of heauen for his rebillious pride and shall his sonnes thinke to gaine heauen by the merit of their proud rebellions Suffice it Cain when his very conscience gaue him to be a vagabond and exile from that city aboue and justly for his bloody fratricide he was the first that founded and built a city on earth for his habitation Cain was a figure of the Pope and his city of Rome the Popes eternall habitation And for the Popes diadems of eternitie we reade of a certaine kind of Locusts arising out of the bottomlesse pit hauing a scorpion-like power to sting yet whose power was limitted not to hurt but onely those which haue not the seale of God in their foreheades which Locusts like horses prepared to battell had on their heads as it were crownes of gold Such Diadem may the Pontifician priests merit to weare who not onely resemble these Locusts but are those very froggs spoken of Reu. 16 13 14. which are vncleane spirits comming out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet being the spirits of Deuils working miracles and go forth vnto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battaile of that great daie of God Almightie But passe we to the next Indeed we had rather being mindfull of humane frailty that glory and riches were in the Tabernacles of the righteous but when we contemplate your miseries Beloued Sonnes we put so much confidence in your vertue and Christs defence that we dare gratulate vnto you plenty of triumphs Answer INdeede wee cannot blame your father-hood â—o wish all prosperity to your Beloued Sonnes and for your selfe and your triumphall chaire wee are not ignorant how prouident you haue beene in your Pontificall Decrees to estblish a triumphant state in that your palace at Rome to be free from all incursions and inuasions and that by your Apostolicke irrefragable constitution Onely wee cannot but admire to see how in the midst of all your Pontificiall pleasures and pompe you can reflect the bcames of your contemplation vpon the miseries of your afflicted Sonnes in England But herein yee show the bowells of a father But you are sensible thereof onely in your contemplation If you contemplate this out of some propheticall vision foreseeing the calamities which your sonnes impieties through your fatherly instigation may further pull vpon them if they shall attempt some speciall service for your father-hood wherein they shall faile of their purpose herein wee desire and hartily pray you may bee as true a Prophet as Balaam was who though you would neuer so faine to obtaine an housefull of gold and siluer which you haue formerly had out of England yet the curse in the end shall fall vpon your own Moabites But if you contemplate and such great present calamitie vpon your sonnes among vs wee are giuen hereby to perceiue that your holinesse may erre vnlesse you will excuse it that you speake it by the figure Iroma you are able to contemplate more herein then all wee can discerne with open eyes Yea on the contrary whereof your holinesse cannot bee ignorant your sonnes are so kindly intreated among vs as though wee might thinke thereby to winne them the more to loue vs and our religion yet forasmuch as they are your holinesse owne sones wee meane the Jesuites and Preists especially the truth is we haue the more cause to feare them We know of old what recompence to expect of the snake if wee foster him in our bosomes Thus doe your sonnes recollect their strength among vs and such vertue wherein to repose your confidence Herevpon it is in plaine truth that your holinesse dare congratulate to your sonnes such plenty of triumphs you may bee confident of it so long as your frogs are suffered to friske and range vp and downe among vs at pleasure without controwle in defiance of Lawes and Proclamations to seduce the Kings Liege people to increase their number daily to strengthen their partie to weaken vs by sowing their seeds of faction that no lesse then a rich plenty of triumphs must needes insue But herein wee comfort our selues that your Papall confidence in your sonnes vertue is preferred before Christs defence you set that in the first place and surely if you had not more confidence in your sonnes vertue then in Christs defence it were very small for wee know that in Christs defence you haue no confidence at all your owne apostatized heart can tell you so much Except yee trust at all in Christs defence because our sinnes haue so much prouoked God against vs and none more then that your sonnes haue beene too indulgently intreated among vs not onely to the damage and murther of many soules if the Lord bee not the more mercifull to giue them repentance to returne to the truth but to the endangering of this noble State if the same our God no lesse mightily then mercifully preuent it not You know too well the Kings of Israeil are mercifull Kings but wee know againe that many times pitie though it is pitie yet being shewed to Amileck and Aramites may redound to the Authors hurt witnesse these * Kings of Israell On the other side wee know what Elias did and afterward what Jehu did to the Prophets of Baal and what a blessing came vpon them from the Lord Iehues Sonnes sate vpon the throne to the fourth generation and had done longer if hee had not cleaued to the sinnes of Ieroboam And Jezabell for all her vengeable malice and impotent fury yet could not wreck it vpon Elias though one single poore Prophet no more then the Pope with all his pontificall and imperiall power could preuent poore Luther of dying peaceablely in his bed so miraculously mightie is the Lord in preseruing his poorest seruants that are zealous for his cause Yf we shew the like zeale now in this frozen age wee may with comfort hope for the like blessing and protection Then put you neuer so much confidence in your sonnes vertue our confidence shall bee in the defence of Christ whose cause wee defend and so wee doubt not but through Gods neuer failing goodnesse to his people all you confidence and daring promises of plentifull tryumphs will vanish into the ayre whereof they were ingendred It followeth The Church well hoped indeed that the minde of the most potent King who of a Catholique wife wished to beget heires that might rule his Countrey kingdomes being mollified by the sighes of his wiues ✚ pietie would permit the dowry of royall wedlocke to bee the libertie of faith but now the vowes and counsels of your enemies are feared and whereas the oxthodox Religion is crowned with a royall diadem in that most Excellent Queene yet there are not wanting those which dare threaten imprisonment and punishments to our sonnes Answer YOu meane the Church of Rome what may it not hope
I had seene but some publique Edict for the burning of the Breeue as also for the effectuall banishing of all Iesuites the onely Factors for the Pope in such Adventures for Treason and Rebellion But be like notice hath not as yet beene giuen thereof to your Grace And that you may bee not the lesse sensible of the danger of a Papall Breeue You may be pleased to know that such neuer appeareth but as some prodigious Comet not signifying only but designing and producing some sad fatality Thus did the Pope in 88 thus at the Gunpowder plott Thus now This Romish Lightning may warne vs of a Crack not farre off God keepe vs from the Thunderbolt If it were only a bare prognosticating signe it were the lesse Sapiens dominabitur Astris but being an operatiue Instrument wherein the Iesuites are Agents to improue it to the vtmost of their Masters aduantage it is not so to be slited Iesuits why are not all Iesuits packed away long since by Proclamation Alas Sir you may be pleased to know they are like cunning Iugglars that can passe and repasse at pleasure They say England is fuller of them at this day then euer And now while the Popes yron is in the fire how doe they sweat in beating it to perfection But if they be catcht they are put in prison Alas they are there but as a bird tyed to the nett to call in other birds which seeming to come to releiue the prisoner they are more intangled themselues But thence they are quickly dismist to bee gone and voyd the Land Alas they doe but play the cunning Duck which sent out doth by her wily insinuation tolle and traine hundreds and thousands into her Masters Nett Thus cunningly can they play at fast and loose How then shall these proteus-Proteus-like Foxes be taken Certainly there is no other way but to hunt them out with the Kings owne doggs Your Grace is the great Iusticiarius Forestae And anciently Iustices in Eyre were sent with Commission into sundry Counties to heare such causes especially as were termed Plees of the Crowne Lo here a great plee of the Crowne yea such as wher in the title of the Kings Crowne is not onely questioned but strongly vsurped by the Claime of a forraigne Power What English eares can with patience heare such an insolencie When King Ahashuerus did but vnderstand of the desperate estate of the Iewes wherein that wicked Haman as Hester told the King had brought them the good King by and by sent forth his Edicts by Post into euery Prouince to incourage and arme the poore people of God to stand vpon their guard and so they preuented and ouercame the perill Now who stand more deeply charged with the care of the Kings Crowne then your Grace So that I neede not I trow in such a case vse spurres to your agility and readines for the putting of all dull courses in speedy execution for not onely the apprehension but the condigne punishment of such kinde of Malefactors Why what Malefactors such as Iesuits are not onely of factious treacherous traiterous spirits as they are men possessed with the spirit of Iesuitisme but euen by vertue and force of their Order and Profession Traitors ex professo They must be so they are bound to bee so else they are no Iesuits else must they renounce their Holy Order of the society of Iesu And is it possible that such should roust in England Nay reuell and riot Nay not onely bee profest traitors themselues but drawing Parties to their side continually euen to the diuiding of the limmes the armes and shoulders legges and feete from the Head of this goodly Politicke body It is the fashion indeed in other neighbour Popish States publickely to allow and auow such kinde of Creatures in the State But none haue more reason to vphold them then the Spaniard their good Master For certainly in time if they be suffered to goe on they will bring all Christendome vnder the Spanish yoake God forbid Yet if they should so do I make a question whether the Spaniard would suffer such pragmatical spirits any longer in Christendome lest as the restles sea hauing wrought as far as it can one way it worke as far as fast the contrary way It is likly then that he would send them into the Turks Dominions into Persia all those Easterne Empires to make compleat the Monarchy of Spaine that ioyning the two Indies together and circling in whole globe of the earth his Motto may then be Ne plus vltra But why doe I roue so farre when our home is in such danger What is to bee done shall I shoot a fooles bolt Shall I bee bold with your Grace Why not I haue heard men say you are of a noble disposition which will easily pardon a fooles bluntnesse In briefe then Your Grace knowes the King wants money extreamely You know againe that Treason is vnsufferable to wink at it to conceale it brings a man within Misprision of treason You may be pleased all to know that all Iesuites as by their profession so in their practise are high Traitors to Kings and States You know againe that all Iudges and Iustices of peace in this land are sworne to the King to see the lawes duly executed but especially vpon fellons and traitors You know that all such as shall bee found guilty of such Periury or Misprision of treason are punishable not onely in their persons but in their purses and estates Can the King then lacke money so long as there are as they say so many Iesuits in the land which passe euery where vnpunished O that your Grace would finde out the Delinquents in this kinde Nay let your Grace be assured if you will but take a round course with the Iesuites in rooting them out according to their demerits as it would bring safety security to the Kings Person and State so being the faithfull discharge of that trust reposed in you what a comfort will it be to your conscience what a blessing from God might you expect yea what loue also from all the Kings louing subiects Then would all things proceed succeed happily whereas on the contrary so long as Iesuits with their factions and treasons are suffered in this land what can wee expect but that euery thing we take in hand should proue very vnprosperous crosse For God is highly displeased with vs for suffering such miscreants to practise their impieties on this his Church to the great dishonour of his Name and Religion And how shall we be worthy to inioy such a King such a Country such a Church so many blessings of God if we be so prodigall of them All the world admires the wonderfull trust that the King hath reposed in you I pray God your Grace may answer it in your faithfull prudent and vigilant care I remember a speech which his Highnesse when he was Prince vttered among vs that were his seruants that when he
Antonius de Dominis Arch-Bishop of Spalatum whose Italian spirit being mixed with your Romane would not suffer him long to abide in the truth which for a time he embraced among vs he can tell you of Romish Rockes of Christian shipwrake from which in the name of the true Church of Christ hee admonished all good Christians to keepe aloofe hee nameth 12. in number as the most perillous wherein to make shipwrake of faith as 1. the Papacy which is that great Idol-rocke 2. Temporall power 3. infolded faith 4. Excommunication 5. the Commandements of the Church 6. false vnion 7. the Masse 8. Auricular confession 9. Purgatory together with satisfactions Indulgences 10. Inuocation of Saints 11. Images and Reliques 12. Merits Against all these hee hath so learnedly written that you haue no other confutation of his booke but your vsuall argument the fire But we will not herein too much presse his authority as hauing madly made shipwrake on those very rockes againe after he had once swumme from them vpon the plancke of such a repentance as issued from the light of his conscience though not of a sound and sauing faith Hee came vnto vs and hee went out from vs because hee was not of vs for had hee beene of vs hee would no doubt haue continued with vs. But wee haue better testimonie then that of Marcus Antonius de Dominis to proue yours to be the shipwracke Religion the most cleare and authentique Scriptures of the Lord himselfe Vpon these Scriptures as vpon a most impregnable Rocke our Church and the doctrine thereof are built our religion and faith is a sound ship in Gods harbour which might there ride safe and secure enough but that your pyraticall sonnes seeke to rend it a sunder tearing out the planckes that hauing made shipwrake of the faith of Christ they might swimme to Antichrist But it seemeth you hope for some shipwracke to bee made in this our Church by some rent in the shippe through factious schismes that so the brackish water of your Romish Sea may enter in the leake and so cause our wracke But as long as we keepe our shippe tite in the vnitie of faith safe and sound wee feare not the force of all your Croyzadoes And if our English Crosses of Iustice were a little better put in vre against your ouerdaring sonnes according to their demerits your Crosse you speake of would proue but a poore planke to bring them to the hauen of her desires Neither is this your Crosses Christs Crosse but Antichrists Crosse an Idol of your owne making your owne words proue it Ye say by the vertue thereof the bitternesse of punishment is sweetened so that you ascribe a diuine vertue to your Crosse Nor are wee ignorant of your familiar blasphemies in this kind in your frequent Orizons and prayers made to this Idol your Idol I call it for you giue the same worship of Latria to it which you say is proper to God alone It is your God therefore And saith your Thomas Aquinas whatsoeuer matter the Crosse is made off wood stone siluer gold wee so worshippe the Crosse saith he as the Image of Christ which wee worshippe with the adoration of Latria And this he will proue by force of argument saying wee giue to that the worshippe of Latria wherein wee put our hope of saluation but in the Crosse of Christ we put our hope of saluation for the Church singeth ô Crux aue spes vnica c. O Crosse haile thou our onely hope therefore Christs Crosse is to be adored with the adoration of Latria And as it is in the Romane Breuiary Per fignum Crucis de inimicis no stris libera nos Deius noster by the signe of the Crosse deliuer vs O Lord from all our enemies And againe Lignum Crucis defendat me ab omnibus malis let the wood of the Crosse defend mee from all euill yea and in the Romane Pontificall the Bishop in the benediction of the new Crosse saith Quasumus c. wee pray thee ô Csrist to receiue this crosse as thou didst that which thou embracedst with thy hands and as by that the world was redeemed from guilt so the most deuout soules of thy seruants here offering may by the merrit of this Crosse bee freed from all the sinnes they have committed This is that standard vnder which as the God of your hosts ye march you sing ecce signum Crucis fugite partes aduersa behold the ensigne of the Crosse fly ye adn erse parties To the vertue of this Crosse you ascribe all your bloody Massacres as when Henry Spencer Bishop of Norwich at the becke of Pope Vrban 6. carrying hence an Armie into France where winning a Towne and putting all to the sword man woman and child it was sayd sicque Crucis beneficio factum vt Crucis hostes it a deberentur quod vnus ex eis non remansit such courage did the Popes absolution of all these his so signed Souldiers put into them Yet not to make you too proud of this your God you may remember how often it hath failed you To giue you but one instance how sped your Holinesse when against the Popes Leige Lord the Emperour Fredericke the 2. hee sent his crossed Armie which the Emperour for all their Crosses discomfited and as many as hee tooke aliue ript off their crosses as taking first away their charme and then hanged them vp Yea as Abbas Vrspergensis recordeth or rather in his Paraleipomera Fredericke marked them with crossed wounds cutting some of their heads acrosse and the like see Albert Crantzius lib. 8. cap. 9. which example with many more of the same nature considered might somewhat dampe and disharten your Catholique sonnes thus to embrace your crosse and take it vp in such a disloyall quarrell against their rightfull Soueraigne whose just cause the Omnipotent God aboue will euer defend maugre all such your superstitious Idols wherein you trust yea though attended with all your falsehoods and forces And no lesse vaine is the necessary you impose vpon your sonnes to imbrace this Crosse as if by the vertue thereof the bitternesse of their just punishments should be sweetned Alas poore soules what blame of Gilead can heale those gasping wounds or asswage those griping torments of a guilty conscience wounded with the ruefull remorse of disloyaltie rebellion treason euen Iezabell may teach you Had Zimri peace that slew his Master yea what Traitour euer found peace of conscience by any such meanes But wee hope your sons at least those of the Laity whom your more sprightfull sonnes haue notwithstanding too much abused in their ouer-credulous simplicity as by avowing their fidelity to their Prince and not intermedling with but rather seeking by all meanes to frustrate and put by all such wicked designes against their King and Countrey not onely themselues may preuent those fatall punishments which treasonable practises necessarily pull vpon the actors thereof but may
as the stone Asbestos which once inflamed cannot be quenched againe But cannot Pontifician charitie be lost be quenched This is against your Trent-doctrine which teacheth that charitie with other graces may be lost But happily you meane this your vnquenchable fire of charitie towards vs your enemies is not a gift of grace but a Papall glosse or such a charitie as is of the eternall fire of hell such if so good as poore Diues his charitie to his brethren in hell-flames such or the like charitie is this here Whatsoeuer it is wee doe not greatly affect or desire this your charitie but wee pray God that wee neuer come to feele the fierie vnquenchablenesse of it For your weapons of humilitie fasting prayer and the like would to God we had no more cause to feare your poysons and pistals treasons and treacheries falsehoods and flatTHeries more then these But if the armour of your white sonnes patience were a little better scoured and exercised among vs we should as little feare these your pernicious weapons as those your superstitious deuotions But surely you must haue other gates weapons then all these to make good that cruell conflict you speak of to win you those celestiall palmes of triumph And your fasting prayers and humiliation cannot but bode some notable enterprise now a preparing What solemne Processions had you vpon 88 So that these your admonitions giue vs to prepare for some cruell conflict indeede Else what meaneth your exciting your sonnes to patience as if they were in the fierie triall as if they were to vndergoe a cruell conflict you know it is ridiculous to meane it of the present state of things But if your sonnes be in any hazard of a cruell conflict we cannot conceiue how it should be vnlesse vpon the discouery of your Armadoes approaching towards vs they should in the meane time to make all fast in vnitie at home be vrged to take the oath of fidelitie to our King which refused might bring condigne punishments vpon them Although I am perswaded no English Papist is such an vnnaturall miscreant yea so foolish and brutish as he would betray his own deere natiue Countrie to a sorraine Tyrant You exhort your sonnes to pray for the Kings eternall life Why alas Is his temporall in such danger God forbid But wee pray also for his temporall life that after a long happy religious gouernment and raigne here hee may at length come to enioy that eternall Crowne of glorie But all your prayers all your patience and peaceablenesse you perswade your Sonnes to is with speciall reference to the present good of the Church vntill the opportunitie and season serue to shew your selues in open colours For the Kings taking away your Sonnes mortall life it is ridiculous But if your sonnes must pray for the Kings eternall life onely while he takes from them their mortall we may make a question whether euer they will pray for him at leastwise if they reepe them quiet and liue like peaceable subiects as you seeme to perswade them For the rest of your words as of Christs Souldiers and so to the end of the clause we passe ouer them as being weary of your blasphemies and false applications What part haue you or yours in Christs Testament vnlesse your sonnes vtterly renounce communion with your papall fatherhood and flye to Christ and his word vnlesse you will as one of your Predecessours did quite abandon your Popedome for the saluation of your soule whereof there is small hope while you goe on in this manner Memorable is that speech of Pope Marcellus 2. who smiting his hand on the board said I doe not see how any holding this high place can be saued Looke to it O ye Popes and Papists that adhere to such an head And if the inheritance thereof be promised to none but Christs Imitators what portion haue you therein for wherein doe ye imitate Christ yea wherein doe yee not both teach and practise quite contrary vnto him But your shamelesse blasphemies and bold misapplying of the Scriptures are so familiar with you as we will giue ouer admiting of them Onely we cannot choose whether we will or no but admire one thing that you propound blessed Peter for an example of not smiting with the sword hath any thing beene more familiar with Popes then herein especially to shew themselues Peters Successours in smitting with the sword sauing onely that Peter drew his sword against that rabble rout in defence of his Master you draw your sword against Christ himselfe in his Members in Gods Vicegerents here on earth the Lords Annointed All of you challenge the power of Peters sword and some of you haue in your owne persons drawne in out in open field as Pope Iulius 2. when marching against the Emperour his Liege Lord he in a rage threw Saint Peters Keyes into Tyber as too impotent to vindicate his quarrell and pontifically drew forth Pauls sword saying If Peters Keyes could not Pauls sword should I could put you in minde of your Predecessiour Pope Vrban 6. how ciuilly hee carried himselfe yea what a racket he kept with his sword among his owne Cardinals those especially that of all the rest were the most learned and couragious exercising vpon nine or ten of them the most barbarous examples of crueltie and beastiall immanitie and Papall insolencie that euer I read or heard of But the thing I admire in your example of blessed Peter is this that here you vse it to your sonnes as a motiue to peace sith Peter was forbid to smite and yet from this very example you deriue the authoritie of your Papall supremacie as founded vpon Peters sword Memorable is that decree of Pope Boniface 8. hee that in his great day of Iubile had two glittering swords borne before him with Ecce duo gladij hîc Certè qui in potestate Petri temporalem gladium esse negat malè attendit verbum Domini proferentis Conuerte gladium tuam invagînam Surely hee that denieth the temporall sword to be in the power of Peter doth ill attend Christs word saying put vp thy sword into thy sheath And so also to proue both the swords to be in the power of Peter to wit the spirituall and the temporall Euangelicis dictis instruimur Wee are instructed by the words of the Gospell for the Apostles saying behold two swords here in Ecclesiâ scilicet doubtlesse in the Church the Lord did not answer it was too much but enough therefore both the swords are in the power of the Church These be tall arguments for that Boniface and your Papall brest to deuise for the maintaining of your Antichristian Tyrannie and vsurpation But alas by these your distorted speeches neuer thinke to impose vpon our simplicitie so farre as when yee talke of putting vp your sword wee should be such fooles as not to looke at least whether ours be rustie in the scabbert You promise the Palmes of