and heresies then they shal be executed by the fire and in all caces their goodes shal bee confiscate to our behofe And we will and declare that from the day wherin the said heretickes shal be falne into their errours they shal be vnable to dispoze of their goâ—…des and all alienatioÌ„s giftes coÌ„ueyances sales settyngs ouer Testamentes last bequestes by will made by them after such tymes shal be as nothyng and of none effect Furthermore we obteine and decree it for a perpetuall statute and law as afore that no man shall presume to hold or suffer in his house or els where any coâ—…enticles or meetynges or to talke or dispute of holy Scripture specially in matters hard and doutfull or to read the same holy Scripture to others or to preach it vnlesse they be Diuines allowed by some famous Uniuersitie or admitted thereto by the ordinarie of the place vnder like penaltie Also that no man shal Print or cause to be Printed or otherwise put forth any booke that treateth or maketh mention of the holy Scripture or that in any wise toucheth our holy fayth and the constitutioÌ„s of the Church vnlesse it be first ouerseene by the ordinary of the place that he haue gotten our grauÌ„t licence to Print it vnder like penaltie Moreouer we ordeine decree that no man of what state or callyng so euer he be shall presume to lodge receiue inâ—…ine or fauour any heretickes or Anabaptistes that all such as shall haue lodged receiued interteined or fauored them knowyng them to be such â–ª shall come and bewray accuze them to the officer of the place if it be a priuiledged place or els if it be not to the cheef officer of the good towne next to the place where they dwell vnder peyne of being punished as heretickes And bycause we be desirous to come to the knowledge of the sayd heresies errours and abuses we inact decree that the accuzers bewrayers of them shall haue the one moitie of their goods that are so bewrayed and accuzed before their misusage do appeere they dewly conuicted thereof condicionally that the sayd goodes passe not the summe of one hundred poundes Flemishe of the great for if they passe that summe then shall they haue but the tenth penny of that which the said goodes amount vnto aboue it the costes and charges in the law first deducted And to the end that our Iustices Officers which shall haue apprehended the sayd Heretickes or Anabaptistes may not haue occasion to beare with them their complices and fautors or to punish them lesse than they deserue vnder pretence that the punishementes may seeme to great and rigorous to haue bin set but onely for the terrour of offeÌ„ders as we see it commeth oftentymes to passe We will and commaunde that whosoeuer violateth this our ordinaÌ„ce by keepyng printyng sellyng distributyng or settyng forth any bookes writynges or images that are hereticall or offeÌ„siue or otherwise against the points aboue declared or any of theÌ„ shal be punished and corrected indifferently by the peynes afore meÌ„cioned Forbiddyng all our Iudges Officers and Iustices to alter qualifie or chaunge the same punishmentes in any maner of wise and chargyng them onely to denounce the sayd penalties and punishmentes vpon them as soone as they shall perceiue them to haue violated any of the sayde points vnder penalty to be depriued of their roomes offices to be denounced vnable to beare any Office for euer after and moreouer to be corrected for it at our pleasure And we commaund all our Officers to aduertize vs or our sayd sister the Queene when our Iudges Headborowes AldermeÌ„ or any others hauyng the examination of such offenders do make nyce to follow this our decree and to denounce the sayd penalties that we may proceede agaynst theÌ„ by the selfe same punishmentes Furthermore we decree that if any man chaunce to know any place where any hereticke or Anabaptist doth secretly lurke he shal be bound to bewray it to the officer of that place vpon peyne to be taken for a faâ—…rer harbrowgher and adhâ—…ent of the heresie wherewith the person so hidden is infected and to bee punished with the same peyne that the hidden person should bee punished withall if he were caught And bycause that heeretofore when some Heretickes or Anabaptistes being appeached and cited haue gotten them selues out of the Countrey and shrunke aâ—…de or hid them selues in some secret place â–ª there could bee no proceedyng agaynst theÌ„ by any other conuenient punishment thaÌ„ onely by banishment and that such heeryng that their compliâ—…es adherentes were dead or executed so as it was not possible for the officer to proue sufficiently that they were rebaptized or heretickes did vpon hope confidence therof some forth dayly and make sute to get leaue to puâ—…ge them selues or to get some other benefite of law wâ—…he thyng ministred 〈◊〉 of delay of Iustice and made the heretickes and Anabaptistes bold to returne into our couÌ„treys and there to sow abrode their errours false doctrines to the great peâ—…ill offence preiudice of our sayd couÌ„treys subiectes We myndyng to prouide for it do forbid the cheef Iustices of our hygh Courtes the Presidents of our prouinciall Counselles to giue graunt or cause to be sealed to such as are suspected appeached for 〈◊〉 or Anabaptistes and haâ—…yng bin once cyted by order of law appeere not but suffer theÌ„selues to be banished through their owne wilfulnesse any protection of law to stand to their purgation or otherwize to frequent our sayd couÌ„treys And we denounce that such fugitiues banisheÌ„d â—…olke shal be taken for conuicted that processe shall go out agaynst them vnder the peynes aforesayd Besides this we forbyd all men of what state or condition so euer they be vnder payne of beyng taken for fauorers of heretikes to offer vnto vs or our counsellers hauyng power to pardon any SupplicatioÌ„ for the sayd fugitiues banished men rebaptized or otherwise defamed or hauyng bin noted of the sayd disallowed sectes to 〈◊〉 grace for their misâ—…sages errours and heresies for we wyl not that any grace shal be graunted them vppon payne of being disabled for euer to haue or execute any charge or office in our Countreys and moreouer to be punished at our pleasure Likewise also we forbyd all Aduocates Procâ—…ors Clerkes Apprentizes and Sollicitors to indite write or preferre any such Supplications vnder like payne All whiche poyntes and articles we wyl and commaund to be kept and obserued inuiolably for euer accordyng to their forme and tenor And to the ende that euery man may haue knowledge thereof we wyll you to proclayme all these thinges incontinently and without delay in the places where Proclamations are woont to be made and that you proceede and cause others to proceede agaynst such as withstande or disobey with all rigorous execution of the penalties afore declared and without any fauor dissembling or
or for the peculiar Lordes or for their officers to giue licence or pasport to any suche persons And as touchyng merchant strangers others that list to come into our sayd low countreys our meanyng is not to compel theÌ„ to bring such Certificat with theÌ„ or to exhibit it sauyng that they must lyue there accordyng to our saide ordinances behaue themselues without giuyng cause of offence as is sayd afore Also we wil that al our Iustices officers men of law and al our vassals subiects Lords teÌ„poral high Iustices shal vpon forfeyture of their offices iuâ—…dictions Iustice ships or vpoÌ„ other penaltie at our pleasure according to the state of the cace be bound to make diligent serch to procede or to cause their officers to procede to the verifying of the matters aforesaid against al persons of what state or calling soeuer they be specially in the thyngs that coÌ„cerne the incounteryng of our said ordinances in the caces that belong to their examination and depende vpon their temporall iurisdiction Moreouer when the Ecclesiasticall Iudges meane to proceede against any man because he is faulty iu the ecclesiasticall crime of heresie they shall require of the officers of our cheefe Courtes or prouincial Councels to haue some one of their company or other assistent appoynted theÌ„ to be at the informations procedings which they intend to prefer agaynst suche as are suspected And we wil coÌ„maâ—…nd inioyne al our officers Iustices vassals to yeeld to giue to the said Iudges their felow CoÌ„missioners all the helpe fauour furtherance assistence that they can for the executyng performing of their charge also in the apprehendyng imprisonyng keepyng of such as they shall finde infected without delay or impediment vnder pretence of any sute hanging preueÌ„tion or other occasioÌ„ whatsoeuer vnder peyne to bee corrected at our pleazure And we coÌ„maund our Attourneyes generall and theirdeputies to proceede agaynst such as are negligent to procure sentence vpoÌ„ them to the end they may be depriued of their roomes offices of the priuiledges of their iurisdictions and receiue such other punishmentes â–ª as shal be founde meete accordyng as the cace requireth IteÌ„ that all such as know or vnderstaÌ„d of any that are infected with heresy shal be bound to bewray vtter name geue knowledge of them immediately without delay to the ecclesiasticall iudges the Bishops officers and others to whom the matter beloÌ„geth Also that if any maÌ„ be fouÌ„d to haue don against our decrees prohibitioÌ„s shewing himselfe to be infected or a fauorer of heretickes or to haue done any act agaynst our ordinances commaundemeÌ„tes specially tending to offence coÌ„motion of the people or seditioÌ„ they that know theÌ„ or vnderstaÌ„d of theÌ„ shal be bouÌ„d to giue intelligence of theÌ„ out of haÌ„d to our Attourneys or to their deputies vnder officers or to the officers of y place where such infected persons offenders or fauorers of them do wel that vnder peyne of beyng punished at our pleasure Likewise if they know the place where any such hereticke lyeth hid they shal be bound to bewray him to the officer of that same place vpoÌ„ peyne to be taken as is sayd afore for fauorers receiuers adherentes of the heresie to be punished with the same punishment that the hereticke or offender should be if he were apprehended And to the end that the said Iustices officers which shal haue apreheÌ„ded such heretikes Anabaptists traÌ„sgressors of oursaid ordinaÌ„ces coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„ts may haue no occasion to beare with theÌ„ their complices fauourers vnder pretence that the punishmentes may seeme to great rigorous set out but onely to terrifie offeÌ„ders euil doers nor also to punish them lesse greuously thaÌ„ they haue deserued as hath bin found to haue bin done oftentymes heertofore we will that such as shal wittingly haue done agaynst this ordinance by keeping to theÌ„ selues or by printyng sellyng distributyng or puttyng forth any bookes writings or pictures that are heretical and offeÌ„siue or otherwise agaynst the points heertotore declared or any of theÌ„ shal be really punished corrected and chastized with the punishmeÌ„tes aboue meÌ„tioned Prohibityng all Iudges Iustices officers togither with our vassals and subiectes Lordes temporal hauyng authoritie of Iustice their officers to alter mitigate or chauÌ„ge the sayd punishmeÌ„ts in any wise coÌ„mauÌ„ding theÌ„ that as soone as any withstandyng appeereth they vtter denounce the sayd punishment simply according to this decree vpoÌ„ peyne to be rigorously punished vnlesse that for some great notable consideratioÌ„s the iudges finde some hardnesse in the cace about the preeize execution of the punishmeÌ„t that is appointed by our sayd decrees against the traÌ„sgressour in which cace notwithstandyng they shall not of their owne authoritie proceede to any qualification but be bounde to cary or seÌ„d the same crime in all proces faithfully folded vp sealed to the cheef or prouinciall CouÌ„sell vnder the Iurisdiction whereof they shall resort togither to be there looked vpoÌ„ ouersene couÌ„seled whither there be fall any alteratioÌ„ or mitigatioÌ„ of the said penalties or no. And if any of our sayd Counselles finde that any alteration or mitigation is requisite by good Iustice accordyng to right and reason wherewith we charge their coÌ„sciences In such cace they may be well aduized therof put it in writyng seÌ„d it whole backe agayne to the said Iustices officers to dispatch determine y cace according therunto Neuertheles we charge coÌ„maund theÌ„ expresly yea euen vpon peyne to be corrected punished at our pleasure that they cause not such coÌ„sultatioÌ„ to be had without great apparaÌ„t cause but that they deale as farre as they can euen to the vttermost accordyng to the tenor of this present dâ—…ret In the same Edict amoÌ„g other thyngs vvere inserted vvord for vvord the three first points or Articles coÌ„teined in the former Edict and marked there at their begynnynges vvith a dubble Crosse. Likewise there vvere rehersed and repeated the vvordes and substauÌ„ce of all the pointes and Articles noted and marked in the sayd Edict of 1540 vvith a single 〈◊〉 sauyng that vvhiche hath a starre added to the Crosse thus ¶ The Articles of Agreement made vvith the noblemen that vvere the Confederates by the RegeÌ„t in the kyngs name the xxiij day of August and aftervvard put at large into hir letters of Assurance set dovvne heeretofore pag. 99. vvhere the begynnyng of it is touched also HIr highnes caused the geÌ„tlemeÌ„ that had put vp the supplicatioÌ„ vnto hir to returne to the xx of August to receiue aunswere to their demaundes duryng which time it fell out so wel that she receiued letters from the kynges maiestie whereby she was the better inabled to giue them certeine absolute answere And first of all she declareth that his maiestie hauing regard of y thyngs
the thyng that might assure vs of the execution of our charge The same may also serâ—…e vs for answer in respect of their coÌ„sistories in as much as both before our commyng yea and eueÌ„ before there was any publike preachyng the Protestants kept their Consistories for in dede they had their consistories euery where eueÌ„ in all rymes also because that although we neuer coÌ„sented vnto them yet we neuer saw any likelyhood of trouble to insewe by meanes of them It is very true that to let the assemblyng of the coÌ„mon people vpon euery occasion I affirmed and thought good that some should be appoynted to deale in the name of all the rest because I saw no way els to performe my charge and to mainteâ—…e and preserue the peace and to auoyd all confusion and disorder Againe I could not perceiue that any inconuenience or danger should folow of their buildyng of Churches as some surmized seeyng that a Church could cause no more euil than a house or any other place and that for as much as I was sent to kepe the citie in peace and tranquilitie it behoued me for the auoyding of all inconueniences rather to disappoynt the occasions and purposings of attaynyng thereunto than to styrre vp prouoke the parties by impeachyng the erection of a Church or by any such other meane aâ—…d so to giue occasion of other troubles whiche it should haue bin impossible to haue ouerruled afterward without doyâ—…g directly agaynst our Commission and without settyng of all thynges in a broyle Also this may serue partly for a solution to the last part of the foresayde Suminons which conteyneth that I should suffer the leuying taxing and gatheryng of money to be imployed afterward vpon the reteynyng of souldiers and men of warre For I know of none other leuyinges taxations and gatheryngs than onely such as were made afore my commyng for the reliefe of the poore and the maintenaunce of the Ministers and afâ—…erwarde for the buildyng of the Churches And it shall neuer be found that any collection was made to my benefite or imployed vpon the leuying of souldiers or vpon the intertaynment of men on myne owne behalf by reason wherof I should haue apparant occasion to suffer the said taxations and collections Moreouer my refuzing of the fiftie thousand Florens that were offered me from the accountantes by the Sates of Holland for the good serâ—…is that I had done to the kyng and the Countrey duryng the troubles by appeasing the vprores there dooth as I thinke sufficiently shew that it was not mine intent to suffer any such collections taxations and leuyings which it was not otherwise possible to let in Cities of traffike as in Antwerp where ther was in maner nothing els but gatheryng of money for diuers purposes For as much therfore as I haue most euidently as I hope shewed that no euyl or inordinate affection of mine vpon any ambitious desire to vsurpe aboue the authoritie of the kyng wherof all our countenances sayinges and doinges haue bin cleare yea and cleane contrary to it hath bin the cause of any trouble as wherby we could not haue hoped for any benefite so that I was not the cause of any innouation that might set the people in any broyle or vnquietnesse but that on the contrary part the sayd Cardinall of Granuill was the cause of al the said innouations and of al the mislikyng that was ingendred afterward betweene the king and the people by his vsurping of extraordinary authoritie aboue all the Counsels yea and euen aboue the Regent in hope to mainteyne augment and increase the same his authoritie by institutyng of new Bishops by confirming of the Inquisition and by renewyng of the Iniunctions to satisfiâ—… his owne ambition and couetousnesse whiche caryed hym away so headloÌ„g at other times also that he dyd set dissension and miâ—…iking betweene great Potentates yea and euen betweene the late right high and happy Princes Charles the Emperour and his brother Ferdinand and his sonnes I thinke that such as are of iudgement and haue experience in matters wyll not sticke either to acquit me of the mischiefes and inconueniences that haue happened in the said couÌ„treys and of the alteration of the apparaâ—… felicitie thereof into extreme bonâ—…age penurie and wretchednesse or to charge the said Cardinall with them whom men go about to set vp againe in authoritie by the ouerthrow and destruction of the countrey in recompence not of any good seruis of his for the which had he done neuer so many and so great good turnes he and his had sufficiently cut out their own shares already without leauyng any part to the discretion of the kings maiestie but of the mischiefes inconueniences abouesaid and to giue hym oportunitie to worke mo wheras al our seuices done to the great damage and hinderaÌ„ce both of vs and of our auncetours of whom some haue dyed in his seruis and euen at the feâ—…te of his Emperiall maiestie are forgotten and we spoyled not only of our goodes by trifling false and surmised causes reasons and allegations and by such kind of proceedings as are vtterly against all right law and custome as hath bin shewed heretofore and by an other writing of ours but also of our honour and our childe which are things dearer to vs than our lyfe all which is to the preiudice not only of vs but also of the kyngs maiestie of whose couenants bonds othes and promises there is no regard at all had which is so vnorderly vnreasonable and spitefull a kind of dealing as it can not be auoyded but that it must one day breede some inconuenience which I beseech God that the kyngs maiestie being inlightened with his diuine brightnesse and light may turne away and preuent and rightly take intelligence of the dooynges of his good seruants and faithfull subiectes which are now wrongfully selaundered persecuted and afflicted so as the world may know that the thinges which haue passed proceeded not of his maiesties own nature but of the misreportes tales and sclaunders of such as haue disguised the truth and concealed it from hym euen to this hoâ—…re ¶ The Summons or Citation sent out against the Prince of Orendge PHilip by the grace of God kyng of Castile Lyons Arragon and Nauarre â–ª c. To our chiefe Hussher or Serieant at Armes vpon this required Greeting We are informed by our welbeloued and faithfull Counseller and Attorney general that the Lord William of Nassaw Prince of OreÌ„dge hauyng receiued both of our late Lorde and Father the right noble Emperour Charles the fift to whom God grant rest and also of vs since our commyng to our state many honors and promotions as our choozing of hym to be a brother of our own Order our naming and admitting of hym to be of our couÌ„sell of estate and our preferryng of hym to diuers goodly Roomes Charges Offices as namely to the gouernment of Burgundie Holland Zeland and Utreight