also leuie tenths and first fruites and by procurations licences and dispensations drew great summes of money out of the realme In some cases he tooke vpon him to iudge the king and to dispose of the crown of England Hereof it follo weth first that the Kings of this land for some ages before King Henry the eight were but halfe Kings neither medling with the externall gouernement of the Church nor being authorized to rule their Cleargie or to dispose of their liuings Secondly that they held that poore halfe of their kingdome which remained at the Popes pleasure and no further as appeared by the insolent dealing of the Pope with King Henry the second and King Iohn out of whose hands the Pope had almost wrested the scepter of their royall authoritie But her Maiestie abolishing the vsurped power of the Pope fréed her selfe and her successors from his fyrannie and restored that power and iurisdiction to the Crown that was by his craft and fraudulent dealing long vsurped She found that it belonged to godly kings to make lawes for religion to rule their subiects to dispose of the affaires and goods of the Church according to right So did Constantine the great and other godly Emperors So did Charles the great and Lewes kings of France So did Alfred and S. Edward Kings of England as the lawes of the Code and Nouell constitutions the constitutions of Charles and Lewes and of the auncient Kings of England declare Neither before Pope Heldebrand or rather that firebrand of hell did any Pope take vpon him to giue out lawes or decretals for the gouernement either of the whole Church or the Churches of other kingdoms For this matter therfore Quéene Elizabeths name deserueth to be had in perpetuall remembrance for that she freed her selfe and her subiects from the Popes wicked lawes and vsurpations and restored the auncient priuiledges and dignities to the Crowne The which had bene much in a man but in a woman was much more glorious With her also peace which by the practises of the Spaniards had bene exiled to our losse and shame returned again into this land For finding this land at variance with France and forsaken of Spaine she found meanes to compound with France and begā to settle matters at home According to the Prophets admonition she sought peace and followed it And such successe hath it pleased God to giue her that although the Pope by diuers practises hath sought to raise discord and rebellion within England yet maugre his head we haue enioyed peace this fiue and fortie yeares to the great contentment of her subiects and the wonderment of the world For who wondreth not that France and Flanders and other our neighbor countries being in a flame and the Pope desiring nothing more then to set our country on fire that the moderation of a woman should maintaine her State in peace when great Kings could not keepe their state from being consumed with warres How great this benefite is both the commodities of peace and the miseries of warres may teach vs. Et nomen pacis dulce est saith Tully ipsa res salutaris The name of peace is sweete and the thing it selfe safe and commodious Neither doth a people more desire any thing then peace as he saith in another place and in peace not onely those to whom nature hath giuen sence but also houses and fields seeme to reioyce Quid est tam populare ac pax qua non modo ij quibus natura sensum dedit sed etsam tecta atque agrilaetari videntur Contrariwise warres worke destruction of men cities countries and as Tully saith haue vncertaine euents and nothing is more execrable then ciuill warres Tully estéemeth him vnworthy to liue among men that delighteth in ciuill discord and warre By meanes of long peace this land is also growne to great wealth The country is better cultiuated trade is much increased all arts and occupations growne to greater perfection then in time past Noblemen and Gentlemen haue doubled their reuenues Yeomen and Merchants aspire to the degrée of Gentlemen and diuers men of occupation do exceed men of their sort in former times Whosoeuer compareth the common people of England with men of their qualitie in Spaine Portugal and Italy must néedes confesse that in wealth and meanes our country men do farre excéed them Finally neuer was England so populous and strong in men as in our late Queenes dayes Spaine and most places of Italy seeme desolate in comparison That these are great blessings it cannot be denied For God promiseth increase of substance and men to his people as a blessing Deut. 28. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body saith Moyses to the people of God and the fruite of thy land the fruite of thy cattell the flockes of kine and sheepe And the multiplication of Abrahams posteritie Gen. 17. and in diuers other places was accounted to him as a great blessing Wherefore as oft as we looke backe to former times we cannot choose but call to mind those graces which we haue long enioyed by Quéene Elizabeths meanes and be thankfull vnto God for them If any be either vnmindfull or vnthankfull if he be English I doubt not but he will proue a traitor to his Prince and country if a stranger then he will shew himselfe an enemie In the the first ranke I place Robert Parsons in the second certaine malicious Italian and Spanish Friers But their discourses wherein they would denigrate her glorie are so fond and frinclous that they do rather illustrate the same To shew that her Maiestie had no power in forreine countries Parsons alleageth that since Calice was lost we had not one foot of our owne beyond the seas As if none could haue power or credite in forreine parts but such as haue cities and dominions of their owne beyond the seas or as if it were not a signe of great power that her forces by sea and land haue alwayes bene able to bridle the ambitious aspires of the Spaniard and the cruel rage of Antichrist and that her authoritie hath swayed much in forreine parts both with friends and enemies Againe that the English haue lost their footing beyond the seas and were shamefully driuen out of Calice which was reputed the key of the kingdome of France and a doore whereby the Kings of England were wont to enter into that kingdome it was not our fault but of that vnfortunate woman Quéene Mary that lost all and had no good successe in any thing and of her butcherly Clergy that were murthering of Christs lauibes at home while forreine enemies oppugned the state abroad and would suffer no succor to be sent ouer in time He talketh also very idly of large Prouinces pessessed by the English liuing vnder popish religion and of the losse we haue sustained by chaunge of our old mightie and honorable allies as he calleth them For the relikes of those large Prouinces were lost not
Parsons will prooue his rule of faith he must shew a faith grounded vpon tradition that is not deduced out of Scriptures Nay if he will not be contrarie to himselfe he must shew that not the Apostles tradition as he saith in his Warn-word 1. Encoun cap. 15. but the Catholike church is the rule of faith as he holdeth Ward-word Encontr pag. 6. He doth also obiect against vs diuers alterations of religion in England in king Henry the eight his raigne and in king Edwards dayes and then asketh by what authoritie our rule of faith was established But first he might as well haue spoken of that alteration made in Q. Maries dayes when the impieties of Popish religiō were established by act of Parliament Secondly the alterations in religion made in England of late time make no variation in the rule of faith that is alwayes one but in the application and vse of it Thirdly albeit by act of Parliament the articles of religion were confirmed wherein the canon of scriptures and the substance of our confession is set downe yet was that rather a declaration of our acceptance then a confirmation of the rule of faith that in it selfe is alwayes immoueable Our rule of faith therefore is certaine albeit not alwaies in one sort approued or receiued by men But that rule of Popish faith neither in it self nor in the approbatiō of Parliaments or Churches is certaine or immoueable Finally he asketh a question of Sir Francis in his Ward-word p. 5. how he knoweth his religion to be true And saith he hath only two meanes to guide himselfe in this case and that is either Scriptures or the preaching of our Ministers But this question as I haue shewed toucheth himselfe that buildeth his faith vpon the Pope nearer then Sir Francis who groundeth himselfe his faith only vpon the holy Scriptures and is assured of his faith not by these two meanes onely but by diuers others For beside Scriptures he hath the help of the Sacraments of the Church of Gods spirit working within him of miracles recorded in scriptures of auncient Fathers of the practise of the Church of the consent of nations of the confession of the aduersaries of the suffering of Martyrs and testimonies of learned men and such like arguments In this question therefore Robert Parsons shewed himselfe to be a silly Frier and to haue had more malice then might In time past also we were as shéepe going astray and out of the vnion of the Catholike and Apostolike Church Diuers of our auncestors worshipped the crosse and the images of the Trinitie with diuine worship Some like bruite beasts fell downe before Idols crept to the crosse and kissed wood and stone Others worshipped Angels the blessed Uirgin and Saints praying vnto them in all their necessities trusting in them saying Masses in their honour and offering incense and prayers to their pictures and images For so they were taught or rather mistaught by popish Priests The Komish synagogue in the very foundations of religion was departed from the Apostolike and Catholike Church The schoolemen brought their proofes out of the Popes Decretals and Aristotles Metaphysickes Est Petr's sedes saith Bellarmine in Praefat ante lib. de Pont. Rom. lapis probatus angularis pretiosus in fundamento fundatus The See of Peter is an approued corner stone precious and laid in the foundation The same man lib. 2. de Pont. Rom. cap. 31. calleth the Pope the foundation of the Church Sanders calleth him the Rocke Alij nunc à Christo saith Stapleton relect princip doctr in Praef. eorúmue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locū habebūt That is Others now beside Christ and their doctrine preaching and determination shall be esteemed of me as a foundation This he saith where he talketh of the foundation of religion and the Church But the catholike Churth had no foundation beside Christ Iesus and his holy word and Gospell taught by the Prophets and Apostles The Apostle Gal. 1. denounced him accursed that taught any other Gospell then that which he had preached The holy Fathers proued the faith by holy Scriptures and not by popish Decretals and philosophicall Principles Concerning Christs bodie the Komanists taught that the same is both in heauen and in the Sacrament albeit we neither could see it there nor feele it But the scriptures teach vs that his bodie is both palpable and visible and is now taken vp into heauen So likewise teach the Fathers Vigilius in his fourth booke against Eutyches speaking of Christs bodie When it was on earth saith he surely it was not in heauen and now because it is in heauen certainely it is not on earth They haue also brought in new doctrine concerning Purgatorie and indulgences and which is no more like to the auncient catholike faith then heresie and noueltie to Christian religion They teach that whosoeuer doth not satisfie in this life for the temporall punishment of mortall sinnes committed after baptisme and remitted concerning the guiltinesse must satisfie for the same in Purgatorie vnlesse it please the Pope by his indulgences to release him Of the tormentors of soules in Purgatorie and of the nature qualitie and effect of indulgences they talke idlely and vnlike to the schollers of Catholikes The Catholicke doctrine concerning the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords supper they haue quite changed in Baptisme adding salt spittle hallowed water exorcismes blowings annointings light and other strange ceremonies In the Lords supper taking away the cup from the communicants and not deliuering but hanging vp or carying about the Sacrament and worshipping it as God and finally beleeuing holding transubstantiation They haue also deuised other sacraments and taught that they containe grace and iustisse They were wont to kisse the Popes toe and to receiue his dunghill decrētals worshipping Antichrist and intitling him Christs Uicar All which nouelties superstitions and heresies by her Maiesties godly reformation are abolished who hath restored the auncient Cathalike and Apostolike faith which the Popes of Rome for the most part had altered suppressed She hath also by her authoritie brought vs to the vnitie of the Catholike faith and by good lawes confirmed true Christian religion Before our times there was no settlement in matters of Religion Durand denieth Diuinitie to be Scientia Thomas and Richard Middleton hold that it is Writing vpon the master of Sentences the school-mē striue about the words vti and frui dissenting not only from their master but also from one another They differ also much about the distination of diuine attributes Vtrum sit realis formalis an rationis tantùm This saith Dionysius a Charterhouse Monke is one of the chiefe difficulties of Diuines and about it betweene famous Doctors is great dissention and contention AEgidius doth lance Thomas and others runne vpon both AEgidius in lib. 1. sent dist 2. would haue the persons of the Trinitie to be distinguished by a certaine thing
brought this kingdome into subiection if not into seruile bondage if God had not crossed the deseignes of man and dealt mercifully with vs both taking away the Quéene in the strength of her age and preuenting the wicked counsels of bloudie traitours and persecutours who as Iohn Hales saith meant to haue brought this land vnder strangers and altering the State before the Spaniards had taken any firme footing in England How great danger this land stood in those that then liued may well remember and we cannot chuse but acknowledge if we looke backe and consider the working of Quéen Marie of the popish prelates and of the Spaniards The Quéene sought by all meanes to put the kingdome into the hands of king Philip. The popish prelates sought to suppresse religion which could not be without the oppression of our libertie The Spaniards ruled insolently and went about to make themselues strong aduancing those which were of their faction and thrusting backe all that were studious of their countries libertie The bulwarkes or blocusses that were made for defence of the land against strangers they suffered to fall they brought in strangers they put the commaund of the kingdome into the hands of such as were best affectioned to themselues and least carefull of their countries libertie What would haue ensued of this it is an easte matter to coniecture by the deportment of Spaniards in other countries that are subiect to their gouernment In the Indiaes they rule not like men but rather like barbarous tyrants and sauage beasts Contemning all iustice saith Bartholomaeus à casas writing of the cruel vsage of the Spaniards towards the Indians they delight to see streames of mans bloud which they haue shed and seeke with infinite slaughter to depriue those great countries of the naturall inhabitants thereof In short space they killed diuers hundred thousands onely in one Iland called Hispaniola the women they abused the treasure and commodities of the countrie they spoiled The people of Naples were in the time of Charles the fift who otherwise was a good prince so vexed and oppressed by the Spaniards as an Ambassadour of the people of Siena said to Henry the French king that for release of their extreame bondage they seemed desirous to liue vnder the Turke Vt Turcarum imperia ad tantarum miseriarum refugium exoptare videantur He saith further that the Spaniards laid so many grieuous tributes vpon the people that diuers auncient townes were thereby deformed and left desolate The Dutchie of Mitan also by the Spanish tyrannie as those that haue trauelled that countrie do know is brought to great pouertie The taxes and customes are grieuous the oppressions wrought by the souldiers many the lawes vnsupportable Neither doth it auaile them to complaine For that remedie they haue often tried but all in vaine But no people was euer more oppressed then the Flemmings Brabansons Hollanders and other nations of the Low countries Their liberties they haue disanulled their lawes they haue litle regarded their townes they haue spoiled their countrie they haue almost wasted By the fundamentall lawes of the countrie they might neither place strange gouernours ouer them nor bring in forraine forces among them But the Spaniards haue done both By the lawes the king of Spaine could neither impose taxes vpon the subiect without the consent of the States nor condemne any man but by the lawes of the countrie But he hath both done the one and the other The Duke of Alua without the consent of the States or order required the hundreth part of that which euery man was worth and the tenth of all things bought and sold in the countrie The noble Carles of Egmont and Horne and diuers Noble men of the countrie that had done him great seruice he caused to be done to shameful death The prince of Oranges eldest sonne contrarie to the lawes of the Uniuersitie of Louain and countrie he caused to be caried prisoner into Spaine Finally contrarie to the lawes of the countrie he altered the ecclesiasticall State making new Bishops and erecting new offices of inquisition in diuers places of the countrie And this the king did hauing sworne to obserue the lawes and priuiledges of the countrie I will not here recount the murthers rapes robberies thefts spoiles and wrongs which the Spanish souldiers and officers haue committed For that would require a great volume and it would be said that these are the calamities of warres and wrongs of priuate persons Yet if Spaniards bring warres and calamities with them and sée not these wrongs redressed it sheweth how much their tyrannicall gouernement is to be auoided and detested But that is made apparant by the lawes and procéedings which are publikely auowed The Portingals may be an example to all nations sufficient to make the Spanish gouernement odious For although they be neare neighbors and agrée with the Spaniards in Religion language lawes and humors yet haue they not found any more fauour at their hands then other nations Their Nobilitie is almost ouerthrowne the Merchant decayed the Commons spoyled The exactions are intolerable and yet farre more tolerable then the wrongs offered by Spaniarqs from whom neither the husband can kéepe his wife nor the father his daughter nor the citizen or countriman any thing he hath Adde hereunto the violence that is offered to mens persons and the iniuries of words that they dayly sustaine and then you will confesse that the Portingals liue in great misery and bondage In England also the Spaniards albeit but few began to play their partes offering violence to diuers mens persons and attempting the chastitie both of matrons and virgins In the parliament which is the foundation of the libertie of our nation they attempted the ouerthrow of our libertie not onely by conioyning king Philip with the Quéene but also leauing out the Quéenes title of supreme authoritie in the summons and taking away the frée electiō of the Commons in chusing their Burgesses and thrusting out Bishop Watson Alexander Nowell and diuers Burgesses out of the parliament Nay such is the rigor of the Spanish gouernement that the Spaniards themselues cannot well like it The priuiledges of Aragon the last king abrogated vpon pretense of disorder in the fact of Antony Perez Escouedoes sonnes could neuer haue iustice for the death of their father Murders and violences are rarely punished The taxes customes and payments are so grieuous that not with standing all the riches that commeth from the Indiaes nothing can be deuised more bare poore and miserable then the common sort of Spaniards The imposition vpon fifh wine oile and silkes which are the principal cōmodities of the country is great and other customes are not easie In the market the tenth penie is exacted commonly for all commodities bought and sold. Wherefore if we respect nothing else but the yoke of the Spanish gouernement we may account our nation in very miserable termes in Quéene Maries dayes Yet was not