of Suppliants written amongst the alwes of Heralds they adiorned vnto them many Princes and people in amitie friendshippe But peraduenture some will aunswere that the french Catholiques did not breake any law of armes in vsing pollicie against their enmmies for saint Augustine in hys questions vpon Iosua sayth When warre is iust lawfull he swerueth not from iustice that pursueth his enimies either by strength or pollicy And euen so Antigonus when one asked him howe he shoulde deale with hys enimies answered Eyther with fraude or dinte of sworde eyther openly or secretly And Virgil. Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat Saint Hierome alleageth that verse as seculer but liketh very well therof so farre forth as no fayth troth geuē be byolate But I thinke the word Dolus in the verse to be taken of honest and lawfull pollicies in war And that all subtill cauilátions fraudes and periuries are excepted For the word no doubt signifieth Prudens Stratagema The king of Denmarck vsing fraud and periury agaynst his subiectes is much discommended for that when hee coulde not bring in by maine might certaine pernicious outlawes and pirates hée brought it to passe by pollicy for he pretending open war agaynst forreyn enimies sommoned his men os war to come and serue him and among the rest sent also vnto those theeues both graunting them pardon for all theire offences committed agaynst him and also promised them for their seruice large and liberall wages And when they were commen he straight way put them to death Such pollicyes hauing periury anexed vnto them ought to be detested of al good men and chiefly of Princes whome verity and constancy in words of promises haue alwayes singulerly commended The french Stratagemes are not much vnlike the danish dealings sauing the their pertury was more heynous in Fraunce for that the aduerse part were already come in and had layd down their arniour and weapon and had on their part giuen out infallible and euident signes of their loue and fidelity to their Prince The cruell deede of Peter Arrogon is much detested who slew eyght thousande french men in Cicil for that they had surprised that I le in his abscnce and yet he excercised his cruelty vpon forreyners and straungers but these vpon their own nation and nere kinsnien They seemed to haue set before their eyes the dissimulation of Antonius Cōmodus whose maners they haue exactly expressed For when he was wearyed with filthy pleasures where 〈◊〉 he was exceedingly geuen lest he mighte séem◠to spend tune in dooing nothing hee deuysed with him selfe how he might murder the Nobles of his Empire especially he caused one Iulianus to be slayn suddenly and horribly in his bedde and yet in the sight of men he woulde kisse and embrace him calling him his sweete hart and welbeloued father Or hapely they looked nerer home and bchelde the pollicies of some of their Auncestors We reade of Charles the vy king of Fraunce that after long and greeuous troubles in that country he entered into league and affinity with the duke of Burgondy and promised most constantly to bury all auncient quarrels and grudges ther vpon they both receiued at the priestes handes the host consecrated as the manner was in those dayes in confyrmation of their othes and promyses yet notwithstanding when as the sayd king hadde inuited the duke to come to Montrell pretending to entertayne him most frendely and to exhibit vnto him spectacles and triumphes he suffered the duke to be murdered vppon the bridge there as they werein communication together Some may aunswere that how these men kept their fayth they wil not examin but by these doinges there followed tranquility and quietnesse vnto those Regions and country I answere let it be so accounted for y presēt time but if we cōsider the consequence of such truce breakings immayne cruelties we shall finde in the ende vtter subuersion to haue ensewed greate houses and families therefore Surely all good men imbrace that saying There is nothing profitable vnlesse it be also honest And therefore Aristides did openly in the audience of the people reiecte the polliticke counsell of Themistocles concerning the burning of the Lacedemonians Nauy because being profitable it was not thoughte honest Furius Camillus receiued not the children of the Lords of Phalice betrayed to him by their Schoolemaster but stripped him naked and deliuered him to be whipped home wyth roddes by the same Chyldren Kingly vertues in times past haue bene reported to be these Iustice gentlenesse and clemencie but crueltie and outrage haue bene misliked Scipio hath in all ages bene praysed who was wonte to say that he had rather saue one citezen then sley a thousand enimies which sentence the Emperour Antonius surnamed Pius did often repeate Contrariwise it was a shamefull byworde vsed against yong Tiberius to be called Clay tempered with bloud It is no sufficient allegation to say that kings haue absolute power of lyfe and death ouer their subiectes There cannot be alleaged anye greater authoritie then that the Dictators hadde at Rome in whome was the soueraigne power of peace and warre and of lyfe and death and that without appeale Yet might they not execute a Citisen hys cause vnheard and without condemnation by order of law Onely murderers and théeues doe take awaye mens lyues without order of law without hearing the partie pleade his cause and to speake for hymselfe but what neede many wordes It is cléerer then the noone day that cruelty periurie and filthie adulterie are the verie proper noates and badges of Papistes in these our dayes It is much to be lamented that the noble and famous Nacion of Fraūce shold learn of Pope and Turck vnto whom they linck themselues in legue to care for no promise fayth or oth and I pray God in the ende they be not scourged by Antichrist whom they trust and distrust God with whome whiles they seeke to concerue peace and concorde they cānot chuse but be at discord and open warre with god The old Poets doe feine that the proud Giauntes waged battaile agaynste heauen whereby they ment vndoubtedly those that despise laws and breake their oaths most blasphemously abusing Gods name And those that easily commit such offences the Deuel doth wholy possesse their harts by litle and litle and bréedeth in thē a deadly hatred against God wherby they ronne into foule and heynous facts and so at the laste fall into tragicall paynes both in this world and in the world to come Which the Poets ment also to expresse in Iupiter his conquests ouer the sayd Giauntes called Philegians who were caried quick to Hel with a floud sent out by Neptune of whom Uirgil writeth thus Phlegiasque miserrimus omnes Admonet et magna testater voce per vmbras Discite insticiā moniti et nō temnere diuos How gréeuously and odiously men doe prophane Gods
Caesar deliberating with himselfe whether hée shoulde take Armoure agaynste his natiue country Conscience aunswereth that hée ought not to doe it Reason Superiour confirmeth it because it is contrary to Godlynesse and to the law of nature being in it selfe vile and vnhonest Reason Inferioure alloweth the same because it is in y world a thing infantous and reprochful and therwithall very perillous Out of these Sinterisis or Iudgement inferreth that it is abhominable by no meanes to be attempted In lyke maner miagine Popilius delyberating with himselfe whether he might execute Antonies commauÌ„ndement murder Cicero Conscience telleth that he ought not to murder Cicero by any meanes Reason Superior sayth that he shall be noted of great ingratitude if he murder that man who sometime defended him in a matter of lyfe and death procured his delyuerance Reason Inferior addeth that he shal procure common hatred mallice of all good men if he murder a man that hath most notably preserued the liberty of his country wherof Sinteresis or Iudgement gathereth that Ingratitude as a most odious detestable thing is to be auoyded And thus you sée all the partes of a Sillogisme which they call practick wherin reason probable examine morall actions by the law of Nature by principles deryued out of the same I call Principles those Notices or knowledge which are planted graued in our minds by good sentences coÌ„mon knowne vnto al men wherevnto we without gainesaying doe wyllingly and naturally assent Such are these Thankes are to be yeelded to those which deserue them Euerie man ought to haue his owne Wee ought to imitate no man. And these principles which apperteyne to our duetie and vocation in a cyuill lyfe are named practicke their naturall habite Sinterisis But those Theorick principles which properly belong to contemplation knowledge they terme the Intelligence of principles as for example The whole is greater then a part Of nothing can nothing be made such lyke I thought it requisite to interlace this short admonition of the termes or wordes which wryters in these cases vse whereof many curious questions are of many moued which may be the better discerned these things knowne for my part I thinke the first diuision to be most commodious and playne for knowledge and vnderstanding sake otherwise most certayne it is that these thinges differ not in mans minde if you respect their substance and essence being in déede mingled confused one with another onely for instruction sake they are seperate in thought and cogination For the heauenly Philosopher S. Paule nameth the whole Sillogisme whereof I haue spoken before mans conscience It is euidence by the premisses that the quality of Conscience varieth according to the condition of mens factes For in meÌ„ that feare and loue GOD there is a good Conscience whiche procéedeth of vertues and sincere deliberations and déedes bringing vnto man an incredible ioye pleasure of thinges well done And an euell Conscience in wicked and euell persons which by reason of vile and abhomiuable facts of shame and discredite receiued doth fret knaw the minde with great vntollerable greefes and fraunces Wherein it is to be noâ—ed that Conscience taketh not these differences of the facultye Iudicatiue which is a naturall gifte therefore to be nombred among good things and is sometime named the lighte of the minde sometime the naturall 〈…〉 time the instruction of Reason But the Conscience taketh such qualities of these thrée thinges Of the facte paste of the present affection of the hart and of the eueÌ„r folowing For if the minde be throughly perswaded of his Innocency it reioyceth and cherisheth good hope and is called a good Conscience the difynition whereof is as foloweth A good Conscience is aÌ„ ioyfull remembraunce of our former life well paste and spente hauing a sure hope and expectation of some happy euent Or thus a good Conscience is a gladsome motion of the harte conioyned with a perfite knowledge of a fact well done where it is called not Science but Conscience Which good Conscience is aswell the cause of chearefulnesse in the face and countinaunce being but an outward token of the inward affection as also the breder and conseruer of the solace and ioye in the minde conceaued of good factes and happy euents For better declaration hereof I will examine certayne cases particulerly And for examples sake let vs looke vppon these rich men of the world hauing at their own will abundantly thinges necessary to a swéete and pleasaunt life and therefore are generally almoste reputed blessed and happy If a man with more insight examin their estate he shall not finde any men eyther more miserable or more trembling fearing Gods wrath and vengeaunce then they if at any time they happen to call an accompt of them selues by what meanes they haue heaped these thinges together I doe not nowe speake of such as haue gotten riches and increased their substance without any mans iniurie if any such be for in déede such byrdes are rarely séene But I note those that wythout respect of right or wrong doe onely or chiefely séeke for gaine neglecting in the meane season those things which principally doe adorne and bewtifie man Whiles such men doe recorde their couen and frawde in gathering gayne what agonies and passions of minde what gna wings and woundes of Conscience doe they abide wherwith they bring as it were scourged and whiâ—te doe susteyne inwardly vnspeakeable misery in their externall shewe of felicitie On the other side they that with honest and lawful meane growe to be ritche and haue vsed no cellusion nor hurtful guile in their trade of lyfe must néedes inwardly reioyce and giue endelesse praise and thankes to the almightie for his goodnesse mercie towarde them Moreouer those meli that excell in bewtie strength health or other giftes of the body must néedes be sayde to haue rereceyued great benfites of God but those that abuse their bewtie to vnchaste loue their strength to hurt their neighbor their health to filthie and vnlawfull pleasures what miseries and sorrowes shall they afterwarde susteyne We maye iudge the fame of Nobilitie of power of glorie of honor and such lyke For if onely vertuo be the true and perfite Nobilitie as the Poet sayeth Then surely they may not rightly be called Noble that onely descend of a famous house and haue gotten Armes and Nobilitie by their renowmed Auncestors that is with other mens vertues or else as often it happeneth by our notorious Pyraries robbres or murders but those onely that with their owne worthye and excellent deeds haue aduaunced themselues or being sprong of Noble parentage by imitation doe withall their endeuour study to resemble them from whence they came Such the as are Noble in déede doe conceiue of their excellent and worthy déedes towarde their countrie an vnspeakable ioy in their Conscience whereas the Noble vnnoble with
surnamed the Delair more discretely handled the matter who in that tottering time of his country abstayned for a season from fight with Hannibale nothing accoumpting of the peoples obloquies who called him a timerous man and a towarde being in déede a right valiaunt man and a stoute warriour but contented himselfe with the â—mer consideration of his own counsailes of whome Ennius writeth thus Vnus homo nobis cunctando restituit rem Non ponebatenim rumores ante Salutem And assuredly if Fabius had not so done the state of Rome had then vtterly ben subuerted And therefore hee rested vpon his owu Conscience and not vpon populare rumoures liked rather that men should spèake euell of his wise regimente then with their fauourable acclamations to cast away himselfe and indanger his country The Sages of the Lawe beinge called togiue out their opinions and spéeth nyther touching the righte iudgement of cases or of factes and déedes done maye not séeke to speake pleasantly but sincerely they ought not to disprayse thinges commendable nor commend thinges blameable no not if hée be allured to the one with hope of great fauour and gayne or drawen from the other with greate terrors and daungers Suche a Lawyer was Papinianus of the Emperoure Antonius his counsayle who being desired afterward with terrible threats commaunded to defend the Emperours tyranous facte in murdering his yong brother Geta euen in his mothers lappe was willing rather to abide death theÌ„ to speake thinges contrarie to the law of nature and of al nations answering Antonius franckly O Emperoure it is more easie to commit paricide then to defend it Suche another Lawyer was sir Iames Hales knight one of the iustices of the common place who being called by men of great power might to subscribe vnto a deuice for that dissenheriting of the then Lady Mary Lady Elizabeth would in no wise neither by curteous nor seuere spéeches be broughte vnto it And afterwarde in the dayes of bloude when all his fellowes changed their coates he at a quarter sessions holden in Kente followed the lawe and gaue charge vpon the statutes of King Henry the eyght and Edward the sixt in derogation of the primacy of the Church of Rome For whiche cause his former fidelity forgotten he was committed to pryson and there so terrifyed by the bloudy Priestes that he also at the last would shew himselfe a conformable man whereby he was brought into the Quéenes presence and receiued wordes of grace and comfort but alack whiles he obteyned this he loseth gods grace and his guiding spirit and the Diuell that capitall and auncient enimy of man leadeth him vnto a shallowe brooke within halfe a mile of his own dwelling where he hauing no doubte a gauled Conscience for the shipwracke of his fayth lay downe groueling and with muche laboure drowned him selfe His laste fal and punishment succéeding the same doeth pythily enough perswade men to auoyde such declinations from Iustice and to contend with al their powers and might to imitate the former notable and worthy déede of his in pronouncing what law and equitie required euen to those that then were mighty and malicious enemies of the same Those that be in authority and vse the same to hale and pull from the ministerye landes and possessions giuen and left to the Church by the liberality of our forefathers cannot but haue an vnquiet Conscience which albeit for a time it seeme to sleepe yet it will wake at the laste and to their great vexation will sette before their eyes their rapine and spoyle in degree nothing behinde detestable Sacrilege Their Conscience will one day tell them that whereof now they cannot be ignorant that these thinges were geuen of old toward the conseruing of religion and to the needeful vses of the Church to mainteyne Pastors Preachers Doctors and interpreters of Gods law to bréede and bring vp yong Plantes that may in time become fruitefull trees in Gods orcharde as well in preching pure doctrine as in confounding heresis And to conuerte suche thinges to satisfie priuate auarice rape greedines vanity what other thing can it be then moste horrible impiety and wickednes It auayleth them very litle to say that those goods haue béene abused or that in the beginning they were dedicate to idolatrous vses it is an old and good saying propter abusum res non tollenda that thinges necessary and profâ—table are not to be taken away for the abuse sake only And if we haue thought it hereto fore vnlawful vngodly to abuse the goods of the Church in pompe and pleasure as in déede they haue béene which all good men lament let vs think it more intollerable impius to make those things priuat which before were publique and to transferre them from deuine to prophane vses Touching the exchange of the possessors Luther that worthy man was wont fynely to say that these goods were sometime geuen to Asses and Swine meaning rude monkes and Godlesse Epicures and now at the last they returne to like persons agayne surely he spake rightly for excepte a fewe such goods haue ben a pray to hunters foulers and such like But God such is his righteous and iust dealings although secrete suffereth not these breakers of deade mens wils and testamentes to haue theirs performed For commonly suche fathers doe deliuer like children who being Coggers foysters and at the last banckeroute inioy not commonly in the third dissente goods so racked and drawn together As for their dedication to prophane vses it is no new obiection And the aunswere shapen of olde maye yet serue to wit that idolatry ceassing those goods ought to bee imployed to the vse of Christes church euen as Constantine the Emperour tooke the ecclesiasticall gooddes of the Donatistes and bestowed them vpon the Catholick church wherof when the Donatistes complained as of great wrong and iniury offred by the catholiques S. August afterward defended the fact and aunswered them That those goods in déede were the churches and might well by the superiour maiestrate bee taken from those that were no members of the same and restored to the right owners to wit the Church onely These possessions and donacions then do appertaine neither to the Prince nor to the Priest nor to the people perticulerly but to the whole church and their property cannot by any meanes be chaunged Ioseph bought all the substaunce of the Egiptions to the house of Pharao but the landes and fieldes of the Priestes he touched not Gen. 47. The reason is giuen in another place That amongs other priuileges of the clergy their goods should neuer be allienated from them for that their groundes are a perpetuall possession Num. 25. Therefore the blessed martir Laurence led by y holy ghost would not deliuer Decius the Emperoure the treasure of the Church These gréedye worldlinges when the matter will not support then turne to the persons and they saye that ministers are
in the night time hée spoyled the fieldes and when the league was aleaged he aunswered that he had not broken the same which extended only to the day and not to the night The like we may reade in Plutarch of Cleomenes in Strabo of y Such practises are red euen of Popish Prelates who with fraudulent interpretations of their othes haue sucked the bloud of those that reposed all fayth in their promises and coÌ„mitted their liues vnto their protection At what time Lewis king of Fraunce beséegeÌ„d Adelbartus an Exle in the Castle of Bamberge which by meanes of the commodius cituacion and good furniture of Artillery could by no meanes be gotten whâ— he saw the lions skinne would not auayle he put vppon a Woulues skinne leauing manhoode practising subtilty The king then sent a Bishop vnto the Earle to moue him to come to some Parle with the King giuing him his faith that he would reduce him safe and sound into his Castle againe The Earle was soone perswaded and aduentured to goe with the bishop And wheÌ„ they had not passed many paces out of the Castle gate Were it not good said the Prelate for vs to eate a morsel of meate before we go vnto the king with a good will quod the Earle and so retourned vnto the Castle to duiner agayn After meate they arose and came to the King who immediately caused the Earle to be appreheÌ„ded and executed Now when the Earle saw he must néedes dye he complayned of breach of fayth and trothe vnto whom the Bishop made this aunswere That he performed his promise in that hée brought him safe and sound into his Casile to eate meat and for that hee renewed not his promise afterward he could not hée charged with violating of his oth The recorder of this matter putteth down his own iudgement of the deede in this wise Let other men iudge of this Prelate what they list as though it were done for the peace and quietnesse of the whole Lande But for my own part I thus thinck that no Christian ought once to conceaue any suche thought especially in so great a matter of life and death The ende of this Prelate was fearefull straunge afterward when the Elements most terribly seemed with fyre to burne and with noyse to be confounded together the mighty God strack him with his Thunderbolt and so hée miserably dyed who soeuer examineth his own Conscience and secret iudgement shall soone sée that such fleightes procéede of an vnhonest and malicious pollicy méere contrary to nature beeing most shamefull and vile for any liberall man but once to thincke vpon much lesse to put the same in any execution For Nature her selfe desireth thinges that bée right and iust and despiseth the contrary neyther will she hermit commodity without honesty to haue any place with her So Iosua kept the league and truce taken with the Sabonites notwithstanding their fraud and circumuention neither would hée by any meanes breake his fayth and trouth giuen vnto them Albeit there is some diuersity of iudgement among the learned whether Iosua did wel or not in sparing those people both whome God commannded him to destroy and also of whome hée was circumuented and deceiued in making of the league For hée séemed not to hée bounde by anye Religion to kéepe that fayth which he gaue deceyued with their Guile that vnto Gods enemies These things séeme somedeale hard to be discussed First of all Iosua could not be ignoraunt that all those people that dwelled in the Land of Promise ought by Gods commaundement vtterly to be routed out But that the Gabaonites did inhabit any part of that land he wist not Therfore albeit in some respect for ignoraunce Iosua might séeme to pretend excuse for that the Gabaonites comming with their olde shoes and torne Garments abused him feyning them selues to be people that came from far yet he cannot auoyd blame both for his ouermuch security and credulity and also for his negligence in that according to the manner he inquired not at Gods mouth what was conuenieÌ„t for him to doe There be some that goe about to lose this knot after this maner That Iosua did both execute Gods commaundement and also that he well performed his promise For whiles he suffereth them to liue he offereth the better and in that he maketh them seruill men he executeth the first for Vlpian in the Digests compareth perpetuall seruitude with death S. Ambrose sayth Iosua asked not the Lords will by meane of to moch credulty which commonly al playn and good natures haue in them hée addeth this fine and golden sentence So holy and reuerend was fayth in those dayes that collusion and fraude was rarely sounde amongste men This is then the cause why Iosua tooke peace and truce with the Cabaonites Now that he killed them not deprehending their Euile but brought them in seruitude was because he woulde not breake his worde bound with an oth lesse in blaming other mens vnfaythfulnesse hée should séeme to incurre the same fault himselfe Hée saued their liues therefore but â—ee made them slaues his sentence conteyned mercy but she long punishment had in it seuerity and thus far S. Ambrose Others write hereof in this wise Wée gather that god accepted and ratified Iosua his oth giuen to the Gabaonites not in y he liked fraud and Guile but that their study desire and submission pleased him For first God promised Iosua to be with him in reskewing and defending of the Citie Gabaon Secondly when Saule had caused certaine of these Gabaonyttes to be murdered contrarie to this promise of Iosua made vnto their auncestors God was angrle and sent a famine among the Israelites which continued by the space of three yeres neyther coulde his wrath be mitigated vntyll such tyme as seauen of Saules sonnes or neerest kinsmen were hanged It is credible that Gods speciall pleasure was to haue the Gabaonyttes preserued And it is lykely that Iosua being a Prophete vnderstoode so much Mine owne iudgement is this That whereas the chiefe cause whye the Lord God would haue the inhabitants of that country destroyed was leste they might afterward draw the Israelites from the true worshipping of the lyuing God as Moses declareth in Deutero Num. 22. These Gabaonyttes whom the second booke of kings accounteth among the Amdrits were both humble and lowly and also willing to imbrace the Religion of the Hebrewes moued there vnto with the fame of Gods great miracles and wunders which he shewed in defending and preseruing the Israelites in Egipt in the wildernes and about Iordayn for so them selues confessed Iosua therefore spared their liues but tooke from them their liberty whereby he supposed all occasions of auerting the Israelites from the liuing God to be remooued away and so hée imbasing them and weakning them with seruitude kept him selfe pure froÌ„ the spot of infamous periury and wicked Atheisme wherewithall the Godlesse