtur subditus seipsum fame perimere ut principem salvaret propter conservationem boni publici singulis a dempta est adversus principem quae naturalis dicitur iuris defensio seu iniuriae depulsio but the whole state can do nought without rebellion against God but flee or suffer when the Prince whether by him selfe or his officers doth destroy the true religion established by all Laws and the liberties of the land dear bought of old peaceably brooked in many ages also the lives of many thousands of the best Subjects without the pretence or colour of any just cause (o) Canterb. relat Pag. 205. vvhere the foundations of the faith are shaken by princes there their ought to be prayer and patience but no opposition by force Aberdeens duplys pag. 25. The way for all Christian Subjects to conquer tyrants and the remedy provided in the New Testament against all persecutions is not to resist powers which God hath ordained lest we be damned but with all meeknesse to suffer that we may be crowned It is evident by Scripture that it is unlawfull for Subjects in a Monarchicall estate to take armes for religion or for any other pretence without warrand from the Prince The renowned Thebaean legion of 6666. Christian souldiers without making resistance as they had strenth to have done suffered themselves rather to be slaine for their Christian profession by the Officers of Maximinian the Emperours executors of his cruell commandements against them Corbet pag. 42. For your examples from reformed churches since we live not by examples but by Lawes I will not stand upon them from facts to prove the lawfulnesse of resisting is ridiculous none of those by resisting gained so much as by suffering as experience too late doeth show Againe that all this subjection must be used not only to our native King but to any forraine usurper who can get footing among us and it were the Kings of Spaine as their predecessors the hereticall Gothish Kings got footing in the Romane Impyre (p) Aberdeens Duplys pag. 29. Such was the doctrine and practice of many other great lights which shined in the days of Iulian the Apostate and in the dayes of the Arrian Emperours and Gothick Arrian Kings That even against them the States of a Land with a good conscience could use no defence though before their eyes they should see them execut the cruell tyrannies of Nebuchadnezar put out the eyes of the King kill his children lead himself and his Nobles away to a far land in fetters Though with Nero (q) Corbet pag. 26. Qui Mario Cajo Casaeri qui Augusto ipse Nerom qui Vespasianis vel patrivel filio ipsi Domitiano crudelissimo ne per singulos ire necesse sit qui Constantino Christiano ipse apostatae Iuliano Ibid. pag. 36. If the Iewes in the dayes of Assuerus had beene of this new Scottish humour when an utter extirpation was intended by Haman both of themselves and their religion they would have taken Ames but their prayers and teares were their defence in their greatest extremity for their mere pleasure they should set the royall city in a faire fire or execute the plot of Haman by murthering all the seed of the Iewes all zealous Protestants up and downe the Land in one day Such maximes exceedingly opposite to the honour of God the safetie of the Kings person and crowne the welfare of the people these men cause to bee printed and let them go about without any censure at these times when by royall decreers they have pulled into their hands the full commandement of all the Presses and the absolute jurisdiction over all the Book-sellers shops in the Kingdome and kythes frequently their zeale against any Books that give but the least touch to their mitres by inflicting no lesse censure then fire upon the Books pilloring and nose-sliting on the Authors and whipping thorow the streets on the carriers All these extraordinary prerogatives VVat they give to Kings is not for any respect they have to Majestie but for their own ambitious and covetous ends whereby the faction advanceth supreame Magistrats so nere unto God and their favorits so far above the skyes (r) Ioannes VVemius in his preface to the Duke of Buckinghame Reges in diviniorem sortem transcripti cute specie tenus homines reipsa boni genii censendi sunt in quos ut humanos loves divini honoris offines pene consortes oculos animosque nostros defigi convenit Tu Heros nobilissime coruscas velut inter ignes Luna minores quem in summo augustioris gloriae solstitio divina prorsus virgula constitutum nemo potest diffiteri seeme to flow not from any love they carie either to their crownes or the royall heads that bear them but meerlie out of their self-respect
to others who by their flattering service and wicked perswasions moved them to take up their unjust armes Ye doe well by the passages of King James writs which hee let fall in passion against some few persons as himselfe professeth to incite King Charles to destroy the whole generation of your opposits For that equivocation which ye obiect to some in their subscribing of the Covenant at the Commissioners and Counsels direction sufficient satisfaction is given long agoe to all reasonable men by published writs The matter shortly was this one of your factious ingines to draw us subtilie from that Covenant wherein we did abiure Bishops Bookes and the rest of your novations which were contrarie to the doctrine and discipline of our Church was a new subscription to the first part of this Covenant as it was first set downe in the yeare 1580 without our late addition wherein it was applyed to your newly obtruded novations Upon hope by this new subscription that not only the formerly subscribed addition and abjuration of these novelties expressed in that addition should be forgotten but also that meanes should be gotten to perswade that these once abiured novations were in nothing contrary to the Kings Covenant yea that all of them were so much conforme to it and virtually contained therein that all the subscrivers should finde themselves oblidged by that oath and subscription to embrace the articles of Perth the Canons the Leiturgie and all the intended novations at least without all doubt Episcopacie the Fountaine whence the rest had proceeded and from which they knew they would flow againe in due time if it alone could be gotten preserved This was the true intention of the Commissioner in pressing that new subscription as his Grace did publish thereafter in print but in the first proposition of that new oath all such designe was carefully concealed yet wise men among us fearing and foreseing the plot did carefully diswade that new subscription as a dangerous master piece invented for the utter destruction of the true sense of our first subscribed Covenant Their advice was heard by the most part who thereupon refused that new subscription yet some knowing perfectly well that the Covenant in the 1581 did not include Episcopacie or any of the late novations but clearely enough excluded them Since the Commissioner his Grace in the proponing that subscription did make no declaration at all neither of his owne nor of his Master the Kings minde to have Episcopacie or any of these novations included in that Covenant they were content at his desire to subscribe it but with this expresse declaration which they required and obtained to be acted in the Counsell Bookes so farre were they from any Equivocation that they did subscribe that Covenant in that same sense and no other wherein it was understood at the first framing in the 1580. What that sense was we had for a time too much dispute but at last the Registers of our Church in the generall Assembly being carefully cast over it was found that the doctrine and discipline of our Church in that 80. yeare did runne so crosse to Episcopacie to Perth articles to the Leiturgie and all the rest of our troublesome novelties that whosoever did heartily subscribe the Covenant of our Church in that sense it behoved to have in the yeare of his first framing did stand no lesse oblidged thereby to renounce the posteriour novations then those who had subscribed the other Covenant with the addition wherein all these novations were expressely named It was found even in our last Assembly whereto Traquaire according to his commission from the King did consent that both these Covenants that with the application and that without the application were but both one So that your equivocation whereupon your brethren also have too much tinkled is cleared without the disgrace of any but the like of you who were the authours of all the mistake that for a time was in this matter 15. Paralell The fifteenth paralell of your piae fraudes is but like the rest the ground of this great commotion could not be the malcontentment of any man for losse of what they possessed in the tyths or any thing else of the Church patrimonie or for want of such favour they desired to have with their Prince All these are but sillie fables These whose hand hath beene prime in this high affaire from the beginning hath had very little or no entresse at all in any part of the Church patrimonie ye may know that the most of the tithes were in the hands of the not covenanting Lords and that the small portion which remained with Covenanters was made so sure to them as the King and his Lawes were able to make it Also it is very well knowne that the chiefe in the Covenant had so much favour of their Prince as their heart could wish which they constantly did brook till their zeale unto this cause did crack their credit Yee are exceedingly injurious to say that we did ever slander our King with any idolatrie with any poperie Our thoughts of that gracious Princeâ— are farre more considerate and our words of so sacred person more full of due regard But indeed though we both say preach and print that so long as the like of you gett leave to possesse his eare we can have little hope that any true Protestant so farre as ye are able shall ever gett living in quiet in this I le and though we avow that by the Service-booke and other novations yee intended to make us all trot backe againe unto Rome believe us that in those Speeches we wrong not our minde that we speake no other then we thinke and we hope now have given tolerable evidence for these our thoughts and Speeches though ye and the Pope both should laugh in the Sardonian fashion when ye are like to lose your game In your last paralell The last paralell The paterne of a perfect Iesuite your motion that it may appeare to be naturall is swifter then at the beginning ye â—ere overcome your very selfe any Iesuite J have ever read in vilenesse of lies slanders filthie Speeches railings scâ—ffings and blasphemous abuse of the holy Scripture to all this stuffe Ye prove a good Scholler to your Masters Petroneus Arbiter Lucian Rabelais none that come in your way whether men or wâ—men whether living or dead Nobles Pastors Commanders People may escape the fire and filth of your envenomed tongue All your opposites if the King can be perswaded to follow your advice must quickly be packing out of these dominions as the vilest straitours but to our nobles and leaders ye will not shew such favour they as ye tel us with Râ—villiack Coppinger must be hanged drawen quartered and buried with the buriall of an asse That Jesuite Abernethy should have become Protestant ye can not abide with patience for so is the doctrine of your Society that separation from Rome is needlesse That