durst protect felons and murtherers against the King and Iustice of the land neither reuerencing King nor obeying his lawes passed ouer without licence to the King of France Further being adiudged to prison by the King for refusing to giue accounts of great summes of money receiued by him and Reignold Earle of Cornewall and Robert Earle of Leicester being sent to him to tell him of the iudgement set downe against him this meeke Martyr and holy Saint was so farre from the obedience of a subiect that he told the earle of Leicester in these words That how much more precious the soule is then the bodie so much more ought he to obey Becket then his terreine King So notorious and euident was the rebellious opposition of this Popish Prelate against his lawfull Prince that he was openly by the king and his Nobles called Traitor in that he refused to giue earthly honour to his King as he had sworne to do and therefore they generally agreed that he was wel worthy to be handled as a periured Traitor and rebell and therefore most impudent is this Ward-worders assertion that neyther the King nor his Officers did charge him with treason If you please to adde hereunto the arbitrement of this controuersie put into the French kings handes with king Henries large offer and Beckets proud refusall there is no man I hope that knoweth what it is to be an obedient subiect but will condemne him for a rebellious Traitour The kings offer in that arbitrement was this There haue been saith he Kings of England before me both of greater and lesse puissance then I am likewise there haue been many Bishoppes of Canturburie both great and holy men what the greatest and most holy of all his predecessours before him hath done to the least of my predecessors before me let him doe the same to me and I am content Which offer though it were in it selfe and so deemed by all that stood by not onely reasonable but more then reasonable so that they all cried with one voice the king hath debased himselfe enough to the Bishop yet the rebellious spirit of this Archbishop would not yeelde vnto it nor accept peace with his King vpon so fauourable a condition What a Giant-like pride traiterous presumption is this to refuse to yeelde so much obedience to his Prince and Soueraigne as the greatest and holiest of his place haue alwaies yeelded to the meanest kinges of this land what needeth any further proofe of Beckets treason Yet if you will you may remember the letter of Maud the Empresse to him Wherin she chargeth him that in as much as in him lay he went about to disinherit the king to depriue him of his crown and if the Empresse might be thought to speake partially on the King her sonnes behalfe yet the two Cardinals sent by the Pope to heare all this controuersie out of question will not condemne him without iust cause And yet in a letter sent from them to the Pope they do condemne him of exciting stirring vp forraine Potentates to make warre against his naturall liege Lord the words of which letter were these William and Otho Cardinals of the Church of Rome to Alexander the Pope c. comming to the land of the king of England we found the controuersie betwixt him and the Archbishop of Canterburie more sharpe and vehement then we would for the King and the greater part about him said that the Archbishop had stirred vp the French King grieuouslie against him as also the Earle of Flaunders his kinsman who was verie louing and kind to him before he made his open aduersarie readie to wage warre against him as is by diuers euidences most certain c. Now for a subiect to stirre vp forraine States to make warre vpon his Soueraigne and countrie was at all times high treason but that Becket did so by the Cardinals confession was by diuers euidences most certaine therefore Becket not now his enemies but his breâ—hren the sonnes of his owne mother being Iudges was a traitor Who then but such a one as hath sold himselfe to all impudencie and shamelesse gainsaying the truth would seeke to couer Beckets rebellions by the facts of Iohn Baptist Ambrose Hillarie of Athanasius Chrysostome which haue as much agreement with the cause of Becket as hath light with darkenes good with euill sweet with sower concerning whose Saint-being I will say nothing sith my purpose is not to search what he is with God after his death but what he was towards his Prince in his life neither am I priuie to his repentance which might be secret at the last gaspe or to Gods iudgements into which I presume not to presse Yet you may remember that long since it was a generall Prouerbe of your Pope-made Saints That many are worshipped for Saints in heauen whose soules are burning in Hell and that in particular concerning Becket great doubt was moued as is by writers alleadged out of Caesarius the Monke whose words are these Quaestio Parisijs inter magistros ventilata fuit vtrum damnatus an saluatus esset ille Thomas c. There was a question debated amongst the masters at Paris whether Thomas Becket was saued or damned To this question answereth Roger a Norman that he was worthie death and damnation because he was so obstinate against Gods minister the king Peter Cantar a Parisien disputed on the contrarie that his miracles were great signes and tokens of saluation and of great holines in him c. Which argument this Encounterer likewise vrgeth But behold what strength is in it For one of these we shall find to be true that either they seemed only and were no miracles indeed such as many by the craft and conueiance of idle Monks haue been shewed to the people as namely those miracles of the Dominicke Friers in their hot contentions with the Franciscans about the conception of our Ladie who thinking by sleight to worke in the peoples heads that which by open preaching they durst not now attempt deuised a certaine Image of the Virgin so artificially wrought that the Friers by priuie gynnes made it to stirre to make gestures to lament to complaine to weepe to grone and to giue answeres to them that asked c. vntill the Franciscans seeing by this meanes their credits to decay and all the almes to be conueyed to the Dominickes boxe and not being vnacquainted with such cousening practises espied their iugling and discouered their feined fraudulent miracles For which cause foure of the chiefest actors in this iugling miracle were burned at Bernâ— Or secondly if they were not counterfeite but done in deed they were not wrought by God but by the power of Sathan to draw men from Christ to Antichrist Of these the Apostle foretelleth vs that whensoeuer it commeth to passe it might not trouble vs That the comming
ciuill or forraine vndertaken for Religion is honorable All which things considered I appeale to any good natured Papist who hath in him any sparke of loyaltie in his heart to his Prince loue to his natiue countrie whether this Cardinall not only by secret practises seeking to stir rebellion against her Maiesty but by publike writing earnestly perswading the same yea animating encouraging her Subiects to lay violent hands vpon her sacred person were not indeed a cardinall and arch-traitor and for this his Proctor I answere him and conclude almost with the very words wherwith himself shutteth vp this his Encounter let all men iudge of this mans treacherie Resistance to the fift Encounter concerning the Iesuites THe sundrie occurrents in his last Encounter about Bishop Gardiner and Cardinall Allen did draw from mee moe lines then either at the first entrie I purposed or these two worthie Prelates were worthie of Now for the ground and foundation of his long and tedious prattle in this fift Encounter he saith he will set downe my accusation in mine own words which are these that ensue I doe not heare that the Popes holines is so purged from ambition or so reconciled to Religion as he meaneth not to continue his clayme for the Supremacie or will cease to settle the dregs of his poysonfull and superstitious doctrine amongst vs. I cannot perceiue that the thirst of Parsons and his Pew-fellowes is yet quenched for seeking the bloud of our deare Soueraigne and in her the destruction of vs all the cause remaining still for which heretofore they haue sought it c. And here first like a right Hicke-scorner as in deed scorning and rayling are the flowers wherewith hee doth garnish all his speech hee noteth the fond and ridiculous manner of my fantasticall writing as it is his pleasure to censure it and because his note if it were not worth noting men would thinke it worth nothing therefore hee also painteth his margent therewith that ye might not faile to remember it in these words Sir Francis ridiculous Festus called Paul a madde man who yet spake the words of truth and sobernes the madnes was in Festus himselfe euen so gentle Sir I doubt not but to sober men I shall appeare to write soberlie howsoeuer you iudge me ridiculous and the follie shall rest in your owne bosome And therefore I say againe that I doe not heare nay more then that I doubt I shall neuer heare that the Popes holines is so purged from ambition or so reconciled to true Religion c. or that the thirst of Parsons and his Pew-fellowes is yet quenched for seeking the blood of our deere Soueraigne c. And in the first you giue me a good satisfaction for you assure me that your holy Pope will neuer leaue his claime for Ecclesiasticall Supremacy because when he doth that he must leaue to be Pope In this I easilie beleeue you and for this I will neuer put you to your oath for it is hard for the Pope to cease to vsurpe other mens rights but if you should take a solemne oath vpon your holie Masse booke that your Popes Popedome or Supremacie was ordained by our Sauiour I could not beleeue you Therefore looke not that your bare word shall goe for a currant proofe with mee in this behalfe seeing you haue no one title of the word of God to warrant it it being manifestlie to be proued thereby that he is wholie opposite to Christ both in faith manners and gouernment which long challenge of his and leane proofe of yours is largelie confuted and ouerthrowne by sundrie learned Neither is it like you say that he will be so purged to become a Protestant and I confesse this is rather to be wished then hoped for but if your reason be for that the Pope cannot erre in doctrine or become an heretike such as you mistake Protestants to bee your error is great in the Popes prerogatiueâ— wherein not onely your owne friends will bee your enemies but the examples of sundrie Popes which fell into heresie will disproue you For Marcellinus fell not onelie into heresie but into Idolatrie for he sacrificed to Idols Honorius held taught the heresie of the Monothelites and was therefore accursed by the sixt generall Councell Honorio haeretico Anathema Cursed be Honorius the heretike Liberius became an Arrian heretike Stephen fell into the error of the Donatists and to be short Iohn the 22. did so notoriouslie erre about the state of the Soules after death that his error was by the Diuines of Paris with sound of Trumpets openlie condemned in the presence of the King himselfe who beleeued rather the Parisien Diuines in that point then the Court of Rome I would they were not so prone to heresie nay authors of heresie but that they would returne from whence they are fallen that is to that truth of Christian Religion which we professe which also many Bishops of Rome for the space of some hundreths of yeares after Christ religiouslie professed But though you thinke the Iesuites much honoured by mee in that I ioyne them as you say in slaunder and calumniation with the Pope himselfe yet you please not to ioyne them in defence with the Popes holines whom for a prerogatiue you will handle by himselfe And in deede I mislike not your method for it were absurd to make the worke equall to the workeman and to ioyne the Creator and the creature together for so a learned man writeth of the sect of the Iesuites that it is Creatura Papae nouissima nequissima The last and worst creature of the Popes making You therefore enter your plea for the Iesuites deferring the Popes cause to the last saue one that hee might bee accompanied with the King of Spaine following in the last whom yet you might if you had followed your Booke of ceremonies haue sent before the Pope to leade his horse by the bridle that the Pope in his pontificalibus might haue come all behinde But your method be at your owne choice for defence of your Iesuites you labour and sweate amaine but it is like Sisyphus toyle Saxum sudans nitendo neque proficit hilum In rouling vp the stone he takes great paine But all for naught it tumbles downe againe Your tedious and irkesome prolixitie I will recompence with all conuenient breuitie You run a long course about the contradictors of the Iesuites which you acknowledge to be not onely those whom you account heretikes but sundrie Pope-Catholikes and to them you applie the saying of the Iewes against the Christians That the sect of the Christians was euery where spoken against with a long idle discourse to the same purpose But Sir all this is besides the purpose and it is apparant that all this while you doe extra chorum saltare If you had first by Scripture proued and strengthned the originall of your Iesuiticall societie together with their
in Pharaoh to kill him How was Dauid preserued from Saule or the Prophets from Ierobâ—â—â— or the Israelites from Hamâ—â—s malice Peter from Herods crueltie or our Sauiour Christ for a time from the conspiracie of the chiefe Iewes For in all these there was will ioyned with outward power for a time and yet the things desired not effected Cicero his argument holdeth where there is nothing supposed to hinder and where the will is fully bent to doe a thing but in all Soueraigntie and inclination of the will it holdeth not because there may want strength and continuance of the partie and the will may not be throughly setled as that of the Iewes they would faine haue put Christ to death but they feared the people God no doubt did strangely keepe Queene Marie from consenting to the bloodie practise of the Romish Cleargie against her Sister and though some of the Cleargie did seeke her death yet it might bee hindered by others and their desires by some considerations so crossed that though they did desire her death yet they could not effect it for which the Lord of Heauen onely is to be praised But what a shameles forehead hath this Encounterer who against so manifest a truth so plainely and sensiblie to bee proued doth not blush to denie that her Maiesties life was at that day earnestlie and maliciouslie sought after Why was shâ—e so hastelie sent for when shee was sicke to bee brought vp to the Court either aliue or dead presently vpon Wyats rising why was she falsly accused and burdened with Wyats insurrection yea so far that he was brought against truth and conscience to accuse her Why was she committed to the Tower to be a close prisoner Why did she say Tanquam ouis when she remoued from the Tower to Woodstocke Why was she in many feares and so often enforced to bewaile her estate and to pray to the mightie God to preserue her Was there not a report that there was a warrant out for her execution and did not M. Bridges Lieutenant of the Tower go in haste to Queene Marie and so by certifying her preuent the bloodie execution When the sword of iustice could not by any meanes be drawne forth against her what extreame dealings were vsed and what secret conspiracies plotted for the bringing of her to an vntimely death and the shedding of her innocent bloud I spare to write more in so plaine a matter that reuerent learned man Master Foxe hath at large in his Monuments of the Church set downe the miraculous preseruation of her Maiestie at that time from extreame calamitie and danger of life which who so readeth shall with inward compassion and watrie eyes rather lament her pitifull estate then with a hard heart and shameles face deny so manifest a truth as this Encounterer doth As for the causes which he alleageth did concurre to the preseruation of her Highnes it is not denied but that some of those by him alleaged and many others which in probable reason might be imagined might well concurre for the working of her Maiesties securitie at that time but that any of thofe was so potent and mightie as of necessitie to make her safe from daunger or that they or any other can bee certainely alleaged to be necessarie causes and procurers of her deliuerance with all his wit and insight into matters of State of which he seemeth much to brag he will neuer be able to shew Certaine it is that her Maiestie when she was in that trouble and daunger vsed these words when shee protested her innocencie at her landing at the Tower Before thee O God I speake it hauing none other friends but thee alone and as certaine it is that neither wise States-man nor any other can definitelie say of these or any other supposed causes in these respects or for these causes chiefly shee was preserued what though shee were gracious amiable and vertuous and much fauoured of the Spanish King who in policie it may be did by that meanes seeke to win the peoples hearts vnto him must it needs follow hereupon that therefore her innocent behauiour could not bee called into question nor her bloud shed by any wicked conspiracie The King of Spaine was farre from her in her greatest trouble and neither you nor any other can say that hee pleaded her cause or stoode openly for her freedome at any time If hee sent the Duke of Feria to visite her or secretly did speake for her to Queene Marie as Master Foxe seemeth to confesse he did that which was seemely and honorable in a King and that which her place and innocencie iustly deserued As for the generall hope which you say most men had of her Maiesties being a Catholike if it had been either so vniuersally conceiued as you imagine or by such outward tokens had appeared as you haue set downe how can it be true that she was presumed by many to be inclined to a different Religion from yours as you a little before in this Encounter doe confesse If shee had been deuoted so earnestly to Popish Religion why needed commaundement to be giuen that shee should haue Masse within her house within two daies after her committing to the Tower and how happened it that her men were so vnskilfull to helpe the Priest that the first day there could be no Masse for want of a Clerke and the next day one of her yeomen at Kyrieleson made a stop and set the Priest being not able or not willing to proceede any further Her sound affection to true Religion was the cause of all her trouble and danger in her Sisters daies and her willing and ioyfull embracing of the true Christian faith and of God his true worship and seruice hath so sufficiently been witnessed euer since the beginning of her Raigne that no man of common sense or Christian charitie hath the least cause to suspect that her heart should bee vnsound in the present profession of God his true Religion and Gospell The last cause which you alleage to concurre to the preseruation of her Maiestie is but a thing imagined by you seeing the matter of depriuing her Maiestie of life neuer came to any such stately consultation as you your selfe in handling this point doe plainelie graunt and seeing also that in such a case they could haue found out other meanes for preuenting such a potent pretender whatsoeuer you say of the Spaniards affection to the Queene of Scots at that time I am sure all England had like to haue tasted by so lamentable an experience that this Lady of Scotland was so affected by Spaine and sundrie of our English Espagniolized traitours as if through Gods goodnes shee had not been cut-off in time hardly could our Soueraigne haue escaped with life long being almost daily in daunger whilest that Scottish Queene liued through the practise of Rome Spaine and our home Traytors Thus notwithstanding all your flourishes and deuises your potent causes are too
which in that letter of Boners to the Lord Cromwell are to be found And this I hope is sufficient to cleare me from malignitie and sycophancie for calling so vnworthie a man a bloudie monster After this flourish to make shew in generall of the Bishops milde mature whereof by these fewe particulars the reader may more soundly iudge this his Proctor proceedeth to cleere him of seeking her Maiesties life in the raigne of her sister but it seemeth his conscience gaue him a secret checke when he set pen to paper about this defence For how weake an Apologie doth make for so haynous an accusation the lines are few in which he wrappeth vp the handling of this weightie case and the reasons as weake as water that he alleadgeth for the Bishops clearing It was so farre off from Gardiners condition and nature saith this forward Proctor that he dareth say I doe him apparent and wilfull wrong What Sir if for malice he might be compared to the diuell as Boner witnesseth what could be more agreeable to his nature then to seeke the bloud of so gracious and innocent a Ladie And seemeth not trow ye his case to be verie good which so wooddie yea so hot and fierie a Patrone seekes to maintaine with so slender and cold a defence as I dare say he doth him apparunt and wilfull wrong But he addeth she was an obiect rather of loue and compassion then of enuie and hatred But what loue could proceede from him that was of an hard heart and cancred malicious stomacke what compassion could he shewe whose verie bowels were cruell As for the misterious bracelet of which this brabler talketh in which all the secrecie of Wyats conspiracie was said to lie hidden which Gardiner farther pierced then any other but neuer vsed or vrged the knowledge gotten thereof to the Ladies perill I answere that the misterie of this Shemeis treacherie against that innocent Ladie his now Soueraigne may hereby appeare to all men who to grace his client with the commendation of a deepe politike to pearse further into the misterie of that conspiracie then anie other and of a tender harted man in not vsing nor vrging his knowledge gotten thereof to the Ladies perill layeth the highest disgrace vpon his Soueraigne that can be imagined as if she had been secretly confederate with Wyat in his rebellion against her sister and that this Eagle-eyed Bishop had spied so much in a misterious bracelet but of pure good will did neuer vrge it to her perill Whereas for euer finding any suspition against her through so manie hard and earnest siftings his owne mouth is a witnesse against him who kneeling downe to her Grace after long triall had of her loyaltie and integritie said Then hath your Grace the aduantage of me and other of the Lords for your long and wrong Imprisonment As for his concealing of any thing that hee might finde against her or desire to free her from daunger who knoweth not how farre both hee and the rest of the Clergie were from any such inclination For when Wyat at his death cleered the Ladie Elizabeth Doctor Weston cried Beleeue him not good People c. Which being related to Sir Thomas White then Lord Maior he was moued at the bloudie humour of this Popish Doctor and said of him with indignation In sooth I neuer tooke him but for a knaue But was your Bishop more mildlie affected then the Doctor Nay hee was so vnwilling to haue her cleered as hee chafed exceedinglie at a poore Apprentise in London for saying that Wyat had cleered her and the Lord Courtney and caused the Lord Maior to bring this poore youth to the Starre Chamber where hee vttered a speech vpon that occasion and pronounced the innocent Ladie guiltie and commaunded the Apprentise should be punished And if Master Bridges then Lieutenant of the Tower had not as is reported most honestly aduentured to Queene Marie to informe her of a warrant that was out for the execution of this her worthie Sister the innocent Ladie had lost her life poore England had been depriued of so gracious a Soueraigne and the light of our Candlesticke had been put out But blessed bee the Lorde who gaue not the Soule of his Turtle Doue to the beasts nor his darling to the power of the dogges With this for good fellowship may walke hand in hand his plea for the Bishops freedome concerning the bringing in of the Spaniard of which I affirme that Gardiner and his complices neuer rested vntill they had brought in the Spaniard and matched him with Queene Marie by which they betraied God her and the whole Realme from which this Proctor first would cleare him by imagining in him a partiall affection to the Earle of Deuonshire whom he would haue married to the Queene But it were strange that in a man of Gardiners place there should bee so great ficklenes and mutabilitie that in so short a space so great loue should bee turned into such extreame hatred a little before in his loue he would haue made him as you say as a King by matching him to Queene Marie within a while after he would haue made him worse then a caitife and to suffer as a Traitour accusing him earnestlie in the Starre Chamber when as Wyat had cleered him Secondlie hee demaundeth if this had been so as hee saith it was not why did they betraie therein both God their Queene and their Countrie To which his demaunde I briefelie answere God was betraied because his true Religion was exiled which Queene Marie before her obtaining the Crowne promised to the Suffolke men to maintaine and in steede thereof Idolatrie was established The Queene they betraied because they matched her to an vnhusband-like husband who estranged both his affection and companie from her which was thought to be a great cause of the shortning of her daies for when the cause of her often sighing a little before her death was asked of her selfe she confessed this to bee one though not the onelie cause that she could not enioie the companie of her husband The Realme they betraied because they sought to make it subiect to a stranger though yet blessed bee God doe all they what they could or the Queene herselfe they could neuer set the Crowne of England vpon King Phillips head And that the temporall inconueniences by that match were not more fullie felt God is to bee praised who gaue him here so short an aboade Further by this match they bringing in the Pope and resigning the Supremacie to him did wrong to the Crowne for by the Lawe of God the King in his owne Realme is chiefe gouernour both in causes Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill the Pope contrariwise will not onelie be aboue the King in all causes Ecclesiasticall but also in some Ciuill challenging all Bishops and Cleargie men for his subiects exempting them in things Ciuill from the Kings authoritie whereby he robbeth the
King of a great part of his Subiects and in the Realme doth gleane out another Realme to himselfe yea challengeth to haue power to depose the Prince Againe the auncient Lawes of the Realme were hereby made to stand for cyphers the Lawes of the Realme will haue a Priest for debt to bee sued before a temporall Iudge but the Popes Lawe commeth and crieth the contrarie Patrones by the Lawes of the Realme should giue Benefices but the Popes Lawe setteth them besides All the dangerous consequences threatned to this Realme by that match it is not my purpose to set downe I will onelie adde a fewe verses made long since concerning that marriage by which the Reader may partlie see what is to be iudged of it Regi non Regi nupsit non nupserat Angla est Non Angla est grauida est non grauida est grauius est Parturit atque parit sic vos voluistis ouantes Nil tamen illa parit sic voluit dominus Duxerat ad paucos menses mox deserit idem Sponsa est mox vidua est sic voluit Dominus Irrita frustrentur semper sic vota malorum Perniciem patriae qui voluere suae A King she matcht yet not a King scant doe her married call English she is not English yet great not with childe at all She breedes and beareth in her wombe as ye triumph and braue Yet brings no childe into the world euen so the Lord would haue Philip a few moneths married her then leaues her with great speede A wife she is a widow straight the Lord had so decreed Euen so confounded be th' attempts of wicked Papists all Which of their natiue Countrie seele the ruine and the fall Now I come to the great fume and chafe of this hot Encounterer for that I say the Recusants cannot professe more loue and loyaltie to the Queene that now is then did Gardiner Boner and Tunstal to her noble Father and Brother which they did confirme by Printed bookes for Gardiner in his booke de vera obedientia c. where like a graue States-man and another Nestor hee takes vpon him to taxe mee either with ignorance in the matters of our owne Realme or with forwardnes to tell vntruthes His allegations are two the first that Gardiners booke de vera obedientia was written for feare of the Kings violent proceeding or not being well instructed perhaps in the controuersie of the Supremacie and that shaken with the frailtie of humane infirmitie hee shrunke with Saint Peter But he may remember that first Gardiner with sundrie others did take a voluntarie and solemne oath against the Pope as by the copie thereof yet extant may appeare wherein he sweareth purely of his owne voluntarie accord and absolutelie in the word of a Bishop c. Then he stayeth not heare but writeth his booke de vera obedientia for the Kings and against the Popes Supremacie which hee professeth to doe with long and mature deliberation and Boner in his preface before that booke perswadeth the reader to esteeme Gardiners censure and authoritie to be of more weightie credence in as much as the matter was not rashlie and at all aduentures but with iudgement and wisedome examined and discussed saying that a man may rightly call him Fabius that with his aduised taking of leasure restored the matter The second allegation is that for King Edwards Raigne it is a flat fable and fiction that I tell of Bishop Gardiners following the sway also of that time Gentle Sir Encounterer did not Gardiner againe in the Raigne of King Edward take a solemne oath against the Popes vsurped authoritie and subscribed to the Kings lawfull Supremacie 〈◊〉 in causes Ecclesiasticall within his owne Realme Yea did he not before King Edward flatlie preach against the Popes Supremacie as also against Images Ceremonies Munkeries Chauntries c. Therefore doe no more blasphemouslie compare Saint Peterâ— fall to Gardiners dissimillationâ— Saint Peter denied vpon the suddenâ— and within few houres 〈◊〉 Gardiner sware solemnly preached publikelie and wrote vpon long and aduised 〈◊〉 and so continued many yeares till 〈…〉 authoritie 〈◊〉 another course Concerning his sermon made at Paules Crosse vpon this text surgereâ— It is time for vs now to arise from 〈◊〉 I shall neede little to answere because it 〈◊〉 concerneth my former booke but how firâ—â—e soeuer your wisdomâ— thinketh that the time since King Henrie shaking of the Popes tirannie might be compared to a sleepe and the resuming of the Pope withall his wares to be an awaking yet what more like might then Poperie and the liuing 〈◊〉 vnto a sleepeâ—â— For as darkenes coâ—ereth all things in the night and men cannot walke safelie for want of light so Ignorance preuaileth in Popâ—â—â—e and the people are misled therein so that they cannot see which way they ought to walke because they are not permitted to exercise themselues in the Word which is a lanterne to our feete and a light vnto our steps and as in sleepe the hungrie man dreameth that he careth but when he awaketh his soule is emptie so in Poperâ—e the people being fed with mens traditions thinke themselues in good plight but when they are truelie wakened as Ionah by Gods spirite they perceiue that they were hunger-starued for want of the true foode of their soule the word of God In stead of all which large comparison of those times of King Henrie and King Edward to a sleepe and commending the Bishops wisdome for the choice of so fit a text I will set by way of opposition another euigilate or caueat to awake made to the Pope and his Clergie long before the profounde Sermon of this youâ—â— Bishop euen in the time of Henrie the fourth called the A.B.C. AWake ye ghostlie persons awake awake Both Priest Pope Bishop and Cardinall Consider wiselie what waies that ye take Daungerouslie being like to haue a fall Euery where the mischiefe of you all Farre and neere breaketh out very fast God will needes be reuenged at the last How long haue ye the world captiued In sore bondage of mens traditions Kings and Emperours you haue depriued Lewdly vsurping their chiefe possessions Much miserie you make in all Regions Now your fraudes be almost at the last cast Of God sure to be reuenged at last Poore people to oppresse you haue no shame Quaking for feare of your bloudie tyrannie Rightfull Iustice you haue put out of frame Seeking the lust of your God the Bellie Therefore â—â—dâ—re you holdlie ceâ—tifie Very little though you be thereof agast Yet God will be reuenged at the last But to looke backe a little vpon this famous Sermon in the long narratioÌ„ that you set down by occasion of this Sermon I must examine some few points wherin either this Proctor belieth the Bishop or the Bishop the King And first if it be true that he affirmeth that King Henrie the eight appointed Gardiner to be one of the sixteene Counsellors in his
learning is not verie great or their cause is bad Iohn Hus. Martin Luthers offer to dispute at Wormes He goeth to the same end to Augusta Simon Grinaeus at Spire Colloquie of Poissy Particular absurdities of Poperie Heresie with the Papists to reade the Scriptures in vulgar tongueâ— An obiection answered D. Rayn de Idol eccl Ro. lib. 1. cap. 1. The Sorbonists oth For reading of the Scriptures in vulgar tongues men were called before the Biâ—shops Act. Mon. ex Regist. Lin. Act. mon. aeâ— testim D. Outredi Ibidem pa. 863. A godly Booke seller in France 1. Mach. 1. Ignorance with Papists the mother of Deuotion Doctor Fulke Scripture forbidden to be read Iohn 5. Coloss. 3. Chrisost. in epist. ad Coloss. â—om 9. Fides implicita Ignorance a fruitfull Mother for the Papists Act. Monu pag. 139. Deuotion separated from knowledge in many of the Popish Cleargie 1. Tim. 4. D. Rayn de Eccl. Rom. lib. 2. cap. 5. 1 Conscientia 2 Scientia 3 Entia Publike praier or deuotion in an vnknowne tongue Hossius de sacro vernacule legendo Art 3. pa. 75. See the 27. article betwixt B. Iewel and Harding How the Papists allow lay men to meddle with matters of Religion To meddle with Scriptures is to examine by Scriptures the doctrine taught Act. 17. 1. Iohn 4. Chrysost. in 2. Cor. hom 13. Papists forbid Lay men thus to meddle with Scriptures and why Paraleip Abb. vrsperg pa. 448 In lex Expurg cuâ— vt si Ber. c About Thomas Becket The ground of Beckets quarrels with his King Becket goeth inta France against the kings will Beckets words to the Earle of Leicester The King and Nobles adiudge Beckets a traitor The controuersie between Becket and the King put into the French Kings hands The Kings officer Proud Beckets refusall The letter of the Empresse Two Cardinals censures of Becket About Beckets sainting Ex. Auentino Disputation about Becket at Paris Argument of miracles Popish miracles threefold 1 Onely in shew Act. Mon. pag. 733. Ex Pencero Munst. Caâ—ione aliis 2 Wrought by Sathan 2. Thess. 2. Math. 24. Deut. 13. 3 Falsely deuised Beckets miracles Act. Mon. pa. 204. Miracles not rare amongst the Papists D. Rain ex breuiario Rom. ex vita Thâ— â—ius operi Romae editis prefixa D. Rain ex seuerinâ— Large talke betweene Hiacinthus and an image of Alablaster The Pope will be obeyed commanding either disloyaltie or blasphemie Blasphemy by the Pope commanded Portiforium ad vsum Sarum in festo S. Tho. Caenâ—uar Disloyaltie by the Pope commaunded About Pardons and Indulgences Indulgences grounded neither vpon Scripture nor vpon ancient Fathers Councels condemne the abuses of the Popes pardons Ex Chemnicio de Indulgentijs The complainâ— of the Germaine Princes Tecelius Pardous for sinnes to be committed Parry Caines spirit Absolution Simon a Monke Iacobus Clemens The conclusion Iustification by faith Esay 30. Iob. 1. This bloudie mate falsely chargeth me with bloud-thirstines â— Sam. 18. Aug. in Psal. 37 Her Maiesties marueilous deliuerance in Queene Maries time Her Maiesties deliuerance and Dauids compared Her Maiestie vniustly troubled in Queen Maries daies A ridiculous argument Causes concurring to her Maiesties preseruation M. Hales Oration The fretting of the Papists against her Maiestie now being Queene Hester 6. About annointing Psal. 150. Luke 2. About D. Storie Psal. 5. 59. Stories words The interpretatioÌ„ of them Stories iudgement Martyrium Ioan Stor Angl. pro ecc Rom. primat The Bull of Pius Quintus Master Iuel Bullenger Whether any man may depose Kings Dan. 2. and 4. Luke 1. 1. King 14. 1. King 19. Prou. 8. August in Psalm 47. 1 2 Rom. 13. Valentinian Theodosius Sigebert in Anno 1088. Aug. contraliterai Petil. lib. â— ca. 92. Psal 140. Iere. 10. Iudges 5. Traterous practises of some Papists Fond amplifications of punishments inflicted on papists A vaine colour Protestants not to be compared with Papists in rebellion 2 King 11. Lib. conform in initio About the two Earles insurrection Francis Throgmorton and Charles Paget About the late Earle of Northumberland and the Earle of Arundel The substance of the Encounterers conclusion Bishop Gardiner and Cardinall Allen compared Bishop Gardiner A short view of Gardiners milde nature Gardiners hard dealing with Marbeck Heresie for lay men to meddle with the Scripture Gardiners argument to proue an heretike Doctor Tailor Gardiners milde Rhetorike Master Philpot Boner vnwilling to meddle with Master Philpot Boners speech concerning Gardiners being dead Gardiners ioy for Bishop Ridley master Latimers death with God his suddaine stroke vpon him Gardiners desire of reuenge against the Duches of Suffolke Boners description of Gardiner About Gardiners seeking Queene Elizabeths life A weake Apologie The misterie of his tale of a misterious bracelet Gardiner confesseth the wrong imprisonment of Ladie Elizabeth D. Weston Gardiner vnwilling to haue the Ladie Elizabeth cleered The bringing in of the Spaniard Gardiners booke de vera obedientia with Boners proface Gardiners Sermon in Queene Maries time vpon Rom. 13. The A.B.C. to the Pope and his Clergie in Hen. 4. time Gardiner put out of King Henries Will. King Henrie the eyght not minded to reconcile himselfe to the Pope as Gardiner saith but quite contrarie About King Henries diuorce from his first wife with Gard. iudgement of it Cardinall Allen. Allens iudgement of Pius Quintus Bull. Parsons and Campions faculties Saunders Rebellion in Ireland A similitude alleadged for Allens defence examined 1 The Pope no way our father 2 Your elder brethren yeeld not due reuerence to the Queene their mother 3 Your yonger brethren are the elders agents against the Queene Paines practise against her Maiestie Heskets treason Treason against the Queene made a point of the popish faith and religion Allen perswadeth it to be honorable to kill the Queene Parrey resolued by Allens booke to kill the Queene The grouud of this Encounter The Pope will not disclaime his title of vsurped Supremacie The Pope will be no Protestant but may be an heretike Marcellinus Honorius Liberius Stephanus Iohan. 22. The Iesuites The Sorbonists iudgement of the Iesuites Iesuites practises Parrie hartened by Iulio Palmio a Iesuite Yorke and Williams set on by Holte a Iesuite Patricke Cullen Sauage perswaded by D. Guifford Posseuine Wal-poole France iudged the Iesuites The chiefe vow of Iesuits Sacriledge to vow simple obedience to man The scope of their vow The conclusion Te rayling of N.D. Iames. 3. An outward ciuill conuersation Ciuill honesty to be found amongst Infidels Turkes True faith not without good workes Dissimulation taught by Papistes 1 2 3 Dissimulation of some Papists manifested The threefold accusation examined 2 The hurt Recusants do Forcing to do against Conscience Moderate punishment for Religion lawfull Comparison tweene our punishment of Recusants those of former times The Papistes hands deepe in this transgression 2 The hurt Recusants would doe Barbarous railing against Henrie Earle of HuntingdoÌ„ 3 Dissimulation in sundrie Papists Cardinall Allen inciteth to Rebellion Dispensation of Gregorie 13 to Parsons and Campion 3 All Recusants not charged with dissimulatioÌ„ or rebellious mindes â—â—e Papists 〈◊〉 â—at the 〈◊〉 de 〈…〉 1 2 3 4 5 6 The truth of my position iustified Rebellion cunningly broached Abraham and Lot Ieremie Iere 9. Ieroboam Iehu Athanasius Obedience in temporall Princes This is N.D. his spirituall conceite as you may reade in his booke pag. 83. The translation of S. Peters words freed froÌ„ corruption The Popes Crowne may not be touched Archprelate How Christ and his Apostles were Priests and Archprelates 1 Christ gaue no Superiority to Peter Luke 22. 2 Peter neuer challenged anie such Act. 15. 3 The Apostles acknowledge no superioritie in Peter The Popes spirituall supremacie without good warrant The Popes temporall Supremacie His temporall Supremacie neuer acknowledged The Popes intollerable pride The Pope a bloudie monster The Popes bloudie humour against the Queene What iudgement is to be had of this Encounterer Whether the Pope be Antichrist How farre England standeth beholding to Rome 1 2 Elutherius acknowledge the Kings Gods Vicar in his owne kingdome 3 1. Thes. 1. The cause of libertie of speech vsed against Spaine The Encounterers iniurious rayling Of the Spanish Nation Not all Spaniards charged Experiments of the Spaniards pride crueltie c. N.D. maliciously slaundereth his natiue countrie No cause to except against our free speech of Spaniards The person of the discouerer considered The Taxes Papists the only contemners of princes Reuel 52. About Lopus His sute to the Lords The conclusion
vnder his Father and Grand-father and for their affections declining to Idolatrie and not truly esteeming the blessings in Iosiah their king powred vpon them the Lord threatneth to bring euill vpon that place and the Inhabitants thereof Which he did by suffering Iosiah to be slaine by the souldiours of the king of Egypt and within few yeares after his death selling his owne people into the hands of the idolatrous Babilonians For as darknesse naturally followeth light and night the day so do great punishments accompanie rare blessings when they are not duely esteemed as they ought Blessed was Ierusalem by the testimonie of the Lords owne mouth when he said My beloued had a Vineyard in a very fruitfull hill and he hedged it gathered out the stones of it and he planted it with the best plants and built a Tower in the middest thereof and made a wine-presse therein But when he looked for grapes and it brought forth wild-grapes the Lord threatned from the height of this blessed estate to cast them into the gulfe of miserie to take away the hedge from his Vineyard that it might be eaten vp and breake downe the wall thereof that it might be troden downe c. The Lord hath not therefore been lesse beneficiall to vs in placing so gracious an head vpon the bodie of this Realme because you and some such as your selfe are doe yet remaine to God ingrate and to your Prince and Countrey vnnaturall Onely I beseech God that whereas by his appointment the Oliue is yet ouer vs with her fatnes and the Figge with her sweetnes and the Vine with her fruitfulries that amongst many other sinnes of our land for our vngratefull contempt of so great a blessing a Bramble be not set ouer vs which is good for nothing but to burne and consume vs and so much concerning my supposed contradiction Now Sir N. D. it is your pleasure to heare my manner of speech in these words If I should take vpon me to enter into the enumeration of all the benefits and blessings that from the Almightie haue beene powred vpon this little Iland of England c. And hauing thus vnperfectly repeated them you passe the ouer with this sleight exception saying That in mentioning our little Iland I must take Scotland with me else I erre in Cosmographie as though England were not deuided in gouernment from Scotland though both rest vpon one continent and as though your selfe did not tearme this Realme an Iland euen where you do distinguish it from Scotland Therefore Nodum in scirpo quaeris and to this shift you are put very often for want of matter But if seemeth that Scotland was named here by you chiefly to make way for your purpose to giue a glaunce at battels murders destruction of Countries Prouinces Townes Cities Houses and particular men that haue beene in Scotland within these fortie yeares as though Scotland had neuer tasted these or any of these before and then you come in with Ireland wherein you seeme to bewaile the death of the noble Desmons whose treasons yet liue by succession in one of the same name who it is said wrote â— treason full letter stuffed with most intolerable opprobries and slaunders against her Maiestie and the state to the King of Spaine And this I hope is no great proofe of your sonâ—dnes to Queen or State France and Flaunders follow to fill vp the number But had you any respect of truth or care of modestie you would neuer haue made the true Religion wee professe the cause of murders tumults and garboyles which teacheth dutifull obedience and condemneth all mutinies seditions and rebellions You should do well to haue told vs who murdered the King the Lord Iames the Lord Russell in Scotland In France who murdered the Prince of Conde after he was taken prisoner which I thinke the law of Armes will not well beare Likewise who they were that laidâ— bloudy hands vpon the Admiral Chattilion being first shot in with a Pistoll with three bullets in the streetes and afterwards slaine in his chamber And so of Marlâ—ret slaine in his garden and of the famous learned man Ramus who hauing paid monie to ransome his life was beyond all humanitâ—e most cruelly quelled And generally who were the Authors not onely of the bloudie massacre in Paris but also of the like vprores in other Cities and quarters of the Realme principally at Lyons Orleans Roan Tolouse in which Cities within the space of one moneth there are numbred at the least thirtie thousand godly Protestants to be slaine your holy father at Rome to shew with what spirit he is led and with what meanes he sticketh to maintaine his Religion which otherwise would fall to the ground so soone as he heard of this bloudie tragedie maketh great ioy with his Cardinals with their procession with their gunshot and singing Te Deum Yea in honour of that Act proclayming a Iubile with great indulgence and solemnitie For Flaunders tell vs who murdered the noble Prince of Orange against whom it was proclaimed that who soeuer could bring him aliue or dead or slaie him should haue fiue and twentie thousand crownes You shall finde that such a Catholike-faith as yours is hath still sought to maintaine it selfe by such Catholike means as these are treasons tumults seditions secret murders and such like As for our true Christian Religion it is so cause of tumults garboyles and murders as Christes birth was of the murther of the poore infants in which neither Christ nor the infants ought offended the madnes was in Herod and all Ierusalem to be for this cause in an vprore In a word it is Herods Religion which seeketh to murther Christ and the Christes and annoynted of the Lord. I proceed to your aduertisement for a better direction to mens iudgements that all blessings of a Common-wealth may be reduced to two heades the one spirituall belonging to the soule and conscience the other temporall concerning the bodie and weale publike and that the Lord hath richly blessed this land since her Maiesties Raigne I doubt not to proue to all that haue iudgement and indifferency following your owne methode And first there hath beene in England since this happie alteration change from popish superstition to Christian veritie One God worshipped in spirit and truth one faith one belief one forme of seruice in praier and praises to God one number of Sacraments which are onely two by the word of God one head of the Church which is Christ the Lord as the holy Ghost testifieth by the Apostle Him hath God appointed to be the head of the Church And his substitute annointed appointed ouer vs is our Soueraigne and Queene who is to commaund and be obeyed in Christ and for Christ in all causes aswell ecclesiasticall as ciuill and not your proud vsurping Priest at Rome and if you can like to looke vpon the harmonie of confessions you shall find all the
to giue ouer their olde impudent proposition That ignorance of the Scriptures is the mother of Popish deuotion For what meant the so strict forbidding to laye men the reading of the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue but that their deuotion should not growe of the knowledge but of the ignorance of the Scriptures flat contrarie to our Sauiours commandement giuen to the vnlearned multitude of the Iewes Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life and they are they that testifie of me where the reason annexed to the Commandement sheweth to whom the Commaundement appertaineth euen to as many as it concerneth to seeke after eternall life and to know Iesus Christ and him crucified which is the laytie no lesse then the Cleargie contrarie also to the Apostles exhortation to the Colossians being laye men Let the word of Christ dwell plenteously in you Whereupon Chrisostome noteth Audite seculares omnes comparate vobis biblia animae Pharmaca c. Heare you secular or laye men euery one get vnto you Bibles the Phisicke of your Soule if you will nothing else at the least get you Testaments the epistles of Paul the Gospels the Actes to be daily and diligent instructors to you In a word contrarie to the spirite of the same Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes who reproueth them that they were like vnto Children and vnexpert in the word of righteousnes whereas they ought to haue their wits exercised therein But ignorance of the Scriptures better pleaseth you in the people and shall leade them to such deuotion as maketh more for your aduantage Hence hath growne your deuice of fides Implicita a faith wrapped and folded vnder the obedience of the Church namely that it is sufficient though they knowe not distinctly what they ought to beleeue but obediently submit their vnderstanding to the Church beleeuing as the Church beleeueth though what the Church beleeueth they knowe not This Carbonaria fides is highly commended by Cardinall Hossius who farther teacheth the simple laye man that he should thinke it went very well with him if he could say by heart the Lords praier the Articles of beliefe and the ten Commaundements though he knew not the meaning of the words As for other knowledge if any asked him a question hee should answere that hee did beleeue the Catholike Church And this ignorance of the Scriptures as a fruitfull mother hath brought forth many a blinde daughter of gainfull deuotion to your kitchin what greater deuotion was either then esteemed to be or indeed what acte more for your aduantage then the building of Monasteries and Nunneries and the endowing them with great lands and reuenues And this deuoute daughter mother Ignorance of the Scriptures brought forth which as for the most part they were builded by Kings and great States vpon some great murder either by wane in the field or priuately committed at home so the cause was as in stories may be seene Pro remedio animae meae pro remissione redemptione peccatorum meorum c. For the reliefe of my soule for the redemption and forgiuenes of my sinnes c. Which blasphemous derogation to the death and passion of Christ Iesus the knowledge of the Scriptures would haue quicklie discouered Yea how Deuotion hath been separated from knowledge not in your laye people alone but in your Priests too whilest deuotion hath been so tyed to their daily saying of their Maâ—tins and euensong which without deadly sinne they may not leaue vnsayd whiles in the meane time they vtterly cast aside the Apostles commaundement Giue attendance to reading exhortation and doctrine in the answer of Iohn Lambert to the 25. Article to him obiected may partly appeare I will onely adde this one testimonie that by the confession of some of your owne coate which haue made any conscience of their carriageâ— may appeare how carefullie your deuoutest Fryers haue been to couple knowledge with their imagined deuotion Franciscus Sampson generall of the order of the Friers Franciscans reprouing both their ignorance and carelesnes hath these words Pratres mei dilectissimi à primordio nostrae Religionis floruit conscientia c. My beloued brethren in the beginning of our Religion there flourished conscience but our beauty by little little sliding away the first sillable was taken away and there remained Scientia science or knowledge but now our sinnes so deseruing the first sillable is againe taken away and we remaine Pura entia stipites statuae meere things which haue a being euen very stockes and blockes To adde further proofe in a case so manifest were to light a candle at noone day yet this I will adde ex abundanti If publike praier in the Church and congregation of the faithfull be a chiefe and principall part of Deuotion made you not Ignorance the mother of their Deuotion when as ye would not allow their publike praiers in a tongue that the people vnderstoode Yea your Cardinall Hossius vseth this reason to proue that the Church seruice should be in the Latine tongue rather then the vulgar because saith he since some vsed the vulgar and knowne tongue in Church seruice Deuotion hath not onely not been increased but diminished And our Countrey man but the Popes Champion D. Stapleton in an English booke that he writeth against Bishop Iuel confidently affirmeth that Deuotion is not furthered but hindered by a tongue that is vnderstoode In a word D. Cole Deane of Paules and one chosen not onely to maintaine the Papists assertions against the Protestants in the disputation at Westminster but appointed by the Bishops and other his Colleagues to be the mouth for them all whose speech in the end they all being asked did auow to be the mind and saying of them all euen he in that honorable assemblie of the Councell and Nobles and frequent concourse of the Commons did with great vehemencie maintaine this proposition in these words I say Ignorance is the mother of Deuotion And so Sir Encounterer you must be forced to take it both for a maxime minime though minimè tibi placet to confesse a truth The second fayned position wherewith it pleaseth this deepe Clerke to charge me is because I say your Syde holdeth that it is not for lay men to meddle in matters of Religion c. And for this after your olde railing fashion you charge me with subtiltie and impudencie my subtiltie you say I shew in this word meddle which may either signifie that lay men must not determine or define of matters of Religion or else not to meddle or care for Religion at all And surely Sir though I may giue you good leaue to take it in which fence you will for in the former sence you will not deny but that euen Princes are restrained to doe any thing in causes of Religion within their own dominions without
your generall Viccars warrant which Romish conceite you shall finde learnedlie confuted by Doctor Bilson who is now Bishop of Winchester in the latter sence I need not to labour any more proofe then that before is set downe touching your breeding of Gods children in blindnes and ignorance and withholding the keye of knowledge from them and how will you haue them meddle with or care for that which they know not Though I say I may well iustifie both yet let me tell you that you doe not well distinguish the word meddle for as to meddle may signifie to be present in Councels c. in which sence you seclude the Laytie from medling with Religion so likewise it may signifie to trie and examine by the touchstone of Gods word the doctrine there taught and not to beleeue without farther discussing whatsoeuer their superiours teach them And in this sence likewise you will not haue them meddle yet the men of Berrhea are much commended for medling thus in Religion in that hauing heard the Apostle they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether those things were so as he deliuered and to this medling doth the Apostle exhort all Deerely beloued beleeue not euery spirit but trie the spirits whether they be of God or not And Chrisostome thinketh it an absurd thing that all men should not thus meddle with Religion Quomodo absurdum non est c. What an absurditie is that for money we trust not other men but count it and tell it after them but for more excellent things simplie to follow other mens sayings especially sith we haue the exactest rule and ballance of all the testimonie of the lawe of God therefore I pray and beseech you that you will leaue what this and that man thinketh and enquire all these things of the Scriptures Now how doe you permit lay men thus to meddle with matters of Religion when as ye take from them the vse of the Scriptures which as the rule or leuell serueth the Architect to direct his building by the ballance trieth the true waight of euery thing plainly sheweth what doctrine is true and to be imbraced what false and to bee reiected But no maruell that you haue forbidden them thus to meddle with matters of Religion when you haue broached such doctrines and maintained such opinions as some of your selues confesse cannot be iustified by the Scriptures It is recorded that some of the learneder sort of your Cleargie haue vsed to say amongst their friends Sic diecrem in Scholis sed tamen maneat inter nos c. I would say so in the schooles but yet let it be kept secret amongst our selues I thinke the contrarie we say so in the schooles but yet it cannot be proued out of the Scriptures c. Howsoeuer it may be you will generally be loath to confesse thus much of the Scriptures yet the Fathers you haue not onely mangled and depraued where their testimonies were pregnant against your errors as for example that plaine place of Gregorie Nissen Eam solummodo naturam quae increata est colere venerari didicimus we haue learned to adore and worship onely that nature which is vncreated where your Spanish Diuines in their Index expurgatorius set down this direction Deleatur dictio solummodo put out the word only sundry such places as both our learned men haue discouered in your Indices are to be found out But you plainly professe thinking it should haue remained secret among your selues and neuer to haue come to our knowledge that in the auncient Fathers you do very often deny very many errors meaning such sentences as make for vs against you by inuenting some comment or exposition and that you doe faine and deuise some conuenient sence when they are by the aduersaries in disputations and conferences obiected against you which things considered should stir vp the spirits of all men thus to meddle with matters of Religion and not by and by to beleeue and receiue euery doctrine because your Church teacheth it And now are we come to that high and capitall slaunder against the holy Pope-made Saint Thomas Becket whom I call a traitour at which the gall of this Popish Saint-seruer is so moued that he taketh on fretteth chafeth and as another mad Aiax Flagellifer threatneth that I shal rest with a broken head as in another place he speaketh of cudgelling with blowes and bastinadoes wherewith he supposeth to haue wrought a manly peece of worke But Sir pause a while the more rage the lesse reason and the the greater haste commonly the worse speede It were good aduise for you that threaten the breaking of other mens heads to looke warily to your own for the olde verse may happily be verified in you Saepe sagittantem didicit referire sagitta Inque virum plagae conuersarecurre re plaga The arrow oft vpon the shooter doth rebound And he receiues the blow that others thought to wound To examine a little the state of this Becket who was a traitor as I affirme not I onelie but many before me against Henrie the second but to vse the words of mine Author taken vp and shrined for a newe Saint made of an olde Rebell fiftie yeeres after his death which was in the fourth yeere of Henrie the third I doe openly professe to auoide all such carpers and quarrell-pickers as this fellow is to separate betweene his punishment and death and betwixt his cause and carriage against his Prince The first being outragious against all law and order by priuate persons not publikely authorised therto the second traiterous and meritorious of death the king hauing to that end iust matter enough if he had pleased by lawe to prosecute the cause against him which by sundrie euidences may be shewed but some fewe shall serue And first if Ciprians rule be true Non poena sed causa facit Martyrem It is not the punishment but the cause that maketh the Martyr what was the maine ground of the controuersie betwixt the King and him was it not as they terme them the liberties of the Church as this Encounterer granteth liberties not spirituall but carnall not of Christes giuing but of Antichrists deuising There were as Authors affirme in that time of Henrie the second more then a hundred murthers besides other felonies proued vpon the Clergie which when the King would haue punished according to the lawes of the land Becket opposeth himselfe and beardeth the King in this so iust an action vnder title of standing for the liberties of the Church a holy quarrell no doubt but such a Martyr such a cause From this straunge ground these proceedings ensued there was a law and constitution that neither Bishop nor Clerke should goe out of the land without the kings licence and then he should take an oth not to procure any hurt against the king or any of his notwithstanding this proude Prelate who
before and since the beginning of her Raigne Or was it because in setting downe the iust iudgement of God and the punishment of Iustice iustly inflicted vpon Doctor Storie I doe in the ende thereof desire that al they which wish to Queene Elizabeth as he did for those be my words pagina 27. may speed as he did Other matter I am sure you can find none from the 18. page vnto the 49. of my booke which all in this Encounter you take vpon you to answere And I pray you Sir are these such matters as may iustlie prouoke anie to such furie outcrying opprobrious names and grieuous accusations as in this your Encounter you haue vsed against me the matters are all iustifiable as shall after more fully God willing appeare and as well might Cushi who bringing newes to Dauid of the ende of Absolon said the enemies of the Lord the King and all that rise to doe thee hurt be as that young man is be charged with a bloudie mouth the worme of heresie woodnes and furie as I for desiring as I did against her Maiesties enemies My heart I thanke God is free from thirsting after the bloud of anie and the true conuersion reformation of my countriemen who are deuoted to the Bishop of Rome and the Romish newe faith should be more ioy and comfort to me then anie worldlie thing which both doe argue that I loue their persons though I detest their Popish Religion and traiterous practices I wish that Papistes may liue and that Poperie may dye and I ioyne with Saint Augustine concerning Papists in generall who are not particularly tainted with actuall treason Non oramus vt moriantur inimici sed vt corrigantur sie mortui erunt inimici iam enim correcti non amplius erunt inimici Wee pray not for the death of our enemies but for their correction and amendment so our enemies shall bee dead for being amended they shall bee no more our enemies But now to the seuerall parts of your Encounter as they follow in order with as much breuitie as I may It offendeth you greatly that I impute her Maiesties deliuerance from great daunger in the time of Queene Mary to bee wholly and onely wrought to her from Gods goodnes and this out of the madnes of your idle braine you blasphemously call a miracle of Milne-wheeles but with all the craftie wit you haue how greatly soeuer you vaunt thereof imagining that I cannot vnderstand plaine humane reason you shall not be able either to make her deliuerance lesse strange and admirable then I haue said it was or to cleere any of those that I haue accused to hunt after her life at that time But I pray you Sir N.D. why should this matter so much displease you as to vrge you to write so many lines in seeking to disproue my saying Is it because you would flatter her Maiestie and perswade her that she was better beloued then she thought she was Or is it because you are vnwilling to heare that God should so honour the Gospell as to bring in the free publishing and profession thereof into this our Land by one that was marueilously preserued to be a Prince and nourse vnto vs Or is it because you would free those daies from such malice and crueltie as her Maiestie did sensiblie perceiue Or for that you would shew your skill in carping at my sayings Whatsoeuer occasion you did take for iust cause had you none you might haue done better to haue spared your labourâ— and to haue said as we doe with the Church in Dauids time vpon the like occasion in preseruing Dauid to be King of Israel This is the Lords doing and it is marueilous in our eyes If any Israelite then discontented with Dauids gouernment should haue said you are miracle-makers and framers of miracles of Milne-wheeles because in humane reason there may bee imagined diuers pregnant and potent causes which did concur to the preseruation of Dauids life and his admission to the kingdome as namely that Ionathan was his friend he was beautifull and valiant he had married the Kings daughter and the people did honour him should not such a one haue shewed himselfe a blasphemous deprauer of Gods worke and an enuious repiner at Dauid his safetie and honour Yes out of question Looke then to your selfe Sir Encounterer and learne to speake more reuerently of Gods marueilous workes and in charitie reioyce with them that reioyce Iubemur saith Bernard colligere fragmenta ne pereant id est ne minima beneficia obliuisci We are bidden to gather vp the very fragments and crums that is not to forget the least benefits How much more then should wee magnifie the power of God in his wonderfull workes But how doth hee disproue my sayings First hee laboureth to proue that her Maiesties life and blood was not sought after neither was shee in such danger as I haue affirmed next hee sheweth certaine humaine causes of her Maiesties preseruation That she was subiect to suspitions and that she was had in ielousie and did hold the Queene and state in suspence and care this Encounterer denieth not alleaging cunningly some such reasons thereof as namely her inclination to true Religion the attempts of Wyat Courtney Carow c. and the condition of the Queene of Scots thereby endeuouring after his cunning manner both to leaue her Maiestie to be suspected at the least of some disloyaltie to her Sister as also to cleare the chiefe pillers then of Poperie from doing her wrong and the Queene of Scots from working of treason against her since that time But let him write neuer so cunningly seeking to leaue the matter doubtfull by way of presumption as he shall neuer be able to tainte her Maiestie with the least shew of disloyaltie in those dayes who witnessed with her Diamond the soundnes of her heart and innocent behauiour in these words Much suspected by me nothing proued can be So shall he neuer bee able to free either the State then from troubling and wronging of her Maiestie vniustly neither to cleare the Queene of Scots of such treasons as she was iustly condemned for But how proueth he that she was in no danger of life euen because shee was preserued For saith he there being power in them to put her to death and no power at home or abroad to hinder them if there had been such a seeking after her death as I haue affirmed then by forme of argument iustified by Cicero in his Rhetorickeâ—◠〈◊〉 have been effected Alas poore fiâ—â—ie Encounterer must my speech which onely accuseth the Romish Cleargie then in place of credite to seeke her life include the King and Queene Or must it needs follow where there is a soueraigntie and outward strength for that I â—â—ke you meane by power ioyned with will there the matter must needs be effected If this reason were good how was Moses preserued there being power and will
weake to weaken my speech the gracious worke of God in preseruing her Maiestie at that time appearing to euery Christian and indifferent iudgement no lesse miraculous and strange then I haue affirmed God is the onely proper maker of miracles I onely acknowledge his worke in deliuering this my Soueraigne from daunger with thankfulnes without either flatterie of any person or ambitions seeking after honour though you very maliciously and scornefullie do charge me with both but by that time that veine of your carriage in this your rayling Pamphlet be throughly scanned and conceiued neither your tongue nor pen will proue any great slaunder I will shut vp this point with a speech of Master Iohn Hales vsed in his oration to her Maiestie at her first entrance to her raigne which seemeth 〈…〉 fying of my sayings his words are these He that sitteth on high and laugheth at their madnes would not suffer that the malicious purposes and most cruell deuised Iniustice should haue successe He did take vpon him the protection of you he onely hath been your Iehosheba that preserued you from this wicked Athalia he onely was the Iehoiada that destroyed this cruell Athalia he onely hath made you Queene of this realme in stead this mischieuous Marana No earthly creature can claime any peece of thanks therefore no mans face no mans counsaile no mans aide hath been the cause thereof The second thing you finde fault with in this your Encounter is my affirming that when our Soueraigne was fullie possessed of her royall seat then Sathan began to rage and his ministers to fret and chafe these my words you terme to be wicked calumniations and tales of a tubbe to entertaine fooles and ignorant people but with how little truth and honestie and with what abundance of malice and folly that which followeth shall I doubt not make apparant to the indifferent reader You aske how it could be that the Papists did freat and chafe seeing they as the greatest number and chiefest persons did freelie and willingly place her crowne her annoint her take her oath for preseruing the lawes of the Realme and sweare fidelitie to her againe To which question I returne the like for answere how could it be that Haman commaunded to honour Mardocheus in the sight of the people should fret and chafe at his aduancement when as he was the man that arrayed Mardocheus with royall apparrell brought him on horsebacke through the streete and proclaimed before him Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King will honour This is no tale of a tubbe as this carping companion would perswade but a truth out of Gods booke whereby we may see that some do yeeld vnto that outwardlie in shew which in their hearts they yeeld not vnto and at which afterwards they fret chafe And could it otherwise be but that they must fret and chafe when as before her raigne in her sisters time one Ferrar that was defended by Storie and Bonner said that he hoped that she and they that hoped she should haue the Crowne should hop headlesse or be fired with faggots before she should come to the Crowne and also after her aduancement to the Crowne the Bishops and Clergie maisters as they shewed themselues in the conference at Westminster and in the Parliament assembled verie disobedient stubborne and malicious wherupon some of them were committed to prison so they had a consultation to haue excommunicated her as your worshipfull Cardinall Allen affirmeth in his 52. page of his answere to English Iustice and as your Rishton saith the Archbishop of Yorke whose dutie it was to haue crowned her Cardinall Poole being dead refused to doe it and so did all the Bishops except one and he almost the lowest But I will proceed to peruse the examination of some particulars of the hostilitie by me alleadged willing the Reader by the way to consider deeply of your graue aduise which vpon my vsing the words Sacred and Annoynted as honourable and rightly appertaining to her Maiestie you offer to be aduisedly thought of as tending to the commendation of annointing Priestes and Princes and concluding stronglie the great honour that her Maiestie had by Catholikes at her first entrance What must it needs follow that annointed must be taken for annointing with oile or must her Maiestie needs be beholding to the Clergie for that she is called the Lords annointed I had well hoped that your quoting in the margent diuers places of Scripture for confirmation of the ceremony of annointing Priests and Princes had been a better Bible-clerke then so foulie to be mistaken in the 105. Psalme which place hath been alleadged for Priuiledge of the Popish Clergie from the sword of Iustice notwithstanding their filthie life The Patriarches Abraham Isaac and Iacob are called annointed and yet were neuer annointed with oile In Esay 45. Cyrus is called the Lords annointed and yet a heathen Prince our Sauiour Iesus is called annointed and yet it is not read that euer he was annointed with outward oile Princes are called the Lords annointed chieflie because God hath put them apart and consecrated them to serue him in place of gouernment because they are indued with wisedome courage strength and feare of the Lord and because they should be profitable to the people gentle and mercifull the truth is more respected then the outward ceremonie in the word annointed Priestes Kings and Prophets before Christes time were annointed with visible oile I confesse not for such cause as you imagine that Princes are but to shew that they were appoynted of God consecrated and furnished with gifts from him as also to be types and figures of Christ who vnder the law was represented by these three offices estates or orders of men The ceremonie is not now of necessitie to continue Christ without outward annointing was called by Simeon the annointed of the Lord. So that hir Maiestie may be tearmed honorablie and deseruedlie the Lords annointed and yet neither your superstitious and Iewish ceremony of greazing your popish Priests commended thereby nor her Maiestie made much beholding to your Clergie for that honour The first particular of hostilities which you take vpon you to disprooue is my speech of your darling Doctor Storie whom because I call a bloudsucker as Dauid calleth his persecutors Saul Doeg and others bloudie men you charge me to be light-witted and foule mouthed you may take your pleasure Sir N.D. at me stil as you haue done but you know the reward of such as contemptuouslie reproach others with follie or maliciouslie doe raile and speake euil of them vndeseruedly You tell vs there are three things in my speech of Doctor Story to be considered the words I charge him with my interpretation of them and the iudgement he receiued in all which if you can either conuince me of vntruth or iustlie condemn me for vncharitably censuring the speech and his person we will beleeue you another
but barking at him like a mad dog calling him knaue traitor heretike villaine varlet beetlebrow-foole c. and afterwards committed him to prison where he lay a yeere and three quarters till the Papists had gotten certaine olde tyranous lawes by King Henrie and King Edward before put downe to be reuiued againe vpon which Gardiner cyted him and others ex officio before himselfe and his colleagues and pronounced against him Master Bradford and Master Saunders three worthie learned and painefull preachers the sentence of death His dealing with Master Philpot Archdeacon of Winchester a Gentleman of a good house being a Knights sonne though rayling Storie cried out against him he is a vile heretike knaue for an heretike is no Gentleman I aske not of what compassion and mercie but of what equitie and iustice did it sauour when he committed this valiant Souldier of Iesus Christ prison and kept him there a yeere and a halfe taking all his liuing from him without all lawe onely because he spake his mind freely of the questions proposed to be disputed of in the Conuocation house whereunto besides the libertie of the house they had the Queenes warrant for their securitie But it booted not to pleade priuiledge of the house or warrant from the Queene tender hearted Gardiner of his dissolute I would say absolute power kept him so long in prison and afterwards sent him to his slaughterman Boner to be branded to the fire In whom this is worthie the noting that he seemed as if he had been vnwilling to haue medled with Master Philpot saying I maruaile why other men will trouble me with their matters but I must be obedient to my betters and I wis men speake otherwise of me then I deserue as if he should haue said that the bloudie affection of Gardiners heart must be executed by Boners hands And when in that time of Master Philpots captiuitie with Boner Gardiner died Boner perceiuing that Master Philpot would by no meanes recant burst forth into these words Now ye thinke because my Lord Chancellour is dead we will â—â—â—â—e no moe Which wordes what doe they argue else but that howsoeuer some Bishops and other Clergie Masters were the inferiour executioners yet Gardiner the Lord Chancellour was the Arch-Dedalus and chiefe master of the worke and he that did blow the bellowes to kindle all the fires wherein the bodies of so many Martyrs were consumed to ashes The which will appeare more plainly if we consider a memorable storie set downe by Master Foxe of him reported by two credible persons of worship in the house of a worshipfull Citizen bearing then office in the Citie of London from Master Mundaie secretarie sometime to the old Lord Thomas Duke of Norffolke namely that the same day Master Ridley and Master Latimer were burnt at Oxford the olde Duke of Norffolke with this reporter his secretarie attending on him came to Bishop Gardiners house the olde aged Duke wayting there for his dinner the Bishop was not disposed to dine till at length about foure of the clocke commeth in his seruant in all post haste from Oxford assuring the Bishop most certainly that he saw fire put to them Then commeth out Gardiner reioycing to the Duke and calleth for dinner and began merely to eate but the bloudie Tyrant had not eaten a fewe bits but the suddaine stroke of God his terrible hand fell vpon him in such sort as to vse mine Authors own words immediately he was taken from the table and so brought to his bed where he continued the space of fifteene daies during which time he could not auoid by vrine or otherwise any thing that he receiued whereby his bodie being miserablie inflamed within who had inflamed so many godly Martyrs before was brought to a wretched end And thereof no doubt as most like it is came the thrusting out of his tongue from his mouth so swolne and blacke with the inflammation of his bodie A spectacle worthie to be noted and beholden of all such bloudie burning persecutors But not to stand vpon the deuotion of this your milde Bishop who would not eate till he were sure of the death of these two worthies a deuotion matchable with that of the Tyrant Richard the third then but Protector who sware by Saint Paule that he would not dine till the Lord Hastings head were off and would needs stay so long for his oathes sake nor vpon the great ioy this Bishop conceiued at the certaine report of their deaths as if the shedding of Christian bloud had been to him as the obteyning of great treasures nor yet vpon the fearfull iudgement of God so vpon the present and on the suddaine inflicted vpon him I will remember this one thing how that the Dutches of Suffolke espying him in the Tower being the prisoner inking Edwards raigne said it was merrie with the Lambes now the Wolfe was shut vp which speech this your gentle natured Bishop and nothing vindicatiue as you terme him well remembred in Queene Maries time and therfore in the first lent of her raigne studied an holie practise of reuenge first by touching this Dutches in the person of her husband Master Bertye for whom he sent an attachment to the Sherife of Lincolneshire with a speciall letter commaunding him most strictly to attach him and without Bale to bring him vp to him to London whereas he had no cause at all to send for him Afterwards examineth him of the Dutches his wiues Religion whether she was now as readie to set vp the Masse as before to pull it downe with further obiections to the same purpose by which Master Berty fully perceiued the cruell minde of the Bishop set vpon bloudie reuenge and therefore obtained leaue of the Queene for his vrgent and important affaires to passe the Seas secretly appointed how the Dutchesse should come after who with her daughter of a yeere olde with a fewe of her meanest seruants in great danger tooke barge at Lion Key in the mistie morning chusing rather to commit her selfe to the winde and waues then to your Gardiners gentle and nothing vindicatiue disposition What should I stand vpon any further matter to lay open the nature disposition of this your milde Prelate Boner who knew him better then you Sir Encounterer doth more then iustifie me in that large description of Gardiners nature disposition which he wrote to the Lord Cromwell wherein he tearmeth him to be of an hard heart and cankred malicious stomacke that he spake with a Pilates voice and chargeth him that in talke had with him he bad turde in Boners teeth againe and againe that the flesh of his cheekes beganne to swell and tremble and that hee looked as if he would haue runne through him that he behaued himselfe bedlemly that in malice and disdaine he might be compared to the diuell of hell not yeelding to him in pride at all with sundrie other notes of such speciall commendation
testament to gouerne his Sonne and the Realme how happened it that Sir Anthonie Browne was so earnest and importunate a sutor to the King to haue Gardiner put into his Will againe when he was put out And why did the King bid him holde his peace and trouble him therewith no more For if hee were in he would trouble them all and if hee moued him any more for Gardiner he would also put him out Is not this an argument that the King reposed great trust in Gardiner for the gouernment of his Sonne and the Realme Another thing you say Gardiner vttered in his Sermon that King Henrie in his latter time was inclined to reconcile himselfe to the Pope But I would the Bishop had had more wit to speake truth and lesse skill in lying for it is apparant that not long before the Kings death hee with his owne mouth answered the Ambassadour of Frederick Duke of Saxonie that if the quarrell of the Duke his master were nothing else against the Emperour but for Religion he should stand to it stronglie and hee would take his part Nay more then this as the worthie Archbishop of Canterburie Doctor Cranmer a man farre more inward with the King then Gardiner was doth testifie the King but little before his death resolued talking with the Archbishop and French Embassadour that he and the King of France within one halfe yeere would not onely change the Masse in both the Realmes to a Communion as it is now vsed but vtterly to haue banished the Bishop of Rome his vsurped authority Yea they were so throughly and firmely resolued in that behalf that they minded also to exhort the Emperour to doe the like in Flaunders and other his Countries and Seigniories or else to breake off from him A third thing in this discourse you alleadge that Bishop Gardiner was wont to say of King Henrie that after he left to loue that person which by Gods law and mans law he was bound to loue aboue all others to wit his first wife and Queene he neuer loued anie person heartilie and constantlie after Whereunto I shortly answere that concerning his often changes of his wiues putting som to death and others away I will not take vpon me to answere at all But to Gardiners report I answere that this his mutabilitie proceeded not hereof because he ceased to loue the first but because he first loued where he should not namely his owne brothers wife against the voice of God and nature as crouching and glosing Gardiner who flattered with the issue of this vnlawfull match not in word onely but in publike writing professed to the whole world vtterly condemning the former mariage with his brothers wife and approuing iustifying the second with Queene Anne In his booke De vera obedientia he writeth of that point to this purpose And amongst these Sith there is commaundement that a man shall not marrie his brother's wife what could the King excellent Maiestie 〈◊〉 otherwise then he did by the consent of the people and iudgement of his Church that is be diuorced from vnlawfull marriage and vse lawfull and permitted â—â—â—â—â—â—tion and obeying as 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 conformablie 〈◊〉 commaundement cast off her whom neither law nor right permitted him to haue and take him to chast and lawfull marriage Wherein although the sentence of Gods word whereto all things ought â—â—sâ—oupe might suffice yet his Maiestie was contented to haue the assisting consents of the most notable graue men and the censures of the most famous Vniuersities of the whole world and all to the intent that men should see he did both that he might ought to do vprightly seeing the best learned most worthy men haue subcribed to it shewing therein such obedieÌ„ce as Gods word requireth of euerie good and godly man so as it may be said that both he obeyed God and obeied him truly c. Hitherto Gardiners words Who reading this discourse of Gardiner concerning the kings first vnlawful his second lawful mariage would euer haue suspected such mutability in the man so suddainely to turne the Cat as the Prouerbe is in the panne approuing that which before he openlie condemned and condemning that which before he publikely approued or who noting this his inconstancie and not this onely but the other of condemning and abiuring the Popes Supremacie and earnest maintaining of it againe will not thinke him a verie Proteus which can change himselfe into all shapes serue all times sooth all Princes affections with â—it aio negat nego And so I leaue your wauering Bishoppe and come to your constant Cardinall About whom you professe to be verie briefe but if you had not spoken in his defence at all you had shewed yet some loue of truth and hate of treason for as wicked Sheba blew the trumpet of sedition against Dauid so hath this your Cardinall done against her Maiestie In my former booke I charge him that though he seemeth to wish that Doctor Saunders and Doctor Bristow had spared to speake so much in defence of Puis Quintus his Bull against her Maiestie yet he both affirmeth that these two learned men of great zeale and excellencie had their speciall reasons to doe so And in another treatise Viz. his defence of Sir William Stanlies act in giuing ouer Deuentre to the King of Spaine he doth as fully approue the Bull as anie of the other which though I condemne as good cause I should being a point of so high treason as that the Queene being by the Pope deposed is no longer Queene noâ— to bee obeyed yet you answere for him smoothly that he must needs be of like iudgement with Saunders and the rest and that he might speake his mind plainely being in the place and dignitie that he was when occasion should be offered Which in other words is as much to say as your Cardinall must needs be of the iudgement that the Queene was no longer Queene after the Bull published neither might her Subiectes obey her But yet it was good pollicie to speake sparingly of that point and for the Papistes to yeeld for a time outward obedience to auoide the daunger of the law till a fit time might come either by open force or secret treason to put the Bull in execution And so much doe the faculties granted by Gregorie the thirteenth to Parsons and Campion import which is further warranted by Saunders going after into Ireland with Italian and Spanish forces to haue depriued her Maiesty of that kingdome which fact as you cannot deny so will you not shew to detest in a subiect against his Prince because it was for your Pope For a further defence yet of your Cardinall you alleadge the example of childrens sorrow to see their parents at iarre that the yonges sort are fitter to weepe and mourne then to determine the controuersies and that the elder sort may speake more freely and interpose their iudgements
also but euer with due reuerence to both parents c. All which by way of similitude you apply to our Queene as a mother and your Pope as a father and to your Saundrs Allen Bristow Stapleton c. as elder brethren and to the Priestes and lay men in England as yonger brethren c. which similitude consisteth of nothing but dissimilitudes For first the Pope is no way our father and therfore our obedience reuerence loue not to be deuided betwixt the Queene and him as the childrens betwixt the father and mother the Queene is our mother both nourishing vs as a tender parent in things temporall as also in taking care for the Church of Christ in this land in things spiritual according to the Lords promise by the Prophet to his Church Kings shall be thy nursing fathers and Queenes thy nurses So did Iehosaphat Ezechias Iosias amongest the Iewes Constantine Iustinian Charles the great with other like Princes amongst the Christians commaund and make lawes in causes ecclesiasticall and acknowledged no vniuersal father-hood of your Pope I wish he did discharge the dutie of a true spirituall father within his owne Diocesse and Bishopricke but it is an hard testimonie that Laurentius Valla giueth him Papas dici nomine Patres re Parricidas that the Popes are called fathers in name but in deed they are Parricides Againe if the elder brethren interpose their iudgement betwixt their Parents by your own confession it must euer be with due reuerence to both partes this reuerence your elder brethren haue not shewed towards the Queene too good a mother for so vngracious Impes whom they not onely call heretike pretended Queene vsurper c. but haue by all meanes sought the murthering of her sacred person Thirdly the yonger children you say must holde their peace and mourne for the contentions but not intermeddle But Sir your elder brethren whom you allow to speake are farre enough from reach they may safely define what they will against the Queene and cast abroad their iudgements in railing bookes to yonger brethren to settle in them a consent therto Which being done they must yet make shew not to intermeddle to the end they may the better auoide perill to their persons secretly hearten the people against her Maiestie Take an instance hereof from one of your yonger brethren one Paine a Priest who walked no lesse closely for his safetie then he was directed nor lesse cunningly to corrupt the peoples hearts then he was commanded who from his owne mouth discouered to one Eliot a bloudy platforme laid to destroy her iestie and diuers of her Honorable Councell with armed men the effecting whereof stayed onely the comming ouer of certaine Priests which were expected in the meane time through Gods goodnes this horrible treason was discouered and preuented And Paine being asked how they durst practise or attempt any such mischieuous action his answere was that to kill the Queene or to vse anie crueltie against her or any that would take her part was no offence to God and that they might doe it as lawfully as to a brute beast and to approue himselfe a fit messenger to be sent on such a bloudie errant he affirmed that himselfe would be one of the first that should execute the same here is one of your yonger brothers whom all the world must confesse to be a fit son for such a father as your Pope is Besides this your Cardinall Allen Doctor Worthington and others as elder brethren sent Richard Hesketh a Gentleman of Lancashire and a younger brother to induce the Lord Strange late Earle of Derbie to make a suddaine rebellion in England and to take vpon him the title of the Crowne assuring him from them and others of treasure and forraine forces to maintaine the same which treason the Honorable Earle dutifully detected Hesketh himselfe confessed and bitterly cursed his elder brethren to make him a yonger brother to aduenture the danger of the treason that they as elder brethren doe teach and deuise farre enough from reach Is this the weeping of your yonger brethren without intermedling are these the teares then are they of a right Crocodiles brood which seemeth to weeepe but it is to this end that they may sooner kill and destroy Nay further then this these elder brethren commend to their yongers treason against her Maiestie for a point of their faith namely that if the Pope say the worde none of the Papistes ought to obey her Maiestie nor to account her Queene of England for in the cases of conscience as Doctor Bilson now Bishop of Winchester noteth wherewith the Iesuites that came into England were furnished to the 55. Article when they be asked whether the Bull of Pius Quintus that was giuen out or any Bul that the Bishop of Rome can hereafter giue out all Catholikes be bound to yeeld obedience faith and loyaltie to Queene Elizabeth as to their lawfull Prince and Soueraigne the resolution is he that demaundeth this question asketh in effect whether the Pope might doe it or no to which demaund what a Catholike should answere it is playner then I need here to explicate If therefore a Catholike be asked do you beleeue that the Bishop of Rome may depriue Queen Elizabeth of her crown he must answer not regarding any danger of death I beleeue he may for this questiō is a point of faith and requireth a confessiō of our faith Do not these elder brethrē think you dutifully put in their iudgements between these two imagined Parēts the Queen the Pope when they teach their yonger brethrē treason against the Queen for an article point of their faith To ende with this Cardinall who thanks be to God ended his life before he could attaine the expected end of his traiterous dessignments doth he not perswade that it is not onely lawfull but honorable to murther Princes for Religion for saith hee There is no warre in the world so iust or honorable be it ciuill or forraine as that which is waged for Religion Now if it be true that ciuill warre which is the warre of Subiects against the Prince be iust and honourable then is it an honourable act for Subiectes to kill the Prince for the ende proposed in warre is victorie and the way to victorie is bloudshed and slaughter not so much of the people who are not impugned but for partaking with the Prince as of the Prince himselfe whom you seeke to depose and place an other in his steed And this doctrine of your Cardinals Parrie himselfe confesseth vnder his owne hand writing did throughly resolue confirme and strengthen him in his diuellish purpose to kill the Queene Doctor Allens booke saith he was sent me out of France it redoubled my former conceipts euerie word in it was a warrant to a prepared mind It taught that Kings may be excommunicated depriued and violently handled It proueth that all warre
to free my countrie from all vsurpers they to fill their countrie with forraine gouernment I to preserue vnto vs the sincere truth of Gods Gospell they to thrust vpon vs a false worship by Poperie and superstition And this shall suffice to shield and deliuer me from being harmed or grieued by your slaunders and for all your malice to me I am sorie you should carrie so vilde and villanous a mind as not to be vexed to see your Soueraign so dispitefully and disloyally dealt withall But I haue now so good cause to guesse the vnsoundnes of your heart to my Soueraigne by this your wrangling and wicked Ward-word as I cannot expect or hope for anie good fruit of a loyall heart towardes her Maiestie from you And to confirme me and all true Subiectes in this opinion you close vp this your last Encounter with a doubt whether Lopus euer ment to kill our deare Soraigne and why you should doubt I see not but because it was not done and with a deniall that your Catholike King should be priuie thereunto and yet all the Agents in it doe plainely confesse so by the first whereof you lewdlie labour to taxe the seat of our Soueraignes Iustice and by the second you abuse her Maiestie and her people and by both you offer to discredit the honourable testimonie in print of the proofes and proceedings by examinations before the Lords of her Maiesties Councell In which you may finde how Lopus was first solicited by Andrada from Mendoza the King of Spaines Embassadour in France to poyson her Maiestie Secondly by the same Andrada he was solicited by a token from Christophero de Moro one of the Kings priuie Councell Thirdly by one Roderoquo Marques a Portugale vnto whom Lopus did vndertake to doe the abominable fact for which he was profered and promised fiftie thousands crownes which I hope cannot be taken to be the gift of anie Subiect fourthly for this purpose Lopus sent Andrada ouer to Callis to conferre with Counte Fuentes about this practise and caused Stephano Ferrera de Gomo another Portugale to write letters to Stephano Iberra the Kings Secretary at Bruxels to assure him Fuentes that the detestable fact should be performed if the 50000. crownes were paid which letter Lopus himselfe sent by one Gomes Dauila a Portugale But Andrada not being thought fit to follow so great a cause Ferrera was chosen to manage it by whom the Doctor did againe assure the performance of this villanie and then there were bils of exchaunge for the mony deliuered by the Counte Fuentes the one from Gonzalo Gomez to Pedro de Carreras the other from Gomez to Iohn Pallacios And if through the merciful prouidence of almightie God these had not been lingered and that in the meane time by the diligence and carefulnes of one of the Lords of her Maiesties priuie Councell the matter had not been discouered the villanie had been attempted and acted and so brought out of doubt as this Espaniolized champiō seemeth to haue wished to the vnauoydable hazard of ruine in mans iudgement to our Countrie and State So haue you here vpon honorable credence plainely proued that Lopus should haue been the Actor of this villanie that Andrada Ferrera Gomez Dauila and Manuell Lewes all Portugales were Agents and Messengers to him about it that Mendoza your Kings Embassador in France Christofero de Moro Count Fuentes and Secretarie Iberra all Councellors to your King were Directors to these Agents and Messengers and how farre your King himselfe did direct herein let the booke tell you And therefore haue you no cause to doubt of Lopus his bloudie meaning in this bloudie busines To returne to your selfe Sir I make no doubt but you desire to be beleeued in all that you haue scattered in your Libell and not least in this last part for if you could creepe into the secret bosomes of our English Nation and winne credit to be beleeued that all that you say is Gospell you might then hope of some likelihood to preuaile in your shameles sute for toleration or alteration in Religion tendered to the Lords in your Remission immediatly following But as it is well knowne to them all that we haue been much blessed of God by her Maiesties gouernment although you inuert all out of your popish and traiterous affection into cursings so I doubt not but they all see and will acknowledge that the true worship of God erected and established amongst vs by her Maiestie is the verie assured and principall ground-worke of all our blessings Religion and pietie must be our safetie and so long as wee keepe God by imbracing his truth without halting so long shall God keepe this land safe from all malice of all our enemies whatsoeuer Therefore farre shall it be from them so much as to lend an eare to so impudent and euill affected a Sutor as you shew your selfe to be in daring with shameles face to slaunder and scorne our Religion to depraue our seat of Iustice to harten disobedience to excuse traitors to darken and sometimes to defend the malice of your two Monarches of Rome and Spaine against our Soueraigne Queene contrariwise when her iust commendation was set out for being God his good instrument of many great blessings brought vnto vs you maliciouslie turne them as I said before into cursings when to the praise of almightie God mention is made of her wonderfull and happy deliuerances both in the time of Queene Marie and in her owne time you doe in derision call the first a miracle of Milne-wheeles and the second you shameleslie seeme to perswade they were things rather feared by vs then intended to her When I vrge Stories traiterous and bloudie words against her you cunningly seeke to turne his meaning to other persons and purposes When I condemne Cardinall Allin and Bishop Gardiners proude and pernitious dealing towards her you fall into extraordinarie high commendations of them as if the trumpet of their praises for so dealing had been worthie to bee blowne ouer all the world when I say that we should keepe these three things safe in our breast first our Conscience to God secondly our Loue to our Countrey thirdly our Loyaltie to our Prince you earnestlie labour to proue that wee are not bound alwaies to loue our Countrey and to beare Loyaltie to our Prince but that for Religions sake wee must hate them and warre against them and when I lay downe the many and manifold wrongs most vnchristianlie and vnkindly offered to her Maiestie by Rome and Spaine you bend your whole force to couer all and to proue wrongs offered by her Maiestie and our Nation to them such is your speciall loue to these your two Monarches and to all treasons and Traytors plotted and encouraged by them and so little and key-colde is your loue and dutie to her Maiestie to whom you owe all loue and obedience But this is the fruite of Pius Quintus his Bull the perill