of the time and place they were at Paris amongst their enemies who barked at their liues and were dyed red in the bloud of their seruants yea euen in the time that the Frenchman was the cruell butcher bloody murderer of Frenchmen that the father cut his sons throat that the mother slew the daughter that the brother dispatched the sister one neighbour killed another cruelty triumphed ouer clemencie and rage ouer pitie who then at such a time with a trembling hand would not haue written whatsoeuer his enemies had endited But in such cases the lawes of the Emperors and edicts of the auncient Pretors doo declare all such actions none as if they had not beene for that is not called consent that we force him to doo that is depriued of his power for this cause doth Pope Alexander the 3. will Cap. 1. ext de his quae vâ—met Abbas Vsperg in Hen. 5. those meÌ„ that for feare of death are become Monks to â—ast their weed into the nettles to marry And Pascall the 2. hauing beene forced the right of inuestiture of benefices to the Emperour Hen. the 5. called a councell at Lateran where he made voide all that by force he had bene compelled to doo Likewise Platina de vitis Pont. the dooings of Silla were denounced to be tyranny because that he hauing a mighty army within the walles of Rome established himselfe Dictator as also did Caesar by the law Seruia So that the king of Nauarre and Prince of Condé may iustly disallow the declaration contained in their letters sith that the more force that was vsed the lesse will they had At all aduentures from whence doth the Pope take this authority to excommunicate the goods Kings saith Christ haue dominion ouer the nations but it Math. 20. shall not be so among you Feed saith S. Peter the flocke of Christ not as hauing dominion ouer their heritage but so as you may be an example to the flocke Iustinian Epist 1. c. 5 Nou. 81. also writing to Epiphanius diuideth the ministerie from the Lordship and in an other place forbiddeth the Priests to take vpon them the titles of Lords but of spirituall fathers Yea Balde one of the bucklers of the Romish Priest exalting his power is still forced to put in this bridle In spirituall cases and S. Bernard speaking to Pope Eugenius saith It is euident that the Apostles are forbidden all Lordship how therefore darest thou vsurpe the title of an Apostle in playing the Lord or play the Lord while thou sittest in the Apostolike sea In olde time also the Priests iudged of heresies but not of the punishment of heretikes which was the reason that S. Paule was brought before Festus Act. 25. Theod. lib. 1. cap. 20. Tit. de heret c. 1 lib. 1. De sum trinit L. Placet de sacro Eccles c. the Emperors Lieutenant that Constantine forebad the Bishops of Nicomedia from shewing any fauor to Eusebius and Theognis that Honorius appointed the Prouost Marcellus to be a iudge for the Catholikes against the Donatists and that the Emperors Constantine Gratian Theodosius Iustinian did ordaine grieuous punishments for heretikes Yea in the olde time so farre were the sacrificers and Priests from medling with secular iurisdiction or incroching vppon the authoritie of kinges that in whatsoeuer concerned priestly discipline they bowed to them Salomon deposed Abiathar the high 1. King 2. 1. Chro. 29 Priest and placed Sadoc in his roome Ezechias reformed the order of Leuites and brought them vnto their first puritie Iudas Machabeus deposed the 1. Macab 4 Liuius lib. 1. dec 1. wicked Priests of the law and Numa saith Liuy deliuered in writing and signed a note vnto the high Priest with what cattel vpon what dayes in what temples they should offer sacrifice from whence they should haue the money to furnish such expences Afterward by the law of the twelue tables the whole depended vpon the wil of the Senate who by that authoritie in the Consulship of P. Cornelius Lentulus and M. Bebius Pamphilus did openly burne the bookes of Numa as being repugnant to their religion the like also did Constantine with the Niceph. lib â— â— 18 bookes of Arrius for from time to time the power of holding councels and ordering the churches depended vpon the Emperors as we may gather by the decrees of Constantine Gratian and Honorius written in the first Code of Iustinian who said That he had no lesse care of religion then of his owne life and of whom we read 17. constitutions concerning ecclesiasticall discipline As also our kings vppon the like argument haue builded many goodly decrees namely Charlemaine and Charles the 7. who the 13. of Iuly 1438. published the Pragmaticall sanction at Paris indeed as saith Isidore Emperors and Kings haue the first degree in the Church whose nurses they are according as Esay saith chap. 49. which was the cause that in olde time they had the greatest functions in the Church as commanding of fasts and calling of councels c. That Boniface the 1. besought the Emperor Honorius to ordeine that they might lawfully proceed to the election of the Popes of Rome that Pelagius the 1. sware in the hands of Ruffin Childebert K. of France his embassador that Leo the 4. protested obedience vnto the lawes of Lothair and that Gregory entituleth himselfe the vnworthy seruant of Maurice But since the Popes gat a tast of worldly affaires they haue endeuored to satisfie themselues at the costes of the authoritie of Kinges and Emperours whom notwithstanding that according to S. Paule euery soule ought to bee subiect to them they haue gone about to bring in subiection to the crosse of Rome whereto their enterprises haue had so good successe that they haue made the kings of England Arragon Naples Sicill Ierusalem Poland Sardinia Corsica and the Canaries tributaries to the Pope wherupon the Clergie themselues considering that they had girded too far into temporall iurisdiction that ofteÌ„times their ambitioÌ„ opened the gate into sundrie schismes were forced to bridle them and the Emperors to restraine their insolencies as the Patricians were wont to doo at Rome who as witnesseth Liuie Thought good that the Salians and Flamines Liui. lib. 4. should without farther power and authoritie tende to their sacrifices onelie Thus in the yeare 1046. the christiaÌ„ bishops seing the wound which the church receiued through the ambition of Benet the ninth Abb. Vrsp in Hen. 3. Siluester the 3. and Gregory the sixt Antipopes did canonically depose theÌ„ al in a sinode holdeÌ„ at Rome being supported with the authoritie of the Emperor Henry the third Afterward anno 1076. a councell was holden at Wormes wherein with the consent of all the Germaine Bishoppes except the Saxons Gregorie the seuenth called Hildebrand was excoÌ„municated as one that brethed nothing but tyranny Abb. Vrsperg in Hen. 4. as appeareth by a letter which the councel wrot
Ezech. 11. giue them a new hart to walke in my coÌ„mandements As it fell out in the time of the emperor Theodosius who by meanes of a councel that he gathered togither at Constantinople reduced to the knowledge of the truth an infinite number whoÌ„ the heresies of Arrius Nouatus Macedonius had seduced It is not therfore inough to say that the ancient couÌ„cels coÌ„demn heresies but we must haue new to conuert heretikes Aug. de fide catholica otherwise as saith S. August He erreth in faith that calleth not heretikes froÌ„ error So we find in the decrees that the ancients celebrated the councels from 5. yeares to 5. froÌ„ 10. yeres to 10. since the vniuersall crowne of Basill Neither is it sufficient to hold one councell for the reclaiming of heretikes to the vnion of the church but for so godly a woorke they should not spare for two or three Saint Ambrose was not content that the Arrians had sundry times beene conuict of heresie but that seeing them spring vp againe in France and Italy in an assembly of Bishops at Aquilee hee disputed against Palladinus who was infected with the same heresie And that wise Emperour Theodosius notwithstanding the Nicene councell wherein the Arrians Nouatians and Macedonians had beene condemned caused them to bee called to the generall assembly at Constantinople According to these examples we cannot find any speedier way to preuent the pretended heresie of the Protestants then by calling a councel they craue it let them haue it they would lay downe their reasons let them be heard they would learne let them be taught they seeke light let them haue it yea if they stand in doubt let them be assured if they be not assured let vs goe to them let vs dispute let vs endeuour to take away the causes of their diuision Hereof are we not without examples for when the Donatists infected Africa with their wicked doctrine and that they practised all kinds of crueltie against the Catholikes a great number of Christian Bishops assembled togither and besought them to grant them time and place to dispute and through a frendly conference to root out their diuision then if the Protestants beeing vrged to agreement doo nourish debate if they shut their eyes against the light then let the church vse her authoritie and power but if ourselues in lieu of instructing doo destroy if in lieu of mitigating we doo make more eager if for health we minister death if in the chayre of iustice clemencie and truth we preach murder bloud and slaughters are not our selues the fire-boxes of sedition the trumpets of Sathan the soldiours of Antichrist and the enemies of the Catholike church And yet these firebrands without other order of law would haue vs to condemne the Protestants for heretikes and euen at the first to begin against them with treason disloyaltie and periury and of the father of Fraunce they seeke to make an executioner of Frenchmen of our most mercifull king a bloody tyrant a Phalaris a Busiris who should be blind at the teares deafe at the lamentations and inexorable at the most humble petitions of his obedient and afflicted subiectes Wherein therefore doo not these mad beastes resemble the cursed Bertaire who possessing the will of his maister king Thierry diswaded him from yeelding to the prayers lamentations and teares of the poore Frenchmen who as men born to beare the blame or thrust forward with the calamitie of the time were banished out of their country But God whose helpe as a matter worthie his mercie and our hope we doo craue will raise vp some Pepins against these infamous Bertaires In the meane time ye Frenchmen let vs awake and let vs not haue eyes to be blind or vaines and sinewes to be filled with lethargy neither let vs account the bloody murderers of Frenchmen to be partakers of the French church If not of necessitie we must by armes set to the last helpe for this quarrell for religion who may better then my lords the Princes of the bloud that yet are not departed out of the bosome of the catholike church who rather then these noble religious children of S. Lewis whose faith neuer came in suspect who may I say better then they take in hande the thunder the lightening the three tined forke to disperse all heresies Next to these Princes what surer piller what stronger buckler can our church haue then that wise Fabius that notable Scipio the L. Marshal of Montmorency And yet haue none of these bene so much as called to this league for although they be Catholikes yet be they not good Catholikes after the maner of the leaguers that is ambitious trecherous cruel bloody notwithstanding they be euen thunderbolts in war yet are they no good warriers as the world goeth I meane enemies to peace blinded with ambitioÌ„ starued after goods thirsty after bloud void of all humanitie For whilest the Pope auctoriseth the Guisians giueth the spoile of the K. of Nauarre Prince of Condies goodes he practiseth not the coÌ„mandement of Iesus Christ Goe forth and Math. 10. preach the kingdome of God is at hand It is an other lesson then S. Paule teacheth saying The armors of our 1. Cor. 10. warfare are not carnall but mightie in the Lord to bring all knowledge to the obedience of Christ He followeth Hier. ad nepotem not S. Hieromes precepts Let the bishops be ministers not maisters for truth cannot be ioyned with force The persecuted to follow Christ the persecutor Antichrist He is deafe to heare the doctrine of Lactance Religion Lactance instit lib. 5. cap. 20. must be defeÌ„ded not by slaying but by offering to be slaine not by crueltie but by curtesie not by wickednesse but by faith He giueth place to the complaints of Hilary Hilar. epist ad Const What meaneth this saith he that the Priests by prisons are forced to feare God that the people beeing bound are committed to warde among the chayned and the Virgins stripped naked to suffer paine Finally he taketh an other course then God teacheth in the 3. of Ieremy speaking vnto him Hast thou not seene that this rebell Israel hath done she hath gone a whoring into euery high mountaine into euery greene tree Go therefore cry out these words toward the North Returne Israell thou disobedient and I will not let my wrath fall vppon thee He willeth not to robbe to spoile and sacke to fâ—ll all with murder and bloud as the Pope doth yea euen in matter where there is but preuention not sentence but accusation not proofe To alledge that the King of Nauarre and Prince of Condé in the yeare 1572. being brought home into the bosome of our church do seeme in ther letters to the Pope dated at Paris the third of October to confesse that before they had bene detained in the snare of error is as much as to be blind in the circumstances
third reason is ciuill for by the lawes it lyeth not in the meaner magistrate to cōmād the greater neither may he resist the iudgement of his superior as sayth the Emperour Iustinian or correct his acts either take notice of appeales from him as Vlpian saith yea if he chance to admitte any accusations against his superiour he may be taken for a partie and called into an action of iniurie as Caesar when he being but Praetor was accused before a Quaestor to be a partie in the conspiracie of Cateline he caused the iudge to be cōdemned in great fines because Suetonius in Iulio sayth Suetonius he suffered a greater magistrate to be accused before him Also by decree of the Parliament the 7. of Ianuarie 1547. all inferiour iudges were forbidden to vse any defences against the royall iudges because by an auncient saying The lesser may not commande the greater Doth it then beseeme the Guisardes to receiue the peoples complaintes to take notice of the kinges actions or to limitte the kinges will Besides sith that vnder the benefite of peace tilled by his Maiesties wisedome the people were freed from sundrie impositions what need we now counterfeit Hercules Dyon Timoleon or Aratus who were intituled correctors of tirāts must we vse such corrosiue medicines where there was scarce any sore where passed calamities were buried vnder the law Amnestia wold right that we should preuent the way of Iustice by the way of deede were it reason the seruant should prescribe a law to his master Is it not the custome in case of excessiue exactions to haue recourse to the estates as we had in the yeare 1338. in the time of Philip of Valois Otherwise to proceede to fire and sworde before wee lay any playsters is to fester not to close vppe the wounde to empaire not to amende the condition of the people which had neuer good successe against their king vnder Philip the faire anno 1312. vnder Charles the sixt about the yeare 1382. and vnder Henry the second the people oppressed with extraordinarie taxes sought by force to shake off that yoke but the whole storme light vppon themselues Not that I meane herein to imitate Anaxarchus who to the ende to comfort Alexander who was oppressed with sorrowe for the murder of Clitus tolde him that Dice Themis that is iustice and equitie are Iupiters assistors thereby to shew that whatsoeuer the princes actions can be no other but iust and right but contrariwise I say that it is euill done to wast treasures prodigally and to oppresse the subiectes as Tiberius Caesar saide It is the part of a good shepheard to sheare his sheepe not to slea them I say with Seneca the more lawfull that all thinges are to the king the lesse lawfull they are And that the father is not more bounde to the bringing vp of his children or the nurse to giue them her breast then is the Prince to the protection of his subiectes But withall I say that resisting the power by God established we resist his ordinance also that it would proue a dangerous gappe of great consequence if conspirators might by force and violence proceed to reformation as do these factious persons that manifestly do aspire to the crowne which is the thing that hath armed them neyther must these hypocrites alter the occasion for at whom are they greeued Not at the third estate for as they say they purpose to discharge the same of the burden of subsidies neither at the nobilitie for it they will restore to the auncient dignitie neither at the Clergie for they go about to reestablish the Church in hi◠ancient liberties neyther at the Protestantes for they shew all fauour to sundry of them besides that heretofore they haue sought to giue them a desire to come vnder the couert of their protection therein resembling but with this glose if the Protestantes Plut. de defect orat be heretikes the God of the Planetiades who expelling the wicked by one gate let them in againe at an other It is then the king that they shoot at the Princes of the bloud Iustice yea it is all good Frenchmen that they are offended withall and yet do they liue yea they liue in greatnesse and glorie and are esteemed faithfull in their disobedience loyall in their disloyaltie true in their falseshoode peace masters in their bloudie warres zealous to the common-wealth in their priuate commoditie fathers of the people in exactions and pillers of the Church in their sacrileges This is the cause O eternall God that hast so long fauoured the French Monarchie that we do present to thee our teares our sighes and sobbes for what else may a torne people rent in peeces with a thousande mischiefes and choked with forren tyranny present vnto thee O Lord in their anguish they visite thee and thy discipline causeth them in complayntes to crie vnto thee Sith therefore thou art pitifull take from vs the torch of thy indignation couer our faultes with thy grace and display thy prouidence vpon this miserable estate Let thy issue be prepared as the break of the day and come vnto vs as the slow raine and seasonable vppon the earth Wherefore O almightie God who art the Iusticer sith thy fury traceth like the fire that the rockes do cleaue before thy face plead O Lord with plague bloud with these infamous monsters who delight only in murder and crueltie Come vpon thē in a storme and let thy pathes be in a tempest giue them to be a slander and curse in all places Send vpon them famine and sword and make them O God to reape the whirle winde because they sowe the winde And you O most christian king weene not in reading this to heare the voice of a mutinouspeople and such as desire domesticall troubles but rather Sir the mournings and as it were the last sobs of your poore subiects Hearken O mercifull king to the complaints of your France which is deuided into factions spoyled by the stranger and couered with sores Is it not enough sayth she that man is borne in teares growe vp in sighes liue in payne and finish his life in griefes but he must be made vtterly miserable Is it not enough that beeing bauled at of my enemies I haue groned vnder the burden of so many forraine warres but that my owne children must pearce my flankes plucke out my guttes and bath themselues in my bloud Is it not enough that the plague consume mee but I must bee wasted with famine Is it not enough that I perish with hunger but that warres must hasten my death Is it not enough that I become a fable to strangers but they must drinke my bloud gnawe my bones and sucke vp the marrowe of my children And if as the wise man sayth the multitude of people bee the Crowne of the King and that the principall lawe that God and nature hath giuen vnto Princes is the preseruation of their subiectes