mayne Heresies or Paradoxes wholy impugned gainsaid and contradicted both by Protestant and Catholicke For this Man in this respecte is to be styled rather an open Hereticke then a Protestant euen in the censure of the Protestants themselues Therefore to conclude this last obseruation Euen as when beasts of seueral Kyndes or species do coople together that which is ingendred is of a third Kinde diuers from them both So here that Religion or fayth which is as it were propagated from the mixture of contrary Religions must be a beliefe different from them al. These things being premised now M. Doctour or either of you two may begin to instance in Protestant Professours for euery age And I shall reply therto as my iudgment and reading wil best inable me OCHINVS I do like well of these your animaduertions and they are able in a cleare iudgement to fanne away imperfect and faulty instances from such as be true and perfect MICHAEAS Before any of you begin your discours of Instancing I must demand of you al as Cardinal Bellarmyne did in his late discours with D. Whitakers whether you wil be content to stand to the authority of your owne learned Brethren in al the following passages betweene vs D. REYNOLDS I here answere for vs al We will indisputably stand to our owne mens learned iudgmeÌ„ts And if you can conuince either our future examples or our cause in generall from our Protestants penns we yeald you the victory For I do hould with Osiander the Protestant that the Confession and testimony of an Aduersary is of greatest authority And therefore Peter Martyr truly saith surely among other testimonyes that is of greatest weight which is giuen by the Enemyes And D. Bancrofs to omit al other Protestants in this point confirmeth the same thus writing Let vs take hould of that which they haue granted you may be bould to build thereupon for a truth that they are so constrained to yeeld vnto Which kinde of proofe is no lesse warranted by the Auncient Fathers for Ireneus saith It is an vnanswerable proofe which bringeth attestation from the Aduersaries themselues And Nazianzen pronounceth thus hereof It is the greatest cuâ—ning and wisdome of speech to bynd the Aduersary with his owne words So full you see Michaeas I am in this point But now let vs come to the maine matter To produce instances of Protestancy shal be my peculiar Scene And that I may the better marshal and incampe as it were my examples thereby the more forcibly to inuade your iudgment I will begin with the later times of the Church and so ascend vpwards And first for these last threescore yeares the Gospell of Christ hath enioyed here in England to forbeare all other Countreyes it Visibility in it full Orbe all writers of these dayes and other Nations acknowledging no lesse Againe in K. Edward the sixt his time this worthy Man Ochinus here present backed with the like endeauours of the learned Peter Martyr did so plant our Protestant fayth in our Nation as that infinite most remarkable Professours thereof did instantly growne like roses after a long cold or tempest blooming forth through the heate of the Sunne with refeâ—erence of which Professours Ochinus may iustly apply to himselfe the words of Aenias Quorum pars magna fui MICHAEAS Concerning the Professours of Protestancy here in England since Queene Elizabeth came to the Crowne I easily grant they haue been most Visible as I gather out of your English Chronicles And thus I freely confesse that Protestancy hath continued in England some threescore and seauen yeares But where you say that Protestancy I meane as it comprehendeth all the Articles taught at this day for Protestancy and which necessarily concurre to the making of a perfect complete Protestant was fully taught and beleiued in K. Edward his dayes I absolutely deny OCHINVS Will you deny Michaeas so manifest a verity whereas myselfe was not only an eyewitnesse in those times but If I may speake in modesty a greate Cause thereof What will you not deny if you deny such illustrious Trueths and what hope can we haue of your bettering by this our disputation MICHAEAS Good Ochinus beare me not downe with astreame of vaunting words the refuse of speech but if you can with force of argument I peremptorily deny the former point and for iustifying this my deniall I wil recurre to the Communion Booke set out in K. Edwards time with the approbation and allowance as D. Doue a Protestant affirmeth of Peter Martyr your Cooperatour Which Booke we must presume in al reason was made according to the publike fayth of the King and the Realme established in those tymes and the rather considering that the said Communion Booke for it greater authority was warranted in the Kings time by Act of Parliament Now this Communion Booke or publicke Lyturgy of the fayth of England in those dayes being printed in folio by Edward Whit-church anno 1549. pertaketh in many points with our Roman Religion For it maketh speciall defence for Ceremonyes and prescribeth that the Eucharist shal be consecrated with the signe of the Crosse It commandeth consecration of the Water of Baptisme with the signe of the Crosse It alloweth of Chrisme as also of the Childs annoynting and Exorcisme In that booke mention is made of prayer for the dead and intercession and offering vp of our Prayers by Angells It deffendeth Baptisme giuen by Laypersons in time of necessity and the grace of that Sacrament as also Confirmation of children and strength giuen them thereby It mentioneth according to the custome vsed in tyme at Masse at this very day the Priests turning sometimes to the Altar and sometimes to the People It ordayneth that answerably yet to our Catholike custome Alleluya should be said from Easter to Trinity sunday It prescribeth the Priest blessing of the Bryde brydegroome with the signe of the Crosse It alloweth the Priests absolution of the sicke Penetent with these particular words By the authority committed vnto me I absolute thee of all thy sinns It mentioneth a speciall Confession of the sicke Penitent And lastly it commandeth the annoynting of the sicke Person which we Catholicks call the Sacrament of Extreme Vnction So little reason Ocbinus you see you haue to affirme that the Protestancy of the present Church of England is the same which was mantained and publikely established by King Edward OCHINVS Indeede I grant the Communion booke was then made by the consent of the Parliament but I instructed those with whom I conuersed to reiect those superstitions their confirmed D. REYNOLDS Well let that passe It auayleth not much whether Protestancy was here in England at those dayes or no since it is certaine it was then most fully dilated in many other Countryes by the late afore raysing vp of Luther who was miraculously sent by the Holy
may challenge the Scripture for the fortifying of his Heresyes as fully as we Protestants can do And therefore I do allow that former sentence of Vincentius alledged by you Neuserus D. REYNOLDS I haue found some of our owne learned brethren to teach though aforehand I tell you Michaeas that I dissent in opinion from them that the Church of Rome and the Protestant Church are but one and the same Church from which position they inferre that seeing the predictions of the continuall Visibility of the Church of God and an vninterrupted administration of the Word and Sacraments haue bene performed at least as you Romanists do auerâ—e in the Church of Rome that consequently ours and yours being but one Church they are performed in the Protestant Church And according hereto we find M. Hooker thus to teach We gladly acknowledg them of Rome to be of the family of Iesus Christ c. And agayne we say that they of Rome c. are to be held a part of the house of God a limme of the visible Church of Christ with whome conspireth D. Some thus graunting The learneder Wryters acknowledge the Church of Rome to be the Church of God But this Opinion I haue to the liberty of euery one eyther to retayne it or reiect it MICHAEAS Here now you Protestants are retyred to your last refuge and hould And thus is Errour glad to be shrowded vnder the Wings of Truth For whereas the most dispassionate sober learned Protestants among you do grant that for many ages before Luthers reuolt they cannot truly and really iustify the visibility of their Church in particular much lesse the administration of the word and Sacraments And yet during all the sayd ages they see that all this is actually accomplished in our Catholicke Roman Church They are therefore forced to giue back and to retyre in all their former answeres And at length are driuen for the supporting of their owne Church to say that the Protestant Church the Roman Catholicke Church are identically but one and the same Church And thereupon they inferre as you M. Doctour say that seing our Catholicke Church be generall acknowledgment hath euer continued visible during all the former ages that therefore your Protestant Church both being but one and the same by their curteous yeelding hath also enioyed the same priuiledge of a perpetuall Visibility and the like administration of the Word and Sacraments So ready you Protestants are for the preseruing only of your owne imaginary Church in former tymes to ioyne hands with they Catholicks if so they would agree therto you granting that your owne Succession calling and Ministery is and hath bene for former ages continued and preserued only in the Succession calling Ministery of our Catholicke Roman Church And according to this our meaning M. Bunny a Protestant of good esteeme here in England dealeth plainly ingeniously herein for he not only teacheth as the former Protestants do but giueth sincerely the true reason of such their doctrine to wip that otherwise they cannot proue the being of the Protestant Church during so many former ages for thus he writeth Of the departing from the Church there ought to be no question amang vs. We are no seuerall Church front them meaning from vs Catholicks nor they from vs And therefore there is no departing at all out of the Church Nor any do deparâ— from them to vs nor from vs to them c. And yet more fully It was euill done of them who vrged first such a separation c. For that it is great probability for them meaning vs Catholicks that so we make our selfâ— answerable to find out a distinct and seuer all Church from them which hath continued from the Apostles age to this present Or els that needs we must acknowledge that our Church is sprung vp but of late or since theirs And finally M. Bunny thus concludeth Our Aduersaryes see themselues to haue aduantage if they can ioynt vs to this separation Thus M. Bunny But touching my particular iudgment herein I vtterly with all Catholicks disclayme from mantayning that our Church and the Protestant Church is all one And I confidently auerre that this strange Paradox is inuented by Protestants for the reasons aboue expressed OCHINVS What is the matter brought to this Issue that we must grant the Papists Church and our Church to be one and the same Church Is this M. Doctour the euent of our disputation I will here imprecate with the Poet against myselfe Sed mihi vel tellus optem priùs ima debiscat Vel Pater Omnipotens adigat â—â—fulâ—ine ad vmbraâ— Pallâ—â—ies vmbras Erebi â—octeâ—que profundam Before I acknowledge the Synagogue of Rome to be the Church of God NEVSERVS I giue you free leaue Ochinâ—s to include me within this your imprecation For I will dye the death of a sinner before I grant that the Popish Church is the same with the Protestant Church What shall Superstition and Idolatry by our owne consents be aduanced and set vp side by side with the Gospell in the throwne of Gods Tabernacle It is a thing insufferable and the thought thereof is not so much as once to be entertayned MICHAEAS Gentlemen good words God grant your owne Prayers agaynst your selfs be not heard And though I be of your mynd that the Catholicke Church and your Church is not all one Church yet if before your deaths you do not acknowledge the Church of Rome for the true Church doublesly your prayer wil be heard when your selfs though too late shall with vnutterable but improfitable remoâ—se condemne your selfs of your owne grosse consideration in so weighty a matter But M. Doctour and you two Hitherto we see our discourse hath bene cheifly spent in your obiecting Arguments for your Churches visibility and my answering of them Now I do expect that our Scenes be altered And that I may insist in obiecting what I haue red confessed euen by the most learned Protestants touching this subiect For these alternatiue variations of parts in dispute are in all Reason and by custome of all Schooles most warrantable D. REYNOLDS We giue you good leaue For it argueth a great distrust diffidence in a Mans cause to tye his aduersary only to answere and neuer to suffer him to oppose And it is as vnreasonable as if in a Duelisme the one party should be indented with only toward and neuer to sryke Therefore proceed Michâ—â—s at your pleasure MICHAEAS Truth sayth S. Augustin iâ— mâ—re foroible to wrâ—ng 〈◊〉 Confession then any rackâ— or tormâ—nt Which sentence we fyâ—d to be iustifyed in this Question of the Protestant Churches Inuisibility For diuers learned Protestants there are who as being more ingenuous and vpright in their wrytings and in their managing of matters of Religion then others of their party as well discerning the insufficiency of all pretended Instances and other colorable euasions and answeares which
c. as also touching the Contentions betweene the Popes and the Emperours the Kings of England and France and finally spendeth diuers leaues in rayling against the Pope as Antichrist All which werisome prolixityes he vseth thereby to spine out his booke to some resonable lenght or quantity seing otherwise to the title of his booke they are mearly impertinent 8. Eightly his Monstrous Impudency is to be obserued in making S. Bernard and the Greeke Church in former tymes as also the Churches in India Armenia Asiae Minor Egipt c. to be protestants without showing any one Protestant Article that they did hould excepting the Greeke Church denying the Popes Supremacy 9. Nynthly The title of his Booke being to proue the continual Visibility of his owne Church in all ages he produceth his Examples of protestancy supposing them for the tyme to be true Examples only for the first three or foure hundred yeres before Luthers dayes and so mearly crose to the title of his booke he omitteth eleuen hundred yeres without geuing instance of any one protestant during all those Ages 10. Tenthly Touching the Compas of those few ages for which he produceth some supposed Examples his fraud and calumny is to begine from Luther vpward and not downward towards Luther thereby the better as is aboue said to conceale from a vulgar Eye the small number of those ages or Centuryes for which he endeuoreth to proue the imaginary Visibility of the protestant Church 11. Eleuently and lastly his stilling the Catholicke Articles to wit of the Reall Presence Purgatorye free will praying to Saincts and all the rest beleiued by S. Bernard and other Catholicks only Lapses and Slipps the beleife of which Articles in vs Catholicks at this present he commonly calls Idolatry Superstition c. But this alleuiation of words and speech he vseth most subtelly of S. Bernard that so notwithstanding S. Bernards different beleife yet by this Pamphleter he neuertheles may be reputed a good protestant Thus far Good Reader of his cheife affected sleightes And with this I end referring this one Consideration vnto thee That is Yf the question of the Visibility of the protestant Church through the Conference had thereof at London immediatly before the comming out of this Pamphlet and occasion of that other Toy intituled The Fisher catched in his owne Mâ—t was at that tyme much discoursed and talked of by many Men through out the land and therefore the Mantayners of this Visibility did stand more obliged by all Reading and learning possible to iustify the same being then and at all tymes so much prouoked vnto it by vs Catholickes and if neuertheles the Authour heare refuted being stiled in the Epistle of this Treatise A most reuerend and learned Man and one who hath more particularly and perspicuously traualled in this Argument then any in our English tongue And therefore he may be presumed in all lyklyhood to haue spoken in defence thereof as much as can be spoken therein Yf I say this Man cannot but for three or foure ages only and these nearest to Luthers dayes seeke to iustify the same and this by meanes of some few false defectiue and misapplyed examples and Instances accompanied with diuers frauds impostures and Collusions What other thing then from hence may be concluded but that it is impossible to make good or proue the Visibility of the Protestants Church during all the ages since Christ to Luthers dayes or indeed duâ—ing but any one â—ge thereof And consequently that the Protestant Church for want of such a necessary Visibility euer attending oâ—â— the true Church of Christ is not nor can be the true Church of Christ FINIS THE ARRAIGNMENT OF THE CONVERTED IEW OR THE THIRD DIALOGVE OF MICHAEAS THE IEVV Betweene The right honorable the Lord Cheife Iustice of England Michaeas the former Conuerted Iew. M. Vice Chancelour of Oxford The Contents hereof the Argument following will show Vide mulierem ebriam de sanguine Sanctorum Apocalips 17. THE ARGVMENT OF THE THIRD DIALOGVE OF MICHAEAS STILED THE ARRAIGNMENT OF THE CONVERTED IEW. MICHAEAS after his disputation ended in Oxford with D. Reynolds Ochinus and Neuserus touching the Inuisibility of the Protestant Church and giuing it out that he would instantly depart from thence Neuerthelesse lyeth secretly in Oxford and hath peculiar acquaintance with some of the choyest witts there whome he persuadeth to the Catholicke and Roman fayth The Vice-Chancelour of Oxford hearing thereof apprehendeth Michaeas conuenteth him before the right Honourable the Lord Cheife-Iustice of England before whome he stands arraigned of three Crymes The first that according to the falsely supposed Principles of the Roman Religion he laboreth to plant disloyalty in the Schollars mindes The which Michaeas absolutly denyeth and thereupon retorteth by way of recrimination the cryme of Disloyalty vpon the Protestants both for their doctrine thereof and for their practise The second offence vrged by the Vice-Chancelour is that Michaeas did write certayne short Discourses of diuers points of Catholicke Religion and diuulged them to the Schollars of his acquaintance Of which discourses the Vice-Chancelour getting a copie of Michaeas his owne hand wryting deliuereth it in the presence of Michaeas to the Lord Cheife-Iustice This Action Michaeas acknowledgeth it as true and warranteth it by force of Reason and strong example The third Cryme That Michaeas being a Roman Priest vndertaketh to reconcile some Schollars to the Church of Rome and daily celebrateth Masse All this Michaeas granteth vnto iustifying such his proceeding by deducing the antiquity of Priesthood of the power of remitting sinnes in the Sacrament of Pennance and of the Masse euen from the times of the Apostles and the Primatiue Church By reason of which occasion the present state of Priests and Catholicks in England is impart discoursed of To conclude omitting diuers other short insertions passages in the Dialogue incidently occurring the Lord Cheife-Iustice as inclining to clemency and commiseration proceedeth to an honorable and myld Censure or iudgment against Michaeas at which censure the Vice-Chancelour mightely stormeth And so Michaeas earnestly praying for the Kings health and true happynes the Dialogue endeth THE ARRAIGNMENT OF THE CONVERTED IEW BEING A DIALOGVE BETWEENE THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE LORD CHEIFE-IVSTICE OF ENGLAND MICHAEAS THE CONVERTED IEW AND M. VICE-CHANCELOVR OF OXFORD Wherein is prooued besides diuers other short insertions that the Protestants stands more chargeable with disloyalty to their Lawfull Princes then Catholicks do THE VICE-CHANCELOVR MY Lord. All duty to your Lordship I haue here brought before your Lordship a Man most turbulent in his proceedings and who of late hath much ruffled and disordered the fiâ—e and quiet state of our Vniuersity by seeking to infect the Schollars thereof with his Popish and superstitious doctrines One whom kinde and curteous entertaynment for such he hath found at our hands cannot mollify and whose demerits are of that nature as that Compassion shewed to him would prooue Cruelty to others And we
to cast vp some earth of innouations and noueltyes comparting perhapps in some one or two points with the sectarâ—es of these dayes But to iustify in those men the visibility of the Protestant Church or that they were Protestants which is at this present the poynt only issuable I hould it impossible Except we will dreame that those persons did pertake of the nature of the planet Mercury which euer participateth as the Astrologers teach of all the influences of that other starre or planet with which it is in any sort in coniunction Be it then that some Innouatours in seuerall Centuryes haue contumactously defended some one or other Theoreme or principle without which the entyre frame of Protestancy cannot subsist Will any of you from hence conclude and yet many Protestants do so conclude that such Mens Religion was perfect Protestancy By the like reason you may inferre to insist in similitudes within your owne spheare that Vnity is a Number a Poynt Quantity an Instant Tyme Wheras you know well that these are only beginnings or Elements of Number Quantity and Tyme and without which these later can haue no being In regard then of such want of visible Protestants informer tymes It is lesse wounder that some Protestant wryters haue thought good to Idëate frame in their myndâ— a certayne mathematicall and airy Church within which a number only of supposed inuisibilities are comprehended Thus much touching this second Dialogue to the which I haue thought good to subnect as an Appendix a short view taken of an Anonymous and froathy Pamphlet entituled A Treatise of the perpetuall visibility and succession of the true Church in al Ages written some few yeares since and set forth as is supposed by Doctour Featly Now in this last place to come to the third and last Dialogue The subiect whereof is to manifest that the Protestants by many degrees stand more iustly chargeable both with the doctrine and practise of disloyalty agaynst their lawfull Princes then the Catholiks do And that the Protestants haue therefore small reason and lesse policy to vpbrayde in their pulpits and writings as it is their accustomed Scene to doe the Catholicks with any such hatefull cryme In this last Dialogue are also seuerall insertions of some small Treatises in defence of diuers Catholike doctrines The Interlocutours in this Dialogue are the right Honorable the Lord Cheife Iustice of England to whom all dutifull comportment is borne throughout this Discourse Michaeas the former Iew and M. Vice-Chancelour of Oxford That the Vice-Chacelour is therein introduced to be partly malignant agaynst Michaeas as charged by him besides with other offences for being a Catholike Priest is not strange considering how splenfull some Vice-Chancelours of that Vniuersity haue borne themselues towards certayne Priests there heretofore apprehended Thus farre particularly of the different subiects of these ensuing Dialogues Which point is more largly set downe in the Arguments of euery one of them Now most illustrious Men I haue presumed and I hope this my presumption will in your fauourable construction be warrantable to dedicate this whole worke to your selues not for your patronage thereof for that only it owne worth If any be in it must effect but partly because you are best able to iudge of the arguments produced on eyther side and partly in regard I haue selected out of eyther of your Vniuersities one of the most pryme and choysest men in their dayes to be speakers in these Dialogues I meane as aboue is sayd Doctour Whitakers and Doctour Reynolds I could wish you would not sleight it through a cold seuerity proceeding from a forestauled iudgment against the Catholike fayth in generall but peruse it indifferently and weigh the authorityes and reasons withall Candour and impartiality Touching my owne sincerity vsed throughout this labour know you that if I haue purposely and deliberatly detorted from it true meaning but any one authority here produced by me then let my forhead be publikly seared with an indeleble Stigma or print of shame and Confusion No. He is not Religious who handleth Religion with fraud and impostures And I am so free and guiltles herein as that I dare vaunt my selfe to be in this respect a Tetragonon cast me vp what way you will my demeanour in this case will proue eauen squared Do not expect any Oratory here but what the force of vnauoydable Demonstrations can perswade And in this sence I trust I may without vanity say you shall find Oratory Since Truth is euer eloquent But now most celebrious Academians giue me leaue to turne my pen more particularly to your selues and pardon this my boldnes it proceeding solely out of my charitable affection and out of my desire of aduancing your spirituall Good for you are Our Epistle written in our harts Well then you are learned and therefore if grace assist the more able to transpierce through any difficulties of Fayth now questioned Suffer not then your Iudgements to be enthralled to the iudgments of some few men among you more eminent then the rest they being Byrds whose Aery is but in the high Cedars of the pretended reuealing Spirit since through their assumed priuiledge therof they are not ashamed to reduce the construction of Scripture and the weight of all authorityes whatsoeuer to the Tribunall of their owne Censure scornfullly contemning whatsouer passeth not vnder the fyle of their owne approbation But to proceed forward It is a thing wounderfull and indeed deplorable to obserue the the exorbitancy of most Schollers proceedings and perhapps of diuers of you in these poynts I meane to see what labour and toyle they bestowe in humane studyes and how remisse they are in search of true fayth I assure my selfe that many of you haue indefatigably spent much tyme in seeking to know Whether the Opinions of Copernicus touching the Motion of the Earth and standing still of the sunn and Primum Mobile can be made probable Whether a Concentrike Orbe with an Epicycle or an Excentrike Orbe alone can better salue the Phaynomena and irregular Apparences of the Planetts Whether ech Orbe be moued a Propria Intelligentia or ab interna forma Whether supposing Infinitum to be in Rerum natura One Infinitum can be greater then an other Which poynt some Philosophers exemplify in the infinit reuolutions of the Sunne and the Moone the Moone performing her course twelue or 13. tymes in that space in which the Sunne doth but once And yet both their reuolutions must be infinit in Number if one will grant with Aristotle that the world was ab aeterno Whether Corpus Sphaericum tangit planum only in puncto What is the cause why the Sea keepeth a different course in it ebbing flowing in different Countreyes though to those seuerall Countreyes the Moone beareth one and the same aspect of it light Whether when the loadstone draweth iron vnto it this be effected through a naturall Sympathy of these two Bodyes or
others particularityes where Michaeas hath offended against the Soueraignty of Princes VICE-CHANCELOVR My L. I will You haue di 〈…〉 gled Michaeas to your sollowers that the Pope hath full authority to detâ—one Kings and Princes though neuer so absolute at his pleasure And further Papists teach that the spirituall Iurisdiction residiâ—g in the Pope ought to haue that predominancy ouer all temporall authority which the soule hath ouer the body To be short this poynt to wit that your Popisâ— Religion doth teache rebellion insurrection of the subiects against their lawfull Prince is so cleare as that we may well say Papistry and Disloyalty are almost Termini conuertibiles for though some disloyall Men are not Papists yet euery Papist in that he is a Papist is to his soueraigne Protestant Prince disloyall MICHAEAS You are glad M. Viach to moysten this your drye accusation in the froath of many idle and splenfull words Your accusation stands vpon two poynts First you charge me in particular for disseminating of disloyalty in your Vniuersity That being only said you make in lieu of further proofe thereof a subâ—â—ll transition to the doctryne of other Catholicks in that poynt As if what were wanting to the perfecting of my supposed Cryme therein ought to be made vp by the accession and application to me of other Catholicke Doctours wrytings of that subiect Now to the first I answere It is a most false Calumny forged in your owne brayne and wrought vpon the anuile of Maliâ—e For produce if you can the parties to whom I euer vttered such a Doctrine the Place or the Tyme Where or when such speeches were deliuered Thus we see that this your report as being in it selfe most false is wholy disuested of all Circumstances necessarily attending vpon euery humane Action For euen to reâ—cyle the secrets of my soule herein I did in all my discourses with your Scholars purposely auoyde as a seamarke all such questions of State so vnwilling I euer was but to touch vpon those dangerous sands And for the greater demonstration of my Innocency herein and of my Loyalty to his Maiesty of England I here acknowledge and in this acknowledgement I do for the tyme depose and put of the person of Michaeas and speake in my owne person the Authour of this Treatise and in the name of all other Priests and Catholicks of England all layalty and fidelity to our most gracious and dread soueraigne King Charles and to his most illustrious and worthy Queene beseeching the Almighty to graunt him a fruitfull bed and to make him Parent of many noble Children And further I humbly pray to the Highest that he may in all tranquillity and true happynes raigne ouer vs many yeres and after his dissolution of Body that he may equall in euerlasting Be atitude the greatest Sainct of his Predecessours now in Heauen This is my Protestation made in all sincerity and in which by Gods grace euen to my last gaspe I intend to continue and perseuer But now to resume my former shape of Michaeas Touching the first point of my accusation M. Vice-Chancelour you see how cleere and innocent I am I will now hasten to the second branch contayning as you say the doctrine of Disloyalty taught euen by all the Doctours of the Roman Church First I answere It is a most iniust slander obtruded vpon them by you since not any one Catholicke Doctour teacheth nor aone good lay Catholicke beleiueth that the Pope can at his ny pleasure depose Princes and transferre Kingdomes and states as to him best liketh Secondly I reply that seeing you neuer cease to vpbraid our Catholicke Religion with the foule stayne of disloyalty this being your other Protestants common Theame wherein you so much ryout in malignant exagerations Therefore as awakened by your so often ingeminated accusation herein I do auouch pardon me most Reuerend Iudge if being thus prouoked I enter into a Subiect perhapps vngratefull to you that the Protestants do by infinit degrees stand more reprehensible in this poynt of disloyalty and disobedience towards their Prince then we Catholicks do And this I will prooue if I may be suffered at this present against you M. Vice-Chancelour first from the positions and speculatiue assertions of the most learned Protestants and after from the actuall insurrections and rebellions of Protestants against their lawfull Princes VICE-CHANCELOVR This is the Scene Michaeas of men of your disposition that when you are truly charged with your owne faults then in place of better answere you insimulate by way of recrimination your Aduersaryes within the same faults But it seemes by you that dotage is the accustomed Attendant of old age or that you take a delight and complacency to haue the subiect of disloyalty often in your mouth as you euer haue it in your hart But begin at your pleasure to charge vs Protestants if you can either with the doctrine or practize of disloyalty My Lord-Iudge I know will giue you leaue who in the end shall perceaue that all what you can imagine in this point is but meete imagination and no reall Truth And so in your discours you will resemble that Man who dreames he doth but dreame MICHAEAS O wound not M. Vice-Chancelour my reputation with these Philippicks and declamatory Inuectiues so much hurtfull euen to the speaker for quomodo placabit Patrem iratus in fratrem And rest satisfyed that I do not solace myselfe as you suggest in this vnpleasing Text but do acquaint my selfe with discourses of that subiect with the like intention that the morall Philosopher doth busy himselfe with the nature of Vice which is the better to auoid Vice L. CHEIFE-IVSTICE Michaeas I must needs now say that you do infinitly wrong our Religion by ascrybing both to the chiefe Doctours and Professours of it this odious Cryme of Disloyalty and Rebellion No no. Our Gospell which cometh from God best teacheth our duty towards the Lieutenants of God I presume that herein you rest but vpon the bare and naked speeches of others of your owne Religion our designed enemyes But you must remember that as things which are seene by reflexion are imperfectly seene so reports and bruits taken only at the rebound of partiall mens mouths deserue but a light eare But seeing it is the part of a Iudge to heare all sides with an indifferent eare you may Michaeas at your pleasure begin your discours of this your assumed Argument where I doubt not but M. Vice Chancelour will sufficiently repell all your reasons and answere to your examples to the greater Honour of our Religion which is a free from all stayne and blot of disloyalty as an intemerate virgin is free from any defyled touch Therefore Proceede MICHAEAS My L. I will And I must entreate your Patience herein as desirous to abstayne from geuing the lest iust offence to your L. And touching this subiect I dowbt litle but that howsoeuer you are as yet perswaded
them They would make men to beleiue that they had for the tymes and within their limits an absolute authority as if themselfs were Princes In lyke sort this Doctour reciteth Martin Seinâ—r making mention of a hundred thousand hands and what a stroake so many would stryke together and that Martin affirming their suyte should not be reiected especially in such a tyme whearein we now lyue in danger of our enemyes abroad and therefore had need of no causes of discoradgment at home Thus D. Bancroft cyteth the words of Martin Marprelet and then he giueth his sentence iudgment of this their Menage and tearmeth it thus A speech at least seditions This Doctour also further discoureth the threats of the Puritans against the Magistrate and he alledgeth one of their comminations thus in their owne words We haue sought to aduance this cause of God by humble suyte to the Parlament by wryting c. seing none of these meanes vsed by vs haue preuayled if it come by that meanes which will make all your harts to ake blame yourselfs Finally not to stay long hearein D. Succlif thus speaketh of Martin Marprelate Martin wisheth that the Parlament would bring in the Eldership notwithstanding her Maiestyes resisting of it vz by a rebellion They bragged of a hundred thousand hands and in playne â—â—armes talked of Massacring their Aduersaries Thus D. Succlif with whome I will heare end VICE-CHANCELOVR Though I cannot deny Michaeas the former attempts of the Protestants Yet since not only the Papists Doctrine but also the mainfold traiterous desigments and reall practizes of them against their Protestant Prinâ—es are no lesse tragicall then the former related by you are I do not see but that granting the Protestants to be faulty in defect of Loyalty you Papists may in a far more high degree be iustly insimulated within the said Cryme Good God your treasons and machinations haue bene so apparent and so approued by the consent almost of all other Papists as that I may truly pronounce that in the whole thronge of Papists a true and Loyal Papist towards his Protestant Soueraigne so rare such an one is is lyke a Diamond placed among many whyte Saphyrs So iust reason had the learned D. Morton to say of your Profession We may now expect as well a white Ethiopian as a loyall Subiect of this Religion MICHAEAS Alas M. Vice-Chancelour These are but verball exagerations without prouffe which as they are but wynde of spâ—enfull tongues so are they blowne away with the Wynd Be it that some Catholicke Doctours in certaine peculiar Cases do ascrybe a powrfull authority to the Pope against Princes And grant also that some few Catholicks haue proued to be to the ineffable greife and dislyke of all other good and sober Catholicks Disloyall to their Prince Yet since the difference both of their doctrines and circumstances of their attempts are incomparably short and inferiour to the doctrynes and reall insurrections of the Protestants against their Soueraignes You haue no reason M. Vice Chancelour thus to insult in galantry of such amplifying speeches against vs. Therefore I will paralell them heare together that so you seeing the greate disparty may â—ecall for shame those your speeches and suffer your cheekes to witnes your former errour And first touching the doctrine The Protestants I meane those former alledged Protestants do extend this power of deposing Princes to euery pore parochial superintendent who is Pope or so would be within his owne circuit yea for want of such a turbulent fellow if at any tyme theare can be a want of these they giue this liberty as aboue I haue showed to the base Common people and promiscuous multitude the many headed tyrants of all humane societyes The Catholicke deuynes who most defend such transcendency of proceedings do neuertheles ascrybe the doing of it to the Pope only who is a stranger and therefore further of from any such sudden present attempting and who himselfe in case of Heresy as a priuate person lyeth open to the same perill This also they teach must be done by many former sweete admonitions and proceedings To proceede to the attempts on both sides The Protestants haue actually deposed seuerall Kings Queenes and absolute soueraigns Thus is the King of Spayne deposed of a greater part of the Lowcontryes the King of France of certaine Cittyes in France The supreme Lord of Geneua of his Territory belonging to that Cittie The Emperour of many Imperiall Cittyes in Germany King Sigismond of his Kingdome of Sweueland and Finally his Maiesties Grandmother and Greatgrandmother of the Kingdome of Scotland The Pope and the Catholicks haue neuer yet to this day actually detroned any one absolute Protestant Prince or King throughout all Christendome of their Sates and Territoryes The greatest matter of this nature that can be alledged is the excommunications of King Henry the eight of England Queene Elizabeth his daughter and King Henry of France the fourth The Protestants haue come into the fyeld against their Catholicke Princes in many huge Armyes and hundred thousans of men as appeareth by the warrs made by them in the Low Countryes France Germany which warrs haue continued for many yeres The Catholicks neuer yet leuyed any such Armyes against their protestant Prince Lastly the Protestants haue not only deposed their Princes of seuerall states and Countryes but they haue really impatronized themselues of the sayd states and keept them in their owne possession as is ouer manifestly euident by the examples of Rochel in France Geneua Holland Zeland seuerall parts of Germany Sweueland Transiluania c. The Catholicks to this very day haue not made themselues Lords of any one towne or Citty much lesse of any state or Kingdome which haue belonged to their protestant Princes And thus farre touching the libration and weighing in an euen hand the doctrine and attempts taught and made by ProtestaÌ„ts Catholicks in point of disloyalty against their lawfull dread soueraigns of a different Religion And now M. Vice-Chancelour after the true vnfoulding of these matters which afore were lapped vp in a great mistaking I demaund of you where are your former Termini Conuertibilis of Papistry Disloyalty Your similitude of one Diamond among many worthles Saphyrs And D. Mortons strange beast As if all Papists and â—o Protestants were guilty of Treason and Rebellion against their lawfull Princes so fowly you see your selfe was mistaken therein and so wildly did your Doctourâ—aue â—aue of a whyte Ethiopian L. CHEIFE-IVSTICE Michaeas I am tyred with learning thus much of this distastfull Theame and I am vnwilling you should spinne out this discours to any further lenght Therefore you may heere end And truly I would scarse haue beleiued till now my owne eyes much lesse my eares that the Protestants wrytings and actions had stood so iustly subiect to this kind of Reprehension But I must yield though with greife to such euident testimonyes as you haue produced
amazement to see in a most noble Country where the Ghospell which forbiddeth all Rapine is presumed to be truly preached that men free not borne Bondslaues should thus in body and state only for feare of offending God and desire of sauing their soules lye prostrate to the depradations robberyes of certaine hungery Refuse and Outcasts of men who make show at least though wrongfully to warrant all these their pillages by force of the statute Law though otherwise prohibited by all Diuine and humane Law Si est dolor sicut dolor horum And if it fortune that any Priest be taken or Recusants do appeare then is the Pryest assured and the Catholicks in danger to be committed to a darke and loathsome prison there to remayne the Priest sometymes in fettars so long as it shall please the subordinate Magistrate His Maiesty who is most proue to mercy pitty and commiseration being wholy ignorant of such outrages and proceedings But My Lord. How base so euer the Priests Catholicks of England seeme to be in the eyes of their Aduersaryes yet no doubt their state is most gratefull through this their imprisonment in the sight of God and honorable in the iudgment of all foraine Catholicke nations who in regard of the others endurance may iustly apply to the said imprisoned Priests Catholicks that sentence of a most auncient Father Carcer habet tenebras sed lumen estis ipsi habet vincula sed vos soluti Deo estis triste illic expirat sed vos odor estis suauitatis LORD CHEIFE-IVSTICE Theese exorbitancyes of proceedings Michaeas whereof you speake if any such be the Law chastizeth and the Offendours are punishable neither doth the supreme Magistrat geue allowance of them Yet heare Michaeas you are to remember that though wrong be not to be recompensed with wrong and Cruelty with Iniustice The tymes haue bene I meane in the reigne of Queene Marie When the Professours of our Religion did not only suffer losse of Goods but euen death itselfe And therefore there appeareth lesse reason why you Romanists should so tragically complayne at your present afflictions Since in so doing you are lyke to those Men who perpeâ—rate impietyes yet expostulate of Wrong MICHAEAS Indeede my Lord I grant that this is the vulgar recrimination often vrged and reinforced by the Protestants for the more depressing of our pressures in the eye of others yet though I will not vndertake the defence of all the procedures of those tymes myselfe being a stranger both to the Nation and to the affayres of those dayes Neuerthelesse let it not be offensiue vnto you my honerable Lord if I vnfould the reason why such actions in that Queens tyme may stand lesse subiect to the censure of an iniustifiable punishment then theese in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth and since The reason is this In Q. Marâ—es tyme the Professours of any Religion different from the Catholicke and Roman Religion were punished by certaine Canon and Imperiall Lawes made by most auncient Popes Emperours they not then hauing any forknowledg that Protestancy should rather sway in these dayes then any other erroneous fayth And this they did in regard that all such different Religions were reputed and â—oulden as Innouations and most repugnant to the auncient Catholicke fayth Now that ProtestaÌ„cy was to be accounted in Queenes Maryes reigne a mere Innouation in faith as well as any other sect appeareth euen from the free acknowledgment of the learned Protestants who teach expressly that for theese foureteene or fyfteene hundred yeeres the ProtestaÌ„t fayth was neuer so much as heard or thought of till Luthers dayes I will heare content myselfe for greater breuity with the authorityes of two or three Protestants Do we not then find M. Parkins thus to coÌ„fesse hereof For many hundred yeres our Church was not visible to the World an vniuersal Apostasy ouer spreading the whole face of the Earth And doth not Sebastianus Francus the Protestant confesse the same in theese words For certaine the externall Church togeather with the Sacramenti vanished away presently after the Apostles departure and that for theese foureteene hundred yeres the Church hath not beene externall and Visible In lyke sort D. Fulke speaking of the Protestant Church doth he not thus wryte The true Church decayed immediatly after the Apostles tymes A verity confessed by Luther hymselfe thus vaunting of his owne supposed true faith Christum anobis primo vulgaâ—um audemus gloriari We dare boast that Christ was first preached by vs. Thus then we see that Protestancy was punished in Q. Maryes reigne as an Innouation in fayth and religion neuer afore that tyme dreamed of But now the case is farre otherwise touching the afflictions layed vpon the Catholicks for professing of their fayth since they are punished by certaine Parlamental statuts only decreed not past some threescore yeres since by the authority of a Woman Prince against a religion which by the learned Aduersaries lyke acknowledgment hath possessed all Christendome theese many hundred yeres and indeed so many hundred yeres as the Protestant Church is confessed by them to haue bene latent and inuisible And therefore those statâ—â—s were decreed not against the Catholicke Religion as against an Innouation but as against the till then only and sole Religion professed by all the Christiaâ—s through out the whole world To this end we find M. Napper a learned Protestant thus acknowledging Betweene the yeres of Christ 300. and 316. the Antichristian Papisticall reigne began reigning vniuersally without any debatible contradiction one thousand two hundred sixty yeres And as conspiring with the former Protestant herein the Centurists do euen from the tymes of Constantyne charge both hym and euery age and Century since till Luthers dayes with the Profession of our present Roman Religion Thus now your Lordship may clearly discouer the greate disparity betwene the proceedings of Queene Mary and Q. Elizabeth Since in the former Queens tyme the Lawes wheareby Sectaries were punished for their Religion were instituted many hundred yeres since In this later Q. raigne the Statuts were first made at the beginning of her comming to the Crowne which is yet in the memory of eich Man being but of reasonable greate yeres Those lawes were enacted by Popes and generall â—ouncells to whose charge and incumbency the burden of Religion is peculiarly by God committed secunded otherwise by the secular authority of Emperours and particularly of 〈◊〉 Valentinian and Marcian Theese were first inuented by a Woman and a Parlament of Lay Persons the incompetent iudges of fayth and Religion Breifly by the former Decrees a Religion confessed by the cheife Professours of it to be neuer heard of at lest for foureteene hundred yeres together and thearefore to be an innouation of fayth which is held by Catholicks to be a destruction of fayth necessary to Soules health is interdicted and prohibited By theese later
a Religion confesseâ—ly by it greatest Enemyes practized vniuersally throughout all Christendome the space of the aforesaid foureteene hundred yeres and by the learneder sort of Protestants graunted to be sufficient to Saluation is punished with losse of Goods and 〈◊〉 in p 〈…〉 sonment to the Professours of it and death to the Priests and 〈…〉 ers of them Quantum dist at Orius ab Occasâ— And heare I cannot omit to rehearse how the said Queene Elizabeth among other her lyke pious and charitable deeds that so theare might a sutablenes in her Actions was not afrayd contrary to the law of God contrary to the law of Nation contrary to her owne solemne vowe and promise afore giuen in that behalfe contrary to the pitifull flexure of her owne Sex and finally contrary to all Nature Honour and Religion to detayne by force to imprison to beâ—cade her owne nearest kinswoman and immediate Successour A Princes a Catholicke Queene of incompatable excellencyes and vertues Mother and therein the other Q. greater atrocitye to the late deceased Kinge of famous Memory and Grandmother to his Maiesty that now is Quis talia faudâ— Myrmidonum Dolopumue aut â—uri milles Vlyssis temperet a lacrimis Since heare this most worthy Princes descent was her only fault her byrth her cryme And thus did nearest in bloud occasioÌ„ the effusion of most innocent bloud and proximitie in Nature produce this barbarus Act euen loathed in Nature But doth your Lordship thinke that the other Q. then height of state and fastigious Dignity could be a Sanctuary without finall repentance for such her immanitie o no. Potentes potenter c. But I will conceale what followeth L. CHEIFE-IVSTICE That most deplotable Act Michaeas by you now mentioned was rather to be ascrybed perhâ—pps to certaine of the sayd Queens Councellours of state in those dayes then to the Queene herselfe But since she was a Princes of greate parts and perfections I could wish that as free from ill reproach she now being deade through of neuer dying memory might rest in Honour who gouerned with Honour VICE-CHANCELOVR my L. Iudge Michaeas is come hither not to declame thus at large or to make excursions of longe discourse is hitherto he hath bene permitted but to suffer condigne punishment for his former Misdemeanours The tyme is almost spent and therefore I would entreate your Lordship speedely to proceed to sentence against hym MICHAEAS Most Excellent Iudge ô let not my gray heyres become discolored with any imaginary Crymes nor suffer my ruinous and decayed bones to be attended to their graue with any iniust punishment and therefore In virtute tua iudica me Yf I desearne euill let me haue my due recompence Yf I be faultles I ought to be assoyled It is the law my owne demerits not this Mans viperous tongue that must make me euill LORD-CHEIFE IVSTICE I will descend to your sentence Michaeas And first seing I well obsearue that greate and vnaccustoined Examples of Iustice must euer in the eye of the multitude be presumed to haue some what of Wrong at least of Rigour therefore for the better auoyding of such an aspertion I will call to mynd of what particular offences you heare rest accused and will passe my euen impartiall iudgment of them not respecting how they are amplyfied in words but what they desearue ail collaterall respects considered in themselfs S 〈…〉 ce one and the same Action the circumstances being vâ—rieâ— is with theÌ„ also varied You arr heare then Michaeas arraigned as farre as my memory may seaiue to suggest and if I do forget any thing I hope your charitable friend M. Vice-Chancelour wil be my Remembrancer of three seuerall Offences First of diuulging and mantayning Positions of Disloyalty of the subiect agaiust his Prince Secondly of spreading short Treatises in the Vniuersity contayning diuers poynts of your owne Romish Religion Thirdly and lastly of being a Priest and exercizing your Priestly function within this Realme Touching the first I can find no prouffs against you but only M. Vice-Chancelour bare naked assertion to the which I haue lesse reason to giue so farre credit as to ruâ—ish you for the same not only because you do as peremptorily deny it as he did confidently auerre it but also in that you made a voluntary and earnest protestation in the name of your selfe all other Priests and Catholicks in England of due allegeance to his Maiesty so whereas M. Vice Chancelour did thearein speake words you did speake matter Besids I should hould it no small ouersight to chastize you publykely for that presumed fault though most weakely proued with the which if your formerrelations be therein true our owne Brethren do stand in a farre higher degree and measure chargeable Touching your Pryesthood and exercizing of it in our Country the greate antiquity whereof if you haue truly discoursed of it hath party awakened my Spirits thoughe you be much blame worthy in so doing Yet I cannot but confesse that our Satuts made in that busines haue particular reference to those Pryests only which are borne in our Country and not to Aliens or strangers as you giue your selfe out to be And therefore our Lawes thearein caÌ„not take any full hould of you That third fault then it is whereunto you lye more dangerously subiect Which is touching the diuulging of your Treatises and persuading others to your owne Religion The which as it is prohibited by our Lawes for euery vrgent reasons as begetting turbulency in our setled and quyet State so the offendours thearein stand highly punishable Neuerthelesse Michaeas since in the whole procedure of your Arraignment you haue showed greate temperance in your deportment and loyalty to our Soueraigne by the which we must coniecture the integrity and candour of your Mynde for though God do iudge the words by the hart yet Man must iudge the hart by the words since Old age a Schollar and a Stranger euen in all Countryes desearue speciall commiseration and pittye Finally since he who through any great offence committed is dead in the Law if after the rigour therof be to him dispensed is become the Chyld of Mearcy enioying as it were a second Byrth in which kynd of dispencing with rigour the Highest cheifly glorieth Suauis est Dominus miserationes eius super omnia opera eius Therefore my sentence shal be against you in the most gentill maÌ„ner yet with due consideration of all circumstances And it shal be this You shall continue in this Nation as long as your selfe shall thinke good enioying your full liberty of body so that hereafter you forbeare all persuading of others to your owne Religion and do perseuer in your former obedience to his Maiesty you shall at the next Act or Commencment at Oxford be ready there publykly in the eye of that Vniuersity to defend your owne doctrine mantayned in these your written Treatises at what tyme M. Vice-Chancelour heere as