night or early the next morning About fiue of the clocke being Tuesday came the yonger Wright to my Chamber and tolde me that a Nobleman called the L. Mountegle saying Arise and come along to Essex house for I am going to call vp my L. of Northumberland saying withall The matter is discouered Goe backe M. Wright quoth I and learne what you can about Essex gate Shortly hee returned and said Surely all is lost for Lepton is got on horsebacke at Essex doore and as he parted he asked if their Lordships would haue any more with him and being answered No is rode fast vp Fleetstreete as hee can ride Goe you then quoth I to M. Percy for sure it is for him they seeke and bid him be gone I will stay and see the vttermost Then I went to the Court gates and found them straitly guarded so as no body could enter From thence I went downe towards the Parliament house and in the middle of Kings-street found the Guard standing that would not let me passe And as I returned I heard one say There is a Treason discouered in which the King and the Lords should haue beene blowen vp So then I was fully satisfied that all was knowen and went to the Stable where my gelding stood and rode into the countrey Master Catesby had appointed our meeting at Dunchurch but I could not ouertake them vntill I came to my brothers which was Wednesday night On Thursday wee tooke the Armour at my Lord Windsores and went that night to one Stephen Littletons house where the next day being Friday as I was early abroad to discouer my man came to me and said that an heauie mischance had seuered all the company for that M. Catesby M. Rookwood and M. Grant were burned with Gunpowder vpon which sight the rest dispersed Master Littleton wished me to flie and so would hee I told him I would first see the body of my friend and bury him whatsoeuer befell me When I came I found M. Catesby reasonable well Master Percy both the Wrights M. Rookwood and Master Grant I asked them what they resolued to doe they answered We meane here to die I said againe I would take such part as they did About eleuen of the clocke came the company to beset the house and as I walked into the court I was shot into the shoulder which lost me the vse of mine arme the next shot was the elder Wright stricken dead after him the yonger M. Wright and fourthly Ambrose Rookwood shot Then said M. Catesby to me standing before the doore they were to enter Stand by me Tom and we will die together Sir quoth I I haue lost the vse of my right arme and I feare that will cause me to be taken So as wee stood close together M. Catesby M. Percy and my selfe they two were shot as farre as I could guesse with one Bullet and then the company entred vpon me hurt me in the Belly with a Pike and gaue me other wounds vntill one came behinde and caught holde of both mine armes And so I remaine yours c. Commiss Notingham Suffolke Worcester Deuonshire Northampton Salisburie Marr Dunbar Popham Ed. Coke W. Waad The names of those that were first in the Treason and laboured in the Mine Esquires Robert Catesby Robert Winter Gentlemen Thomas Percy Thomas Winter John Wright Christopher Wright Guido Fawkes And Bates Catesbyes man Those that were made acquainted with it though not personally labouring in the Mine nor in the Cellar Euerard Digby Knight Esquires Ambrose Rookewood Francis Tresham John Grant Gent. Robert Keyes BVt here let vs leaue Fawkes in a lodging fit for such a guest and taking time to aduise vpon his conscience and turne our selues to that part of the Historie which concernes the fortune of the rest of his partakers in that abominable Treason The newes was no sooner spred abroad that morning which was vpon a Tuesday the 5. of Nouember and the first day designed for that Session of Parliament The newes I say of this so strange and vnlooked for accident was no sooner diuulged but some of those Conspiratours namely Winter and the two brothers of Wrights thought it high time for them to hasten out of the towne for Catesby was gone the night before and Percy at foure of the clocke in the morning the same day of the Discouerie and all of them held their course with more haste then good speed to Warwick Shire toward Couentry where the next day morning being Wednesday and about the same houre that Fawks was taken in Westminster one Graunt a gentleman hauing associated vnto him some others of his opinion all violent Papists and strong Recusants came to a Stable of one Benocke a rider of great Horses The taking of the horses out of the stable at Warwicke by Granut and others and hauing violently broken vp the same caried along with them all the great Horses that were therein to the number of seuen or eight belonging to diuers Noblemen and Gentlemen of that Countrey who had put them into the Riders hands to be made fit for ther seruice And so both that company of them which fledde out of London as also Graunt and his complices met all together at Dunchurch at Sir Euerard Digby his lodging the Tuesday at night after the discouerie of this treacherous Attempt The which Digby had likewise for his part appointed a match of hunting to haue beene hunted the next day The hunting match appointed by Sir Euerard Digby which was Wednesday though his mind was Nimrod-like vpon a farre other maner of hunting more bent vpon the blood of reasonable men then bruite beasts This company and hellish societie thus conuened finding their purpose discouered Their going into armes after the Plot discouered and their treacherie preuented did resolue to runne a desperate course and since they could not preuaile by so priuate a Blow to practise by a publike rebellion either to attaine to their Intents or at least to saue themselues in the throng of others And therefore gathering all the company they could vnto them and pretending the quarrell of Religion hauing intercepted such prouision of Armour Horses and Powder as the time could permit thought by running vp and downe the Countrey both to augment peece and peece their number dreaming to themselues that they had the vertue of a Snow-ball which being little at the first and tumbling downe from a great hill groweth to a great quantitie by encreasing it selfe with the Snow that it meeteth by the way and also that they beginning first this braue shewe in one part of the Countrey should by their Sympathy and example stirre vp and encourage the rest of their Religion in other parts of England to rise as they had done there But when they had gathered their force to the greatest Their number neuer aboue fourescore they came not to the number of fourescore and yet were they troubled all the houres of the
Raylers I leaue them to God his Iudgment whose hand hath bene vpon the most of them Thirdly his Maiesties Confession of faith hath bene so generally approued as it hath conuerted many of their partie And had it not bene as J haue bene informed by diuerse for the Treatise of Antichrist many more would easily haue bene induced to subscribe to all in that Preface Fourthly Kings and Princes haue by his Maiesties Premonition had a more cleare insight and a more perfect discouery into the Iniury offered them by the Pope in the point of their temporall Power then euer they had Jnsomuch as that point was neuer so throughly disputed in Christendome as it hath bene by the occasion of his Maiesties Booke Fiftly and lastly for the point of Antichrist I haue heard many confesse that they neuer saw so much light giuen to that Mysterie neuer descerned so much trewth by the vniforme consent of the Text and strength of Interpretation of places as they haue done by his Maiesties Booke So that though Controuersies be fitter subiects for Schollers ordinarily then for Kings Yet when there was such a necessitie in vndertaking and such a successe being performed I leaue it to the world to iudge whether there were not a speciall hand of GOD in it or no. Now since I haue begunne with this point of Antichrist J will make bolde to proceed a little with his Maiesties Paraphrase vpon the Reuelation wherein that Treatise of Antichrist is principally grounded His Maiesties singular vnderstanding in all points of good Learning is not vnknowne But yet aboue all other things GOD hath giuen him an vnderstanding Heart in the Interpretation of that Booke beyond the measure of other men For this Paraphrase that leades the way to all the rest of his Maiesties Workes was written by his Maiestie before hee was twenty yeeres of aage and therefore iustly in this Volume hath the first place the rest following in order according to the time of their first penning Anciently Kings drempt dreames and saw visions and Prophets expounded them So with King Pharaoh and Ioseph in Egypt So with Nabuchodonosor and Daniel in Babylon Jn this aage Prophets haue written Visions and Kings haue expounded them GOD raised vp Prophets to deliuer his People from a temporall captiuitie in Egypt and Babylon by the Jnterpretation of the one And GOD hath in this aage stirred vp Kings to deliuer his People from a Spirituall Egypt and Babylon by the Interpretation of the other It is an obseruable thing that GOD neuer made his People any great promise but he added vnto his promise a famous Prophecie Three great promises we reade of that runne through all the Scriptures The first of the Messiah the second of the land of Canaan the third of the Kingdome of Heauen To these three promises are reduced all the Prophecies Of the promise of the Messiah prophecied all the Prophets from the fall of the first Adam to the comming of the second Of the promise of the Land of Canaan prophecied Iacob and Ioseph and the rest from the promise made to Abraham to the possessing of it by Iosuah and the children of Israel Of the promise of the Kingdome of Heauen made by our Sauiour CHRIST ' prophecied the Apostles principally S. Paul and S. Iohn in the Reuelation Now though all were to lay hold on the promises yet few were able to vnderstand the Prophecies And surely though all the people of GOD are to lay hold on the promises of that Glorious Kingdome described in that Booke yet few are able to vnderstand the Prophecies therein contained comprehending in them a perfect History and State of the Church euen from the destruction of Ierusalem till the consummation of the whole world Yet this I thinke I may safely say That Kings haue a kinde of interest in that Booke beyond any other for as the execution of the most part of the Prophecies of that Booke is committed vnto them So it may be that the Interpretation of it may more happily be made by them And since they are the principall Instruments that GOD hath described in that Booke to destroy the Kingdome of Antichrist to consume his State and Citie I see not but it may stand with the Wisedome of GOD to inspire their heart to expound it into whose handes hee hath put it to excute vntill the LORD shall consume both him and it with the Spirit of his mouth and shall abolish it with the brightnesse of his comming For from the day that S. Iohn writ the Booke to this present houre I doe not thinke that euer any King tooke such paines or was so perfect in the Reuelation as his Maiestie is which will easily appeare by this Paraphrase by his Maiesties Meditation on the 20. Chap. and his Monitorie Preface Jt was my purpose to haue past through all his Maiesties Books to haue expressed the Argument and the occasion of their writing But I find by that J haue already said I should be ouer tedious vnto you This therefore in generall They are all worthy of a King and to be kept to Posterity For if Ouid could imagine that no time should eate out the memory of his Metamorphoseis which were but fictions J hope no time shall see an end of these Books that carry in them so much diuine trewth and light And as in this first worke of the Paraphrase his Maiestie hath shewed his Piety So in this last Pearle I meane his Maiesties Speach in the Starr-Chamber his Maiestie hath shewed his Policy The first sheweth hee vnderstands the Kingdome of GOD this last that hee as well apprehends the State of his Kingdomes in this World The first sheweth him to haue a large Portion in that of Heauen and this last sheweth him to haue a great Power and experience in these Kingdomes hee hath on earth Therefore let these men that delight so much in Detraction and to vilify him whom GOD hath exalted and to shed his blood whose Soule GOD hath bound vp in the Bundle of life Let them J say write what euer the Subtilty of the olde Serpent can put into their heads or the Malice of Sathan infuse into their hearts Let them speake what the poyson of Aspes is able to put into their lippes they are not all able to make his Maiestie to appeare lesse then he is nor to shew that euer they had of theirs a King so accomplished It is trew that wee haue not had many Kings in this Kingdome of our Profession But for those we haue had this Iland of ours neuer saw the like either for partes of Nature giftes of Learning or Graces of Piety The little time of life that God lent to King Edward must needs lessen his prayses But neuer did there appeare beginnings of more rare perfection then in him The length of Queene Elizabeths dayes together with the felicity of her time was not only a Glory to her owne People but a wonderment to the
and iudgements of God shall by their terrours reduce some to the knowledge of the trewth 14 The second woe is past for these are the plagues of the sixt Trumpet and loe the third woe comes soone for next followes the declaration of these dayes wherein the consummation shall be first of that Antichristian kingdome and next of the whole earth take therefore good heede vnto the third woe for it is the last 15 Then the seuenth Angel blew and there were great voices in heauen saying The kingdomes of the world are made the kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ who shall reigne for euer and euer This ioyfull cry was in heauen because the dayes were come wherein the day of Iudgement should be and so the power was to be taken from the kings of the earth who were enemies to the Saints and Christ was hereafter to be the great sole and immediate King ouer all 16 Then the foure and twentie Elders who sate vpon seats in the sight and presence of God for ioy that the saluation of their brethren was at hand did fall vpon their faces and adored God saying 17 We thanke thee Lord God Almightie who is and who was and who art presently to come againe because now thou art to make thy great power manifest and art to begin thy glorious Kingdome 18 And the Gentiles waxed wrathfull for all the wicked now perceiue that neither their force nor craft can auaile for thy wrath is now come which none may resist and the time of the dead is come for now all the dead are to be iudged and thou art to reward thy seruants the Prophets and all the Saints and all that feare thy Name small or great and thou art to destroy them that destroy the earth by the persecuting of thy Saints and defiling it with euery sort of vice 19 Then the Temple of God was open in heauen that the Arke of his couenant might be seene which was within it God now did shew the Arke of his couenant to assure all the Saints that he would now haue mind of his promise and according thereto would presently send downe Christ to Iudge the earth as was done then in all terrour which is signified by lightning voices thunder and earthquakes which then were made and a great haile which signifies the destruction of the earth as showres of haile of all others are the most harmefull and destroying CHAP. XII ARGVMENT A new vision The deuils malice against Christ and his Church The Church by Gods prouidence escapes his furie Shee is secret and lies hid for a space The deuill raiseth vp heresies and persecutions to destroy her but all that cannot preuaile whereupon he goeth to raise vp her great enemie the Pope NOw as this seuenth Seale wherein these seuen Trumpets were which ye haue presently heard declared was no other thing but the more ample dilating of the sixe former Seales as I did shew before so this vision which I am next to declare vnto you is nothing else but a cleerer setting forth and fore-warning of these times which are most perillous for the Church of all them which are to come after especially of the three last woes 1 And there was a great signe and a woonderfull vision seene in heauen to wit a woman clothed with the Sunne and the Moone was vnder her feete and she had a crowne of twelue starres vpon her head 2 And she was great with childe and shee was so neere her childbirth as she was alreadie crying and was sore pained with the trauell to be deliuered of her childe 3 And there was also another signe and woonder seene in heauen A great red dragon hauing seuen heads and ten hornes and vpon his head seuen diamonds 4 And his taile drew the third part of the starres of heauen with him and did cast them downe to the earth This dragon stood before the woman awaiting to deuoure her birth so soone as shee was deliuered of it 5 But she brought forth a man-childe who was to rule all nations with a rod of yron and her sonne was caught vp to God and his Throne 6 But the woman fled into the wildernesse where she hath a place prepared by God that she might be fedde there the space of one thousand two hundred threescore dayes 7 And there was a great battell stroken in heauen for Michael and his Angels fought against the dragon and his angels 8 And the dragon and his angels could not obtaine the victorie but by the contrary their place was no more found in heauen 9 And so that great dragon to wit that olde serpent who is called the deuill and Satan who seduceth the whole face of the earth was cast downe to the earth and all his angels were cast downe with him 10 And I heard a voice in heauen saying Now is wrought the health the vertue and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast downe who day and night accused them in the sight of our God 11 For they that fought with him haue ouercome him for the loue they beare vnto the Lambe and his blood and to the word of his Testimonie and haue prodigally giuen their liues euen vnto death for that cause 12 Therefore reioyce ye heauens and yee that dwell therein but woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea for the deuill is come downe to you and he is full of great wrath because he hath but a short space to reigne 13 And when the dragon saw himselfe cast down vpō the earth he pursued the woman who had borne the manchild 14 But there was giuen to the woman two great Eagle wings that shee might flee from the sight of the serpent into the wildernes to the place that was there appointed for her to be nourished for a time times and halfe a time 15 Then the serpent did cast out of his mouth after the woman to ouertake her a water like a great flood to carry her away perforce 16 But the earth helped the woman and opened her mouth and swallowed vp by the way the great flood which the dragon had cast out of his mouth This part of the Vision was to declare vnto me that howsoeuer the Church which is signified here by a woman for she is the spouse of CHRIST who is her head her husband and her glory obeying him with a reuerent loue and yet weake and infirme like to a woman how soone I say the Church shining in all brightnesse and innocencie which is represented by her garment of the Sunne and treading vnder feete and contemning the world and the vanities thereof here signified by the Moone being vnder her feet a Planet that hath no proper but a borrowed light and subiect to all mutabilitie like the world and being crowned with the shining glory of the twelue Patriarches and Prophets and the twelue holy Apostles succeeding them in the vnitie of
that were slaine vpon the earth to wit this plague of destruction shall iustly fall vpon her aswell for that she made her messengers or embassadours who are great in power as yee heard before to bee the sellers of her Pardons Prayers Sacraments Merits and euen of the sinnes and soules of men as ye haue presently heard and so by that meanes and the like bewitched as it were and abused many nations as also for that shee had cruelly persecuted and murthered the Saints so as the blood of all the Saints since Abel who willingly sacrificed their liues for the loue of Gods trewth and for the testimonie of his Sonne shall be layd vpon her head and imputed vnto her in following fulfilling and exceeding the rage of former Tyrants oppressing and persecuting the Church of God CHAP. XIX ARGVMENT The Saints praise God for ioy that the Pope is destroyed The glorious forme of Christes second comming set downe at large The Pope and his Church is condemned for euer THen according to the voyces speaking to the heauen and Prophets and Apostles there to wit that they should reioyce as much for the fall of Babylon as the vnregenerate men did lament therefore as ye haue heard according I say to this exhortation I heard the voyce of a great multitude in heauen saying Hallelu-iah which is if ye interpret it Praise God with a lowde voyce Saluation honour glorie and power is onely with our Lord God 2 For true and iust are his Iudgements and he hath condemned that great Whore who hath defiled the earth with her whoredome and he with his hand hath reuenged vpon her the blood of his seruants 3 Then for the second time they said Hallelu-iah for the smoake of her destruction goeth vp in all worlds to come for she shall neuer rise againe but shal be burned with a perpetuall fire 4 And likewise for thankesgiuing for the same the foure and twentie Elders fell downe vpon their faces before God and adored him and the foure Beasts also adored God sitting vpon his Throne and all the beasts and Elders said with one voyce Amen Hallelu-iah 5 And I heard a voyce come from the Throne to wit from one of the foure beastes that supported it saying Praise our God all ye his Seruants and all ye that feare him small and great 6 And then conformely to that direction I heard as it had bene the sound or voyce of a great multitude and as it had bene the sound of many waters and as the sound of great thunders to wit the voyce of all the Creatures in heauen whose sound in greatnes might be compared to the noise of many waters or to the roaring of the thunder and they said all in one Voyce Hallelu-iah because our Lord God Almightie hath now reigned by destroying Babylon and her followers 7 Let vs therefore reioyce and be glad and render him all glory for the Marriage of the Lambe is come to wit the latter Day is at hand and his wife hath made herselfe ready for him to wit his Church is now purified from among the wicked 8 And it was giuen vnto her to clothe herselfe with pure and bright linnen which is the iustification of the Saints for as fine linnen is a pure bright white and pretious stuffe so are the Saints clothed with that pretious vndefiled and glorious garment of righteousnes through imputation And this our garment of Iustification with the which we shal be clothed at the latter day must onely come of his righteousnesse so as ye presently heard it must be giuen vs by him for as of our selues we cannot thinke a good thought so can we merit nothing but eternall death and when we haue done all the good workes we can we must thinke our selues but improfitable seruants as Christ himselfe said 9 Then the same voyce to wit the voyce of the Angel that shewed me these things said to me Write and leaue in record to all posterities Happie are they that are called to the Supper of the Lambes marriage whereof thou thy selfe heard him speake parabolically for those who are called shall neuer againe be cast off but are chosen for euer And he said vnto me these words of God are trew which I bad thee write to leaue to posteritie that God himselfe hath giuen this comfortable promise which I haue specially willed thee to witnesse to thy Brethren because it will come to passe in the later dayes that this whoring and hereticall Babylon shall diswade all her followers from trusting this promise and so driue men to an vncertaintie of their Election 10 And I fell downe at this Angels feete to haue adored him so all flesh is giuen of it selfe to adore some visible thing which is idolatry such is the corruption of our flesh if it be not holden vp by grace from aboue but he did reproue me and said Beware thou doe it not For although I be a more excellent creature of God then thou art yet am I but thy fellow seruant and so one of thy brethren bearing the testimony of IESVS in heauen to be his seruant and creature as thou doest in earth Adore therefore God onely for no creature must either be prayed to or adored nor no mediation can come but by Christ onely and thinke mee not a God for prophesying thus vnto thee for the witnessing of Christ is the Spirit of prophesie for that gift is common to others aswell as to mee and it is the same Spirit of prophesie albeit not the same gift of it that foretells things to come which giues grace to all the Elect to beare trew and constant record of Christ 11 Then I saw thereafter the forme of the day of Iudgement for I saw the Heauens open and loe a white horse came downe from them of this white horse yee heard in the first Seale and hee that sate vpon him to wit Christ was called faithfull and trew for by giuing Iudgement hee was now to performe his promise and hee was also called Hee that iustly iudgeth and fighteth for hee was presently to iudge the world and to condemne perpetually all the reprobate 12 And his eyes were like the flames of fire as yee heard in the beginning of this Epistle and on his head were many diademes for now he was to reigne eternally ouer all the kingdomes of the earth as the Elders did sing in the seuenth Trumpet and he had a Name written vpon him which no man did know but himselfe for the mysterie of his Name of Redemptor is so profound as no creature is able to comprehend it by wisedome and therefore I heard himselfe say that no Angel no not himselfe in so farre as he is man did foreknow the day of his last comming which shall be the fulfilling of that mysterie 13 And he was clothed with a garment dipt in blood wherewith the garments of the soules of Martyrs are washed as ye heard in the fift Seale and he is named The
word of God as I did shew you in the beginning of my Euangel 14 And the hostes of Angels and Saints in heauen followed him vpon white horses clothed in white and pure linnen whereof yee heard alreadie 15 And from his mouth came foorth a sharpe sword as ye heard in the beginning of this Epistle that he might strike the Gentiles therewith for hee shall rule them with a rod of yron as Dauid sayth and he treadeth to wit giueth command and power to tread the lake or sea of the vine of the fury and wrath of God Almightie as ye heard in the seuenth Trumpet 16 And he hath vpon his garment and vpon his thigh as the strongest part of his body this name written The King of kings and Lord of lords 17 And I saw an Angel standing in the Sunne that there he might be seene publikely of all and that the Whole world might take heed to that which he was to proclaime and he cried with a loude voice to all the fowles flying through the middest of heauen Come and gather your selues to the supper of the Lord 18 To eate the flesh of Kings of Tribunes of mightie men of horses and of their riders in short come eate the flesh of all free-men and slaues great and small This was to declare that the day of Iudgement was come wherein should that destruction ensue signified by fowles eating their flesh because fowles vse to eate the flesh of dead men vnburied which should ouerwhelme all sorts of men excepting alwayes these that were marked who were sundry times excepted before as ye heard 19 Then I saw that beast to wit Babylon together with the kings of the earth who tooke her part and their armies gathered together to make warre with him that sate vpon the white horse and with his armie 20 But the Beast was taken together with the false prophet or false Church which by her false miracles seduced the nations that did beare the Character of the Beast and adored his image as ye heard before and they were both cast quicke in the lake of fire burning with brimstone 21 And the rest were slaine by the sword which came out of his mouth that sate vpon the horse and the fowles were filled with their flesh for how soone Christ shall come to Iudgement then shall all the enemies of God be destroyed and so full victory obtained of this battell whereof yee heard in the sixt Trumpet and sixt phiale and shall heare farther hereafter And chiefly Babylon and the false Church shall be cast into hell because they merit double punishment for the abusing of men although they shall not also want their damnation that followeth them as is signified by their slaughter with the sword of his mouth whereof yee heard in the beginning of this Epistle and by the fowles eating their flesh as ye presently perceiue CHAP. XX. ARGVMENT The summe and recapitulation of all the former visions to wit the first estate of the Church in all puritie after Christ The heresies and specially the Popedome that followed The destruction thereof in their greatestrage The latter day The saluation of the Elect and condemnation of all others THe Spirit of God hauing now shewen vnto me the estate of the Church militant with the speciall temptations and troubles of the same from the death of Christ to the consummation of the world and their ioyfull deliuerance and victory at that time by the first sixe Seales and next more amply by the seuenth Seale wherin were the seuen trumpets and thirdly her greatest temptations and troubles more cleerely and at large by the vision of the woman persecuted by the Dragon and lastly the cleere and ample description and damnation of Babylon that great persecuter the sorrow of the earth and ioy of heauen therefore This vision now that ye shall presently heare was next shewen vnto me to serue for a summe as it were and a short recapitulation of the whole Prophecie so often reiterated before which is here diuided in three parts First the happy estate of Christes Church though not in the eyes of the world from his first comming to a long time after as was declared by the first Seale Next the grieuous troubles and temptations vnto the which shee shall be subiect thereafter as was declared by the third and fourth Seale and by the third fourth fift and sixt blastes of the Trumpets And thirdly the destruction of all her enemies her ioyfull deliuerance and the consummation as was declared by the sixt Seale the seuenth Trumpet the seuenth phiale and the comming downe of the white horse which in my last words before these yee heard described But specially in this vision is declared the punishment at the latter day of the deuill himselfe before the destruction onely of his instruments being mentioned as ye formerly heard The vision then was this 1 I saw an Angel come downe from heauen and he had the key of the bottomlesse pit and a great chaine in his hand 2 And hee tooke the dragon to wit the ancient serpent who is the deuill and Satan to wit the Tempter and bound him for the space of a thousand yeres 3 And did cast him in the bottomlesse pit and closed him in there that it should not be opened that he might come foorth and seduce the nations till the space of a thousand yeeres were completed and past for thereafter he must be loosed for a short space 4 Then I saw seats and persons sitting vpon them and iudgment or power of iudging was giuen vnto them And I also saw the soules of them who were beheaded or otherwise put to death for the testimonie of Christ and the word of God and adored not the Beast nor tooke his image neither his character on their foreheads nor on their hands These shal liue and reigne with Christ the space of the thousand yeres ye heard 5 But the rest of the dead shal not reuiue till the space of these yeres be complete This is the first resurrectiō 6 Blessed and holy is he that is partaker of the first resurrection for ouer such the second death shal haue no power but they shal be Priests of God and Christ shal reigne with him for euer This is the first part of the diuision wherof I presently told you to wit Christ by his passion did bind the deuill who before was raging in the world and closed him in hell by the remouing of the vaile of blindnes from the whole earth which remained so the space of a thousand yeres to wit a long space all that time the deuil remained bound and casten into hell by Christ who only hath power of it so as in all that space the nations were not seduced for the efficacie of heresies was not yet cropen in and the Saints and Church visible shal so increase albeit in the midst of persecution all this time and so retaine the purity of the trewth as by the glory of
their constancie and patience in the time of their persecution they shall as it were reigne ouer the earth and by their Martyrdome be Iudges therof for it is called Christs reigning and the Saints vpon the earth when his word and trew professours thereof shine visibly therein as I haue said and these were they who adored not the beast to wit they are the elect who were predestinate before all beginnings to be preserued from all infections and heresies which is generally represented by this part of them that the beast or Babylon shal raise and maintaine as the greatest and most perillous that euer shall be raised by Satan And the honourable sitting of the Saints and soules of Martyrs was shewed to me to assure me that how soone the soule of any faithfull man is parted from the body it ascendeth immediatly vnto heauen there abiding in all glory the reioyning againe of his glorified body at the latter day coniunctly to possesse all glory in heauen eternally like as by the contrary the reprobate soule how soone it parteth from the body of the wicked goes down immediatly to hell there abiding in all torment the knitting again with his cursed body at the latter day there iointly to be subiect to eternall paine neither is there any resting place by the way for any of them and the rest of the dead to wit all the wicked shal not be reuiued while this space be complete for the wicked shall neither during this space nor at any time thereafter taste of the regeneration which is the first resurrection and second birth as Christ said to Nicodemus and therfore as I said already Blessed and happy are they who are partakers of the first resurrection for the second death to wit hell shall haue no power of them but they shall be Priests of God and Christ and reigne with him these thousand yeeres to wit they shal eternally in heauen offer vp that Eucharisticall Sacrifice of praise to God and so be ioyned in fellowship with the chosen which were vpon the earth in that aforesaid time This first part of this vision is begun alreadie now followeth the next part 7 And when these happy dayes are expired then shal the deuill be loosed out of his prison 8 And he shal go forth with greater liberty to seduce the nations which are in the four airths of the earth to wit he shal not only after the spreding of many heresies cause a general blindnes defection but also make a great persecution vpon the faithful Church by gathering Gog and Magog to battell against them whose number is like the sand of the sea to wit after innumerable troubles at last he shall gather to the great day of the battell of the Lord of the which ye heard in the sixt Trumpet and sixt phiale and last immediately before this Vision Gog and Magog to wit two great seates of Monarchies and Tyrannies ouer the Church who both at one time shall rise in the latter dayes and both at another time shal be destroyed by the blast of Christes breath as ye shall heare whereof the one is the auowed and professed enemie of GOD and his CHRIST but the other is Babylon the hypocriticall and most dangerous aduersary Of these two ye heard in the sixt Trumpet and so these two although pride and enuie shall still keepe a rooted malice betwixt them yet they shall both with innumerable forces make warre against the trew Church as Herod and Pilate did band themselues against Christ notwithstanding the particular dislikes which were betwixt them It is these and their forces that must fight against the Saints at Arma-geddon as ye heard in the sixt phiale and the special drawers on of this battell shal be the three frogs who are the last vermin bred of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit as ye also heard in the said phiale 9 These great forces then went vp vpon the earth for the diuel raised them out of the bottomlesse pit and they spread themselues vpon the breadth of the earth so great was their number and compassed the Tents or dwellings of the Saints and the holy Citie for they were prepared to inuade the trew Church on all sides and by all meanes but the fire came downe from heauen and deuoured them for God by his Almighty power euen when their power was greatest and nothing so like as an apparant rooting out of all the faithfull in rebus desperatis did miraculously confound all the aduersaries of his Church And now comes in the third and last part of this Vision to wit the description of the Consummation 10 For I did see the diuel who seduced these wicked cast into a lake of fire and brimstone to wit in hell out of the which he shall neuer come againe where also the beast and the false prophet were as ye heard before Here now I saw the diuel punished eternally to my greater comfort for troubling the Church where before I saw onely his instruments punished as I said in the beginning of this Vision and he and his instruments shall be tormented there day and night to wit incessantly for euer and euer 11 Then I saw a great white Throne and one sitting thereupon in all glory and brightnesse to wit IESVS CHRIST now comming from heauen to iudge the earth and from his sight fled the earth and the heauen and their place was not found for the whole earth and much of the heauen shall be destroyed and renewed at his last comming 12 And I saw all the dead great and small standing in GOD his sight for then is the resurrection of the dead who at that time must be iudged And the bookes were opened to wit the counsels and secrets of all mens hearts and another booke to wit the booke of Life was opened to the effect that all those whose names were written into it to wit predestinated and elected for saluation before all beginnings might there be selected for eternall Glory And the dead were iudged out of these things which were written in the bookes according to their workes for as God is a Spirit so iudgeth he the thoughts of man and so by faith onely iustifies him which notwithstanding is done according to his workes because they as the fruits of faith cannot be separated from it and beare witnesse of the same to men in the earth 13 And the Sea gaue vp all the dead she had for all the dead must then rise as I haue shewed already And death and hell gaue vp all they had for not onely the bodies but euen the soules of the wicked shal be iudged there and euery one was iudged according to his workes as I presently did shew you 14 And hell and death were casten in the Lake of fire which is the second death to wit hell and death shall then be closed vp for euer within themselues and shall neuer againe come forth to trouble the Saints for death which is the last
of God for the weale of them that doe well and as the minister of God Rom. 13. to take vengeance vpon them that doe euill as S. Paul saith And finally 1. Sam. 8. As a good Pastour to goe out and in before his people as is said in the first of Samuel Ierem. 29. That through the Princes prosperitie the peoples peace may be procured as Ieremie saith And therefore in the Coronation of our owne Kings as well as of euery Christian Monarche they giue their Oath first to maintaine the Religion presently professed within their countrie according to their lawes whereby it is established and to punish all those that should presse to alter or disturbe the profession thereof And next to maintaine all the lowable and good Lawes made by their predecessours to see them put in execution and the breakers and violaters thereof to be punished according to the tenour of the same And lastly to maintaine the whole countrey and euery state therein in all their ancient Priuiledges and Liberties as well against all forreine enemies as among themselues And shortly to procure the weale and flourishing of his people not onely in maintaining and putting to execution the olde lowable lawes of the countrey and by establishing of new as necessitie and euill maners will require but by all other meanes possible to fore-see and preuent all dangers that are likely to fall vpon them and to maintaine concord wealth and ciuilitie among them as a louing Father and careful watchman caring for them more then for himselfe knowing himselfe to be ordained for them and they not for him and therefore countable to that great God who placed him as his lieutenant ouer them vpon the perill of his soule to procure the weale of both soules and bodies as farre as in him lieth of all them that are committed to his charge And this oath in the Coronation is the clearest ciuill and fundamentall Law whereby the Kings office is properly defined By the Law of Nature the King becomes a naturall Father to all his Lieges at his Coronation And as the Father of his fatherly duty is bound to care for the nourishing education and vertuous gouernment of his children euen so is the king bound to care for all his subiects As all the toile and paine that the father can take for his children will be thought light and well bestowed by him so that the effect thereof redound to their profite and weale so ought the Prince to doe towards his people As the kindly father ought to foresee all inconuenients and dangers that may arise towards his children and though with the hazard of his owne person presse to preuent the same so ought the King towards his people As the fathers wrath and correction vpon any of his children that offendeth ought to be by a fatherly chastisement seasoned with pitie as long as there is any hope of amendment in them so ought the King towards any of his Lieges that offend in that measure And shortly as the Fathers chiefe ioy ought to be in procuring his childrens welfare reioycing at their weale sorrowing and pitying at their euill to hazard for their safetie trauell for their rest wake for their sleepe and in a word to thinke that his earthly felicitie and life standeth and liueth more in them nor in himselfe so ought a good Prince thinke of his people As to the other branch of this mutuall and reciprock band is the duety and alleageance that the Lieges owe to their King the ground whereof I take out of the words of Samuel dited by Gods Spirit when God had giuen him commandement to heare the peoples voice in choosing and annointing them a King And because that place of Scripture being well vnderstood is so pertinent for our purpose I haue insert herein the very words of the Text. 9 NOw therefore hearken to their voice howbeit yet testifie vnto them and shew them the maner of the King that shall raigne ouer them 10 So Samuel tolde all the wordes of the Lord vnto the people that asked a King of him 11 And he said This shall be the maner of the King that shall raigne ouer you he will take your sonnes and appoint them to his Charets and to be his horsemen and some shall runne before his Charet 12 Also hee will make them his captaines ouer thousands and captaines ouer fifties and to eare his ground and to reape his haruest and to make instruments of warre and the things that serue for his charets 13 Hee will also take your daughters and make them Apothicaries and Cookes and Bakers 14 And hee will take your fields and your vineyards and your best Oliue trees and giue them to his seruants 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your Vineyards and giue it to his Eunuches and to his seruants 16 And he will take your men seruants and your maid seruants and the chiefe of your yong men and your asses and put them to his worke 17 He will take the tenth of your sheepe and ye shall be his seruants 18 And ye shall cry out at that day because of your King whom ye haue chosen you and the Lord God will not beare you at that day 19 But the people would not heare the voice of Samuel but did say Nay but there shal be a King ouer vs. 20 And we also will be like all other Nations and our King shall iudge vs and goe out before vs and fight our battels That these words and discourses of Samuel were dited by Gods Spirit it needs no further probation but that it is a place of Scripture since the whole Scripture is dited by that inspiration as Paul saith which ground no good Christian will or dare denie Whereupon it must necessarily follow that these speeches proceeded not from any ambition in Samuel as one loath to quite the reines that he so long had ruled and therefore desirous by making odious the gouernment of a King to disswade the people from their farther importunate crauing of one For as the text proueth it plainly he then conueened them to giue them a resolute grant of their demand as God by his owne mouth commanded him saying Hearken to the voice of the people And to presse to disswade them frō that which he then came to grant vnto them were a thing very impertinent in a wise man much more in the Prophet of the most high God And likewise it well appeared in all the course of his life after that his so long refusing of their sute before came not of any ambition in him which he well proued in praying as it were importuning God for the weale of Saul Yea after God had declared his reprobation vnto him yet he desisted not while God himselfe was wrath at his praying and discharged his fathers suit in that errand And that these words of Samuel were not vttered as a prophecie of Saul their first Kings defection
it well appeareth as well because we heare no mention made in the Scripture of any his tyrannie and oppression which if it had beene would not haue been left vnpainted out therein as well as his other faults were as in a trew mirrour of all the Kings behauiours whom it describeth as likewise in respect that Saul was chosen by God for his vertue and meet qualities to gouerne his people whereas his defection sprung after-hand from the corruption of his owne nature not through any default in God whom they that thinke so would make as a step-father to his people in making wilfully a choise of the vnmeetest for gouerning them since the election of that King lay absolutely and immediatly in Gods hand But by the contrary it is plaine and euident that this speech of Samuel to the people was to prepare their hearts before the hand to the due obedience of that King which God was to giue vnto them and therefore opened vp vnto them what might be the intollerable qualities that might fall in some of their kings thereby preparing them to patience not to resist to Gods ordinance but as he would haue said Since God hath granted your importunate suit in giuing you a king as yee haue else committed an errour in shaking off Gods yoke and ouer-hastie seeking of a King so beware yee fall not into the next in casting off also rashly that yoke which God at your earnest suite hath laid vpon you how hard that euer it seeme to be For as ye could not haue obtained one without the permission and ordinance of God so may yee no more fro hee be once set ouer you shake him off without the same warrant And therefore in time arme yourselues with patience and humilitie since he that hath the only power to make him hath the onely power to vnmake him and ye onely to obey bearing with these straits that I now foreshew you as with the finger of God which lieth not in you to take off And will ye consider the very wordes of the text in order as they are set downe it shall plainely declare the obedience that the people owe to their King in all respects First God commandeth Samuel to doe two things the one to grant the people their suit in giuing them a king the other to forewarne them what some kings will doe vnto them that they may not thereafter in their grudging and murmuring say when they shal feele the snares here fore-spoken We would neuer haue had a king of God in case when we craued him hee had let vs know how wee would haue beene vsed by him as now we finde but ouer-late And this is meant by these words Now therefore hearken vnto their voice howbeit yet testifie vnto them and shew them the maner of the King that shall rule ouer them And next Samuel in execution of this commandement of God hee likewise doeth two things First hee declares vnto them what points of iustice and equitie their king will breake in his behauiour vnto them And next he putteth them out of hope that wearie as they will they shall not haue leaue to shake off that yoke which God through their importunitie hath laide vpon them The points of equitie that the King shall breake vnto them are expressed in these words 11 He will take your sonnes and appoint them to his Charets and to be his horsemen and some shall run before his Charet 12 Also he will make them his captaines ouer thousands and captaines ouer fifties and to eare his ground and to reape his haruest and to make instruments of warre and the things that serue for his charets 13 He will also take your daughters and make them Apothecaries and Cookes and Bakers The points of Iustice that hee shall breake vnto them are expressed in these wordes 14 Hee will take your fields and your vineyards and your best Oliue trees and giue them to his seruants 15 And he will take the tenth of your seede and of your vineyards and giue it to his Eunuches and to his seruants and also the tenth of your sheepe As if he would say The best and noblest of your blood shall be compelled in slauish and seruile offices to serue him And not content of his owne patrimonie will make vp a rent to his owne vse out of your best lands vineyards orchards and store of cattell So as inuerting the Law of nature and office of a King your persons and the persons of your posteritie together with your lands and all that ye possesse shal serue his priuate vse and inordinate appetite And as vnto the next point which is his fore-warning them that weary as they will they shall not haue leaue to shake off the yoke which God thorow their importunity hath laid vpon them it is expressed in these words 18 And yee shall crie out at that day because of your King whom yee haue chosen you and the Lord will not heare you at that day As he would say When ye shall finde these things in proofe that now I fore-warne you of although you shall grudge and murmure yet it shal not be lawful to you to cast it off in respect it is not only the ordinance of God but also your selues haue chosen him vnto you thereby renouncing for euer all priuiledges by your willing consent out of your hands whereby in any time hereafter ye would claime and call backe vnto your selues againe that power which God shall not permit you to doe And for further taking away of all excuse and retraction of this their contract after their consent to vnder-lie this yoke with all the burthens that hee hath declared vnto them he craues their answere and consent to his proposition which appeareth by their answere as it is expressed in these words 19 Nay but there shal be a King ouer vs. 20 And we also will be like all other nations and our king shall iudge vs and goe out before vs and fight our battels As if they would haue said All your speeches and hard conditions shall not skarre vs but we will take the good and euill of it vpon vs and we will be content to beare whatsoeuer burthen it shal please our King to lay vpon vs aswell as other nations doe And for the good we will get of him in fighting our battels we will more patiently beare any burthen that shall please him to lay on vs. Now then since the erection of this Kingdome and Monarchie among the Iewes and the law thereof may and ought to bee a paterne to all Christian and well founded Monarchies as beeing founded by God himselfe who by his Oracle and out of his owne mouth gaue the law thereof what liberty can broiling spirits and rebellious minds claime iustly to against any Christian Monarchie since they can claime to no greater libertie on their part nor the people of God might haue done and no greater tyranny was euer executed by any Prince or
bee performed by one base knaue in a darke corner whereupon he was moued to interprete and construe the latter Sentence in the Letter alledged by the Earle of Salisburie against all ordinarie sence and construction in Grammar as if by these words For the danger is past as soone as you haue burned the Letter should be closely vnderstood the suddaintie and quickenesse of the danger which should be as quickly perfourmed and at an end as that paper should be of bleasing vp in the fire turning that word of as soone to the sense of as quickly And therefore wished that before his going to the Parliament His Maiesties opinion for searching of the vnder roume of the Parliament House the vnder roumes of the Parliament house might be well and narrowly searched But the Earle of Salisbury wondering at this his Maiesties Commentary which he knew to be so farre contrary to his ordinary and naturall disposition who did rather euer sinne vpon the other side in not apprehending nor trusting due Aduertisements of Practises and Perils when hee was trewly enformed of them whereby hee had many times drawen himselfe into many desperate dangers and interpreting rightly this extraordinary Caution at this time to proceede from the vigilant care hee had of the whole State more then of his owne Person which could not but haue all perished together if this designement had succeeded Hee thought good to dissemble still vnto the King that there had beene any iust cause of such apprehension And ending the purpose with some merrie ieast vpon this Subiect as his custome is tooke his leaue for that time But though he seemed so to neglect it to his Maiestie yet his customable and watchfull care of the King and the State still boyling within him And hauing with the blessed Virgine Marie laid vp in his heart the Kings so strange iudgement and construction of it He could not be at rest til he acquainted the foresaid Lords what had passed betweene the King and him in priuat Wherupon they were all so earnest to renew againe the memory of the same purpose to his Maiestie as it was agreed that he should the next day being Saturday repaire to his Highnesse which hee did in the same priuie Gallery and renewed the memory thereof the L. Chamberlaine then being present with the King The determination to search the Parliament house and the roumes vnder it At what time it was determined that the said Lord Chamberlaine should according to his custome and Office view all the Parliament Houses both aboue and below and consider what likelihood or appearance of any such danger might possibly be gathered by the sight of them But yet as well for staying of idle rumours as for beeing the more able to discerne any mysterie the nearer that things were in readinesse his iourney thither was ordeined to bee deferred till the afternoone before the sitting downe of the Parliament which was vpon the Munday following At what time hee according to this conclusion went to the Parliament house accompanied with my Lord Mountegle beeing in zeale to the Kings seruice earnest and curious to see the euent of that accident whereof hee had the fortune to be the first discouerer where hauing viewed all the lower roumes Wood and Coale found by the Lord Chamberlaine in the Vault hee found in the Vault vnder the vpper House great store and prouision of Billets Faggots and Coales And enquiring of Whyneard Keeper of the Wardrobe to what vse hee had put those lower roumes and cellars he told him That Thomas Percie had hired both the House and part of the Cellar or Vault vnder the same and that the Wood and Coale therein was the said Gentlemansowne prouision Whereupon the Lord Chamberlaine casting his eye aside perceiued a fellow standing in a corner there calling himself the said Percies man and keeper of that house for him but indeed was Guido Fawkes Guido Fawkes bearing the name of Percies man the owner of that hand which should haue acted that monstrous Tragedie The Lord Chamberlaine looking vpon all things with a heedfull indeed yet in outward appearance with but a carelesse and racklesse eye as became so wise and diligent a minister hee presently addressed himselfe to the King in the said priuie Gallery wherein the presence of the Lord Treasurer the Lord Admirall the Earles of Worcester Northampton and Salisbury The Lord Chamberlaines report and iudgement of what he had obserued in the search hee made his report what hee had seene and obserued there noting that Mountegle had told him That he no sooner heard Thomas Percy named to be the possessour of that house but considering both his backwardnes in Religion and the old dearenesse in friendship betweene himselfe and the said Percy hee did greatly suspect the matter and that the Letter should come from him The said Lord Chamberlaine also tolde That he did not wonder a little at the extraordinary great prouision of wood and coale in that house where Thomas Percie had so seldome occasion to remaine As likewise it gaue him in his minde that his man looked like a very tall and desperate fellow This could not but encrease the Kings former apprehension and iealousie whereupon hee insisted as before that the House was narrowly to bee searched and that those Billets and Coales would be searched to the bottome it beeing most suspicious that they were layed there onely for couering of the powder Of this same minde also were all the Counsailours then present Disputation about the maner of the further search But vpon the fashion of making of the search was it long debated For vpon the one side they were all so iealous of the Kings safety that they all agreed that there could not be too much caution vsed for preuenting his danger And yet vpon the other part they were all extreme loath and daintie that in case this Letter should proue to bee nothing but the euaporation of an idle braine then a curious search beeing made and nothing found should not onely turne to the generall scandall of the King and the State as being so suspicious of euery light and friuolous toy but likewise lay an ill fauoured imputation vpon the Earle of Northumberland one of his Maiesties greatest Subiects and Counsailors this Tho. Percie being his kinsman and most confident familiar And the rather were they curious vpon this point knowing how far the King detested to be thought suspitious or iealous of any of his good Subiects though of the meanest degree And therefore though they all agreed vpon the maine ground which was to prouide for the securitie of the Kings Person yet did they much differ in the circumstances by which this action might be best caried with least dinne and occasion of slaunder But the King himselfe still persisting that there were diuers shrewd appearances and that a narrow search of those places could preiudge no man that was innocent hee at last plainely
drawing friends together at an hunting neere the Lord Haringtons and Ashbie M. Catesbies house being not farre off was a fit place for preparation The next was for money and horses which if wee could prouide in any reasonable measure hauing the Heire apparant and the first knowledge by foure or fiue dayes was oddes sufficient Then what Lords we should saue from the Parliament which was first agreed in generall as many as we could that were Catholickes or so disposed but after we descended to speake of particulars Next what forraine Princes wee should acquaint with this before or ioyne with after For this point wee agreed that first wee could not enioyne Princes to that secrecie nor oblige them by oath so to be secure of their promise besides we knew not whether they will approue the proiect or dislike it And if they doe allow thereof to prepare before might beget suspition and not to prouide vntill the businesse were acted the same letter that caried newes of the thing done might as well intreate their helpe and furtherance Spaine is too slow in his preparations to hope any good from in the first extremities and France too neere and too dangerous who with the shipping of Holland we feared of all the world might make away with vs. But while we were in the middle of these discourses we heard that the Parliament should bee anew adiourned vntill after Michaelmas vpon which tidings we broke off both discourse and working vntill after Christmas About Candlemas we brought ouer in a boate the powder which we had prouided at Lambeth and laide it in M. Percies house because wee were willing to haue all our danger in one place We wrought also another fortnight in the Mine against the stone wall which was very hard to beate thorow at which time we called in Kit Wright and neare to Easter as we wrought the third time opportunitie was giuen to hire the Cellar in which we resolued to lay the powder and leaue the Mine Now by reason that the charge of maintaining vs all so long together besides the number of seuerall houses which for seuerall vses had beene hired and buying of powder c. had layen heauie on M. Catesby alone to support it was necessarie for him to call in some others to ease his charge and to that ende desired leaue that hee with M. Percy and a third whom they should call might acquaint whom they thought fit and willing to the businesse for many said hee may be content that I should know who would not therefore that all the company should be acquainted with their names to this we all agreed After this Master Fawkes laid into the Cellar which hee had newly taken a thousand of Billets and fiue hundred of Faggots and with that couered the Powder because we might haue the House free to suffer any one to enter that would Master Catesby wished vs to consider whether it were not now necessary to send M. Fawkes ouer both to absent himselfe for a time as also to acquaint Sir William Stanley and M. Owen with this matter Wee agreed that he should prouided that hee gaue it them with the same othe that wee had taken it before videlicet to keepe it secret from all the world The reason why we desired Sir William Stanley should be acquainted herewith was to haue him with vs so soone as he could And for M. Owen hee might holde good correspondencie after with forreine Princes So M. Fawkes departed about Easter for Flanders and returned the latter end of August He tolde me that when he arriued at Brussels Sir William Stanley was not returned from Spaine so as hee vttered the matter onely to Owen who seemed well pleased with the businesse but tolde him that furely Sir William would not be acquainted with any plot as hauing businesse now afoot in the Court of England but he himselfe would be alwayes readie to tell it him and send him away so soone as it were done About this time did M. Percy and M. Catesby meete at the Bathe where they agreed that the company being yet but few M. Catesby should haue the others authoritie to call in whom hee thought best By which authoritie hee called in after Sir Euerard Digby though at what time I know not and last of all M. Francis Tresham The first promised as I heard M. Catesby say fifteene hundred pounds the second two thousand pounds M. Percy himselfe promised all that hee could get of the Earle of Northumberlands rents which was about foure thousand pounds and to prouide many galloping horses to the number of ten Meane while M. Fawkes and my selfe alone bought some new Powder as suspecting the first to be danke and conueyed it into the Cellar and set it in order as wee resolued it should stand Then was the Parliament anew prorogued vntill the fift of Nouember so as we all went downe vntil some ten dayes before when M. Catesby came vp with M. Fawkes to an house by Enfield Chace called White-webbes whither I came to them and M. Catesby willed me to enquire whether the yong Prince came to the Parliament I tolde him that I heard that his Grace thought not to be there Then must wee haue our Horses said M. Catesby beyond the water and prouision of more company to surprise the Prince and leaue the Duke alone Two dayes after being Sunday at night in came one to my chamber and told me that a letter had beene giuen to my L. Mountegle to this effect That he wished his Lordships absence from the Parliament because a blow would there be giuen which letter he presently caried to my L. of Salisbury On the morrow I went to White-webbes and told it M. Catesby assuring him withall that the matter was disclosed and wishing him in any case to forsake his Countrey He told me he would see further as yet and resolued to send M. Fawkes to trie the vttermost protesting if the part belonged to himselfe he would trie the same aduenture On Wednesday Master Fawkes went and returned at night of which we were very glad Thursday I came to London and Friday Master Catesby Master Tresham and I met at Barnet where wee questioned how this Letter should be sent to my L. Mountegle but could not conceiue for Master Tresham forsware it whom we onely suspected On Saturday night I met M. Tresham againe in Lincolnes Inne walkes wherein he tolde such speeches that my Lord of Salisbury should vse to the King as I gaue it lost the second time and repeated the same to M. Catesby who hereupon was resolued to be gone but stayed to haue M. Percy come vp whose consent herein wee wanted On Sunday M. Percy being dealt with to that end would needs abide the vttermost triall This suspicion of all hands put vs into such confusion as M. Catesby resolued to goe downe into the countrey the Munday that M. Percy went to Syon and M. Percy resolued to follow the same
ceased seeing I could doe you no other good to commend your labouring most painfully in the Lords Vineyard in my prayers to God And I doubt not but that I haue liued all this while in your memory and haue had some place in your prayers at the Lords Altar So therfore euen vnto this time we haue abidden as S. Iohn speaketh in the mutuall loue one of the other not by word or letter but in deed and trewth But alate message which was brought vnto vs within these few dayes of your bonds and imprisonment hath inforced mee to breake off this silence which message although it seemed heauie in regard of the losse which that Church hath receiued by their being thus depriued of the comfort of your pastorall function amongst them yet withall it seemed ioyous because you drew neere vnto the glory of Martyrdome then the which gift of God there is none more happy That you who haue fedde your flocke so many yeeres with the word and doctrine should now feed it more gloriously by the example of your patience But another heauie tidings did not a little disquiet and almost take away this ioy which immediatly followed of the aduersaries assault and peraduenture of the slip and fall of your constancie in refusing an vnlawfull Oath Neither trewly most deare brother could that Oath therefore bee lawfull because it was offered in sort tempered and modified for you know that those kinde of modifications are nothing else but sleights and subtilties of Satan that the Catholique faith touching the Primacie of the Sea Apostolike might either secretly or openly be shot at for the which faith so many worthy Martyrs euen in that very England it selfe haue resisted vnto blood For most certaine it is that in whatsoeuer words the Oath is conceiued by the aduersaries of the faith in that Kingdome it tends to this end that the Authoritie of the head of the Church in England may bee transferred from the successour of S. Peter to the successour of King Henry the eight For that which is pretended of the danger of the Kings life if the high Priest should haue the same power in England which hee hath in all other Christian Kingdomes it is altogether idle as all that haue any vnderstanding may easily perceiue For it was neuer heard of from the Churches infancie vntill this day that euer any Pope did command that any Prince though an Heretike though an Ethnike though a persecutour should be murdered or did approue of the fact when it was done by any other And why I pray you doeth onely the King of England seare that which none of all other the Princes in Christendome either doeth feare or euer did feare But as I said these vaine pretexts are but the traps and stratagemes of Satan Of which kinde I could produce not a fewe out of ancient Stories if I went about to write a Booke and not an Epistle One onely for example sake I will call to your memory S. Gregorius Nazianzenus in his first Oration against Iulian the Emperour reporteth That hee the more easily to beguile the simple Christians did insert the Images of the false gods into the pictures of the Emperour which the Romanes did vse to bow downe vnto with a ciuill kinde of reuerence so that no man could doe reuerence to the Emperours picture but withall hee must adore the Images of the false gods whereupon it came to passe that many were deceiued And if there were any that found out the Emperours craft and refused to worship his picture those were most grieuously punished as men that had contemned the Emperour in his Image Some such like thing me thinkes I see in the Oath that is offered to you which is so craftily composed that no man can detest Treason against the King and make profession of his Ciuill subiection but he must bee constramed perfidiously to denie the Primacie of the Apostolicke Sea But the seruants of Christ and especially the chiefe Priests of the Lord ought to bee so farre from taking an vnlawfull Oath where they may indamage the Faith that they ought to beware that they giue not the least suspicion of dissimulation that they haue taken it least they might seeme to haue left any example of preuarication to faithfull people Which thing that worthy Eleazar did most notably performe who would neither eate swines flesh nor so much as faine to haue eaten it although hee sawe the great torments that did hang ouer his head least as himselfe speaketh in the second Booke of the Machabees many young men might bee brought through that simulation to preuaricate with the Lawe Neither did Basil the Great by his example which is more fit for our purpose cary himselfe lesse worthily toward Valens the Emperour For as Theodoret writeth in his Historie when the Deputy of that hereticall Emperour did perswade Saint Basil that hee would not resist the Emperour for a little subtiltie of a few points of doctrine that most holy and prudent man made answere That it was not to be indured that the least syllable of Gods word should bee corrupted but rather all kind of torment was to be embraced for the maintenance of the Trewth thereof Now I suppose that there wants not amongst you who say that they are but subtilties of Opinions that are contained in the Oath that is offered to the Catholikes and that you are not to strius against the Kings Authoritie for such a little matter But there are not wanting also amongst you holy men like vnto Basil the Great which will openly auow that the very least syllable of Gods diuine Trewth is not to bee corrupted though many torments were to bee endured and death it selfe set before you Amongst whom it is meete that you should bee one or rather the Standard bearer and Generall to the rest And whatsoeuer hath beene the cause that your Constancie hath quailed whether it bee the suddainenesse of your apprehension or the bitternesse of your persecution or the imbecilitie of your old aage yet wee trust in the goodnesse of God and in your owne long continued vertue that it will come to passe that as you seeme in some part to haue imitated the fall of Peter and Marcellinus so you shall happily imitate their valour in recouering your strength and maintaining the Trewth For if you will diligently weigh the whole matter with your selfe trewly you shall see it is no small matter that is called in question by this Oath but one of the principall heads of our Faith and foundations of Catholique Religion For heare what your Apostle Saint Gregorie the Great hath written in his 24. Epistle of his 11. Booke Let not the reuerence due to the Apostolique Sea be troubled by any mans presumption for then the state of the members doeth remaine entire when the Head of the Faith is not bruised by any iniurie Therefore by Saint Gregories testimonie when they are busie about disturbing or diminishing or taking
Ecclesi Hist gen Ang. lib. 1. cap. 4. Lucius send to Eleutherius his predecessour and hee sent him diuers Bishops who were all placed by the Kings authoritie These conuerted men to the faith and taught them to obey the King And if the Popes in these dayes would but insist in these steppes of their fore-fathers then would they not entertaine Princes fugitiues abroad nor send them home not onely without my leaue but directly against the Lawes with plots of treason and doctrine of rebellion to draw Subiects from their obedience to me their naturall King nor be so cruell to their owne Mancipia as returning them with these wares put either a State in iealousie of them or them in hazard of their owne liues Now to our Apostle since the Cardinall will haue him so called I perswade my selfe I should doe a good seruice to the Church in this my labour if I could but reape this one fruit of it to moue the Cardinall to deale faithfully with the Fathers neuer to alledge their opinions against their own purpose For this letter of Gregorius was written to Iohn Bishop of 7 Greg. lib. 11. cap. 42. Palermo in Sicily to whom he granted vsum pallij to be worne in such times and in such order as the Priests in the I le of Sicily and his predecessors were wont to vse and withall giueth him a caueat That the reuerence to the Apostolike Sea be not disturbed by the presumption of any for then the state of the members doeth remaine sound when the head of the Faith is not bruised by any iniury and the authoritie of the Canons alwayes remaine safe and sound Now let vs examine the words The Epistle was written to a Bishop especially to grant him the vse of the Pall a ceremonie and matter indifferent As it appeareth the Bishop of Rome tooke it well at his hands that he would not presume to take it vpon him without leaue from the Apostolike Sea giuing him that admonition which followeth in the wordes alledged out of him which doctrine we are so farre from impugning that we altogether approoue and allow of the same that whatsoeuer ceremony for order is thought meet by the Christian Magistrate and the Church the same ought inuiolably to be kept and where the head and gouernour in matters of that nature are not obeyed the members of that Church must needs run to hellish confusion But that Gregory by that terme caput fidei held himselfe the head of our faith and the head of all religion cannot stand with the course of his doctrine and writings For first when an 1 Iohn of Constantinople See Greg. lib. 4. Epâ—stâ— 2 other would haue had this stile to be called Vniuersalis Episcopus hee said 2 Lib. 6. Epist. 30. I doe confidently auouch that whosoeuer calleth himselfe or desireth to be called Vniuersall Bishop in this aduancing of himselfe is the fore-runner of the Antichrist which notwithstanding was a stile farre inferiour to that of Caput fidei And when it was offered to himselfe the wordes of S. Gregory be these refusing that Title 3 Greg. lib. 4. epist 32. 36. None of my predecessours Bishops of Rome euer consented to vse this prophane name of vniuersall Bishop None of my predecessours euer tooke vpon him this name of singularitie neither consented to vse it Wee the Bishops of Rome doe not seeke nor yet accept this glorious title being offered vnto vs. And now I pray you would he that refused to be called Vniuersall Bishop be stiled Caput fidei vnlesse it were in that sense as I haue expressed which sense if he will not admit giue me leaue to say that of Gregorie which himselfe sayth of 4 Bellar. de Rom Pont lib. 2. cap. 10. Lyra Minus cautè locutus est or which he elsewhere sayth of Chrysostome 5 Idem lib. 2. de Missa cap. 10. Locutus est per excessum To redeeme therefore our Apostle out of his hands and to let him remaine ours and not his in this case it is very trew that he sayth in that sense he spake it When yee goe about to disturbe diminish or take away the authoritie or supremacie of the Church which resteth on the head of the King within his dominions ye cut off the head and chiefe gouernour thereof and disturbe the state and members of the whole body And for a conclusion of this point I pray him to think that we are so well perswaded of the good minde of our Apostle S. Gregory to vs that wee desire no other thing to be suggested to the Pope and his Cardinals then our Apostle S. Gregory desired 6 Greg. lib. 7. Epist. 1. Sabinian to suggest vnto the Emperour and the State in his time His words be these One thing there is of which I would haue you shortly to suggest to your most noble Lord and Master That if I his seruant would haue had my hand in slaying of the Lombards at this day the Nation of the Lombards had neither had King nor Dukes nor Earles and had beene diuided asunder in vtter confusion but because I feare God I dread to haue my hand in the blood of any man And thus hauing answered to S. Gregory An answere to the authoritie out of Leo. I come to another Pope his Apostle S. Leo. And that hee may see I haue not in the former citations quarelled him like a Sophister for contention sake but for finding out of the trewth I doe grant that the authorities out of 1 Leo primus in die assump suae ad Pont. serm 3. Leo Epist 89. ad Episc Vien Idem ibid. ca. 2. Leo are rightly alledged all three the wordes trewly set downe together with his trew intent and purpose but withall let me tell him and I appeale vnto his owne conscience whether I speake not trewly that what Tullie said to 2 Cic. in Hort. Hortensius when he did immoderately praise eloquence that hee would haue lift her vp to Heauen that himselfe might haue gone vp with her So his S. Leo lift vp S. Peter with praises to the skie that he being his 3 For so hee calleth himselfe in serm 1. in die assum heire might haue gone vp with him For his S. Leo was a great Oratour who by the power of his eloquence redeemed Rome from fire when both 4 Ex breniario Romano Attilas and Gensericus would haue burnt it Some fruites of this rhetoricke hee bestowed vpon S. Peter saying The Lord 5 Epist 89. did take Peter into the fellowship of the indiuisible vnitie which wordes being coupled to the sentence alledged by the Cardinall that he hath no part in the diuine Mysterie that dare depart from the soliditie of Peter should haue giuen him I thinke such a skarre as hee should neuer haue dared to haue taken any aduantage by the wordes immediatly preceding for the benefite of the Church of Rome and the head
the peace of his Kingdome will beare in mind the great and faithfull seruice of those who in matter of religion dissent from his Maiestie as of the onely men that haue preserued and saued the Crowne for the King his father of most glorious memorie I am perswaded my brother of France wil beleeue that his liege people pretended by the L. Cardinall to bee heretikes are not halfe so bad as my Romane Catholike subiects who by secret practises vndermine my life serue a forreine Souereigne are discharged by his Bulls of their obedience due to me their naturall Souereigne are bound by the maximes and rules published and maintained in fauour of the Pope before this full and famous assemblie of the Estate at Paris if the said maximes be of any weight and authoritie to hold mee for no lawfull King are there taught and instructed that Pauls commandemement concerning subiection vnto the higher Powers aduerse to their professed religion is onely a prouisionall precept framed to the times and watching for the opportunitie to shake off the yoake All which notwithstanding I deale with such Romane-Catholikes by the rules and wayes of Princely clemencie their heinous and pernicious error in effect no lesse then the capitall crime of high treason I vse to call some disease or distemper of the mind Last of all I beleeue my said brother of France will set downe in his tables as in record how little hee standeth ingaged to the L. Cardinall in this behalfe For those of the reformed Religion professe and proclaime that next vnder God they owe their preseruation and safetie to the wisedome and benignity of their Kings But now comes the Cardinall and he seekes to steale this perswasion out of their hearts He tells them in open Parliament and without any going about bushes that all their welfare and securitie standeth in their multitude and in the feare which others conceiue to trouble the State by the strict execution of lawes against Heretikes He addeth moreouer Note by the way that here the Church of Rome is called a Sect. that In case a third Sect should peepe out and growe vp in France the professors thereof should suffer confiscation of their goods with losse of life it selfe as hath bene practised at Geneua against Seruetus and in England against Arians My answere is this That punishments for heretikes duely and according to Law conuicted are set downe by decrees of the ciuill Magistrate bearing rule in the countrey where the said heretikes inhabite and not by any ordinances of the Pope I say withall the L. Cardinall hath no reason to match and parallell the reformed Churches with Seruetus and the Arians For those heretikes were powerfully conuicted by Gods word and lawfully condemned by the ancient Generall Councils where they were permitted and admitted to plead their owne cause in person But as for the trewth professed by me and those of the reformed Religion it was neuer yet hissed out of the Schooles nor cast out of any Council like some Parliament bills where both sides haue bene heard with like indifferencie Yea what Council soeuer hath bene offered vnto vs in these latter times it hath bene proposed with certaine presuppositions as That his Holinesse beeing a partie in the cause and consequently to come vnder iudgement as it were to the barre vpon his triall shall be the Iudge of Assize with Commission of Oyer and Determiner it shall bee celebrated in a citie of no safe accesse without safe conduct or conuoy to come or goe at pleasure and without danger it shall be assembled of such persons with free suffrage and voyce as vphold this rule which they haue already put in practise against Iohn Hus and Hierome of Prage that faith giuen and oath taken to an Heretike must not be obserued Now then to resume our former matter If the Pope hitherto hath neuer presumed for pretended heresie to confiscate by sentence either the lands or the goods of priuate persons or common people of the French Nation wherefore should hee dare to dispossesse Kings of their Royall thrones wherefore takes he more vpon him ouer Kings then ouer priuate persons wherefore shall the sacred heads of Kings be more churlishly vnciuilly and rigorously handled then the hoods of the meanest people Here the L. Cardinal in stead of a direct answer breakes out of the lists alledging cleane from the purpose examples of heretikes punished not by the Pope but by the ciuill Magistrate of the Countrey But Bellarmine speakes to the point with a more free and open heart hee is absolute and resolute in this opinion that his Holinesse hath plenary power to dispose all Temporall estates and matters in the whole world I am confident saith Bellarmine and I speake it with assurance Contr. Barclaium cap. 27. that our Lord Iesus Christ in the dayes of his mortalitie had power to dispose of all Temporall things yea to strip Souereigne Kings and absolute Lords of their Kingdomes and Seignories and without all doubt hath granted and left euen the same power vnto his Vicar to make vse thereof whensoeuer hee shall thinke it necessary for the saluation of soules And so his Lordship speaketh without exception of any thing at all For who doth not know that Iesus Christ had power to dispose no lesse of priuate mens possessions then of whole Realmes and Kingdomes at his pleasure if it had beene his pleasure to display the ensignes of his power The same fulnesse of power is likewise in the Pope In good time belike his Holinesse is the sole heire of Christ in whole and in part Sess 9. The last Lateran Council fineth a Laic that speaketh blasphemie for the first offence if he be a gentleman at 25. ducats and at 50. for the second It presupposeth and taketh it for graunted that the Church may rifle and ransacke the purses of priuate men and cast lots for their goods The Councill of Trent diggeth as deepe for the same veine of gold and siluer It ordaines That Emperours Kings Dukes Princes Sess 25. cap. 19. and Lords of cities castles and territories holding of the Church in case they shall assigne any place within their limits or liberties for the duell betweene two Christians shall be depriued of the said citie castle or place where such duell shall be performed they holding the said place of the Church by any kind of tenure that all other Estates held in fee where the like offence shall be committed shall forthwith fall and become forfeited to their immediate and next Lords that all goods possessions and estates as well of the combatants themselues as of their seconds shall bee confiscate This Councill doeth necessarily presuppose it lieth in the hand and power of the Church to dispose of all the lands and estates held in fee throughout all Christendome because the Church forsooth can take from one and giue vnto an other all estates held in fee whatsoeuer as well such as hold of the
my Great Brittaine haue not beene the Popes vassals to doe him homage for their Crowne and haue no more felt the lashings the scourgings of base and beggarly Monkes Of Holland Zeland and Friseland what neede I speake yet a word and no more Were they not a kinde of naked and bare people of small value before God lighted the torch of the Gospel and aduanced it in those Nations were they not an ill fedde and scragged people in comparison of the inestimable wealth and prosperity both in all military actions and mechanicall trades in trafficke as merchants in marting as men of warre in long nauigation for discouerie to which they are now raysed and mounted by the mercifull blessing of God since the darknes of Poperie hath beene scattered and the bright Sunne of the Gospel hath shined in those Countryes Behold the Venetian Republique Hath shee now lesse beautie lesse glory lesse peace and prosperitie since she lately fell to bicker and contend with the Pope since she hath wrung out of the Popes hand the one of his two swords since she hath plumed and shaked his Temporall dominion On the contrarie after the French Kings had honoured the Popes with munificent graunts and gifts of all the cities and territories lands and possessions which they now hold in Italy and the auncient Earledome of Auignon in France for an ouer-plus were they not rudely recompenced and homely handled by their most ingratefull fee-farmers and copy-holders Haue not Popes forged a donation of Constantine of purpose to blot out all memory of Pepins and Charlemaignes donation Haue they not vexed and troubled the State haue they not whetted the sonnes of Lewis the Courteous against their owne Father whose life was a patterne and example of innocencie Haue they not by their infinite exactions robbed and scoured the Kingdome of all their treasure Were not the Kings of France driuen to stoppe their violent courses by the pragmaticall sanction Did they not sundry times interdict the Kingdome degrade the Kings solicite the neighbour-Princes to inuade and lay hold on the Kingdome and stirre vp the people against the King whereby a gate was opened to a world of troubles and parricides Did not Rauaillac render this reason for his monstrous and horrible attempt That King Henry had a designe to warre with God because he had a designe to take armes against his Holinesse who is God This makes me to wonder what mooued the L. Cardinall to marshall the last ciuill warres and motions in France in the ranke of examples of vnhappy separation from the Pope when the Pope himselfe was the trumpetor of the same troublesome motions If the Pope had bene wronged and offended by the French King or his people and the Kingdome of France had been scourged with pestilence or famine or some other calamitie by forraine enemies it might haue beene taken in probabilitie as a vengeance of God for some iniurie done vnto his Vicar But his Holinesse being the roote the ground the master-workeman and artificer of all these mischiefes how can it be said that God punisheth any iniurie done to the Pope but rather that his Holinesse doth reuenge his owne quarrell and which is worst of all when his Holinesse hath no iust cause of quarrell or offence Now then to exhort a Nation as the L. Cardinall hath done by the remembrance of former calamities to curry fauour with the Pope and to hold a strict vnion with his Holinesse is no exhortation to beare the Pope any respect of loue or of reuerence but rather a rubbing of memory and a calling to minde of those grieuous calamities whereof the Pope hath been the only occasion It is also a threatning and obtruding of the Popes terrible thunder-bolts which neuer scorched nor parched any skinne except crauens and meticulous bodies and haue brought many great showres of blessings vpon my Kingdome As for France if she hath enioyed prosperity in the times of her good agreement with Popes it is because the Pope seekes the amity of Princes that are in prosperitie haue the meanes to curbe his pretensions and to put him to some plunge Kings are not in prosperity because the Pope holds amitie with Kings but his Holinesse vseth all deuises seeketh all meanes to haue amitie with Kings because he sees them flourish sayle with prosperous winds The swallow is no cause but a companion of the spring the Pope is no worker of a Kingdoms felicity but a wooer of kings when they sit in felicities lap he is no founder but a follower of their good fortunes On the other side let a Kingdome fall into some grieuous disaster or calamitie let ciuill warres boile in the bowels of the Kingdom ciuil wars no lesse dangerous to the State then fearefull and grieuous to the people who riseth sooner then the Pope who rusheth sooner into the troubled streames then the Pope who thrusteth himselfe sooner into the heate of the quarrell then the Pope who runneth sooner to raise his gaine by the publike wrack then the Pope and all vnder colour of a heart wounded and bleeding for the saluation of soules If the lawfull King happen to be foyled to be oppressed and thereupon the State by his fall to get a new master by the Popes practise then the said new master must hold the Kingdome as of the Popes free gift and rule or guide the sterne of the State at his becke and by his instruction If the first and right Lord in despite of all the Popes fulminations and fire-workes shall get the honourable day and vpper hand of his enemies then the holy Father with a cheerfull and pleasant grace yea with fatherly gratulation opens the rich cabinet of his iewells I meane the treasurie of his indulgences and falls now to dandle and cocker the King in his fatherly lap whose throat if he could he would haue cut not long before This pestilent mischiefe hath now a long time taken roote and is growne to a great head in the Christian world through the secret but iust iudgement of God by whom Christian Kings haue beenesmitten with a spirit of dizzinesse Christian Kings who for many aages past haue liued in ignorance without any sound instruction without any trew sense and right feeling of their owne right and power whilest vnder a shadow of Religion and false cloake of pietie their Kingdomes haue beene ouer-burdened yea ouer-borne with tributes and their Crownes made to stoope euen to miserable bondage That God in whose hand the hearts of Kings are poised and at his pleasure turned as the water-courses that mighty God alone in his good time is able to rouze them out of so deepe a slumber and to take order their drowzy fits once ouer and shaken off with heroicall spirits that Popes hereafter shall play no more vpon their patience nor presume to put bits and snaffles in their noble mouthes to the binding vp of their power with weake scruples like mighty buls lead about by
litle children with a small twisted thred To that God that King of Kings I deuote my scepter at his feet in all humblenes I lay downe my Crowne to his holy decrees and commaunds I will euer be a faithfull seruant and in his battels a faithfull champion To conclude in this iust cause and quarrell I dare send the challenge and will require no second to maintaine as a defendant of honour that my brother-Princes and my selfe whom God hath aduanced vpon the Throne of Soueraigne Maiestie and supreame dignity doe hold the Royall dignitie of his Maiestie alone to whose seruice as a most humble homager and vassall I consecrate all the glory honour splendor and lustre of my earthly Kingdomes A SPEACH AS IT WAS DELIVERED IN THE VPPER HOVSE OF THE PARLIAMENT TO THE LORDS SPIRITVALL AND Temporall and to the Knights Citizens and Burgesses there assembled ON MVNDAY THE XIX DAY OF MARCH 1603. BEING THE FIRST DAY OF THE first Parliament IT did no sooner please God to lighten his hand and relent the violence of his deuouring Angel against the poore people of this Citie but as soone did I resolue to call this Parliament and that for three chiefe and principall reasons The first whereof is and which of it selfe although there were no more is not onely a sufficient but a most full and necessary ground and reason for conuening of this Assembly This first reason I say is That you who are here presently assembled to represent the Body of this whole Kingdome and of all sorts of people within the same may with your owne eares heare and that I out of mine owne mouth may deliuer vnto you the assurance of my due thankefulnes for your so ioyfull and generall applause to the declaring and receiuing of mee in this Seate which GOD by my Birthright and lineall descent had in the fulnesse of time prouided for me and that immediatly after it pleased God to call your late Soueraigne of famous memory full of dayes but fuller of immortall trophes of Honour out of this transitorie life Not that I am able to expresse by wordes or vtter by eloquence the viue Image of mine inward thankfulnes but onely that out of mine owne mouth you may rest assured to expect that measure of thankefulnes at my hands which is according to the infinitenes of your deserts and to my inclination and abilitie for requitall of the same Shall I euer nay can I euer be able or rather so vnable in memorie as to forget your vnexpected readinesse and alacritie your euer memorable resolution and your most wonderfull coniunction and harmonie of your hearts in declaring and embracing mee as your vndoubted and lawfull King and Gouernour Or shall it euer bee blotted out of my minde how at my first entrie into this Kingdome the people of all sorts rid and ran nay rather flew to meet mee their eyes flaming nothing but sparkles of affection their mouthes and tongues vttering nothing but sounds of ioy their hands feete and all the rest of their members in their gestures discouering a passionate longing and earnestnesse to meete and embrace their new Soueraigne Quid ergo retribuam Shall I allow in my selfe that which I could neuer beare with in another No I must plainely and freely confesse here in all your audiences that I did euer naturally so farre mislike a tongue to smoothe and diligent in paying their creditors with lip payment and verball thankes as I euer suspected that sort of people meant not to pay their debtors in more substantiall sort of coyne And therefore for expressing of my thankefulnesse I must resort vnto the other two reasons of my conuening of this Parliament by them in action to vtter my thankefulnesse Both the said reasons hauing but one ground which is the deedes whereby all the dayes of my life I am by Gods grace to expresse my said thankfulnesse towards you but diuided in this That in the first of these two mine actions of thankes are so inseparably conioyned with my Person as they are in a maner become indiuidually annexed to the same In the other reason mine actions are such as I may either doe them or leaue them vndone although by Gods grace I hope neuer to be weary of the doing of them As to the first It is the blessings which God hath in my Person bestowed vpon you all wherein I protest I doe more glorie at the same for your weale then for any particular respect of mine owne reputation or aduantage therein THe first then of these blessings which God hath ioyntly with my Person sent vnto you is outward Peace that is peace abroad with all forreine neighbours for I thanke God I may iustly say that neuer since I was a King I either receiued wrong of any other Christian Prince or State or did wrong to any I haue euer I praise God yet kept Peace and amitie with all which hath bene so farre tyed to my person as at my comming here you are witnesses I found the State embarqued in a great and tedious warre and onely by mine arriuall here and by the Peace in my Person is now amitie kept where warre was before which is no smal blessing to a Christian Common-wealth for by Peace abroad with their neighbours the Townes flourish the Merchants become rich the Trade doeth encrease and the people of all sorts of the Land enioy free libertie to exercise themselues in their seuerall vocations without perill or disturbance Not that I thinke this outward Peace so vnseparably tyed to my Person as I dare assuredly promise to my selfe and to you the certaine continuance thereof but thus farre I can very well assure you and in the word of a King promise vnto you That I shall neuer giue the first occasion of the breach thereof neither shall I euer be moued for any particular or priuate passion of mind to interrupt your publique Peace except I be forced thereunto either for reparation of the honour of the Kingdom or else by necessitie for the weale and preseruation of the same In which case a secure and honourable warre must be preferred to an vnsecure and dishonourable Peace yet doe I hope by my experience of the by-past blessings of Peace which God hath so long euer since my Birth bestowed vpon mee that hee wil not be weary to continue the same nor repent him of his grace towards me transferring that sentence of King Dauids vpon his by-past victories of warre to mine of Peace That that God who preserued me from the deuouring iawes of the Beare and of the Lion and deliuered them into my hands shall also now grant me victory ouer that vncircumcised Philistine BVt although outward Peace be a great blessing yet is it as farre inferiour to peace within as Ciuill warres are more cruell and vnnaturall then warres abroad And therefore the second great blessing that GOD hath with my Person sent vnto you is Peace within and that in a double forme
minds the reformation whereof must onely come of God and the trew Spirit But the other ranke of Layicks who either through Curiositie affectation of Noueltie or discontentment in their priuat humours haue changed their coates onely to be factious stirrers of Sedition and Perturbers of the common wealth their backwardnesse in their Religion giueth a ground to me the Magistrate to take the better heed to their proceeding and to correct their obstinacie But for the part of the Clerickes I must directly say and affirme that as long as they maintaine one speciall point of their doctrine and another point of their practise they are no way sufferable to remaine in this Kingdome Their point of doctrine is that arrogant and ambitious Supremacie of their Head the Pope whereby he not onely claimes to bee Spirituall head of all Christians but also to haue an Imperiall ciuill power ouer all Kings and Emperors dethroning and decrowning Princes with his foot as pleaseth him and dispensing and disposing of all Kingdomes and Empires at his appetite The other point which they obserue in continuall practise is the assassinates and murthers of Kings thinking it no sinne but rather a matter of saluation to doe all actions of rebellion and hostilitie against their naturall Soueraigne Lord if he be once cursed his subiects discharged of their fidelitie and his Kingdome giuen a prey by that three crowned Monarch or rather Monster their Head And in this point I haue no occasion to speake further here sauing that I could wish from my heart that it would please God to make me one of the members of such a generall Christian vnion in Religion as laying wilfulnesse aside on both hands wee might meete in the middest which is the Center and perfection of all things For if they would leaue and be ashamed of such new and grosse Corruptions of theirs as themselues cannot maintaine nor denie to bee worthy of reformation I would for mine owne part be content to meete them in the mid-way so that all nouelties might be renounced on either side For as my faith is the Trew Ancient Catholike and Apostolike faith grounded vpon the Scriptures and expresse word of God so will I euer yeeld all reuerence to antiquitie in the points of Ecclesiasticall pollicy and by that meanes shall I euer with Gods grace keepe my selfe from either being an hereticke in Faith or schismatick in matters of Pollicie But of one thing would I haue the Papists of this Land to bee admonished That they presume not so much vpon my Lenitie because I would be loath to be thought a Persecuter as thereupon to thinke it lawfull for them dayly to encrease their number and strength in this Kingdome whereby if not in my time at least in the time of my posteritie they might be in hope to erect their Religion againe No let them assure themselues that as I am a friend to their persons if they be good subiects so am I a vowed enemie and doe denounce mortall warre to their errors And that as I would be sory to bee driuen by their ill behauiour from the protection and conseruation of their bodies and liues So will I neuer cease as farre as I can to tread downe their errors and wrong opinions For I could not permit the encrease and growing of their Religion without first betraying of my selfe and mine owne conscience Secondly this whole Isle aswell the part I am come from as the part I remaine in in betraying their Liberties and reducing them to the former slauish yoke which both had casten off before I came amongst them And thirdly the libertie of the Crowne in my posteritie which I should leaue againe vnder a new slauery hauing found iâ— left free to me by my Predecessors And therefore would I wish all good Subiects that are deceiued with that corruption first if they find any beginning of instinction in themselues of knowledge and loue to the Trewth to foster the same by all lawfull meanes and to beware of quenching the spirit that worketh within them And if they can find as yet no motion tending that way to be studious to reade and conferre with learned men and to vse all such meanes as may further their Resolution assuring themselues that as long as they are disconformable in Religion from vs they cannot bee but halfe my Subiects bee able to doe but halfe seruice and I to want the best halfe of them which is their soules And here haue I occasion to speake to you my Lords the Bishops For as you my Lord of Durham said very learnedly to day in your Sermon Correction without instruction is but a Tyrannie So ought you and all the Clergie vnder you to be more carefull vigilant and diligent then you haue bene to winne Soules to God aswell by your exemplary life as doctrine And since you see how carefull they are sparing neither labour paines nor extreme perill of their persons to diuert the Deuill is so busie a Bishop yee should bee the more carefull and wakefull in your charges Follow the rule prescribed you by S. Paul Bee carefull to exhort and to instruct in season and out of season and where you haue beene any way sluggish before now waken your selues vp againe with a new diligence in this point remitting the successe to God who calling them either at the second third tenth or twelfth houre as they are alike welcome to him so shall they bee to mee his Lieutenant here The third reason of my conuening of you at this time The third reason of assembling the Parliament which conteineth such actions of my thankefulnesse toward you as I may either doe or leaue vndone yet shall with Gods grace euer presse to performe all the dayes of my life It consists in these two points In making of Lawes at certaine times which is onely at such times as this in Parliament or in the carefull execution thereof at all other times As for the making of them I will thus farre faithfully promise vnto you That I will euer preferre the weale of the body and of the whole Common-wealth in making of good Lawes and constitutions to any particular or priuate ends of mine thinking euer the wealth and weale of the Common-wealth to bee my greatest weale and worldly felicitie A point wherein a lawfull King doeth directly differ from a Tyrant But at this time I am onely thus farre to forewarne you in that point That you beware to seeke the making of too many Lawes for two especiall reasons First because In corruptissima Republica plurimae leges and the execution of good Lawes is farre more profitable in a Common-wealth then to burden mens memories with the making of too many of them And next because the making of too many Lawes in one Parliament will bring in confusion for lacke of leisure wisely to deliberate before you conclude For the Bishop said well to day That to Deliberation would a large time be giuen but to
Weale of his Estate And lastly if you will rightly consider the meanes and wayes how to bring all your labours to a good end you must remember That you are heere assembled by your lawfull King to giue him your best aduises in the matters proposed by him vnto you being of that nature which I haue already told wherein you are grauely to deliberate and vpon your consciences plainely to determine how farre those things propounded doe agree with the weale both of your King and of your Countrey whose weales cannot be separated And as for my selfe the world shall euer beare mee witnesse That I neuer shall propone any thing vnto you which shall not as well tend to the weale publike as to any benefite for me So shall I neuer oppone my selfe to that which may tend to the good of the Common-wealth for the which I am ordeined as I haue often said And as you are to giue your aduise in such things as shall by your King be proposed So is it on your part your dueties to propone any thing that you can after mature deliberation iudge to be needefull either for these ends already spoken of or otherwise for the discouery of any latent euill in the Kingdome which peraduenture may not haue commen to the Kings eare If this then ought to bee your graue maner of proceeding in this place Men should bee ashamed to make shew of the quicknesse of their wits here either in taunting scoffing or detracting the Prince or State in any point or yet in breaking iests vpon their fellowes for which the Ordinaries or Ale-houses are fitter places then this Honourable and high Court of Parliament In conclusion then since you are to breake vp for the reasons I haue already told you I wish such of you as haue any charges in your Countreys to hasten you home for the repressing of the insolencies of these Rebels and apprehension of their persons wherin as I heartily pray to the Almightie for your prosperous successe So doe I not doubt but we shall shortly heare the good newes of the same And that you shall haue an happie returne and meeting here to all our comforts Here the Lord Chancellor spake touching the proroguing of the Parliament And hauing done his Maiestie rose againe and said SInce it pleased God to graunt mee two such notable Deliueries vpon one day of the weeke which was Tuesday and likewise one day of the Moneth which was the fifth Thereby to teach mee That as it was the same deuill that still persecuted mee So it was one and the same GOD that still mightily deliuered mee I thought it therefore not amisse That the one and twentieth day of Ianuary which fell to be vpon Tuesday should bee the day of meeting of this next Session of Parliament hoping and assuring my selfe that the same GOD who hath now granted me and you all so notable and gracious a deliuerie shall prosper all our affaires at that next Session and bring them to an happie conclusion And now I consider GOD hath well prouided it that the ending of this Parliament hath bene so long continued For as for my owne part I neuer had any other intention but onely to seeke so farre my weale and prosperitie as might coniunctly stand with the flourishing State of the whole Common-wealth as I haue often told you So on the other part I confesse if I had bene in your places at the beginning of this Parliament which was so soone after mine entry into this Kingdome wherein ye could not possibly haue so perfect a knowledge of mine inclination as experience since hath taught you I could not but haue suspected and mis-interpreted diuers things In the trying whereof now I hope by your experience of my behauiour and forme of gouernment you are well ynough cleared and resolued A SPEACH TO BOTH THE HOVSES OF PARLIAMENT DELIVERED IN THE GREAT CHAMBER AT WHITE-HALL THE LAST DAY OF March 1607. MY Lords of the higher House and you Knights and Burgesses of the Lower house All men at the beginning of a Feast bring foorth good Wine first and after worse This was the saying of the Gouernour of the Feast at Cana in Galile where CHRIST wrought his first miracle by changing water into Wine But in this case now whereof I am to speake vnto you I must follow that Gouernours rule and not CHRISTS example in giuing you the worst and sowrest Wine last For all the time of this long Session of the Parliament you haue bene so fed and cloy'd specially you of the Lower house with such banquets and choise of delicate speeches and your eares so seasoned with the sweetnesse of long precogitate Orations as this my Speach now in the breaking vp of this Assembly cannot but appeare vnto your taste as the worst Wine proposed in the end of the Banquet since I am onely to deliuer now vnto you matter without curious forme substance without ceremonie trewth in all sinceritie Yet considering the Person that speaketh the parties to whom I speake the matter whereof I meane to speake it fits better to vtter matter rather then wordes in regard of the greatnesse of my place who am to speake to you the grauitie of you the Auditorie which is the high Court of Parliament the weight of the matter which concernes the securitie and establishment of this whole Empire and litle world Studied Orations and much eloquence vpon little matter is fit for the Vniuersities where not the Subiect which is spoken of but the triall of his wit that speaketh is most commendable but on the contrary in all great Councels or Parliaments fewest wordes with most matter doeth become best where the dispatch of the great errands in hand and not the praise of the person is most to bee looked vnto like the garment of a chaste woman who is onely set forth by her naturall beautie which is properly her owne other deckings are but ensignes of an harlot that flies with borrowed feathers And besides the conueniencie I am forced hereunto by necessitie my place calling me to action and not leauing me to the libertie of contemplation hauing alwayes my thoughts busied with the publique care of you all where euery one of you hauing but himselfe and his owne priuate to thinke of are at more leisure to make studied speeches And therefore the matter which I deliuer you confusedly as in a sacke I leaue it to you when you are in your chambers and haue better leysure then I can haue to ranke them in order euery one in their owne place Thus much by way of Preface But I proceed to the matter Whereof I might say with S. Paul I could speake in as many tongues as you all but I had rather speake three wordes to edification then talke all day without vnderstanding In vaine saith the Psalmist doeth the builder build the house or the watchman watch the Citie vnlesse the Lord giue his blessing thereunto And in the New Testament S.
haue is of three sorts All the Lawe of Scotland for Tenures Wards and Liueries Seigniories and Lands are drawen out of the Chauncerie of England and for matters of equitie and in many things else differs from you but in certaine termes Iames the first bred here in England brought the Lawes thither in a written hand The second is Statute lawes which be their Acts of Parliament wherein they haue power as you to make and altar Lawes and those may be looked into by you for I hope you shall be no more strangers to that Nation And the principall worke of this Vnion will be to reconcile the Statute Lawes of both Kingdomes The third is the Ciuill Law Iames the fift brought it out of France by establishing the Session there according to the forme of the Court of Parliament of Fraunce which he had seene in the time of his being there who occupie there the place of Ciuill udges in all matters of Plee or controuersie yet not to gouerne absolutely by the Ciuill Law as in Fraunce For if a man plead that the Law of the Nation is otherwise it is a barre to the Ciuill and a good Chauncellor or President will oftentimes repell and put to silence an Argument that the Lawyers bring out of the Ciuill Law where they haue a cleare solution in their owne Law So as the Ciuil Law in Scotland is admitted in no other cases but to supply such cases wherein the Municipall Law is defectiue Then may you see it is not so hard a matter as is thought to reduce that Countrey to bee vnited with you vnder this Law which neither are subiect to the Ciuill Lawe nor yet haue any olde Common Law of their owne but such as in effect is borrowed from yours And for their Statute Lawes in Parliament you may alter and change them as oft as occasion shall require as you doe here It hath likewise beene obiected as an other impediment that in the Parliament of Scotland the King hath not anegatiue voice but must passe all the Lawes agreed on by the Lords and Commons Of this I can best resolue you for I am the eldest Parliament man in Scotland and haue sit in more Parliaments then any of my Predecessors I can assure you that the forme of Parliament there is nothing inclined to popularitie About a twentie dayes or such a time before the Parliament Proclamation is made throughout the Kingdome to deliuer in to the Kings Clearke of Register whom you heere call the Master of the Rolles all Bills to be exhibited that Session before a certaine day Then are they brought vnto the King and perused and considered by him and onely such as I allowe of are put into the Chancellors handes to bee propounded to the Parliament and none others And if any man in Parliament speake of any other matter then is in this forme first allowed by mee The Chancellor tells him there is no such Bill allowed by the King Besides when they haue passed them for lawes they are presented vnto me and I with my Scepter put into my hand by the Chancellor must say I ratifie and approue all things done in this present Parliament And if there bee any thing that I dislike they rase it out before If this may bee called a negatiue voyce then I haue one I am sure in that Parliament The last impediment is the French liberties which is thought so great as except the Scots farsake Fraunce England cannot bee vnited to them If the Scottish Nation would bee so vnwilling to leaue them as is said it would not lye in their hands For the League was neuer made betweene the people as is mistaken but betwixt the Princes onely and their Crownes The beginning was by a Message from a King of Fraunce Charlemaine I take it but I cannot certainely remember vnto a King of Scotland for a League defensiue and offensiue betweene vs and them against England Fraunce being at that time in Warres with England The like at that time was then desired by England against Fraunce who also sent their Ambassadours to Scotland At the first the Disputation was long maintained in fauour of England that they being our neerest Neighbours ioyned in one continent and a strong and powerfull Nation it was more fitte for the weale and securitie of the State of Scotland to be in League and Amitie with them then with a Countrey though neuer so strong yet diuided by Sea from vs especially Englandlying betwixt vs and them where we might be sure of a suddaine mischiefe but behooued to abide the hazard of wind and weather and other accidents that might hinder our reliefe But after when the contrary part of the Argument was maintained wherein allegation was made that England euer sought to conquer Scotland and therefore in regarde of their pretended interest in the Kingdoome would neuer keepe any sound Amitie with them longer then they saw their aduantage whereas France lying more remote and clayming no interest in the Kingdome would therefore bee found a more constant and faithfull friend It was vnhappily concluded in fauour of the last partie through which occasion Scotland gate many mischiefes after And it is by the very tenour thereof ordered to bee renewed and confirmed from King to King successiuely which accordingly was euer performed by the mediation of their Ambassadours and therefore meerely personall and so was it renewed in the Queene my mothers time onely betweene the two Kings and not by assent of Parliament or conuention of the three Estates which it could neuer haue wanted if it had beene a League betweene the people And in my time when it came to be ratified because it appeared to be in odium tertii it was by me left vnrenewed or confirmed as a thing incompatible to my Person in consideration of my Title to this Crowne Some Priuiledges indeede in the Merchants fauour for point of Commerce were renewed and confirmed in my time wherein for my part of it there was scarce three Counsellours more then my Secretarie to whose place it belonged that medled in that matter It is trew that it behooued to be enterteined as they call it in the Court of Parliament of Paris but that onely serues for publication and not to giue it Authoritie That Parliament as you know being but a Iudiciall Seate of Iudges and Lawyers and nothing agreeing with the definition or office of our Parliaments in this Isle And therefore that any fruites or Priuiledges possessed by the League with Fraunce is able now to remaine in Scotland is impossible For ye may be sure that the French King stayes onely vpon the sight of the ending of this Vnion to cut it off himselfe Otherwise when this great worke were at an end I would be forced for the generall care I owe to all my Subiects to craue of France like Priuiledges to them all as Scotland alreadie enioyes seeing the personall friendship remaines as great betweene vs as betweene our
Progenitors and all my Subiects must be alike deare vnto me which either hee will neuer grant and so all will fall to the ground or else it will turne to the benefite of the whole Island and so the Scottish Priuiledges cannot hold longer then my League with France lasteth And for another Argument to prooue that this league is only betweene the Kings and not betweene the people They which haue Pensions or are priuie Intelligence giuers in France without my leaue are in no better case by the Law of Scotland then if they were Pensioners to Spaine As for the Scottish Guard in France the beginning thereof was when an Earle of Boghan was sent in aide of the French with tenne thousand men and there being made Constable and hauing obtained a victorie was murthered with the most of the Scottish Armie In recompense whereof and for a future securitie to the Scottish Nation the Scottish Guard was ordeined to haue the priuiledge and prerogatiue before all other Guards in guarding the Kings person And as for the last point of this subdiuision concerning the gaine that England may make by this Vnion I thinke no wise nor honest man will aske any such question For who is so ignorant that doeth not know the gaine will bee great Doe you not gaine by the Vnion of Wales And is not Scotland greater then Wales Shall not your Dominions bee encreased of Landes Seas and persons added to your greatnesse And are not your Landes and Seas adioyning For who can set downe the limits of the Borders but as a Mathematicall line or Idaea Then will that backe doore bee shut and those portes of Ianus be for euer closed you shall haue them that were your enemies to molest you a sure backe to defend you their bodies shall bee your aides and they must bee partners in all your quarrels Two snow-balls put together make one the greater Two houses ioyned make one the larger two Castle walles made in one makes one as thicke and strong as both And doe you not see in the Low countreys how auaileable the English and the Scottish are being ioyned together This is a point so plaine as no man that hath wit or honestie but must acknowledge it feelingly And where it is obiected that the Scottishmen are not tyed to the seruice of the King in the warres aboue forty dayes It is an ignorant mistaking For the trewth is That in respect the Kings of Scotland did not so abound in Treasure and money to take vp an Armie vnder pay as the Kings of England did Therefore was the Scottish Army wont to be raysed onely by Proclamation vpon the penaltie of their breach of alleageance So as they were all forced to come to the Warre like Snailes who carry their house about with them Euery Nobleman and Gentleman bringing with him their Tents money prouision for their house victuals of all sorts and all other necessaries the King supplying them of nothing Necessitie thereupon enforcing a warning to be giuen by the Proclamation of the space of their attendance without which they could not make their prouision accordingly especially as long as they were within the bounds of Scotland where it was not lawfull for them to helpe themselues by the spoile or wasting of the Countrey But neither is there any Law Prescribing precisely such a certaine number of dayes nor yet is it without the limits of the Kings power to keepe them together as many more dayes as hee list to renew his Proclamations from time to time some reasonable number of dayes before the expiring of the former they being euer bound to serue and waite vpon him though it were an hundreth yeere if need were Now to conclude I am glad of this occasion that I might Liberare animam meam You are now to recede when you meete againe remember I pray you the trewth and sincerity of my meaning which in seeking Vnion is onely to aduance the greatnesse of your Empire seated here in England And yet with such caution I wish it as may stand with the weale of both States What is now desired hath oft before bene sought when it could not bee obteined To refuse it now then were double iniquitie Strengthen your owne felicitie London must bee the Seate of your King and Scotland ioyned to this kingdome by a Golden conquest but cymented with loue as I said before which within will make you strong against all Ciuill and intestine Rebellion as without wee will bee compassed and guarded with our walles of brasse Iudge mee charitably since in this I seeke your equall good that so both of you might bee made fearefull to your Enemies powerfull in your selues and auaileable to your friendes Studie therefore hereafter to make a good Conclusion auoyd all delayes cut off all vaine questions that your King may haue his lawfull desire and be not disgraced in his iust endes And for your securitie in such reasonable points of restrictions whereunto I am to agree yee need neuer doubt of my inclination For I will not say any thing which I will not promise nor promise any thing which I will notsweare What I sweare I will signe and what I signe I shall with GODS grace euer performe A SPEACH TO THE LORDS AND COMMONS OF THE PARLIAMENT AT WHITE-HALL ON WEDNESDAY THE XXI OF MARCH ANNO 1609. WE being now in the middest of this season appointed for penitence and prayer it hath so fallen out that these two last dayes haue bene spent in a farre other sort of exercise I meane in Eucharisticke Sacrifice and gratulation of thankes presented vnto mee by both the parts of this body of Parliament and therefore to make vp the number of three which is the number of Trinitie and perfection I haue thought good to make this the third Day to be spent in this exercise As ye made mee a faire Present indeed in presenting your thankes and louing dueties vnto mee So haue I now called you here to recompence you againe with a great and a rare Present which is a faire and a Christall Mirror Not such a Mirror wherein you may see your owne faces or shadowes but such a Mirror or Christall as through the transparantnesse thereof you may see the heart of your King The Philosophers wish That euery mans breast were a Christall where-through his heart might be seene is vulgarly knowne and I touched it in one of my former Speaches vnto you But though that were impossible in the generall yet will I now performe this for my part That as it is a trew Axiome in Diuinitie That Cor Regis is in manu Domini So wil I now set Cor Regis in oculis populi I know that I can say nothing at this time whereof some of you that are here haue not at one time or other heard me say the like already Yet as corporall food nourisheth and mainteineth the body so doeth Reminiscentia nourish and mainteine memory I Will reduce to three
with a measure of glory conformed thereunto and so their workes follow them to obtaine that measure in that place wherof they were already assured by the meanes of faith in Christ onely For although the Sunne and the Moone and the starres be all bright lampes and lights of the heauen yet are they not all alike bright but the brightnesse of euery one of them is different from the other Alwayes let vs assure our selues that although our measures shall be vnequall yet from the greatest to the least all the vessels of mercie shall enioy in all fulnesse as much glory as they shal be able to containe and the vnequalitie of the measure shal be because they are notable euery one of them to containe alike in quantitie and the like shal be done with the measures of paines to the reprobate in hell 14 Then I beheld and loe I saw a white cloud and vpon the cloud sate one like a man hauing on his head a crowne of gold and in his hand a sharpe sickle 15 And an other Angel came out of the temple cried with a lowd voice to him that sate vpon the cloud Thrust in thy sickle to reape for the houre of thy reaping is come and the haruest of the earth is withered for ripenesse and readinesse to be cut He who was like the Sunne of man and was sitting on a white cloud was Christ in a bright cloud of glory crowned with a Crowne of victory all that was spoken of him here was to declare to me that the last dayes wherein his comming againe shal be shall be next following to the reuealing of Babylon by the reuiuing of the witnesses as ye heard in the end of the sixt Trumpet 16 At what time Christ shall gather his haruest of the elect together as I heard himselfe say while he was yet on earth among vs. 17 Then another Angel came forth of the Temple that is in heauen and he had an other sharp sickle in his hand 18 And an other Angel came from the Altar who had power ouer the fire and he cried with a lowd voice to him that had the other sharpe sickle saying Put downe thy sharpe sickle and gather the clusters of the Vine-trees for the grapes are ripe 19 Then the Angel put downe his sickle on the earth and gathered the Vines of the earth and cast them in the winepresse of the wrath of God For so soone as Christ hath gathered his haruest together then the reprobate are fully to be destroyed as is declared here by the Anges command who came from the Altar to wit as directed by Christ Thiâ— Angel had power ouer the fire to wit he had direction to destroy as he commanded the messenger of Gods plagues who had the sickle to doe it who at his command cut the Vines and cast them in the great Winepresse of Gods wrath to wit destroyed the reprobate in the abundance of the writh of God 20 And the Winepresse was troden without the Citie and the blood came out of the Winepresse euen to the horse bridles and spred to the bounds of one thousand and sixe hundred furlongs This is surely a great comfort to all the chosen that notwithstanding all the rest of the world except such as are Christes haruest whom he hath gathered together in the holy Citie the rest I say shal be destroyed in such a great number as their blood shall of deepenesse come to the horse bridles and ouerflow the whole land of Canaan whereof the number of furlongs or eight parts of miles ye heard is the length Yet though it ouerflow the whole earth which is signified by Canaan it shal be without the holy Citie which is in the middest of the land to wit although the trew Church shal be in the middest of the world as Ierusalem was in Canaan yet that destruction shall not make a haire of one of their heads to fall but it shal be without them and they fully exempted from it as the land of Goshen was from the plagues of Egypt CHAP. XV. ARGVMENT The faithfull praiseth God for the Popes destruction and their deliuerance The plagues which are to light on him and his followers is to be declared by the powring forth of the seuen Phials THen I saw another signe in heauen great and wonderfull to wit seuen Angels hauing the seuen last plagues for by them is fulfilled the wrath of God for the Spirit of God hauing already declared vnto me the generall destruction of the whole world which is without the holy citie hee next declared vnto me vnto my greater comfort the particular plagues that are to light vpon spirituall Babylon as a iust recompense of her sinnes and of the plagues that shee is to loade the earth withall and these are the seuen hinmost which are in the hands of the seuen Angels of whom there is here mention made 2 And I saw as it had beene a glassie Sea mixed with fire and they that had wonne the victory ouer the beast and ouer his image or embassadours and his character and the number of his name to wit from that time that the last beast rose out of the ruines of the other I saw these victours I say standing aboue or vpon this sea of glasse and they had the harpes of God For now hauing declared on the one part how vnhappie the state of Babylon shall be by the seuen last plagues which shall fall vpon it so on the other part by these who stand on the sea of glasse mixed with fire he declared vnto me what should be the blessed estate of the chosen at that time that these plagues shall fall vpon Babylon to wit of these victours for they shall reueale the Antichrist and deface him they shall hen behold the rest of the world which is here signified by the sea of glase and they shall haue the harpes of God to wit the praises of God in their mouthes because he hath mixed this glassie sea with fire to wit hath destroyed and made his iudgements to fall vpon this wicked world as their sorg which followes will declare 3 And they sung the song of Moses the seruant of God the song of the Lambe It was called the song of Moses as well because they did sing the praises of Gods iustice vpon this glassie Sea to the reuenge of the blood of his chosen as Moses sayth in the very last wordes of his Canticle as because Moses praised God for the deliuerance of his people from the corporall thraldome of Egypt and the song of the Lambe because they praised him for doing the like by relieuing the Church from the thraldome of the spirituall Egypt in the times of the Euangel and their song was this Great and wonderfull are thy workes O Lord God Almightie iust in punishment and trew for the performance of thy promises are thy wayes O King and defender of all thy Saints and trew followers 4 Who will notfeare O Lord
and glorifie thy Name since thou art onely perfectly holy for all nations shall come at the latter day and adore before thee since thy iudgements are now made manifest and lighted vpon the earth 5 And next after this I saw these particular plagues euery one for the which the Saints did thus praise God as followeth for I did looke and I saw the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimonie in heauen opened the like of this ye heard was done in the beginning of the seuenth Trumpet and for the same cause it was also done here to wit to shew the Arke of the couenant which was therein for thereby God did witnesse that hee was now mindfull of his promise by the sending out of these seuen Angels and seuen plagues which were now to be executed 6 And out of this Temple came seuen Angels for from the remembrance of his Arke and Couenant proceeded their direction and they were clothed with pure and white linnen for innocencie and puritie and girded about their breasts with gold for honour and glory 7 And one of the foure beasts gaue these Angels seuen Phials of golde full of the wrath of God that liues eternally and for all worlds to come These Angels are thus arayed and these golden and precious Phials of the wrath of God are giuen them by one of the foure beasts the most excellent creatures of God all to teach vs that as these plagues shall be most bitter to Babylon and her followers so shall they be most sweet to all the chosen for their deliuerance for they are to light vpon the wicked and no wayes to harme any of the holy Citie 8 And the Temple in heauen was filled with the smoake comming from the Maiestie of God and from his vertue and power And there could none go in into the Temple while the seuen plagues of the seuen Angels were fulfilled to teach vs that no flesh how guiltlesse soeuer it be can compeare before God when in his wrathfull face he is clothed with iustice but onely when with a cheerefull countenance clothed with mercy he stretcheth foorth his hands vnto vs. CHAP. XVI ARGVMENT By the first Phyale the Popes followers are plagued with sundry new and vnknowen diseases By the second Phiale all kinde of plagues Juch as sword famine and pestilence light vpon the nations that acknowledge him By the third are diuers Popes raised vp at one time who striuing for the seats fight among themselues and so they are iustly recompensed for shedding the blood of the Saints By the fourth the reuerence of him begins to waxe colde in the hearts of men By the fift his abuses begin to be discouered By the fixt his forces decay which he perceiuing houndeth out the Iesuits to gather all his forces to destroy the faithfull with whom God fights to his destruction By the seuenth the latter day is described and the Popedome rent asunder THen I heard a voice out of the Temple saying to these seuen Angels Goe powre foorth in great abundance vpon the earth the seuen Phials of the wrath of God for now they were to be shewen and to be described vnto me 2 Then the first Angel went to worke and powred foorth his Phiale on the earth and there fell a great and grieuous sore vpon all them that had the character of the beast or adored his image These plagues which were shewed to me were onely ordained to light on Babylon as I said before and therefore they mete vnto her with the measure that shee shall measure others with to wit they shall plague her and her followers with the like plagues that she shall plague others with corresponding aswell in number as in qualitie they also haue allusion to the plagues of Egypt because she is called spiritually Egypt as yee heard in the sixt Trumpet and so by this first plague is signified that as shee persecuted the faithfull and killed them as is declared in the sixt Trumpet and as Moses made a scabbe to come vpon all the Egyptians for Pharaohs sake so shall there fall a pestilent and pernicious sore vpon all his followers to wit they shall be troubled with diuers new and horrible diseases 3 Then the second Angel powred foorth his Phiale vpon the sea and the sea was made by it like the blood of a dead body and euery liuing thing in thesea died for as that beast should first so trouble thesea to wit the peoples and nations with persecuting all them who wil not adore her and by her abuse cause the world to become dead to all good workes and fruitfull faith as is declared by the vision where I saw her rise out of the sea and as Moses turned the redde sea into a corrupted blood with drowning the Egyptians which is here called the blood of a carrion by the which all the fishes therein were poisoned so shal the nations and the peoples which are the followers and partakers of Babylon be troubled with warres within and without and with all kinde of plagues such as pestilence and famine and such others 4 Then the third Angel powred foorth his phiale vpon the Riuers and fountaines of water and they became blood for as this false Church and grashoppers did corporally succeed to the fountaines of waters to wit the trew Pastours as ye heard in the third Trumpet and did assist their King Apollyon to persecute bloodily the liuely fountaines of waters or trew Pastours who yet remained vncorrupted as ye heard in the sixt Trumpet and as Moyses made all the riuers and fountaines of waters in Egypt to become blood so shall the teachers and heads of this false Church be diuided among themselues yea there shall be in three or foure diuers places three or foure diuers persons and euery one of them shall claime to be king of the locusts which question shall be decided by the cruell and bloodie edge of the sword And therefore to shew me how iustly that great persecutor of the Saints is now made to be the persecutor of himselfe diuided in diuers persons 5 I heard the Angel of the waters to wit the third Angel who powred these plagues vpon the waters vse these words Iust art thou O Lord who is who was and holy for that thou hast iudged these things 6 Because euen as they to wit these corrupt filthie and false fountaines of waters haue shed the blood of thy Saints and Prophets so hast thou now giuen them of blood to drinke for they are worthy of such a reward 7 Then I heard the voice of one from the Sanctuarie for confirmation hereof saying Certainely O Lord God trew and iust are thy Iudgements for thou hast perfourmed thy promise and hast iustly recompensed them 8 Then the fourth Angel powred foorth his phiale vpon the Sunne and power was giuen vnto him to afflict men with fire for euen as the Sunne was darkened in the fourth Trumpet to wit the speciall teachers did begin to fall