their false winges that prognosticated so high long a fight will lead theÌ„ to the like end as Icarus And indeede ye Guizards the waies of your purposes are so surely shut vp that shortly you shall feele the saying of Iob Those that Iob. 4. plow iniquitie and sow malice shall reape the same Your pride hath kindled the torch of diuisioÌ„ in the bowels of France and you shall proue the saâ—ing of Salomon true Pride goeth before destruction and highnesse Prou. 16. of minde before desolation You haue lift vp your nose against the king and shall tast of the wise mans saying The wrath of the king is as the raging of the Lion Pro. 1. 20 and hee that displeaseth him sinneth against his owne soule You haue gone about to bring a whole storme of mischiefe vpon the king of Nauar and the prince of Conde and shall shortly to your costes learne this Prouerbe of Salomon He that casteth a stone Pro. 26. at an other it will light vpon him selfe You shall learne that you haue hasted to outrunne your shadowe and that against them you haue doone no more than he who vndertaking to slay Prometheus Plut. of taking profite of enimies the Thessalian thrust the sworde into his impostume which he pearced and so saued his life And for the conclusion of this tragedie you shall sooner be destroyed then fought withall and sooner fought withall then assaulted for they bee no pettie wretches like your selues ye Guizardes they be Princes yea the chiefe Princes of the lilly noble by birth rich in amitie husbandes of time resolute in all pointes of honour gentle and gracious in peace two thunderboultes in warre such as vse not vialles in steede of trompets a daunsing hall for a fighting fielde or gentlewomen in liew of couragious souldiers who neuer aske howe many the enemies be but where they be who were not Captaines before they were souldiers but souldiers vnder themselues the Captaines to be briefe who are such as the Egyptians pictured their great Mercury by a double Idoll of both an olde and a young man thereby shewing that a Prince must be both valiant and wise and yet O Frenchmen they goe about to defeate you of these two pearles of Europe of these two eyes of your body of these two lilly flowers but vnder what pretences These Leaguers do see that these two Princes and many other Lordes which doo stoppe the course of their enterprises doo liue in the same doctrine wherein they were first suckled vp to the ende therefore to sende discorde poast through out all partes of the realme and to aduance their ambition vnder the visarde of common wealth what doo these strangers They propound vnto vs the rooting our of heresie they arme themselues with the beautifull titles of Protectors of Saint Peter and pillers of the Church but it is not enough to haue the bare name but to haue it lawfully In France therefore of a priuate authoritie to take vpon them the protection of Christianitie is it not as much as to encroch vppon the rightes of the most Christian king Is it a lawefull vocation to be a title Neyther is it enough that the will be good vnlesse the meanes also to bring it to passe bee good otherwise as an ancient man sayde It is better to stay the execution of a good thing then to execute it amisseâ— yea it is not possible sayth Saint Austen for the counsaile to be good when the means are nought at the least that which is to be commended in the cause is to be reprooued in the effect Saule was desirous to knowe the issue of his warre with the Philistians this desire of it selfe was not to be misliked but the vnlawefull meanes that he vsed made it to stinke These Lorraines these great bucklers of the faith would cut vp the roote of Heresie this will is not badde but what meanes doo they vse The most Christian king hauing tryed all The Guisians first pretence industrie all force yea euen to the abandoning of his life to the hazarde of battayles for the cutting off the exercise of all religions except the Catholike Romaine in the end perceiuing that the restoring of the Church is a worke belonging to God and not to man did imitate the good Phisician who hauing vsed all sharpe remedies and profiting nothing hath recourse to the gentle and to the end to set his estate free from those miseries wherewith it was oppressed quenched the ciuill broyles with an edict of pacification not forcibly wrested from him but grounded vpon the onely consideration of coÌ„mon commoditie and vpholden by the solemne oth of his Maiestie the Queene his mother the Princes of his bloud the chiefe Officers of the crowne yea euen by the Guizes and ratified in all his courtes of Parliament This so solemne edict this so authenticall lawe ought not to haue bin plucked vp without the like soleÌ„nities wherwith it was planted for as saith Vlpian There is nothing so naturall as to disolue a thing with the same meanes wherewith it was conioyned And yet these frebrands of their own priuate authoritie haue trode it vnder foote to the great contempt of the king oppression of the people and destruction of this estate yea contrarie to their owne so solemne oth Is it then a good beginning to roote out heresies with infringing faith Must we be treacherous to our neighbours to bee true to God Doth the true spirit of religion counsaile vs to violate publike lawes to breake oths and to fill a whole estate with murder and bloud But what colour do not the suppostes of Satan finde to set a countenance vpon their actions The counsell of Constance say they commandeth vs to keepe no faith with the enemies of the faith by which decree Iohn Hus and Hierome of Prague were condemned to death and the Cardinall S. Tulian wâ— sent as legate into Hungarie to breake the treatie of peace made with the Turkes Surely they haue reason as if we should confound two seuerall questions the one of lawe the other of deede If we must breake promise with infidels it is a point of lawe for the decision whereof they alleage the decree of this Councell the execution of two poore Priestes and the breach of peace with the Turke as if God had not shewed the error of that decree by the tragicall effectes ensuing for the bloud of these two Doctors who vnder Sigismundes safeconduct came to that CouÌ„cel as to a schole of saluatioÌ„ the better to learne if better they might be taught did so cry for vengeance that Zischa a meane Gentleman lift vp his head against many Potentates a handfull of nouices in matter of warre against many thousands of old beateÌ„ souldiers whose courage surmounted the number On the other side the king of Turkes being certified of the breach of peace did put on Sigismundes spurres so neere that hauing giuen him sundrie notable checkes he finally built
counsell do make it void as also the protestations of our kings and the parliaments of this realme take from it al strength beauty what reasons then haue we to conuince these protestants of heresie Where they confesse not the bishop of Rome to be vniuersall they say S. Gregory taught that it was a prophane name sacrilegious and a foregoing of Cap. 16. Antichrist for saith he if he that is named vniuersall stumbleth the whole Church falleth They doo also alledge the 3. Councell of Carthage wherein it was forbiddē that any shuld be called Prince of bishops Authent Col. 2. tit 4. For as for that which wee reade in the Autenticals touching the high Priest they greatly suspect it and as Duarene noteth that constitution is not to be seene in the greek Code If they walke in darkenes if Duaren de sac sand Eccles ministeriis li. 1. cap. 10. August Epist 12. they be blind in that mistery which we cal the holy sacramēt of the altar let vs shew thē the light cōdemne S. Austē of heresie who against Adamantus the disciple of Manichee saith thus these three things The blood is water This is my body and The stone was Christ are spoken figuratiuely by signe and by significatiō Let vs reiect that which Tertullian writeth against Tertu lib. 4 Amb. lib. de sacram Cap. 1. Marcion Iesus Christ hauing taken bread and broken it to his disciples made it his body by saying This is my body that is to say the signe of my bodie Let vs correct Ambrose Like as in baptisme thou hast receiued the similitude of death euen so hast thou also in this sacrament dronke the similitude of the pretious bloud of Christ Where as they bee so grosse that they cannot comprehend purgatorie let vs prooue vnto them that the bloud of our Lord is not sufficient to purge vs from our sinnes Let vs plainely shewe them the name or doctrine of Purgatorie in the scripture and reiect this place of Chrisostome When we craue mercie Chrisost hom 2. in 50. Psalm we do it to the end not to be examined of our sinne to the ende not to be dealt with according to the rigor of iustice to the ende all punishment may cease for where there is mercie there resteth no farther torture examination extremitie or paine For eating flesh in Lent they do it say they by the permission of Pope Eleutherius by the authoritie Dist 30. ca. 51. quis of the Councel of Bracare holden in the yeare 619. and of the 13. Councel of Tolete which excommunicateth all such as forbid the eating of flesh at all times indifferently Also by the example of the holie bishop of Cyrus Spiridon who said That hee durst Hist Tripart lib. 1. cap. 10. freely eat flesh in lent because he was a Christian In that they adorne not their temples with sundrie pictures and images It is say they because Athanasius thus crieth out against the Gentiles Whie come yee not to the knowledge of God by the true creatures rather then by shadowes and remembrances It is because they credite the saying of Lactance Firmian Lact. lib. 2. Instit ca. 1. That God whose spirite and power is dispersed al ouer can not bee absent and therefore that the image is superfluous It is because they be tyed to this place of Augustine August de Cuit lib. 4. cap. 9. 13 The first bringers in of Images tooke the feare of God out of the world and augmented error If their ministers marry they do it because we say that marriage is a sacrament and the ministers of the church ought to participate in euery sacrament they doo it because S. Ambrose saith Let no man be restrained lest while we forbid him a thing lawfull he falleth to vnlawfull They do it because in Euseb they find that Euseb li. 3. cap. 27. S. Peter Philip were married They do it because S. Austē saith That he dare not prefer S. Iohns virginity Aug. tract de Nupt. cap. 21. before Abrahams marriage They do it because Pope Pius said that for good cause they had takē mariage from priestes but for greater cause they ought to restore it They doo it least men should haue occasion with Platina de vitis pontisicum Pope Alexander to say That God hath taken awaie sonnes from Priests but the diuell hath giuen them Nephenes As for other points in controuersie if we deepely and fully consider of them we shall finde that they consist rather in outward ceremonies of the church then in substance of doctrine which is not cause sufficient to denounce them heretikes for heresie hath relation to the substantiall points of faith not to the outward ceremonies But howsoeuer it be by the order of the common and ancient decrees they cānot be accounted heretikes before they haue bin admonished by sundrie synodes iudged by a councell whereupon Pope Gregorie the seuenth writeth to the Princes of Germanie concerning the excōmunication of the Emperor Henry the fourth thus We haue sought to bring him to repentance but to Abbas vsperg in Hen. 4. our faire songs he hath lent the adders eare Also Pope Innocent the third speaking of heretikes saith If a bishop with his chapter haue condemned any man of heresie let him be accursed He must therfore be iudged before he be condemned and heard before he bee L. Diuus F. de in Integ restit Solomenes lib. 1. ca. 16. iudged otherwise the Lawyer Marcellus sheweth that the partie absent is to bee restored against the sentence pronounced in the preiudice of his reasons not alledged Likewise the Emperor Cōstātine for the cutting off of the heresie of Arrius a priest Euag. lib. 2. cap. 2. of Alexandria called the first councell of Nice where he gaue day of assignation to the Arrians Martian for abolishing the error of Eutiches called the fourth councell at Calcedon Theodosius the 2. Euag. lib. 1 cap. 3. 4. assembled the 3. at Ephesus against the heresie of Nestorius Gratian and Theodose Emperors for rooting out the doctrine of Macedonius called the second at Constantinople And yet do we binde the Popes to mount Caucasus we make them to turne Ixions wheele roule Sisiphus stone when we call for a councell so that the K. of the Romains and K. Lewis the 12. in the yeare 1510. could obtaine none at the hands of Pope Iulius the 2. Also when Charles the 5. being at Bologne by his Chancelor ptopounded a generall assembly of all Christian Bishops Pope Clement answered him in bitter words that it needed not sith that all nēw opinions were condemned by the ancient councels aswel might he haue said that the ancient coūcels were superfluous considering that the holy Ghost in his word cōdemneth all heresies But the chiefe purpose of councels tendeth to call heretikes to repentance to pray to God in thē to fulfil the prophecie of Ezechiell I will
of their seruice were reuoked and made voide who but those furies made the edict that forbad all bearing of armes yea euen the nobilitie and reuoked all particular prouisions to whomsoeuer the same was granted And yet as if the crow had ingendered the swanne these men will build vp that which their father destroyed Yeeld then ye Guysards your affected gouernements of Burgondie Champagne and Britaine to the domesticall seruants not to strangers referre the offices of great master and chamberlaine that you stole from the houses of Montmorencie and Longueuille Giue ouer your titles of Earles and Dukes wherewith within these 25. or thirtie yeares ye haue shadowed your meanenesse and walke in that estate wherin your grandfather came into France weake of goods poore of honor and naked of dignitie But what yet by their saying is the king in their debt and by their discontentment they do sufficiently shew that they wil not suffer the nobilitie so much as to tast of those honors wherwith it ought to be satisfied gleane where they haue reaped or gather any grapes where they haue made their vintage do they then terme this the restoring of the nobilitie What aduancement may any French Gētleman look for when 24. Lorraines must haue dined before he sit downe when they must beglutted with honors before hee may taste of any Or rather why doo we not rather abandon all hope considering that their appetite is vnsatiable that they are men yea men that are starued after honors thirstie of goods hot with ambition Moreouer sith they wil dazle our eyes with the false shew of their seruices know we not that they haue anointed our lippes with honie but made vs swallow gall know we not since the raigne of Francis the seconde they neuer permitted any young peace to waxe old in France Or who hath not seene them more willing to hafard this realme for a pray then to giue ouer anie iot of their particular passions At all aduentures was there euer such impudencie as to seeke to bring the King to such passe that hee shall bee forced to rewarde their pretended merits and to let them choose their recompence Wee reade of a braue Romaine souldier that refused a chaine of golde at Labienus Cesars Lieutenants hand saying that he would not haue the wages of the couetous but of the vertuous and that Pittacus being by his citizēs forced to take so much of the land that hee had conquered of the enimies as he listed would take no more then he could cast his Iaueling wee finde that Sicinius was 65. times hurt in the stomake and had beene in 120. battels that Manlius preserued the Capitoll that Camillus expelled the Gaules out of Rome and that diuers others haue abandoned their liues to the hazard of warres for the seruice of their countrie we reade that almost al the Princes of the noble race of Bourbon or rather of that Orchard of Alexanders sacrifising their liues in the seruice of our kings haue had no other hearse but the field of battel Peter of Bourbō was slaine the 19. of September 1356. at the battell of Poictiers Iames and his sonne Peter at the battell of Brunay neere Lyons Lewes at Agincourt fielde 1415. Francis at the battell of S. Brigit vpon holy roode day in Septēber 1515. Iohn at saint Lawrence field 1557. Antony at the siege of Roan 1562. We find that many french knights haue prodigally spent their blood in the seruice of our kings but that any haue sought violentlie to wrest the reward of their merits we find not Only we read that one Sigibert gouernor of Coloine euery where shewing his wounds cōplaining of his small recompence was by Clouis the first depriued of al his dignities and yet these good childrē shal force the K. to part his estate with them And what king ye vnsatiable glotons what estate can satisfie your hunger What sea ye dropsicke persons what waters can quench your thirst Or who can fill the perced vessels of the Danaides Of strangers they haue beene made housholde seruants of Gentlemen Dukes Earles to aduance them we haue made a breach in the authoritie of the princes of the bloud to preferre them a thousande braue gentlemen haue bin put backe so as Sir they want no more but the crowne which God the grounded law and custome of the realme haue set vpon your head and yet do they gape after goods greatnesse and glorie or rather they vnfolde all meanes to winne the heartes of the nobilitie and to bring vpon you the hatred of the same For with what impudency can they deny that to be their intent You O most christian king are the father of this great family and Pilote of this The 6. pretence of the Guizians French ship If the Offices of the house be euill deuided or the ship misgouerned is not the father in the fault and the Pilote to blame It is in manner the same argument that they haue begunne wherewith to bring the commons to reuolt against his Maiestie For they set before vs one that is naked of fatte flesh and bloud they figure vs an anatomie of mans body hauing no more but skinne and bones which they say the Frenchmen do by a woonderfull simpathie resemble that we must restore and make vp againe this poore bodie that we must cure it of this wound that themselues will be the Chirurgions and their weapons the plaisters but who is so blinde as for sundry considerations not to iudge this proposition to haue a very bad sauour First because it toucheth the kings honor whom by this meanes with hue and crie they proclayme a Tyrant and withall do endeuour to entangle him in the same mishappe as Acheus king of the Lidians whom his subiectes slew for the tributes which hee went about to exact Or as Henrie king of Sueden Theodorick king of France and many other Princes who for like cause haue beene depriued of their estates Secondly because as sayth Plutarch it is not his part that falleth to lift vp that knoweth nothing to teach that is disordered to order that is vnruly to rule or that can not obey to cōmand but as sayde Licurgus a man must shew a thing in himselfe that he wisheth to be in others This was the reason wherefore they mocked Philip k. of Macedon who liuing at variance with his wife Olympiades and his sonne Alexander was inquisitiue of the Grecian life among thēselues If therefore the Guisards do mislike the kings loanes let not themselues borrow If they will needs discharge the people let thē leaue the heauie burden of debtes that hangeth vpō their own armes stop their creditors mouths that dayly doo cry after them But wherein will not Plut. in Silla they resemble Sulpitius a man confect in all mischief who hauing by the voice of the people passed a decree that no Senator should borrow aboue 200 crownes at his death owed 3. hundred thousand The