reconciliation by any speech preaching teaching writing or any other open deede or if any person or persons within this Realme or any the Queenes Maiesties dominions after the sayd first day of Iuly shall willingly receiue or take any such absolution or reconciliation or else if any person or persons haue obtayned or gotten sithens the last day of Iuly in the first yeare of the Queenes Maiesties Raigne or after the sayd first day of Iuly shall obtaine or get from the sayd Bishop of Rome or any his successors or Sea of Rome any manner of Bul writing or instrument written or printed containing any thing matter or cause whatsoeuer or shall publish or by any wayes or meanes put in vre any such Bul writing or instrument that theÌ„ all euery such act acts offeÌ„ce and offeÌ„ces shall be deemed adiudged by the authority of this Act to be high treason the offender offenders therein their procurers abbetters and counsellers to the committing the sayd offence and offences shall be deemed high treason to the Queene and the Realme and being thereof lawfully indicted and attaynted shall forfeit as in cases of high treason and their ayders counsellers or abbetters after the committing of the sayd offences and acts to the intent to set foorth vphold or allow the doing or execution of the sayd vsurped power iurisdiction or authority touching or concerning the premises or any part therof shall incurre the paine of the Satute of Praemunire made in the sixteenth yeare of king Richard the second 16. R. 2. cap. Prouided alwayes nd be it further enacted by the authority aforesayd that if any person or persons to whom any such absolution reconciliation Bull writing or instrument shall after the sayd first day of Iuly be offered moued or perswaded to be vsed put in vre Conceale or executed shall conceale the same offer motion or perswade and not disclose and signifie the same by writing or otherwise within sixe weekes next following to some of the Queenes Maiesties Priuie Councell established in the North parts or in the Marches of Wales for the time being shall incurre the paine and forfeiture of misprision of treason Treason B. 19. 6. El. 6. which is to forfeit the profit of his lands during his life all his goods and chattels and to haue perpetuall imprisonment And the paine of the sayd Satute of the Praemunire is to forfeit all his lands that he hath in fee-simple Forfeit B. 101 24. H. 8. to the Crowne for euer and all lands that he holdeth in tayle or for life during his life and all his leases for yeares and other his goods and chattels for euer and shall haue perpetuall imprisonment Protection and be out of the Queenes protection And it hath bene taken that any man might kill such a one before the making of the Statute of 5. F. n. b. 232. Coron B. 193. El. cap. 1. but now he may not Although it may be doubted for that we are deuided for religion if any inuasion should be attempted in this Realme Inuasion that some desirous of alteration thereof would ioyne with them yet it is to be hoped that there are thousands and thousands of true and faithfull subiects German fo 122. Forfâ—it B. 102 Triall F. 54. 5. R. 2. 2. H. 5. cap. 7. which will spend their lands liues and goods as they ought before the enemy should preuaile And one reason moueth me thus to thinke for that the Quéenes Maiestie doth not punish them by death nor losse of goods and lands as was vsed in Queene Maries time for religion but imposeth vppon some of them a certaine summe of mony to be payd monethly for not comming to Church besides great numbers of others which perhaps would like well of the change of religion as well as the rest and yet are neither charged with like payment nor otherwise any way dealt withall And another chiefe reason moueth me thus to thinke for that they which shall shew themselues traytors false and vntrue to their owne Prince and countrey A forreyn Prince that conquereth trusteth not him that is conquered in adhering to strangers besides that they shal ouerthrow themselues and their houses and vtterly vndoe their wiues children for that they shall forfeit al they haue may in all reason assure theÌ„selues the no forreyn Prince will thinke that such persons wil be true to him for he that will not regard his countrey where he was bread and borne his father mother wife children kinsfolkes nor allies his lands liuings and possessions his liberty and freedome how can a stranger that commeth to conquer and bring all these into his subiection seruitude and bondage be perswaded that he will loue obey or carry any loyalty or faithfulnesse towards him as is aforesayd How such haue bene dealt withall by them with whom they haue ioyned against their Prince and countrey how faire soeuer they haue promised appeareth in part afore and more ensueth Of the conspiracies and trecheries of certaine Nobles and others against their Prince and country and what haue bin the rewards of such traitors by them who made vse of their treasons and how dangerous the controuersie in religion is to a common wealth CHAP. 10. WHen William Duke of Normandie attempted to inuade this land Holinsh 298. WilliaÌ„ Duke of NormaÌ„dy there were certaine Noblemen of England which were aiding assisting to him in this action to whom he made many faire and large promises vntill he had wonne the Crowne and then he forgot and nothing regarded them and they which thought themselues sure to be made for euer by bringing in this stranger into this realme did sée themselues vnderfoot and to be dispised mocked on all sides Ibid. 197. Againe when the variance was in England betwixt king Iohn and some of his Barons and that the king did put them often to the worst they did write to the king of Fraunce Philip Ibid. 600. Lewes the FreÌ„ch kings sonne came into EnglaÌ„d when ciuill waires were there praying aide of him and requiring him to send Lewes his sonne with men of warre into England to assist theÌ„ against their king promising that they would accept him for their king and do him homage whereupon the French king sent his sonne Lewes with a great company into England to whom the Barons did homage and the said Lewes tooke an oath also to maintaine and performe the old lawes customs of the realme and to restore to euerie man his rightfull heritage and lands requiring the Barons to continue faithfull vnto him and he vsed them so curteously and gaue them so many faire words and made them such large promises that they beléeued him assuredly but they remembred not that Lewes looked for a kingdome And what will not manie do if they may thereby be sure or in hope to get a Crowne as one writeth Ad quid non adagis regnandi dira cupido
s. which amounted to an inestimable sum Holinsh f. 11. Graft abridg An. 1085. when it came all together into his exchequer And did not he shortly after cause all mens goods and chattels to be valued and raised thereof also a maruelous great masse of mony to the great greife and impouerishment of our people who so sore lamented the miserable case wherein they were thrawled that they hated the Normans in their hartes with deadly mallice howbeit the more they spake and séemed to grudge against such sore touls tallages and cruell oppressions as were daily deuised to their vtter vndoings the more they were burdened after the manner of the bondage which the children of Israel sometime suffered in Egipt for on the other side the Normans perceiuing the hatred which the Englishmen did beare towardes them were sore offended in their mindes and therefore sought by all manner of waies how to kéepe them vnder In like sort did not Wil. Rufus ouerthrow diuers and sundry townes Holinsh 313. parishes villages and buildings for the space of thrée miles together to make thereof a Forrest which to this day is called the new Forrest for wilde beasts and deare whereby no small member of the poore lost their houses their lands and liuings for the maintenance of sauage beasts Nevv forrest Camden 188. of whose hard dealing in this case Doctor White Bishop of Winchester hath these verses written as Camden affirmeth fo 198. B. of Win. Templa adimit diuis fora ciuibus arua colonis Rufus instituit Beanlensi in rure forestam Rex ceruum insequitur Regem vindicta Tirellus Non bene praeuisum transfixit acumine ferri Did not he cause a greiuous paine to be ordained insomuch that who so euer did kill any of the same deare he should haue his eies put out Eies put out for hunting wherevpon many refusing to sustaine such an intollerable yoke of thrauldome as was dayly laid vpon them by the Normans choose rather to leaue both lands and goods and after the manner of outlawes got them to the woods with their wiues children and seruants meaning from thenceforth wholy to liue vppon the spoyle of the Countries adioyning and to take what so euer came first to hand wherevpon shortlie it came to passe that no man might in safetie trauel from his owne house or towne to his neighbours and euery quiet and honest mans house became as it were a hould or fortresse and was furnished for defence with Bowes Arrowes Billes Pollaxes Swordes Clubbes and Staues the dores kept locked and strongly boulted and namely in the night season for feare to be surprised as it had bin in time of war and amongst publique enimies Prayers were made also to almighty God by the maister of the house to saue and defend them as though they had bin in the middest of the seas in some stormy tempest by meanes of these hard dealing towards the English nation The people in the North parts of this Realme did rebell whome the Normans suppressed Hands cut off for rebelling and caused some of their hands to be cut of in token of their rebellious dealings and others by death to be punished and tooke so great a displeasure with the inhabitants of those parts that he wasted all the land betwixt Yorke and Durham so that for the space of 90. miles there was left in manner no habitation for the people by reason whereof it laie waste and deserte by the space of nine or tenne yeares so that no greater misery in the earth could happen then that into the which our nation was now falne Likewise did not he take from the Towns and Citties from the Bishops and Abbies all their ancient priuiledges and frée Customes to the end they should not onely be cut short and made weaker but also that they might redéeme the same of him for such somes of money as it pleased him to appointe to obtaine their quietnesse and made protestation that as he came to the gouernance of this Realme by plaine conquest so he would and did seize into his hands the most parte of euerie mans possessions causing them to redéeme the same at his handes againe and yet retained a parte in the most parte of them so that they that shoulde afterwardes inioy them shoulde acknowledge themselues to hold them of him in yéelding a yearely rent to him and his successors for euer In like manner when the Spaniards by violence possesthe sed Crowne of Portingall Booke of the estate of Fugitiues did not the king of Spaine vse the authoritie of a Conqueror and the tyrannicall cruelty of an vsurper altring their Lawes confounding their priuiledges ouerturning the whole estate of their gouernment strangling some of their Nobilitie and other of them beheading imprisoning and banishing some other of them with many other horrible and pittifull actions These are also other miseries which followe where the enemy doth get the vpper hand and shall we looke for any other dealing if they should ouercome vs ¶ That we shal preuaile against our enimies by faithful praiers to God wherof diuers examples are here set down out of the Bible also diuers other good perswasions to withstād the enimy and how that euery man is bound so to do whereby great fame is attained and left to posterities Chap. 4. IF we wil consider how valiantly our forefathers haue alwaies resisted forren forces prepared against our countrey 6. cause of incorragemēt and what great renowne and same they haue gotten for their valour in Armes which is spread amongest all Christian Nations of whom it is written Anglia Bistonio semper gens inclita marte England a Nation euer famous in battell Bysto is a coūtrey of valiāt people in warres in thrace Camd. fol. 7. Of whome Iohn Wheathamsted sometime the Abbot of S. Albons in his Granario writeth Sufficiat igitur Britannis pro nobilitatis suae orgine quod sint fortes potentes in praelijs quodque vndique debellent aduersarios nullumque penitus patiantur iugum seruitutis It is sufficient for the Britaine 's of whom we are descended for the beginning of their Nobility that they are strong mightie in battell and that they doe euery where beate downe their enimies and cannot suffer by any meanes the yoke of any bondage If we will remember that no Nation sithence the Conquest of this lande which is about 529. yeares past coulde yet ouercome vs praised be God therfore notwithstanding sundry attempts made to that end if we will call to mind the notable ouerthrowes which king Richard the first gaue the Infidels with a few Englishmen Foxe 245. Hol. 1191. and made the king of Cypres to doe him homage for his kingdome and besides him diuers other valiant kings and people haue we brought into subiection and made them stoope to the Crown of England as by our Chronicles is euident we haue nowe then great cause to be mightily incouraged in
among Christian Princes and to moue their subiects to oppose against them surely his owne conscience shall testifie against him which will be as strong as a thousand witnesses as Persius very well sayth Poena autem vehemens ac multo seuerior illis Satyr 3. Quas Ceditius grauis inuenit Rodamanthus Nocte diéque suum gestare in pectore testem And againe Conscientia mille testes onus Aetna grauius Can he find by the word of God No subiect can rebell for any cause Rom. 13. that it is lawfull for the subiect to rebell against his Prince for any cause whatsoeuer Saint Paul sayth Let euery soule submit himselfe to the higher powers there is no power but of God all powers that are be ordayned of God and whosoeuer resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and procureth to himselfe damnation When Pilate sayd to Christ Iohn 18. Knowest thou not that I haue power to loose thee also to crucifie thee he sayd thou shouldest haue no power at all ouer me were it not giuen thee from aboue our Sauior Christ was called afore the high Priests to answere to his doctrine did he oppose himselfe any way against them no he knew they had their authority from God and therefore he shewed all obedience to them in respect of their place and patiently suffered death though vniustly according to their wicked law and iudgements When Malcus with other of the high Priests seruants came by their commandement to take Christ Iohn 18. Peter drew out his sword cut off Malcus eare Christ said vnto him Put vp thy sword into thy sheath Math. 25. for all that strike with the sword shall perish therewith thinkest thou that I cannot speake to my Father and he shall giue me more then twenty legions of Angels but how should then the Scripture bee performed The famous clarke Erasmus in his Paraphrase vppon this place of Scripture Paraphrase speaketh these words vnto Peter as it were in the persō of Christ Put vp thy sword into thy sheath matters of the Gospell are not in such manner to be defended if thou wilt succeed me as my vicar thou must fight with no other sword then of Gods word which cutteth away sinne and saueth the man And the auncient father Tertullian in his Apologia cap. 37 sayth In our profession more meeter it is to be slaine then to slay So did all the Martyrs of God by whom the Church of Christ increased Saint Augustine saith Not resistendo sed perferendo Not by resisting but by suffering If the Prince should set foorth a law touching the worshiping of God or matter of conscience against the word of God and lymit a paine to the breakers thereof Acts. 4. though the subiect be not bound in conscience to obserue that law for in such cases a man must rather obey God then man yet he may not rebell nor oppose himselfe violently against his Prince but he must rather referre his cause to God and submit himselfe to the punishmēts of the law Peter 2. as Saint Peter saith Submit your selfe to euery ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the king as to the chiefe or to them that be sent of him then it followeth he may not rebell whatsoeuer the ordinance be The Iewes had a law that whosoeuer should say he was the Sonne of God should die Christ that was the soonne of God in déede Looke Iohn 19. verse 7. and so declared himselfe to the people to be yet he did submit himselfe to the paine of the law thoughit be vngodly ¶ The manner how to suppresse rebels with a perswasion to all subiects to the due of obedience of their Prince the great inconueniences that arise of ciuill warres How hatefull the name of a traytour is to the posteritie and what plagues haue fallen not onely vppon traytors but also vppon such as haue bene murmurers against their Princes Gouernors CHAP. 8. WHen the Princes of Germany determined to take armes against the emperor for the defence of their religion Bodinus 211 they asked Luther if it were lawfull so to do who answered expresly that it was not Sleildan 4. and would not perswade them thereunto saying that no cause could be iust for the subiect to beare armes against his Prince countrey And because it is conuenient that rebellious and disordered people should be dealt withall with conuenient speed Bodinus lib. 4. fol. 487. let vs heare what Bodinus writeth concerning the maner how Si tamen seditio priùs coorta fuerit quà m prospiceretur sapientissimos ac summa virtute praestantes viros qui populi motus orationis lenitate ac prudētia regere possunt adhibere oportebit nam qui vi◠adhibent perinde faciunt vt ij qui torrentem praecipiti casu de rupibus altissimis labentem sistere se posse confidunt How rebels must be suppressed If seditious persons and rebels be assembled together afore it be foreseene the wisest men and such as for their great vertue excell can moue the people with their gentle and wise perswasions are most meetest to be vsed for such as at the first vse force do as they which thinke to stay a great water falling headlong from the high rocks If wild beasts cannot be tamed with strokes but by gentle and skilfull vsing of them who can thinke with sharpe and rough words to tame such as of all beasts are most fierce The Senate of Rome did very often reprehend such as vsed force to appease the furie of the people and rather cōmended Menenius Agrippa which not with bitternesse but rather with gentlenesse and cunning vsed to reduce the people to their obedience and dutie which aboue all other bred to him immortall praise and glorie to the common wealth And to that effect the Poet Virgill writeth thus Ac veluti magno in populo cum sepè coorta est Seditio Aeneid lib. 1. saeuitque animis ignobile vulgus Iamque faces saxa volant furor arma ministrat Tum pietate grauem ac meritis si fortè virum quem Conspexêre silent arrectisque auribus astant Ille regit dictis animos pectora mulcet Whē sedition is raised amongst the common people in their rage firebrands and stones flie for furie doth minister weapons then if they see by chaunce anie graue man to be reuerenced for his vertee and good deserts they are silent and hearken to him diligently and he asswageth with his mildnesse and wise speeches their minds and rages Pericles So did Pericles the Athenian Peter Loredan the Venetian and others whereby it appeareth that vertue and wisdome doth sometime mors preuaile in these cases then either lawes armes or the commandement of rulers And to restraine such rebellious people and reduce them to due obedience the feare and reuerence of Religion hath bene in times past of great force Lib.
that it is alwayes a doubtfull and hazardous matter to meddle with changing of lawes and gouernement or to disobey the orders of rule and gouernement which a man doth finde already established Bodinus sheweth Bodinus li. 4. fo 482. that the people of the East and of Affrica and the kings of Spaine most straightly did prohibite the same when great contention was amongst the Muscouites for religion the king deliuered to the Bishop and certaine men called Curiones a booke wherein was set downe what he would haue taught touching diuine matters to be preached taught to the people and commaunded that none vpon paine of death should adde or withdraw from it The Princes of Germanie by mutuall agréemēt after long ciuill battels amongst them for religion ordained that the religion of Rome and Saxonie should be suffered and that none should dispute of religion vpon paine of death Ibid. fol. 482. None to dispute of religion setled vpon paine of death Martin Mar-prelate which the Gouernours of Germanie especially of Augusta did execute whereby all Germany was quieted If then to dispute of religiō once allowed by authoritie or to encounter the same it be so dangerous to moue sedition ciuill discord was it not high time thinke you to suppresse Martin Mar-prelate who by seuerall writings did not let to affirme that we haue no Church no Bishop no Ministers nor Sacraments and therefore that all which loue Iesus Christ with all spéed ought to separate themselues from our Congregation affirming that our assemblies are prophane wicked and Antichristiā Could there be a greater dishonour offered to her Maiestie and to the state of the learned Cleargie yea to the whole Parliament whereby the religion now professed is established Was it not time to look vpon such as denied publike Baptisme if it be not done by a Preacher and bring in question what is become of them which were not so baptized as though they should not be saued Was it not high time to looke about when some of them durst vtter that if reformation were not had with spéed of such things as they disliked that the subiects ought not to tarie anie longer but to do it themselues and moreouer durst say that he and his fellowes are forced in conscience to speake for this new order and to vse it and that there is manie a thousand which desire that which he doth and that great troubles will come if it be not prouided for Was it not time to looke to such as by these means distracted the minds of her Maiesties subiects in drawing them into factions and encouraging the number of malecontents and mislikers of the state which make no account of religion but to make cheir cōmoditie though it be with the spoile of their owne countrie if oportunitie serued in pulling away the good and faithfull hearts of many subiects from her Maiestie because she maintaineth the state of the Church gouernment which they mislike and which is protested by them to be prophane and Antichristian Was it not time to looke to those sorts of mē the publish such libels and such seditious books tending to such dishonor of this state gouernment as the like neuer was offred in any age Was it not time to looke to such as haue attempted these things with such impudent and desperate boldnesse as if they thought there were neither Prince law ruler nor magistrate that durst controll or séeke to represse them Was it not time to looke to such as haue vttered such bold spéeches against our setled state law the loose boldnesse of mind towards the superiors is ioyned with contempt contemptuous boldnesse is the verie roote and spring of discord dissention vprores ciuill warres and all desperate attempts that may breede trouble or danger to the state yea and if they might be hardened with some continuance of time and hope of impunity some multitude of assistāts gathering to thē what hereof might follow I leaue to the graue iudgement of those to whom it appertaineth All which matters aforesaid with manie other of like sort concerning Martin Marprelate are grauely answered by the the reuerēd Father in God the Bishop of Winchester B. of Winchester The mischiefes which might haue ensued by this seditious sect was so greatly disliked by her Maiestie her Counsell that her Highnesse did publish her Proclamatiō with the aduise of her honorable Counsel in the one and thirtith yeare of her raigne to the effect as followeth Her Maiestie considering how within few yeares certaine seditious euill disposed persons towards her Maiestie Proclamatiō 31. Eliz. the gouernmēt established for causes Ecclesiastical within her Highnesse dominions had deuised writtē printed or caused seditiously secretly to be published dispersed sundrie schismaticall seditious bookes defamatorie libels and other fantasticall writings amongst her Maiesties subiects containing in them verie erronious doctrine and other matters notoriously vntrue slanderous to the state and against the godly information of religion and gouernment Ecclesiasticall established by law and so long quietly continued and also against the persons of the Bishops and other placed in authoritie Ecclesiasticall vnder her Highnesse by her authoritie in rayling sort beyond all good humanitie all which bookes libels writings tend by their scope to perswade and bring in a monstrous and apparant daungerous innouation within her Maiesties domions and countries of all maner Ecclesiasticall gouernment now in vse and to the abridgement or rather to the ouerthrow of her Highnesse lawfull prerogatiue allowed by Gods lawes and established by the lawes of this realme and consequently to reuerse dissolue and set at libertie the present gouernment of the Church and to make a dangerous change of the forme of doctrine and vse of diuine seruice of God and the ministration of the Sacraments now also in vse with a rash and malicious purpose also to dissolue the state of the Prelacie being one of the three ancient estates of this realme vnder her Highnesse whereof her Maiestie mindeth to haue such reuerend regard as to their places in the Church and common-wealth appertaineth all which sayd seditious practises doe directly tend to the manifest wilfull breach of a great number of good lawes and Satutes of this Realme inconueniences nothing at all regarded by such innouations In consideration whereof her Highnesse graciously minding to prouide for good and speedy remedy to withstand such notable dangerous and vngodly attempts and for that purpose to haue such enormous malefactors discouered and condignly punished doth signifie by the same proclamation her Highnesse disliking and indignation of such dangerous and wicked enterprises and for that purpose doth thereby will and straightly charge and command that all persons whatsoeuer within any her Maiesties Realmes and dominions who then had or then after should haue any of the sayd seditious bookes pamphlets libels or writings or any of the like nature already published or then after to
be published in his or their custody contayning such matters as aboue are mentioned against the present order and gouernement of the Church of England or the lawfull ministers thereof or against the rites and ceremonies vsed in the Church and allowed by the lawes of this Realme that they and euery of them should presently after with conuenient speede bring in and deliuer vp the same vnto the Ordinary of the Diocesse or of the place where they inhabite to the intent they might be vtterly defaced by the sayd Ordinary or otherwise vsed by them And that from thenceforth no person or persons whatsoeuer should be so hardy as to write contriue print or cause to be published or distributed or to keepe any of the same or any other bookes libels or writings of the like nature and qualitie contrarie to the true meaning and intent of her Maiesties sayd proclamation and likewise that none after should giue any instruction direction fauour or assistance to the contriuing writing printing publishing or dispersing of the same or such like bookes libels or writings whatsoeuer as they tendered her Maiesties good fauour and would auoyd her Highnesse displeasure and as they would answere for the contrarie at their vttermost perils and vpon such further paines and penalties as by the law any way might be inflicted vppon the offenders in any of these behalfes as persons maintaining such seditious actions which her Maiestie affirmeth by that proclamation she mindeth to haue seuerely executed And if any person had knowledge of the anthors writers printers or disperers thereof that they should within one moneth after the publication of the sayd proclamation discouer the same to the Ordinary of the place where he had such knowledge or to any of her Maiesties priuie Councell as by the same proclamation plainly appeareth After that Martin Marprelate and his fellowes were restrained of setting foorth their seditious bookes they and such like vsed to assemble themselues in conuenticles where they had exercises as they termed them of religion contrary to the law whereupon a Statute was very necessarily made in the fiue and thirteth yeare of her Maiesties raigne to the effect following 35. El. cap. 1. If any aboue sixteene yeares of age shall obstinately refuse to come to some vsuall place of Common prayer to heare diuine Seruice established by the Queenes Maiesties lawes by the space of one moneth without lawfull cause or shall by printing writing or expresse words aduisedly and purposely practise or go about to moue or perswade any within her Maiesties dominions to denie withstand and impugne her Highnesse authority in causes ecclesiasticall vnited to the Crowne or to that end or purpose shall aduisedly and maliciously moue or perswade any whatsoeuer to forbeare or abstaine from comming to Church to heare diuine Seruice and receiue the communion according to her lawes or to come to or be present at any vnlawfull assemblies conuenticles or meetings vnder colour or pretence of any exercise of religion contrary to the Statutes of this Realme as afore is sayd euery person thereof conuicted shall be imprisoned without bayle or maynprise vntill they shall confirme themselues to come to Church and heare diuine Seruice according to her Highnesse lawes and make such open submission and declaration of their conformity as is there set downe If the offender aforesayd being thereof conuicted shall not within three moneths conforme himselfe in comming to Church and making submission and confession being required by the Bishop of the Diocesse or a Iustice of peace of the Shyre where the person shall be or be the Minister of the Parish the offender there so warned or required by a Iustice of peace where the offender shall be shall abiure the Realme by his oath afore the Iustice of peace at the quarter Sessions or Assises as was vsed by the Common law in case of fellony If he refuse to abiure or shall not go or returne without her Maiesties licence it is fellony and he shal loose his cleargie If any offender aforesayd afore they should abiure come to Church on some Sunday or Holy day and then and there heare diuine Seruice and make open submission and declaration of his conformitie to the lawes he should be discharged of all penalties and punishments appointed by this Satute And also if any after such submission refuse or forbeare to come to Church or come to such conuenticles as aforesayd he shall loose the benefit of this Act and be and stand in such case as though no such submission had bene had ne made Likewise if any keepe in his house or otherwise relieue any that shall obstinately refuse to come to Church and shall forbeare to come to Church by a moneth together euery person so doing after notice to him giuen by the Ordinary Iustice of Assise Iustice of peace Curate of the parish or Church-warden shall forfeit ten pounds for euery moneth that he doth retaine or relieue any such person The Satute extendeth not to mens wiues children father mother wards sisters not hauing houses of Popish recusants or feeme couerts shall not be compelled to abiure The persons that shall abiure or refuse to abiure vt suprà shall forfeit their goods and chattels and all his lands during his life This act was made to continue to the end of the next session of Parliament and now is continued in the Parliament holden in the fortieth yeare of her Maiesties Raigne THE FORME OF submission I A. B. do humbly confesse and acknowledge The submission that I haue grieuously offended God in contemning her Maiesties godly and lawfull gouernment and authority by absenting my selfe from Church and from hearing diuine Seruice contrary to the godly Lawes and Statutes of this Realme and in vsing and frequenting disordered and vnlawfull conuenticles and assemblies vnder pretence and colour of exercise of Religion and I am hartily sory for the same and do acknowledge and testifie in my conscience that no other person hath or ought to haue any power or authority ouer her Maiestie and I doe promise and protest without any dissimulation or any colour or meanes of any dispensation that from hencefoorth I will from time to time obey and performe her Maiesties Lawes and Statutes in repayring to the Church and hearing diuine Seruice and will euer hereafter do mine vttermost indeuor to maintaine and defend the same ¶ Of diuerse and sundry victories obtayned in former time by the English nation both by sea and land against their forreyne enemies to the great encouragement of the posterity to maintaine the honor gotten by their progenitors CHAP. 11. ANd now as in the last part of this encouragement The last cause of incouragement what notable victories hath our nation obtayned against the French and Scots aswell in their owne territories and countries as when they haue inuaded this Realme and how most gaciously Almightie God hath alwayes assisted vs in our rightfull causes against our enemies when they haue greatly