bin king of Scotland being next heire thereto as the story reporteth the other on my head is that which I haue receaued common with other Saints And that you may be assured of the verity of this vision you shall be presently cured of your infirmity and hauing thus spoken and the other jmmediatly healed he vanished away Another ST Decuman first passed ouer the Riuer of Seuerne miraculously with a faggot in steed of a boate and afterwards was slaine by a Pagan and his head cut off which hee tooke vp from the ground and carryed it to a fountaine where hee was woont to wash it Another ST Dunstan hee on a time when the diuell appeared vnto him in the likenesse of a yong woman tempting him to vncleanesse tooke a paire of pincers which lay by him and caught the diuell by the vpper lippe and so holding him fast and leading him vp and downe his chamber after diuers jnterrogatories droue him away Another ST Osith shee after that the Danes had cut off her head tooke it vp in her hands and carryed it three furlongs to a Church of S. Peter and S. Paul whither when she came all jmbrued in her owne innocent bloud she fell downe and so ended the course of her Martyrdome Another ST Keyna she by her prayers turned a wood full of Serpents into stones still retayning the likenesses of Serpents Also she being ready to depart out of this world an Angel came downe from heauen and put vpon her a white garment wrought with Gould bidding her to be in readinesse to enter into the kingdome of her celestiall Spouse Another ST Edmund hee hauing his head cut off by the Danes and cast into a wood neere by amongst bryars and bushes the Christians afterwards seeking for the same lost themselues in the same wood and calling one to another where art where art the head answered Here Here Here by which they found out the same Another ST Inthware she hauing her head cut off by her owne brother Bana vppon a day as shee came from Church because shee was accused by her stepmother to be an harlot her jnnocency was presently testified by this for that she presently tooke it vp in her owne hands and carryed it to the Church from whence shee came Adde hereto also their late coyned Death deseruing for the fact woonder of Garnets face in a wheat strawe Vide librum cuius tituli pars est Vera historia de admirabili spica Rightly englished A fabulous story of a fained straw first divulged by a foolish Iack-daw Many more such grosse and palpable lying woonders are therein expressed which I am weary to recount and I almost wonder that they themselues are not ashamed to record for truths but as herein so also in their false accusations of Queene Elizabeth and King Iames by vnjustly and maliciously taxing them with bloud breach of promise and bloudy persecution for conscience they are most jmpudent and shamelesse yea past shame and past grace for as a Reuerend Father of our Church elsewhere vpon another occasion though more rightly applyable to this generation said Qui semel modestiae limites transilijt knauiter fit impudens But the Priests and Iesuites in this poynt of jmpudency surpasse and one maine reason hereof as I take it is because they hold the laye Papists of whome they haue their maintenance in such a thraldome of jgnorant obedience as that they dare not for feare of damnation read any booke whereby to enforme them in the truth but only such as their traiterous and seditious vn-ghostly leaders shall permit And so if they can hold the good opinions of their maintainers they will neuer blush at whatsoeuer themselues say or whatsoeuer bee said of them by others If any friend shall thinke that this my labour might well haue beene spared because the liues of the Martyrs the proceedings against them the times and causes of their sufferings are already by Mr. Foxe in his large Booke thereof more fully expressed or otherwise should thinke that I do the Papists too great a grace by placing them in the same Booke with the true Martyrs of Christ to him in friendly manner I thus replye and first to the first That though his allegation bee indeed true for I willingly confesse that hee hath deserued much for his extraordinary paines that wayes and hath compassed so much and such variety of matter therein as that I cannot say whether were greater his labour or the Readers profit yet cannot euery mans purse reach so great price as is that Booke at large and besides I haue not medled with any matter of Historie contained therin but only haue borrowed out of him the names of such as were in Queene Maries daies burned as I haue likewise out of their Martyrologist the names of their Priests Iesuites and Recusants for vnlesse I should set downe their names I could make no good comparison of their numbers in opposition one to the other which is the especiall end whereat I aime Secondly although that twentie or thirtie yeares since many hundreds of Thousands of persons were liuing that could viva voce beare record how cruelly and vnmercifully the Professors of Christs truth were dealt withall in Queene Maries daies and could also if any seducing Priest or Iesuite had accused their Soueraigne of cruelty haue thus replyed Away vild harlots belie her not for Queene Elizabeth was a mercifull Queene but mine eies haue seene the aboundance of bloud shed in Queene Maries raigne onely for conscience wherwith ye were neuer glutted but now these Viue-speakers in Christs cause being by time consumed it is more needfull to preserue by these neuer-dying memorials the remembrance of their sufferings especially seeing the aduersarie is so busie by all meanes that the Pope the Diuell or hell it selfe can possibly deuise to exalt their faction and to bring a scandall both vpon our Soveraignes vs and them And to the second poynt That it is a Grace vnto the Papists and Romanists to haue their Priests and Iesuites ranked with the true Professors I answere thus It is not the punishment nor the place but onely the cause that maketh a man famous for vertue or for vice jnfamous loued of God for his owne free graces or hated of God and good men for their villanies If the Iron barres whereon Catesbies and Fercies heads are fixed and nailed on the Parliament house be a grace vnto them or any of their fauorites because they possesse the highest places of that Honourable house such grace haue all the kings enemies If Garnets scaffold because it was raysed aloft for more publique view were an honour vnto him or any of his Iesuited society such honour haue all that are were or hereafter shall be his partakers If London bridge or Newgate grace that faction because their friends dismembred limbes are so highly thereon aduanced let Crowes and Rauens likewise deuour all them that
The Popes charge to his Bratts Estote proditores Goe kill your Prince THE FIERIE TRYALL OF GODS SAINTS ¶ These Suffered for the witnes of Iesus and for the word of God vnder Queene Mary who did not worship the Beast nor his Image nor had taken his marke vpon their foreheads or on their hands or on their Garments and these liue and raigne with Christ Reuel 20.4 As a Counter-poyze to I. W. Priest his English Martyrologe AND THE DETESTABLE ENDS OF POPISH TRAYTORS ¶ These are of Sathans Synagogue calling themselues Iewes or Catholiques but lie and are not These worshipped the Beast saying who is like vnto the Beast who is able to warre with him Reuel 13.4 and these shall drinke of the wine of Gods wrath and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy Angells and before the Saints because they worshipped the Beast and his Image Re. 14.10 11. Set downe in a comparatiue Collection of both their sufferings Herewith also the Concurrance and agreement of the raignes of the Kings of England and Scotland since the first yeare of Q. Mary till this present the like before not extant AT LONDON Printed by T P for Arthur Iohnson 1611. TO THE PRINCE ENglands faire Hope borne Downe to quell the rage of Rome That proud Babell Which in its swelling-madde Desires to Worlds sole Empire still Aspires Deigne Sir to reade this little Booke at least with milde aspect to looke Vpon 't The pledge of Loyaltie and Subiects loue to Royaltie it is Vouchsafe your Princely Grace to me that humbly place my Faith and Dutie First to God then my King Who Vnitie did bring then to my Countrie The faithfull Subiect of my Lord the King and your Highnesse TO THE PATRONAGE AND protection of the high and mightie Prince Henry eldest Sonne of our Soueraigne Lord the King Prince of Wales c. President of his Maiesties most Honorable Priuie Councell AS that in one place was well sayd by Heathen Tullie Non nobis solùm nati sumus sed partē patria partem parentes partem liberi partem amici partem propinqui familiares peculiaritèr sibi vendicant So elsewhere was it spoken no lesse Christian-like Non quid quis fecerit sed quo animo studio fecerit ponderandum est Of these sayings the first seemed vnto me to Challenge at my hands A speciall Dutie to my Prince and Country which I knew not how to performe but in this kind The second I assumed as an Apologie for my weake and slender performāce of that Duty If my desire noble Prince to pay that debt for which by obligation Diuine Naturall and Nationall I stand obliged hath transported me beyond that wherevnto I am able of your Princely clemency I humbly beseech you winke at that amisse and of your Heroicall and Magnanimous Spirit Shield me from the Darts of the mightie and maleuolent Your Kingly Father out of the goodnes of his nature for to iudge the worst is dissonant to a good Disposition hath been obserued to conceiue of things illment or which at least might be doubtfully taken well you certainly being the true Heire as of his Kingdomes so also of his vertues cannot adiudge of that which is well ment ill The cause which I handle is not mine owne but my Prince and Countryes wherein what I haue done I the rather vndertooke to publish at this time and in this Kind by reason of those encouraging Woordes of the reuerend then Bishop of Chichester now of Ely in his Booke Cuititulus est Tortura Torti in Epistola dedicatoria ad Regiam Maiestatem his wordes are these Iam vbi in Discrimen adducta causa communitatis Spectator nemo sit Actor quisque c. My Intentions herein are right wherein I desire prodesse principi patriae non obesse If I faile in my purpose that is not want of will but of power If I haue performed ought herein that good is that same also is Multò plus votis quam factis Therefore for that sometimes noble Q. Elizabeths sake for she deserued to be loued etiam post mortem whose fame shall neuer die nam virtus post funera viuit For the King your Fathers sake who according to his names signification is a Maintainer of our peace for the Common wealths sake which is the Crowne of your Glory For your owne sake who are our Hope yeald me as the reading hereof so also your fauourable and Princely protection then shall I not care for the faces of mine enemies The Faithfull Subiect of my Lord the King and your Highnesse TO THE PATRONAGE and protection next vnto that of Prince Henry of the right noble L and strong Supporter of great Brittaines happinesse Robert Earle of Salisburie Lo high Treasurer of England c. Right Hono THE REASONS ESpecially inducing me to expose my selfe to the wounding darts of malice and enuie by publishing these Collections are in number Fiue 1 The vniust clamours of Papists so frequently crying out both in words and in writings of breach of promise bloud and bloudy persecution for Conscience 2 The preseruation to my poore powre of the Honour of our late Queene of famouse and blessed memory and also of the honour of the Kings Maiestie so vniustly by them taxed and reuiled being set like Rabshakeh to rayle vpon the Hoast of the liuing God 3. In regard of your Honourable selfe who haue been chosen and singled out by wicked men both at home and abroade as a Butt whereat to shoote their venemous arrowes of slaunder threatnings and reproch by laying greuious but false imputations vpon your Honour of plotting Tragicall stratagems against Catholiques so stiling themselues and seeking king the bloud of Recusants 4. A Desire quantum in me est to cleare our late memorable Queene our present Gracious King your honourable selfe and the whole State both then and now as also the Ghospell which we professe from vniust bloud-shedding or any desire thereof rightly retorting it vppon themselues in approuing by particular instances out of their owne I. W. priest his popish Martyrologe published Anno 1608. your Honours Assersion to be true That in the Raygne of those two Sisters to wit Q Mary and Q Elizabeth of different religions there was more bloud shed in the lesse then six yeares of the first then in full forty and fowre of the later as by the Register following appeareth And lastly a Generall ease intended vnto all in vnderstanding the double account of his Maiesties Raigne of England and Scotland and the Concurrance of the one with the other The reasons also wherefore I being vnro your Honour vnknowne and with all populorum cum censu tum doctrina penè infimus presumed to shroud my selfe vnder your Hono winges are Chiefly likewise Fiue 1. The Honorable report of your name for many and excellent things are spoken of thee for thy zeale to Religion loue to the State and more expected from thee most faithfull
Councellor 2. Because none can haue a better sence and feeling of anothers griefe then he that hath felt the like Afflictions Your Honour hath been by Sathans instruments threatned with vnavoydable Death But God who hithervnto hath still defende you and yet are those who were sayd to haue vowed the enterprize tearmed good men by those that in the libell seemed but God forbid that euer the saftie or ouerthrowe of the State should rest in their power to dislike of the powder treason therefore I doubt not but your Honour will defend the poore in a iust cause if neede so require against the rage and furie of the wicked and mightie 3. In regard the cause your person excepted is Secundum quid all one for which your Honour hath been reuiled mis-iudged slaundered and menaced with mine for which happely I also may vndergoe the like Namely The Conscionable seruice of my Soueraigne in my meane but contented place 4. Yours Honours owne Position That that seruant whose faith and zeale in the seruice of his King stands in awe of enemies eyther for power or enuie is not worthy of protection warranteth that these my meane but daring-loyall indeauours in behalfe of my Soueraigne shall finde fauour with your Honour 5. Because true Nobilitie which were it not that I speake vnto your Honor I would say were seated in your breast neuer respecteth the person of any man but the qualities affections endowments and intentions of the mind and therefore myne owne priuitie to my owne thoughts which telleth me and that vppon good grounds that your Honor deserueth well of the State in Generall and doth loue it and are generally in a recyprocall manner of them beloued doth also assure me in particular that nothing which is vertuous can from a good affection be commended vnto so Honorable a Patron and suffer shipwrack by Contempt Your Honor hath elsewhere spoken in your owne person That you would glory more to be alwaies found his Maiesties honest and humble subiect then absolutely to command in any other calling euen so I the weakest of many thousands desire nothing more pardon herein Noble Lord my ambition then that I may be able to performe some seruice vnto God my Prince Country and the furtherance of the Gospell and in them vnto your Honourable selfe And herein Right Honorable Lord namely in Desire to do good the poorest subiect his Maiestie hath absit inuidia Dicto may equallize his greatest Peere for the Loue Faith zeale of the one may be as great firme deuout as the other the difference consisting onely in outward meanes to approoue them in both The God of all power and might who exalted the Father of so honorable a sonne to be Lord high Treasurer vnto so worthy a Queene and the sonne of so honorable a father to beare the same office vnder so Gracious a King on earth the same God for his sonnes sake through the Grace of his holy spirit bind vp the sonne as I hope already he hath done the Father in the bundle of his Saints that after your long and faithfull Seruice to your earthly Prince with the father Sonne and Holy Spirit you may enioy the true Treasure of eternall happines in the Kingdome of Heauen Amen Amen Your Honors in all humble seruice TO THE WELL affected and loyall hearted Reader AS to the spirit and soule of man nothing internally then a good conscience can bee more comfortable so externally then a good report from others nothing can be more precious And as for the first euery one that will enjoye it must himselfe alone by the vprightnesse of his owne actions assure it vnto himselfe in the sincerity of his own heart so for the secōd as it depends not vpō ones selfe alone but vpon the tongues and reports of others euery Christian by the rules of his profession is chargeable to his power to seeke the preseruation thereof towards others whome hee knoweth to be wronged This being graunted as it cannot be denyed if euery priuate mans good name so neerely touch him as that for the preseruation thereof wee are all of vs to others reciprocally bound and by law diuine obliged How much more strictly then are all faithful subiects tyed as much as in them lyeth to maintaine the good name honour and reputation of their lawfull Soueraignes by traytors rebels And antichristians so vniustly jmpiously and jmpudently taxed both in words and writings For as his Majestie is our King by God appoynted to rule ouer his Brittish and Irish Israell both in Church and common wealth and as in dignity he is nulli secundus nay more for that may seeme to admit an equall Primus inter omnes without a mate highest euen so the blemish of good name honour and reputation in his Majestie is of all others most dishonourable most scandalous as his Majesty is of all others most eminent most conspicuous and therefore by euery good subiect as occasion offereth it selfe pro viribus to be maintained If a naturall father haue a bad name though vndeseruedly yet is that in the worlds eye that cannot iudge thereof but by report a scandall vnto the children Our King is more for he is not onely Pater familiae a father of a priuate family but he is Pater patriae a father of our Country nay more he is Pater multorum gentium regnorum a father of many Kingdomes England Scotland France and Ireland and which is most hee is a good Christian Christianae fidei Defensor the chiefe Champion for defence of Christian faith through whose sides the enemy seeketh to wound the whole Church of Christ and to lay aspersions of bloud and tyrany vpon all such as with him professe the gospell of Christ The consideration whereof as also a feruent desire to doe my Country some publique seruice in helping as much as in me lyeth to stop the mouths of our common aduersaries the Papists whose lauish tongs haue spit out aboundance of venome and their pennes stung like Scorpions not onely our late most gracious and woorthy Queene Elizabeth of euer-blessed memorie for the many vnspeakeable blessings that God with and through her bestowed vpon this and other Kingdomes But also our present Soueraigne Lord and King with both their state Ministers by charging them as falsely so maliciously with cruelty breach of promise bloud and bloudy persecution for conscience hath mooued mee to jmploye the best talent of my small ability to convince them of jmpudent and lying malicious slaunders and reproachfull vntruths First in a few following lynes directed vnto all Romish fauorites clearing my present gracious Soueraigne of breach of promise with Recusants for toleration of Popery wherein also I haue touched the ground of that slaunder with the occasion and Authors thereof with some other matters of speciall moment Secondly in a tabular computation by a comparatiue collection of all such Martyrs as were burned in Queene Maries days with all such Priests Iesuites
the Pseudo-Martyrologist by whose account there haue suffered since the first yeare of King James of these Popish Traytors as he falsely pretends for Religion to the number of 13.   1610. Iaco 9 Iaco 44.   1611.  Iaco 45   1612.     1613.     1614.     1615.     A POST-SCRIPT TO THE WEL AFFECTED READER IT may bee that some of Antichristes broode will here crye out with open mouthes and say â—ut there are many of our Catholique Martyrs who haue suffered persecution for their consciences that are not here mentioned Here is a CollectioÌ„ indeed to set down some and leaue out the rest where are those Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland with their followers where the Bishops Deanes Archdeacons Canons and other Ecclesiastical persons where Doctor Lopez Parry where many of the Gentry as Abington Babington Tichborne Sauadge and their fellowes and of late where the Lords Cobham and Gray where Digbie Percy Catesbie Tresham Rookewood the Winters Litletons their followers With diuers others both of the Nobilitie and Gentrie who for their consciences in seeking to aduance the By them so falsely called Catholique religion haue suffered Martyrdome some by death some by imprisonment some by banishment some by losse of liuings some one way some another So condemning these collections with the author thereof to the fire as sometimes their forefathers did the Gospells confessors before registred To stoppe whose mouthes let this suffice First that I neither propounded to my selfe nor promised to them to set downe herein the names of any other in Queene Mary her Raigne then onely of such as meerely for their consciences in professing CHRISTS Gospell were in those dayes with fire and fagot martyred and burned not at all medling with such as either were attainted or executed for treasons and rebellions either against her person state or dignitie whom no good Christians wil seeke to excuse in so doing nor of any other in Q. Elizab. or King Iames their raignes theÌ„ only of such Seminary Priests Iesuits Recusants as I find recorded by their martyrologist I. W. Priests whom many simple Papists being seduced by their false teachers giue out to haue suffered onely for Religion and their consciences although that in all of these Priests and Iesuites men of iudgement may easily discerne the contrarie and as for many of them the most simple cannot be ignorant that knoweth any thing nor the most shamelesse denie that is not past all shame that they were executed for plotting and contriuing for knowledge of and concealing most barbarous the like before vnheard of treasons whereas true martyrdome indeede consisteth ferendo patiendo non in agendo in bearing patiently and suffering afflictions for CHRISTS cause but not in plotting and attempting the liues and ouerthrowes of Kings and Countries their lawfull and Liege Soueraignes and natiue though of them hated habitations and byrth-place witnesse for proofe hereof 1. Ballard 2. Watson 3. Clarke 4. Garnet the Iesuites Prouinciall 5. Hall with others the first of these was a chiefe actor and plotter in Abingtons and Babingtons Conspiracie Anno 1586. the second third in Cobhams and Grayes but more properly for they are the first mouers alwaies in Watsons and Clarkes their owne conspiracie Anno 1603. The fourth and fift in the Gunpouder treason which onely to name is instar omnium the most damnable bloodie plot that euer was contriued and I hope in time will proue as their owne Greenwell prophesied the very breakneck of all Papists that will not bee recalled Anno 1605. although I greatly feare that there are many in this Kingdome who now GOD in his mercie hath defeated them seeme to condemne the plotte but yet would with all their hearts haue wished that it had taken effect Talia etenim nunquam probata antequà m acta for such attempts as these to wit the Gunpouder and others treasons are neuer liked of vnlesse they bee acted but if performed then applauded with Panegyricke Orations Well that Papistes haue found so much mercie at the Kinges handes notwithstanding this their more then heathenish crueltie as they haue let them blesse God and thanke his Maiestie and I pray God they may make a good vse thereof but let vs that are his faithfull subiects reioyce in God for his and our owne deliuerance from so eminent danger ascribing all glorie and thankfulnesse to God therefore and vnspeakeable mildnes and forbearance in our King whom no barbarous attempted cruelties for then the Gunpouder treason neuer was any more horrid more hellish can prouoke vnto rigor hee is so loath to bee of his very enemies accounted cruell But Lord grant thou Ne incidat in Scillam cupiens vitare Carybdim that his mercy towards his foes proue not crueltie to himselfe his Friends and good subiects For this I may iustly say that for a mercifull King in forgiuing his enemies whom yet hee hath power to destroy England may boast her selfe aboue all the nations of the world Secondly if Papists will haue besides these Priestes Iesuits Recusants by their Pseudomartyrologist noted all other traitors and rebels to bee likewise enrolled let them name as many as they can and register them themselues and take them into their number for well I knowe that vnto honest men the more they name the more infamous will they bee because their horrible and damnable treasons are vnto all good men to whom onely I intend this Post-script so odious and vnto the world so apparant and palpable that their names cannot but with disgrace bee recorded whereas none who were in Queene Mary her raigne burned did suffer for any other cause as the Papists themselues cannot deny but that they falsely call vs heretiques but onely for matter of religion nor can they bee iustly accused of any to haue attempted against the life of their then Soueraigne Lady Queene Mary or to haue denied her for their lawfull Queene but so Non obstante religionis disparitate although they differed in religion to haue acknowledged her so to haue prayed for her in all humilitie submitting their neckes as good subiects to the yoake of temporall obedience to her Maiestie and like true Christian martyrs their bodies to the fire for the onely profession of the Gospel of Christ Iesus whom in their bodies goods and spirits they serued Thirdly as I take not vpon mee to see downe precisely the name of euery particular Priest Iesuite and Recusant that suffered in Queene Elizabeths and King Iames their raignes nor yet the iust number of those blessed Martyrs that were burned in Queene Mary her raigne but so many onâ—ly of both sortes as are for them in I. W. Priest his English Martyrologe and for vs by that worthy man Maister Iohn Fox in his booke of Martyres recorded So I am most certainely assured that if I should nominate all