Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bishop_n	church_n	succession_n	2,569	5	10.4652	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16174	A reproofe of M. Doct. Abbots defence, of the Catholike deformed by M. W. Perkins Wherein his sundry abuses of Gods sacred word, and most manifold mangling, misaplying, and falsifying, the auncient Fathers sentences,be so plainely discouered, euen to the eye of euery indifferent reader, that whosoeuer hath any due care of his owne saluation, can neuer hereafter giue him more credit, in matter of faith and religion. The first part. Made by W.P.B. and Doct. in diuinty.	Bishop, William, 1554?-1624.	1608 (1608)	STC 3098; ESTC S114055	254,241	290

alleage the ancient Fathers sentences most perfidiously and so to pester and infect the world with lies That no man I weene can deeme him to proue faithful to his Prince that is found to deale so perfidiously both with God and man Now to that rule of Bias which being vvel vnderstood cannot be much misliked For such is the vncertainty and mutability of our corrupt and fraile nature that he whom this yeare we loue most intirely may the next yeare deserue to be misliked of vs as extremely for of a most excellent and vertuous man he may become bad without measure but of his Majesty I haue alwaies had a farre better opinion and doe daily pray to God to preserue him from al such extremities And howsoeuer it shal happen I acknowledge my selfe bound and stedfastly purpose God willing to beare towardes his Highnesse the loial hart of a true subject and the charitable affection of a louing Christian neither is there any thing in the end of my booke to the contrary That which he so often graceth vpon is already cleered and shal be more fully handled in due place Now to that which M. Abbot here deliuereth for very certaine to wit That neither I nor any of my minde meant his Majesty any good vnlesse we could gaine him to our religion vvhich not only to be very vncertaine but also false I may vvithout more adoe proue euen by his owne confession in the next passage vvhere he saith That the secular Priests vnder an vncertaine hope of his Majesties fauour acknowledged and maintained his just title to the crowne of England and would haue offered him their helpe at the Queenes deceasse therefore by his owne verdict vve vvished and meant his Majesty much good no lesse then the crowne of England before we had gained him to be as vve vvould haue had him for being vnder an vncertaine hope of his fauour as he vvriteth vve vvished that inestimable treasure to his Majesty Now vvhen his owne sayings wil serue to confute himselfe I may spare my further labour I hope that his Majesty hath found contrary to this mans fond assertion many good offices of both loial subjects and affectionate seruants performed to his Highnesse by men of our religion Sure I am that other mighty Monarks doe employ in places of great charge men contrary to themselues and the state in religion and haue thereby giuen great contentment to others and reaped no smal profit to themselues Now to M. Abbots disproofe of my reason ROBERT ABBOT BVT vvhat is the proofe of that his sincerity which he alleageth forsooth in time of vncertaine fortune vvhen assured friendes are most certainly tried he both suffered disgrace and hinderance for his loue towardes his Majesty being stiled in print A Scotist in faction vvhere vve see that a false marchant needes no broker how cunningly he gloseth the matter to make shew of great loue where none vvas What vvas it for his Majesties cause that those hard fortunes that disgrace and hinderance did befal you nothing lesse the Iesuites forsooth and the secular Priests whilest each seeke superiority ouer other fal together by the eares The Iesuites procure an Arch-priest one that should be at their deuotion to be set ouer the Seculars the Seculars refuse to yeeld him subjection and by appeale referre the matter to the Pope for the prosecuting of which appeale M. Bishop with another in his company are sent to Rome there by procurement of Parsons both ●e and his fellow vvere clapt vp in prison and continuing there for many weekes were at length by the sentence of their Protectour banished England and the one of them confined to Lorraine the other to France This is now the maine tragedy of M. Bishops misfortunes not concerning the cause of the Kinges Majesty any whit at al only in the managing of these matters it came to passe according to the prouerbe that vvhen theeues fal out true men come by their goodes for vvhilest euery part sought to prouide the better for themselues here in England for the time to come the Iesuites for their aduancement laboured to intitle the Lady Infanta of Spaine to the succession of the crowne of England but the Seculars presuming that if the Infanta were set vp they must certainly goe downe and choosing rather to aduenture themselues vpon vncertaine hope then to giue way to certaine despaire shrowded themselues vnder the acknowledgment of his Majesties just title not for any loue to his Majesty but for hatred to the Iesuites and for the preferment of themselues For imagining that thinges vpon the death of Queene Elizabeth would grow troublesome and intending to make offer to his Majesty of their help forsooth for the obtaining of the crowne they thought by capitulations and conditions his Majesty preuailing to make al sure for their part thinking that the Iesuites by their traiterous practises had set a sufficient barre against themselues and should be no let vnto them Hereupon they fal a vvriting one against another and M. Bishop is stiled A Scotist in faction and to picke a thanke with his Majesty writeth his twofold discourse One for the defence of his Highnesse honour the other for his title to the crowne of England a vvorke of supererogation for his part for his Majesty needed no such Proctours as he neither vvas the wrangling of a company of base fugitiues sufficient to question either his Majesties honour or his title to the crowne WILLIAM BISHOP HERE is such a tedious tale so impertinent so improbable that I could scarce endure the vvriting of it out yet that he should not complaine that any thing is omitted I haue put it al downe That part of it concerning M. Archpriests ordination is wholy besides the purpose and therefore I omit it wholy though it be mixed with many vntruths which would giue me aduantage against him if I were disposed to stand about them To the other of titles M. Abbot acknowledgeth that we secular Priests stoode in defence of his Majesties just title against the pretensions made in behalfe of the Lady Infanta And therefore any man of meane intelligence of the state of those Catholike countries vvhere we then liued may easily conceiue that we could not but suffer disgrace and hinderance by standing for a Prince that was not Catholike especially when we wanted not others to amplifie vrge and enforce the matter against vs. But our kinde friend M. Abbot saith we stood for his Majesty not for any loue to him but for hatred of the Iesuites and for our owne preferment I answere that in true Christianity when good offices be performed they must be interpreted wel vnlesse there be apparant proofe to the contrary as al good men doe agree from which general rule the Ministers perhaps are to be excepted and so they may vvhen al other reasons faile them aime at the secret intentions of men and judging them after their owne inward dispositions say though they did neuer so

hundreths al his Majesties Ancestors both English and Britans embraced and maintained the same Catholike Roman faith which we now doe The same might as easily be proued of the Churches of Scotland vvho acknowledge Palladius and Patritius for two of the chiefe founders of the Christian faith in that country vvho both were brought vp at Rome and sent into Scotland by Celestinus Bishop of Rome to instruct the Scots in the doctrine of the church of Rome euen as Augustine vvas from S. Gregory into England From which the Scots Church neuer swarued vntil of late yeares Knoxe Buchanan and such like giddy-headed and fiery spirited fellowes seduced them And M. Abbot most ignorantly or impudently affirmeth it to haue beene 1200 yeares after the incarnation of Christ ere the Popes authority could get any acknowledgment there for in the very same hundreth yeare by him named they vvere so farre off from denying the Popes authority ouer them in causes Ecclesiastical that they did acknowledge him to be also their Protectour in temporal affaires For when King Edward the third would haue giuen them Iohn Balial for their King they answered him Walsingham in vita Edw. Anno 1292. That they would not accept of him for such without the Popes consent who had their country in protection as they then pleaded And M. Abbots argument to the contrary is most friuoulous Alexander the King bade the Popes Legate to enter his country at his peril ergo he did not acknowledge the Popes authority By the like argument one might proue that King Philippe and Queene Mary did not acknowledge the Popes authority for they commanded a Legate of his to stay at Calis and to forbeare entrance into this Realme at his peril The Popes Legates then when they be sent about affaires that doe seeme to the Prince and his Councel prejuditious to the temporal state may be refused without disparagement to the Popes supreme authority in causes Ecclesiastical And the King of Scots had reason to refuse that Cardinal Legate whose special arrand was to collect mony to maintaine the warres of the holy Land vvhich was not to be spared in his country Besides the very entertainement of such a great State so accompanied was reputed as needlesse so ouer costly for that poore country If M. Abbot haue no better stuffe then this to vphold his badde cause he that best knew his owne meaning and designement hath to the life painted out himselfe where he saith They care not indeede what they say or write so that it may carry a magnifical and braue shew to dazel the eies of them that are not wel acquainted with their lewde and naughty dealing ROBERT ABBOT BVT M. Bishop being out of doubt that he should not preuaile in this first part of his sute therefore addeth the second Or if you cannot be wonne so soone to alter that religion in which it hath beene your misfortune to haue beene bredde and brought vp that then in the meane season you wil not so heauily persecute the sincere professours of the other Where you see the presumption of a base and beggerly vassal I forget here that he is a Doctor of diuinity I consider him as a subject thus to vpbraide his Prince vvith misfortune in his breeding and bringing vp whereas his Majesties bringing vp by the singular prouidence of almighty God hath serued to make him high admirable among other Princes and he hath learned thereby to be indeede a King by casting off the yoke of bondage vvhereby sundry other Princes are enthralled to a beast Yea and by his bringing vp is so wel able to defend the religion he professeth that M. Bishop must stand before him like a dumbe Asse able to say nothing but only to repeate their old cuckowes song The Church the Church The Fathers the Fathers albeit he can make nothing good neither by Church nor Fathers But his sute is that his Majesty vvil leaue off so heauily to persecute them complaining before he haue cause and intreating his Majesty to leaue off before he hath begunne And doth he like a dissembling hypocrite talke of heauy persecution only for an easie imprisonmēt and amersement of goodes vvhen they in most barbarous and cruel sort by infinite vexations and torments by rackes and strappadoes by fire and sword haue spilt and destroied the bloud and liues of so many thousandes of ours only for the profession of the Gospel of Christ but no otherwise doe they complaine of persecution then did of old the Donatists and runnegate Circumcellions And vve say of them as S. Augustine did of the others They suffer persecution Sed pro fatuitate pro vanitate but it is for their foolery Prouerb 22. vers 25. it is for vanity Foolishnesse is bound in the hart of a child saith Salomon but the rodde of correction shal driue it away from him Indeede they doe for the most part play the children it is but their wil or rather vvilfulnesse for which they suffer they can giue no reason why they doe so but what ignorance affordeth them They must follow the Church they wil doe as their fathers and fore-fathers haue done it is fit that a childes stomacke be subdued vvith a rodde and necessary that some course be taken for the subduing and reforming of their wil. WILLIAM BISHOP M. ABBOT concludeth this his clowdy and vvindy Section with a storme of railing calling me in it dumbe Asse dissembling Hipocrite base and beggarly Vassal This last name he giueth me because I shewe my selfe sorry for that it vvas his Majesties misfortune to be bredde and brought vp in the Protestants religion great cause you see vvas giuen him to burst out into so rude and bitter wordes But to qualify this clownish tricke he addeth the excuse of a country Coridon rather indeede accusing then excusing himselfe for why did he forget that I was a Doctor in diuinity or how did he forget it that euen then so wel remembred it He would not forsooth respect it here but by a metaphysical abstraction consider me only as a subject wherein he discouereth a double folly for first who seeth not that any man of neuer so great vvorship or honour may in like sort be called a base vassal if his dignity and degree be excepted Might not M. Abbot himselfe if one should forget his calling and learning be stiled in like manner a base beggarly vassal vvherefore this figure of his may rather be tearmed rustical then rethorical And had he not also forgotten himselfe to be a Doctor in diuinity yea a man of ordinary ciuility he would not haue plaied the part of a furnish and foule-mouthed butterwench by falling into such rude tearmes of scurrillity His second ouer-sight is more queasie and dangerous for if I be a base vassal in that I am a subject then is my Soueraignes honour called in question for none be base in that they are subjects vnlesse their Soueraignes be so meane and obscure

acknowledgeth his ability not to be such as that he might thinke himselfe to haue attained to that that the matter doth require which considering what he saith here seemeth to haue beene spoken only for manners sake to his Majesty For here he vaunteth as you see that he wil furnish truth with it whole strength and giue so ful satisfaction that the aduersary shal not haue a word further to reply Good Sir if you can boast of your owne doings so exceedingly without blushing yet in discretion you should haue beene more wary then to haue lied so grosly that euery child almost may conuince you of it euen by your owne test●mony You had forgotten belike the prouerbe Mendacem oportet esse memorem A liar had need of a good memory or else you would neuer haue let such contrary tales slippe out of your pen. Wel to stay the credulous readers that they be not ouer hasty in giuing credit to such vnreasonable and vaine vaunts I wil put them in mind of this worthy obseruation of the most prudēt King Salomon Prouerb 26. vers 12. Hast thou seene a man wise in his owne conceit a foole shal haue greater hope then he that is owne that taketh himselfe for very simple shal be able to performe much more then he that esteemeth himself to be so highly wise The waters be not there deepest where the streame runneth with greatest noise and as our English prouerbe is The greatest barkers be not the soarest biters Euen so among many Protestant vvriters I haue seldome seene any that promiseth more or performeth lesse then M. Abbot He floateth inflanting wordes but he is one of the shallowest for substance of matter that euer I read He alleageth diuers ancient Authours I grant but for the most part very impertinently many also of them most corruptly and falsly so that nothing is more absurd and notoriously false then this his conclusion More of the ancient writers be for vs then against vs. For not only the Romish sicophants as of his accustomed modesty he tearmeth vs but the most learned of their owne side both domestical and forraigne doe confesse compelled by euident force of truth that the auncient Fathers for most points in controuersie doe teach the very same doctrine that vve now doe T●act 1. Sect. 3. See the Protestant Apollogy of the Roman Church where this is particularly verified yet M. Abbot that sticketh at nothing would faine beare the vnlearned in hand that the old Doctors fauour much their new learning but til he doe produce their testimonies more sincerely and to better purpose then he yet hath done few but fooles can beleeue him for hitherto as hath beene already shewed he hath not cited any one sentence either of ancient Father or of holy Scripture that vvas to the purpose Wherefore the discreet reader hath just cause notwithstanding his vaine bragges to thinke no better of the rest of his booke vntil he shal see the contrary wel verified for in deede he shal finde them to be but counterfaite dismembred and misapplied sentences vsed as men doe scar-crowes in a field of corne to amate and fright the vnskilful That which followeth consisting of the like crakes of their valour and our weakenesse needes no further refutation They haue beene hitherto so farre off from driuing vs out of the field as he craketh that we hauing by al manner of meanes endeauoured to bring them once out into the field to a publike disputation as it vvere to a ranged battel to try the matter could neuer obtaine it they vsing al the shifts that they could possibly deuise to hold vs from it And vvhereas he finally presumeth that he shal be no longer in giuing answere to my booke then the booke was in making his presumption is very vaine and friuolous for that booke was made in halfe a yeare as God he knoweth and many honest men can witnesse if time serued to produce them and the booke being of fiue and twenty sheetes he vvas holden occupied one yeare and a halfe with answering vnto the first sheete and halfe of it and since another yeare and halfe is past before his so vvorthy vvebbe be perfited The malignant humour that before troubled this jolly vvebsters eies is since belike fallen downe into his legges so that he cannot bestirre himselfe so speedily as in the heate of his spirit he presumed yet before this could be printed his whole worke came forth Robert Abbot A view of M. Bishops Epistle dedicatory to the Kinges most excellent Majesty VIVAT REX Anno 1608 ¶ Laus Deo Pax viuis Requies defunctis GOD SAVE THE KING William Bishop TO THE MOST PVISANT PRVDENT AND RENOWMED PRINCE IAMES THE FIRST BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF ENGLAND SCOTland France and Ireland defender of the faith etc. * DIEV ET MON DROIT MOST gratious and dread Soueraigne Albeit my slender skil cannot afford any discourse worthy the view of your excellency neither my deadded and daily interrupted and persecuted and persecuted studies wil giue me leaue to accomplish that little which otherwise I might vndertake and performe yet being emboldned both by your high clemency and gratious fauour euer shewed to al good litterature specially concerning Diuinity and also vrged by mine owne bounden duty and particular affection I presume to present vnto your Highnesse this short ensuing Treatise For your exceeding clemency mildnesse and rare modesty in the most eminent estate of so mighty a Monarke as it cannot but winne vnto you great loue in the harts of al considerate subjects so on the other side doth it encourage them confidently to open their mindes and in dutiful manner to vnfold themselues vnto their so louing and affable a Soueraigne And whereas to the no vulgar praise of your Majesties piety you haue made open and often profession of your vigilancy and care to aduance the diuine honour of our Sauiour Christ and his most sacred religion what faithful Christian should stagger or feare to lay open and deliuer publikely that which he assureth himselfe to be very expedient necessary and agreable towardes the furnishing of so heauenly a worke Moreouer if I your Majesties poore subject haue by study at home and trauaile abroade attained vnto any smal talent of learning and knowledge to whom is the vse and fruit thereof more due then vnto my gratious and withal so learned a Liege Finally for a proofe of my sincerity affection and dutiful loue towardes your Majesty this may I justly say that in time of vncertaine fortune when friendes are most certainly tried I both suffered disgrace and hinderance for it being stiled in print A Scotist in faction therein further employing my pen in a two-fold discourse which I hope hath beene presented to the view of your Majesty the one containing a defence of your Highnesse honour the other of your Title and interest of the Crowne of England And if then my zeale and loue of truth and obligation to your

desolate and naked and eate her flesh c. yet they shal be most vvicked and impious Kinges and shal adore the monstruous beast there described and fight against Christ IESVS These be the very vvordes of the Text And the tenne hornes c. be tenne Kinges c. these haue one Councel and force and their power they shal deliuer to the beast these shal fight with the Lambe and the Lambe shal ouerthrow them c. Vers 16. And the tenne bornes which thou sawest in the beast these shal hate the harlot and make her desolate and naked c. so that the very same tenne Kinges signified there by tenne hornes that did giue al their power to the beast did hate the harlot But how can it be saith one that they vvho hate the vvicked harlot should joine with the beast who was as wicked as shee Yes that may wel be for it is no newes that vvicked men fal out among themselues so that one vngodly and wicked Prince doth sometimes with al his might aide another more vvicked then himselfe and at the same instant perhaps or shortly after fight against a third the most wicked of al they doe fight against both good and euil as their owne rage passions or occasions carry them Which I say to stoppe a starting hole of the Protestants who to auoide this inconuenience say that first these ten Kings were bent to al mischief● and then helped the beast against the Lambe but afterward repented them of their former iniquity then loe they hated the harlot and persecuted her which they would not haue done if they had beene hadde Princes this is a prety shift Wel say first that this sence could stand vvith the vvordes of the text yet they cannot be applied to his Majesty who was not in his former time any aider of our religion and now is fallen off from that to the Protestants wherefore this deuise if it could stand with the text wil not serue their turne But the spirit of God hath preuented and wholy cut off this vaine imagination for it saith in the next verse That the tenne Kinges who hated the harlot euen then and after too gaue their Kingdomes to the beast til the word of God be consummate that is til the end of al. Wherefore most manifest it is euen by the warrant of Gods sacred word that those Kinges mentioned in the Apocalipse were reprobates such did they liue and such shal they die Let then his most excellent Majesty censure what reward they are worthy off who feare not to thrust his Highnesse into that list of condemned cast-a-waies and that too after they had such faire warning as in my answere to M. Perkins I gaue them to beware how they did his Majesty that shame and despite If it please his Highnesse to take notice of it I doubt not but that he wil conne them little thanke for this their commendation of him M. Abbot hauing acquited himselfe so Clarke-like in the precedent part of his answere That we are not to imitate our fore-fathers descendeth to the subsequent to wit That his Majesties Progenitours Kinges of England and Scotland were not of our Roman faith which he wil proue hereafter at more leisure that is to say neuer For he doth not deny but that the religious and holy man Augustine sent into our country by Gregory the great Bishop of Rome to conuert our Ancestours the Saxons and English to the Christian faith did then teach the same Roman faith vvhich vve now professe so that aboue this thousand yeares by his owne confession his Majesties Progenitours haue beene of our Catholike Roman faith and religion and very few Kings now liuing I weene can deriue their pedegree much further Afterward he doth rake out of the chanels of Bale Page 198. Iewel Hollinshead and such like late partial vvriters which any man not past al care of his reputation would be ashamed to cite for sufficient witnesses in matters of controuersy where in they themselues were parties that there was great disagreemēt betweene Augustine the Italian Monke as he speaketh and the Churches of England and Scotland vvhereas venerable Bede a most approued authour and neare vnto those times vvho did as most diligently trace out those matters so record them most faithfully he I say whose authority is sufficient to put downe an hundreth late writers interessed in the cause affirmeth that there vvas no variance betwixt them in any one article of faith but only in some few points of ceremony namely in these two Beda lib. 2. histor cap. 2. Vpon what day the feast of Easter was to be kept and about the rites of Baptisme For S. Augustine offered them to beare vvith al other their different rites if they would yeeld vnto him in these two points Vt Pascha suo tempore celebretis That yee would keepe Easter-day at the due time appointed by the Councel of Nice and minister the Sacrament of Baptisme after the manner of the Roman and Apostolike Church And concerning these two points vvho can thinke but that the Sacrament of Baptisme vvas like to be administred in those daies in the most renowmed citty of Rome after a more decent and deuout manner Euseb in vita Const l. 3. 17. Epiphan l. 3. Haeres 70. then among the Britans that liued in a corner of the world now for the other of keeping the feast of Easter the 14. day of the first Moone with the Iewes It was many yeares before condemned in the first most famous general Councel of Nice and therefore it cannot be denied but that those Britans vvere either very ignorant in the Canons of the Church if they knew not so solemne a decree or else too too contentious and vvilful in refusing to yeeld vnto it A third clause was added by S. Augustine that the Britans vvould joine with him and his fellowes Beda ibidem in preaching the word of God vnto the English nation which also argueth yet more strongly that they agreed together in al articles of faith or else they vvould not haue required their helpe in instructing others in matters of faith And this is not only registred by S. Bede that holy Historiographer but also reported by their owne late vvriters Hollinshead Volum 1. page 103. and * Page 6. M. Godwine in his Catologue of the Bishops of England S. Bede also witnesseth further in the place aboue-said that the same Britan Christians euen then confessed that they did perceiue that to be the true way of justice which Augustine did preach Furthermore the principal Preachers and most Godly men that liued not long before S. Augustines arriual among the Britans as namely S. Dulcitius and S. Dauid vvere brought vp at Rome and one of them the Popes Legate too Iohn Baal in their liues as the aduersaries themselues confesse Wherevpon it followeth clearely that not only for these later thousand yeares but also in the former