you had For I hope there are no good Subiects either within or out of the Parliament House that would not be content for setting streight once and setling the Honourable State of their King to spare so much euery one of them out of their purses which peraduenture they would in one night throw away at Dice or Cards or bestow vpon a horse for their fancies that might breake his necke or his legge the next morning Nay I am sure euery good Subiect would rather chuse to liue more sparingly vpon his owne then that his Kings State should be in want For conclusion then of this purpose I wish you now to put a speedie end to your businesse Freenesse in giuing graceth the gift Bis dat qui citò dat The longer I want helpe the greater will my debt still rise and so must I looke for the greater helpes And now I would pray you to turne your eyes with mee from home and looke vpon forreine States Consider that the eyes of all forreine States are vpon this affaire and in expectation what the successe thereof will be And what can they thinke if ye depart without relieuing mee in that proportion that may make me able to maintaine my State but that either ye are vnwilling to helpe mee thinking me vnworthy thereof or at least that my State is so desperate as it cannot be repaired and so that the Parliament parts in disgrace with the King and the King in distaste with the Parliament which cannot but weaken my reputation both at home and abroad For of this you may be assured that forreine Princes care the more one for an other if they may haue reason to expect that they may bee able to doe them good or harme in Retribution And ye know that if a King fall to be contemned with his neighbours that cannot but bring an oppression and warre by them vpon him and then will it be too late to support the King when the cure is almost desperate Things foreseene and preuented are euer easliest remedied And therefore I would aduise you now so to settle your businesse as ye may not take in hand so many things at once as may both crosse my errand and euery one of them crosse another Yee remember the French Prouerbe Qui trop embrasse rien estreint We are not in this Parliament to make our Testament as if wee should neuer meete againe and that all things that were to be done in any Parliament were to be done at this time and yet for filling vp of your vacant houres I will recommend to your consideration such nature of things as are to bee specially thought vpon in these times First I will beginne at GOD for the beginning with him makes all other actions to bee blessed And this I meane by the cause of Religion Next I will speake of some things that concerne the Common-wealth And thirdly matters of Pleasure and ornament to the Kingdome As for Religion we haue all great cause to take heed vnto it Papists are waxed as proud at this time as euer they were which makes many to think they haue some new plotin hand And although the poorest sort of them bee God be thanked much decreased yet doeth the greater sort of them dayly increase especially among the foeminine Sexe nay they are waxed so proud that some say no man dare present them nor Iudges meddle with them they are so backed and vpholden by diuers great Courtiers It is a surer and better way to remooue the materials of fire before they bee kindled then to quench the fire when once it is kindled Nam leuius laedit quicquid praeuidimus antè I doe not meane by this to mooue you to make stronger Lawes then are already made but see those Lawes may bee well executed that are in force otherwise they cannot but fall into contempt and become rustie I neuer found that blood and too much seueritie did good in matters of Religion for besides that it is a sure rule in Diuinitie that God neuer loues to plant his Church by violence and bloodshed naturall reason may euen perswade vs and dayly experience prooues it trew That when men are seuerely persecuted for Religion the gallantnesse of many mens spirits and the wilfulnes of their humors rather then the iustnesse of the cause makes them to take a pride boldy to endure any torments or death it selfe to gaine thereby the reputatiom of Martyrdome though but in a false shadow Some doubts haue beene conceiued anent the vsing of the Oath of Allegiance and that part of the Acte which ordaines the taking thereof is thought so obscure that no man can tell who ought to bee pressed therewith For I my selfe when vpon a time I called the Iudges before mee at their going to their Circuits I mooued this question vnto them wherein as I thought they could not resolutely answere me And therefore if there bee any scruple touching the ministring of it I would wish it now to bee cleared And since I haue with my owne pen brought the Popes quarell vpon mee and proclaimed publique defiance to Babylon in maintaining it should it now sleepe and should I seeme as it were to steale from it againe As for Recusants let them bee all duely presented without exception for in times past there hath beene too great a conniuence and forbearing of them especially of great mens wiues and their kinne and followers None ought to be spared from being brought vnder the danger of Law and then it is my part to vse mercie as I thinke conuenient To winke at faults and not to suffer them to bee discouered is no Honour nor Mercy in a King neither is he euer thanked for it It onely argues his dulnesse But to forgiue faults after they are confessed or tried is Mercie And now I must turne me in this case to you my Lords the Bishops and euen exhort you earnestly to be more carefull then you haue bene that your Officers may more duely present Recusants then heretofore they haue done without exception of persons That althought it must be the worke of GOD that must make their mindes to bee altered yet at least by this course they may be stayed from increasing or insulting vpon vs. And that yee all may know the trewth of my heart in this case I diuide all my Subiects that are Papists into two rankes either olde Papists that were so brought vp in times of Poperie like old Queene Mary Priests and those that though they bee younger in yeeres yet haue neuer drunke in other milke but beene still nusled in that blindnesse Or else such as doe become Apostats hauing once beene of our Profession and haue forsaken the trewth either vpon discontent or practise or else vpon a light vaine humour of Noueltie making no more scruple to seeke out new formes of Religion then if it were but a new forme of Garment or a new cut or courtsey after the French fashion For the former sort I
bound in conscience so to doe and that no good occasion should be omitted but spake to him nothing of this matter Returning to Dunkirck with master Owen wee had speach whether hee thought the Constable would faithfully helpe vs or no. He said he beleeued nothing lesse and that they sought onely their owne ends holding small account of Catholicks I told him that there were many Gentlemen in England who would not forsake their countrey vntill they had tried the vttermost rather venture their liues then forsake her in this miserie And to adde one more to our number as a fit man both for counsel and execution of whatsoeuer we should resolue wished for master Fawkes whom I had heard good commendations of hee told mee the Gentleman deserued no lesse but was at Brussels and that if he came not as happily he might before my departure he would send him shortly after into England I went soone after to Ostend where sir William Stanley as then was not but came two daies after I remained with him three or foure daies in which time I asked him if the Catholicks in England should do any thing to helpe themselues whether he thought the Archduke would second them He answered No for all those parts were so desirous of peace with England as they would endure no speach of other enterprise neither were it fit said hee to set any proiect afoot now the Peace is vpon concluding I told him there was no such resolution and so fell to discourse of other matters vntill I came to speake of master Fawkes whose company I wished ouer into England I asked of his sufficiencie in the warres and told him wee should need such as hee if occasion required hee gaue very good commendations of him And as wee were thus discoursing and I ready to depart for Newport and taking my leaue of Sir William Master Fawkes came into our companie newly returned and saluted vs. This is the Gentleman said Sir William that you wished for and so we embraced againe I told him some good friends of his wished his companie in England and that if hee pleased to come to Dunkircke wee would haue further conference whither I was then going so taking my leaue of them both I departed About two dayes after came Master Fawkes to Dunkirck where I told him that we were vpon a resolution to doe somewhat in England if the Peace with Spaine helped vs not but had as yet resolued vpon nothing such or the like talke wee passed at Graueling where I lay for a winde and when it serued came both in one Passage to Greenwich neere which place wee tooke a paire of Oares and so came vp to London and came to Master Catesby whom wee found in his lodging hee welcommed vs into England and asked mee what newes from the Constable I told him good words but I feared the deedes would not answere This was the beginning of Easter Terme and about the middest of the same Terme whether sent for by Master Catesby or vpon some businesse of his owne vp came Master Thomas Percy The first word hee spake after hee came into our company was Shall we alwayes Gentlemen talke and neuer doe any thing Master Catesby took him aside and had speach about somewhat to be done so as first we might all take an oath of secrecie which wee resolued within two or three dayes to doe so as there we met behind S. Clements Master Catesby Master Percy Master Wright Master Guy Fawkes and my selfe and hauing vpon a Primer giuen each other the oath of secrecie in a chamber where no other bodie was wee went after into the next roome and heard Masse and receiued the blessed Sacrament vpon the same Then did Master Catesby disclose to Master Percy and I together with Iacke Wright tell to Master Fawkes the businesse for which wee tooke this oath which they both approued And then was M. Percy sent to take the house which M. Catesby in mine absence had learned did belong to one Ferris which with some difficultie in the end he obtained and became as Ferris before was Tenant to Whynniard M. Fawkes vnderwent the name of M. Percies man calling himselfe Iohnson because his face was the most vnknowen and receiued the keyes of the house vntill wee heard that the Parliament was adiourned to the seuenth of Februarie At which time we all departed seuerall wayes into the countrey to meete againe at the beginning of Michaelmas Terme Before this time also it was thought conuenient to haue a house that might answere to M. Percies where we might make prouision of powder and wood for the Mine which beeing there made ready should in a night be conueyed by boate to the house by the Parliament because wee were loath to foile that with often going in and out There was none that we could deuise so fit as Lambeth where Master Catesby often lay and to bee keeper thereof by M. Catesbies choice we receiued into the number Keyes as a trustie honest man this was about a moneth before Michaelmas Some fortnight after towards the beginning of the Terme M. Fawkes and I came to M. Catesby at Morecrofts where we agreed that now was time to beginne and set things in order for the Mine So as Master Fawkes went to London and the next day sent for me to come ouer to him when I came the cause was for that the Scottish Lords were appointed to sit in conference of the Vnion in Master Percies house This hindered our beginning vntill a fortnight before Christmas by which time both Master Percie and Master Wright were come to London and wee against their comming had prouided a good part of the powder so as wee all fiue entred with tooles fit to beginne our worke hauing prouided our selues of Baked-meates the lesse to need sending abroad We entred late in the night and were neuer seene saue onely Master Percies man vntill Christmas Eue In which time we wrought vnder a little Entry to the wall of the Parliament house and vnderpropped it as we went with wood Whilest we were together we began to fashion our businesse and discoursed what we should doe after this deed was done The first question was how we might surprize the next heire the Prince haply would bee at the Parliament with the King his Father how should wee then bee able to seaze on the Duke This burthen Master Percie vndertooke that by his acquaintance hee with another Gentleman would enter the Chamber without suspition and hauing some doozen others at seuerall doores to expect his comming and two or three on horsebacke at the Court gate to receiue him hee would vndertake the blow beeing giuen vntill which hee would attend in the Dukes Chamber to carrie him safe away for hee supposed most of the Court would bee absent and such as were there not suspecting or vnprouided for any such matter For the Lady ELIZABETH it were easie to surprize her in the Countrey by
conclusion of all his examples The Cardinals paire of Martyrs weighed he reckoneth his two English Martyrs Moore and Roffensis who died for that one most weightie head of doctrine as he alledgeth refusing the Oath of Supremacie I must tell him that he hath not been well informed in some materiall points which doe very neerely concerne his two said Martyrs For it is cleare and apparantly to be prooued by diuers Records that they were both of them committed to the Tower about a yeere before either of them was called in question vpon their liues for the Popes Supremacie And that partly for their backwardnesse in the point of the establishment of the Kings succession whereunto the whole Realme had subscribed and partly for that one of them to wit Fisher had had his hand in the matter of the holy 8 Called Elizabeth Barton See the Act of Parliament maide of Kent hee being for his concealement of that false prophets abuse found guiltie of misprision of Treason And as these were the principall causes of their imprisonment the King resting secure of his Supremacie as the Realme stood then affected but especially troubled for setling the Crowne vpon the issue of his second mariage so was it easily to be conceiued that being thereupon discontented their humors were thereby made apt to draw them by degrees to further opposition against the King and his authoritie as indeede it fell out For in the time of their being in prison the Kings lawfull authoritie in cases Ecclesiasticall being published and promulged as well by a generall decree of the Clergie in their Synode as by an Acte of Parliament made thereupon they behaued themselues so peeuishly therein as the olde coales of the Kings anger being thereby raked vp of new they were againe brought in question as well for this one most weighty head of doctrine of the Pope his supremacy as for the matter of the Kings mariage and succession as by the confession of one of themselues euen Thomas Moore is euident For being condemned he vsed these words at the barre before the Lords Non ignoro cur me morti adiudicaueritis videlicet ob id Histor aliquet Martyrum nostri seculi Anno 1550. quòd nunquam voluerim assentiri in negotio matrimonij Regis That is I am not ignorant why you haue adiudged mee to death to wit for that I would neuer consent in the businesse of the new mariage of the King By which his owne confession it is plaine that this great martyr himselfe tooke the cause of his owne death to be onely for his being refractary to the King in this said matter of Marriage and Succession which is but a very fleshly cause of Martyrdome as I conceiue And as for Roffensis his fellow Martyr who could haue bene content to haue taken the Oath of the Kings Supremacie with a certaine modification which Moore refused as his imprisonment was neither onely nor principally for the cause of Supremacie so died hee but a halting and a singular Martyr or witnesse for that most weighty head of doctrine the whole Church of England going at that time in one current and streame as it were against him in that Argument diuers of them being of farre greater reputation for learning and sound iudgement then euer he was So as in this point we may well arme our selues with the Cardinals owne reason where he giueth amongst other notes of the trew Church Vniuersalitie for one wee hauing the generall and Catholique conclusion of the whole Church of England on our side in this case as appeareth by their booke set out by the whole Conuocation of England called The Institution of a Christian man the same matter being likewise very learnedly handled by diuers particular learned men of our Church as by Steuen Gardiner in his booke De vera obedientia with a Preface of Bishop Boners adioyning to it De summo absoluto Regis Imperio published by M. Bekinsaw De vera differentia Regiae Potestatis Ecclesiasticae Bishop Tonstals Sermon Bishop Longlands Sermon the letter of Tonstall to Cardinall Poole and diuers other both in English and Latine And if the bitternesse of Fishers discontentment had not bene fed with his dayly ambitious expectation of the Cardinals hat which came so neere as Calis before he lost his head to fill it with I haue great reason to doubt if he would haue constantly perseuered in induring his Martyrdome for that one most waighty head of doctrine And surely these two Captaines and ringleaders to Martyrdome were but ill followed by the rest of their countreymen for I can neuer reade of any after them being of any great accompt and that not many that euer sealed that weighty head of doctrine with their blood in England So as the trew causes of their first falling in trouble whereof I haue already made mention being rightly considered vpon the one part and vpon the other the scant number of witnesses that with their blood sealed it a point so greatly accompted of by our Cardinal there can but smal glory redound thereby to our English nation these onely two Enoch and Elias seruing for witnesses against our Antichristian doctrine And I am sure the Supremacie of Kings may The Supremacy of Kings sufficiently warranted by the Scriptures wil euer be better maintained by the word of God which must euer be the trew rule to discerne all waighty heads of doctrine by to be the trew and proper office of Christian Kings in their owne dominions then he will be euer able to maintaine his annihilating Kings and their authorities together with his base and vnreuerend speaches of them wherewith both his former great Volumes and his late Bookes against Venice are filled In the old Testament Kings were directly 1 2. Chron. 19.4 Gouernours ouer the Church within their Dominions 2 2. Sam. 5.6 purged their corruptions reformed their abuses brought the 3 1. Chron. 13.12 Arke to her resting place the King 4 2. Sam. 6.16 dancing before it 5 1. Chron. 28.6 built the Temple 6 2. Chron. 6. dedicated the same assisting in their owne persons to the sanctification thereof 7 2. King 22.11 made the Booke of the Law new-found to bee read to the people 8 Nehe. 9.38 Dauid Salomon renewed the Couenant betweene God and his people 9 2. King 18.4 bruised the brasen serpent in pieces which was set vp by the expresse commandement of God and was a figure of Christ destroyed 10 1. King 15.12 2. king 13.4 all Idoles and false gods made 11 2. Chron. 17.8 a publike reformation by a Commission of Secular men and Priests mixed for that purpose deposed 12 1. King 2.27 the high Priest and set vp another in his place and generally ordered euery thing belonging to the Church-gouernment their Titles and Prerogatiues giuen them by God agreeing to these their actions They are called the 13 2.
my owne deed And therefore that ye may the better vnderstand the nature of the cause I will begin at the first ground thereof The neuer enough wondered at and abhorred POVVDER-TREASON though the repetition thereof grieueth I know the gentle hearted Iesuite Parsons this Treason I say being not onely intended a gainst mee and my Posteritie but euen against the whole house of Parliament plotted onely by Papists and they onely led thereto by a preposterous zeale for the aduancement of their Religion some of them continuing so obstinate that euen at their death they would not acknowledge their fault but in their last words immediatly before the expiring of their breath refused to condemne themselues and craue pardon for their deed except the Romish Church should first condemne it And soone after it being discouered that a great number of my Popish Subiects of all rankes and sexes both men and women as well within as without the Countrey had a confused notion and an obscure knowledge that some great thing was to bee done in that Parliament for the weale of the Church although for secrecies cause they were not acquainted with the particulars certaine formes of prayer hauing likewise beene set downe and vsed for the good successe of that great errand adding heereunto that diuers times and from diuers Priestes the Archtraitours themselues receiued the Sacrament for confirmation of their heart and obseruation of secrecie Some of the principall Iesuites likewise being found guiltie of the foreknowledge of the Treason it selfe of which number some fled from their triall others were apprehended as holy Garnet himselfe and Owldcorne were and iustly executed vpon their owne plaine confession of their guilt If this Treason now clad with these circumstances did not minister a iust occasion to that Parliament house whome they thought to haue destroyed courageously and zealously at their next sitting downe to vse all meanes of triall whether any more of that minde were yet left in the Countrey I leaue it to you to iudge whom God hath appointed his highest Depute Iudges vpon earth And amongst other things for this purpose This Oath of Allegiance so vniustly impugned was then deuised and enacted And in case any sharper Lawes were then made against the Papists that were not obedient to the former Lawes of the Countrey if ye will consider the Time Place and Persons it will be thought no wonder seeing that occasion did so iustly exasperate them to make seuerer Lawes then otherwise they would haue done The Time I say being the very next sitting downe of the Parliament after the discouerie of that abominable Treason the Place being the same where they should all haue bene blowne vp and so bringing it freshly to their memorie againe the Persons being the very Parliament men whom they thought to haue destroyed And yet so farre hath both my heart and gouernment bene from any bitternes as almost neuer one of those sharpe additions to the former Lawes haue euer yet bene put in execution And that ye may yet know further for the more conuincing these Libellers of wilfull malice who impudently affirme That this Oath of Allegiance was deuised for deceiuing and intrapping of Papists in points of Conscience The trewth is that the Lower house of Parliament at the first framing of this Oath made it to containe That the Pope had no power to excommunicate me which I caused them to reforme onely making it to conclude That no excommunication of the Popes can warrant my Subiects to practise against my Person or State denying the deposition of Kings to be in the Popes lawfull power as indeed I take any such temporall violence to be farre without the limits of such a Spirituall censure as Excommunication is So carefull was I that nothing should be contained in this Oath except the profession of natural Allegiance and ciuil and temporall obedience with a promise to resist to all contrary vnciuill violence This Oath now grounded vpon so great and iust an occasion set forth in so reasonable termes and ordained onely for making of a trew distinction betweene Papists of quiet disposition and in all other things good subiects and such other Papists as in their hearts maintained the like violent bloody Maximes that the Powder-Traitours did This Oath I say being published and put in practise bred such euill blood in the Popes head and his Cleargie as Breue after Breue commeth forth vt vndam vnda sequitur prohibiting all Catholikes from taking the same as a thing cleane contrary to the Catholike faith and that the taking thereof cannot stand with the saluation of their soules There commeth likewise a letter of Cardinall Bellarmines to Blackwell to the same purpose but discoursing more at length vpon the said Oath Whereupon after I had entred in consideration of their vniust impugning that so iust and lawfull an Oath and fearing that by their vntrew calumnies and Sophistrie the hearts of a number of the most simple and ignorant of my people should bee misse-led vnder that faire and deceitfull cloake of Conscience I thought good to set foorth an Apologie for the said Oath wherein I prooued that as this Oath contained nothing but matter of ciuill and temporall Obedience due by Subiects to their Soueraigne Prince so this quarrelling therewith was nothing but a late vsurpation of Popes against the warrant of all Scriptures ancient Councels and Fathers vpon the Temporall power of Kings wherewith onely my Apologie doeth meddle But the publishing of this Booke of mine hath brought such two Answerers or rather Railers vpon mee as all the world may wonder at For my Booke being first written in English an English Oath being the subiect thereof and the vse of it properly belonging to my Subiects of England and immediatly thereafter being translated into Latine vpon a desire that some had of further publishing it abroad it commeth home to mee now answered in both the Languages And I thinke if it had bene set foorth in all the tongues that were at the confusion of Babel it would haue bene returned answered in them all againe Thus may a man see how busie a Bishop the Diuell is and how hee omitteth no diligence for venting of his poysoned wares But herein their malice doeth clearely appeare that they pay mee so quickly with a double answere and yet haue neuer answered their owne Arch-priest who hath written a booke for the maintenance of the same Oath and of the temporall authoritie of Kings alledging a cloud of their owne Scholemen against them As for the English Answerer my vnnaturall and fugitiue Subiect I will neither defile my pen nor your sacred eyes or eares with the describing of him who ashames nay abhorres not to raile nay to rage and spew foorth blasphemies against the late Queene of famous memory A Subiect to raile against his naturall Soueraigne by birth A man to raile against a Lady by sexe A holy man in outward profession to insult vpon the dead nay to
other weapons of defence I neither can resist nor ought in any other maner to make resistance Iustinian the Emperour in his old aage fell into the heresie of the Aphthartodocites Against Iustinian though few they were that fauoured him in that heresie the Bishop of Rome neuer darted with violence any sentence of excommunication interdiction or deposition The Ostrogot Kings in Italie the Visigot in Spaine the Vandal in Africa were all addicted to the Arrian impietie and some of them cruelly persecuted the trew professours The Visigot and Vandall were no neighbours to Italie The Pope thereby had the lesse cause to feare the stings of those waspes if they had bene angred The Pope for all that neuer had the humour to wrestle or iustle with any of the said Kings in the cause of deposing them from their Thrones But especially the times when the Vandals in Affricke and the Goths in Italie by Belisarius and Narses professours of the Orthodoxe Faith were tyred with long warres and at last were vtterly defeated in bloody battels are to bee considered Then were the times or neuer for the Pope to vnsheath his weapons and to vncase his arrowes of deposition then were the times to draw them out of his quiuer and to shoot at all such Arrian heads then were the times by dispensations to release their subiects of their oathes by that peremptorie meanes to aide and strengthen the Catholique cause But in that aage the said weapons were not knowne to haue bene hammered in the Pontificall forge Gregorie the I. made his boasts that he was able to ruine the Lombards for many yeeres together sworne enemies to the Bishops of Rome their state present and the hope of all their future prosperitie But he telleth vs that by the feare of God before his eyes and in his heart he was bridled and restrained from any such intent as elsewhere we haue obserued In Apol. pro iuram fidel His owne words lib. 7. Epist. 1. If I would haue medled with practising and procuring the death of the Lombards the whole nation of the Lombards at this day had bene robbed of their Kings Dukes Earles they had bene reduced to the tearmes of extreame confusion He might at least haue deposed their King if the credit of the L. Cardinals iudgement be currant without polluting or stayning his owne conscience What can we tearme this assertion of the L. Cardinal but open charging the most ancient Bishops of Rome with crueltie when they would not succour the Church of CHRIST oppressed by tyrants whose oppression they had power to represse by deposing the oppressors Is it credible that IESVS CHRIST hath giuen a Commission to S. Peter and his successors for so many aages without any power to execute their Commission or to make any vse thereof by practise Is it credible that hee hath giuen them a sword to bee kept in the scabbard without drawing once in a thousand yeeres Is it credible that in the times when Popes were most deboshed abandoning themselues to all sorts of corrupt and vitious courses as is testified by their owne flatterers and best affected seruants is it credible that in those times they began to vnderstand the vertue strength of their Commission For if either feare or lacke of power was the cause of holding their hands and voluntarie binding of themselues to the Peace or good behauiour wherefore is not some one Pope at least produced who hath complained that he was hindered from executing the power that CHRIST had conferred vpon his Pontificall See Wherefore is not some one of the ancient and holy Fathers alledged by whom the Pope hath bene aduised and exhorted to take courage to stand vpon he vigor and sinewes of his Papall Office to vnsheath and vncase his bolts of thunder against vngodly Princes and grieuous enemies to the Church wherefore liuing vnder Christian and gracious Emperours haue they not made knowne the reasons why they were hindred from drawing the pretended sword lest long custome of not vsing the sword so many aages might make it so to rust in the scabbard that when there should be occasion to vse the said sword it could not be drawne at all and lest so long custome of not vsing the same should confirme prescription to their greater preiudice If weakenesse be a iust let how is it come to passe that Popes haue enterprised to depose Philip the Faire Lewis the XII and ELIZABETH my predecessor of happy memorie to let passe others in whom experience hath well proued how great inequalitie was betweene their strengths Yea for the most part from thence grow most grieuous troubles and warres which iustly recoile and light vpon his owne head as happened to Gregorie the VII and Boniface the VIII This no doubt is the reason wherefore the Pope neuer sets in for feare of such inconueniences to blast a King with lightning and thunder of deposition but when hee perceiues the troubled waters of the Kingdome by some strong faction setled in his Estate or when the King is confined and bordered by some Princemore potent who thirsteth after the prey and is euer gaping for some occasion to picke a quarrell The King standing in such estate is it not as easie for the Pope to pull him downe as it is for a man with one hand to thrust downe a tottering wall when the groundsill is rotten the studdes vnpind and nodding or bending towards the ground But if the King shall beare downe and breake the faction within the Realme if hee shall get withall the vpper hand of his enemies out of the Kingdome then the holy Father presents him with pardons neuer sued for neuer asked and in afathers indulgence forsooth giues him leaue still to hold the Kingdome that hee was not able by all his force to wrest and wring out of his hand no more then the club of Hercules out of his fist How many worthy Princes incensed by the Pope to conspire against Soueraigne Lords their Masters and by open rebellion to worke some change in their Estates haue miscarried in the action with losse of life or honour or both For example Rodulphus Duke of Sueuia was eg'd on by the Pope against Henry IIII. of that name Emperour How many massacres how many desolations of Cities and townes how many bloody battels ensued thereupon Let histories bee searched let iust accompts be taken and beside sieges layde to Cities it will appeare by trew computation that Henry the IIII. and Frederic the fist fought aboue threescore battels in defence of their owne right against enemies of the Empire stirred vp to armes by the Pope of Rome How much Christian blood was then spilt in these bloody battels it passeth mans wit penne or tongue to expresse And to giue a little touch vnto matters at home doeth not his Holinesse vnderstand right well the weakenesse of Papists in my Kingdome Doeth not his Holmesse neuerthesesse animate my Papists to rebellion and forbid my Papists to take
Psalme Inciderunt in foueam quam fecerunt And since Scipio an Ethnick led onely by the light of Nature That day when he was accused by the Tribunes of the people of Rome for mispending and wasting in his Punick warres the Cities Treasure euen vpon the sudden brake out with that diuersion of them from that matter calling them to remembrance how that day was the day of the yeere wherein God had giuen them so great a victory against Hannibal and therefore it was fitter for them all leauing other matters to runne to the Temple to praise God for that so great deliuery which the people did all follow with one applause How much more cause haue we that are Christians to bestow this time in this place for Thankes-giuing to God for his great Mercy though we had had no other errant of assembling here at this time wherein if I haue spoken more like a Diuine then would seeme to belong to this place the matter it selfe must plead for mine excuse For being here commen to thanke God for a diuine worke of his Mercy how can I speake of this deliuerance of vs from so hellish a practise so well as in language of Diuinitie which is the direct opposite to so damnable an intention And therefore may I iustly end this purpose as I did begin it with this Sentence The Mercie of God is aboue all his workes It resteth now that I should shortly informe you what is to bee done hereafter vpon the occasion of this horrible and strange accident As for your part that are my faithfull and louing Subiects of all degrees I know that your hearts are so burnt vp with zeale in this errant and your tongues so ready to vtter your duetifull affections and your hands and feete so bent to concurre in the execution thereof for which as I neede not to spurre you so can I not but praise you for the same As it may very well be possible that the zeale of your hearts shall make some of you in your speaches rashly to blame such as may bee innocent of this attempt But vpon the other part I wish you to consider That I would be sorie that any being innocent of this practise either domesticall or forraine should receiue blame or harme for the same For although it cannot be denied That it was the onely blinde superstition of their errors in Religion that led them to this desperate deuice yet doth it not follow That all professing that Romish religion were guiltie of the same For as it is trew That no other sect of heretiques not excepting Turke Iew nor Pagan no not euen those of Calicute who adore the deuill did euer maintaine by the grounds of their religion That it was lawfull or rather meritorious as the Romish Catholickes call it to murther Princes or people for quarrell of Religion And although particular men of all professions of Religion haue beene some Theeues some Murtherers some Traitors yet euer when they came to their end and iust punishment they confessed their fault to bee in their nature and not in their profession These Romish Catholicks onely excepted Yet it is trew on the other side that many honest men blinded peraduenture with some opinions of Popery as if they be not sound in the questions of the Reall presence or in the number of the Sacraments or some such Schoole-question yet doe they either not know or at least not beleeue all the trew grounds of Popery which is in deed The mysterie of iniquitie And therefore doe we iustly confesse that many Papists especially our forefathers laying their onely trust vpon CHRIST and his Merits at their last breath may be and often times are saued detesting in that point and thinking the crucltie of Puritanes worthy of fire that will admit no saluation to any Papist I therefore thus doe conclude this point That as vpon the one part many honest men seduced with some errors of Popery may yet remaine good and faithfull Subiects So vpon the other part none of those that trewly know and beleeue the whole grounds and Schoole conclusions of their doctrine can euer proue either good Christians or faithfull Subiects And for the part of forraine Princes and States I may so much the more acquite them and their Ministers of their knowledge and consent to any such villanie as I may iustly say that in that point I better know all Christian Kings by my selfe That no King nor Prince of Honour will euer abase himselfe so much as to thinke a good thought of so base and dishonourable a Treachery wishing you therefore that as God hath giuen me an happie Peace and Amitie with all other Christian Princes my neighbours as was euen now very grauely told you by my L. Chancellor that so you will reuerently iudge and speake of them in this case And for my part I would wish with those ancient Philosophers that there were a Christall window in my brest wherein all my people might see the secretest thoughts of my heart for then might you all see no alteration in my minde for this accident further then in these two points The first Caution and warinesse in gouernment to discouer and search out the mysteries of this wickednesse as farre as may be The other after due triall Seueritie of punishment vpon those that shall bee found guilty of so detestable and vnheard of villanie And now in this matter if I haue troubled your eares with an abrupt speach vndigested in any good methode or order you haue to consider that an abrupt and vnaduised speach doeth best become in the relation of so abrupt and vnorderly an accident And although I haue ordained the proroguing of this Parliament vntil after Christmas vpon two necessary respects whereof the first is that neither I nor my Councell can haue leisure at this time both to take order for the Apprehension and triall of these Conspiratours and also to wait vpon the dayly affaires of the Parliament as the Councell must doe And the other reason is the necessitie at this time of diuers of your presences in your Shires that haue Charges and Commandements there For as these wretches thought to haue blowen vp in a maner the whole world of this Island euery man being now commen vp here either for publike causes of Parliament or else for their owne priuate causes in Law or otherwise So these Rebels that now wander through the Countrey could neuer haue gotten so fit a time of safetie in their passage or whatsoeuer vnlawfull Actions as now when the Countrey by the foresaid occasions is in a maner left desolate and waste vnto them Besides that it may be that I shall desire you at your next Session to take vpon you the Iudgement of this Crime For as so extraordinary a Fact deserues extraordinary Iudgement So can there not I thinke following euen their owne Rule be a fitter Iudgement for them then that they should be measured with the same measure
World euen our Aduersaries as Moses said being Iudges And praysed be GOD the present time passeth a long with the like felicity and much more Securitie for let me recount a little for the Glory of GOD and encouragement of his Maiestie to goe on in his happie Course begunne the Blessings of GOD we receiue by him And then let our Aduersaries tell vs whether we be a miserable People or no as some of late haue gone about to perswade vs. Neither doe J stand in feare of any mans reprehension for J will speake nothing but trewth and I haue my President from GOD his owne Booke wherein the good Actes of euery good King are to their eternall praises trewly recounted First to beginne with Religion as the Generall to the Armie Of all Gods Blessings wee haue it without any alteration or change contynued vnto vs. His Maiesties first Care was for the Confirmation of the Gospell for at his Maiesties first comming in who knowes not the endeauours of men to haue made a change either to the Papists or to the Puritanes His Maiestie therefore to quiet the State and Peace of the Church called a Conference at Hampton-Court where passing ouer the one as being neuer in his heart to giue the least way vnto He so tempered the other as the Harmony hath bene the better euer since The Religion thus ratified His Maiesties next Care was for the Translation of the Bible it being the ground of our Religion His Maiestie was desirous his People should haue it in as much perfection as the Jndustrie and Labors of the best Learned were able to afford it them Hauing done what was necessary for the Spirituall part of the Church his Maiestie tooke into consideration the Temporal State thereof No sooner came the Parliament but finding what spoile had bene made of the Lands thereof in the tyme of his Predecessors by a libertie they had to take the Landes of the Church for a longer Terme then others could doe Cut himselfe off from that libertie and equalled himselfe to a common person in the taking of any State in the Churches Landes When his Maiestie had done this in England he looked backe into Scotland and reforming the State of the Church there as farre as in his Princely-Wisedome he thought conuenient for the time restored the Bishops there as to their Spirituall Keies so to their temporall Estates though it were to the great losse and dammage of his owne Reuennue and Crowne From Scotland his Maiestie came to Ireland that forlorne Kingdome both for Temporall and Spiritual estate till be looked into it There his Maiestie hath reduced the Bishoppricks not only to their old Rents but added vnto them many new Reuennues so that many places there are answerable to the best Liuings here Neither hath his Care bene onely on these high places of the Church but hath descended to the lowest in the same hauing both protected the Benefices from being raysed to any higher Taxe and hindred all courses that might giue his Cleargie molestation or trouble His Maiesties Bountie hath not bene wanting to Colledges and Hospitalls hauing parted with his owne Tenures to giue them power of larger Indowments whereby there hath bene works of more sumptuousnes and cost done in his Maiesties time then there hath bene in any one aage before J may not forget one thing that since his Maiesties comming to this Crowne he hath neuer put into his Coffers the meane proffitts of any Ecclesiasticall liuing but hath bene a Fidus-Depositarius and euer giuen them to the next Jncumbent Let me descend a little from these workes of Piety to Peace Neuer hath there bene so vniuersall a Peace in Christendome since the time of our Sauiour Christ as in these his Dayes And I dare say as much if not more by the procurement of his Maiestie then by any other earthly meanes in this world A Peace to let forraigne partes passe so entertayned at home that in his Maiesties three Kingdomes apt enough by constitution and not vnaccustomed by practise to be at variance there hath bene no Ciuill dissension at all With Peace GOD hath giuen vs Plentie So that if Peace and Plenty haue not made vs too too wanton I know not what wee want Neither is there any crying out for lacke of Iustice in our Courtes for neuer was there Iustice administred with more liberty from the King nor more vprightnes from the Judges And yet in the free dispensation of Iustice Mercie did neuer more triumph If this bee to bee miserable J know not what on earth they call Happinesse GOD continue these still vnto vs and then let them call Happinesse what they please But I know wherefore all is miserable because there is no more Mercy shewed to their Catholiks J will put it as a Crowne vpon all his Maiesties Mercies There was neuer King that had so great a cause giuen him that euer tooke so little bloode extending his Mercy to all that were not personall workers in that Powder-Plot And before that you had hatched that Monster neither was the person or purse of any your reputed Catholicks touched And since that time you may doe well to complaine of your Miseries but the Church and Comonwealth both doe trauaile and groane vnder the burthen of your disobedience But the worst J wish you is that at length by his Maiesties long Patience you may bee drawne to Repentance for as we are come out from you lest we should bee partakers of your plagues so we pray for you that you may come in to vs that you may be participants of our felicities To Conclude this Preface GOD hath giuen vs a Solomon and GOD aboue all things gaue Solomon Wisedome Wisedome brought him peace Peace brought him Riches Riches gaue him Glory His wisedome appeared in his wordes and Workes his Peace he preserued by the power of his Army His riches he raysed as by his Reuennue so by the Trade of his Nauie His Glory did accrue from them all Now as in these GOD exalted him beyond all the Kings that euer were or should be after him So had he in other things Humiliations not farre behind the proportion of his Exaltations the fearefullest fall that the Scripture affords an Example of the most vnchast life and immoderate excesse of Women that we read of the weakest Posterity for Wisedome and Gouernment that we finde in all the Line of his Succession GOD would haue it so that he should no more be set out as a Type of the Glory of his owne Sonne in the felicity of his State one way then he would haue him proposed as a patterne of Humane frailty an other way Therefore though we may not approach him in his Typicall State yet GODS Name be blessed that hath giuen vs to goe farre beyond him in his personall Condition For we haue already blessed be GOD seene the Constancie and perseuerance of his Maiesty in his Holy Profession without any Eclipse or Shaddow of
former vision for the seat and throne of God and his Lambe shall remaine in this holy Citie for euer and all his seruants shall be there seruing him eternally by thankesgiuing and praises 4 And they shall see his face and be euer reioycing at his presence hauing his name written vpon their foreheads as yee haue often heard 5 And no night nor darkenesse shall be there at all neither haue they need of lampes nor of light of the Sunne nor any materiall light for the Lord God makes them bright as yee haue heard alreadie and they shall reigne there in all glory for euer and euer 6 Then the Angel after all these things had beene reuealed vnto me sayde vnto me for the confirmation of them All the wordes of this Prophecie are trew and faithfull and the same Lord GOD who inspired from time to time his holy Prophets to forewarne his Church of things to come hee also sent his Angel vnto mee that by me hee might reueale vnto his seruants these things that are shortly to come to passe 7 Loe I come shortly sayth the Lord happy is hee therefore that obserueth and obeyeth the wordes of the Prophecie in this Booke 8 And I Iohn am he who haue heard and seene these things I declare you my name the oftener lest the authority of the Booke should be called in doubt through the vncertaintie of the Writer And when I had heard and seene these things I fell at the Angels feet that shewed me them with mind to haue adored him 9 But he said vnto me See thou doe it not I am thy fellow-seruant and one of thy Brethren the Prophets although I be an Angel and one of them which keepeth and obeyeth the words of this Booke adore thou therefore God to whom all worship onely appertaineth By this my reiterated fall and offence notwithstanding that lately before I had committed the same and was reprooued for it and warned to forbeare it as ye heard before I am taught and by my example the whole Church of the great infirmitie of all mankind and specially in that so great an offence of the adoring of creatures whereof God is so iealous as he saith in his Lawe and vpon consideration of man his infirmitie in this point not I but the Spirit of God by me in the very last words of one of my Epistles saith Deare children beware of Idoles and in this I insist so much not without a cause For I know that Babylon in the latter dayes shall specially poison her followers with this spirituall adulterie or idolatrie as ye haue heard mention made in this Booke 10 And the Angel said vnto me Seale not the words of the Prophecie of this Booke for the time is at hand Yee heard before how I was commanded to seale that which the seuen Thunders spake because it was not lawfull for me to reueale the same but now on the contrarie I am commanded to write and forbidden to seale these Prophecies because I am appointed to reueale the same in respect that the time of their accomplishment is at hand 11 And hee also said vnto mee Despaire thou not of the effect of this Prophecie although it profite nothing the wicked but to make them the more inexcusable For God hath fore-signified that he who doeth harme notwithstanding this Prophecie shall yet continue his wrongs and hee who is filthie shall yet notwithstanding this remaine filthie euen as on the other part it shall confirme and encrease the iust man in his iustnesse and the holy man in his holines for it is not the words of Prophecie spoken but the Spirit which is cooperant with it which makes the seed of faith to take root in any mans heart 12 Loe I come speedily saith the Lord IESVS and bring my reward with me to render to euery man according to his workes as ye haue heard before 13 I am A and Ω the beginning and the end the first and the last as ye haue heard already 14 Happie are they who obey and keepe Christes commandements that they may haue right and part in the tree of life for by obeying they shall be made Citizens of that holy Citie of the which that is the food and that they may enter at the gates to that Citie for the gates shall be readie and open to receiue them 15 But without this Citie as debarred thence shall bee Dogges to wit all prophane liuers fornicators sorcerers murtherers and idolaters and all who loue and make lies and shortly all who continue in any kind of knowen sinne without repentance 16 IIESVS saith the Lord sent my Angel to reueale these things to Iohn that they might be testified to you the seuen Churches I am the root and off-spring of Dauid and I am the bright morning Starre to wit the fountaine of all your glorie 17 And the Spirit and the Bride saith Come to wit the Church for they for their deliuerance wish his second comming to be hastened and Christ for the loue he beareth them hath graunted them their request and he that heares it let him say Come for it becommeth all the faithfull to wish it And he that thirsteth let him come to wit he that would drinke of the water of life let him craue earnestly the dissolution and latter day And let any who will receiue the water of life freely and for nothing as ye heard before 18 And I protest vnto all that shall heare the words of the Prophesie of this Booke that if any man adde vnto it any thing God shall make all the plagues in this Booke to fall on him 19 And if any man take away any thing from the words of the Booke of this Prophesie God shal take his part away out of the book of life and out of the holy Citie and out of these blessings that are written in this Booke For whosoeuer in coping or translating this Booke adulterateth any waies the Originall or in interpreting of it wittingly strayes from the trew meaning of it and from the analogie of Faith to follow the fantasticall inuention of man or his owne preoccupied opinions he I say that doeth any of these shal be accursed as a peruerter of the trewth of God and his Scriptures 20 And now I will conclude with this comfort vnto you to wit He euen Christ that testifies these things that ye haue heard he I say doeth say Surely I come shortly Euen so come Lord IESVS to hasten our deliuerance 21 The Grace of our Lord IESVS CHRIST be with you all and all your successours in trew doctrine by the which both yee and they may be so strengthened in the trewth that by your resisting all the temptations contained in this Booke and constantly perseuering to the end yee may at last receiue that immortall Crowne of glorie mentioned in the last Vision AMEN A FRVITFVLL MEDITATION CONTAINING A PLAINE AND EASIE EXPOSITION OR laying open of the VII VIII IX and X. Verses of the
20. Chapter of the REVELATION in forme and maner of a Sermon THE TEXT 7 And when the thousand yeeres are expired or ended Satan shall be loosed out of his prison 8 And shall goe out to deceiue the people which are in the foure quarters of the earth euen Gog and Magog to gather them together to battaile whose number are as the sand of the Sea 9 And they went vp to the plaine of the earth which compassed the tents of the Saints about and the beloued Citie but fire came downe from God out of the heauen and deuoured them 10 And the diuel that deceiued them was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where that beast and that false prophet are and shal be tormented euen day and night for euermore THE MEDITATION AS of all Bookes the holy Scripture is most necessary for the instruction of a Christian and of all the Scriptures the Booke of the REVELATION is most meete for this our last aage The necessitie of the knowledge of the Reuelation as a Prophesie of the latter times so haue I selected or chosen out this place thereof as most proper for the action we haue in hand presently A summe of the 20. Chap. of the Reuelation For after the Apostle IOHN had prophesied of the latter times in the nineteenth Chapter afore-going he now in this twentieth Chapter gathered vp a summe of the whole wherein are expressed three heads or principall points 1. First the happie estate of the Church from Christs dayes to the dayes of the defection or falling away of the Antichrist in the first sixe verses of this 20. Chapter 2 Next the defection or falling away it selfe in this place that I haue in hand to wit the seuenth eight ninth and tenth verses 3 Thirdly the generall punishment of the wicked in the great day of Iudgement from the tenth verse vnto the end of the Chapter The Apostle his meaning in this place then is this The meaning of this present text That after that Satan then had bene bound a thousand yeeres which did appeare by his discourse afore-going of the Saints triumphing in the earth hee shall at last breake forth againe loose and for a space rage in the earth more then euer before but yet shall in the end be ouercome and confounded for euer .. It resteth now knowing the summe that we come to the exposition or meaning of the Verses The order obserued in handling this text and first expound or lay open by way of a Paraphrase the hardnesse of the words next declare the meaning of them and thirdly note what we should learne of all THE FIRST PART AS touching the wordes in them for order sake wee may note 1 First Satan his loosing 2 next his doing after he is loosed 3 and last his vnhappie successe Then for the first Satan in his instruments is loosed to trouble the Church by Satan is meant not onely the Dragon enemie to Christ and his Church but also with him all the instruments in whom he ruleth and by whom he ruleth and by whom he vttereth his cruell and crafty intentions specially the Antichrist and his Clergie ioyned with the Dragon before in the 16. Chap. verse 17. and called the beast and the false prophet For as Christ and his Church are called after one Name Christ by reason of their most strait and neere vnion and heauenly effects flowing there from 1. Cor. 12.12 So Satan and his sinagogue are here rightly called Satan The thousand yeeres by reason of their vnion and cursed effects flowing therefrom These thousand yeeres are but a number certaine for an vncertaine which phrase or maner of speaking is often vsed by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures meaning a great number of yeeres Moreouer The prison whereout Satan is loosed the prison whereout he is loosed is the hels which by the Spirit of God are called his prison for two causes 1 One because during the time of this world at times appointed by God he is debarred from walking on the earth 2. Pet. 2.4 Ind. ver 6. and sent thither greatly to his torment as was testified or witnessed by the miracle at Genezareth among the Gadarens Matth. 8.28 2 Next because that after the consummation or end of the world he shall be perpetually or for euer imprisoned therein as is written in the same Chapter ver 10. Finally he is loosed by interruption or hindering and for the most part The loosing of Satan to the iudgement of men abolition or ouerthrow of the sincere preaching of the Gospel the true vse of the Sacraments which are seales and pledges of the promises contained therein and lawfull exercise of Christian discipline whereby both Word and Sacraments are maintained in purity called in the first verse the great chaine whereby the diuell is bound and signified by the white horse gouerned by the Lambe Chap. 6. verse 2. So the meaning of all this 7. verse is this The diuel hauing bene bound and his power in his instruments hauing bene restrained for a long space by the preaching of the Gospel at the last he is loosed out of hell by the raising vp of so many new errors and notable euill instruments especially the Antichrist and his Clergie who not onely infect the earth a new but rule also ouer the whole through the decrease of trew doctrine and the number of the faithfull following it and the dayly increase of errours and nations following them and beleeuing lies hating the trewth and taking pleasure in vnrighteousnes 2. Thess 2.11 12. And thus farre for Satan his loosing Now to the next his doing after he is loosed Satan first deceaueth then allures to follow him and in the end maketh all his to take armour against the Church First he goeth out to seduce or beguile the nations that are into the foure corners of the earth and they become his though in certaine degrees his tyrannie and trauaile appeareth and bursteth out in some more then in others For as all that doe good are inspired of God thereto and doe vtter the same in certaine degrees according vnto the measure of grace granted vnto them so all that doe euill are inspired by Satan and doe vtter the same in diuers degrees according as that vncleane spirit taketh possession in them and by diuers obiects and meanes allureth them to doe his will some by ambition some by enuie some by malice and some by feare and so forth and this is the first worke Secondly he gathereth Gog and Magog to battell Gog and Magog in number like the sand of the Sea and so he and his inclined to battell and bloodshed haue mightie armies and in number many inflamed with crueltie The special heads and rulers of their armies or rather rankes of their confederats to goe to battel and to fight are twaine here named Gog and Magog Gog in Hebrew is called Hid and Magog Reuealed to
likewise to make himselfe so to be trusted in these little things that he may haue the better commoditie thereafter to deceiue them in the end with a tricke once for all I meane the euerlasting perdition of their soule and body Then laying this ground as I haue said these coniurations must haue fewe or moe in number of the persons coniurers alwayes passing the singular number according to the qualitie of the circle and forme of apparition Two principall things cannot well in that errand be wanted holy-water whereby the deuill mockes the Papists and some present of a liuing thing vnto him There are likewise certaine seasons dayes and houres that they obserue in this purpose These things being all ready and prepared circles are made triangular quadrangular round double or single according to the forme of apparition that they craue But to speake of the diuers formes of the circles of the innumerable characters and crosses that are within and without and out-through the same of the diuers formes of apparitions that that craftie spirit illudes them with and of all such particulars in that action I remit it to ouer-many that haue busied their heads in describing of the same as being but curious and altogether vnprofitable And this farre onely I touch that when the coniured Spirit appeares which will not be while after many circumstances long prayers and much muttring and murmuring of the coniurers like a Papist Priest dispatching a hunting Masse how soone I say he appeares if they haue missed one iote of all their rites or if any of their feet once slyde ouer the circle through terrour of his fearefull apparition hee payes himselfe at that time in his owne hand of that due debt which they ought him and otherwise would haue delayed longer to haue payed him I meane hee carries them with him body and soule If this be not now a iust cause to make them weary of these formes of coniuration I leaue it to you to iudge vpon considering the long somnesse of the labour the precise keeping of dayes and houres as I haue said the terriblenesse of apparition and the present perill that they stand in in missing the least circumstance or freite that they ought to obserue And on the other part the deuill is glad to mooue them to a plaine and square dealing with him as I said before CHAP. VI. ARGV The Deuils contract with the Magicians The diuision there of in two parts What is the difference betwixt Gods miracles and the Deuils PHILOMATHES INdeed there is cause enough but rather to leaue him at all then to runne more plainely to him if they were wise hee dealt with But goe forward now I pray you to these turnes fra they become once deacons in this craft EPI From time that they once plainely begin to contract with him The effect of their contract consists in two things in formes and effects as I began to tell already were it not ye interrupted me for although the contract be mutual I speake first of that part wherein the diuel obliges himselfe to them By formes I meane in what shape or fashion he shall come vnto them when they call vpon him And by effects I vnderstand in what speciall sorts or seruices he binds himselfe to bee subiect vnto them The qualitie of these formes and effects is lesse or greater according to the skill and art of the Magician For as to the formes to some of the baser sort of them he obliges himselfe to appeare at their calling vpon him by such a proper name which he shewes vnto them either in likenes of a Dog a Cat an Ape or such-like other beast or else to answere by a voice onely The effects are to answere to such demands as concerne curing of diseases their owne particular menagerie or such other base things as they require of him But to the most curious sort in the formes hee will oblige himselfe to enter into a dead bodie and there out of to giue such answeres of the euent of battels of matters concerning the estate of commonwealths and such like other great questions yea to some he will bee a continuall attender in forme of a Page Hee will permit himselfe to bee coniured for the space of so many yeeres either in a tablet or a ring or such like thing which they may easily cary about with them Hee giues them power to sell such wares to others whereof some will be dearer and some better cheape according to the lying or true speaking of the Spirit that is coniured therein Not but that in very deed all deuils must be lyars but so they abuse the simplicitie of these wretches that become their scholers that they make them beleeue that at the fall of Lucifer some Spirits fell in the aire some in the fire some in the water some in the land in which Elements they still remaine Whereupon they build that such as fell in the fire or in the aire are trewer then they who fell in the water or in the land which are all but meere trattles and forged by the authour of all deceite For they fell not by weight as a solide substance to sticke in any one part but the principall part of their fall consisting in quality by the falling from the grace of God wherein they were created they continued stil thereafter and shall doe while the latter day in wandring through the world as Gods hang-men to execute such turnes as hee employes them in And when any of them are not occupied in that returne they must to their prison in hell as it is plaine in the miracle that CHRIST wrought at Gennezareth therein at the latter day to be all enclosed for euer Matth. 8. and as they deceiue their Schollers in this so doe they in imprinting in them the opinion that there are so many Princes Dukes and Kings amongst them euery one commanding fewer or moe Legions and impiring in diuers artes and quarters of the earth For though that I will not deny that there be a forme of order amongst the Angels in Heauen and consequently was amongst them before their fall yet either that they bruike the same sensine or that God will permit vs to know by damned diuels such heauenly mysteries of his which he would not reueale to vs neither by Scripture nor Prophets I thinke no Christian will once thinke it But by the contrary of all such mysteries as he hath closed vp with his Seale of secrecie it becommeth vs to be contented with an humble ignorance they being things not necessary for our saluation But to returne to the purpose as these formes wherein Satan obliges himselfe to the greatest of the Magicians are wonderfull curious so are the effects correspondent vnto the same For he will oblige himselfe to teach them artes and sciences which he may easily doe being so learned a knaue as he is to carry them newes from any part of the world which the agilitie of a Spirit
follow him by promising vnto them great riches and worldly commoditie Such as though rich yet burne in a desperate desire of reuenge he allures them by promises to get their turne satisfied to their hearts contentment It is to be noted now that that olde and craftie enemie of ours assailes none though touched with any of these two extremities except he first finde an entresse ready for him either by the great ignorance of the person he deales with ioyned with an euill life or else by their carelesnesse and contempt of God And finding them in an vtter despaire for one of these two former causes that I haue spoken of he prepares the way by feeding them craftely in their humour and filling them further and further with despaire while hee finde the time proper to discouer himselfe vnto them At which time either vpon their walking solitarie in the fieldes or else lying pansing in their bed but alwaies without the company of any other hee either by a voyce or in likenesse of a man inquires of them what troubles them and promiseth them a suddaine and certaine way of remedie vpon condition on the other part that they follow his aduise and doe such things as he will require of them Their mindes being prepared before-hand as I haue alreadie spoken they easily agreed vnto that demand of his and syne sets an other tryist where they may meete againe At which time before hee proceede any further with them hee first perswades them to addict themselues to his seruice which being easily obtained he then discouers what he is vnto them makes them to renounce their God and Baptisme directly and giues them his marke vpon some secret place of their bodie which remaines soare vnhealed while his next meeting with them and thereafter euer insensible howsoeuer it be nipped or pricked by any as is daily prooued to giue them a proofe thereby that as in that doing he could hurt and heale them so all their ill and well doing thereafter must depend vpon him And besides that the intolerable dolour that they feele in that place where he hath marked them serues to waken them and not to let them rest while their next meeting againe fearing lest otherwaies they might either forget him being as new Prentises and not well enough founded yet in that fiendly follie or else remembring of that horrible promise they made him at their last meeting they might skunner at the same and preasse to call it backe At their third meeting he makes a shew to be carefull to performe his promises either by teaching them waies how to get themselues reuenged if they be of that sort or else by teaching them lessons how by most vile and vnlawfull meanes they may obtaine gaine and wordly commoditie if they be of the other sort CHAP. III. ARGV The Witches actions diuided into two parts The actions proper to their owne persons Their actions toward others The forme of their conuentions and adoring of their Master PHILOMATHES YEe haue said now enough of their initiating in that order It rests then that yee discourse vpon their practises fra they be passed Prentises for I would faine heare what is possible to them to performe in very deed Although they serue a common Master with the Necromancers as I haue before said yet serue they him in another forme For as the meanes are diuers which allure them to these vnlawful Arts of seruing the deuill so by diuers waies vse they their practises answering to these meanes which first the deuill vsed as instruments in them though all tending to one end to wit the enlarging of Satans tyrannie and crossing of the propagation of the Kingdome of CHRIST so farre as lyeth in the possibilitie either of the one or other sort or of the deuill their master For where the Magicians as allured by curiositie in the most part of their practises seeke principally the satisfying of the same and to winne to themselues a popular honour and estimation these Witches on the other part being inticed either for the desire of reuenge or of worldly riches their whole practises are either to hurt men and their goods or what they possesse for satisfying of their cruell mindes in the former or else by the wracke in whatsoeuer sort of any whom God will permit them to haue power of to satisfie their greedie desire in the last point EPI In two parts their actions may be diuided the actions of their owne persons and the actions proceeding from them towards any other And this diuision being well vnderstood will easily resolue you what is possible to them to doe For although all that they confesse is no lie vpon their part yet doubtlesly in my opinion a part of it is not indeede according as they take it to be And in this I meane by the actions of their owne persons For as I said before speaking of Magie that the diuell illudes the senses of these schollers of his in many things so say I the like of these Witches PHI. Then I pray you first to speake of that part of their owne persons and syne ye may come next to their actions towards others EPI To the effect that they may performe such seruices of their false Master as he employes them in the deuill as Gods Ape counterfeits in his seruants this seruice and forme of adoration that God prescribed and made his seruants to practise For as the seruants of God publikely vse to conveene for seruing of him so makes he them in great numbers to conveene though publikely they dare not for his seruice As none conveenes to the adoration and worshipping of God except they be marked with his Seale the Sacrament of Baptisme So none serues Satan and conveenes to the adoring of him that are not marked with that marke whereof I alreadie spake As the Minister sent by God teacheth plainely at the time of their publike conuentions how to serue him in spirit and trewth so that vnclean spirit in his owne person teacheth his disciples at the time of their conueening how to worke all kind of mischiefe and craues coumpt of all their horrible and detestable proceedings passed for aduancement of his seruice Yea that hee may the more vinely counterfeit and scorne God he oft times makes his slaues to conueene in these very places which are destinate and ordained for the conveening of the seruants of God I meane by Churches But this farre which I haue yet said I not onely take it to be trew in their opinions but euen so to be indeed For the forme that he vsed in counterfaiting God amongst the Gentiles makes me so to thinke As God spake by his Oracles spake he not so by his As God had aswell bloodie Sacrifices as others without blood had not he the like As God had Churches sanctified to his seruice with Altars Priests Sacrifices Ceremonies and Prayers had he not the like polluted to his seruice As God gaue responses by Vrim and
not permit their master to trouble or hinder so good a worke PHI. But fra they be once in hands and firmance haue they any further power in their craft EPI That is according to the forme of their detention If they be but apprehended and deteined by any priuate person vpon other priuate respects their power no doubt either in escaping or in doing hurt is no lesse nor euer it was before But if on the other part their apprehending and detention be by the lawfull Magistrate vpon the iust respects of their guiltinesse in that craft their power is then no greater then before that euer they medled with their master For where God begins iustly to strike by his lawfull Lieutenants it is not in the deuils power to defraud or bereaue him of the office or effect of his powerfull and reuenging Scepter PHI. But will neuer their Master come to visite them fra they be once apprehended and put in firmance EPI That is according to the estate that these miserable wretches are in For if they be obstinate in still denying he will not spare when hee findes time to speake with them either if he finde them in any comfort to fill them more and more with the vaine hope of some manner of reliefe or else if he finde them in a deepe despaire by all meanes to augment the same and to perswade them by some extraordinarie meanes to put themselues downe which very commonly they doe But if they bee penitent and confesse God will not permit him to trouble them any more with his presence and allurements PHI. It is not good vsing his counsell I see then But I would earnestly know when he appeares to them in prison what formes vses hee then to take EPI Diuers formes euen as hee vses to doe at other times vnto them For as I told you speaking of Magie he appeares to that kind of craftes-men ordinarily in a forme according as they agree vpon it among themselues Or if they be but prentises according to the qualitie of their circles or coniurations Yet to these capped creatures he appeares as hee pleases and as he findes meetest for their humors For euen at their publicke conuentions hee appeares to diuers of them in diuers formes as we haue found by the difference of their confessions in that point For he deluding them with vaine impressions in the aire makes himselfe to seeme more terrible to the grosser sort that they may thereby be mooued to feare and reuerence him the more and lesse monstrous and vncouth like againe to the craftier sort lest otherwise they might sturre and skunner at his vglinesse PHI. How can he then be felt as they confesse they haue done him if his body be but of aire EPI I heare little of that amongst their confessions yet may hee make himselfe palpable either by assuming any dead bodie and vsing the ministerie thereof or else by deluding as well their sence of feeling as seeing which is not impossible to him to doe since all our senses as wee are so weake and euen by ordinarie sicknesses will be oftentimes deluded PHI. But I would speere one word further yet concerning his appearing to them in prison which is this May any other that chances to be present at that time in the prison see him as well as they EPI Sometimes they will and sometimes not as it pleases God CHAP. VII ARG. Two formes of the diuels visible conuersing in the earth with the reasons wherefore the one of them was commonest in the time of Papistrie and the other sensine Those that deny the power of the diuell denie the power of God and are guilty of the errour of the Sadduces PHILOMATHES HAth the Diuell then power to appeare to any other except to such as are his sworne disciples especially since all Oracles and such like kinds of illusions were taken away and abolished by the comming of CHRIST EPI Although it be true indeede that the brightnesse of the Gospel at his comming scaled the cloudes of all these grosse errours in the Gentilisme yet that these abusing spirits cease not sensine at sometimes to appeare daily experience teaches vs. Indeed this difference is to be marked betwixt the formes of Satans conuersing visibly in the world For of two different formes thereof the one of them by the spreading of the Euangel and conquest of the white horse in the sixt Chapter of the Reuelation is much hindred and become rather there-through This his appearing to any Christians troubling of them outwardly or possessing of them constrainedly The other of them is become commoner and more vsed sensine I meane by their vnlawfull artes whereupon our whole purpose hath beene This wee finde by experience in this Isle to be true For as wee know moe ghosts and spirits were seene nor tongue can tell in the time of blind Papistrie in these countries where now by the contrarie a man shall scarcely all his time heare once of such things and yet were these vnlawful artes farre rarer at that time and neuer were so much heard of nor so rife as they are now PHI. What should be the cause of that EPI The diuers nature of our sinnes procures at the Iustice of God diuers sorts of punishments answering thereunto and therefore as in the time of Papistrie our fathers erring grossely and through ignorance that mist of errours ouershadowed the Diuell to walke the more familiarly amongst them and as it were by barnely and affraying terrours to mocke and accuse their barnely errours by the contrarie we now being sound of Religion and in our life rebelling to our profession God iustly by that sinne of rebellion as Samuel calleth it accuseth our life so wilfully fighting against our profession PHI. Since ye are entred now to speake of the appearing of spirits I would be glad to heare your opinion in that matter for many denie that any such spirits can appeare in these daies as I haue said EPI Doubtlesse who denieth the power of the Diuell would likewise denie the power of God if they could for shame For since the Diuel is the very contrarie opposite to God there can bee no better way to know God then by the contrarie as by the ones power though a creature to admire the power of the great Creatour by the falshood of the one to consider the trewth of the other by the iniustice of the one to consider the Iustice of the other And by the cruelty of the one to consider the mercifulnesse of the other And so foorth in all the rest of the essence of God and qualities of the Diuell But I feare indeed there bee ouer many Sadduces in this world that denie all kindes of Spirits For conuicting of whose errour there is cause inough if there were no more that God should permit at sometimes Spirits visibly to kyith THE THIRD BOOKE OF DAEMONOLOGIE ARGVMENT The description of all these kinds of Spirits that trouble men or women The conclusion of
vnlawfull times is that God will not permit that any innocent persons shal be slandered with that vile defection for then the diuell would finde waies anew to calumniate the best And this wee haue in proofe by them that are carried with the Phairie who neuer see the shadowes of any in that Court but of them that thereafter are tryed to haue beene brethren and sisters of that craft And this was likewise prooued by the confession of a young Lasse troubled with spirits laid on her by Witchcraft that although she saw the shapes of diuers men and women troubling her and naming the persons whom these shadowes represent yet neuer one of them are found to be innocent but all clearely tryed to bee most guiltie and the most part of them confessing the same And besides that I thinke it hath beene seldome heard tell of that any whom persons guiltie of that crime accused as hauing knowen them to be their marrowes by eye-sight and not by heare-say but such as were so accused of Witchcraft could not be clearely tried vpon them were at the least publikely knowen to be of a very euill life and reputation so iealous is God I say of the fame of them that are innocent in such causes And besides that there are two other good helps that may be vsed for their triall The one is the finding of their marke and the trying the insensiblenes therof The other is their fleeting on the water for as in a secret murther if the dead carkasse bee at any time thereafter handled by the murtherer it will gush out of bloud as if the bloud were crying to the heauen for reuenge of the murtherer God hauing appointed that secret supernaturall signe for triall of that secret vnnaturall crime so it appeares that God hath appointed for a supernaturall signe of the monstrous impietie of Witches that the water shall refuse to receiue them in her bosome that haue shaken off them the sacred water of Baptisme and wilfully refused the benefite thereof No not so much as their eyes are able to shed teares threaten and torture them as ye please while first they repent God not permitting them to dissemble their obstinacie in so horrible a crime albeit the women-kind especially be able otherwayes to shed teares at euery light occasion when they will yea although it were dissemblingly like the Crocodiles PHI. Well wee haue made this conference to last as long as leisure would permit and to conclude then since I am to take my leaue of you I pray God to purge this countrey of these diuellish practises for they were neuer so rife in these parts as they are now EPI I pray God that so be too But the causes are ouer-manifest that make them to be so rife For the great wickednes of the people on the one part procures this horrible defection whereby God iustly punisheth sinne by a greater iniquitie and on the other part the consummation of the world and our deliuerance drawing neere makes Satan to rage the more in his instruments knowing his kingdome to be so neere an end And so farewell for this time ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΠΔΩΡΟΠOR HIS MAIESTIES INSTRVCTIONS TO HIS DEAREST SONNE HENRY THE PRINCE THE ARGVMENT SONNET GOD giues not Kings the stile of Gods in vaine For on his Throne his Scepter doe they swey And as their subiects ought them to obey So Kings should feare and serue their God againe If then ye would enioy a happie raigne Obserue the Statutes of your heauenly King And from his Law make all your Lawes to spring Since his Lieutenant here ye should remaine Reward the iust be stedfast true and plaine Represse the proud maintayning aye the right Walke alwayes so as euer in his sight Who guardes the godly plaguing the prophane And so ye shall in Princely vertues shine Resembling right your mightie King Diuine TO HENRY MY DEAREST SONNE AND NATVRAL SVCCESSOVR VVHom-to can so rightly appertaine this Booke of instructions to a Prince in all the points of his calling aswell generall as a Christian towards God as particular as a King towards his people Whom-to I say can it so iustly appertaine as vnto you my dearest Sonne Since J the authour thereof as your naturall Father must be carefull for your godly and vertuous education as my eldest Sonne and the first fruits of Gods blessing towards mee in my posteritie and as a King must timously prouide for your trayning vp in all the points of a Kings Office since yee are my naturall and lawfull successour therein that being rightly informed hereby of the waight of your burthen ye may in time beginne to consider that being borne to be a king ye are rather borne to onus then honos not excelling all your people so farre in ranke and honour as in daily care and hazardous paines-taking for the dutifull administration of that great office that God hath laide vpon your shoulders Laying so a just symmetrie and proportion betwixt the height of your honourable place and the heauie waight of your great charge and consequently in case of failing which God forbid of the sadnesse of your fall according to the proportion of that height J haue therefore for the greater ease to your memory and that yee may at the first cast vp any part that yee haue to doe with deuided this Treatise in three parts The first teacheth you your duetie towards God as a Christian the next your duetie in your Office as a King and the third informeth you how to behaue your selfe in indifferent things which of them-selues are neither right nor wrong but according as they are rightly or wrong vsed and yet will serue according to your behauiour therein to augment or empaire your fame and authoritie at the handes of your people Receiue and welcome this Booke then as a faithfull Praeceptour and counsellour vnto you which because my affaires will not permit mee euer to bee present with you J ordaine to bee a resident faithfull admonisher of you And because the houre of death is vncertaine to mee as vnto all flesh J leaue it as my Testament and latter will vnto you Chargeing you in the presence of GOD and by the fatherly authoritie J haue ouer you that yee keepe it euer with you as carefully as Alexander did the Iliads of Homer Yee will finde it a iust and impartiall counsellour neither flattering you in any vice nor importuning you at vnmeete times Jt will not come vn-called neither speake vnspeered at and yet conferring with it when yee are at quiet yee shall say with Scipio that yee are nunquam minûs solus quà m cum solus To conclude then J charge you as euer yee thinke to deserue my Fatherly blessing to follow and put in practise as farre as lyeth in you the praecepts hereafter following And if yee follow the contrary course I take the Great GOD to record that this Booke shall one day bee a witnesse betwixt mee and you and shall procure to bee
extraordinarily wrought by God wherin many things were inordinately done by a popular tumult and rebellion The occasion of the Tribunat of some Puritanes of such as blindly were doing the worke of God but clogged with their owne passions and particular respects as well appeared by the destruction of our policie and not proceeding from the Princes order as it did in our neighbour countrey of England as likewise in Denmarke and sundry parts of Germanie some fierie spirited men in the ministerie got such a guiding of the people at that time of confusion as finding the gust of gouernment sweete they begouth to fantasie to themselues a Democraticke forme of gouernment and hauing by the iniquitie of time beene ouer-well baited vpon the wracke first of my Grandmother and next of mine owne mother and after vsurping the libertie of the time in my long minoritie Such were the Demagogâ— at Athens setled themselues so fast vpon that imagined Democracie as they fed themselues with the hope to become Tribuni plebis and so in a popular gouernment by leading the people by the nose to beare the sway of all the rule And for this cause there neuer rose faction in the time of my minoritie Their formes in the State nor trouble sen-syne but they that were vpon that factious part were euer carefull to perswade and allure these vnruly spirits among the ministerie to spouse that quarrell as their owne where-through I was oft-times calumniated in their populare Sermons not for any euill or vice in me but because I was a King which they thought the highest euill And because they were ashamed to professe this quarrel they were busie to look narrowly in all my actions and I warrant you a mote in my eye yea a false report was matter enough for them to worke vpon and yet for all their cunning whereby they pretended to distinguish the lawfulnesse of the office from the vice of the person some of them would sometimes snapper out well grossely with the trewth of their intentions informing the people Their razing the ground of the princely rule that all Kings and Princes were naturally enemies to the libertie of the Church and could neuer patiently beare the yoke of Christ with such sound doctrine fed they their flockes And because the learned graue and honest men of the ministerie were euer ashamed and offended with their temeritie and presumption preassing by all good meanes by their authoritie and example to reduce them to a greater moderation there could be no way found out so meete in their conceit that were turbulent spirits among them for maintaining their plots as paritie in the Church whereby the ignorants were emboldened as bairdes to crie the learned Their pretence of paratie godly and modest out of it paritie the mother of confusion and enemie to Vnitie which is the mother of order For if by the example thereof once established in the Ecclesiasticall gouernment the Politicke and ciuill estate should be drawen to the like the great confusion that thereupon would arise may easily be discerned Take heede therefore my Sonne to such Puritanes verie pestes in the Church and Common-weale whom no deserts can oblige neither oathes or promises binde An cuill sort of seed-men in the State breathing nothing but sedition and calumnies aspiring without measure railing without reason and making their owne imaginations without any warrant of the word the square of their conscience I protest before the great God and since I am here as vpon my Testament it is no place for me to lie in that ye shall neuer finde with any Hie-land or Border-theeues greater ingratitude and moe lies and vile periuries then with these phanaticke spirits And suffer not the principals of them to brooke your land if ye like to sit at rest except yee would keepe them for trying your patience Xantippe as Socrates did an euill wife And for preseruatiue against their poison Preseruatiue against such poison entertaine and aduance the godly learned and modest men of the ministerie whom-of God be praised there lacketh not a sufficient number and by their prouision to Bishoprickes and Benefices annulling that vile acte of Annexation if ye finde it not done to your hand yee shall not onely banish their conceited paritie whereof I haue spoken and their other imaginarie grounds Parity incompatible with a Monarchie which can neither stand with the order of the Church nor the peace of a Common-weale and well ruled Monarchie but ye shall also re-establish the olde institution of three Estates in Parliament which can no otherwise be done But in this I hope if God spare me dayes to make you a faire entrie alwayes where I leaue follow ye my steps And to end my aduice anent the Church estate Generall aduice in behalfe of the Church cherish no man more then a good Pastor hate no man more then a proude Puritane thinking it one of your fairest styles to be called a louing nourish-father to the Church seeing all the Churches within your dominions planted with good Pastors the Schooles the seminarie of the Church maintained the doctrine and discipline preserued in puritie according to Gods word a sufficient prouision for their sustentation a comely order in their policie pride punished humilitie aduanced and they so to reuerence their superiours and their flockes them as the flourishing of your Church in pietie peace and learning may be one of the chiefe points of your earthly glory being euer alike ware with both the extremities as well as yee represse the vaine Puritane so not to suffer proude Papall Bishops but as some for their qualities will deserue to bee preferred before others so chaine them with such bondes as may preserue that estate from creeping to corruption The next estate now that by order commeth in purpose according to their rankes in Parliament is the Nobilitie although second in ranke Of the Nobilitie and their formes yet ouer farre first in greatnesse and power either to doe good or euill as they are inclined The naturall sickenesse that I haue perceiued this estate subiect to in my time hath beene a fectlesse arrogant conceit of their greatnes and power drinking in with their very nourish-milke that their honor stood in committing three points of iniquitie to thrall by oppression the meaner sort that dwelleth neere them to their seruice and following although they holde nothing of them to maintaine their seruants and dependers in any wrong although they be not answerable to the lawes for any body will maintaine his man in a right cause and for anie displeasure that they apprehend to be done vnto them by their neighbour to take vp a plaine feide against him and without respect to God King or common-weale to bang it out brauely hee and all his kinne against him and all his yea they will thinke the King farre in their common in-case they agree to grant an assurance to a short day
companie of dames which are nothing else but irritamenta libidinis Bee warre likewaies to abuse your selfe in making your sporters your counsellers and delight not to keepe ordinarily in your companie Comoedians or Balladines for the Tyrans delighted most in them Pl. 3. de rep Ar. 7. 8. pol. Sen. 1. ep Dyon glorying to bee both authors and actors of Comoedies and Tragedies themselues Wherupon the answere that the poet Philoxenus disdainefully gaue to the Tyran of Syracuse there-anent is now come in a prouerbe reduc me in latomias Suidas And all the ruse that Nero made of himselfe when he died was Qualis artifexpereo Suet. in Ner. meaning of his skill in menstrally and playing of Tragoedies as indeede his whole life and death was all but one Tragoedie Delight not also to bee in your owne person a player vpon instruments especially on such as commonly men winne their liuing with nor yet to be fine of any mechanicke craft 1. Sep. Leur esprit s'en fuit au bout des doigts saith Du Bartas whose workes as they are all most worthie to bee read by any Prince or other good Christian so would I especially wish you to bee well versed in them But spare not some-times by merie company to be free from importunitie for ye should be euer mooued with reason which is the onely qualitie whereby men differ from beasts and not with importunitie Curt. 8. For the which cause as also for augmenting your Maiestie ye shall not be so facile of accesse-giuing at all times as I haue beene Liu. 35. Xen. in Ages Cit. ad Q frat and yet not altogether retired or locked vp like the Kings of Persia appointing also certaine houres for publicke audience And since my trust is that God hath ordained you for moe Kingdomes then this as I haue oft alreadie said preasse by the outward behauiour as well of your owne person A speciall good rule in gouernment as of your court in all indifferent things to allure piece and piece the rest of your kingdomes to follow the fashions of that kingdome of yours that yee finde most ciuill easiest to be ruled and most obedient to the Lawes for these outward and indifferent things will serue greatly for allurements to the people to embrace and follow vertue But beware of thrawing or constraining them thereto letting it bee brought on with time and at leisure specially by so mixing through alliance and daily conuersation the inhabitants of euery kingdom with other as may with time make them to grow and welde all in one Which may easily be done betwixt these two nations being both but one Ile of Britaine and alreadie ioyned in vnitie of Religion and language The fruitfull effects of the vnion So that euen as in the times of our ancestours the long warres and many bloodie battels betwixt these two countreys bred a naturall and hereditarie hatred in euery of them against the other the vniting and welding of them hereafter in one by all sort of friendship commerce and alliance will by the contrary produce and maintaine a naturall and inseparable vnitie of loue amongst them Alreadie kything in the happy amitie As we haue already praise be to God a great experience of the good beginning hereof and of the quenching of the olde hate in the hearts of both the people procured by the meanes of this long and happy amitie betweene the Queene my dearest sister and me which during the whole time of both our Reignes hath euer beene inuiolably obserued And for conclusion of this my whole Treatise Conclusion in forme of abridge of the whole Treatise remember my Sonne by your trew and constant depending vpon God to looke for a blessing to all your actions in your office by the outward vsing thereof to testifie the inward vprightnesse of your heart and by your behauiour in all indifferent things to set foorth the viue image of your vertuous disposition and in respect of the greatnesse and weight of your burthen to be patient in hearing keeping your heart free from praeoccupation ripe in concluding Thuc. 6. Dion 52. and constant in your resolution For better it is to bide at your resolution although there were some defect in it then by daily changing to effectuate nothing taking the paterne thereof from the microcosme of your owne body wherein ye haue two eyes signifying great foresight and prouidence with a narrow looking in all things and also two eares signifying patient hearing and that of both the parties but ye haue but one tongue for pronouncing a plaine sensible and vniforme sentence and but one head and one heart for keeping a constant vniforme resolution according to your apprehension hauing two hands and two feete with many fingers and toes for quicke execution in employing all instruments meet for effectuating your deliberations But forget not to digest euer your passion before ye determine vpon any thing since Ira furor breuis est Hir. lib. 1. epist. vttering onely your anger according to the Apostles rule Irascimini sed ne peccetis taking pleasure not only to reward Ephes 4. but to aduance the good which is a chiefe point of a Kings glory but make none ouer-great Arist 5. pol. Dion 52. but according as the power of the countrey may beare and punishing the euill but euery man according to his owne offence not punishing nor blaming the father for the sonne Plat. 9. de leg nor the brother for the brother much lesse generally to hate a whole race for the fault of one for noxa caput sequitur And aboue all let the measure of your loue to euery one be according to the measure of his vertue letting your fauour to be no longer tyed to any then the continuance of his vertuous disposition shall deserue not admitting the excuse vpon a iust reuenge to procure ouersight to an iniurie For the first iniurie is committed against the partie but the parties reuenging thereof at his owne hand is a wrong committed against you in vsurping your office whom to onely the sword belongeth for reuenging of all the iniuries committed against any of your people Thus hoping in the goodnes of God that your naturall inclination shall haue a happy sympathie with these pręcepts making the wise-mans scholemaster which is the example of others to bee your teacher according to that old verse Foelix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum eschewing so the ouer-late repentance by your owne experience which is the schoole-master of fooles I wil for end of all require you my Sonne as euer ye thinke to deserue my fatherly blessing to keepe continually before the eyes of your minde the greatnesse of your charge Plat. in pol. Cic. 5. d◠re◠making the faithfull and due discharge thereof the principal butt ye shoot at in all your actions counting it euer the principall and all your other actions but as accessories to be
bee performed by one base knaue in a darke corner whereupon he was moued to interprete and construe the latter Sentence in the Letter alledged by the Earle of Salisburie against all ordinarie sence and construction in Grammar as if by these words For the danger is past as soone as you haue burned the Letter should be closely vnderstood the suddaintie and quickenesse of the danger which should be as quickly perfourmed and at an end as that paper should be of bleasing vp in the fire turning that word of as soone to the sense of as quickly And therefore wished that before his going to the Parliament His Maiesties opinion for searching of the vnder roume of the Parliament House the vnder roumes of the Parliament house might be well and narrowly searched But the Earle of Salisbury wondering at this his Maiesties Commentary which he knew to be so farre contrary to his ordinary and naturall disposition who did rather euer sinne vpon the other side in not apprehending nor trusting due Aduertisements of Practises and Perils when hee was trewly enformed of them whereby hee had many times drawen himselfe into many desperate dangers and interpreting rightly this extraordinary Caution at this time to proceede from the vigilant care hee had of the whole State more then of his owne Person which could not but haue all perished together if this designement had succeeded Hee thought good to dissemble still vnto the King that there had beene any iust cause of such apprehension And ending the purpose with some merrie ieast vpon this Subiect as his custome is tooke his leaue for that time But though he seemed so to neglect it to his Maiestie yet his customable and watchfull care of the King and the State still boyling within him And hauing with the blessed Virgine Marie laid vp in his heart the Kings so strange iudgement and construction of it He could not be at rest til he acquainted the foresaid Lords what had passed betweene the King and him in priuat Wherupon they were all so earnest to renew againe the memory of the same purpose to his Maiestie as it was agreed that he should the next day being Saturday repaire to his Highnesse which hee did in the same priuie Gallery and renewed the memory thereof the L. Chamberlaine then being present with the King The determination to search the Parliament house and the roumes vnder it At what time it was determined that the said Lord Chamberlaine should according to his custome and Office view all the Parliament Houses both aboue and below and consider what likelihood or appearance of any such danger might possibly be gathered by the sight of them But yet as well for staying of idle rumours as for beeing the more able to discerne any mysterie the nearer that things were in readinesse his iourney thither was ordeined to bee deferred till the afternoone before the sitting downe of the Parliament which was vpon the Munday following At what time hee according to this conclusion went to the Parliament house accompanied with my Lord Mountegle beeing in zeale to the Kings seruice earnest and curious to see the euent of that accident whereof hee had the fortune to be the first discouerer where hauing viewed all the lower roumes Wood and Coale found by the Lord Chamberlaine in the Vault hee found in the Vault vnder the vpper House great store and prouision of Billets Faggots and Coales And enquiring of Whyneard Keeper of the Wardrobe to what vse hee had put those lower roumes and cellars he told him That Thomas Percie had hired both the House and part of the Cellar or Vault vnder the same and that the Wood and Coale therein was the said Gentlemansowne prouision Whereupon the Lord Chamberlaine casting his eye aside perceiued a fellow standing in a corner there calling himself the said Percies man and keeper of that house for him but indeed was Guido Fawkes Guido Fawkes bearing the name of Percies man the owner of that hand which should haue acted that monstrous Tragedie The Lord Chamberlaine looking vpon all things with a heedfull indeed yet in outward appearance with but a carelesse and racklesse eye as became so wise and diligent a minister hee presently addressed himselfe to the King in the said priuie Gallery wherein the presence of the Lord Treasurer the Lord Admirall the Earles of Worcester Northampton and Salisbury The Lord Chamberlaines report and iudgement of what he had obserued in the search hee made his report what hee had seene and obserued there noting that Mountegle had told him That he no sooner heard Thomas Percy named to be the possessour of that house but considering both his backwardnes in Religion and the old dearenesse in friendship betweene himselfe and the said Percy hee did greatly suspect the matter and that the Letter should come from him The said Lord Chamberlaine also tolde That he did not wonder a little at the extraordinary great prouision of wood and coale in that house where Thomas Percie had so seldome occasion to remaine As likewise it gaue him in his minde that his man looked like a very tall and desperate fellow This could not but encrease the Kings former apprehension and iealousie whereupon hee insisted as before that the House was narrowly to bee searched and that those Billets and Coales would be searched to the bottome it beeing most suspicious that they were layed there onely for couering of the powder Of this same minde also were all the Counsailours then present Disputation about the maner of the further search But vpon the fashion of making of the search was it long debated For vpon the one side they were all so iealous of the Kings safety that they all agreed that there could not be too much caution vsed for preuenting his danger And yet vpon the other part they were all extreme loath and daintie that in case this Letter should proue to bee nothing but the euaporation of an idle braine then a curious search beeing made and nothing found should not onely turne to the generall scandall of the King and the State as being so suspicious of euery light and friuolous toy but likewise lay an ill fauoured imputation vpon the Earle of Northumberland one of his Maiesties greatest Subiects and Counsailors this Tho. Percie being his kinsman and most confident familiar And the rather were they curious vpon this point knowing how far the King detested to be thought suspitious or iealous of any of his good Subiects though of the meanest degree And therefore though they all agreed vpon the maine ground which was to prouide for the securitie of the Kings Person yet did they much differ in the circumstances by which this action might be best caried with least dinne and occasion of slaunder But the King himselfe still persisting that there were diuers shrewd appearances and that a narrow search of those places could preiudge no man that was innocent hee at last plainely
For before Pius Quintus his excommunication giuing her ouer for a prey and setting her Subiects at libertie to rebell it is well knowne she neuer medled with the blood or hard punishment of any Catholique nor made any rigorous Lawes against them And since that time who list to compare with an indifferent eye the manifold intended inuasions against her whole Kingdome the forreine practises the internall publike rebellions the priuate plots and machinations poysonings murthers and all sorts of deuises quid non daily set abroach and all these wares continually fostered and fomented from Rome together with the continuall corrupting of her Subiects as well by temporall bribes as by faire and specious promises of eternall felicitie and nothing but booke vpon booke publikely set foorth by her fugitiues for approbation of so holy designes who list I say with an indifferent eye to looke on the one part vpon those infinite and intollerable temptations and on the other part vpon the iust yet moderate punishment of a part of these hainous offendors shall easily see that that blessed defunct LADIE was as free from persecution as they shall free these hellish Instruments from the honour of martyrdome 5. But now hauing sacrificed if I may so say to the Manes of my late Predecessour I may next with Saint PAVL iustly vindicate mine owne fame from those innumerable calumnies spread against me in testifying the trewth of my behauiour toward the Papists wherein I may trewly affirme That whatsoeuer was her iust and mercifull Gouernement ouer the Papists in her time my Gouernement ouer them since hath so farre exceeded hers in Mercie and Clemencie as not onely the Papists themselues grewe to that height of pride in confidence of my mildnesse as they did directly expect and assuredly promise to themselues libertie of Conscience and equalitie with other of my Subiects in all things but euen a number of the best and faithfulliest of my sayde Subiects were cast in great feare and amazement of my course and proceedings euer prognosticating and iustly suspecting that sowre fruite to come of it which shewed it selfe clearely in the Powder-Treason How many did I honour with Knighthood of knowen and open Recusants How indifferently did I giue audience and accesse to both sides bestowing equally all fauours and honours on both professions How free and continuall accesse had all rankes and degrees of Papists in my Court and company And aboue all how frankely and freely did I free Recusants of their ordinarie paiments Besides it is cuident what strait order was giuen out of my owne mouth to the Iudges to spare the execution of all Priests notwithstanding their conuiction ioyning thereunto a gracious Proclamation whereby all Priests that were at libertie and not taken might goe out of the countrey by such a day my generall Pardon hauing beene extended to all conuicted Priestes in prison whereupon they were set at libertie as good Subiects and all Priests that were taken after sent ouer and set at libertie there But time and paper will faile me to make enumeration of all the benefits and fauours that I bestowed in generall and particular vpon Papists in recounting whereof euery scrape of my penne would serue but for a blot of the Popes ingratitude and iniustice in meating me with so hard a measure for the same So as I thinke I haue sufficiently or at least with good reason wiped the * Magno cum anims moerore c. teares from the Popes eyes for complaining vpon such persecution who if hee had beene but politickely wise although hee had had no respect to Iustice and Veritie would haue in this complaint of his made a difference betweene my present time and the time of the late Queene And so by his commending of my moderation in regard of former times might haue had hope to haue mooued me to haue continued in the same clement course For it is a trew saying that alledged kindnesse vpon noble mindes doeth euer worke much And for the maine vntrewth of any persecution in my time it can neuer bee prooued that any were or are put to death since I came to the Crowne for cause of Conscience except that now this discharge giuen by the Pope to all Catholiques to take their Oath of Allegiance to me be the cause of the due punishment of many which if it fall out to be let the blood light vpon the Popes head who is the onely cause thereof As for the next point contained in his Breue concerning his discharge of all Papists to come to our Church or frequent our rites and ceremonies I am not to meddle at this time with that matter because my errand now onely is to publish to the world the Iniurie and Iniustice done vnto me in discharging my subiects to make profession of their obedience vnto mee The intendement of this discourse Now as to the point where the Oath is quarrelled it is set downe in fewe but very weighty wordes to wit That it ought to be cleare vnto all Catholiques that this Oath cannot bee taken with safetie of the Catholique Faith and of their soules health since it containeth many things that are plainely and directly contrarie to their faith and saluation To this the old saying fathered vpon the Philosopher may very fitly bee applied Multa dicit sed pauca probat nay indeed Nihil omnino probat For how the profession of the naturall Allegiance of Subiects to their Prince can be directly opposite to the faith and saluation of soules is so farre beyond my simple reading in Diuinitie as I must thinke it a strange and new Assertion to proceede out of the mouth of that pretended generall Pastor of all Christian soules I reade indeede and not in one or two or three places of Scripture that Subiects are bound to obey their Princes for conscience sake whether they were good or wicked Princes So said the people to 1 Iosh 1.17 Ioshua As wee obeyed Moses in all things so will wee obey thee So the 2 Iere. 27.12 Prophet commanded the people to obey the King of Babel saying Put your neckes vnder the yoke of the King of Babel and serue him and his people that yee may liue So were the children of Israel vnto 3 Exod. 5.1 Pharaoh desiring him to let them goe so to 4 Ezra 1.3 Cyrus obtaining leaue of him to returne to build the Temple and in a word the Apostle willed all men 5 Rom. 13 5. to bee subiect to the higher powers for conscience sake Agreeable to the Scriptures did the Fathers teach 6 August in Psalm 124. Augustine speaking of Iulian saith Iulian was an vnbeleeuing Emperour was hee not an Apostata an Oppressour and an Idolater Christian Souldiers serued that vnbeleeuing Emperour when they came to the cause of CHRIST they would acknowledge no Lord but him that is in heauen When hee would haue them to worship Idoles and to sacrifice they preferred GOD before
great Citie Queene of the World and as themselues confesse 1 Eusebius Oecumenius and Leo hold that by Babylon in 1. Pet. 5.13 Rome is meant as the Rhemists themselues confesse mystically Babylon cannot but be so full of all sorts of Intelligencies Besides all complainers as the Catholikes here are be naturally giuen to exaggerate their owne griefes and multiply thereupon So that it is no wonder that euen a iust Iudge sitting there should vpon wrong information giue an vnrighteous sentence as some of their owne partie doe not sticke to confesse That Pius Quintus was too rashly caried vpon wrong information to pronounce his thunder of Excommunication vpon the late Queene And it may be the like excuse shall hereafter be made for the two Breues which 2 See the Relation of the whole proceedings against the Traitours Garnet and his confederates Clemens Octauus sent to ENGLAND immediatly before her death for debarring me of the Crowne or any other that either would professe or any wayes tolerate the professours of our Religion contrary to his manifold vowes and protestations simul eodem tempore and as it were deliuered vno eodem spiritu to diuers of my ministers abroad professing such kindnesse and shewing such forwardnesse to aduance me to this Crowne The Catholikes opinion of the Brene Nay the most part of Catholikes here finding this Breue when it came to their handes to bee so farre against Diuinitie Policie or naturall sense were firmely perswaded that it was but a counterfeit Libell deuised in hatred of the Pope or at the farthest a thing hastily done vpon wrong information as was before said Of which opinion were not onely the simpler sort of Papists but euen some amongst them of best account both for learning and experience whereof the Archpriest himselfe was one But for soluing of this obiection the Pope himselfe hath taken new paines by sending foorth a second Breue onely for giuing faith and confirmation to the former That whereas before his sinne might haue beene thought to haue proceeded from rashnesse and mis-information he will now wilfully and willingly double the same whereof the Copy followeth The second Breue TO OVR BELOVED SONNES the English Catholikes Paulus P. P.V tus BEloued sonnes Salutation and Apostolicall Benediction It is reported vnto vs that there are found certaine amongst you who when as we haue sufficiently declared by our Letters dated the last yeere on the tenth of the Calends of October in the forme of a Breue that yee cannot with safe Conscience take the Oath which was then required of you and when as wee haue further straitly commanded you that by no meanes yee should take it yet there are some I say among you which dare now affirme that such Letters concerning the forbidding of the Oath were not written of our owne accord or of our owne proper will but rather for the respect and at the instigation of other men And for that cause the same men doe goe about to perswade you that our commands in the said Letters are not to be regarded Surely this newes did trouble vs and that so much the more because hauing had experience of your obedience most dearely beloued sonnes who to the end ye might obey this holy Sea haue godlily and valiantly contemned your riches wealth honour libertie yea and life it selfe wee should neuer haue suspected that the trewth of our Apostolike Letters could once be called into question among you that by this pretence ye might exempt your selues from our Commandements But we doe herein perceiue the subtiltie and craft of the enemie of mans saluation and we doe attribute this your backwardnesse rather to him then to your owne will And for this cause wee haue thought good to write the second time vnto you and to signifie vnto you againe That our Apostolike Letters dated the last yeere on the tenth of the Calends of October concerning the prohibition of the Oath were written not only vpon our proper motion and of our certaine knowledge but also after long and weightie deliberation vsed concerning all those things which are contained in them and that for that cause ye are bound fully to obserue them reiecting all interpretation perswading to the contrary And this is our meere pure and perfect will being alwayes carefull of your saluation and alwayes minding those things which are most profitable vnto you And we doe pray without ceasing that hee that hath appointed our lowlinesse to the keeping of the flocke of Christ would inlighten our thoughts and our counsels whom we doe also continually desire that he would increase in you our beloued Sonnes faith constancie and mutuall charitie and peace one to another All whom we doe most louingly blesse with all charitable affection Dated at Rome at Saint Markes vnder the Signet of the Fisherman the x. of the Calends of September 1607. the third yeere of our Popedome THE ANSWERE TO THE second BREVE NOw for this Breue I may iustly reflect his owne phrase vpon him in tearming it to be The craft of the Deuill For if the Deuill had studied a thousand yeeres for to finde out a mischiefe for our Catholikes heere hee hath found it in this that now when many Catholikes haue taken their Oath and some Priests also yea the Arch-priest himselfe without compunction or sticking they shall not now onely be bound to refuse the profession of their naturall Allegiance to their Soueraigne which might yet haue beene some way coloured vpon diuers scruples conceiued vpon the words of the Oath but they must now renounce and forsweare their profession of obedience alreadie sworne and so must as it were at the third instance forsweare their former two Oathes first closely sworne by their birth in their naturall Allegiance and next clearely confirmed by this Oath which doeth nothing but expresse the same so as no man can now holde the faith or procure the saluation of his soule in ENGLAND that must not abiure and renounce his borne and sworne Allegiance to his naturall Soueraigne And yet it is not sufficient to ratifie the last yeeres Breue by a new one come forth this yeere but that not onely euery yeere but euery moneth may produce a new monster the great and famous Writer of the Controuersies the late vn-Iesuited Cardinall Bellarmine must adde his talent to this good worke by blowing the bellowes of sedition and sharpening the spurre to rebellion by sending such a Letter of his to the Archpriest here as it is a wonder how passion and an ambitious desire of maintaining that Monarchie should charme the wits of so famously learned a man The Copy whereof here followeth TO THE VERY REVEREND Mr. GEORGE BLACKWELL ARCH-PRIEST of the ENGLISH ROBERT BELLARMINE Cardinall of the holy Church of Rome Greeting REuerend Sir and brother in CHRIST It is almost fourtie yeeres since we did see one the other but yet I haue neuer bene vnmindfull of our ancient acquaintance neither haue I
all aswell strangers as naturall subiects to whose eyes this Discourse shall come may wisely and vnpartially iudge of the Veritie as it is nakedly here set downe for clearing these mists and cloudes of calumnies which were iniustly heaped vpon me for which end onely I heartily pray the courteous Reader to be perswaded that I tooke occasion to publish this Discourse A PREMONITION TO ALL MOST MIGHTIE MONARCHES KINGS FREE PRINCES AND STATES OF CHRISTENDOME TO THE MOST SACRED AND INVINCIBLE PRINCE RODOLPHE THE II. by GODS Clemencie Elect Emperour of the ROMANES KING OF GERMANIE HVNGARIE BOHEME DALMATIE CROATIE SCLAVONIE c. ARCH-DVKE OF AVSTRIA DVKE OF BVRGVNDIE STIRIA CARINTHIA CARNIOLA and WIRTEMBERG c. Earle of TYROLIS c. AND TO ALL OTHER RIGHT HIGH AND MIGHTIE KINGS And Right Excellent free Princes and States of CHRISTENDOME Our louing BRETHREN COSINS ALLIES CONFEDERATES and FRIENDS IAMES by the Grace of GOD King of GREAT BRITAINE FRANCE and IRELAND Professour Maintainer and Defender of the Trew Christian Catholique and Apostolique FAITH Professed by the ancient and Primitiue CHVRCH and sealed with the blood of so many Holy Bishops and other faithfull crowned with the glory of MARTYRDOME WISHETH cuerlasting felicitie in CHRIST our SAVIOVR TO YOV MOST SACRED AND INVINCIBLE EMPEROVR RIGHT HIGH AND MIGHTIE KINGS RIGHT EXCELLENT FREE PRINCES AND STATES MY LOVING BRETHREN AND COSINS To you I say as of right belongeth doe I consecrate and direct this Warning of mine or rather Preamble to my reprinted Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance For the cause is generall and concerneth the Authoritie and priuiledge of Kings in generall and all supereminent Temporall powers And if in whatsoeuer Societie or Corporation of men either in Corporations of Cities or in the Corporation of any mechanicke craft or handie-worke euery man is carefull to maintaine the priuiledges of that Societie whereunto he is sworne nay they will rather cluster all in one making it a common cause exposing themselues to all sorts of perill then suffer the least breach in their Liberties If those of the baser sort of people I say be so curious and zealous for the preseruation of their common priuiledges and liberties as if the meanest amongst them be touched in any such point they thinke it concerneth them all Then what should wee doe in such a case whom GOD hath placed in the highest thrones vpon earth made his Lieutenants and Vice-gerents and euen seated vs vpon his owne Throne to execute his Iudgements The consideration hereof hath now mooued mee to expone a Case vnto you which doeth not so neerely touch mee in my particular as it doeth open a breach against our Authoritie I speake in the plurall of all Kings and priuiledge in generall And since not onely all rankes and sorts of people in all Nations doe inuiolably obserue this Maxime but euen the Ciuil Law by which the greatest part of Christendome is gouerned doeth giue them an interest qui fouent consimilem causam How much more then haue yee interest in this cause not beeing similis or par causa to yours but eadem with yours and indeed yee all fouetis or at least fouere debetis eandem causam mecum And since this cause is common to vs all both the Ciuill Lawes and the municipall Lawes of all Nations permit and warne them that haue a common interest to concurre in one for the defence of their common cause yea common sense teacheth vs with the Poet Ecquid Ad te pòst paulò ventura pericula sentis Nam tua res agitur paries cùm proximus ardet A wake then while it is time and suffer not by your longer sleepe the strings of your Authoritie to be cut in singulis and one and one to your generall ruine which by your vnited forces would rather make a strong rope for the enemie to hang himselfe in with Achitophel then that hee should euer bee able to breake it As for this Apologie of mine it is trew that I thought good to set it first out without putting my name vnto it but neuer so as I thought to denie it remembring well mine owne words but taken out of the Scripture in the beginning of the Preface to the Reader in my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that nothing is so bid which shall not bee opened c. promising there which with GOD his grace I shall euer performe neuer to doe that in secret which I shall need to be ashamed of when it shall come to be proclaimed in publique In deed I thought it fit for two respects that this my Apologie should first visite the world without hauing my name written in the forehead thereof First because of the matter and next of the persons that I medled with The matter it being a Treatise which I was to write conteining reasons and discourses in Diuinitie for the defence of the Oath of Alleagiance and refutation of the condemners thereof I thought it not comely for one of my place to put my name to bookes concerning Scholasticke Disputations whose calling is to set forth Decrees in the Imperatiue mood for I thinke my selfe as good a man as the Pope by his reuerence for whom these my Answerers make the like excuse for that his Breues are so summary without yeelding any reason vnto them My next reason was the respect of the persons whom with I medled Wherein although I shortly answered the Popes Breues yet the point I most laboured being the refutation of Bellarmines Letter I was neuer the man I confesse that could thinke a Cardinall a meet match for a King especially hauing many hundreth thousands of my subiects of as good birth as hee As for his Church dignitie his Cardinalship I meane I know not how to ranke or value it either by the warrant of God his word or by the ordinance of Emperours or Kings it being indeed onely a new Papall erection tolerated by the sleeping conniuence of our Predecessours I meane still by the plurall of Kings But notwithstanding of this my forbearing to put my name vnto it some Embassadours of some of you my louing Brethren and Cousins whome this cause did neereliest concerne can witnesse that I made Presents of some of those bookes at their first printing vnto them and that auowedly in my owne name As also the English Paragraphist or rather peruerse Pamphleter Parsons since all his description must runne vpon a P. hath trewly obserued that my Armes are affixed in the frontispice thereof which vseth not to bee in bookes of other mens doing whereby his malice in pretending his ignorane that hee might pay mee the soundlier is the more inexcusable But now that I finde my sparing to put my name vnto it hath not procured my sparing by these answerers who haue neither spared my Person directly in naming me nor indirectly by railing vpon the Author of the Booke it is now high time for me no longer to conceale nor disauow my selfe as if I were ashamed of
take Radamanthus office ouer his head and to sit downe and play the Iudge in hell And all his quarrell is that either her Successour or any of her seruants should speake honourably of her Cursed be he that curseth the Anointed of God and destroyed mought he be with the destruction of Korah that hath sinned in the contradiction of Korah Without mought such dogs and swine be cast forth I say out of the Spirituall Ierusalem As for my Latine Answerer I haue nothing to say to his person hee is not my Subiect hee standeth or falleth vnto his owne Lord But sure I am they two haue casten lotts vpon my Booke since they could not diuide it the one of them my fugitiue to raile vpon my late Predecessour but a rope is the fittest answere for such an Historian the other a stranger thinketh he may be boldest both to pay my person and my Booke as indeed he doeth which how iustly either in matter or maner wee are now to examine But first who should be the trew Authour of this booke I can but guesse Hee calleth himselfe Mattheus Tortus Cardinall Bellarmins Chaplaine A 1 Being a proper word to expresse the trew meaning of Tortus throwne Euangelist indeed full of throward Diuinitie an obscure Authour vtterly vnknowne to mee being yet little knowne to the world for any other of his workes and therefore must be a very desperate fellow in beginning his apprentisage not onely to refute but to raile vpon a King But who will consider the carriage of the whole booke shall finde that hee writeth with such authoritie or at the least tam elato stylo so little sparing either Kings in generall or my person in particular and with such a greatnesse 1 P. 46. Habemus enim exemplaria Breuium illorum in manibus and 2 P. 63. Decernimus as it shall appeare or at least bee very probable that it is the Masters and not the mans labour especially in one place where hee quarrelleth mee for casting vp his moralis certitudo and pie credi vnto him Pag. 69. hee there grossely forgetting himselfe saith malâ fide nobiscum agit thereby making this Authour to be one person with Bellarmine But let it bee the worke of a Tortus indeed and not of a personated Cardinall yet must it bee the Cardinals deed since Master Tortus is the Cardinals man and doeth it in his Masters defence The errand then being the Cardinals and done by his owne man it cannot but bee accounted as his owne deed especially since the English Answerer doeth foure times promise that Bellarmine or one by his appointment shall sufficiently answere it And now to come to his matter and maner of Answere Surely if there were no more but his vnmanerly maner it is enough to disgrace the whole matter thereof For first to shew his pride in his Printers preface of the Politan edition of this elegans libellus hee must equall the Cardinals greatnesse with mine in euery thing For though hee confesseth this Master Tortus to bee an obscure man yet being the Cardinals Chapleine he is sufficient enough forsooth to answere an English booke that lacketh the name of an Authour as if a personated obscure name for Authour of a Cardinals booke were a meete match for answering a KINGS Booke that lacketh the name of an Authour and a Cardinals Chapleine to meete with the Deane of the Kings Chappell whom Parsons with the Cardinall haue as it seemeth agreed vpon to intitle to bee the Authour of my Apologie And not onely in the Preface but also through the whole booke doeth hee keepe this comparatiue greatnesse Hee must bee as short in his answere as I am in my Booke hee must refute all that I haue said against the Popes second Breue with equall breuitie and vpon one page almost as I haue done mine and because I haue set downe the substance of the Oath in foureteene Articles in iust as many Articles must he set downe that Acte of Parliament of mine wherein the Oath is contained And yet had hee contented himselfe with his owne pride by the demonstration of his owne greatnesse without further wronging of mee it had bene the more tollerable But what cause gaue I him to farce his whole booke with iniuries both against my Person and Booke For whereas in all my Apologie I haue neuer giuen him a foule word and especially neuer gaue him the Lye hee by the contrary giueth mee nine times the Lye in expresse termes and seuen times chargeth mee with falsehood which phrase is equiualent with a Lye And as for all other wordes of reproch as nugae conuitia temeritas vanitas impudentia blasphemiae sermonis barbaries cum eadem foelicitate scribendi cauillationes applicatio inepta fingere historias audacia quae in hominem sanae mentis cadere non potest vel sensu communi caret imperitia leuitas omnem omnino pudorem conscientiam exuisse malâ fide nobiscum agit vt lectoribus per fas nefas imponat of such like reproches I say I doubt if there bee a page in all his Booke free except where hee idlely sets downe the Popes Breues and his owne Letter And in case this might onely seeme to touch the vnknowen Authour of the Booke whome notwithstanding he knew well enough as I shew before hee spareth not my Person with my owne name sometimes saying Pag. 47. that Pope Clement thought mee to bee inclined to their Religion Sometimes that I was a Puritane in Scotland Pag. 98. and a persecutour of Protestants In one place hee concludeth Pag. 87. Quia Iacobus non est Catholicus hoc ipso Haereticus est In another place Pag. 98. Ex Christiano Caluinistam fecerunt In another place hee sayeth Neque omnino verum est Ibid. Iacobum nunquam deseruisse Religionem quam primò susceperat And in another place after that hee hath compared and ranked mee with Iulian the Apostate hee concludeth Cùm Catholicus not sit Pag. 97. neque Christianus est If this now bee mannerly dealing with a King I leaue it to you to iudge who cannot but resent such indignities done to one of your qualitie And as for the Matter of his Booke it well fittes indeede the Manner thereof for hee neuer answereth directly to the maine question in my Booke For whereas my Apologie handleth onely two points as I told you before One to prooue that the Oath of Allegiance doeth onely meddle with the ciuill and temporall Obedience due by Subiects to their naturall Soueraignes The other that this late vsurpation of Popes ouer the temporall power of Princes is against the rule of all Scriptures auncient Councels and Fathers hee neuer improoues the first but by a false inference that the Oath denyeth the Popes power of Excommunication directly since it denieth his authoritie in deposing of Kings And for the second point he bringeth no proofe to the contrary but Pasce
any penance for the same And that ye may know that more Iesuits were also vpon the partie Owldcorne the other Powder-Martyr after the misgiuing and discouery of that Treason preached consolatory doctrine to his Catholique auditorie exhorting them not to faint for the misgiuing of this enterprise nor to thinke the worse thereof that it succeeded not alleadging diuers Presidents of such godly enterprises that misgaue in like maner especially one of S. Lewes King of France who in his second iourney to the Holy-land died by the way the greatest part of his armie being destroyed by the plague his first iourney hauing likewise misgiuen him by the Soldans taking of him exhorting them thereupon not to giue ouer but still to hope that GOD would blesse their enterprise at some other time though this did faile Thus see ye now with what boldnesse and impudencie hee hath belied the publiquely knowne veritie in this errand both in auowing generally that no Iesuite was any wayes guiltie of that Treason for so he affirmeth in his booke and also that Garnet knew nothing thereof but vnder the Seale of Confession But if this were the first lye of the affaires of this State which my fugitiue Priests and Iesuits haue coyned and spread abroad I could charme them of it as the prouerbe is But as well the walles of diuers Monasteries and Iesuites Colledges abroad are filled with the painting of such lying Histories as also the bookes of our said fugitiues are farced with such sort of shamelesse stuffe such are the innumerable sorts of torments and cruell deathes that they record their Martyrs to haue suffred here some torne at foure Horses some sowed in Beares skinnes and then killed with Dogges nay women haue not bene spared they say and a thousand other strange fictions the vanities of all which I will in two words discouer vnto you First as for the cause of their punishment I doe constantly maintaine that which I haue said in my Apologie That no man either in my time or in the late Queenes euer died here for his conscience For let him be neuer so deuout a Papist nay though he professe the same neuer so constantly his life is in no danger by the Law if hee breake not out into some outward acte expresly against the words of the Law or plot not some vnlawfull or dangerous practise or attempt Priests and Popish Church-men onely excepted that receiue Orders beyond the Seas who for the manifold treasonable practises that they haue kindled and plotted in this countrey are discharged to come home againe vnder paine of Treason after their receiuing of the said Orders abroad and yet without some other guilt in them then their bare home-comming haue none of them bene euer put to death And next for the cruell torments and strange sorts of death that they say so many of them haue bene put vnto if there were no more but the Law and continually obserued custome of England these many hundred yeeres in all criminall matters it will sufficiently serue to refute all these monstrous lies for no tortures are euer vsed here but the Manacles or the Racke and these neuer but in cases of high Treason and all sorts of Traitours die but one maner of death here whether they be Papist or Protestant Traitors Queene Maries time onely excepted For then indeede no sorts of cruell deathes were spared vnexecuted vpon men women and children professing our Religion yea euen against the Lawes of God and Nature women with childe were put to cruell death for their profession and a liuing childe falling out of the mothers belly was throwen in the same fire againe that consumed the mother But these tyrannous persecutions were done by the Bishops of that time vnder the warrant of the Popes authoritie and therefore were not subiect to that constant order and formes of execution which as they are heere established by our Lawes and customes so are they accordingly obserued in the punishment of all criminals For all Priestes and Popish Traitours here receiue their Iudgements in the temporall Courts and so doe neuer exceed those formes of execution which are prescribed by the Law or approued by continuall custome One thing is also to bee marked in this case that strangers are neuer called in question here for their religion which is farre otherwise I hope in any place where the Inquisition domines But hauing now too much wearied you with this long discourse whereby I haue made you plainely see that the wrong done vnto mee in particular first by the Popes Breues and then by these Libellers doth as deepely interest you all in generall that are Kings free Princes or States as it doth me in particular I will now conclude with my humble prayers to God that he will waken vs vp all out of that Lethargike slumber of Securitie wherein our Predecessors and wee haue lien so long and that wee may first grauely consider what we are bound in conscience to doe for the planting and spreading of the trew worship of God according to his reuealed will in all our Dominions therein hearing the voice of our onely Pastor for his Sheepe will know his Voyce Iohn 10.27 as himselfe sayeth and not following the vaine corrupt and changeable traditions of men And next that we may prouidently looke to the securitie of our owne States and not suffer this incroching Babylonian Monarch to winne still ground vpon vs. And if GOD hath so mercifully dealt with vs that are his Lieutenants vpon earth as that he hath ioyned his cause with our interest the spirituall libertie of the Gospell with our temporall freedome with what zeale and courage may wee then imbrace this worke for our labours herein being assured to receiue at the last the eternall and inestimable reward of felicitie in the kingdome of Heauen and in the meane time to procure vnto our selues a temporall securitie in our temporall Kingdomes in this world As for so many of you as are alreadie perswaded of that Trewth which I professe though differing among your selues in some particular points I thinke little perswasion should moue you to this holy and wise Resolution Our Greatnesse nor our number praised bee GOD being not so contemptible but that wee may shew good example to our neighbors since almost the halfe of all Christian people and of all sorts and degrees are of our profession I meane all gone out of Babylon euen from Kings and free Princes to the meanest sort of People But aboue all my louing Brethren and Cosins keepe fast the vnity of Faith among your selues Reiect 1 1. Tim. 1.4 questions of Genealogies and 2 Ibid c. 4.7 Aniles fabulas as Paul saith Let not the foolish heate of your Preachers for idle Controuersies or indifferent things teare asunder that Mysticall Body whereof ye are a part since the very coat of him whose members wee are was without a seame And let not our diuision breed a slander of our
of this businesse and of their sincere intention therein hee would according to his high wisedome prudence and benignitie conceiue fauourably of them and their proceedings whereof the Lords States Generall are no lesse confident and the rather for that the said Deputies haue assured them that the Lords States of Holland and Westfrizeland their Superiors would proceede in this businesse as in all others with all due reuerence care and respect vnto his Maiesties serious admonition as becommeth them And the Lords States Generall doe request the said Lord Ambassadour to recommend this their Answere vnto his Maiestie with fauour Giuen at the Hage in the Assembly of the said Lords States Generall 1. October 1611. BVt before wee had receiued this answere from the States some of Vorstius books were brought ouer into England and as it was reported not without the knowledge and direction of the Authour And about the same time one Bertius a scholler of the late Arminius who was the first in our aage that infected Leyden with Heresie was so impudent as to send a Letter vnto the Archbishop of Canterbury with a Booke intituled De Apostasia Sanctorum And not thinking it sufficient to auow the sending of such a booke the title whereof onely were enough to make it worthy the fire hee was moreouer so shamelesse as to maintaine in his Letter to the Archbishop that the doctrine conteined in his booke was agreeable with the doctrine of the Church of England Let the Church of CHRIST then iudge whether it was not high time for vs to bestirre our selues when as this Gangrene had not onely taken holde amongst our neerest neighbours so as Nonsolùm paries proximus iam ardebat not onely the next house was on fire but did also begin to creepe into the bowels of our owne Kindome For which cause hauing first giuen order that the said bookes of Vorstius should be publikely burnt as well in Pauls Church-yard as in both the Vniuersities of this Kingdome wee thought good to renew our former request vnto the States for the banishment of Vorstius by a Letter which wee caused our Ambassadour to deliuer vnto them from vs at their Assembly in the Hage the fifth of Nouember whereunto they had referred vs in their former answere the tenor of which Letter was as followeth HIgh and mightie Lords Hauing vnderstood by your answere to that Proposition which was made vnto you in our name by our Ambassadour there resident That at your Assembly to bee holden in Nouember next you are resolued then to giue order concerning the businesse of that wretched D. Vorstius Wee haue thought good notwithstanding the declaration which our Ambassadour hath already made vnto you in our name touching that particular to put you againe in remembrance thereof by this Letter and thereby freely to discharge our selues both in point of our duetie towards God and of that sincere friendship which wee beare towards you First We assure Our selues that you are sufficiently perswaded that no worldly respect could moue Vs to haue thus importuned you in an affaire of this nature being drawen into it onely through Our zeale to the glory of God and the care which Wee haue that all occasion of such great scandals as this is vnto the trew reformed Church of God might bee in due time foreseene and preuented Wee are therefore to let you vnderstand that Wee doe not a little wonder that you haue not onely sought to prouide an habitation in so eminent a place amongst you for such a corrupted person as this Vorstius is but that you haue also afforded him your license and protection to print that Apologie which he hath dedicated vnto you A booke wherein he doeth most impudently maintaine the execrable blasphemies which in his former hee had disgorged The which wee are now able to affirme out of our owne knowledge hauing since that Letter which wee wrote vnto our Ambassadour read ouer and ouer againe with our owne eyes not without extreme mislike and horrour both his bookes the first dedicated to the Lantgraue of Hessen and the other to you We had well hoped that the corrupt seed which that enemie of God Arminius did sowe amongst you some few yeeres since whose disciples and followers are yet too bold and frequent within your Dominions had giuen you a sufficient warning afterwards to take heed of such infected persons seeing your owne Countrey men already diuided into Factions vpon this occasion a matter so opposite to vnitie which is indeed the onely prop and safetie of your State next vnder God as of necessitie it must by little and little bring you to vtter ruine if wisely you doe not prouide against it and that in time It is trew that it was Our hard hap not to heare of this Arminius before he was dead and that all the Reformed Churches of Germanie had with open mouth complained of him But assoone as Wee vnderstood of that distraction in your State which after his death he left behind him We did not faile taking the opportunitie when your last extraordinary Ambassadors were here with Vs to vse some such speeches vnto them concerning this matter as We thought fittest for the good of your State and which we doubt not but they haue faithfully reported vnto you For what need We make any question of the arrogancie of these Heretiques or rather Atheisticall Sectaries amongst you when one of them at this present remaining in your towne of Leyden hath not onely presumed to publish of late a blasphemous Booke of the Apostasie of the Saints but hath besides beene so impudent as to send the other day a copie thereof as a goodly present to Our Arch-Bishop of Canterbury together with a letter wherein he is not ashamed as also in his Booke to lie so grossely as to auowe that his Heresies conteined in the said Booke are agreeable with the Religion and profession of Our Church of England For these respects therefore haue Wee cause enough very heartily to request you to roote out with speed those Heresies and Schismes which are beginning to bud foorth amongst you which if you suffer to haue the reines any longer you cannot expect any other issue thereof then the curse of God infamy throughout all the reformed Churches and a perpetuall rent and distraction in the whole body of your State But if peraduenture this wretched Vorstius should denie or equiuocate vpon those blasphemous poynts of Heresie and Atheisme which already hee hath broached that perhaps may mooue you to spare his person and not cause him to bee burned which neuer any Heretique better deserued and wherein we will leaue him to your owne bristian wisedome but to suffer him vpon any defence or abnegation which hee shall offer to make still to continue and to teach amongst you is a thing so abominable as we assure our selues it will not once enter into any of your thoughts For admit hee would proue himselfe innocent which neuerthelesse he cannot
Religion as beeing instructed by their schoolemasters in Religion And who were they but Ecclesiasticall persons All this presupposed as matter of trewth I draw this conclusion Howsoeuer no small number of the French Clergie may perhaps beare the affection of louing Subiects to their King and may not suffer the Clericall character to deface the impression of naturall allegiance yet for so much as the Order of Clerics is dipped in a deeper die and beareth a worse tincture of daungerous practises then the other Orders the third Estate had beene greatly wanting to their excellent prouidence and wisedome if they should haue relinquished and transferred the care of designements and proiects for the life of their King and the safety of his Crowne to the Clergiealone Moreouer the Clergie standeth bound to referre the iudgement of all matters in controuersie to the sentence of the Pope in this cause beeing a partie and one that pretendeth Crownes to depend vpon his Mitre What hope then might the third Estate conceiue that his Holinesse would passe against his owne cause when his iudgement of the controuersie had beene sundrie times before published and testified to the world And whereas the plot or modell of remedies proiected by the third Estate and the Kings Officers hath not prooued sortable in the euent was it because the said remedies were not good and lawfull No verily but because the Clergie refused to become contributors of their duty and meanes to the grand seruice Likewise for that after the burning of bookes addressed to iustifie rebellious people traytors and parricides of Kings neuerthelesse the authors of the said bookes are winked at and backt with fauour Lastly for that some wretched parricides drinke off the cuppe of publike iustice whereas to the firebrands of sedition the sowers of this abominable doctrine no man saith so much as blacke is their eye It sufficiently appeareth as I supose by the former passage that his Lordship exhorting the third Estate to referre the whole care of this Regall cause vnto the Clergie hath tacked his frame of weake ioynts and tenons to a very worthy but wrong foundation Page 9. Howbeit he laboureth to fortifie his exhortation with a more weake and feeble reason For to make good his proiect he affirmes that matters and maximes out of all doubt and question may not be shuffled together with points in controuersie Now his rules indubitable are two The first It is not lawfull to murther Kings for any cause whatsoeuer This he confirmeth by the example of Saul as he saith deposed from his Throne whose life or limbs Dauid neuerthelesse durst not once hurt or wrong for his life Conc. Constan Sess 15. Likewise he confirmes the same by a Decree of the Councill held at Constance His other point indubitable The Kings of France are Soueraignes in all Temporall Soueraigntie within the French Kingdome and hold not by fealtie either of the Pope as hauing receiued or obliged their Crownes vpon such tenure and condition or of any other Prince in the whole world Which point neuerthelesse he takes not for certaine and indubitable but onely according to humane and historicall certaintie Now a third point he makes to be so full of controuersie and so farre within the circle of disputable questions as it may not be drawne into the ranke of classicall and authenticall points for feare of making a certaine point doubtfull by shuffling and iumbling therewith some point in controuersie Now the question so disputable as he pretendeth is this A Christian Prince breakes his oath solemnely taken to God both to liue and to die in the Catholique Religion Say this Prince turnes Arrian or Mahometan fals to proclaime open warre and to wage battell with Iesus Christ Whether may such a Prince be declared to haue lost his Kingdome and who shall declare the Subiects of such a Prince to be quit of their oath of allegiance The L. Cardinall holds the affirmatiue and makes no bones to maintaine that all other parts of the Catholique Church yea the French Church euen from the first birth of her Theologicall Schooles to Caluins time and teaching haue professed that such a Prince may bee lawfully remooued from his Throne by the Pope and by the Councill and suppose the contrarie doctrine were the very Quintessence or spirit of trewth yet might it not in case of faith be vrged and pressed otherwise then by way of problematicall disceptation That is the summe of his Lordships ample discourse The refuting whereof I am constrained to put off and referre vnto an other place because he hath serued vs with the same dishes ouer and ouer againe There we shall see the L. Cardinall maketh way to the dispatching of Kings after deposition that Saul was not deposed as he hath presumed that in the Councill of Constance there is nothing to the purpose of murthering Soueraigne Princes that his Lordship supposing the French King may be depriued of his Crowne by a superiour power doth not hold his liege Lord to be Soueraine in France that by the position of the French Church from aage to aage the Kings of France are not subiect vnto any censure of deposition by the Pope that his Holinesse hath no iust and lawfull pretence to produce that any Christian King holds of him by fealtie or is obliged to doe the Pope homage for his Crowne Well then for the purpose he dwelleth onely vpon the third point pretended questionable and this hee affirmeth If any shall condemne or wrappe vnder the solemne curse the abettours of the Popes power to vnking lawfull and Soueraigne Kings the same shall runne vpon foure dangerous rocks of apparent incongruities and absurdities First he shall offer to force and entangle the consciences of many deuout persons For he shall binde them to beleeue and sweare that doctrine Pag. 14. the contrary whereof is beleeued of the whole Church and hath bene beleeued by their Predecessors Secondly he shall ouerturne from top to bottome the sacred authoritie of holy Church and shall set open a gate vnto all sorts of heresie by allowing Lay-persons a bold libertie to be iudges in causes of Religion and Faith For what is that degree of boldnesse but open vsurping of the Priesthood what is it but putting of prophane hands vpon the Arke what is it but laying of vnholy fingers vpon the holy Censor for perfumes Thirdly hee shall make way to a Schisme not possible to bee put by and auoyded by any humane prouidence For this doctrine beeing held and professed by all other Catholiques how can we declare it repugnant vnto Gods word how can wee hold it impious how can wee account it detestable but wee shall renounce communion with the Head and other members of the Church yea we shall confesse the Church in all aages to haue bene the Synagogue of Satan and the spouse of the Deuill Lastly by working the establishment of this Article which worketh an establishment of Kings Crownes He shall
the Order of Matrimonie and Relgion is wounded By this deuice not onely the Kings vices but likewise his naturall diseases and infirmities are fetcht into the circle of Religion and the L. Cardinall hath not done himselfe right in restraining the Popes power to depose Kings vnto the cases of Heresie Apostasie and persecution of the Church In the next place followeth Leo III. who by setting the Imperial Crowne vpon the head of Charles absolued all the Subiects in the West of their obedience to the Greeke Emperours if the L. of Perron might bee credited in this Example But indeed it is crowded among the rest by a slie tricke and cleane contrary to the naked trewth of all histories For it shall neuer be iustified by good historie that so much as one single person or man I say not one Countrey or one people was then wrought or wonne by the Pope to change his copy and Lord or from a subiect of the Greeke Emperours to turne subiect vnto Charlemaine Let me see but one Towne that Charlemaine recouered from the Greeke Emperours by his right and title to his Empire in the West No the Greeke Emperours had taken their farewell of the West Empire long before And therefore to nicke this vpon the tallie of Pope Leo his Acts that he tooke away the West from the Greeke Emperour it is euen as if one should say that in this aage the Pope takes the Dukedome of Milan from the French Kings or the citie of Rome from the Emperours of Germanie because their Predecessours in former aages had beene right Lords and gouernours of them both It is one of the Popes ordinary and solemne practises to take away much after the maner of his giuing For as he giueth what he hath not in his right and power to giue or bestoweth vpon others what is already their owne euen so he taketh away from Kings and Emperors the possessions which they haue not in present hold and possession After this maner he takes the West from the Greeke Emperors when they hold nothing in the West and lay no claime to any citie or towne of the West Empire And what shall wee call this way of depriuation but spoiling a naked man of his garments and killing a man already dead Trew it is the Imperiall Crowne was then set on Charlemaines head by Leo the Pope did Leo therefore giue him the Empire No more then a Bishop that crownes a King at his Royall and solemne consecration doeth giue him the Kingdome For shall the Pope himselfe take the Popedome from the Bishop of Ostia as of his gift because the crowning of the Pope is an Office of long time peculiar to the Ostian Bishop It was the custome of Emperours to be crowned Kings of Italy by the hands of the Archbishop of Milan did he therefore giue the Kingdome of Italy to the said Emperours And to returne vnto Charlemaine If the Pope had conueyed the Empire to him by free and gracious donation the Pope doubtlesse in the solemnitie of his coronation would neuer haue perfourmed vnto his ownecreature an Emperour of his owne making the dueties of adoration Perfectit landibus a Pontifice more Principum antiquorum adoratus est Auentinus Annalium Boiorum lib. 4. Posthaec ab eodem Pontifice vt caeteri veterum Prineipum mere maiorum aioratus est Magnus Sigeb ad an 801. Marianus Scotus lib. 3. Annalium Plat. in vita Leon. 3. Auent Annal. Boio lib. 4. Imperium transferre iure suo in Germanos Carolúmque tacito Senatus consulto plebiscitoque decernunt as Ado that liued in the same aage hath left it on record After the solemne prayses ended saith Ado the chiefe Bishop honoured him with adoration according to the custome of ancient Princes The same is like wise put downe by Auentine in the 4. booke of his Annals of Bauaria The like by the President Fauchet in his Antiquities and by Monsieur Petau Counsellour in the Court of Parliament at Paris in his Preface before the Chronicles of Eusebius Hierome and Sigebert It was therefore the people of Rome that called this Charles the Great vnto the Imperiall dignitie and cast on him the title of Emperour So testifieth Sigebert vpon the yeere 801. All the Romanes with one generall voice and consent ring out acclamations of Imperiall praises to the Emperour they crowne him by the bands of Leo the Pope they giue him the style of Caesar and Augustus Marianus Scotus hath as much in effect Charles was then called Augustus by the Romanes And so Platina After the solemne seruice Leo declareth and proclaimeth Charles Emperour according to the publike Decree and generall request of the people of Rome Auentine and Sigonius in his 4. booke of the Kingdome of Italie witnesse the same Neuerthelsse to gratifie the L. Cardinall Suppose Pope Leo dispossessed the Greeke Emperours of the West Empire What was the cause what infamous acte had they done what prophane and irreligious crime had they committed Nicephorus and Irene who reigned in the Greeke Empire in Charlemaines time were not reputed by the Pope or taken for Heretikes How then The L. Cardinall helpeth at a pinch and putteth vs in minde that Constantine and Leo predecessours to the said Emperours had beene poysoned with Heresie and stained with persecution Here then behold an Orthodoxe Prince deposed For what cause for Heresie forsooth not in himselfe but in some of his Predecessors long before An admirable case For I am of a contrary minde that he was worthy of double honour in restoring and setting vp the trewth againe which vnder his predecessors had endured oppression and suffered persecution Doubtlesse Pope Siluester was greatly ouerseene and played not well the Pope when hee winked at Constantine the Great and cast him not downe from his Imperiall Throne for the strange infide litie and Paganisme of Diocletian of Maximian and Maxentius whom Constantine succeeded in the Empire From this example the L. of Perron passeth to Fulke Archbishop of Reims Examp. 9. pag. 21. by whom Charles the Simple was threatned with Excommunication and refusing to continue any longer in the fidelity and allegiance of a subiect To what purpose is this example For who can be ignorant that all aages haue brought forth turbulent and stirring spirits men altogether forgetfull of respect and obseruance towards their Kings especially when the world finds them shallow and simple-witted like vnto this Prince But in this example where is there so much as one word of the Pope or the deposing of Kings Here the L. Cardinall chops in the example of Philip I. King of France but mangled and strangely disguised as hereafter shall be shewed At last he leadeth vs to Gregory VII surnamed Hildebrand Exam. 11. An. 1076. the scourge of Emperours the firebrand of warre the scorne of his aage This Pope after he had in the spirit of pride and in the very height of all audaciousnesse thundred the sentence of
excommunication and deposition against the Emperour Henry IIII. after he had enterprised this act without all precedent example after he had filled all Europe with blood this Pope I say sunke downe vnder the weight of his affaires and died as a fugitiue at Salerne ouerwhelmed with discontent and sorrow of heart Here lying at the point of giuing vp the ghoast Sigeb ad an 1085. calling vnto him as it is in Sigebert a certaine Cardinall whom he much fauoured He confesseth to God and Saint Peter and the whole Church that he had beene greatly defectiue in the Pastor all charge committed to his care and that by the Deuils instigation he had kindled the fire of Gods wrath and hatred against mankind Then hee sent his Confessor to the Emperour and to the whole Church to pray for his pardon because hee perceiued that his life was at an end Likewise Cardinall Benno that liued in the said Gregories time doth testifie That so soone as he was risen out of his Chaire to excommunicate the Emperour from his Cathedrall seate by the will of God the said Cathedrall seate new made of strong board or plancke did cracke and cleaue into many pieces or parts to manifest how great and terrible Schismes had beene sowen against the Church of Christ by an excommunication of so dangerous consequence pronounced by the man that had fit Iudge therein Now to bring and alleadge the example of such a man who by attempting an act which neuer any man had the heart of face to attempt before hath condemned all his predecessors of cowardise or at least of ignorance what is it else but euen to send vs to the schoole of mightie robbers and to seeke to correct and reforme ancient vertues by late vices Which Otho Frisingensis calling into his owne priuate consideration Otho Frisingens in vita Hen. 4. lib. 4. cap 31. hee durst freely professe that hee had not reade of any Emperour before this Henry the IIII. excommunicated or driuen out of his Imperiall Throne and Kingdome by the chiefe Bishop of Rome But if this quarrell may be tryed and fought out with weapons of examples I leaue any indifferent reader to iudge what examples ought in the cause to be of chiefest authority and weight whether late examples of Kings deposed by Popes for the most part neuer taking the intended effect or auncient examples of Popes actually and effectually thrust out of their thrones by Emperours and Kings The Emperour Constantius expelled Liberius Bishop of Rome out of the citie banished him as farre as Beroe and placed Foelix in his roome Theo. lib. 2. Hist cap. 16. Indeed Constantius was an Arrian and therein vsed no lesse impious then vniust proceeding Neuerthelesse the auncient Fathers of the Church doe not blame Constantius for his hard and sharpe dealing with a chiefe Bishop ouer whom hee had no lawfull power but onely as an enemie to the Orthodoxe faith and one that raged with extreame rigour of persecution against innocent beleeuers In the raigne of Valentinian the I. and yeare of the Lord 367. Ammia lib. 27 the contention betweene Damasus and Vrcisinus competitors for the Bishopricke filled the citie of Rome with a bloody sedition in which were wickedly and cruelly murdered 137. Decret dist 79. persons To meet with such turbulent actions Honorius made a law extant in the Decreetalls the words whereof be these If it shall happen henceforth by the temeritie of competitors that any two Bishops be elected to the See we straitly charge and command that neither of both shall fit in the said See Platina Sigebertus By vertue of this Law the same Honorius in the yeare 420. expelled Bonifacius and Eulalius competitors and Antipopes out of Rome though not long after he reuoked Bonifacius and setled him in the Papall See Theodoric the Goth King of Italy Anastatint Platina Lib. Pontifi Diaconus sent Iohn Bishop of Rome Embassador to the Emperour Iustinian called him home againe and clapt him vp in the close prison where he starued to death By the same King Peter Bishop of Altine was dispatched to Rome to heare the cause and examine the processe of Pope Symmachus then indited and accused of sundry crimes King Theodatus about the yeare 537. had the seruice of Pope Agapetus as his Embassadour to the Emperour Iustinian vpon a treatie of peace Agapetus dying in the time of that scruice Syluerius is made Bishop by Theodatus Not long after Syluerius is driuen out by Belisarius the Emperour his Lieutenant and sent into banishment After Syluerius next succeedeth Vigilius who with currant coine purchased the Popedome of Belisarius The Emperour Iustinian sends for Vigilius to Constantinople and receiues him there with great honour Soone after the Emperour takes offence at his freenesse in speaking his mind commands him to bee beaten with stripes in manner to death and with a roape about his necke to be drawne through the city like a thiefe as Platina relates the historie Nicephorus in his 26. booke and 17. chapter comes very neere the same relation The Emperour Constantius Platina Baronius Sigeberius in the yeere 654. caused Pope Martin to be bound with chaines and banished him into Chersonesus where he ended his life The Popes in that aage writing to the Emperours vsed none but submissiue tearmes by way of most humble supplications made profession of bowing the knee before their sacred Maiesties and of executing their commaunds with entire obedience payed to the Emperours twenty pound weight of gold for their Inuestiture which tribute was afterward released and remitted Iustin Authent 123. cap. 3. by Constantine the Bearded to Pope Agatho in the yeere 679. as I haue obserued in an other place Nay further euen when the power and riches of the Popes was growne to great height by the most profuse and immense munificence of Charlemayne and Lewis his sonne the Emperours of the West did not relinquish and giue ouer the making and vnmaking of Popes as they saw cause Pope Adrian 1. willingly submitted his necke to this yoke and made this Law to be passed in a Councill that in Charlemayne should rest all right and power for the Popes election and for the gouernement of the Papall See This Constitution is incerted in the Decretals Distinct 63. Can. * Note that in the same Dist the Can of Greg. 4. beginning with Cum Hadrianus 2. is false and supposititious because Gregorie 4. was Pope long before Hadr. 2. Triateterrima monstra Hadrianus and was confirmed by the practise of many yeeres In the yeere of the Lord 963. the Emperour Otho tooke away the Popedome from Iohn 13. and placed Leo 8. in his roume In like maner Iohn 14. Gregory 5. and Siluester 2. were seated in the Papall Throne by the Othos The Emperour Henrie 2. in the yeere 1007. deposed three Popes namely Bendict 9. Siluester 3. and Gregorie 6. whom Platina doeth not sticke to call three most detestable
be more cruel or more voyd of reason then to seeke to stop the strong and violent streame of tyrannie by sedition These words me thinke doe make very strongly and expresly against butchering euen of Tyrannical Kings And whereas a little after the said passage he teacheth to expell Tyrannie he hath not a word of expelling the Tyrant but onely of breaking and shaking off the yoke of Tyrannie Yet for all that he would not haue the remedies for the repressing of Tyrannie to be fetcht from the Pope who presumeth to degrade Kings but from Philosophers Lawyers Diuines and personages of good conuersation It appeareth now by all that hath bin said before that whereas Gerson in the 7. Considerat against Flatterers doeth affirme Whensoeuer the Prince doeth manifestly pursue and prosecute his naturall subiects and shew himselfe obstinately bent with notorious iniustice to vexe them of set purpose and with full consent so farre as to the fact then this rule and law of Nature doeth take place It is lawfull to resist and repell force by force and the sentence of Seneca There is no sacrifice more acceptable to God then a tyrant offered in sacrifice the words doeth take place are so to be vnderstood as he speaketh in another passage to wit with or amongst seditious persons Or else the words doeth take place doe onely signifie is put in practise And so Gerson there speaketh not as out of his owne iudgement His Lordship also should not haue balked and left out Sigebertus who with more reason might haue passed for French then Thomas and Occam whom hee putteth vpon vs for French Sigebertus in his Chronicle vpon the yeere 1088. speaking of the Emperours deposing by the Pope hath words of this tenour This Heresie was not crept out of the shell in those dayes that his Priests who hath said to the King Apostata and maketh an hypocrite to rule for the sinnes of the people should teach the people they owe no subiection vnto wicked Kings nor any alleagiance notwithstanding they haue taken the oath of alleagiance Now after the L. Cardinal hath coursed in this maner through the histories of the last aages which in case they all made for his purpose doe lacke the weight of authority in stead of searching the will of God in the sacred Oracles of his word and standing vpon examples of the ancient Church at last leauing the troupe of his owne allegations he betakes himselfe to the sharpening and rebating of the points of his aduersaries weapons For the purpose he brings in his aduersaries the champions of Kings Crownes makes them to speake out of his own mouth for his Lordship saith it will be obiected after this maner Pag. 52. sequentibus It may come to passe that Popes either caried with passion or misled by sinister information may without iust cause fasten vpon Kings the imputation of heresie or apostasie Then for King-deposers he frames this answere That by heresie they vnderstand notorious heresie and formerly condemned by sentence of the Church Moreouer in case the Pope hath erred in the fact it is the Clergies part adhering to their King to make remonstrances vnto the Pope and to require the cause may be referred to the iudgement of a full Councel the French Church then and there being present Now in this answere the L. Cardinall is of another mind then Bellarmine his brother Cardinall Aduers Barclaium For hee goes thus farre That a Prince condemned by vniust sentence of the Pope ought neuerthelesse to quit his Kingdome and that his Pastors vniust sentence shall not redound to his detriment prouided that hee giue way to the said sentence and shew himselfe not refractarie but stay the time in patience vntil the holy Father shall renounce his error and reuoke his foresaid vniust sentence In which case these two material points are to be presupposed The one That he who now hath seized the kingdome of the Prince displaced wil forthwith if the Pope shall sollicit and intercede returne the Kingdome to the hand of the late possessor The other That in the interim the Prince vniustly deposed shall not need to feare the bloody murderers mercilesse blade and weapon But on the other side the Popes power of so large a size as Bellarmine hath shaped is no whit pleasing to the L. Cardinals eye For in case the King should be vniustly deposed by the Pope not well informed he is not of the minde the Kingdome should stoupe to the Popes behests but will rather haue the Kingdome to deale by remonstrance and to referre the cause vnto the Council Wherein he makes the Council to be of more absolute and supreme authority then the Pope a straine to which the holy father will neuer lend his eare And yet doubtlesse the Council required in this case must be vniuersall wherein the French for so much as they stand firme for the King and his cause can be no Iudges and in that regard the L. Cardinal requireth onely the presence of the French Church Who seeth not here into what pickle the French cause is brought by this meanes The Bishops of Italie forsooth of Spaine of Sicilie of Germanie the subiects of Soueraignes many times at professed or priuie enmitie with France shall haue the cause compremitted and referred to their iudgement whether the Kindome of France shall driue out her Kings and shall kindle the flames of seditious troubles in the very heart and bowels of the Realme But is it not possible that a King may lacke the loue of his owne subiects and they taking the vantage of that occasion may put him to his trumps in his owne Kingdome Is it not possible that calumniations whereby a credulous Pope hath beene seduced may in like maner deceiue some part of a credulous people Is it not possible that one part of the people may cleaue to the Popes Faction another may hold and stand out for the Kings rightfull cause and ciuill warres may be kindled by the splene of these two sides Is it not possible that his Holinesse will not rest in the remonstrances of the French and will no further pursue his cause And whereas now a dayes a Generall Councill cannot be held except it be called and assembled by the Popes authority is it credible the Pope will take order for the conuocation of a Council by whom he shall be iudged And how can the Pope be President in a Councill where himselfe is the party impleaded and to whom the sifting of his owne sentence is referred as it were to Committies to examine whether it was denounced according to Law or against Iustice But in the meane time whilest all these remonstrances and addresses of the Council are on foot behold the Royall Maiestie of the King hangeth as it were by loose gimmals and must stay the iudgement of the Council to whom it is referred Well what if the Councill should happe to be two or three yeeres in assembling and
to display the colours and ensignes of their censures against Princes who violating their publike and solemne oath doe raise and make open warre against Iesus Christ I grant yet againe that in this case they need not admit Laics to be of their counsell nor allow them any scope or libertie of iudgement Yet all this makes no barre to Clerics for extending the power of their keyes many times a whole degree further then they ought and when they are pleased to make vse of their said power to depriue the people of their goods or the Prince of his Crowne all this doeth not hinder Prince or people from taking care for the preseruation of their owne rights and estates nor from requiring Clerics to shew their cards and produce their Charts and to make demonstration by Scripture that such power as they assume and challenge is giuen them from God For to leaue the Pope absolute Iudge in the same cause wherein hee is a partie and which is the strongest rampier and bulwarke yea the most glorious and eminent point of his domination to arme him with power to vnhorse Kings out of their seates what is it else but euen to draw them into a state of despaire for euer winning the day or preuailing in their honourable and rightful cause It is moreouer granted if a King shall command any thing directly contrary to Gods word and tending to the subuerting of the Church that Clerics in this case ought not onely to dispense with subiects for their obedience but also expresly to forbid their obedience For it is alwayes better to obey God then man Howbeit in all other matters whereby the glory and maiestie of God is not impeached or impaired it is the duety of Clerics to plie the people with wholesome exhortation to constant obedience and to auert by earnest disswasions the said people from tumultuous reuolt and seditious insurrection This practise vnder the Pagan Emperours was held and followed by the ancient Christians by whose godly zeale and patience in bearing the yoke the Church in times past grew and flourished in her happy and plentifull increase farre greater then Poperie shall euer purchase and attaine vnto by all her cunning deuices and sleights as namely by degrading of Kings by interdicting of Kingdoms by apposted murders and by Diabolicall traines of Gunne-powder-mines The places of Scripture alleadged in order by the Cardinal Pag 66. in fauour of those that stand for the Popes claime of power and authoritie to depose Kings are cited with no more sincerity then the former They alledge these are his words that Samuel deposed King Saul or declared him to bee deposed because hee had violated the Lawes of the Iewes Religion His Lordship auoucheth elsewere that Saul was deposed because he had sought prophanely to vsurpe the holy Priesthood Both false and contrary to the tenour of trewth in the sacred history For Saul was neuer deposed according to the sense of the word I meane depose in the present question to wit as deposing is taken for despoiling the King of his royall dignitie and reducing the King to the condition of a priuate person But Saul held the title of King and continued in possession of his Kingdome euen to his dying day 1. Sam. 23.20 24.15 2. Sam. 2.5 Yea the Scripture styles him King euen to the periodicall and last day of his life by the testimony of Dauid himselfe who both by Gods promise and by precedent vnction was then heire apparant as it were to the Crown in a maner then ready to gird and adorne the temples of his head For if Samuel by Gods commandement had then actually remooued Saul from his Throne doubtlesse the whole Church of Israel had committed a grosse errour in taking and honouring Saul for their King after such deposition doubtlesse the Prophet Samuel himselfe making knowen the Lords Ordinance vnto the people would haue enioyned them by strict prohibition to call him no longer the King of Israel Doubtlesse Dauid would neuer haue held his hand from the throat of Saul 1. Sam. 26.11 for this respect and consideration because he was the Lords Anointed For if Saul had lost his Kingly authority from that instant when Samuel gaue him knowledge of his reiection then Dauid lest otherwise the Body of the Kingdome should want a Royall Head was to beginne his Reigne and to beare the Royall scepter in the very same instant which were to charge the holy Scriptures with vntrewth in as much as the sacred historie begins the computation of the yeeres of Dauids Reigne from the day of Sauls death Trew it is that in the 1. Sam. cap. 15. Saul was denounced by Gods owne sentence a man reiected and as it were excommunicated out of the Kingdome that hee should not rule and reigne any longer as King ouer Israel neuerthelesse the said sentence was not put in execution before the day when God executing vpon Saul an exemplarie iudgement did strike him with death From whence it is manifest and cleare 1. Sam. 16.23 that when Dauid was annointed King by Samuel that action was onely a promise and a testimony of the choice which God had made of Dauid for succession immediately after Saul and not a present establishment inuestment or installment of Dauid in the Kingdome Wee reade the like in 1. King cap. 19. where God commandeth Elias the Prophet to annoint Hasael King of Syria For can any man bee so blinde and ignorant in the sacred historie to beleeue the Prophets of Israel established or sacred the Kings of Syria For this cause 2. Sam. 2.4 when Dauid was actually established in the Kingdome hee was annointed the second time In the next place he brings in the Popes champions vsing these words Rehoboam was deposed by Ahiah the Prophet 1 King 12. from his Royall right ouer the tenne Tribes of Israel because his father Salomon had played the Apostata in falling from the Law of God This I say also is more then the trewth of the sacred history doeth afoard For Ahiah neuer spake to Rehoboam for ought we reade nor brought vnto him any message from the Lord As for the passage quoted by the L. Cardinal out of 3. Reg. chap. 11. it hath not reference to the time of Rehoboams raigne but rather indeed to Salomons time nor doeth it carry the face of a iudicatorie sentence for the Kings deposing but rather of a Propheticall prediction For how could Rehoboam before hee was made King be depriued of the Kingdome Last of all but worst of all to alleadge this passage for an example of a iust sentence in matter of deposing a King is to approoue the disloyall treacherie of a seruant against his master and the rebellion of Ieroboam branded in Scripture with a marke of perpetuall infamie for his wickednesse and impietie He goes on with an other example of no more trewth 1. King 19. King Achab was deposed by Elias the Prophet
of our Catholike Religion then if it should bee granted the Church hath decided the said points without any authoritie c. Mee thinkes the L. Cardinal in the whole draught and course of these words doeth seeke not a little to blemish the honour of his Church and to marke his religion with a blacke coale For the whole frame of his Mother-Church is very easie to be shaken if by the establishing of this Article she shall come to finall ruine and shall become the Synagogue of Satan Likewise Kings are brought into a very miserable state and condition if their Souereigntie shall not stand if they shall not bee without danger of deposition but by the totall ruine of the Church and by holding the Pope whom they serue to be Antichrist The L. Cardinall himselfe let him be well sifted herein doeth not credit his owne words For doeth not his Lordship tell vs plaine that neither by Diuine testimony nor by any sentence of the ancient Church the knot of this controuersie hath bene vntied againe that some of the French by the Popes fauourable indulgence are licensed or tolerated to say their mind to deliuer their opinion of this question though contrary to the iudgement of his Holinesse prouided they hold it onely as problematicall and not as necessary What Can there be any assurance for the Pope that hee is not Antichrist for the Church of Rome that she is not a Synagogue of Satan when a mans assurance is grounded vpon wauering and wilde vncertainties without Canon of Scripture without consent or countenance of antiquitie and in a cause which the Pope by good leaue suffereth some to tosse with winds of problematicall opinion It hath beene shewed before that by Gods word whereof small reckoning perhaps is made by venerable antiquitie and by the French Church in those times when the Popes power was mounted aloft the doctrine which teacheth deposing of Kings by the Pope hath bene checked and countermanded What did the French in those dayes beleeue the Church was then swallowed vp and no where visible or extant in the world No verely Those that make the Pope of Soueraigne authoritie for matters of Faith are not perswaded that in this cause they are bound absolutely to beleeue and credit his doctrine Why so Because they take it not for any decree or determination of Faith but for a point perteining to the mysteries of State and a pillar of the Popes Temporall Monarchie who hath not receiued any promise from God that in causes of this nature hee shall not erre For they hold that errour by no meanes can crawle or scramble vp to the Papall See so highly mounted but grant ambition can scale the highest walls and climbe the loftiest pinacles of the same See They hold withall that in case of so speciall aduantage to the Pope whereby he is made King of Kings and as it were the pay-master or distributer of Crownes it is against all reason that hee should sit as Iudge to carue out Kingdomes for his owne share To bee short let his Lordship be assured that he meeteth with notorious blocke-heads more blunt-witted then a whetstone when they are drawen to beleeue by his perswasion that whosoeuer beleeues the Pope hath no right nor power to put Kings beside their Thrones to giue and take away Crownes are all excluded and barred out of the heauenly Kingdome But now followes a worse matter For they whom the Cardinall reproachfully calls heretikes haue wrought and wonne his Lordship as to mee seemeth to plead their cause at the barre and to betray his owne cause to these heretikes For what is it in his Lordship but plaine playing the Praeuaricator when he crieth so lowd that by admitting and establishing of this Article the doctrine of Cake-incarnation and priuie Confession to a Priest is vtterly subuerted Let vs heare his reason and willingly accept the trewth from his lips The Articles as his Lordship granteth of Transubstantiation auricular Confession and the Popes power to depose Kings are all grounded alike vpon the same authoritie Now he hath acknowledged the Article of the Popes power to depose Kings is not decided by the Scripture nor by the ancient Church but within the compasse of certaine aages past by the authoritie of Popes and Councils Then he goes on well and inferres with good reason that in case the point of the Popes power be weakened then the other two points must needs bee shaken and easily ouerthrowen So that hee doeth confesse the monstrous birth of the breaden-God and the blind Sacrament or vaine fantasie of auricular confession are no more conueyed into the Church by pipes from the springs of sacred Scripture or from the riuers of the ancient Church then that other point of the Popes power ouer Kings and their Crownes Very good For were they indeed deriued from either of those two heads that is to say were they grounded vpon the foundation of the first or second authoritie then they could neuer bee shaken by the downefall of the Popes power to depose Kings I am well assured that for vsing so good a reason the world will hold his Lordship in suspicion that he still hath somesmacke of his fathers discipline and instruction who in times past had the honour to be a Minister of the holy Gospel Howbeit he playeth not faire nor vseth sincere dealing in his proceeding against such as he calls heretikes when hee casts in their dish and beares them in hand they frowardly wrangle for the inuisibilitie of the Church in earth For indeed the matter is nothing so They freely acknowledge a visible Church For howsoeuer the assembly of Gods elect doth make a body not discerneable by mans eye yet we assuredly beleeue and gladly professe there neuer wanted a visible Church in the world yet onely visible to such as make a part of the same All that are without see no more but men they doe not see the said men to be the trew Church Wee beleeue moreouer of the vniuersall Church visible that it is composed of many particular Churches whereof some are better fined and more cleane from lees and dregs then other and withall we denie the purest Churches to be alwayes the greatest and most visible THE FOVRTH AND LAST INCONVENIENCE EXAMINED THE Lord Cardinall before he looketh into the last Inconuenience vseth a certaine preamble of his owne life past and seruices done to the Kings Henry the III. and IIII. Touching the latter of which two Kings his Lordship saith in a straine of boasting after this manner I by the grace of God or the grace of God by mee rather reduced him to the Catholike religion I obtained at Rome his absolution of Pope Clement 8. I reconciled him to the holy See Touching the first of these points I say the time the occasions and the foresaid Kings necessary affaires doe sufficiently testifie that he was induced to change his mind and to alter his religion vpon the strength of other
violent and bloody death or some other mischiefe more intolerable then death it selfe What are we the better that parricides of Kings are neither set on nor approued by the Church in their abominable actions when shee layeth such plots and taketh such courses as necessarily doe inferre the cutting of their throates In the next place be it noted that his Lordship against all reason reckons the absoluing of subiects from the oath of alleagiance in the ranke of penalties awarded and enioyned before the Ecclesiasticall tribunall seate For this penaltie is not Ecclesiasticall but Ciuill and consequently not triable in Ecclesiasticall Courts without vsurping vpon the Ciuill Magistrate But I wonder with what face the L. Cardinall can say The Church neuer consenteth to any practise against his life whom she hath once chastised with seuere censures For can his Lordship be ignorant what is written by Pope Vrbanus Can. Excommunicatorum Can. excoâ— Caus 23. Quaest 6. Wee take them not in any wise to bee man-slayers who in a certaine heat of zeale towards the Catholike Church their Mother shall happen to kill an excommunicate person More if the Pope doth not approoue and like the practise of King-killing wherefore hath not his Holinesse imposed some seuere censure vpon the booke of Mariana the Iesuite by whom parricides are commended nay highly extolled when his Holinesse hath beene pleased to take the paines to censure and call in some other of Mariana's bookes Againe wherefore did his Holinesse aduise himselfe to censure the Decree of the Court of Parliament in Paris against Iohn Chastell Wherefore did hee suffer Garnet and Oldcorne my powder-miners both by bookes and pictures vendible vnder his nose in Rome to be inrowled in the Canon of holy Martyrs And when hee saw two great Kings murdered one after another wherefore by some publike declaration did not his Holinesse testifie to all Christendome his inward sense and trew apprehension of so great misfortune as all Europe had iust cause to lament on the behalfe of France Wherefore did not his Holinesse publish some Law or Pontificiall Decree to prouide for the securitie of Kings in time to come Trew it is that he censured Becanus his booke But wherefore That by a captious and sleight censure he might preuent a more exact and rigorous Decree of the Sorbone Schoole For the Popes checke to Becanus was onely agenerall censure and touch without any particular specification of matter touching the life of Kings About some two moneths after the said booke was printed againe with a dedication to the Popes Nuntio in Germany yet without any alteration saue onely of two articles conteining the absolute power of the people ouer Kings In recompence and for a counterchecke whereof three or foure articles were inserted into the said booke touching the Popes power ouer Kings articles no lesse wicked iniurious to Regall rights nay more iniurious then any of the other clauses whereof iust cause of exception and complaint had bene giuen before If I would collect and heape vp examples of ancient Emperours as of Henrie IV. whos 's dead corps felt the rage and furie of the Pope or of Frederic II. against whom the Pope was not ashamed to whet and kindle the Sultane or of Queene Elizabeth our Predecessour of glorious memorie whose life was diuers times assaulted by priuie murderers expresly dispatched from Rome for that holy seruice if I would gather vp other examples of the same stampe which I haue layd forth in my Apologie for the oath of alleagiance I could make it more cleare then day-light how farre the L. Cardinals words are discrepant from the trewth where his Lordship out of most rare considence is bold to auow Page 97. That neuer any Pope went so farre as to giue consent or counsell for the desperate murdering of Princes That which already hath bene alleadged may suffice to conuince his Lordship I meane that his Holinesse by deposing of Kings doeth lead them directly to their graues and tombes The Cardinall himselfe seemeth to take some notice hereof The Church as he speaketh abhorreth sudden and vnprepensed murders aboue therest Pag. 95. Doth not his Lordship in this phrase of speech acknowledge that murders committed by open force are not so much disauowed or disclaimed by the Church A little after he speakes not in the teeth as before but with full and open mouth that hee doeth not dislike a King once deposed by the Pope should be pursued with open warre Whereupon it followes that in warre the King may be lawfully slaine No doubt a remarkeable degree of his Lordships clemencie A King shall bee better entreated and more mildly dealt withal if he be slaine by the shot of an harquebuse or caleeuer in the field then if hee bee stabd by the stroke or thrust of a knife in his chamber or if at a siege of some city hee be blowne vp with a myne then by a myne made and a traine of gunpowder laid vnder his Palace or Parliament house in time of peace His reason Forsooth because in sudden murders oftentimes the soule and the body perish both together O singular bountie and rare clemencie prouokers instigators strong puffers and blowers of parricides in mercifull compassion of the soule become vnmercifull and shamefull murderers of the body This deuice may well claime and challenge kinred of Mariana the Iesuites inuention For he liketh not at any hand the poisoning of a Tyrant by his meat or drinke for feare lest he taking the poison with his owne hand and swallowing or gulping it downe in his meate or drinke so taken should be found felo de se as the common Lawyer speaketh or culpable of his owne death But Mariana likes better to haue a Tyrant poysoned by his chaire or by his apparell and robes after the example of the Mauritanian Kings that being so poysoned onely by sent or by contact he may not be found guiltie of selfe-fellonie and the soule of the poore Tyrant in her flight out of the body may be innocent O hel-hounds O diabolical wretches O infernall monsters Did they onely suspect and imagine that either in Kings there is any remainder of Kingly courage or in their subiects any sparke left of ancient libertie they durst as soone eat their nailes or teare their owne flesh from the bones as once broach the vessell of this diabolicall deuice How long then how long shall Kings whom the Lord hath called his Anointed Kings the breathing Images of God vpon earth Kings that with a wry or frowning looke are able to crush these earth-wormes in pieces how long shall they suffer this viperous brood scotfree and without punishment to spit in their faces how long the Maiestie of GOD in their person and Royall Maiestie to be so notoriously vilified so dishonourably trampled vnder foot The L. Cardinall borads vs with a like manifest ieast and notably trifles first distinguishing betweene Tyrants by administration and Tyrants by vsurpation then
of his life in the city of Tours Certaine it is they neuer abandoned that Henry 3. nor his next successor Henry 4. in all the heat of reuolts and rebellions raised in the greatest part of the Kingdome by the Pope and the more part of the Clergie but stood to the said Kings in all their battels to beare vp the Crowne then tottering and ready to fall Certaine it is that euen the heads and principalls of those by whom the late King deceased was pursued with all extremities at this day doe enioy the fruit of all the good seruices done to the King by the said Protestants And they are now disgraced kept vnder exposed to publike hatred What for kindling coales of questions and controuersies about Religion Forsooth not so but because if they might haue equall and indifferent dealing if credit might be giuen to their faithfull aduertisements the Crowne of their Kings should bee no longer pinned to the Popes flie-flap in France there should bee no French exempted from subiection to the French King causes of benefices or of matrimonie should bee no longer citable and summonable to the Romish Court and the Kingdome should bee no longer tributarie vnder the colour of annats the first fruits of Benefices after the remooue or death of the Incumbent and other like impositions But why doe I speake so much in the behalfe of the French Protestants The Lord Cardinall himselfe quittes them of this blame when he telleth vs this doctrine for the deposing of Kings by the Popes mace or verge had credit and authoritie through all France vntill Caluins time Doth not his Lordship vnder-hand confesse by these words that Kings had beene alwaies before Caluins time the more dishonoured and the worse serued Item that Protestants whom his Lordship calls heretikes by the light of holy Scripture made the world then and euer since to see the right of Kings oppressed so long before As for those of the Low Countries and the subiects of Swethland I haue little to say of their case because it is not within ordinary compasse and indeed serueth nothing to the purpose These Nations besides the cause of Religion doe stand vpon certaine reasons of State which I will not here take vpon me like a Iudge to determine or to sift Iunius Brutus Whom the Lord Cardinall obiecteth is an author vnknowne and perhaps of purpose patcht vp by some Romanist with a wyly deceit to draw the reformed Religion into hatred with Christian Princes Buchanan I reckon and ranke among Poets not among Diuines classicall or common If the man hath burst out here and there into some tearmes of excesse or speach of bad temper that must be imputed to the violence of his humour and heate of his spirit not in any wise to the rules and conclusions of trew Religion rightly by him conceiued before Barclaius alledged by the Cardinall meddles not with deposing of Kings but deals with disavowing them for Kings when they shal renounce the right of Royalty and of their owne accord giue ouer the Kingdome Now he that leaues it in the Kings choice either to hold or to giue ouer his Crowne leaues it not in the Popes power to take away the Kingdome Of Gerson obtruded by the Cardinal we haue spoken sufficiently before Where it hath beene shewed how Gerson is disguised masked and peruerted by his Lordship In briefe I take not vpon me to iustifie and make good all the sayings of particular authors We glory and well we may that our religion affordeth no rules of rebellion nor any dispensation to subiects for the oath of their allegiance and that none of our Churches giue entertainement vnto such monstrous and abhominable principles of disloyaltie If any of the French otherwise perswaded in former times Richcrius now hauing altered and changed his iudgement doth contend for the Soueraignty of Kings against Papall vsurpation He doubtles for winding himselfe out of the Laborinth of an error so intricate pernicious deserueth great honour and speciall praise He is worthy to hold a place of dignity aboue the L. Cardinall who hath quitted and betrayed his former iudgement which was holy and iust Their motions are contrary their markes are opposite The one reclineth from euill to good the other declineth from good to euill At last his Lordship commeth to the close of his Oration and bindes vp his whole harangue with a feate wreath of praises proper to his King He styles the King the eldest Sonne of the Church a young shoot of the lilly which King Salomon in all his Royaltie was not able to match He leades vs by the hand into the pleasant meadowes of Histories there to learne vpon the very first sight and view That so long so oft as the Kings of France embraced vnion and kept good tearmes of concord with Popes and the Apostolike See so long as the spouse of the Church was pastured and fed among the lillies all sorts of spirituall and temporall graces abundantly showred vpon their Crownes and vpon their people On the contrary when they made any rent or separation from the most holy See then the lillies were pricked and almost choaked with sharpe thornes they beganne to droope to stoope and to beare their beautifull heads downe to the very ground vnder the strong flawes and gusts of boystrous windes and tempests My answere to this flourishing close and vpshot shall be no lesse apert then apt It sauours not of good and faithfull seruice to smooth and stroake the Kings head with a soft hand of oyled speech and in the meane time to take away the Crowne from his head and to defile it with dirt But let vs try the cause by euidence of Historie yea by the voice and verdict of experience to see whether the glorious beauty of the French lillies hath beene at any time blasted and thereupon hath faded by starting aside and making separation from the holy See Vnder the raigne of King Philip the Faire France was blessed with peace and prosperity notwithstanding some outragious acts done against the Papall See and contumelious crying quittance by King Philip with the Pope Lewis 12. in ranged battell defeated the armies of Pope Iulius 2. and his Confederates proclaimed the said Pope to be fallen from the Popedome stamped certaine coynes and pieces of gold with a dishonourable mot euen to Rome it selfe Rome is Babylon yet so much was Lewis loued and honoured of his people that by a peculiar title he was called the Father of the Country Greater blessings of God greater outward peace and plenty greater inward peace with spirituall and celestiall treasures were neuer heaped vpon my Great Brittaine then haue beene since my Great Brittaine became Great in the greatest and chiefest respect of all to wit since my Great Brittaine hath shaken off the Popes yoke since she hath refused to receiue and to entertaine the Popes Legats employed to collect S. Peters tribute or Peter-pence since the Kings of England
Inheritance to his children at his pleasure yea euen disinherite the eldest vpon iust occasions and preferre the youngest according to his liking make them beggers or rich at his pleasure restraine or banish out of his presence as hee findes them giue cause of offence or restore them in fauour againe with the penitent sinner So may the King deale with his Subiects And lastly as for the head of the naturall body the head hath the power of directing all the members of the body to that vse which the iudgement in the head thinkes most conuenient It may apply sharpe cures or cut off corrupt members let blood in what proportion it thinkes fit and as the body may spare but yet is all this power ordeined by God Ad aedificationem non ad destructionem For although God haue power aswell of destruction as of creation or maintenance yet will it not agree with the wisedome of God to exercise his power in the destruction of nature and ouerturning the whole frame of things since his creatures were made that his glory might thereby be the better expressed So were hee a foolish father that would disinherite or destroy his children without a cause or leaue off the carefull education of them And it were an idle head that would in place of phisicke so poyson or phlebotomize the body as might breede a dangerous distemper or destruction thereof But now in these our times we are to distinguish betweene the state of Kings in their first originall and betweene the state of setled Kings and Monarches that doe at this time gouerne in ciuill Kingdomes For euen as God during the time of the olde Testament spake by Oracles and wrought by Miracles yet how soone it pleased him to setle a Church which was bought and redeemed by the blood of his onely Sonne Christ then was there a cessation of both Hee euer after gouerning his people and Church within the limits of his reueiledwill So in the first originall of Kings whereof some had their beginning by Conquest and some by election of the people their wills at that time serued for Law Yet how soone Kingdomes began to be setled in ciuilitie and policie then did Kings set downe their minds by Lawes which are properly made by the King onely but at the rogation of the people the Kings grant being obteined thereunto And so the King became to be Lex loquens after a sort binding himselfe by a double oath to the obseruation of the fundamentall Lawes of his kingdome Tacitly as by being a King and so bound to protect aswell the people as the Lawes of his Kingdome And Expresly by his oath at his Coronation So as euery iust King in a setled Kingdome is bound to obserue that paction made to his people by his Lawes in framing his gouernment agreeable thereunto according to that paction which God made with Noe after the deluge Hereafter Seed-time and Haruest Cold and Heate Summer and Winter and Day and Night shall not cease so long as the earth remaines And therefore a King gouerning in a setled Kingdome leaues to be a King and degenerates into a Tyrant assoone as he leaues off to rule according to his Lawes In which case the Kings conscience may speake vnto him as the poore widow said to Philip of Macedon Either gouerne according to your Law Aut ne Rexsis And though no Christian man ought to allow any rebellion of people against their Prince yet doeth God neuer leaue Kings vnpunished when they transgresse these limits For in that same Psalme where God saith to Kings Vos Dij estis hee immediatly thereafter concludes But ye shall die like men The higher wee are placed the greater shall our fall be Vt casus sic dolor the taller the trees be the more in danger of the winde and the tempest beats sorest vpon the highest mountaines Therefore all Kings that are not tyrants or periured wil be glad to bound themselues within the limits of their Lawes and they that perswade them the contrary are vipers and pests both against them and the Common-wealth For it is a great difference betweene a Kings gouernment in a setled State and what Kings in their originall power might doe in Indiuiduo vago As for my part I thanke God I haue euer giuen good proofe that I neuer had intention to the contrary And I am sure to goe to my graue with that reputation and comfort that neuer King was in all his time more carefull to haue his Lawes duely obserued and himselfe to gouerne thereafter then I. I conclude then this point touching the power of Kings with this Axiome of Diuinitie That as to dispute what God may doe is Blasphemie but quid vult Deus that Diuines may lawfully and doe ordinarily dispute and discusse for to dispute A Posse ad Esse is both against Logicke and Diuinitie So is it sedition in Subiects to dispute what a King may do in the height of his power But iust Kings wil euer be willing to declare what they wil do if they wil not incurre the curse of God I wil not be content that my power be disputed vpon but I shall euer be willing to make the reason appeare of all my doings and rule my actions according to my Lawes The other branch of this incident is concerning the Common Law being conceiued by some that I contemned it and preferred the Ciuil Law thereunto As I haue already said Kings Actions euen in the secretest places are as the actions of those that are set vpon the Stages or on the tops of houses and I hope neuer to speake that in priuate which I shall not auow in publique and Print it if need be as I said in my BASILICON DORON For it is trew that within these few dayes I spake freely my minde touching the Common Law in my Priuie Chamber at the time of my dinner which is come to all your eares and the same was likewise related vnto you by my Treasurer and now I will againe repeate and confirme the same my selfe vnto you First as a King I haue least cause of any man to dislike the Common Law For no Law can bee more fauourable and aduantagious for a King and extendeth further his Prerogatiue then it doeth And for a King of England to despile the Common Law it is to neglect his owne Crowne It is trew that I doe greatly esteeme the Ciuill Law the profession thereof seruing more for generall learning and being most necessary for matters of Treatie with all forreine Nations And I thinke that if it should bee taken away it would make an entrie to Barbarisme in this Kingdome and would blemish the honour of England For it is in a maner LEX GENTIVM and maintaineth Intercourse with all forreme Nations but I onely allow it to haue course here according to those limits of Iurisdiction which the Common Law it selfe doeth allow it And therefore though it bee not fit for the
Chancery for other Benches I am not yet so well resolued of their Iurisdiction in that point And for my part I was neuer against Prohibitions of this nature nor the trew vse of them which is indeed to keepe euery Riuer within his owne banks and channels But when I saw the swelling and ouerflowing of Prohibitions in a farre greater abundance then euer before euery Court striuing to bring in most moulture to their owne Mill by multitudes of Causes which is a disease very naturall to all Courts and Iurisdictions in the world Then dealt I with this Cause and that at two seuerall times once in the middest of Winter and againe in the middest of the next following Summer At euery of which times I spent three whole daies in that labour And then after a large hearing I told them as Christ said concerning Mariage Ab initio non fuit sic For as God conteins the Sea within his owne bounds and marches as it is in the Psalmes So is it my office to make euery Court conteine himselfe within his own limits And therfore I gaue admonitions to both sides To the other Courts that they should be carefull hereafter euery of them to conteine themselues within the bounds of their owne Iurisdictions and to the Courts of Common Law that they should not bee so forward and prodigall in multiplying their Prohibitions Two cautions I willed them to obserue in graunting their Prohibitions First that they should be graunted in a right and lawfull forme And next that they should not grant them but vpon a iust and reasonable cause As to the forme it was That none should be graunted by any one particular Iudge or in time of Vacation or in any other place but openly in Court And to this the Iudges themselues gaue their willing assent And as to the Cause That they should not be granted vpon euery sleight furmise or information of the partie but alwayes that a due and graue examination should first precede Otherwise if Prohibitions should rashly and headily be granted then no man is the more secure of his owne though hee hath gotten a Sentence with him For as good haue no Law or Sentence as to haue no execution thereof A poore Minister with much labour and expense hauing exhausted his poore meanes and being forced to forbeare his studie and to become non resident from his flocke obtaines a Sentence and then when hee loookes to enioy the fruits thereof he is defrauded of all by a Prohibition according to the parable of Christ That night when hee thinkes himselfe most happy shall his soule be taken from him And so is he tortured like Tantalus who when he hath the Apple at his mouth and that he is gaping and opening his mouth to receiue it then must it be pulled from him by a Prohibition and he not suffered to taste thereof So as to conclude this point I put a difference betweene the trew vse of Prohibitions and the superabounding abuse thereof for as a thing which is good ought not therefore bee abused so ought not the lawfull vse of a good thing be forborne because of the abuse thereof NOw the second generall ground whereof I am to speake concernes the matter of Grieuances There are two speciall causes of the peoples presenting Grieuances to their King in time of Parliament First for that the King cannot at other times be so well informed of all the Grieuances of his people as in time of Parliament which is the representatiue body of the whole Realme Secondly the Parliament is the highest Court of Iustice and therefore the fittest place where diuers natures of Grieuances may haue their proper remedie by the establishment of good and wholsome Lawes But though my Speech was before directed to the whole Body of Parliament yet in this case I must addresse my Speech in speciall to you of the Lower House I am now then to recommend vnto your considerations the matter and manner of your handling and presenting of Grieuances As for the manner though I will not denie but that yee representing the Body of the people may as it were both opportunè and inopportunè I meane either in Parliament as a Body or out of Parliament as priuate men present your Grieuances vnto mee yet would I haue you to vse this caution in your behauiour in this point which is that your Grieuances be not as it were greedily sought out by you or taken vp in the streetes as one said thereby to shew a willingnesse that you would haue a shew made that there are many abuses in the gouernment and many causes of complaint but that according to your first institution ye should only meddle with such Grieuances as your selues doe know had neede of reformation or had informations thereof in your countreys for which you serue and not so to multiply them as might make it noised amongst the people that all things in the gouernment were amisse and out of frame For euen at the beginning of this very Session of Parliament the generall name of Grieuances being mentioned among you such a conceipt came in the heads of many that you had a desire to multiply and make a great muster of them as euery one exhibited what his particular spleene stirred him vnto Indeed there fell out an accident vpon this occasion for which I haue reason to thanke you of the Lower house I meane for your fire worke wherein I confesse you did Honour to me and right to your selues For hauing one afternoone found many Grieuances closely presented in papers and so all thrust vp in a sacke together rather like Pasquils then any lawfull Complaints farre against your owne Orders and diuers of them proceeding from grudging and murmuring spirits you vpon the hearing read two or three of the first lines of diuers of them were not content with a publique consent to condemne them and to discharge any further reading of them but you also made a publique bonefire of them In this I say you shewed your care and ielousie of my Honour and I sent you thankes for it by the Chancellour of the Exchequer a member of your owne House who by your appointment that same night acquainted me with your proceedings And by him also I promised at that time that you should heare more of my thankes for the same at the first occasion And now I tell you it my selfe that you may know how kindely I take your duetifull behauiour in this case But since this was a good effect of an euill cause I must not omit also to admonish you vpon the other part to take a course amongst your selues to preuent the like accident in all times hereafter otherwise the Lower house may become a place for Pasquils and at another time such Grieuances may be cast in amongst you as may conteine Treason or scandal against Me or my Posterity Therfore in this case looke ouer your ancient Orders follow them and suffer not hereafter
any petitions or Grieuances to be deliuered obscurely or in the darke but openly and auowedly in your Publique house and there to be presented to the Speaker And as to the matter of your Grieuances I wish you here now to vnderstand me rightly And because I see many writing and noting I will craue your pardons to holde you a little longer by speaking the more distinctly for feare of mistaking First then I am not to finde fault that you informe your selues of the particular iust Grieuances of the people Nay I must tell you ye can neither be iust nor faithfull to me or to your Countreys that trust and imploy you if you doe it not For true Plaints proceede not from the persons imployed but from the Body represented which is the people And it may very well bee that many Directions and Commissions iustly giuen forth by me may be abused in the Execution thereof vpon the people and yet I neuer to receiue information except it come by your meanes at such a time as this is as in the case of Stephen Procter But I would wish you to be carefull to auoide three things in the matter of Grieuances First that you doe not meddle with the maine points of Gouernment that is my craft tractent fabrilia sabri to meddle with that were to lesson me I am now an old King for sixe and thirtie yeeres haue I gouerned in Scotland personally and now haue I accomplished my appâ—enticeship of seuen yeeres heere and seuen yeeres is a great time for a Kings experience in Gouernment Therefore there would not bee too many Phormios to teach Hannibal I must not be taught my Office Secondly I would not haue you meddle with such ancient Rights of mine as I haue receiued from my Predecessors possessing them More Maiorum such things I would bee sorie should bee accounted for Grieuances All nouelties are dangerous as well in a politique as in a naturall Body And therefore I would be loth to be quarrelled in my ancient Rights and possessions for that were to iudge mee vnworthy of that which my Predecessors had and left me And lastly I pray you beware to exhibite for Grieuance any thing that is established by a setled Law and whereunto as you haue already had a proofe you know I will neuer giue a plausible answere For it is an vndutifull part in Subiects to presse their King wherein they know before-hand he will refuse them Now if any Law or Statute be not conuenient let it be amended by Parliament but in the meane time terme it not a Grieuance for to be grieued with the Law is to be grieued with the King who is sworne to bee the Patron and mainteiner thereof But as all men are flesh and may erre in the execution of Lawes So may ye iustly make a Grieuance of any abuse of the Law distinguishing wisely betweene the faults of the person and the thing it selfe As for example Complaints may be made vnto you of the high Commissioners If so be trie the abuse and spare not to complaine vpon it but say not there shall be no Commission For that were to abridge the power that is in me and I will plainely tell you That something I haue with my selfe resolued annent that point which I meane euer to keepe except I see other great cause which is That in regard the high Commission is oâ— so high a nature from which there is no appellation to any other Court I haue thought good to restraine it onely to the two Archbishops where before it was common amongst a great part of the Bishops in England This Law I haue set to my selfe and therefore you may be assured that I will neuer finde fault with any man nor thinke him the more Puritane that will complaine to me out of Parliament aswell as in Parliament of any error in execution thereof so that hee prooue it Otherwise it were but a calumnie Onely I would bee loath that any man should grieue at the Commission it selfe as I haue already said Yee haue heard I am sure of the paines I tooke both in the causes of the Admiralty and of the Prohibitions If any man therefore will bring me any iust complaints vpon any matters of so high a nature as this is yee may assure your selues that I will not spare my labour in hearing it In faith you neuer had a more painefull King or that will be readier in his person to determine causes that are fit for his hearing And when euer any of you shall make experience of me in this point ye may be sure neuer to want accesse nor ye shall neuer come wrong to me in or out of Parliament And now to conclude this purpose of Grieuances I haue one generall grieuance to commend vnto you and that in the behalfe of the Countreys from whence ye come And this is to pray you to beware that your Grieuances sauour not of particular mens thoughts but of the generall griefes rising out of the mindes of the people and not out of the humor of the propounder And therefore I would wish you to take heede carefully and consider of the partie that propounds the grieuance for ye may if ye list easily discerne whether it bee his owne passion or the peoples griefe that makes him to speake for many a man will in your house propound a Grieuance out of his owne humour because peraduenture he accounts highly of that matter and yet the countrey that imployes him may perhaps either be of a contrary minde or at least little care for it As for example I assure you I can very well smell betweene a Petition that mooues from a generall Grieuance or such a one as comes from the spleene of some particular person either against Ecclesiasticall gouernment in generall or the person of any one Noble man or Commissioner in particular ANd now the third point remaines to bee spoken of which is the cause of my calling of this Parliament And in this I haue done but as I vse to doe in all my life which is to leaue mine owne errand hindmost It may bee you did wonder that I did not speake vnto you publikely at the beginning of this Session of Parliament to tell you the cause of your calling as I did if I bee rightly remembred in euery Session before But the trewth is that because I call you at this time for my particular Errand I thought it fitter to bee opened vnto you by my Treasurer who is my publike and most principall Officer in matters of that nature then that I should doe it my selfe for I confesse I am lesse naturally eloquent and haue greater cause to distrust mine elocution in matters of this nature then in any other thing I haue made my Treasurer already to giue you a very cleere and trew accompt both of my hauing and expenses A fauour I confesse that Kings doe seldome bestow vpon their Subiects in making them so particularly
victuals and fewel that must be for such a multitude of people And these buildings serue likewise to harbour the worst sort of people as Alehouses and Cottages doe I remember that before Christmas was Twelue-moneth I made a Proclamation for this cause That all Gentlemen of qualitie should depart to their owne countreys and houses to maintaine Hospitalitie amongst their neighbours which was equiuocally taken by some as that it was meant onely for that Christmas But my will and meaning was and here I declare that my meaning was that it should alwayes continue One of the greatest causes of all Gentlemens desire that haue no calling or errand to dwell in London is apparently the pride of the women For if they bee wiues then their husbands and if they be maydes then their fathers must bring them vp to London because the new fashion is to bee had no where but in London and here if they be vnmarried they marre their marriages and if they be married they loose their reputations and rob their husbands purses It is the fashion of Italy especially of Naples which is one of the richest parts of it that all the Gentry dwell in the principall Townes and so the whole countrey is emptie Euen so now in England all the countrey is gotten into London so as with time England will onely be London and the whole countrey be left waste For as wee now doe imitate the French fashion in fashion of Clothes and Lackeys to follow euery man So haue wee got vp the Italian fashion in liuing miserably in our houses and dwelling all in the Citie but let vs in Gods Name leaue these idle forreine toyes and keepe the old fashion of England For it was wont to be the honour and reputation of the English Nobilitie and Gentry to liue in the countrey and keepe hospitalitie for which we were famous aboue all the countreys in the world which wee may the better doe hauing a soile abundantly fertile to liue in And now out of my owne mouth I declare vnto you which being in this place is equall to a Proclamation which I intend likewise shortly hereafter to haue publikely proclaimed that the Courtiers Citizens and Lawyers and those that belong vnto them and others as haue Pleas in Terme time are onely necessary persons to remaine about this Citie others must get them into the Countrey For beside the hauing of the countrey desolate when the Gentrie dwell thus in London diuers other mischiefes arise vpon it First if insurrections should fall out as was lately seene by the Leuellers gathering together what order can bee taken with it when the countrey is vnfurnished of Gentlemen to take order with it Next the poore want reliefe for fault of the Gentlemens hospitalitie at home Thirdly my seruice is neglected and the good gouernment of the countrey for lacke of the principall Gentlemens presence that should performe it And lastly the Gentlemen lose their owne thrift for lacke of their owne presence in seeing to their owne businesse at home Therefore as euery fish liues in his owne place some in the fresh some in the salt some in the mud so let euery one liue in his owne place some at Court some in the Citie some in the Countrey specially at Festiuall times as Christmas and Easter and the rest And for the decrease of new Buildings heere I would haue the builders restrained and committed to prison and if the builders cannot be found then the workemen to be imprisoned and not this onely but likewise the buildings to bee cast downe I meane such buildings as may be ouerthrowen without inconuenience and therefore that to be done by order and direction There may be many other abuses that I know not of take you care my Lords the Iudges of these and of all other for it is your part to looke vnto them I heare say robbery begins to abound more then heretofore and that some of you are too mercifull I pray you remember that mercy is the Kings not yours and you are to doe Iustice where trew cause is And take this for a rule of Policie That what vice most abounds in a Common-wealth that must be most seuerely punished for that is trew gouernment And now I will conclude my Speach with GOD as I began First that in all your behauiours aswell in your Circuits as in your Benches you giue due reuerence to GOD I meane let not the Church nor Church-men bee disgraced in your Charges nor Papists nor Puritanes countenanced Countenance and encourage the good Church-men and teach the people by your example to reuerence them for if they be good they are worthy of double honour for their Office sake if they be faultie it is not your place to admonish them they haue another Forum to answere to for their misbehauiour Next procure reuerence to the King and the Law enforme my people trewly of mee how zealous I am for Religion how I desire Law may bee maintained and flourish that euery Court should haue his owne Iurisdiction that euery Subiect should submit himselfe to Law So may you liue a happie people vnder a iust KING freely enioying the fruite of PEACE and IVSTICE as such a people should doe Now I confesse it is but a Tandem aliquando as they say in the Schooles that I am come hither Yet though this bee the first it shall not with the grace of GOD bee the last time of my comming now my choice is taken away for hauing once bene here a meaner occasion may bring mee againe And I hope I haue euer caried my selfe so and by GODS grace euer will as none will euer suspect that my comming here will be to any partiall end for I will euer bee carefull in point of Iustice to keepe my selfe vnspotted all the dayes of my life And vpon this my generall protestation I hope the world will know that I came hither this day to maintaine the Law and doe Iustice according to my Oath IMPRINTED AT LONDON BY ROBERT BARKER AND IOHN BILL PRINTERS TO THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAIESTIE ANNO DOM. 1616. Cum Priuilegio
when hee plainely speakes vnto them at other times for their prophesying is but by a kind of vision as it were wherein he commonly counterfeites God among the Ethnicks as I told you before PHI. I would know now whether these kinds of Spirits may onely appeare to Witches or if they may also appeare to any other EPI They may doe to both to the innocent sort either to affray them or to seeme to be a better sort of folkes nor vncleane Spirits are and to the Witches to be a colour of safetie for them that ignorant Magistrates may not punish them for it as I told euen now But as the one sort for being perforce troubled with them ought to be pitied so ought the other sort who may be discerned by their taking vpon them to prophesie by them that sort I say ought as seuerely to be punished as any other Witches and rather the more that they goe dissemblingly to worke PHI. And what makes the spirits haue so different names from others EPI Euen the knauerie of that same diuell who as he illudes the Necromancers with innumerable feined names for him and his angels as in speciall making Satan Beelzebub and Lucifer to bee three sundry spirits where wee finde the two former but diuers names giuen to the Prince of all the rebelling Angels by the Scripture as by Christ the Prince of all the diuels is called Beelzebub in that place which I alleaged against the power of any hereticques to cast out diuels By Iohn in the Reuelation the old tempter is called Satan the Prince of all the euill Angels And the last to wit Lucifer is but by allegorie taken from the day Starre so named in diuers places of the Scriptures because of his excellencie I meane the Prince of them in his creation before his fall euen so I say hee deceiues the Witches by attributing to himselfe diuers names as if euery diuers shape that he transformes himselfe in were a diuers kinde of spirit PHI. But I haue heard many moe strange tales of this Phairie nor ye haue yet told me EPI As well I doe in that as I did in all the rest of my discourse For because the ground of this conference of ours proceeded of your speering at me at our meeting if there was such a thing as Witches or spirits and if they had any power I therefore haue framed my whole discourse onely to proue that such things are and may be by such number of examples as I shew to be possible by reason and keepe me from dipping any further in playing the part of a Dictionarie to tell what euer I haue read or heard in that purpose which both would exceede faith and rather would seeme to teach such vnlawfull artes nor to disallow and condemne them as it is the duetie of all Christians to doe CHAP. VI. ARG. Of the tryall and punishment of Witches What sort of accusation ought to be admitted against them What is the cause of the increasing so farre of their number in this aage PHILOMATHES THen to make an end of our conference since I see it drawes late what forme of punishment thinke yee merite these Magicians and Witches For I see that ye account them to be all alike guiltie EPI They ought to be put to death according to the Law of God the ciuill and imperiall Law and municipall Law of all Christian nations PHI. But what kinde of death I pray you EPI It is commonly vsed by fire but that is an indifferent thing to be vsed in euery countrey according to the Law or custome thereof PHI. But ought no sexe aage nor rancke to be exempted EPI None at all being so vsed by the lawfull magistrate for it is the highest point of Idolatry wherein no exception is admitted by the law of God PHI. Then barnes may not be spared EPI Yea not a haire the lesse of my conclusion For they are not that capable of reason as to pactise such things And for any being in company and not reueiling thereof their lesse and ignorant aage will no doubt excuse them PHI. I see ye condemne them all that are of the counsell of such craftes EPI No doubt for as I said speaking of Magie the consulters trusters in ouer-seers interteiners or stirrers vp of these craftes-folkes are equally guiltie with themselues that are the practisers PHI. Whether may the Prince then or supreame Magistrate spare or ouer-see any that are guilty of that craft vpon some great respects knowen to him EPI The Prince or Magistrate for further trials cause may continue the punishing of them such a certaine space as he thinkes conuenient But in the end to spare the life and not to strike when God bids strike and so seuerely punish in so odious a fault and treason against God it is not onely vnlawfull but doubtlesse no lesse sinne in that Magistrate nor it was in Saules sparing of Agag 1. Sam. 15. and so comparable to the sinne of Witch-craft it selfe as Samuel alledged at that time PHI. Surely then I thinke since this crime ought to be so seuerely punished Iudges ought to beware to condemne any but such as they are sure are guiltie neither should the clattering report of a carling serue in so weightie a case EPI Iudges ought indeede to beware whom they condemne for it is as great a crime as Salomon saith To condemne the innocent Prou. 17. as to let the guiltie escape free neither ought the report of any one infamous person be admitted for a sufficient proofe which can stand of no law PHI. And what may a number then of guilty persons confessions worke against one that is accused EPI The Assise must serue for interpretour of our law in that respect But in my opinion since in a matter of treason against the Prince barnes or wiues or neuer so diffamed persons may of our law serue for sufficient witnesses and proofes I thinke surely that by a farre greater reason such witnesses may be sufficient in matters of high treason against God For who but Witches can be prooues and so witnesses of the doings of Witches PHI. Indeed I trow they will be loath to put any honest man vpon their counsell But what if they accuse folke to haue bene present at their Imaginar conuentions in the spirit when their bodies lye sencelesse as ye haue said EPI I thinke they are not a haire the lesse guiltie For the Diuel durst neuer haue borrowed their shadow or similitude to that turne if their consent had not beene at it And the consent in these turnes is death of the lawe PHI. Then Samuel was a Witch For the diuell resembled his shape and played his person in giuing response to Saul EPI Samuel was dead as well before that and so none could slaunder him with medling in that vnlawful arte For the cause why as I take it that God will not permit Satan to vse the shapes of similitudes of any innocent persons at such
or Doctors in Physicke which iolly comparisons are vsed by such writers as maintaine the contrary proposition I leaue it also to the readers discretion And in case any doubts might arise in any part of this treatise I wil according to my promise with the solution of foure principall and most weightie doubts that the aduersaries may obiect conclude this discourse And first it is casten vp by diuers that employ their pennes vpon Apologies for rebellions and treasons that euery man is borne to carry such a naturall zeale and duety to his common-wealth as to his mother that seeing it so rent and deadly wounded as whiles it will be by wicked and tyrannous Kings good Citizens will be forced for the naturall zeale and duety they owe to their owne natiue countrey to put their hand to worke for freeing their common-wealth from such a pest Whereunto I giue two answeres First it is a sure Axiome in Theologie that euill should not be done that good may come of it The wickednesse therefore of the King can neuer make them that are ordained to be iudged by him to become his Iudges And if it be not lawfull to a priuate man to reuenge his priuate iniury vpon his priuate aduersary since God hath onely giuen the sword to the Magistrate how much lesse is it lawfull to the people or any part of them who all are but priuate men the authoritie being alwayes with the Magistrate as I haue already proued to take vpon them the vse of the sword whom to it belongs not against the publicke Magistrate whom to onely it belongeth Next in place of relieuing the common-wealth out of distresse which is their onely excuse and colour they shall heape double distresse and desolation vpon it and so their rebellion shall procure the contrary effects that they pretend it for For a king cannot be imagined to be so vnruly and tyrannous but the common-wealth will be kept in better order notwithstanding thereof by him then it can be by his way-taking For first all sudden mutations are perillous in common-wealths hope being thereby giuen to all bare men to set vp themselues and flie with other mens feathers the reines being loosed to all the insolencies that disordered people can commit by hope of impunitie because of the loosenesse of all things And next it is certaine that a king can neuer be so monstrously vicious but hee will generally fauour iustice and maintaine some order except in the particulars wherein his inordinate lustes and passions cary him away where by the contrary no King being nothing is vnlawfull to none And so the olde opinion of the Philosophers prooues trew That better it is to liue in a Common-wealth where nothing is lawfull then where all things are lawfull to all men the Common-wealth at that time resembling an vndanted young horse that hath casten his rider For as the diuine Poet DV BARTAS sayth Better it were to suffer some disorder in the estate and some spots in the Common-wealth then in pretending to reforme vtterly to ouerthrow the Republicke The second obiection they ground vpon the curse that hangs ouer the common-wealth where a wicked king reigneth and say they there cannot be a more acceptable deed in the sight of God nor more dutiful to their common-weale then to free the countrey of such a curse and vindicate to them their libertie which is naturall to all creatures to craue Whereunto for answere I grant indeed that a wicked king is sent by God for a curse to his people and a plague for their sinnes but that it is lawfull to them to shake off that curse at their owne hand which God hath laid on them that I deny and may so do iustly Will any deny that the king of Babel was a curse to the people of God as was plainly fore-spoken and threatned vnto them in the prophecie of their captiuitie And what was Nero to the Christian Church in his time And yet Ieremy and Paul as yee haue else heard commanded them not onely to obey them but heartily to pray for their welfare It is certaine then as I haue already by the Law of God sufficiently proued that patience earnest prayers to God and amendment of their liues are the onely lawful meanes to moue God to relieue them of that heauie curse As for vindicating to themselues their owne libertie what lawfull power haue they to reuoke to themselues againe those priuiledges which by their owne consent before were so fully put out of their hands for if a Prince cannot iustly bring backe againe to himself the priuiledges once bestowed by him or his predecessors vpon any state or ranke of his subiects how much lesse may the subiects reaue out of the princes hand that superioritie which he and his Predecessors haue so long brooked ouer them But the vnhappy iniquitie of the time which hath oft times giuen ouer good successe to their treasonable attempts furnisheth them the ground of their third obiection For say they the fortunate successe that God hath so oft giuen to such enterprises prooueth plainely by the practise that God fauoured the iustnesse of their quarrell To the which I answere that it is trew indeed that all the successe of battels as well as other worldly things lyeth onely in Gods hand And therefore it is that in the Scripture he takes to himselfe the style of God of Hosts But vpon that generall to conclude that hee euer giues victory to the iust quarrell would prooue the Philistims and diuers other neighbour enemies of the people of God to haue oft times had the iust quarrel against the people of God in respect of the many victories they obtained against them And by that same argument they had also iust quarrell against the Arke of God For they wan it in the field and kept it long prisoner in their countrey As likewise by all good Writers as well Theologues as other the Duels and singular combats are disallowed which are onely made vpon pretence that GOD will kith thereby the iustice of the quarrell For wee must consider that the innocent partie is not innocent before God And therefore God will make oft times them that haue the wrong side reuenge iustly his quarrell and when he hath done cast his scourge in the fire as he oft times did to his owne people stirring vp and strengthening their enemies while they were humbled in his sight and then deliuered them in their hands So God as the great Iudge may iustly punish his Deputie and for his rebellion against him stir vp his rebels to meet him with the like And when it is done the part of the instrument is no better then the diuels part is in tempting and torturing such as God committeth to him as his hangman to doe Therefore as I said in the beginning it is oft times a very deceiueable argument to iudge of the cause by the euent And the last obiection is grounded vpon the mutuall paction
and adstipulation as they call it betwixt the King and his people at the time of his coronation For there say they there is a mutuall paction and contract bound vp and sworne betwixt the king and the people Whereupon it followeth that if the one part of the contract or the Indent bee broken vpon the Kings side the people are no longer bound to keepe their part of it but are thereby freed of their oath For say they a contract betwixt two parties of all Law frees the one partie if the other breake vnto him As to this contract alledged made at the coronation of a King although I deny any such contract to bee made then especially containing such a clause irritant as they alledge yet I confesse that a king at his coronation or at the entry to his kingdome willingly promiseth to his people to discharge honorably and trewly the office giuen him by God ouer them But presuming that thereafter he breake his promise vnto them neuer so inexcusable the question is who should bee iudge of the breake giuing vnto them this contractwere made vnto them neuer so sicker according to their alleageance I thinke no man that hath but the smallest entrance into the ciuill Law will doubt that of all Law either ciuil or municipal of any nation a contract cannot be thought broken by the one partie and so the other likewise to be freed therefro except that first a lawfull triall and cognition be had by the ordinary Iudge of the breakers thereof Or else euery man may be both party and Iudge in his owne cause which is absurd once to be thought Now in this contract I say betwixt the king and his people God is doubtles the only Iudge both because to him onely the king must make count of his administration as is oft said before as likewise by the oath in the coronation God is made iudge and reuenger of the breakers For in his presence as only iudge of oaths all oaths ought to be made Then since God is the onely Iudge betwixt the two parties contractors the cognition and reuenge must onely appertaine to him It followes therefore of necessitie that God must first giue sentence vpon the King that breaketh before the people can thinke themselues freed of their oath What iustice then is it that the partie shall be both iudge and partie vsurping vpon himselfe the office of God may by this argument easily appeare And shall it lie in the hands of headlesse multitude when they please to weary off subiection to cast off the yoake of gouernement that God hath laid vpon them to iudge and punish him whom-by they should be iudged and punished and in that case wherein by their violence they kythe themselues to be most passionate parties to vse the office of an vngracious Iudge or Arbiter Nay to speake trewly of that case as it stands betwixt the king and his people none of them ought to iudge of the others breake For considering rightly the two parties at the time of their mutuall promise the king is the one party and the whole people in one body are the other party And therfore since it is certaine that a king in case so it should fal out that his people in one body had rebelled against him hee should not in that case as thinking himselfe free of his promise and oath become an vtter enemy and practise the wreake of his whole people and natiue country although he ought iustly to punish the principall authours and bellowes of that vniuersall rebellion how much lesse then ought the people that are alwaies subiect vnto him and naked of all authoritie on their part presse to iudge and ouerthrow him otherwise the people as the one partie contracters shall no sooner challenge the king as breaker but hee assoone shall iudge them as breakers so as the victors making the tyners the traitors as our prouerbe is the partie shall aye become both iudge and partie in his owne particular as I haue alreadie said And it is here likewise to be noted that the duty and alleageance which the people sweareth to their prince is not only bound to themselues but likewise to their lawfull heires and posterity the lineall successiō of crowns being begun among the people of God and happily continued in diuers christian common-wealths So as no obiection either of heresie or whatsoeuer priuate statute or law may free the people from their oath-giuing to their king and his succession established by the old fundamentall lawes of the kingdome For as hee is their heritable ouer-lord and so by birth not by any right in the coronation commeth to his crowne it is a like vnlawful the crowne euer standing full to displace him that succeedeth thereto as to eiect the former For at the very moment of the expiring of the king reigning the nearest and lawful heire entreth in his place And so to refuse him or intrude another is not to holde out vncomming in but to expell and put out their righteous King And I trust at this time whole France acknowledgeth the superstitious rebellion of the liguers who vpon pretence of heresie by force of armes held so long out to the great desolation of their whole countrey their natiue and righteous king from possessing of his owne crowne and naturall kingdome Not that by all this former discourse of mine and Apologie for kings I meane that whatsoeuer errors and intollerable abominations a souereigne prince commit hee ought to escape all punishment as if thereby the world were only ordained for kings they without controlment to turne it vpside down at their pleasure but by the contrary by remitting them to God who is their onely ordinary Iudge I remit them to the soreit and sharpest schoolemaster that can be deuised for them for the further a king is preferred by God aboue all other ranks degrees of men and the higher that his seat is aboue theirs the greater is his obligation to his maker And therfore in case he forget himselfe his vnthankfulnes being in the same measure of height the sadder and sharper will his correction be and according to the greatnes of the height he is in the weight of his fall wil recōpense the same for the further that any person is obliged to God his offence becomes and growes so much the greater then it would be in any other Ioues thunder-claps light oftner and sorer vpon the high stately oakes then on the low and supple willow trees and the highest bench is sliddriest to sit vpon Neither is it euer heard that any king forgets himselfe towards God or in his vocation but God with the greatnesse of the plague reuengeth the greatnes of his ingratitude Neither thinke I by the force and argument of this my discourse so to perswade the people that none will hereafter be raised vp and rebell against wicked Princes But remitting to the iustice and prouidence of God to stirre vp such scourges as
small sparke should flie out and light among lesse then two pound weight of Powder which was drying a little from the chimney which being thereby blowen vp so maymed the faces of some of the principall Rebels and the hands and sides of others of them blowing vp with it also a great bag full of Powder which notwithstanding neuer tooke fire as they were not only disabled and discouraged hereby from any further resistance in respect Catesby himselfe Rookwood Grant and diuers others of greatest account among them Catesby who was the first inuentor of this Treason in generall and of the maner of working the same by powder in speciall himselfe now first maimed with the blowing vp of powder and next he and Percy both killed with one shot proceeding from powder were thereby made vnable for defence but also wonderfully stroken with amazement in their guiltie consciences calling to memory how God had iustly punished them with that same Instrument which they should haue vsed for the effectuating of so great a sinne according to the olde Latine saying In quo peccamus in eodem plectimur as they presently see the wonderfull power of Gods Iustice vpon guiltie consciences did all fall downe vpon their knees praying GOD to pardon them for their bloody enterprise And thereafter giuing ouer any further debate opened the gate suffered the Sheriffes people to rush in furiously among them and desperately sought their owne present destruction The three specials of them ioyning backes together Catesby Percy and Winter whereof two with one shot Catesby and Percy were slaine and the third VVinter taken and saued aliue And thus these resolute and high aspiring Catholikes who dreamed of no lesse then the destruction of Kings and kingdomes and promised to themselues no lower estate then the gouernment of great and ancient Monarchies were miserably defeated and quite ouerthrowen in an instant falling in the pit which they had prepared for others and so fulfilling that sentence which his Maiestie did in a maner prophecie of them in his Oration to the Parliament some presently slaine others deadly wounded stripped of their clothes left lying miserably naked and so dying rather of cold then of the danger of their wounds and the rest that either were whole or but lightly hurt taken and led prisoners by the Sheriffe the ordinary minister of Iustice to the Gaole the ordinarie place euen of the basest malefactors where they remained till their sending vp to London being met with a huge confluence of people of all sorts desirous to see them as the rarest sort of Monsters fooles to laugh at them women and children to wonder all the common people to gaze the wiser sort to satisfie their curiosity in seeing the outward cases of so vnheard of a villeny generally all sorts of people to satiate and fill their eyes with the sight of them whom in their hearts they so farre admired and detested seruing so for a fearfull and publike spectacle of Gods fierce wrath and iust indignation What hereafter will be done with them is to be left to the Iustice of his Maiestie and the State Which as no good Subiect needes to doubt will be performed in the owne due time by a publike and an exemplarie punishment So haue we all that are faithfull and humble Subiects great cause to pray earnestly to the Almighty that it will please him who hath the hearts of all Princes in his hands to put it in his Maiesties heart to make such a conclusion of this Tragedie to the Traitors but Tragicomedie to the King and all his trew Subiects as thereby the glory of God and his trew Religion may be aduanced the future securitie of the King and his estate procured and prouided for all hollow and vnhonest hearts discouered preuented this horrible attempt lacking due epitheres to be so iustly auenged That where they thought by one Catholike indeed vniuersall blow to accomplish the wish of that Romane tyrant who wished all the bodies in Rome to haue but one necke and so by the violent force of Powder to breake vp as with a Pettard our triple locked peacefull gates of Ianus which God be thanked they could not compasse by any other meanes they may iustly be so recompensed for their trewly viperous intended parricide As Aeneas Sylâ—â—â—â— doth notably write concerning the murther of K. Iames the first of Scotland and the following punishment of the traitours whereof himselfe was an eye witnesse Hist de Europa cap. 46. as the shame and infamie that otherwise would light vpon this whole Nation for hauing vnfortunately hatched such cockatrice egges may be repaired by the execution of famous and honourable Iustice vpon the offendors and so the kingdome purged of them may hereafter perpetually flourish in peace and prosperitie by the happy coniunction of the hearts of all honest and trew Subiects with their iust and religious Soueraigne And thus whereas they thought to haue effaced our memories the memory of them shall remaine but to their perpetuall infamie and wee as I said in the beginning shall with all thankefulnesse eternally preserue the memory of so great a benefite To which let euery good Subiect say AMEN Triplici nodo triplex cuneus OR AN APOLOGIE FOR THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE AGAINST THE TWO BREVES OF POPE PAVLVS QVINTVS AND THE late Letter of Cardinall BELLARMINE to G. BLACKVVEL the Arch-priest VVHat a monstrous rare nay neuer heard-of Treacherous attempt was plotted within these few yeeres here in England for the destruction of Mee my Bed-fellow and our posteritie the whole house of Parliament and a great number of good Subiects of all sorts and degrees is so famous already through the whole world by the infamie thereof as it is needlesse to bee repeated or published any more the horrour of the sinne it selfe doeth so lowdly proclaime it For if those * Gen. 4.10 crying sinnes whereof mention is made in the Scripture haue that epithet giuen them for their publique infamie and for procuring as it were with a lowd cry from heauen a iust vengeance and recompense and yet those sinnes are both old and too common neither the world nor any one Countrey being euer at any time cleane voyd of them If those sinnes I say are said in the Scripture to cry so lowd What then must this sinne doe plotted without cause infinite in crueltie and singular from all examples What proceeded hereupon is likewise notorious to the whole world our Iustice onely taking hold vpon the offenders and that in as honourable and publique a forme of Triall as euer was vsed in this Kingdome 2. For although the onely reason they gaue for plotting so heinous an attempt was the zeale they caried to the Romish Religion yet were neuer any other of that profession the worse vsed for that cause as by our gracious Proclamation immediatly after the discouery of the said fact doeth plainly appeare onely at the next sitting downe againe of the
Parliament there were Lawes made setting downe some such orders as were thought fit for preuenting the like mischiefe in time to come Amongst which a forme of OATH was framed to be taken by my Subiects whereby they should make a cleare profession of their resolution faithfully to persist in their obedience vnto mee according to their naturall allegiance To the end that I might hereby make a separation not onely betweene all my good Subiects in generall and vnfaithfull Traitors that intended to withdraw themselues from my obedience But specially to make a separation betweene so many of my Subiects who although they were otherwise Popishly affected yet retained in their hearts the print of their naturall duetie to their Soueraigne and those who being caried away with the like fanaticall zeale that the Powder-Traitors were could not conteine themselues within the bounds of their naturall Allegiance but thought diuersitie of religion a safe pretext for all kinde of treasons and rebellions against their Soueraigne Which godly and wise intent God did blesse with successe accordingly For very many of my Subiects that were Popishly affected aswell Priests as Layicks did freely take the same Oath whereby they both gaue me occasion to thinke the better of their fidelitie and likewise freed themselues of that heauie slander that although they were fellow professors of one Religion with the powder-Traitors yet were they not ioyned with them in treasonable courses against their Soueraigne whereby all quietly minded Papists were put out of despaire and I gaue a good proofe that I intended no persecution against them for conscience cause but onely desired to be secured of them for ciuill obedience which for conscience cause they were bound to performe 3. But the diuel could not haue deuised a more malicious tricke for interrupting this so calme and clement a course then fell out by the sending hither and publishing a Breue of the Popes countermanding all them of his profession to take this Oath Thereby sowing new seeds of ielousie betweene me and my Popish Subiects by stirring them vp to disobey that lawfull commandement of their Soueraigne which was ordeined to bee taken of them as a pledge of their fidelitie And so by their refusall of so iust a charge to giue mee so great and iust a ground for punishment of them without touching any matter of conscience throwing themselues needlesly into one of these desperate straits either with the losse of their liues and goods to renounce their Allegiance to their naturall Soueraigne or else to procure the condemnation of their soules by renouncing the Catholicke faith as he alleadgeth 4. And on the other part although disparitie of Religion the Pope being head of the contrary part can permit no intelligence nor intercourse of messengers betweene mee and the Pope yet there being no denounced warre betweene vs he hath by this action broken the rules of common ciuilitie and iustice betweene Christian Princes in thus condemning me vnheard both by accounting me a persecutor which cannot be but implied by exhorting the Papists to endure Martyrdome as likewise by so straitly commanding all those of his profession in England to refuse the taking of this Oath thereby refusing to professe their naturall obedience to me their Soueraigne For if he thinke himselfe my lawfull Iudge wherefore hath he condemned me vnheard And if he haue nothing to doe with me and my gouernment as indeed he hath not why doeth he mittere falcem in alienam messem to meddle betweene me and my Subiects especially in matters that meerely and onely concerne ciuill obedience And yet could Pius Quintus in his greatest fury and auowed quarrell against the late Queene doe no more iniurie vnto her then hee hath in this case offered vnto mee without so much as a pretended or an alleadged cause For what difference there is betweene the commanding Subiects to rebell and loosing them from their Oath of Allegiance as Pius Quintus did and the commanding of Subiects not to obey in making profession of their Oath of their dutifull Allegiance as this Pope hath now done no man can easily discerne 5. But to draw neere vnto his Brene wherein certainely hee hath taken more paines then he needed by setting downe in the said Breue the whole body of the Oath at length whereas the onely naming of the Title thereof might as well haue serued for any answere hee hath made thereunto making Vna litura that is the flat and generall condemnation of the whole Oath to serue for all his refutation Therein hauing as well in this respect as in the former dealt both vndiscreetly with me and iniuriously with his owne Catholickes With mee in not refuting particularly what speciall words he quarrelled in that Oath which if hee had done it might haue beene that for the fatherly care I haue not to put any of my Subiects to a needlesse extremitie I might haue beene contented in some sort to haue reformed or interpreted those wordes With his owne Catholickes for either if I had so done they had beene thereby fully eased in that businesse or at least if I would not haue condescended to haue altered any thing in the saide Oath yet would thereby some appearance or shadow of excuse haue beene left vnto them for refusing the same not as seeming thereby to swarue from their Obedience and Allegiance vnto mee but onely beeing stayed from taking the same vpon the scrupulous tendernesse of their consciences in regard of those particular words which the Pope had noted and condemned therein And now let vs heare the words of his thunder POPE PAVLVS THE FIFT to the ENGLISH Catholickes WElbeloued Sonnes The Pope his first Breue Salutation and Apostolicall Benediction The tribulations and calamities which yee haue continually sustained for the keeping of the Catholike Faith haue alwayes afflicted vs with great griefe of minde But for as much as we vnderstand that at this time all things are more grieuous our affliction hereby is wonderfully increased For wee haue heard how you are compelled by most grieuous punishments set before you to goe to the Churches of Heretikes to frequent their assemblies to be present at their Sermons Truely wee doe vndoubtedly beleeue that they which with so great constancie and fortitude haue hitherto indured most cruell persecutions and almost infinite miseries that they may walke without spot in the Law of the Lord will neuer suffer themselues to be defiled with the communion of those that haue forsaken the diuine Law Yet notwithstanding being compelled by the zeale of our Pastorall Office and by our Fatherly care which we doe continually take for the saluation of your soules we are inforced to admonish and desire you that by no meanes you come vnto the Churches of the Heretickes or heare their Sermons or communicate with them in their Rites lest you incurre the wrath of God For these things may ye not doe without indamaging the worship of God and your owne saluation As