Signifiyng thereby that euerie one ought to contente himselfe and to follow his vocation vnto the which the Lorde hath called him without busying himselfe in anye other mens for feare least some greeuons punishment shoulde fall vpon him according to the example of Ozias king of Iuda 2. Chro. 20. who was striken with leprosie when as hee woulde haue vsurped the office of the high Priest which did altogeather belonge and appertayne vnto the children of Aaron Euen so then the Bishoppe ought to contente hymselfe with his Ecclesiasticall administration and the Nobleman onely with the handling of his sworde So then when euerie tree shall contente it selfe with the qualitie of his owne fruite shall all thinges goe well This beeing heere graunted as necessary rightfull and reasonable what will this Leaguerer saye when as hee tormenteth hymselfe so diuerslye agaynst the Noblemen which doe not take vppon them at his will and pleasure the affayres of the Romish Religion for to defende it without anye further knowledge the passions of his prelates to the vtter ruine and ouerthrowe of theyr king of themselues and of theyr countrey The which they haue taken vppon them to defende leauing the disputations of Religion vnto Diuines And thus much for the first aunswere And nowe to the seconde where I hope to contente the Reader with reasons of some force taken from the holie Scriptures and not from lyes and false suppositions according to thy fashion And that wee maye the better doe this lette vs knowe what this worde Catholicke Church dooth meane and what are the markes and who are the true members of the same This knowledge is heere most necessarie forasmuch as in the steade of the Christian Church instituted by Iesus Christ this Leaguerer dooth alwayes propose vnto vs a Romish Church containing the idolatries and superstitions of the Bishop of the same In thy opinion if Rome should be lost what would become of all Christendome Leauing then this abhominable errour to thinke anye further that the vniuersall Church hangeth on the Romane we wil speake of the thing that followeth the description which the holy Scripture maketh Ephe. 4. Rom. 8. Iohn 6. 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 5 calling the Christian Church an assembly of Saints being called according to the ordinance of God in Iesus Christ and gathered from all the nations of the worlde by the preaching of the Gospell to the ende that they maye obtaine life euerlasting Also the Apostles haue spoken in the same sorte of the Christian Church They haue called it the house of God the body of Christ the edification of the same body For the building and entertainement of the which Saynt Paule sayth that God hath giuen fiue sortes of men Eph 4. which are the Prophets Apostles Euangelistes Doctors and Pastors The same Apostles doe alwayes witnesse that Iesus Christ hath receyued this honour of his Father to bee the onely head and soueraigne Pastor of his Church Furthermore Ephe. 1. hearken what Saint Paule sayth God saith he hath set Iesus Christ at his right hande in the heauenly places and hath subiected all things vnder him that he might be the heade of the Church where wee ought to note this that the Apostle wrote this after that Iesus Christ was ascended into heauen To the ende that the Pope which hath inuested himselfe into the Empyre of this diuine tytle Col. 2. might not saye that after his ascension the Church shoulde neede an other heade The which if it had beene a thing that were necessary the Apostle woulde neuer haue omitted and let passe such an Article of so great importance This is then a monstrous thing 1. Pet. 5. to giue to the Church two heads and soueraigne pastors It is to bee seene also then that concerning the gouernment and conduction of the same the holy Scripture maketh no mention of the primacie of Rome when as otherwise it nameth it a reuolt and an Apostate 2. Thes 2 thereby to describe and make it seeme odious to all good and well disposed people To be briefe the holy Scripture doth represent the holy Catholike christian church as one entire bodie hauing the mēbers therof dispersed throughout the whole world of the which bodie Christ is the onely head and the Churches dispearsed heere and there are members of the same Ephe. 1 Seeing then that there is but one Catholike Church it followeth that the Church of Rome cannot be it but onely a parte as a member of the bodie These reasons and authorities doe maintaine that the abouesayd Catholikes are nothing at all traiterous to the Christian Church when as they defend themselues their king and their Countrie as well agaynst the Spaniard Italian Lorraine as also finally against the Leaguers of the Countrie be they ecclesiastical or others Besides that the Catholikes which are enimies to the leaguers will answere that it is sufficient for them to auouch and acknowledge for their spirituall mother Hierusalem Gal. 4 which is on high which is free and called in the holy scriptures the mother of vs all they haue nothing then to doe with the terrestriall which is below 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 4. and which ingendereth her children vnto bondage declared by Saint Paul to be enimies to the Church and not the others It is sufficient for Christians to be of the Christian church described by the Apostles in the which we consider three principall markes Rom. ◠The first consisteth in the doctrine as well of the lawe as of the Gospel being well applied and vnderstood The second in the right vsage of the Sacramentes The third in the obedience to the doctrine and ministrie therof when thou canst not denie but that by the wicked office and tyrannie of the Popes the essentiall markes of all things most necessarie to Christian religion are wanting for the most parte as hath beene amplie shewed vnto you in the discourse dedicated to the Nobilitie where hath beene prooued that yee haue lefte none of the Articles of the faith pure nor intire and that if there bee anie heretikes in the worlde thou and thy companions are they namely 1. Cor. 1. who by your traditions haue buried the benefites of the passion death resurrection and ascention of Iesus Christ which God onely hath made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Thus leauing this fountaine yee send your schollers to the Italian parchments bulles and traditions of Rome and yet notwithstanding thou giuest the allarum and causest fyre to come forth from the brambles Iudg. 9. to burne those that will not augment and defend thy cookerie together with thy tyrannie and Spanish inquisition and doest call the refusers of such treasons and cruelties heretikes and vnbeleeuers agaynst the Church sayth the pilgrime But thou oughtest to knowe that these good people are appointed to defend the veritie and puritie of christianitie and not the abuse of the Romish Church This beeing
AN ANSWERE TO THE LAST TEMPEST AND VILLANIE OF THE League vpon the slanders which were imprinted by the same against the French king INTITVLED A Declaration of the crimes whereinto the Catholikes do fall in taking the king of Nauarre his part Translated out of French into English by T.H. SIC CREDE Printed at London for Cuthbert Burby and are to bee solde at his shop vnder Saint Mildreds Church in the Poultrie 1593. ARTICLES BY diuine and humane right HENRIE of Bourbon ought to be acknowledged of all kings princes Lordes and common-wealths of Christendome especially of the naturall French-men the most christian king of Frāce and Nauarre 2 And so as he ought to be assisted by them in his defence against the Spaniard chiefe of the League who is risen vp to suppresse the libertie as well of the Church as of the French gouernment 3 All those which do discharge themselues of such a dutie do obey the commaundement giuen by the prophets Iesus Christ and his Apostles 4 All those which doo the contrarie are declared to be seditious mutinous and rebellious by the expresse word of God and by the holy Articles of the holy Catholique and Christian church 5 They also declare themselues enimies of nature and violaters of the fundamentall lawes of the realme 6 By their loosenes rebellion treason they tread downe his honour dignitie and the excellencie of his name 7 They manifest themselues fauters of heretikes murderers of their king vsurpers and destroiers of his Crowne 8 Consequently they are scismatiques diuiding in peeces the three estates of the realme the which they doo perpetually desolate and send the poore soules into euerlasting destruction 9 They are execrable periurers breaking the oath which they owe to God to their king to their Countrie 10 They cause this realme to be stinking and infamous to all the nations of the world by their vnnaturall and dishonest rebellion 11 All naturall French-men which doo studie to giue themselues to the obseruation of the three first Articles declare themselues faithfull and affectionated to the glorie of God to the defence of his religion and to the conseruation and good of their Countrie AN ANSWERE TO THE last tempest and villanie of the League vpon the slanders which were imprinted by the same against the French King intituled A Declaration of the crimes whereinto the Catholiques doo fall in taking the king of Nauarre his part IN the yeere of our Lorde God 1585. saith the League Apo 13 came forth of the depth a hideous monster which hauing vndertaken to combat with beate down the state of France tooke for material sword the mines of gold and siluer hidden within the mountaines and dens of the new world Afterwardes the yron and steele of the Pirenee and Alpe mountaines together with the most faire exquisite and most excellent worke that the superficies of the earth could produce out of the regions of Spaine Portugall Piemont Italy Scicilia and Sardaigne with a great number of other Isles and Prouinces By this the general conducter of the leagued band pretended and deliberated to vsurpe not onely the kingdomes of France England and Scotland but all other of Christendome From the which practised tyrannie is nothing else proceeded but a ridiculous dwarfe like to the teeming of the mountaines in olde time And sithence it is come to passe that the desperate children of Moab finding their naturall weapon to be short thought good to take the spirituall of Balaam thereby to tourne awaie the French-men from the obedience which they owe to their prince Num. 22. euen as the false prophet woulde haue caused the people of Israel to turne from their obedience which they did owe to God Also heere ought not to bee omitted the superlatiue craft and subtilty which they haue vsed going about to drawe the Germanes to take their part namely those of the confession of Ausbourge the which they hold for heretikes To whome Pope Sixtus caused to be tolde that if they would acknowledge the dignitie of his seate that in other things he would declare them tollerable Yea euen vnto a Councell By this meanes the League begging as well with the good as with the wicked haue practised the saying of the Poet Flectere si nequo superos Achaeronta mouebo Virg. If I cannot bend the Gods of heauen to helpe me I will prouoke the deuils of hell The demonstration of which iniquities are therefore most necessary seeing that these leaguers wold do in like sort to the noble men of France which accompanie the king as the dragons of India doe to the Elephants when as by dazeling them they cause them to fall Fearing then that some such accident should happen to anie the well affectionate towardes the king Plin. li. 8. ca. 12. wee shoulde cause in like sorte that these dragons may sall themselues beeing quashed asunder vnder the Elephants when as by these refutations and answeres which wee produce against the Articles of this traiterous seditious and leagued Monke shall bee maintained the iust vocation of those which are armed as well for the defence of their king as of their Countrie The which Articles are thirteene in number And as for the first he sayth that the Catholikes helping the king these are his tearmes doe against the commaundement and expresse word of God in confirmation whereof hee alleadgeth seuen textes out of the holy Scripture afterwardes holding it for a thing knowen and confessed that the king is an heretike he pretendeth to maintaine his consequence that is that he is vncapable and vnworthie to succeede the crowne of France Now let vs see whether this be to the matter or whether he turneth awaie from the same texts as a prophane man or not And first to proue in generall the falsehoode of these Articles which concerne all the crime of heresie from the which this slanderer of dignities doth accuse his king We saie that the vice called by the Dialecticians Petitio principij doth declare a manifest ignorance Iud. ver 8. in the arte of disputing that is when one would argue and affirme without proofe or reason And passing further we adde that there commeth a deuillish rage between when the truth is called a lie Within the which two vices this Leaguer and pretended great disputer doth throw down himselfe headlong from all speech If hee obiecteth that the king hath beene iudged and declared an heretike by the Ecclesiasticall Romanes little children will answere him that the contrarie partie cannot bee iudge also that the accused ought to be heard before he bee condemned If he replieth that all this hath beene done let him saie when But hee knoweth not Euen as the house of Lorraine and the Romane Consistorie shal testifie which hauing enterprised to put the Crowne vppon the Guise his head had neede of the false pretence of heresie thereby to take it from the king But let vs come to the point All the
chosen kingdome and that the Ecclesiasticall Romanes ioyned with some number of ignorant people seduced by them haue this right of election whereof thou speakest such proues are not in the strength of all your Sorbonne Beholde then the first reason sufficing to declare the falsehood of thy Commentarie And so I come forward to the second drawen from the nature of the people ouer whome the aforesayd king ought to bee appointed where Moses saith thus Thou shalt not set ouer them c. Inferring by this Pronoune that amongst these priuiledges and speciall graces which God woulde giue vnto his people he would giue them a king hauing the quality of a brother and making profession of the same religion which they did for the better distinguishing and separating them from other nations the which should carrie the same common markes of alliance and adoption Gen. 17. and also for want whereof it was sayd in Genesis that euerie man childe not circumcised should be cut off This was not then neither hath beene sithence common to anie other nation for all men knowe that God by the preaching of his Gospell hath neuer called at once whole nations to the knowledge of him and that for the most part he hath rather and first of all conuerted the subiects yea the meanest sort from amongst the sayd subiects as the Apostle witnesseth to the Corinthians where it appeareth 1. Cor. 1. that the faithfull had neither right nor power to appoint a king ouer themselues of theyr religion It behoueth vs then to holde this resolution for a maxime in diuinitie that God onely calleth whome he pleaseth to the knowledge of his truth and giueth the kingdomes of the earth to whom it seemeth him good sometimes to a beleeuing Prince and sometimes to an Infidel The soueraigne God sayth Dauid hath power ouer the kingdomes and there placeth whome he will therefore after Nabuch◠donosor hee placed Balsasar Darius Cyrus all Pagans As also sithence the death of Iesus Christ of long continuance he hath rather called Pagan Princes to gouerne the Empire than Christians the which succeeded one another by the ordinance and pleasure of him euen as Saint Paul taught the christiās Rom. 13 saying that there is no power but of God that those which doe resist resist the ordinance of God From thence it insueth that if anie one opposeth himselfe against God when for the cause of religion hee would depose the soueraigne princes which hee hath placed and hath not called to the knowledge of him Examine then this reason whiles that Ipasse to the third point which goeth altoge ther against thee so good an aduocate art thou Beholde how thou wouldest inferre that because it was forbidden to the Israelites to admit anie heretike for their king that the same ought to be sayd and vnderstood of all Christian people To the which I aunswere denying the proposition and the illation together beginning at the first thou canst not denie but the most parte of the kings of Iuda and of Israel haue beene heretikes as theyr idolatries and abhominable sacrifices doe witnesse recited in theyr actes the which kinges for all that were not deposed from theyr crownes On the other side therefore thou shalt bee constrayned to confesse that the Christians much lesse then ought to depose theyr kinges for causes of heresie Luk. 20. Rom. 13. Tit. 3 seeing that the commaundement of Christ and his Apostles doe forbidde the same as hath beene and shall bee seene And for the fourth reason I silie that the king being a Christian man baptised and nourished in the Christian Church if hee doeth fall into some errour or defaulte deseruing a grieuous censure ought not for the same cause to bee reputed as a stranger whiles that hee maketh some profession of the same religion or whiles that hee witnesseth his loue towardes the same for the which cause Saint Paule speaking of Excommunication which hee calleth 2. Thes 9 marked by the Letter sayeth Conuerse not with him to the end that hee may be ashmed neuerthelesse hold him not as a common enemie but rather admonish him as a brother If thou oughtest to doe this to the meanest in a realme much more then to the soueraigne in neglecting whereof thou shewest thy selfe such a one as thou art Finally this lawe is quite contrarie to that of thine when as thou doest hinder the waie which doeth establish kings at this daie as well approued of God as the ancient lawe of the Iewes the difference beeing onely in the aforesayde circumstances and not in the substaunce of the matter From whence it proceedeth that thou doest resist the ordinance of God when thou doest reiect him which hath right and calling to raigne ouer Fraunce beeing approued and receiued by the naturall and lawfull officers of the Crowne hauing right and commaundement so to doe To conclude from the aforesayd reasons then it followeth that this lawe of Moses is not generall but of old time particular to the Iewes As in deede thou canst not produce anie one example out from the primitiue church thereby to saie that that hath interpreted and vnderstood this text so seeing that that hath taught and practised altogether contrarilie And as for that that thou addest that the king hath bene condemned by the iudgement of the Church it is answered that one Bishop of Italy assisted with his Romish Consistorie neither is neither can represent the vniuersall Church dispearsed throughout the whole world And furthermore that hee of Rome can haue power no where but in his owne diocesse as the auncient Doctours doo witnesse Chap. 23 amongst whom Basile in his booke intituled The solitarie Life sayth That all Bishoppes doo binde and absolue equally as well as Peter The ninth Canon of the councell of Antioch Can. 9 carrieth as much where it is likewise said that euerie Bishop hath power and authoritie ouer his owne diocesse The Romane Bishop ought therefore to content himselfe with his owne at Rome and not to vsurpe ouer all those of France where he hath nothing to doo as hereafter more at large shall be discoursed and proued Now I come to the other text by the which thou dost alleadge that it is lawfull for thee to kill thy king if thy credite could doo the same It is expressed in the fiue and twentith of Numbers Num. 25. that the Lord commanded Moses to take all the heades of the people and hang them vp before the Lord agaynst the Sunne which had committed fornication and idolatrie with the Moabitish women wherof thou dost conclude that the king ought to be hanged as culpable of such a crime This is a leagued hangman that sayth so and I answere that this example is nothing to the matter or to the purpose Beholde therefore the supreame magistrate is not therby to be punished and much lesse to be reiected Secondarily as well the diuines as the politicians do affirme that it is
they are deliuered to Satan for the destructioÌ„ of the flesh to the ende that their soules may bee saued in the daye of the Lord. Seeing then that excommunication doth not seclude these heere from the hope of saluation much lesse then the heretikes seeing they are lesse withdrawing from the way of repentance than the excommunicates Nowe to shew that all those which do erre in some poynt of heresie are not so foule as this leaguer doth make them wee will produce two examples drawne from the worde of God The Corinthians did erre in one of the most principall articles of the christian fayth in denying the resurrection of the body a quallified heresie if there were euer any seing that it did abolish as S. Paule prooueth the whole benefite of the death and passion of Christ 1. Cor. 15. Let vs come to S. Peter who beeing better instructed than the faythfull Corinthians mistaking an Article of the Christian liberty and beeing vnknowne fell into a poynt of heresie because that after the death of Christ Act. 10. he thought it to bee a pollution of the soule and conscience to eat of all sorts of meat as if in such an abstinence did consist in a part of saluation for mankind quite contrary to that which S. 1. Tim. 4. Paule dooth teach when he sayth that God had created meates to the end that the faithfull which haue knowne the truth maye vse them with giuing of thanks Behold then heere a body of the Church and an Apostle heretikes euery one of them in a point of heresie Neuerthelesse they were not reiected of the church nor deposed froÌ„ their charges for the same Yea such opinions were not imputed vnto them for heresie because there was no obstinacie in them nor a wicked purpose to resist circumstances requisite for a formall heresie Euen as the auncient Doctors haue noted aswell as the Schoolmen affirming that he is no heretike that doth simply erre if there commeth not a wicked purpose betweene and an obstinacie to striue and stand against the trueth To the which promise is alleadged that which S. Augustine sayth I may erre but I will not be an heretike If these considerations doe purge as well the Church of Corinth as an Apostle why not then also a king when as he doth but onely say that the Romane Church doth erre in certaine points A proposition which hath lesse cause to be charged with heresie than the former Notwithstanding let vs graunt such a proposition the Romane church hath neede of reformation be erroneous we may aunswer as before That for not beeing set forwarde with willing purpose of the heart to the end to stand against the trueth it ought not to be imputed heresie If thou doest replye that it is vppon mallice and obstinacie that the king doth maintaine suche a proposition I will aunswere thee as I haue doone elsewhere returning thither Who will bee so wicked to say that the king doth intermeddle or hath intermedled and with a malitious will against his conscience in the cause of religion What profit could come vnto him by the same Leauing then this frenzines vnwoorthy any aunswere I will passe to the thirde Article vppon the which wee neede no more to insist than in the others going before forasmuch as the generall and necessary anweres to this subiect haue beene already produced which will helpe the solution of the Articles following The third Article THe third Article commeth to this poynte that the Catholickes which doe accompany the king doe breake the naturall law in the acte of religion that which the barbarous nations neuer did For this confirmation and commendation of which Article this author alleadgeth diuers examples drawne out of the Pagans shop from whence hee conoludeth that such Catholickes are worse than they because they accompany a king that is not of their religion Therein is contayned two poyntes The first resteth in the knowledge and propertie of the law of nature in the which is the question The second in the nature and force of the examples Therfore we ought first to know what it is to say the naturall law in matter of religion To this purpose therfore S. Paule sayth 1 Câ—â— 2. that the naturall man doth not comprehend the things of the spirite of God because they are vnto him as foolishnes he cannot vnderstand them Wherupon it followeth that for the vnderstanding of them he ought to be otherwise than naturall that is to say Ephe. 5 that he ought to haue some thing from aboue beyond the gifts of the humane soul That which in other places the same Apostle calleth the spirit of reuelation and the eye of the vnderstanding being inlightned Much more then the naturall man will affecte his naturall religion which is not but of the world therfore the further from the true ordinance of God considering that it is foolishnes vnto him so consequently can neuer comprehend it if the supernaturall gifts of the holy spirite doe not come between From whence it coÌ„meth to passe that to imbrace the true religion being supernatural he ought rather to go against the law of nature than to followe the course and conduction of the same It appeareth then that thou doest very badly apply thy naturall lawe in the case of religion But if thou doest reply that by the lawe of nature thou doest vnderstand an inseperation and inclination to be borne nourished together with man tending to the good and preseruation of mans life Vppon such an interpretation thou doest shew thy selfe without comparison to be a greater transgresser of this lawe than those vpon whom thou doest falsely impose such a crime Behold the law of nature requireth that one should be gentle and tractable towards his countriman Which doth demonstrate amiably that the difference in religion dooth desire examination and conference The same lawe abhorreth ciuill warres and dooth lament and detest the effusion of mans bloud it desireth also the good and quiet of her neighbor following the ancient prouerb which saith that man is God to man To be short the law of nature wisheth generally a peaceable estate to the end that all men ought to liue in concord amitie equitie iustice and blessednes Cicero called these things Lib. de scien Sequi naturaÌ„ ducem the following nature as a guide from whence it proceedeth that thou and thy like leagued companions in writing councelling and pursuing the contrary declare your selues to bee enemies to nature and violaters of the lawe And as for the other point touching the example of the Pagans and their zeale concerning their religioÌ„ I dare say that if thou with pride of heart haddest vndertooke to reason in the behalfe of Satan to the ende to commend all the wicked religious which hee hath brought into the worlde thou couldest not haue better proceeded to haue pleased him then in exhorting euerie Countrie to follow the religion which it hath found in
or receiued much lesse such rapine ought to bee called a statute and for lesse cause a fundamentall law of the realme Vnder the colour of which speech thou doest heere suppresse the truth which bindeth al the gentlemen of France to this duetie which is here spoken of forasmuch as they haue receyued theyr noble possessions of the first kinges beeing founders of this Crowne to the intent and vppon this condition that they should maintayne the kingdome in the state of the Monarchie and in the line of the bloud royall and for the want of such obedience they should be accounted rebels and felons This is therefore the true fundamentall lawe iust and approued of all estates not thy last false pretended statute which some varlet hath wrested by subtletie treason and violence from the handes of his Maister Euen as the last king beeing sette at libertie did reuoke it incontinently after the death of him that had committed suche violence agaynst him thereby to shewe that such a wicked accident neyther could nor ought to preiudice the trueth nor the right vsage of any thing And thus lette vs passe further The fifth Article THe fifth Article containeth two points The first is that the Catholieks which doe helpe the king doe burie in the dust the honour and glorie of Fraunce which hath receiued this priuiledge aboue al other countries of Christendome that from the time of the first christian king vnto the last king that is now dead it hath neuer receiued anie as king that hath bin anie kinde of waie spotted with heresie Heerevpon this malecontent doeth knocke and torment himselfe more than euer hee did before falling from phrensie into a rage For he commeth to this point that he calleth the king the first borne of satan Afterwards he saith that the myracle of healing the goule granted onely to the kings of France shall be lost in a king being an heretike Now to the first We answere thus that the honour and glorie of a realme Iohn 17 consisteth in the true knowledge of the true God and in the celebration and right vsage of his pure seruice contained declared in his word the kingdomes and countries hauing kings which doe acknowledge and practise these two Articles are declared honorable before God Whereupon it followeth that in busines of religion the glorie and interest of this realme is nothing at all diminished or hindered because of the king seeing that he is such a one and therfore consequently he is to be accounted faithfull and the sonne of the Church of God But to the end that thou shalt not obiect that I reason absurdly I will come to thy intention Thou wouldest summarily infer and say that in affaires of religion the glorie of a kingdom lieth in this point in that that it hath alwaies had kings which haue acknowledged the Bishop of Rome decked with all these qualities first to be Gods lieuetenant the vicar of Christ 2. Thess 2. successor of the Apostles vniuersall Bishop chiefe soueraigne pastor of the Church hauing also this authoritie to change augment and diminish yea euen to the condemning and sauing whome he pleaseth Thou callest this the honor and glorie of a kingdome But it hath bin else where answered and proued vnto thee that such a doctrine and beleefe being examined by the word of God being the onely touch stone will be found to be ignominious and dishonorable so farre off is it from all honor and glorie And as concerning that which remaineth wee ought to obserue the circumstances of the times in the which the kings of France haue beene conuerted to the Christian religion from the yeere of our Lord God 472. vntill this time which was about the space of 1118. yeeres within which diuers ages many Bishoppes of Rome being ambitious ignorant and superstitious haue often times and diuersly altered corrupted the pure seruice of God And for my witnes herein I take the introduction of this which followeth The marriage which the Lord instituted Gen. 2. was heere alreadie forbidden to ecclesiasticall persons as a thing prophane vnto the which was vrged the vowe of perpetuall continencie and excommunication to them that shoulde bee found in falt through ouer-sight and indiscretion The seruice as well of Idols as of superstitious relikes was receyued into vse as a thing necessarie to saluation Hermitages and dedications of feastes and temples had as much attributed vnto them in as much as a great portion of iustification to saluation was sought for in them The adoration of the Crosse also is a parte of it an abhominable errour to saie and beleeue that in a peece of woode that may be burned should consist a peece of the diuine worshippe The Prayers and Offerings for the dead doo sing the same song The adoration of a sacramentall signe brought in sithence doeth iustifie the sacrifices of the Pagans the pride of the Popes and that of the Demons which doo attribute more vnto themselues than euer the sonne of God did as hee was in the qualitie of a redeemer All which traditions idolatries and superstitions are nothing else but pure heresies Serm. 67. ad Eug. for the which cause Saint Bernard calleth the bringers in of these things the ministers of Antichrist and such Prelates Pilates These things will constrayne thee to confesse that the greater parte of the kings of France beeing instructed in the same sorte were fedde with a poore foode Neuerthelesse I doe agree that such false beleefes cannot bee imputed to heresie but simplie to errour because they did not erre with delight of hart and much lesse through mallice but only thought to doe well Besides that following the intention I will alleadge the example of two kings of Fraunce which doe shew that thou hast not seene all thinges The first is of Phillip the fourth called the fayre which was not onely accounted and holden as an heretike but also excommunicated of Pope Boniface the eighth of that name because hee would not take in hand the voyage into the holy land and moreouer because hee did not beleeue that the Pope had right to transpose kingdomes The second example concerning Chilperie the ninth king of Fraunce which helde a damnable opinion touching the article of the Trinitie and commaunded the Bishops to preach it Notwithstanding all which Fraunce beeing better taught by the Bishops that were then woulde neuer enterprise to cast off or forsake neither the one nor the other And now for the second point of the Article which concerneth the healing of the Goule a notable myracle sayest thou which will haue no force in a king beeing an heretike To the which ptetended myracle I will aunswere these thinges Those which returned awaie with theyr Goules incurable with conditions to serue and cherish them all theyr life time doe shew that thou takest the coles of Saint Laurence in the stead of the Angell Gabriels feather or quill Secondly that of the phisitions which