Thummim gaue he not his responses by the intralles of beasts by the singing of fowles and by their actions in the aire As God by visions dreames and extasies reuealed what was to come and what was his will vnto his seruants vsed hee not the like meanes to forewarne his slaues of things to come Yea euen as God loued cleanenesse hated vice and impuritie and appointed punishments therefore vsed he not the like though falsly I grant and but in eschewing the lesse inconuenience to draw them vpon a greater yet dissimuled he not I say so farre as to appoint his priests to keepe their bodies cleane and vndefiled before their asking responses of him And fained he not God to be a protectour of euery vertue and a iust reuenger of the contrarie This reason then mooues mee that as he is that same diuell and as crafty now as he was then so will he not spare as pertly in these actions that I haue spoken of concerning the Witches persons but further Witches of times confesse not only his conueening in the Church with them but his occupying of the Pulpit Yea their forme of adoration to be the kissing of his hinder parts Which though it seeme ridiculous yet may it likewise be trew seeing we reade that in Calicute he appearing in forme of a Goat-bucke hath publikely that vn-honest homage done vnto him by euery one of the people So ambitious is he and greedy of honour which procured his fall that he will euen imitate God in that part where it is said that Moyses could see but the hinder parts of God Exod. 33. for the brightnesse of his glory And yet that speech is spoken but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CHAP. IIII. ARGV What are the wayes possible whereby the Witches may transport themselues to places farre distant And what are impossible and meere illusions of Satan And the reasons thereof PHILOMATHES BVt by what way say they or thinke yee it possible they can come to these vnlawfull conuentions EPI There is the thing which I esteeme their senses to be deluded in and though they lie not in confessing of it because they thinke it to be trew yet not to be so in substance or effect for they say that by diuers meanes they may conueene either to the adoring of their Master or to the putting in practise any seruice of his committed vnto their charge one way is naturall which is naturall riding going or sailing at what houre their master comes and aduertises them and this way may be easily beleeued another way is some what more strange and yet it is possible to bee trew which is by being caried by the force of the spirit which is their conducter either aboue the earth or aboue the Sea swiftly to the place where they are to meete which I am perswaded to bee likewise possible in respect that as Habakkuk was carried by the Angel in that forme to the den where Daniel lay so thinke I the diuell will be readie to imitate God as well in that as in other things Apocrypha of Bel and the Dragon which is much more possible to him to doe being a Spirit then to a mighty wind being but a naturall Meteore to transport from one place to another a solide body as is commonly and daily seene in practise But in this violent forme they cannot be caried but a short bounds agreeing with the space that they may retaine their breath for if it were longer their breath could not remaine vnextinguished their body being caried in such a violent and forcible maner as by example If one fall off a small height his life is but in perill according to the hard or soft lighting but if one fall from an high and stay rocke his breath will be forcibly banished from the body before he can win to the earth as is oft seene by experience And in this transporting they say themselues that they are inuisible to any other except amongst themselues which may also be possible in my opinion For if the deuill may forme what kinde of impressions he pleases in the aire as I haue said before speaking of Magie why may hee not farre easilier thicken and obscure so the aire that is next about them by contracting it straite together that the beames of any other mans eyes cannot pierce thorow the same to see them But the third way of their comming to their conuentions is that wherein I thinke them deluded for some of them say that being transformed in the likenesse of a little beast or foule they will come and pierce through whatsoeuer house or Church though all ordinarie passages be closed by whatsoeuer open the aire may enter in at And some say that their bodies lying still as in an extasie their spirits will be rauished out of their bodies and caried to such places and for verifying thereof will giue euident tokens as well by witnesses that haue seene their body lying sencelesse in the meane time as by naming persons whom-with they met and giuing tokens what purpose was amongst them whom otherwise they could not haue knowen for this forme of iourneying they affirme to vse most when they are transported from one countrey to another PHI. Surely I long to heare your owne opinion of this for they are like old wiues trattles about the fire The reasons that mooue me to thinke that these are meere illusions are these First for them that are transformed in likenesse of beasts or foules can enter through so narrow passages although I may easily beleeue that the diuell could by his workmanship vpon the aire make them appeare to be in such formes either to themselues or to others yet how he can contract a solide body within so little roome I thinke it is directly contrary to it selfe for to be made so little and yet not diminished to be so straitly drawen together and yet feele no paine I thinke it is so contrary to the qualitie of a naturall bodie and so like to the little transubstantiate god in the Papists Masse that I can neuer beleeue it So to haue a quantitie is so proper to a solide body that as all Philosophers conclude it cannot be any more without one then a spirit can haue one Actes 12. For when Peter came out of the prison and the doores all locked it was not by any cōtracting of his body in so little roome but by the giuing place of the doore though vnespied by the Gaylors And yet is there no comparison when this is done betwixt the power of God and of the diuel As to their forme of extasie and spirituall transporting it is certaine the soules going out of the body is the onely definition of naturall death and who are once dead God forbid we should thinke that it should lie in the power of all the diuels in hell to restore them to their life againe although he can put his owne spirit in a dead body which the Necromancers commonly practise
Thus ye see how shamefully he abuseth CHRISTS words who in three sundry places as I haue said interpreteth the second comming of Elias to be meant by Iohn the Baptist He likewise cauils most dishonestly vpon that word Venturus For CHRIST vseth that word but in the repeating their opinion but interpreting it that he was already come in the person of Iohn Baptist. Matt. 17.11 As if hee had said The prophecie is indeed trew that Elias shall come but I say vnto you that Elias iam venit meaning of Iohn Baptist and so he first repeats the words of the prophecie in the future time as the Prophet spake them and next sheweth them to be now accomplished in the person of Iohn in the present time Malach. 4.5 Matth. 27. Neither can these words of Malachie Dies magnus borribilis falsifie CHRISTS Commentarie vpon him For if that day whereupon the Sauiour of the world suffered when the 1 This obscuring of the Sunne was so extraordinary and fearefull that Dionysius onely led by the light of Nature and humane learning cried out at the sight thereof Aut Deus patitur aut vices patientis dolet Mala. 4.6 Sunne was totally obscured from the sixt houre to the ninth the Vaile of the Temple rent asunder from the top to the bottome and the earth did quake the stones were clouen the graues did open themselues and the dead arose◠If that day I say was not a great and horrible day I know not what to call a horrible day Which day no doubt had destroyed the whole nation of the Iewes without exception by a iust Anatheme if the said Iohn the fore-runner had not first conuerted many by the doctrine of Repentance and by Baptisme But why should I presume any more to interprete Malachie since it is sufficient that CHRIST himselfe hath interpreted him so And since Ipse dixit nay ter dixit per quem facta sunt omnia what mortall man dare interprete him otherwise nay directly contrary Now for that place of Ecclesiasticus Ecclus. 48.8 as the son of Sirach onely borroweth it from Malachie as appeareth by these words of his Mala. 4.6 of conuerting the sonnes hearts to their fathers which are Malachies own words so doth CHRISTS Cōmentary serue as well to interprete the one as the other it being no shame for that mortal Iesus to be commented interpreted by the immortall and trew IESVS though to the shame confusion of the Iesuits heresies herein But Enoch must be ioyned to Elias in this errand onely to beare vp the couples as I thinke For no place of Scripture speaketh of his returning againe onely it is said in Ecclesiasticus the 44. that Enoch pleased GOD and was translated to Paradise vt daret Gentibus sapientiam or poenitentiam Ecclus. 44.16 since they will haue it so And what is this to say marry that Enoch shall returne againe to this world and fight against the Antichrist A prettie large Comment indeed but no right Commentary vpon that Text. When Bellarmine was talking of Elias he insisted That Elias must come to conuert the Iewes principally restituere tribus Iacob But when he speaketh here of Enoch he must dare Gentibus paenitentiam and not a word of Iewes Belike they shall come for sundry errands and not both for one Or like Paul and Peter the one shall be Apostle for the Iewes and the other for the Gentiles What need such wilde racked Commentaries for such three wordes Will not the sense stand well and clearely enough that Enoch pleased GOD and was translated to Paradise that by the example of his reward the Nations might repent and imitate his Holy footsteps For what could more mightily perswade the Nations to repent then by letting them see that holy Man carried quicke vp to Heauen for reward of his vprightnesse whereas all the rest of the people died and went to corruption And where Scripture faileth the Cardinall must helpe himselfe with the Fathers to prooue both that Enoch and Elias are yet aliue and that they shall hereafter die but with the like felicitie as in his alledging of Scriptures to vse his owne words of mee in his 2 Pag. 27. pamphlet For which purpose he citeth fiue Fathers Irenaeus Tertullian Epiphanius Hierome and Augustine Vpon this they all agree in deed that Enoch and Elias are still aliue both which no Christian I hope will denie For Abraham Isaac and Iacob are all still aliue Mart. 22 32. as CHRIST telleth vs for God is Deus viuentium non mortuorum Much more then are Enoch and Elias aliue who neuer tasted of death after the maner of other men But as to the next point that they should die hereafter Lib. 5. his first two witnesses Irenaeus and Tertullian say the direct contrary For Irenaeus saith that they shall remaine in Paradise till the consummation conspicantes incorruptionem Now to remaine there till the consummation and to see incorruption is directly contrary to their returning to the world againe and suffering of death Lib cont Iudeos cap. 2. Tertullian likewise agreeing hereunto saith most clearely That Enoch hath neuer tasted of death vt aeternitatis candidatus now he is ill priuiledged with eternitie if he must die againe As for his places cited out of the other three Fathers they all confirme that first point That they are stil aliue but that they must die again they make no mention But he speaking of the Ancient Fathers let mee take this occasion to forewarne you concerning them That though they mistake and vnderstand not rightly many mysteries in the Apocalyps it is no wonder For the booke thereof 2. Thess 2. was still sealed in their dayes And though the mysterie of iniquitie was already working yet was not the man of Sinne yet reuealed And it is a certaine rule in all darke prophecies That they are neuer clearely vnderstood till they be accomplished And thus hauing answered his two places in the Old Testament by his third in the New Testament conteining Christs owne words which being luce clariora I need speake no more of them I am now to speake of the fourth place of Scripture which is in the xj of the Apocalyps For the two Witnesses forsooth there mentioned Reuelat. 11. must be Enoch and Elias But how this can stand with any point of Diuinitie or likelihood of reason that these two glorified Bodies shall come downe out of heauen or Paradise make it what you will preach and fight against the Antichrist bee slaine by him after many thousand yeeres exempted from the naturall course of death rise againe the third day in imitation of CHRIST and then hauing wrought many wonders to goe vp againe to Heauen making an ordinary Poste betwixt Heauen and Earth how this I say can agree either with Diuinitie or good Reason I confesse it passeth my capacitie And especially that they must be clad in Sackcloth whose bodies I hope
haue bene so long agone free from sinne as I thinke they shall neede no more such maceration for sinne For they must be now either in Heauen or Paradise If in heauen as doubtlesse they are their bodies must bee glorified for no corruptible thing can enter there Reuel 21.27 and consequently they can no more bee subiect to the sensible things of this world especially to death But if they be in earthly Paradise we must first know where it is Bellarmine indeed in his Controuersies is much troubled to finde out the place where Paradise is Lib de Grat. primi hominis and whether it bee in the earth or in the ayre But these are all vanities The Scriptures tell vs Gen. 2. that Paradise and the garden of Eden therein was a certaine place vpon the earth which GOD chose out to set Adam into and hauing thereafter for his sinne banished him from the same it is a blasphemie to thinke that any of Adams posteritie came euer there againe For in Adam were all his posteritie accursed and banished from the earthly Paradise like as all the earth in generall and Paradise in speciall were accursed in him the second Adam hauing by grace called a certaine number of them to bee Coheritours with him of the heauenly Paradise and Ierusalem And doubtlesly the earthly Paradise was defaced at the Flood if not before and so lost all that exquisite fertilitie and pleasantnesse wherein it once surpassed all the rest of the earth And that it should be lifted vp in the ayre is like one of the dreames of the Alcoran Surely no such miracle is mentioned in the Scriptures and hath no ground but from the curious fancies of some boyling braines who cannot be content Sapere ad sobrietatem Rom. 12.3 In heauen then for certaine are Enoch and Elias Gen 5.24 2. King 2.10 11. for Enoch saith the Text walked with GOD and was taken vp and Elias was seene catied vp to heauen in a fierie chariot And that they who haue beene the In-dwellers of Heauen these many thousand yeeres and are freed from the Lawes of mortalitie that these glorious and incorruptible bodies I say shall come in the world againe preach and worke miracles and fighting against the Antichrist be slaine by him whom naturall death could not before take hold of as it is a fabulous inuention so is it quite contrary to the nature of such sanctified creatures Especially I wonder why Enoch should bee thought to bee one of these two Witnesses for CHRIST For it was Moses and Elias that were with CHRIST at the transsiguration signifying the Law and the Prophets which would be the fittest witnesses for conuincing of Antichrist But why they haue exempted Moses and put Enochs head in the yoake I cannot conceiue So as I haue too much laboured in the refuting of this foolish and indeed childish fable which I am so farre from beleeuing in any sort as I protest in GODS presence I cannot hold any learned Diuine in our aage now to be a Christian that will beleeue it but worthy to bee ranked with the Scribes and Pharises that raued and dreamed vpon the comming againe of Elias though CHRIST told them the contrary As for some of the Ancients that mistooke this matter I doe not censure them so hardly for the reason that I haue already alleaged concerning them And hauing now refuted that idle fable that those two Witnesses were Enoch and Elias it falleth mee next to guesse what in my opinion should bee meant by them I confesse it is farre easier to refute such a groundlesse fable as this is contrary to all grounds of Diuinitie and Reason then to set downe a trew interpretation of so high and darke a Mistery And therefore as I will not presume to bind any other man to my opinion herein if his owne reason leade him not thereunto so shall I propone such probable coniectures as I hope shall be free from Heresie or vnlawfull curiositie In two diuers fashions may the Mysterie of these Witnesses be lawfully and probably interpreted in my opinion Whereof the one is that by these two Witnesses should be meant the Old and New Testaments For as the Antichrist cannot chuse but bee an aduersary to the Word of GOD aboue all things so will hee omit no endeuour to disgrace corrupt suppresse and destroy the same And now whether this Booke of the two Testaments or two Witnesses of CHRIST haue suffered any violence by the Babylonian Monarchie or not I need say nothing Res ipsaloquitur I will not weary you with recounting those Common Places vsed for disgracing it as calling it a Nose of waxe a dead Letter a leaden Rule a hundreth such like phrases of reproch But how farre the Traditions of men and authoritie of the Church are preferred to these Witnesses doeth sufficiently appeare in the Babylonian doctrine And if there were no more but that little booke Cardinall Peâ—on with that prettie Inscription De l'Insuffisance de l'Escriture Sainte it is enough to proue it And as to the corrupting therof the corruptions of the old Latine transltion must not be corrected Luke 15.8 though it bid euertere domum in stead of euerrere Iohn 21.22 23. for seeking of a penie and though it say of Iohn Sic eum volo manere donec veniam in place of Si though it be knowne a plaine Lie and that the very next words of the Text disproue the same Nay so farre must wee be from correcting it as that the Vulgar Translation must be preferred by Catholikes to the Bible in the owne Originall tongue And is it a small corrupting of Scriptures to make all or the most part of the Apocrypha of equall faith with the Canonicall Scriptures contrary to the Fathers opinions and Decrees of ancient Councels And what blasphemous corrupting of Scripture is it to turne Dominus into Domina throughout the whole Psalmes Made by Boneuentura Doctor Seraphicus And thus our Ladies Psalter was lately reprinted in Paris Is not this to confound CHRISTS person with hers And as for suppressing of the Scriptures how many hundreth yeeres were the people kept in such blindenes as these Witnesses were almost vnknowne for the Layicks durst not being forbidden and the most part of the Cleargie either would or could not meddle with them Thus were these two Witnesses of CHRIST whom of himselfe saith Scrutamini Scriptur as Iohn 5.39 illae enim testimonium perhibent de me These 1 Reuel 11.4 two Oliues bringing peace to all the beleeuers euen peace of Conscience These 2 Ibid. two Candlesticks standing in the sight of GOD and giuing light to the Nations represented by Candlesticks euen in the very order of the Roman Masse See Expositio Missae annexed to Ordo Romanus set forth by G. Cassander Thus were these two Witnesses I say disgraced corrupted and suppressed nay so suppressed and silenced as he was brent
and their deliuerance promised Their blessed estate in the meane time in the fift The day of Iudgement and the terriblenesse thereof in the sixt AFter this I looked to see when the Lambe opened the first Seale and loe I heard one of the foure beasts for they were appointed to assist me in the time of these Visions as the most excellent creatures of God and his voice was like a thunder making me awake with terrour to take heede to these great and terrible Prophesies which God was to declare vnto me and hee said Come and see 2 Then I looked and did see a white horse and he that sate on him had a bow in his hand Zach. 1.8 Zach. 6.2 3. and a Crowne giuen vnto him and hee came foorth a Victour to winne and ouercome This man comming on the white horse was the comming and incarnation of our Bright and Innocent Sauiour armed with a bow for euer since his comming till now and a space hereafter the dart and arrow of God to wit the holy Spirit by the preaching of the Gospel doeth subdue and bring the world vnder his subiection and taketh vengeance of his enemies His crowne is giuen to him by his Father in token of his victory ouer the second death and as King of the Catholike Church to crowne the faithfull Conuersion of the Gentiles and so he commeth foorth a Victour ouer Satan and to ouercome by once conuerting a great part of the world to the trew knowledge of God This mysterie is already begunne but is not yet accomplished 3 And when he opened the second Seale 4 Loe there came forth a red horse and there was power giuen to him that sate on him to take away peace from the earth that euery one might slay one another and there was giuen him for that purpose a great sword for with the spreading of the Euangel and rooting of the trueth in the hearts of the nations Persecution of the body by the Ciuill sword in the second Seale Continuation of trew pastors after the Martyres shall a bloody persecution of Tyrants by the ciuil sword be ioyned which is meant by the rider on the red horse but notwithstanding the Euangel shall spread and flourish for such is the power of God resisting the pride of man that vnder the Crosse the puritie of the trueth most flourisheth in the Church 5 And when he opened the third Seale the third Beast said vnto me Come and see and loe I did see a blacke horse and hee that sate vpon him had balances in his hand 6 And I heard a voice from among the foure Beasts saying A measure of Wheat for one peny and three measures of Barley for one peny but wine and oyle harme thou not for after that this first mysterie shall be accomplished not onely dearth and famine shall ensue the contempt of the trueth but God shall permit Satan to tempt and vexe his Church with a cloud of diuers and dangerous heresies which may be meant by the rider on the blacke horse for the blackenesse and darkenesse of them Heresies ment in the third Seale shall obscure the light of the Gospel but yet God to assure vs that hee will neuer forget his owne speakes from his Throne comforting vs thereby that although as the balances and measure signifies good men shall bescant who are the fine wheat and barley of his haruest Luke 3. yet some shall there be that shall not bow their knee to Baal no not in straighter times that shall come after and alwayes giues vs assurance that the word and trueth of God which is an eternall Oyle and comfortable Vine shall neuer be destroyed nor any wayes corrupted in spight of all the malice of Satan in his instruments 7 And when hee opened the fourth Seale the fourth Beast said vnto me Come and see 8 Then I beheld and loe I did see a pale horse and the name of him that sate vpon him was Death This is the greatest and heauiest plague for after that the persecutions and heresies shall take an ende and that infirmitie and coldnesse haue cropen into the Church The Popedom is meant by the pale horse in the fourth Seale of heresie and ciuil tyranny then shall God redouble his former plagues by permitting Satan to erect a tyrannie composed of both these former plagues for it shall be full of heresie like the one and full of ciuill and temporall tyrannie like the other and therefore because it brings with it al maner of death both of body and soule the rider is iustly called Death as the fountaine of all the sorts of the same and the palenesse of the horse is correspondent in all points to the qualitie of the rider for as the rider is called Death so the colour of palenesse represents the same and as the riders qualities are composed of heresies and tyrannie so the colour of pale is composed chiefly of blacke and red And hell followed after him to the vtter damnation of him and his followers And power was giuen him ouer the fourth part of the earth to wit the rest who are not ouercome by the other three riders for all they who were not marked by the white horse nor killed in body by the red nor killed in soule by the blacke are killed both in body and soule by this last And as he hath power of destroying thus giuen him ouer the fourth part of the earth so by foure plagues specially doeth he execute the same to wit by Sword Hunger Death and the Beasts of the earth These plagues allude to the plagues mentioned in the Canticle of Moses for this tyrannie shall begin with persecution Scarcitie of trew Pastors and worshipping The cruelty of the Popes tyranny this persecution shall cause a hunger and great scarcitie of the true worship of God this hunger shall breed a second and eternall death and this tyranny shall then end with a crueller and bloodier persecution of the bodies then euer was before which shall be so barbarous that it is compared in this Vision to the execution vsed by wilde beasts vpon offenders and shall spare no degree sexe nor aage no more then beasts doe 9 But when he opened the fift Seale I did see vnder the Altar the soules of them that were slaine for the word of God and for his Testimonie which they maintained 10 And they cryed with a lowd voice saying How long wilt thou delay O Lord since thou art holy and trew to reuenge iudge our blood vpon them that dwel on the earth for this last persecution did enter so fiercely into the world and did make so great a number of Martyrs that their soules lying vnder the Altar to wit in the safegard of IESVS CHRIST who is the only Altar Hose 14.3 whereupon and by whom it is onely lawfull to vs Hebr. 13.15 to offer the sacrifice of our hearts and lips to wit our humble prayers to God
comming to wit instructed and inspired by Satan to bee his embassadour and to teach his false doctrine to the counterfeit church as well as the true Pastours are the Embassadours of God to the true Church He is called Abaddon or Apollyon because as hee is both a spirituall and ciuill Monarch so he destroyes and killes both body and soule as I tolde you in the fourth seale where hee is called Death for the same cause that hee is called heere Destroyer 12 One woe is past and loe two come after for this which by the fift Trumpet is declared is the first of the three last and greatest plagues whereunto I wished you to take speciall heed and therefore take good heed to the other two blasts of the trumpets that follow 13 Then the sixt Angel blewe and I heard a voice comming from among the foure hornes of the golden Altar that stands euer before the eyes of God saying these words to the next Angel that had a Trumpet Loose these foure Angels bound at the great water Euphrates 14 Now the summons and warning being giuen by the sixt blast of the trumpet of the sixt and fearefull plague that was to come this command of Christ which is the voice here mentioned comes to the sixt Angel commanding him to doe as ye now haue heard For although the trumpet was alreadie blowen yet the execution followes not while Christ command and permit it for these foure Angels mentioned here are the same who were standing before vpon the foure airths of the earth ready to destroy the same who were then as you heard stayed by Christ while first he had sealed his owne who now being all sealed because this is the last plague that is to come vpon the world except that of the consummation Christ therefore commands them to be loosed for they were before stayed as it were bound to the effect they might now put in execution these things which they were ready to doe When they were stayed it is said they were bound at the great riuer Euphrates alluding hereby to the history of Balthasar in Daniel for as Euphrates diuided Babylon from the Persians and the Assyrians which they crossed when they slew Balthasar so this command of stay giuen to these Angels by Christ was that great riuer Euphrates beyond the which they were bound for they had no power to crosse it and to plague the world while first all his chosen were sealed and that hee had loosed and permitted them as by this command here is done 15 And so these foure Angels were loosed who were readie at the houre the day the moneth and the yeere to slay the third part of men to wit they were ready at the very moment prescribed to them by God to destroy all men except such as were sealed ouer whom they had no power and such as were reserued to the destruction of the last plague to wit the consummation and so the third part was left to them to destroy Now followes the plague of the sixt trumpet 16 And first I saw an armie of horsemen the number whereof were two hundred thousand thousand for I heard the number reckoned this double great number signifies that there shall be raised vp at one time two great Monarchies and seats of Tyrants one ruling in the East and another in the West who shal cruelly persecute the Church 17 And in this vision likewise I saw horses whose riders had brestplates of fire of Hyacinth and brimstone and the heads of the horses were like the heads of Lions and from their mouthes came fire smoke and brimstone noting that with fiery rage smokie pride and pretences and loathsome and wicked courses these two Monarches the one secular the other Ecclesiasticall shall conquer and possesse the greatest part of the world These horses are a part yet not the least part of the forces of one of these Monarches in whose description it is most insisted because he is the Destroyer of whom it is spoken in the fift Trumpet where hee is named Abaddon These horses and their riders are the last order and sect of his Ecclesiasticall swarme Their brestplates to wit their worldly defence is composed of fire that is persecution of the body for they shall haue greater credit at the hands of Princes then all these grashoppers spoken of in the fift Seale and so shall vse their forces to defend themselues therewith They are composed of the Hyacinth for as this herbe is darke and of a smoking colour and bitter to the taste so shall they be defended and maintained by the craft of their darke and bitter heresies which in the third Trumpet are called Wormewood as here they are called Hyacynth and they are composed of brimstone which signifieth the loathsomnesse and stench of sinne and the flame and force of hell fire to wit Satan the authour of the one and ruler of the other shall by all maner of craft defend them as his speciall instruments and the last vermine bred and come vp from the smoke of the bottomlesse pit And they shall not onely haue power to defend themselues by these three meanes but they shall also pursue and persecute the faithfull which is meant by their horses heads like to the heads of Lions that is able to deuoure The meanes whereby they deuoure are the same whereby they defend themselues to wit by the power of Princes to persecute the bodies by false and hereticall bragges and sleights which are here called Smoake and by the drifts and frauds of Satan in diuers fashions to deceiue and inflame the soule which craft of Satan is here resembled to brimstone 18 By these three plagues are slaine the third part of men to wit by fire smoake and brimstone which came out of their mouthes to wit their malice and strength shall be so great as they shall vse all meanes wherewith the third part of men shal be destroyed although these meanes shall not be vsed by them onely to worke this great destruction with 19 For their strength is not in their mouthes onely as ye haue presently heard but it is also in their tailes for their tailes are like the tailes of serpents hauing stings whereby they doe harme In this they shall be like vnto the grashoppers 20 But not the lesse the wicked shall be so hard hearted as the rest of them who were not destroyed by the plagues of this trumpet shall not repent nor desist from the workmanship of their hands to wit from Idolatry and adoring of deuils and of images of golde of siluer of brasse of stone and of wood who neither can see heare nor goe whereof this hereticall Monarch is the punishment 21 Nor yet will they repent them nor desist from breaking the second Table by slaughters sorceries fornications thefts whereof that other Monarch who onely persecutes the body is the reuenge scourge and plague CHAP. X. ARGVMENT Iohn heares the explication of these mysteries which was written
by this that the persecution of this Destroyer shall last the halfe to wit it shall reigne about the midst of the last aage of this whole weeke which begins at his incarnation and first comming and ends at his last comming againe which because it is the last period it is here compared to a weeke 3 But I shall giue that holy towne to two witnesses of mine who clothed with sackecloth shall prophesie the space of one thousand two hundred and threescore dayes for these my successours he shall raise vp as witnesses to wit a sufficient number of them for out of the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word is confirmed to witnesse that their doctrine is false who persecute the Church which he shal giue vnto them for he shall make them their patrons to defend and feed them by the power of the true word and they shall preach repentance to that counterfeit Church and therefore they are said to be clothed in sackecloth And to assure vs to our great comfort that in all the time of blindnesse God shall euer be raising vp some of these two witnesses against the hypocriticall Destroyer and to comfort and confirme his true Church it is said They shall prophesie the number of dayes that yee haue heard which is correspondent iustly to the moneths before mentioned to wit they shall not leaue off to witnesse all the time of the Antichristian kingdome 4 These witnesnesses are two greene Oliues who anoint the Elect with that holy oyle and two Candlestickes as Christ said to enlighten the world with their brightnesse who are set downe and doe their office in the presence of him who is Lord and ruler of the earth 5 And if any shal presse to harme them fire shall come out of their mouthes and deuoure their enemies for whosoeuer will doe them any hurt himselfe must be slaine so to wit the holy Spirit who is the fire in their mouth shall accuse and cause to be destroyed with the second death all them that either persecute them or will not heare or obey their doctrine 6 These witnesses haue power to shut heauen that it raine not in the dayes of their prophesie and they haue power ouer the waters to turne them into blood and to strike the earth with euery kinde of plague so often as they please for hee shall authorize them and their message with as sure testimonies as the shutting of the heauen and stay of the raine was vnto Elias so long as he forespake it should be so and as vnto Moyses the turning of the waters into blood and the striking of the earth of the land of Egypt with diuers and sundry plagues 7 But these shall be witnesses by their death as well as by their life For how soone any of them shall haue runne that course in the earth which God hath appointed them they shall be persecuted ouercome and slaine by that beast the Angel of that bottomlesse pit and king of the locusts and that great towne seat of the Monarchy shal publikely put them down as malefactours 8 So as their dead bodies or carkeises shall lie in the streets thereof And this towne is spiritually called Sodom because of the spirituall adultery to wit Idolatrie that it shall commit and maintaine and spiritually Egypt because it shall oppresse and intollerably burthen the soules of the chosen euen as Egypt captiuated the bodies and burthened the backes of the people of Israel and in that towne also was our Lord crucified for where Christs members are put to death for their Masters cause as this towne and Kings therof shal do there is Christ himselfe crucified in effect and his crucifying shal be as wel imputed to them as to Iudas who betrayed him 9 And men of all tribes peoples tongues and nations shall see their carkeises the space of three dayes and a halfe and they shall not be suffered to be buried in sepulchres 10 And the inhabitants of the earth shall be glad and reioyce for their slaughters and shall send gifts one to another in token of ioy because they are made quit of these two prophets who tormented the indwellers of the earth for the whole world who are not in Sancto Sanctorum shall not onely suffer but allow that these witnesses be not onely slaine but also be so cruelly vsed an contemned as not to be suffered to be buried amongst others And the whole earth shall reioyce at their death because that euen as Achab blamed Elias for troubling of Israel so shall the world thinke these witnesses troublesome vnto them because they discouer vnto them their shamefulnesse and call them to the repentance thereof 11 And thus shall they be contemned for the space of three dayes and a halfe to wit of three yeeres and a halfe which signifies that during the space of the Antichrists reigne they shall be thus vsed but after the space of three dayes and an halfe the Spirit of life comming from God shall enter into them and they shall be set vpon their feete and a great feare shall fall vpon them that did see them before 12 And they heard a great voice from the heauen saying vnto them Come vp bither then they ascended vp into heauen and their enemies saw them doe so for although that during the flourishing of this hereticall and bypocriticall Monarchie the trew Pastours no sooner appeared then they were put to death yet at the last this Monarchie shall begin to decay when the three yeeres or the three dayes and an halfe thereof shall be expired and then shall the Spirit of life from God to wit the holy Spirit sent from God worke mightier in the latter Pastours of these dayes so as in them shall the by-past Martyrs be reuiued and their doctrine shall take roote in the hearts of many and their reasons shal be so pithie as the Antichristian sect and the rest of the world shall know as perfectly that they shall preuaile as if they heard God call them to heauen to reward them there for their victory Neither shall they haue power of their liues for God shall mooue the hearts of many to defend them in such glory and safetie as if they were mounting vp to heauen in a cloud and they not able to hinder them 13 And then at that time shall be a great earthquake to wit great tumults among nations and the tenth part of the citie shall fall This citie is diuided in tenne parts to shew it is the same Monarchie that shall afterwards be described by a beast with ten heads And by the falling of the tenth part thereof is meant that diuers nations shall shake off the yoke of that Monarchie and so a part of the strength of that citie shall decay and there was slaine in that earthquake seuen thousand men to wit a great number of men shal be slaine in these tumults and the rest were afraid and gaue glory vnto the God of Heauen for these tumults
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
the whole Dialogue CHAP. I. ARGV The diuision of Spirits in foure principall kindes The description of the first kinde of them called Spectra vmbrae mortuorum What is the best way to be free of their trouble PHILOMATHES I Pray you now then goe forward in telling what ye thinke fabulous or may be trowed in that case EPI That kind of the diuels cōuersing in the earth may be diuided in foure different kindes whereby he affraieth and troubleth the bodies of men For of the abusing of the soule I haue spoken alreadie The first is where spirits trouble some houses or solitarie places The second where Spirits follow vpon certaine persons and at diuers houres trouble them The third when they enter within them and possesse them The fourth is these kinde of Spirits that are called vulgarly the Fairie Of the three former kinds ye heard already how they may artificially be made by Witchcraft to trouble folke now it restes to speake of their naturall comming as it were and not raised by Witchcraft But generally I must forewarne you of one thing before I enter in this purpose that is that although in my discoursing of them I deuide them in diuers kinds ye must notwithstanding thereof note my phrase of speaking in that For doubtleslie they are in effect but all one kinde of Spirits who for abusing the more of mankinde take on these sundrie shapes and vse diuers formes of outward actions as if some were of nature better then other Now I returne to my purpose As to the first kinde of these spirits that were called by the ancients by diuers names according as their actions were For if they were Spirits that haunted some houses by appearing in diuers and horrible formes and making great dinne they were called Lemures or Spectra If they appeared in likenesse of any defunct to some friends of his they were called vmbraemortuorum And so innumerable stiles they got according to their actions as I haue said alreadie as we see by experience how many stiles they haue giuen them in our language in the like maner Of the appearing of these Spirits we are certified by the Scriptures Esay 13. Iere. 50. where the Prophet Esay 13. and 34. Chap. threatning the destruction of Ierusalem declares that it shall not onely be wracked but shall become so great a solitude as it shall be the habitacle of Howlets and of Zijm and Ijm which are the proper Hebrew names for these Spirits The cause why they haunt sollitarie places it is by reason that they may affray and brangle the more the faith of such as them alone hauntes such places For our nature is such as in companies we are not so soone moued to any such kind of feare as being sollitarie which the diuel knowing well enough he will not therefore assaile vs but when wee are weake And besides that God will not permit him so to dishonour the societies and companies of Christians as in publicque times and places to walke visiblie amongst them On the other part when he troubles certaine houses that are dwelt in it is a sure token either of grosse ignorance or of some grosse and slanderous sinnes amongst the inhabitants thereof which God by that extraordinarie rod punishes PHI. But by what way or passage can these Spirits enter into these houses seeing they alledge that they will enter doore and window being steiked EPI They will choose the passage for their entresse according to the forme that they are in at that time For if they haue assumed a dead bodie whereinto they lodge themselues they can easily enough open without dinne any doore or window and enter in thereat And if they enter as a Spirit onely any place where the aire may come in at is large enough an entrie for them For as I said before a Spirit can occupie no quantitie PHI. And will God then permit these wicked Spirits to trouble the rest of a dead bodie before the resurrection thereof Or if hee will so I thinke it should be of the reprobate onely EPI What more is the rest troubled of a dead bodie when the diuell caries it out of the graue to serue his turne for a space nor when the Witches take it vp and ioynts it or when as Swine wortes vp the graues The rest of them that the Scripture speakes of is not meaned by a locall remaining continually in one place but by their resting from their trauailes and miseries of this world while their latter coniunction againe with the soule at that time to receiue full glorie in both And that the diuel may vse as well the ministrie of the bodies of the faithfull in these cases as of the vnfaithfull there is no inconuenience for his haunting with their bodies after they are dead can no-waies defile them in respect of the soules absence And for any dishonour it can be vnto them by what reason can it be greater then the hanging heading or many such shamefull deaths that good men will suffer For there is nothing in the bodies of the faithfull more worthie of honour or freer from corruption by nature nor in these of the vnfaithfull while time they be purged and glorified in the latter Day as is daily seene by the vilde diseases and corruptions that the bodies of the faithfull are subiect vnto as ye will see clearely proued when I speake of the possessed and Daemoniacques PHI. Yet there are sundry that affirme to haue haunted such places where these spirits are alledged to be and could neuer heare nor see any thing EPI I thinke well for that is onely reserued to the secret knowledge of God whom he will permit to see such things and whom not PHI. But where these spirits haunt and trouble any houses what is the best way to banish them EPI By two meanes may onely the remeid of such things be procured The one is ardent prayer to God both of these persons that are troubled with them and of that Church whereof they are The other is the purging of themselues by amendment of life from such sinnes as haue procured that extraordinarie plague PHI. And what meane then these kindes of spirits when they appeare in the shadow of a person newly dead or to die to his friends EPI When they appeare vpon that occasion they are called Wraithes in our language Amongst the Gentiles the diuell vsed that much to make them beleeue that it was some good spirit that appeared to them then either to forewarne them of the death of their friend or else to discouer vnto them the will of the defunct or what was the way of his slaughter as it is written in the booke of the histories prodigious and this way he easily deceiued the Gentiles because they knew not God and to that same effect is it that he now appeares in that maner to some ignorant Christians for hee dares not so illude any that knoweth that neither can the spirit of the defunct
of sixe of the wightest and wodest of any other men that are not so troubled The next is the boldening vp so farre of the patients breast and belly with such an vnnaturall sturring and vehement agitation within them and such an ironie hardnesse of his sinewes so stiffely bended out that it were not possible to pricke out as it were the skinne of any other person so farre so mightily workes the diuell in all the members and senses of his body hee being locally within the same suppose of his soule and affections thereof hee haue no more power then of any other mans The last is the speaking of sundry languages which the patient is knowen by them that were acquainted with him neuer to haue learned and that with an vncouth and hollow voice and all the time of his speaking a greater motion being in his breast then in his mouth But fra this last symptome is excepted such as are altogether in the time of their possessing bereft of all their senses being possessed with a dumbe and blind spirit whereof Christ relieued one in the 12. of Matthew And as to your next demand it is first to be doubted if the Papists or any not professing the onely true Religion can relieue any of that trouble and next in case they can vpon what respect it is possible vnto them As to the former vpon two reasons it is grounded first that it is knowen so many of them to be counterfeit which wyle the Clergie inuents for confirming of their rotten Religion The next is that by experience we finde that few who are possessed indeed are fully cured by them but rather the diuell is content to release the bodily hurting of them for a short space thereby to obtaine the perpetuall hurt of the soules of so many that by these false miracles may be induced or confirmed in the profession of that erroneous Religion euen as I told you before that he doeth in the false cures or casting off of diseases by Witches As to the other part of the argument in case they can which rather with reuerence of the learned thinking otherwise I am induced to beleeue by reason of the faithfull report that men sound of Religion haue made according to their sight thereof I thinke if so be I say these may be the respects whereupon the Papists may haue that power Christ gaue a commission and power to his Apostles to cast out diuels which they according thereunto put in execution the rules he bade them obserue in that action was fasting and prayer and the action it selfe to be done in his name This power of theirs proceeded not then of any vertue in them but onely in him who directed them as was clearely prooued by Iudas his hauing as great power in that commission as any of the rest It is easie then to be vnderstood that the casting out of diuels is by the vertue of fasting and prayer and in calling of the Name of God suppose many imperfections be in the person that is the instrument as Christ himselfe teacheth vs of the power that false prophets shall haue to cast out diuels It is no wonder then these respects of this action being considered that it may be possible to the Papists though erring in sundry points of Religion to accomplish this if they vse the right forme prescribed by Christ herein For what the worse is that action that they erre in other things more then their Baptisme is the worse that they erre in the other Sacrament and haue eiked many vaine freittes to the Baptisme it selfe PHI. Surely it is no little wonder that God should permit the bodies of any of the faithfull to be so dishonoured as to be adwelling place to that vncleane spirit EPI There is it which I told right now would proue and strengthen my argument of the diuels entring into the dead bodies of the faithfull For if he is permitted to enter into their liuing bodies euen when they are ioyned with the soule how much more will God permit him to enter into their dead carions which is no more man Marke 7. but the filthie and corruptible caise of man For as Christ saith It is not any thing that enters within man that defiles him but onely that which proceedes and commeth out of him CHAP. V. ARGV The description of the fourth kinde of Spirits called the Phairie What is possible therein and what is but illusions How farre this Dialogue entreates of all these things and to what end PHILOMATHES NOw I pray you come on to that fourth kinde of Spirits EPI That fourth kinde of Spirits which by the Gentiles was called Diana and her wandering court and amongst vs was called the Phairie as I told you or our good neighbours was one of the sorts of illusions that was rifest in the time of Papistrie for although it was holden odious to prophesie by the diuel yet whom these kinde of Spirits caried away and informed they were thought to be sonsiest and of best life To speake of the many vaine trattles founded vpon that illusion How there was a King and Queene of Phairie of such a iolly court and traine as they had how they had a teynd and duetie as it were of all goods how they naturally rode and went eate and dranke and did all other actions like naturall men and women I thinke it liker Virgils Campi Elysij nor any thing that ought to be beleeued by Christians except in generall that as I spake sundrie times before the diuell illuded the senses of sundrie simple creatures in making them beleeue that they saw and heard such things as were nothing so indeed PHI. But how can it be then that sundrie Witches haue gone to death with that confession that they haue bene transported with the Phairie to such a hill which opening they went in and there saw a faire Queene who being now lighter gaue them a stone that had sundrie vertues which at sundrie times hath bene produced in iudgement EPI I say that euen as I said before of that imaginar rauishing of the Spirit foorth of the bodie For may not the diuel obiect to their fantasie their senses being dulled and as it were asleepe such hilles and houses within them such glistering courtes and traines and whatsoeuer such like wherewith he pleaseth to delude them and in the meane time their bodies being senselesse to conuey in their hand any stone or such like thing which he makes them to imagine to haue receiued in such a place PHI. But what say ye to their foretelling the death of sundrie persons whom they alleage to haue seene in these places that is a sooth-dreame as they say since they see it walking EPI I thinke that either they haue not bene sharpely enough examined that gaue so blunt a reason for their prophesie or otherwise I thinke it likewise as possible that the diuel may prophesie to them when he deceiues their imaginations in that sort as well as
when hee plainely speakes vnto them at other times for their prophesying is but by a kind of vision as it were wherein he commonly counterfeites God among the Ethnicks as I told you before PHI. I would know now whether these kinds of Spirits may onely appeare to Witches or if they may also appeare to any other EPI They may doe to both to the innocent sort either to affray them or to seeme to be a better sort of folkes nor vncleane Spirits are and to the Witches to be a colour of safetie for them that ignorant Magistrates may not punish them for it as I told euen now But as the one sort for being perforce troubled with them ought to be pitied so ought the other sort who may be discerned by their taking vpon them to prophesie by them that sort I say ought as seuerely to be punished as any other Witches and rather the more that they goe dissemblingly to worke PHI. And what makes the spirits haue so different names from others EPI Euen the knauerie of that same diuell who as he illudes the Necromancers with innumerable feined names for him and his angels as in speciall making Satan Beelzebub and Lucifer to bee three sundry spirits where wee finde the two former but diuers names giuen to the Prince of all the rebelling Angels by the Scripture as by Christ the Prince of all the diuels is called Beelzebub in that place which I alleaged against the power of any hereticques to cast out diuels By Iohn in the Reuelation the old tempter is called Satan the Prince of all the euill Angels And the last to wit Lucifer is but by allegorie taken from the day Starre so named in diuers places of the Scriptures because of his excellencie I meane the Prince of them in his creation before his fall euen so I say hee deceiues the Witches by attributing to himselfe diuers names as if euery diuers shape that he transformes himselfe in were a diuers kinde of spirit PHI. But I haue heard many moe strange tales of this Phairie nor ye haue yet told me EPI As well I doe in that as I did in all the rest of my discourse For because the ground of this conference of ours proceeded of your speering at me at our meeting if there was such a thing as Witches or spirits and if they had any power I therefore haue framed my whole discourse onely to proue that such things are and may be by such number of examples as I shew to be possible by reason and keepe me from dipping any further in playing the part of a Dictionarie to tell what euer I haue read or heard in that purpose which both would exceede faith and rather would seeme to teach such vnlawfull artes nor to disallow and condemne them as it is the duetie of all Christians to doe CHAP. VI. ARG. Of the tryall and punishment of Witches What sort of accusation ought to be admitted against them What is the cause of the increasing so farre of their number in this aage PHILOMATHES THen to make an end of our conference since I see it drawes late what forme of punishment thinke yee merite these Magicians and Witches For I see that ye account them to be all alike guiltie EPI They ought to be put to death according to the Law of God the ciuill and imperiall Law and municipall Law of all Christian nations PHI. But what kinde of death I pray you EPI It is commonly vsed by fire but that is an indifferent thing to be vsed in euery countrey according to the Law or custome thereof PHI. But ought no sexe aage nor rancke to be exempted EPI None at all being so vsed by the lawfull magistrate for it is the highest point of Idolatry wherein no exception is admitted by the law of God PHI. Then barnes may not be spared EPI Yea not a haire the lesse of my conclusion For they are not that capable of reason as to pactise such things And for any being in company and not reueiling thereof their lesse and ignorant aage will no doubt excuse them PHI. I see ye condemne them all that are of the counsell of such craftes EPI No doubt for as I said speaking of Magie the consulters trusters in ouer-seers interteiners or stirrers vp of these craftes-folkes are equally guiltie with themselues that are the practisers PHI. Whether may the Prince then or supreame Magistrate spare or ouer-see any that are guilty of that craft vpon some great respects knowen to him EPI The Prince or Magistrate for further trials cause may continue the punishing of them such a certaine space as he thinkes conuenient But in the end to spare the life and not to strike when God bids strike and so seuerely punish in so odious a fault and treason against God it is not onely vnlawfull but doubtlesse no lesse sinne in that Magistrate nor it was in Saules sparing of Agag 1. Sam. 15. and so comparable to the sinne of Witch-craft it selfe as Samuel alledged at that time PHI. Surely then I thinke since this crime ought to be so seuerely punished Iudges ought to beware to condemne any but such as they are sure are guiltie neither should the clattering report of a carling serue in so weightie a case EPI Iudges ought indeede to beware whom they condemne for it is as great a crime as Salomon saith To condemne the innocent Prou. 17. as to let the guiltie escape free neither ought the report of any one infamous person be admitted for a sufficient proofe which can stand of no law PHI. And what may a number then of guilty persons confessions worke against one that is accused EPI The Assise must serue for interpretour of our law in that respect But in my opinion since in a matter of treason against the Prince barnes or wiues or neuer so diffamed persons may of our law serue for sufficient witnesses and proofes I thinke surely that by a farre greater reason such witnesses may be sufficient in matters of high treason against God For who but Witches can be prooues and so witnesses of the doings of Witches PHI. Indeed I trow they will be loath to put any honest man vpon their counsell But what if they accuse folke to haue bene present at their Imaginar conuentions in the spirit when their bodies lye sencelesse as ye haue said EPI I thinke they are not a haire the lesse guiltie For the Diuel durst neuer haue borrowed their shadow or similitude to that turne if their consent had not beene at it And the consent in these turnes is death of the lawe PHI. Then Samuel was a Witch For the diuell resembled his shape and played his person in giuing response to Saul EPI Samuel was dead as well before that and so none could slaunder him with medling in that vnlawful arte For the cause why as I take it that God will not permit Satan to vse the shapes of similitudes of any innocent persons at such
being scantly inhabited but by very few and they as barbarous and scant of ciuilitie as number there comes our first King Fergus with a great number with him out of Ireland which was long inhabited before vs and making himselfe master of the countrey by his owne friendship and force as well of the Ireland-men that came with him as of the countrey-men that willingly fell to him hee made himselfe King and Lord as well of the whole landes as of the whole inhabitants within the same Thereafter he and his successours a long while after their being Kinges made and established their lawes from time to time and as the occasion required So the trewth is directly contrarie in our state to the false affirmation of such seditious writers as would perswade vs that the Lawes and state of our countrey were established before the admitting of a king where by the contrarie ye see it plainely prooued that a wise king comming in among barbares first established the estate and forme of gouernement and thereafter made lawes by himselfe and his successours according thereto The kings therefore in Scotland were before any estates or rankes of men within the same before any Parliaments were holden or lawes made and by them was the land distributed which at the first was whole theirs states erected and decerned and formes of gouernement deuised and established And so it followes of necessitie that the kings were the authors and makers of the Lawes and not the Lawes of the kings And to prooue this my assertion more clearly it is euident by the rolles of our Chancellery which containe our eldest and fundamentall Lawes that the King is Dominus omnium bonorum and Dominus directus totius Dominij the whole subiects being but his vassals and from him holding all their lands as their ouer-lord who according to good seruices done vnto him chaungeth their holdings from tacke to few from ward to blanch erecteth new Baronies and vniteth olde without aduice or authoritie of either Parliament or any other subalterin iudiciall seate So as if wrong might bee admitted in play albeit I grant wrong should be wrong in all persons the King might haue a better colour for his pleasure without further reason to take the land from his lieges as ouer-lord of the whole and doe with it as pleaseth him since all that they hold is of him then as foolish writers say the people might vnmake the king and put an other in his roome But either of them as vnlawful and against the ordinance of God ought to be alike odious to be thought much lesse put in practise And according to these fundamentall Lawes already alledged we daily see that in the Parliament which is nothing else but the head Court of the king and his vassals the lawes are but craued by his subiects and onely made by him at their rogation and with their aduice For albeit the king make daily statutes and ordinances enioyning such paines thereto as hee thinkes meet without any aduice of Parliament or estates yet it lies in the power of no Parliament to make any kinde of Lawe or Statute without his Scepter be to it for giuing it the force of a Law And although diuers changes haue beene in other countries of the blood Royall and kingly house the kingdome being reft by conquest from one to another as in our neighbour countrey in England which was neuer in ours yet the same ground of the kings right ouer all the land and subiects thereof remaineth alike in all other free Monarchies as well as in this For when the Bastard of Normandie came into England and made himselfe king was it not by force and with a mighty army Where he gaue the Law and tooke none changed the Lawes inuerted the order of gouernement set downe the strangers his followers in many of the old possessours roomes as at this day well appeareth a great part of the Gentlemen in England beeing come of the Norman blood and their old Lawes which to this day they are ruled by are written in his language and not in theirs And yet his successours haue with great happinesse enioyed the Crowne to this day Whereof the like was also done by all them that conquested them before And for conclusion of this point that the king is ouer-lord ouer the whole lands it is likewise daily proued by the Law of our hoordes of want of Heires and of Bastardies For if a hoord be found vnder the earth because it is no more in the keeping or vse of any person it of the law pertains to the king If a person inheritour of any lands or goods dye without any sort of heires all his landes and goods returne to the king And if a bastard die vnrehabled without heires of his bodie which rehabling onely lyes in the kings hands all that hee hath likewise returnes to the king And as ye see it manifest that the King is ouer-Lord of the whole land so is he Master ouer euery person that inhabiteth the same hauing power ouer the life and death of euery one of them For although a iust Prince will not take the life of any of his subiects without a cleare law yet the same lawes whereby he taketh them are made by himselfe or his predecessours and so the power flowes alwaies from him selfe as by daily experience we see good and iust Princes will from time to time make new lawes and statutes adioyning the penalties to the breakers thereof which before the law was made had beene no crime to the subiect to haue committed Not that I deny the old definition of a King and of a law which makes the king to bee a speaking law and the Law a dumbe king for certainely a king that gouernes not by his lawe can neither be countable to God for his administration nor haue a happy and established raigne For albeit it be trew that I haue at length prooued that the King is aboue the law as both the author and giuer of strength thereto yet a good king will not onely delight to rule his subiects by the lawe but euen will conforme himselfe in his owne actions thereuneto alwaies keeping that ground that the health of the common-wealth be his chiefe lawe And where he sees the lawe doubtsome or rigorous hee may interpret or mitigate the same lest otherwise Summum ius bee summa iniuria And therefore generall lawes made publikely in Parliament may vpon knowen respects to the King by his authoritie bee mitigated and suspended vpon causes onely knowen to him As likewise although I haue said a good king will frame all his actions to be according to the Law yet is hee not bound thereto but of his good will and for good example-giuing to his subiects For as in the law of abstaining from eating of flesh in Lenton the king will for examples sake make his owne house to obserue the Law yet no man will thinke he needs to take a licence to
number of men as I haue already said whose Seat that great Citie must be like as in the same Chapter The seuen heads of the Beast are two wayes expounded First they are called seuen Hils which is plaine and next they are called seuen Kings which cannot bee meant by the Kings that shall giue their power to the Beast Verse 13. and bee subiect vnto her which is immediatly after expressed by the tenne hornes Verse 12. But rather appeareth to be those seuen formes of gouernment of that Seat fiue of which had already beene and fallen As Kings Consuls Dictators Decemuiri and Tribuni militum The sixt was in the time of S. Iohn his writing of this booke which was the Gouernement of the Emperour The seuenth which was not yet come and was to last but for a short space was the 1 From the time of Constantine the Great his remouing of the Empire from Rome to Cōstantinople till the time of Bonifacius the third to wit about 276. veeres Ecclesiasticall gouernment by Bishops which was not come vpon the translation of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople though their gouernment was in a manner substitute to the Emperours For though that forme of Gouernement lasted about the space of 276. yeeres yet was it but short in comparison of the long time of the reigne of the Antichrist not yet expired which succeeded immediatly thereunto And the eight which is the Beast that was and is not and is to goe to perdition is the ANTICHRIST the eight forme of Gouernment indeed by his absolutenesse and yet the Verse 11. and yet the seuenth because hee seemeth but to succeed to the Bishop in an Ecclesiasticall forme of Gouernement though by his greatnesse hee shall make Babylons Empire in glory like to that magnificence wherein that great Citie triumphed when it most flourished which in Saint Iohns time was much decayed by the factions of the great men the mutinies of the armies and the vnworthines of the Emperours And so that flourishing state of that great Citie or Beast which it was in before S. Iohns time and being much 2 Not in respect of the extent and limites of the Empire but in regard of the gouernement thereof and glory of the Citre Reuel 18. Ver. 9. 11. Ver 10.16 19. Vers 9. decayed was but in a maner in his time should be restored vnto it againe by Antichrist who as he ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit so must he goe to Destruction And likewise by that great lamentation that is made for the destruction of Babylon in the eighteenth Chapter both by the Kings and by the Merchants of the earth where it is thrice repeated for aggrauating the pitie of her desolation that That great Citie fell in an houre By that great lamentation I say it well appeareth That the raigne of Antichrist must continue longer then three yeeres and a halfe or any one mans time For the Kings that had committed fornication with her in delicijs vixerant behoued to haue had a longer time for contracting of that great acquaintance Vers 12. And the Merchants of the earth set her forth and describe her at great length as the very staple of all their riches which could not be so soone gathered as in one mans time And to conclude now this description of the Antichrist I will set downe vnto you all that is spoken of him in the Apocalyps in a short methode for the further explaining of these three points that I haue already handled The Antichrist is foure times in my opinion described by Iohn in the Apocalyps in foure sundry visions and a short Compendium of him repeated againe in the xx Chapter 1 Description of Antichrist Reuel cap. 6. Verse 2. He is first described by a pale Horse in the vision of the Seales in the sixt Chapter For after that CHRIST had triumphed vpon a white Horse in the first Seale by the propagation of the Gospel and that the red Horse in the second Seale is as busie in persecution Verse 4. as CHRIST is in ouercomming by the constancie of his Martyrs and that famine and other plagues signified by the blacke Horse in the third Seale Verse 5. Verse 8. haue succeeded to these former persecutions Then commeth forth the Antichrist vpon a pale horse in the 4. Seale hauing Death for his rider and Hell for his conuoy which rider fitted well his colour of palenesse and be had power giuen 1 Or them after other Translations whereby is ioyntly vnderstood the said pale horse together with his rider and conuoy Death and Hell him ouer the fourth part of the earth which is Europe to kill with the sword and vse great persecution as Ethnick Rome did figured by the red horse and to kill with spirituall hunger or famine of the trew word of God as the black horse did by corporal famine with death whereby spiritual death is meant For the Antichrist signified by this pale horse shal afflict the Church both by persecution and temporal death as also by alluring the Nations to idolatry and so to spirituall death and by the beast of the earth shall he procure their spiritual death for he shall send out the Locusts ouer whom he is King mentioned in the 9. Chap. of this booke and the 3. frogs mentioned in the 16. of the same for intising of al Kings and nations to drinke of the cup of her abominations Verse 9. That that description now of Antichrist endeth there it is more then plaine for at the opening of the first Seale the soules and blood of the murthered Saints cry for vengeance and hasting of iudgment Verse 10. Verse 12. which in the sixt Seale is granted vnto them by CHRISTS comming at the Latter day signified by heauens departing away like a scroll when it is rolled with a number of other sentences to the same purpose But because this might seeme a short and obscure description of the Antichrist The second description he describeth him much more largely and specifikely especially in the vision of the Trumpets in the 9. Reu. Chap. 9. Verse 1. Chapter For there he saith at the blowing of the sift Trumpet Heresies being first spread abroad in three of the foure former blasts to wit in the first third and fourth blast for I take temporall persecution to be onely signified by the second blast he then saw a starre fall from Heauen Verse 2. to whom was giuen the key of the bottomles pit which being opened by him Verse 3. with the smoke thereof came foorth a number of Locusts whom hee largely describeth both by their craft their strength and then telleth the name of this their king who brought them out of the bottomles pit which is Verse 11. Destroyer By this starre fallen from heauen being signified as I take it some person of great dignitie in the Church whose duetie being to
the said Clergie were driuen to sue vnto the Pope for their pardon Bibliotheca Patrum Tom. 3. Hildebert Bishop of Caenomanum vpon the riuer of Sartre liuing vnder the reigne of King Philip the first affirmeth in his Epistles 40. and 75. that Kings are to bee admonished and instructed rather then punished to be dealt with by counsell rather then by command by doctrine and instruction rather then by correction For no such sword belongeth to the Church because the sword of the Church is Ecclesiasticall discipline and nothing else De consider lib. 1. cap. 6. Bernard writeth to Pope Eugenius after this manner Whosoeuer they bee that are of this mind and opinion shall neuer be able to make proofe that any one of the Apostles did euer fit in qualitie of Iudge or Diuider of lands I reade where they haue stood to bee iudged but neuer where they sate downe to giue iudgement Againe Your authoritie stretcheth vnto crimes not vnto possessions because you haue receiued the keies of the kingdome of heauen not in regard of possessions but of crimes to keepe all that pleade by couin or collusion and not lawfull possessors out of the heauenly kingdome A little after These base things of the earth are iudged by the Kings and Princes of this world wherefore doe you thrust your sickle into an others haruest wherefore doe you incroach and intrude vpon an others limits Lib. 2. cap. 6. Elsewhere The Apostles are directly forbid to make themselues Lords and rulers Goe thou then and beeing a Lord vsurpe Apostleship or beeing an Apostle vsurpe Lordship If thou needes wilt haue both doubtlesse thou shalt haue neither Iohannes Maior Doctor of Paris Dist 24. quest 3 The Soueraigne Bishop hath no temporall authoritie ouer Kings The reason Because it followes the contrarie being once granted that Kings are the Popes vassals Now let other men iudge whether he that hath power to dispossesse Kings of all their Temporalties hath not likewise authoritie ouer their Temporalties The same Author Comment in l. 4. Sent. Dist 24 fol. 214. The Pope hath no manner of title ouer the French or Spanish Kings in temporall matters Where it is further added That Pope Innocent 3. hath beene pleased to testifie that Kings of France in Temporall causes doe acknowledge no superiour For so the Pope excused himselfe to a certaine Lord of Montpellier who in stead of suing to the King had petitioned to the Pope for a dispensation for his bastard But perhaps as he speaketh it will be alledged out of the glosse that hee acknowledgeth no superiour by fact and yet ought by right But I tell you the glosse is an Aurelian glosse which marres the text Amongst other arguments Maior brings this for one This opinion ministreth matter vnto Popes to take away an others Empire by force and violence which the Pope shall neuer bring to passe as we reade of Boniface 8. against Philip the Faire Saith besides That from hence proceede warres in time of which many outragious mischiefes are done and that Gerson calls them egregious flatterers by whom such opinion is maintained In the same place Maior denies that Childeric was deposed by Pope Zacharie The word Hee deposed saith Maior is not so to bee vnderstood as it is taken at the first blush or fight but hee deposed is thus expounded in the glosse Hee gaue his consent vnto those by whom he was deposed Iohn of Paris De potest Regia Papali cap. 10. Were it graunted that Christ was armed with Temporall power yet he committed no such power to Peter A little after The power of Kings is the highest power vpon earth in Temporall causes it hath no superiour power aboue it selfe no more then the Pope hath in spirituall matters This author saith indeede the Pope hath power to excommunicate the King but he speaketh not of any power in the Pope to put downe the King from his regall dignity and authority He onely saith When a Prince is once excommunicated hee may accidentally or by occasion be deposed because his precedent excommunication incites the people to disarme him of all secular dignity and power The same Iohn on the other side holdeth opinion that in the Emperour there is inuested a power to depose the Pope in case the Pope shall abuse his power Almainus Doctor of the Sorbonic schoole Almain de potesi Eccl Laica Quest 3. cap. 8. De deminio naturali ciuil Eccl. 5. vlt. pars It is essentiall in the Lay-power to inflict ciuill punishment as death banishment and priuation or losse of goods But according to diuine institution the power Ecclesiasticall can lay no such punishment vpon delinquents nay more not lay in prison as to some Doctors it seemeth probable but stretcheth and reacheth onely to spirituall punishment as namely to excommunication all other punishments inflicted by the spirituall power are meerely by the Lawe positiue If then Ecclesiasticall power by Gods Lawe hath no authoritie to depriue any priuate man of his goods how dares the Pope and his flatterers build their power to depriue Kings of their scepters vpon the word of God The same author in an other place Quaest 1. de potest Eccles laic c. 12. 14 Bee it graunted that Constantine had power to giue the Empire vnto the Pope yet is it not hereupon to bee inferred that Popes haue authority ouer the Kingdome of France because that Kingdome was neuer subiect vnto Constantine For the King of France neuer had any superiour in Temporall matters A little after It is not in any place to bee found that God hath giuen the Pope power to make and vnmake Temporall Kings He maintaineth elsewhere that Zacharie did not depose Childeric Quaest 2. c. 8. sic nond posuit autoruat 〈◊〉 but onely consented to his deposing and so deposed him not as by authoritie In the same booke taking vp the words of Occam whom he styles the Doctor The Emperour is the Popes Lord in things Temporall and the Pope calls him Lord Quae. 3. c. 2. Quaest 11. can Sacerd. as it is witnessed in the body of the Text. The Lord Cardinall hath dissembled and concealed these words of Doctor Almainus with many like places and hath beene pleased to alledge Almainus reciting Occams authoritie in stead of quoting Almainus himselfe in those passages where he speaketh as out of his owne opinion and in his owne words A notable piece of slie and cunning conueiance For what heresie may not be fathered and fastened vpon S. Augustine or S. Hierome if they should be deemed to approoue all the passages which they alledge out of other authors And that is the reason wherefore the L. Cardinall doeth not alledge his testimonies whole and perfect as they are couched in their proper texts but clipt and curtaild Thus he dealeth euen in the first passage or testimonie of Almainus he brings it in mangled and pared he hides and conceales
to seeke out newe cities and to disconer newe nations ouer whom to beare Soueraigne sway and rule there had remained more enemies to the State then subiects and friends Cypr. cont Demetr Cyprian also against Demetrianus None of vs all howsoeuer we are a people mighty and without number haue made resistance against any of your vniust and wrongfull actions executed with all violence neither haue sought by rebellious armes or by any other sinister practises to crie quittance with you at any time for the righting of our selues Certaine it is that vnder Iulianus the whole Empire in a manner professed the Christian Religion yea that his Leiftenants and great Commanders as Iouinianus and Valentinianus by name professed Christ Which two Princes not long after attained to the Imperiall dignitie but might haue solicited the Pope sooner to degrade Iulianus from the Imperiall Throne For say that Iulians whole army had renounced the Christian Religion as the L. Cardinall against all shew and appearance of trewth would beare vs in hand and contrary to the generall voice of the said whole army making this profession with one consent when Iulian was dead Socr. lib 3. cap 19. Theod. lib. 4. cap. 1. Sozom. lib. 6. cap. 1. Wee are all Christians yet Italie then persisting in the faith of Christ and the army of Iulian then lying quartered in Persia the vtmost limit of the Empire to the East the Bishop of Rome had fit opporunitie to draw the sword of his authoritie if hee had then any such sword hanging at his Pontificall side to make Iulian feele the sharpe edge of his weapon and thereby to pull him downe from the stately pearch of the Romane Empire I say moreouer that by this generall and sudden profession of the whole Caesarian armie Wee are all Christians it is clearely testified that if his armie or souldiers were then addicted to Paganisme it was wrought by compulsion and cleane contrary to their setled perswasion before and then it followes that with greater patience they would haue borne the deposing of Iulian then if hee had suffered them to vse the libertie of their conscience To bee short in the matter S. Augustine makes all whole and by his testimony doth euince that Iulians armie perseuered in the faith of Christ August in Psal 124. The souldiers of Christ serued a Heathen Emperour But when the cause of Christ was called in question they acknowledged none but Christ in heauen When the Emperor would haue them to serue and to perfume his idols with frankincense they gaue obedience to God rather then to the Emperour After which words Page 82. the very same words alleadged by the L. Cardinall against himselfe doe follow They did then distinguish betweene the Lord Eternal and the Lord temporall neuerthelesse they were subiect vnto the Lord temporall for the Lord Eternall It was therefore to pay God his duetie of obedience and not for feare to incense the Emperour or to draw persecution vpon the Church as the L. Cardinal would make vs beleeue that Christians of the Primitiue Church and Bishops by their censures durst not anger and prouoke their Emperours But his Lordship by his coloured pretences doeth manifestly prouoke and stirre vp the people to rebellion so soone as they know their own strength to beare out a rebellious practise Whereupon it followes that in case their conspiracie shall take no good effect all the blame and fault must lie not in their disloyalty and treason but in the bad choice of their times for the best aduantage and in the want of taking a trew sight of their owne weakenesse Let stirring spirits be trained vp in such practicall precepts let desperate wits be seasoned with such rules of discipline and what need we or how can wee wonder they contriue Powder-conspiracies and practise the damnable art of parricides After Iulian his Lordship falles vpon Valentinian the younger who maintaining Arrianisme with great and open violence might haue bene deposed by the Christians from his Empire and yet say wee they neuer dream'd of any such practise Heere the L. Cardinall maketh answere Pag. 82. The Christians mooued with respect vnto the fresh memory both of the brother and father as also vnto the weake estate of the sonnes young yeeres abstained from all counsels and courses of sharper effect and operation To which answere I replie these are but friuolous coniectures deuised and framed to ticle his owne fancie For had Valentinianus the younger beene the sonne of an Arrian and had then also attained to threescore yeeres of aage they would neuer haue borne themselues in other fashion then they did towards their Emperour Then the Cardinall goeth on The people would not abandon the factious and seditious party but were so firme or obstinate rather for the faction that Valentinian for feare of the tumultuous vproares was constrained to giue way and was threatened by the souldiers that except hee would adhere vnto the Catholikes they would yeeld him no assistance nor stand for his partie Now this answere of the L. Cardinall makes nothing to the purpose concerning the Popes power to pull downe Kings from their stately nest Let vs take notice of his proper consequence Valentinian was afraid of the popular tumult at Milan the Pope therefore hath power to curbe Hereticall Kings by deposition Now marke what distance is betweene Rome and Milan what difference betweene the people of Milan and the Bishop of Rome betweene a popular tumult and a iudicatorie sentence betweene fact and right things done by the people or souldiers of Milan and things to be done according to right and law by the Bishop of Rome the same distance the same difference if not farre greater is betweene the L. Cardinals antecedent and his consequent betweene his reason and the maine cause or argument which we haue in hand The mad commotion of the people was not heere so much to bee regarded as the sad instruction of the Pastour of their good and godly Pastour S. Ambrose so farre from hartening the people of Milan to rebel that being Bishop of Milan he offered himselfe to suffer Martydome If the Emperour abuse his Imperiall authority for so Theodoret hath recited his words to tyrannize thereby heere am I ready to suffer death And what resistance he made against his L. Emperor was onely by way of supplication in these termes Wee beseech thee O Augustus as humble suppliants we offer no resistance we are not in feare but we flie to supplication Epist. lib. 5. Epist 33. Againe If my patrimony be your marke enter vpon my patrimony if my body I wil goe and meet my torments Shall I be drag'd to prison or to death Epist lib. 5. I will take delight in both Item in his Oration to Auxentius I can afflict my soule with sorrow I can lament I can send forth grieuous groanes My weapons against either of both souldiers or Goths are teares A Priest hath none
generall and maine grounds the principall things that haue bene agitated in this Parliament and whereof I will now speake First the Arrand for which you were called by me And that was for supporting of my state and necessities The second is that which the people are to mooue vnto the King To represent vnto him such things whereby the Subiects are vexed or wherein the state of the Common wealth is to be redressed And that is the thing which you call grieuances The third ground that hath bene handled amongst you and not onely in talke amongst you in the Parliament but euen in many other peoples mouthes aswell within as without the Parliament is of a higher nature then any of the former though it be but an Incident and the reason is because it concernes a higher point And this is a doubt which hath bene in the heads of some of my Intention in two things First whether I was resolued in the generall to continue still my gouernment according to the ancient forme of this State and the Lawes of this Kingdome Or if I had an intention not to limit my selfe within those bounds but to alter the same when I thought conuenient by the absolute power of a King The other branch is anent the Common Law which some had a conceit I disliked and in respect that I was borne where another forme of Law was established that I would haue wished the Ciuill Law to haue bene put in place of the Common Law for gouernment of this people And the complaint made amongst you of a booke written by doctour Cowell was a part of the occasion of this incident But as touching my censure of that booke I made it already to bee deliuered vnto you by the Treasurer here sitting which he did out of my owne directions and notes and what he said in my name that had he directly from me But what hee spake of himselfe therein without my direction I shal alwayes make good for you may be sure I will be loth to make so honest a man a lyer or deceiue your expectations alwayes within very few dayes my Edict shall come forth anent that matter which shall fully discouer my meaning There was neuer any reason to mooue men to thinke that I could like of such grounds For there are two qualities principally or rather priuations that make Kings subiect to flatterie Credulitie and Ignorance and I hope none of them can bee iustly obiected to mee For if Alexander the great for all his learning had bene wise in that point to haue considered the state of his owne naturall body and disposition hee would neuer haue thought him selfe a god And now to the matter As it is a Christan duety in euery man Reddere rationem fidei and not to be ashamed to giue an account of his profession before men and Angels as oft as occasion shall require So did I euer hold it a necessitie of honour in a iust and wise King though not to giue an account to his people of his actions yet clearely to deliuer his heart and intention vnto them vpon euery occasion But I must inuert my order and begin first with that incident which was last in my diuision though highest of nature and so goe backward THe State of MONARCHIE is the supremest thing vpon earth For Kings are not onely GODS Lieutenants vpon earth and sit vpon GODS throne but euen by GOD himselfe they are called Gods There bee three principall similitudes that illustrate the state of MONARCHIE One taken out of the word of GOD and the two other out of the grounds of Policie and Philosophie In the Scriptures Kings are called Gods and so their power after a certaine relation compared to the Diuine power Kings are also compared to Fathers of families for a King is trewly Parens patriae the politique father of his people And lastly Kings are compared to the head of this Microcosme of the body of man Kings are iustly called Gods for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of Diuine power vpon earth For if you wil consider the Attributes to God you shall see how they agree in the person of a King God hath power to create or destroy make or vnmake at his pleasure to giue life or send death to iudge all and to bee iudged nor accomptable to none To raise low things and to make high things low at his pleasure and to God are both soule and body due And the like power haue Kings they make and vnmake their subiects they haue power of raising and casting downe of life and of death Iudges ouer all their subiects and in all causes and yet accomptable to none but God onely They haue power to exalt low things and abase high things and make of their subiects like men at the Chesse A pawne to take a Bishop or a Knight and to cry vp or downe any of their subiects as they do their money And to the King is due both the affection of the soule and the seruice of the body of his subiects And therefore that reuerend Bishop here amongst you though I heare that by diuers he was mistaken or not wel vnderstood yet did he preach both learnedly and trewly annent this point concerning the power of a King For what he spake of a Kings power in Abstracto is most trew in Diuinitie For to Emperors or Kings that are Monarches their Subiects bodies goods are due for their defence and maintenance But if I had bene in his place I would only haue added two words which would haue cleared all For after I had told as a Diuine what was due by the Subiects to their Kings in general I would then haue concluded as an Englishman shewing this people That as in generall all Subiects were bound to relieue their King So to exhort them that as wee liued in a setled state of a Kingdome which was gouerned by his owne fundamentall Lawes and Orders that according thereunto they were now being assembled for this purpose in Parliament to consider how to helpe such a King as now they had And that according to the ancient forme and order established in this Kingdome putting so a difference betweene the generall power of a King in Diuinity and the setled and established State of this Crowne and Kingdome And I am sure that the Bishop meant to haue done the same if hee had not bene straited by time which in respect of the greatnesse of the presence preaching before me and such an Auditory he durst not presume vpon As for the Father of a familie they had of olde vnder the Law of Nature Patriam potestatem which was Potestatem vitae necis ouer their children or familie I meane such Fathers of families as were the lineall heires of those families whereof Kings did originally come For Kings had their first originall from them who planted and spread themselues in Colonies through the world Now a Father may dispose of his
the soule is immortall Or thus with certaine seduced Christians The Pope hath ordained the word of God to be authenticall ergo all credit must be giuen to diuine Scripture Vpon the spurkies or hookes of such ridiculous arguments and friuolous reasons the L. Cardinall hangs the life and safetie of Kings With like artificiall deuises hee pretendeth to haue the infamous murders and apposted cutting of Kings throats in extreame detestation and yet by deposing them from their Princely dignities by degrading them from their supreame and Soueraigne authorities hee brings their sacred heads to the butchers blocke For a King deposed by the Pope let no man doubt will not leaue any stone vnremooued nor any meanes and wayes vnattempted nor any forces or powers of men vnleuied or vnhired to defend himselfe and his Regall dignitie to represse and bring vnder his rebellious people by the Pope discharged of their alleagiance In this perplexitie of the publike affaires in these tempestuous perturbations of the State with what perils is the King not besieged and assaulted His head is exposed to the chances of warre his life a faire marke to the insidious practises of a thousand traitours his Royall person obuious to the dreadfull storme of angry fortune to the deadly malice to the fatall and mortall weapons of his enemies The reason He is presupposed to be lawfully and orderly stripped of his Kingdome Wil he yet hold the sterne of his Royall estate Then is he necessarily taken for a Tyrant reputed an vsurper and his life is exposed to the spoile For the publike lawes make it lawful and free for any priuate person to enterprise against an vsurper of the Kingdome Euery man saith Tertullian is a souldier In reos Maiestatis 〈◊〉 publâ—cos hostes omnis hom omiles est Tertul. apol cap. 2. to beare armes against all traitors and publike enemies Take from a King the title of lawfull King you take from him the warrant of his life and the weapons whereby he is maintained in greater securitie then by his Royall Guard armed with swords and halberds through whose wards and ranks a desperate villaine will make himselfe an easie passage being master of another mans life because he is prodigall and carelesse of his owne Such therefore as pretend so much pity towards Kings to abhorre the bloody opening of their liuer-veine and yet withall to approoue their hoysting out of the Royall dignity are iust in the veine and humour of those that say Let vs not kill the King but let vs disarme the King that he may die a violent death let vs not depriue him of life but of the meanes to defend his life let vs not strangle the King and stop his vitall breath so long as he remaineth King O that were impious O that were horrible and abominable but let him be deposed and then whosoeuer shall runne him through the body with a weapon vp to the very hilts shall not beare the guilt of a King-killer All this must be vnderstood to be spoken of Kings who after they are despoiled of Regalitie by sentence of deposition giuen by the Pope are able to arme themselues and by valiant armes doe defend their Soueraigne rights But in case the King blasted with Romane lightning and stricken with Papall thunder shall actually and speedily bee smitten downe from his high Throne of Regality with present losse of his Kingdome I beleeue it is almost impossible for him to warrant his owne life who was not able to warrant his owne Kingdome Let a cat be throwen from a high roofe to the bottome of a cellour or vault she lighteth on her feet and runneth away without taking any harme A King is not like a cat howsoeuer a cat may looke vpon a King he cannot fall from the loftie pinacle of Royalty to light on his feet vpon the hard pauement of a priuate state without crushing all his bones in pieces It hath bene the lot of very few Emperors and Kings to outliue their Empire For men ascend to the loftie Throne of Kings with a soft and easie pace by certaine steps and degrees there be no stately staires to come downe they tumble head and heeles together when they fall He that hath once griped anothers Kingdome thinks himselfe in little safetie so long as he shall of his courtesie suffer his disseised predecessour to draw his breath And say that some Princes after their fall from their Thrones haue escaped both point and edge of the Tyrants weapon yet haue they wandred like miserable fugitiues in forreine countreys or else haue bene condemned like captiues to perpetuall imprisonment at home a thousand-fold worse and more lamentable then death it selfe Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracusa from a great King in Sicilie tur'nd Schoolemaster in Corinth It was the onely calling and kind of life that as he thought bearing some resemblance of rule and gouernment might recreate his mind as an image or picture of his former Soueraigntie ouer men This Dionysius was the onely man to my knowledge that had a humour to laugh after the losse of a Kingdome and in the state of a Pedant or gouernour of children merily to ieast and to scorne his former state and condition of a King In this my Kingdome of England sundry Kings haue seene the walls as it were of their Princely fortresse dismantled razed and beaten downe By name Edward and Richard both II. and Henrie the VI. all which Kings were most cruelly murdered in prison In the reigne of Edward III. by Acte of Parliament Whosoeuer shall imagine that is the very word of the Statute or machinate the Kings death are declared guiltie of Rebellion and high Treason The learned Iudges of the Land grounding vpon this Law of Edward the third haue euer since reputed and iudged them traitors according to Law that haue dared onely to whisper or talke softly betweene the teeth of deposing the King For they count it a cleare case that no Crowne can be taken from a Kings head without losse of Head and Crowne together sooner or later The L. Cardinal therefore in this most weightie and serious point doth meerely dally and flowt after a sort Page 95. when hee tells vs The Church doeth not intermeddle with releasing of subiects and knocking off their yrons of obedience but onely before the Ecclesiasticall tribunall seat and that besides this double censure of absolution to subiects and excommunication to the Prince the Church imposeth none other penaltie Vnder pretence of which two censures so farre is the Church as the L. Cardinall pretendeth from consenting that any man so censured should bee touched for his life that she vtterly abborreth all murder whatsoeuer but especially all sudden and vnprepenced murders for feare of casting away both body and soule which often in sudden murders goe both one way It hath bene made manifest before that all such proscription and setting forth of Kings to port-sale hath alwaies for the traine thereof either some
violent and bloody death or some other mischiefe more intolerable then death it selfe What are we the better that parricides of Kings are neither set on nor approued by the Church in their abominable actions when shee layeth such plots and taketh such courses as necessarily doe inferre the cutting of their throates In the next place be it noted that his Lordship against all reason reckons the absoluing of subiects from the oath of alleagiance in the ranke of penalties awarded and enioyned before the Ecclesiasticall tribunall seate For this penaltie is not Ecclesiasticall but Ciuill and consequently not triable in Ecclesiasticall Courts without vsurping vpon the Ciuill Magistrate But I wonder with what face the L. Cardinall can say The Church neuer consenteth to any practise against his life whom she hath once chastised with seuere censures For can his Lordship be ignorant what is written by Pope Vrbanus Can. Excommunicatorum Can. excoâ— Caus 23. Quaest 6. Wee take them not in any wise to bee man-slayers who in a certaine heat of zeale towards the Catholike Church their Mother shall happen to kill an excommunicate person More if the Pope doth not approoue and like the practise of King-killing wherefore hath not his Holinesse imposed some seuere censure vpon the booke of Mariana the Iesuite by whom parricides are commended nay highly extolled when his Holinesse hath beene pleased to take the paines to censure and call in some other of Mariana's bookes Againe wherefore did his Holinesse aduise himselfe to censure the Decree of the Court of Parliament in Paris against Iohn Chastell Wherefore did hee suffer Garnet and Oldcorne my powder-miners both by bookes and pictures vendible vnder his nose in Rome to be inrowled in the Canon of holy Martyrs And when hee saw two great Kings murdered one after another wherefore by some publike declaration did not his Holinesse testifie to all Christendome his inward sense and trew apprehension of so great misfortune as all Europe had iust cause to lament on the behalfe of France Wherefore did not his Holinesse publish some Law or Pontificiall Decree to prouide for the securitie of Kings in time to come Trew it is that he censured Becanus his booke But wherefore That by a captious and sleight censure he might preuent a more exact and rigorous Decree of the Sorbone Schoole For the Popes checke to Becanus was onely agenerall censure and touch without any particular specification of matter touching the life of Kings About some two moneths after the said booke was printed againe with a dedication to the Popes Nuntio in Germany yet without any alteration saue onely of two articles conteining the absolute power of the people ouer Kings In recompence and for a counterchecke whereof three or foure articles were inserted into the said booke touching the Popes power ouer Kings articles no lesse wicked iniurious to Regall rights nay more iniurious then any of the other clauses whereof iust cause of exception and complaint had bene giuen before If I would collect and heape vp examples of ancient Emperours as of Henrie IV. whos 's dead corps felt the rage and furie of the Pope or of Frederic II. against whom the Pope was not ashamed to whet and kindle the Sultane or of Queene Elizabeth our Predecessour of glorious memorie whose life was diuers times assaulted by priuie murderers expresly dispatched from Rome for that holy seruice if I would gather vp other examples of the same stampe which I haue layd forth in my Apologie for the oath of alleagiance I could make it more cleare then day-light how farre the L. Cardinals words are discrepant from the trewth where his Lordship out of most rare considence is bold to auow Page 97. That neuer any Pope went so farre as to giue consent or counsell for the desperate murdering of Princes That which already hath bene alleadged may suffice to conuince his Lordship I meane that his Holinesse by deposing of Kings doeth lead them directly to their graues and tombes The Cardinall himselfe seemeth to take some notice hereof The Church as he speaketh abhorreth sudden and vnprepensed murders aboue therest Pag. 95. Doth not his Lordship in this phrase of speech acknowledge that murders committed by open force are not so much disauowed or disclaimed by the Church A little after he speakes not in the teeth as before but with full and open mouth that hee doeth not dislike a King once deposed by the Pope should be pursued with open warre Whereupon it followes that in warre the King may be lawfully slaine No doubt a remarkeable degree of his Lordships clemencie A King shall bee better entreated and more mildly dealt withal if he be slaine by the shot of an harquebuse or caleeuer in the field then if hee bee stabd by the stroke or thrust of a knife in his chamber or if at a siege of some city hee be blowne vp with a myne then by a myne made and a traine of gunpowder laid vnder his Palace or Parliament house in time of peace His reason Forsooth because in sudden murders oftentimes the soule and the body perish both together O singular bountie and rare clemencie prouokers instigators strong puffers and blowers of parricides in mercifull compassion of the soule become vnmercifull and shamefull murderers of the body This deuice may well claime and challenge kinred of Mariana the Iesuites inuention For he liketh not at any hand the poisoning of a Tyrant by his meat or drinke for feare lest he taking the poison with his owne hand and swallowing or gulping it downe in his meate or drinke so taken should be found felo de se as the common Lawyer speaketh or culpable of his owne death But Mariana likes better to haue a Tyrant poysoned by his chaire or by his apparell and robes after the example of the Mauritanian Kings that being so poysoned onely by sent or by contact he may not be found guiltie of selfe-fellonie and the soule of the poore Tyrant in her flight out of the body may be innocent O hel-hounds O diabolical wretches O infernall monsters Did they onely suspect and imagine that either in Kings there is any remainder of Kingly courage or in their subiects any sparke left of ancient libertie they durst as soone eat their nailes or teare their owne flesh from the bones as once broach the vessell of this diabolicall deuice How long then how long shall Kings whom the Lord hath called his Anointed Kings the breathing Images of God vpon earth Kings that with a wry or frowning looke are able to crush these earth-wormes in pieces how long shall they suffer this viperous brood scotfree and without punishment to spit in their faces how long the Maiestie of GOD in their person and Royall Maiestie to be so notoriously vilified so dishonourably trampled vnder foot The L. Cardinall borads vs with a like manifest ieast and notably trifles first distinguishing betweene Tyrants by administration and Tyrants by vsurpation then