in one that is not in another but others condemne him for that opinion Writing vpon the 3. dist lib. 1. sent they denie their masters examples and one condemneth another Bonauenture saith that men may attaine to the knowledge of the holy Trinitie by naturall reason others say contrarie The Scotists lib. 1. sent dist 5. inuey against Henricus de Gandauo for his opinion about the eternall generation of the Sonne of God AEgidius holdeth that the son of God hath power to beget another son which displeaseth Thomas and Bonauenture and is very strange doctrine Thomas Aquinas part 1. q. 32. art 4. saith that Doctors may hold contrary opinions Cinca notiones in diuinis He teacheth also that the holy Ghost doth more principally proceed from the Father then from the Sonne which others mislike If then they agrée not about the doctrine of the holy Trinitie it is not like that in matters wherein they haue libertie to dissent they will better agrée Scotus holdeth that the soule and an Angell do not differ as two diuers kinds Dthers teach contrary Some Doctors hold that Angels consist of forme onely others hold contrary They dissent also about the sin of our first parents Pighius in the doctrine of original sin dissenteth from his fellowes Innocentius in c. maiores de bapt eius effect misliketh the opinion of the master of the Sentences that held it to be pronitas ad peccandum that is a pronenesse to sinne The Thomists to this day could neuer be reconciled to the Scotists about the conception of our Ladie these denying she was conceiued in sin the others affirming it Gropper in his exposition of the Créed confesseth that among the Papists there are two diuers opinions about Christs descending into hell Bellarmine in his bookes of controuersies doth not more violently run vpon vs then vpon his owne consorts In euery article almost he bringeth contrary expositions of Scriptures and contrary opinions In the sacrament of the Lords supper which is a pledge of loue there are infinite contradictions among them as I haue shewed in my bookes de Missa against Bellarmine The like contentions I haue shewed in my Treatises de Indulgentijs de Purgatorio and shall haue occasion more at large to speake of them hereafter We are therefore to thanke God that the doctrine of faith in the Church of England is setled and that refusing all nouelties we agrée therein with the auncient catholike Church We acknowledge one Lord one faith one baptisme one head of the Church one canon of Scriptures with the auncient fathers The rules of all auncient and lawfull generall Councels concerning the faith we admit We haue one bniforme order for publike prayers adminis stration of Sacraments and Gods seruice Neither do we onely agree among our selues but also with the reformed Churches of France and Germany and other nations especially in matters of faith and saluation And as for ceremonies and rites it cannot be denied but that all Churches therein haue their libertie as the diuersities of auncient Churches and testimonies of Fathers do teach vs. Most baine therefore and contumelious is that discourse of N. D. in his Warne-word 1. encontr ca. 4 5 6. where he talketh of the difference of soft and rigide Lutherans among themselues of them from Anabaptists and from Zwinglians of all from the followers of Seruetus and Valentine Gentilis For neither do we acknowledge the names of Lutherans Caluinians or Zuinglians but onely call our selues Christians nor haue we to do with the Arians or Anabaptists or Seruetus or Gentilis or any heretikes Nay by our Doctors these fellowe 's haue bene diligently confuted and by our gouernors the principall of them haue bene punished But these may Parsons reply haue bin among vs. Admit it were so yet do not our aduersaries take themselues to be guiltie of Arianisme and Anabaptisine because there are diuers guiltie of Arianisine and Anabaptisme among them We say further that the Churches of Germany France and England agree albeit priuate men hold priuate opinions Finally where we talk of the Church of England what a ridiculous sot was this to bring an instance of the Churches of Germany or Suizzerland nay not of the Churches but of priuat persons and that in matters not very substantiall if we admit their owne interpretations Hauing therefore talked his pleasure of Lutherans and Zuinglians he descendeth to speak of rigid and soft Caluinists as he calleth them in England He calleth them also Protestants and Puritanes But neither do we admit these names of faction nor is he able to shew that publikely any Christian is tolerated to dissent either in matters of faith or rites from the Church of England But if any there be that mislike our rites yet is not that contention about matters of faith nor can the disorder of priuate persons hinder the publike vnion of the Church Finally I do not know any man now but he is reasonably well satisfied concerning matters of discipline albeit the same be with the great griese of Papists who go about to stirrc vp the coles of contention as much as they can that heretofore haue bene couered CHAP. II. Of the restoring of Christian Religion and the reduction of the Church of England to the true faith TRue faith in time of Poperie was a great stranger in England most men being ignorant of all points of christian Religion the rest holding diuers erronious points and heresies Their ignorance we shall proue by diuers testimonies hereafter Their errors and hercues are very apparent and at large proued in my late challenge That which the Apostle calleth the doctrine of diuels 1. Tim. 4. that they imbrace for doctrine of faith For they forbid their Priests Monkes Friers and Nuns to marrie and commaund the Benedictines and their Charterhouse Monkes at all times to abstaine from flesh They also forbid men to eate flesh vpen all fasting dayes fridayes and saterdayes and in Lent dissoluing the commandements of God by their owne traditions The Manicheyes abstained from egges as Saint Augustine sheweth lib. de heres cap. 46. Nec eua saltem sumunt quasi ipsa cùm franguntur expirent nec oporteat vllis corporibus mortuis vesci So likewise did Papists at certain times they cal such as allow ymariage of priests sectatores libidinum praeceptores vitiorum that is followers of lusts and teachers of vices albeit the Apostle affirmeth mariage to be honorable in all sorts of men They dissolue such mariages albeit Christ teach that man is not to separate them whom God hath ioyned together Their Fastes they place in eating of fish and not in abstinence from all sustenance as the auncient Fathers by their doctrine and practise taught Some count it as mortall sinne to eate flesh on fridayes as to kill a man and that a Priest doth sinne lesse in committing fornication then in matching himselfe in honest mariage and yet they confesse that
rebels destroy these murtherers and burne these sodomites and hang vp these traitors of the King and Realme And this they sayd of the friars But Wickleffe alwayes detested and spoke both against such abominations and such rebellions It is a common tricke also of Papists to proue their doctrine with lies fables To proue transsubstantiation they make a crucifixe to speake these words Benè de me scripsisti Thoma Thou hast written wel of me Thomas when shal I be able to requite you for your paines To proue the real presence they make tales of bloud appearing in the sacrament and sometimes they say Christ appeared like a litle child which are toyes to mock children withall To proue purgatory they tel vs tales of S. Patrickes purgatorie of soules complaining and crying for more masses of apparitions of Angels diuels and soules The same lies they abuse also to proue prayer for the dead For the iustification of their doctrine concerning the worship of saints and their images they tell lies of images mouing talking working walking and of wonderfull apparitions and miracles done by them Our Ladies image is said to speake to Hiaciullyus Goodrike saw a boy come out of a crucifixes mouth as Mathew Paris relateth Finally the Popes and their agents without lies and notorious forgeries cannòt maintaine their cause as by infinite lies of Bellarmine Baronius Parsons yea and of the Popes themselues I haue iustified Doeth it not then appeare that in lying they haue set vp their rest And will not the world see the abominations of popery that cannot be maintained but by lying forgery and force God graunt that truth may once appeare and open the eyes of all Christians that they may sée that which now lieth hidden and come to the perfect knowledge of truth AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER CONCERNING FOVRE OTHER INFAMOVS Libels lately diuulged and sent into England by Parsons Kellison and Walpoole BEfore the fornter answer could be finished and published there came to my hands foure other bookes all penned by our malicious aduersaries and sent ouer frō Rome and other places into England to disturne simple people from the loue of the truth of which I haue thought good most Christian Reader here at the end of this work briefly to aduertise thée I hope also that the same aduertisement wil serue for present satisfactiō to those which percase expect a spéedie answer to such hastic calumniations and most wicked libels The first is set out vnder the name of T. F. alias Thomas Fitzherbert a man euill reported of by his owne conforts and therefore no maruell if hatefull to all men wel affected to their prince and countrey Long he hath bene a spie and pensioner of the king of Spaine But now perceiuing belike that the trade is become odious groweth out of request he is turned Masse priest and set to sing for the soules of his friends after thrée farthings a Masse And least he might forget his old art of spiery he is now set to spy for his holy father if by any good aduenture he can sée Christs true body lurking vnder the accidents of the Masse-cake his bloud by a necessary concomitance as they say being not farre off This fellow as a Masse-priest was thought a fit person to speake for the Masse and as a spie and renegate Englishmā to speake shame of his country and to defend traitors And yet the poore man is as fit to dispute of the massing religion and popish subtilties as an asse to play an antheme vpon a paire of organs The true author of the booke as his stile declareth and the dealers in the edition must néeds witnes is Robert Parsons an old hackster in missifical quarels and a great dealer in matter of conuersion of England and one that vseth at his pleasure to borrow other mens names now calling himselfe Captaine Cowbucke now Dolman now Iohn Houlet now N. D. or Noddy now T. F. or Tom Fop now Robert Parsons Under the name of Dolman he set out his traitorous seditious booke of succession in disgrace of the Kings title Under the name of Iohn Houlet he published certaine idle reasons of refusall himselfe neuer refusing to attempt any mischiefe against the State Under the title of N. D. he set out-his VVardword and VVarneword stigmatizing his manship with the perpetual note of a Noddy implied by those two letters N. D. And this course he tooke in T. F. his Apologie The second is entitled A treatise of three conuersions of England and was set out by Robert Parsons also vnder the old stampe of N. D. whose signification euery child now knoweth to be Noddy But why he should write of the conuersion of his countrey to religion we can sée no reason séeing we haue knowne him alwaies more studious of the subuersion then of the conuersion of England and his consorts the Masse priests do testifie that he is a Machiauelian packing fellow boyd of religion and honesty The turnings of the Masse or turning of iackets had bene a more fit subiect for him to handle seeing he furneth skippeth so oft about the altar like an ape dauncing about a maypole and hath turned his coate so often from English to Romish from Scottish to Spanish from all to French that some of his friends feare vnlesse he turne Cardinall that he will turne Turke The third is called A Suruey of the new religion and was deuised by a renegued fugitiue Englishman who hath surueyed diuers other countries and yet neuer found any settlement in his braine or habitation Like Caine he hath bin long a vagrant fugitiue fellow Vagus profugus in terra and séeketh if not to kill yet to slander his countrimen and friends imputing vnto them most horrible opinions and crimes It resteth then that we set vpon him a mark as vpō Caine that euery man may know him for a suppost of Satan although herein we néed not much to trauell seeing the first letter of Kellisons name who fathereth this monstrous moonecalfe is K. and the man is noted among his companions for a great quareller about his commons The poore fellow is but a kettle doctor or rather a Tinker of broken schoole distinctions and a professor rather then a performer of any diuine learning The fellow talketh idly of new religion but neither doeth he know what is new nor what is old nor what belongeth to religion that taketh popery for religion and esteemeth the masse and decretaliue doctrine which this Church of England refuseth to be auncient and the apostolike faith which we professe to be new The fourth is termed A briefe and cleare confutation of a new vaine and vanting challenge and is directed against a treatise set out some two or thrée yeares agone by mee wherein is proued that the Masse-priests and their adherents are neither Catholikes nor good Christians But so learnedly and wisely hath the author of this braggard confutation handled the matter that his good
words without swearing and blaspheming The Popes and their faction haue caused all the warres and troubles in Christendome as histories do recount If a man do but look in the life of Sixtus the fourth Iulius the 2. he may easily sée what seditious and turbulent spirits they cary But what néed we looke so high seeing the flames of ciuil discension in Germanie France Flanders England and Ireland burning so bright by the solicitation of Paul the third Pius the fifth Gregorie thirtéenth and fourteenth and this Clement that now possesseth the throne of Antichrist do so plainely declare them to be firebrands of warre and trouble Well therefore said Petrarke that in Rome all those mischiefes were hatched that are now spread through the world and neuer shall Christian Princes haue loyall subiects as long as seditious Masse-priests are suffered to lurk within their kingdomes In countries subiect to y e Pope they count it a little fault to murder mē now frō thence are come certaine assassins which for hire and by perswasions are induced to kill men There also impoysonments are most common The Popes themselues vse to drinke of poysoned cups and that by the iust iudgement of God seeing by the cup of their poysoned doctrine according to the prophecy Apoc. 17. they haue empoysoned many Christian nations To conclude this large discourse there is no state of men vnder the Popes iurisdiction but it is growne to great dissolution and corruption of manners and may be conuinced of diuers sinnes and abominations by infinite witnesses and confessions if we would stand vpon it but I will content my selfe with two or three Breidenbach in the historie of his peregrination speaketh generally and sayth Recessit lex à sacerdotibus c. that is the law is departed from priests iustice from princes counsell from elders good dealing from the people loue from parents reuerence from subiects charitie from prelates religion from Monkes honestie from yong men discipline from clerkes learning from masters study from schollers equitie from Iudges concord from citizens feare from seruants good fellowship from husbandmen truth from merchants valor from Noblemen chastitie from virgins humility from widowes loue from maried folks patience from poore men O time ô manners And Walter Mapes that liued in the time of Henry the second King of England Virtutes cunctae saith he en iacent defunctae All vertues lie now dead Charitie is no where to be found And againe In truth I find that the whole Cleargy doth studie wickednesse and impietie enuie raigneth truth is exiled The prelates are Lucifers heires They being now aduaunced tread downe others blinde guides they are and blinded with idolatrie of earthly things Robert Bishop of Aquila in his Sermons of which Sixtus Senensis maketh mention in the third booke of his Biblioth sanct speaketh thus to his countrie of Italie O Italia plange ô Italia time ô Italia caue ne propter obstinationem tuam in te desaeuiat ira Dei c. Tu in dies durior efficeris in peccatis malitia perseuerando Fiunt iam vbique vsurae publicae omnia foedata sunt spurcissimis vitijs carnis ignominiosae Sodomiae superbia pomparumiam occupauit omnes ciuitates terras blasphemiae Dei periuria mendacia iniustitiae violentiae oppressiones pauperum similia superabundant O Italie saith he lament ô Italie feare ô Italie beware lest for thy obstinacie the wrath of God waxe not cruell against thee c. Thou euery day art more and more hardened perseuering in thy sinnes and maliciousnesse Euery where men set vp bankes of vsurie all things are defiled with most foule vices of the flesh and most shamefull sodomie Pride in pompous shewes haue now filled cities and countries blasphemies against God periuries lies iniustice violence orpression of the poore and such like vices do superabound I would further insist vpon this argument but that I referre diuers matters ouer to the second booke where I shall haue occasion more particularly to examine the good workes of Papists But the Church of England neither alloweth publike shewes nor bankes of vsurie nor dispenseth with oathes of subiects to Princes or alloweth periurie nor shall Robert Parsons find such filthines and abhominations among the professors of our religion as are commonly practised by the Popes Cardinals Masse-priests Monkes Friars and Nuns and their followers All corruptions in doctrine concerning good workes are reformed and diuers abuses concerning manners among the Papists taken away The which séeing it procéeded wholly of that reformation of religion which Quéen Elizabeth of pious memorie wrought by her regall authoritie among vs we are most gratefully to accept that worke and by exercises of pietie and charity to indeuour to shew our selues not vnworthie either of our profession or of so great a blessing Against this discourse Robert Parsons talketh very scornfully and saith first that the experience of the whole world will deny that good workes are fruites of our religion But if he had bene well aduised he would haue forborne to talke of experience For whosoeuer hath liued among those that are of our religion and among Papists also must néedes say that the liues of Romanists are abhominable offending in whoredome Sodomie periurie vsurie and all impieties and discharge vs deterring and abhorring those vices and punishing them seuerely Beside that if he meant to winne credit he would not talke of the whole world being not able to name one honest man that will iustifie that which he talketh Secondly he saith our best friends renounce our workes And then alleageth an Epistle of Erasmus mentioned by Surius a Postil of Luther and a testimonie out of Aurifaber But first Erasmus is none of our best friends being in most points an aduersarie and a professed Masse-priest And if he were our friend yet haue we no reason to beléeue Surius a malicious enemie and a base Monke hired to speake lyes Secondly it is a ridiculous foolerie where we dispute of the fruites of the Gospell in England in Queene Elizabeths dayes to bring testimonies of Luther and Aurifaber that were dead before her time and speake of some of their countrie people Thirdly they speake not of the whole reformed Church in Germanie but rather of some that albeit they disliked Poperie yet did not sincerely embrace the truth Finally neither Luther nor Aurifaber doth charge his countrie people with such faults as raigne among Papists He must therfore seek some witnesses that speake more to purpose and leaue his owne treasons filthinesse periurie lying gluttonie and drunkennesse before he talke of good workes Finally he pratleth much concerning the merit of workes But if he had bene vsed according to his merits then had the crowes long ere this eaten his carion flesh He misliketh also that we should giue a caueat to auoide hypocriticall ostentation albeit any man shold do good works But this caueat concerneth him but a litle whose workes are most wicked and odious his
sheweth himselfe to be past shame to talke against mariage when himselfe was begotten by a filthie priest and his consorts wallow in all beastly abhominations Wherefore let the aduersaries storme and rage as much as they list yet will we say and may say it most truly that both the Church of God and the State hath receiued great blessings by Quéene Elizabeths late happie gouernment And if nothing else yet the vaine opposition of enemies and traitors may perswade vs that it is so For not onely their mislikings do fhew that both the Church and State was well ordered for otherwise they would haue bene better pleased but also their vaine ianglings and contradictions they being not able to obiect any thing which soundeth not to her Maiesties honeur and high commendations confirme the same CHAP. XIII Parsons his cursed talke of cursings of England by chaunge of Religion and gouernment vnder Queene Elizabeth examined THe Prophet Dauid speaking of the foolish and wicked men of his time saith that their throate is an open sepulchre and afterward that their mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse The which we sée verified in the Pope and his impious sect For their throates are wide as the graue and swallow the wealth of Europe They also degorge out of them all the wickednesse and villanie they can deuise against the godly Pius Quintus and Sixtus Quintus accurse the Quéene Robert Parsons following their steppes raileth vpon her in diuers libels In his Warn-word that is a complement of his foolery he sayth We receiued no blessings by her but rather cursings Here therefore we are to answer the barking of this cursed hel-hound and of his accursed companions In the first encounter of his Wardword p. 4. he saith We are deuided from the general body of catholickes in Christendome But this should haue bene proued if he would haue any man to giue him credit For we alleage that the Papists from whom we are deuided are no Catholikes beleeuing the new doctrines of the late conuenticles of Lateran Constance Florence Trent other Friers priests which neither were receiued of all men nor in all times nor in all places which is the true propertie of Catholicke doctrine Next we offer to proue that we are true Catholikes séeing the doctrine of our faith is Apostolicall and vniuersally approued of all true Christians and for the most part confessed by the Papists vntil of late time If then this be a principall curse to be deuided from Catholickes then doth the same fall on Parsons his own head and vpon his trecherous consorts and not vpon vs. Secondly he saith that we of England are deuided from Lutherans Zuinglians and Caluinists abroad and from Puritanes Brownists and other like good fellowes at home But this common Iergon of Papists is already answered For neither do we acknowledge the names of Lutherans Zuinglians and Caluinists nor can he shew that the Church of England is deuided from the Churches of France Germanie or Suizzerland or that one Church oppugneth another If any priuate man do maintaine priuat opinions in doctrine as diuers Germaines French and English do or else if there be any difference among vs concerning ceremonies and gouernment that doth no more make a schisme in our church then the diuers rites of Spanish French and Italians and diuers opinions in al points of religion betwéen old and new Romish Doctors maketh a schisme in the Romish Church For generally we all agree in substance of faith in rites ceremonies refer euery Church to their libertie In England publikely there is more vniformitie in doctrine prayers ceremonies then in the Romish Church albeit some priuat men whom Parsons vseth to call Puritanes dissent in some points As among the Papists there are diuers that allow not all which they hold commonly But saith he in his Warne-word Encont 1. c. 15. the French Germaines and Scottish do not agrée with the English in the rule of faith as is proued in the foure fiue and sixe and sequent chapters But if he had found any differences he would not haue spared to set them down In the chapters mentioned he sheweth not that we differ in any article of faith or substantiall point of religion but rather in rites ceremonies and some diuers interpretations of some words of Scripture Thirdly he would make his reader beléeue that we haue no certaintie in religion and that as he foole-wisely imagineth because we haue no certaine rule whereby to direct our consciences And this he handleth both in his Wardword 1. Encontr and Warnw. 1. enc c. 15. 16. and other places skipping like an ape vp an downe without rule order or reason But while he talketh of the rule of faith he is direct contrary to himselfe For in his Wardw. p. 6. he sayth that the vniuersal Church was the direct rule and squire which we ought to follow and in the Warnw. Enc. 1. c. 15. nu 10. he teacheth that it is the summe and corpes of Christian doctrine deliuered at the beginning by the miracles and preachings of the Apostles Where I omit to tell Robert Parsons that it is absurd to make the same thing to be a rule and a squire the rule being direct and the squire being square It is also ridiculous though I do not tell him of it to say that Christs doctrine was deliuered by miracles for it was deliuered by writing and preaching and confirmed by miracles But I cannot forbeare to tell him that there is great difference betwéene the Catholike Church and the Catholike doctrine How then can these two make one rule Next he taketh exception to my words where I say that the Church of England hath a certaine rule to follow in matters of faith as if the canon of scriptures and those conclusions which are to be drawne out of them were no certaine rule or else as if traditions that are no where certainly described or set downe were a more certaine and authenticall rule then scriptures and necessary deductions out of them Fourthly he giueth out that we despaire of all certaine rule or meane to trie the truth which is a most desperate and impudent kind of dealing For directly I told him before and now I tell him againe that our rule is most certaine being nothing else but the canonicall Scriptures and the conclusions necessary drawne out of them Nay this rule may in part be confirmed by Parsons his owne confession For if the corps of Christian doctrine preached by the Apostles be the rule of faith as he saith VVarnw 1. encont c. 15. where are we to find it but in holy Scriptures He holdeth percase that it is to be found in the Popes bosome But if he say so in schooles he shal not want a greater plaudit then he had when hauing ended his comicall dealings in Bayliol colledge he was rung and hissed out of the house For who knoweth not that scabs and villany are
the moderne Romish Religion is all one with the auncient Christian Religion But his negatiue ridiculous proofe is denied His affirmatiue is rather a bare affirmation then a proofe For first against his negatiue we offer to proue that not onely the points of Romish doctrine which the Church of England refuseth are brought in long after the Apostles time but also that they are contrary to the Apostles doctrine But suppose we knew no originall of some of the Romish heresies are they therefore no heresies Is idolatry no idolatry because the first beginning thereof is not knowne Or are the Angelikes Archontikes Crosse-worpers Nadipedals Monothelites and diuers other heretikes true Catholikes because the Papists cannot shew who first broached these heresies Secondly albeit the Magdeburginns and some other learned men find fault with some termes used by the fathers as of sacrifice altar priest purgatorie free-will and some other yet that sheweth not either that all the fathers vsed these termes or that any of those that vsed them consented with the Papists which from new termes are growne to new and strange doctrine Beside that Parsons disputcth ridiculously which ascribeth the particular and priuate opinions of some one or few among vs to the whole Church He himselfe albeit he affirme many things desperately will not yéeld be this point against his owne consorts So we sée Parsons his whole treatise of three conuersions easily subucrted in thrée words and with the turning of a hand The second part of Parsons his treatise wherein he pretendeth to make search for the religion professed in England is wholly without the compasse of his title of thrée conuersiens So simple was he in his choise that he could not choose a title to fit his fantasticall worke Beside that he seemeth to be blind that could not find our Religion in the auncient Church of Christ for a thousand peares after Christ and long after For there is no point or article of faith taught by the Apostles receiued by the consent of the whole Church in any auncient and lawfull Councell but we receiue it and embrace it Nor do we professe any thing in the Creed of the Apostles or of the Nicene and other auncient Councels which the auncient fathers did not also together with vs receiue and professe While therefore the light-headed frier ranne poasting through all ages and pretended to enquire for newes of our Church which ho might sée if he would in all places he resembleth much that wise fellow that could not see wood for trées Neither is it material that in auncient time he findeth no opposition made against the Popes primacy or vniuersall power or to the Masse or to the doctrine of transsubstantiation the carnall presence in the Eucharist the sacrifice of the masse the 7. sacraments purgatory indulgences such like For who seeth not that it is most ridiculous to make search for opposition against popish doctrine heresie before the same was extant in the world But as soone as any began to chalenge the name of Oecumenical or vniuersal Bishop Gregory the first challenged him for it as the fore-runner of Antichrist The worship of images allowed after a sort in the second Councell of Nice though not in such grosse maner as now was oppugned in the Councell of Francford in the time of Charlemaine The carnall presence of Christs body in the sacrament was not beleeued by Gregory the 7. as Beno reporteth and was both thē and afterward disliked by many Transsubstantiatiō was disputed against by the schoolmen All the Easterne Church spurned against the Popes headship his purgatory and indulgences Neither since the time of the first beginning of these corruptions did the Albigenses Valdenses Wiclephians and Bohemians as they are called together with diuers others cease to exclaime against these popish abuses But saith Parsons these did not in all things agrée with vs. Yet if he speake of matters of faith he wrongeth them and vs. If of ceremonies it is not necessary that al churches shold agrée in all points Furthermore if the aduersaries had not calmniously layed diuers imputations of heresies vpon them which they neuer held the variation wold not haue séemed so great as they pretend Wherfore if Robert Parsons séeke no better it is not like that he wil find a Cardinals hat which as his friends charge him he hath long sought This is the summe of that which is materiall in Robert Parsons his treatise of thrée conuersions The rest is nothing else but froth of the mans fury and foolery and containeth only certaine idle inuectiues against M. Fox that good man against M. Bale other honest Christians together with certaine fond tales of king Alphreds dreames S. Cutberts apparitions such like woodden popish stuffe drawne out of lying legends He forgot not also to raile against our noble Quéene lately deceased and to call her old persecutor and to lay an aspersion of slaunder vpon the State as if the same did persecute Papists for religion a matter of which the secular Masse-priests are ashamed and sticke not to cleare those whem this conuertible Proteus most vniustly chargeth Finally his fardle of wast papers containeth diuers corruptions and deprauations of holy Scriptures miss-allegations of Fathers weake collections grosse errors rebellious positions notorious lies and calumiations which in a large treatise herafter are to be discouered K. Kellisons Suruey if any man list to suruey and peruse a certaine slaunderous and railing companions libell entituled Caluinoturcismus and with hatred more then Turkish to christian religiō set out by Gifford of Lile wil be found to be wholy stolne out frō thence albeit he yéeldeth no thanks to those from whence he borowed or rather stole his inuention This Plagiary therefore néedeth no other answer then that which is already made to Giffords Turky worke called Caluinoturcismus It séemeth the man is at a stand For albeit Gifford hate religion like a Turk yet he answereth no more then if by vertue of Parsons his thrée conuersions he were turned into a mute Turbot This K. also of his owne hath added a glozing and flattering Epistle to the King a certaine preface concerning inanimate and vnreasonable creatures percase like the Arcadian beasts of Doway and certaine fragments old ends of diuers stale declamations made as it seemeth at the drinking out of a pot of Renish wine His schollers I heare gape and wonder at his horrible eloquence But yet the wisest of thē see that they haue no affinitie with his purpose and onely serue to fringe his chapters like as mustie ends of mockado serue to stitch his iacket of perpetuana All the whole amounteth to nothing saue to declare the man to be a perpetuall railer and a most sottish declaimer The idle fellow in all his scuruy collection which he like a surueyor without commission hath made to litle purpose doth neither shew wisedome nor modestie nor learning If the fellow had bene wise he
they are vncertaine what they shall beleeue But the Pope may both erre in denying Scriptures and adding to Scriptures To answer this the Papists are driuen to affirm that the Pope cannot erre in these determinations But this sheweth the vncertaintie of their faith that dependeth vpon one little rotten goutie Pope whose learning is not worth two chips and whose pietie is lesse then his learning Fourthly if the Popes consignation be necessary to make Papists beleeue Scriptures then is their faith most vncertaine and rather humane then diuine Especially considering that of this Popes consignation of Scriptures there is not one word in Scriptures But that is their doctrine Fiftly the doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome being the rule of faith the Romish faith must néeds proue vncertaine and variable The consequence of this proposttion is proued for that both schoole-men differ from schoole-men and late writers from the auncient and also Popes from Popes as I haue shewed in my bookes De pontif Rom. That the rule of faith is as I haue said it may be auerred by Stapletons words Sixthly if saith be grounded vpon traditions as well as vpon Scriptures then haue the Papists no certaine faith The consequence is plaine for that diuers ancient traditions are new ceased and neither Caesar Baronius nor any man is able to set downe which are authentical traditions which not Finally if the faith of Papists rest vpon the Popes determinations or else vpon the supposed Catholicke Churches decrees then is their faith a goutie fraile and rotten faith or rather a most doubtfull opinion For neither are they certaine who is lawfull Pope nor that his determinations are vnfallible nor is it an easie matter to know which are the Catholicke Churche's determinations the Papists themselues contending and varying continually about them These arguments do shew that the Papists haue either a vaine faith or else no faith at all And this Robert Parsons notwithstanding his obstinacie and peruersenesse must needs confesse For simple Papists haue only these meanes whereby to direct themselues viz. Scriptures Fathers or their owne Priests Scriptures they neither heare read in a tongue knowne nor do they much regard them The Fathers they vnderstand not The priests do often tel lies and too farre they dwell from the Pope to know of him the truth To omit to talke of ruder persons and to talke of spruce Robert Parsons gladly would I know of him how he is assured that the religion he teacheth is true Scriptures he denieth to be the rule of faith and will not beléeue them to be authenticall without the Popes determination The Pope is but one man If then he rely wholy on the Popes determination his faith is nothing but a foolish fancie grounded vpon one man If vpon the Church yet he knoweth not the Church but by his owne reason and sence as I thinke he will confesse Rule of faith he acknowledgeth none but the vniuersall Church which is not onely absurd but maketh much against him Absurd it is for that the Church is ruled and is not the rule no more then the Carpenter is his rule It maketh against him for that it is more difficult to know the Catholicke Church of all times and places then Scriptures or any proofe of faith else For to know that it is necessary to be well seene in the historie of all times Churches and countries And if he refer himselfe to others and beléeue humane histories his faith is still grounded on men This being the case of Papists and of their agent Robert Parsons we may estéeme our selues happie that are deliuered from this great vncertaintie and taught to build our faith vpon Christ Iesus and the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Other foundation can no man lay beside that which is laid that is Christ Iesus saith the Apostle And Eph. 2. Ye are built saith he vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone We know that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God We beléeue that the Scriptures are a perfect rule and therefore rightly called canonicall The Apostle speaking of the rule of faith 2. Cor. 10. Gal. 6. and Phil. 3. meaneth no other rule but that which was to be found in holy Scriptures The Fathers also procéeded by the rule of Scriptures both where they sought direction for themselues and also where they brought arguments against Heretikes Ireney lib. ◠aduers. Haeres cap. 1. calleth the Gospell deliuered in Scriptures the foundation and pillar of our faith Tertul. writing against Hermogenes saith He abode not in the rule of faith And why Inter Scriptur as enim Dei colores suos inuenire nö potuerat He could not find hi◠colours or fancies in Scriptures Athan. saith Orat. 2. contr Arian that Heretikes are to be stoned with arguments out of Scriptures Out of Scriptures that Arians in the Councell of Nice other Heretikes in other Synods were confuted And generally antiquitie doth call Scriptures the canon or rule of faith Agréeably therefore to Scriptures and Fathers the Church of England in the beginning of Quéene Elizabeths raigne acknowledged the canon of Scriptures and thence tooke the articles of our Christian faith And therefore I call Scriptures and that which is necessarily deduced out of Scriptures the rule of faith not separating the rule from scriptures as Parsons 1. Encontr cap. 15. of his Warn-word doth cauill but in the rule comprehending whatsoeuer is either expressed in termes or by necessarie consequence deduced out of scriptures And this I did to auoide the causls of the aduersary which inferre because this word Trinitie or consubstantiall or baptisme of children is not found in Scriptures that scriptures are not a solide and entire rule of faith Against this Parsons in his Warn-word 1. Encontr c. 15. alleageth first certaine names of Fathers then certaine words out of Ignatius his Epistle ad Phil. Irenaeus lib. 3. 4. aduersus Haeres Tertullian de Praescript aduersus Haeretic and Uincentius Lirinensis But he spendeth his labour in vaine and abuseth his Reader For none of these Fathers speake of other matters then such as are to be proued out of Scriptures as the places themselues shew Ireney by Tradition proueth God to be the Creator and the mysterie of Christ his incarnation But Parsons will not deny this to be contained in Scriptures Tertullian de Praescript aduers. Haeret. disputeth against the heresies of the Valentinians and Marcionites drawing arguments from the Apostles preaching and tradition But that was because they denyed and corrupted Scriptures For no man can deny but that their heresies are clearely conuinced by Scriptures Quod sumus hoc sunt That we are that they are saith Tertullian speaking of Scriptures That is likewise the meaning of Vincentius Lirinensis de Haeres cap. 27. for that depost of which he talketh is nothing but the Christian faith contained in scriptures But if
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
fornication is against the law of God and not the mariages of priests They tolerated common whores as did Simon Magus and other heretickes and now in Rome the Pope not withstanding his pretended holinesse receiueth a tribute from them They do also sell Masses imposition of hands benefices and make money of their god of the altar and their religion which sauoureth of the heresie of Simon Magus Venalianobis saith Mantuan Templa sacerdotes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale Deusque That is churches priests altars sacraments crownes fire incense prayers yea heauen and God himselfe are set to sale among vs. Brigit in her reuelations cap. 232. saith Priestes are worse then Iudas for that he sold Christ for mony but they barter him for all commodities As the Basilidians worshipped images vsed enchantments and superstitious adiurations so do they worshipping not onely materiall images but also their fantasticall imaginations They also exorcise water and salt saying Exorcizo te creatura aquae againe exorcizo te creatura salis With the Heretickes called Staurolatrae they worship the crosse with the Angelikes they serue and worship Angels with the Armenians they make the images of God the Father and the holy Ghost As the Nazarites mingled Iewish ceremonies with christian Religion so do Papists borrowing from them their paschal lambe their Iubileys their priestly apparell their altars their Leuiticall rites and diuers other Iewish ceremonies Irenaeus lib. 1. aduers. haeres cap. 30. saith that Marcion and Saturninus first taught abstinence from liuing creatures from whom the Papists séeme to haue borrowed their abstinence frō certaine meates as lesse holy then others Our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles as S. Augustine saith Epist. 86. ad Casulanum neuer appointed what dayes we ought to fast and what not The Papists therefore haue their fasts from others then from Christ or his Apostles From the Manicheys they borrow their communions vnder one kind as may be proued by the Chapt. relatum and comperimus dist 2. de consecrat and by Leo his fourth Sermon de quadrages The Helcesaites make Christ in heauen to differ from Christ on earth as saith Theodoret haeret fabul lib. 2. cap. de Helcesaeis his words are these Christum non vnum dicunt sed hunc quidem infernè illumverò supernè So likewise the Papists teach that Christs bodie in heauen is visible and palpable but not as it is in the Sacrament With the Pelagians they concurre in many points as I haue at large declared in my late challenge Hoc Pelagiani audent dicere saith S. Augustine lib. 2. de bono perseuerantiae c. 5. hominem iustum in hac vita nullum habere peccatum Now how can they cleare themselues from this that hold that a man is able to performe the law of God perfectly The Apostle Paul denyeth that we are iustified before God by the workes of the law The Papists haue taught quite contrarie He teacheth vs not to glorie in our works They say quite contrarie that men may glorie in their workes He sheweth that as many as receiue the sacrament of the Lords bodie are also to receiue the sacrament of his bloud They denie the cuppe to all the communicants beside the priest Our Sauiour instituting the Sacrament of his last supper said Accipite manducate that is take and eate These imagine that he offered his bodie and bloud really and corporally at his last supper and that he appointed his bodie and bloud actually to be offered in the Masse and not alwaies to be sacramentally and spiritually receiued of the communicants The Papists teach that wicked men reprobates and diuels may haue true faith But the Apostle teacheth that true faith iustiāeth that they which haue it liue by faith Commonly they hold that charitie is the forme of faith Which if it were true then could not faith subsist without charitie But the Apostle teacheth vs that faith as faith doth make the iust to liue and auncient Christians were alwayes ignorant of these philosophicall fancies They hold that diuers sinnes are committed which are not forbidden by Gods law But this sheweth that the law of God as they suppose is not perfect and that the lawes of man hauing nothing in them of Gods law bind the conscience as well as the law of God Finally the very foundations of popish religion are erronious the same being founded partly vpon the decretals of Popes partly vpon the traditions of men contained partly in their Missals breuiaries ond other rituall books partly in their fabulous legends and partly in the chest of the Popes brest and partly vpon the old Latin translation of the Bible which the Romanists hold to be authenticall and partly vpō the interpretations of the Romish Church But since it pleased God to put into her Maiesties royall heart a resolution to reforme the church that was so much deformed by the pharisaicall and superstitious additions of that Papists to restore religion according to that doctrine of the Apostles Prophets not only all former heresies errors were abolished but also the true doctrine of faith was restored The which is apparent not onely by the articles of Religion which we professe but also by our publike confessions and apologies which we haue published at diuers times And in part it may be proued by the secret confession of our aduersaries For albeit they would gladly cauill against our confessions yet they take their grounds commonly out of Luther Zuinglius Caluin Melancthon and others not often medling with our confessions Diuers of them also are wont to call vs negatiue Diuines Which argueth that so much as we hold positiuely is for the most part confessed by the aduersaries themselues and that we bring in no new faith but that which alwayes hath bene holden and maintained in the Church of Christ desiring onely that the positiue errors heresies and superstitions of Papists may be abolished Wherefore as Christians in time past extolled Constantine the great that gaue libertie to al his subiects to professe the Christian religion that assembled synods of Bishops and confirmed their decrees so ought we to celebrate the memory of our gracious Quéene that gaue libertie to all Christians to professe the truth that caused diuers assemblies of learned men and ratified the Christian faith by her authoritie CHAP. III. Of the true and sincere administration of the Sacraments of the Church restored in England OF the holy rites and sacraments of Christian religion we cannot speake without griefe of heart when we consider how shamefully they were abused mangled and corrupted by the synagogue of Antichrist Where Christ ordained onely two Sacraments to wit Baptisme where he said Teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost and the sacrament of his body and blood where he said Take eate this is my body and drinke ye all of this for this is the
blood of the new testament and do this in remembrance of me that synagogue hath added fiue other sacraments giuing the same vertue to their extreme vnction and to mariage and orders concerning iustification that they giue to Baptisme the Lords supper The master of the Sentences rehearsing the seuē sacraments for the Lords supper putteth Panis benedictionem that is the blessing of the bread excluding the cup either from the Lords supper or from the number of sacraments He doth also differ from the rest in describing the vertue of the sacraments Alia remedium contra peccatum praebent saith he gratiam adiutricem conferunt vt baptismus alia in remedium tantùm sunt vt coniugium alia gratia virtute nos fulciunt vt eucharistia ordo That is some of the sacraments yeeld vs a remedy against sin and withall bestow on vs helpfull grace others are onely for remedy as mariage others do strengthen vs with grace and vertue as the eucharist and holy orders But Bellarmine lib. 2. de sacrament c. 13. doth shew that the common currant opinion now is otherwise and that all these sacraments do iustifie ex opere operato that is by vertue of the worke wrought As if all maried men and priests of Baal were iustified or as if iustification and grace came by greasing scraping crossing and such other ceremonies But neither are they able to iustifie this doctrine nor to shew either institution or promise of confirmation or extreme vnction or certaine signe of mariage or repentance or order or the other two new deuised sacraments Furthermore mariage repentance and priesthood were as well vsed in the time of the law as in the Gospell How then can these be sacraments of the Gospell They haue also altered corrupted and mangled Christ his institution concerning the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords supper In baptime they salt and coniure the water in which the party baptized is to be dipped They put salt into his mouth and touch his eares and nosthrils with spittle which is oft times very noisom They annoint him also on the head and giue him a candle in his hand and embroyle Christ his institution with diuers other ceremonies Finally to make water more effectuall they poure oyle into the sont In the sacrament of the Lords supper instituted in bread and wine they leaue neither the substance of bread nor wine but say that the same is transsubstantiated into Christs body and blood and that either his body and blood or the accidents of bread and wine subsisting without their substance make the sacrament Secondly they hold that Christs body and bloud are conioyned without any distance to the accidents of bread and wine albeit they are not there either felt or seene Thirdly they haue turned the sacrament of our communion with Christ and of our mutuall coniunction one with another into a priuate action of one Priest that eateth and drinketh all alone vncharitably and very directly contrary to Christ his institution who ioyntly said Accipite manducate hoc est corpus meum and bibite ex hoc omnes Take eate this is my body and drinke ye all of this contrary to the practise of the auncient Church that neuer solemnized this action without distribution of the sacrament and contrary to the vse and reason of the sacrament For why should not the faithfull be made partakers of that sacrament which is a signe of their vnion both with Christ and among themselues Fourthly Christ and his Apostles administred the cup to as many as receiued the holy eucharist But they by a solemne decrée of priests at Constance take away the cup from all saue the priests that say Masse Fiftly Christ ordained that the sacrament of his body and bloud should be distributed and receiued in that action these fellowes kéepe the sacrament in a boxe and cary it about in solemne processions Sixthly they worship the sacrament and call it their Lord and God contrary to all rules of Christianity Seuenthly Christ appointed a holy sacrament and gaue not his body and bloud to be offered continually in the Masse as a sacrifice auaileable for quicke and dead as these good fellowes do beleeue Finally the Apostle sheweth that as oft as we celebrate this holy action we shew forth the Lords death vntill his comming againe But the Papists forbid this action to be celebrated in a vulgar tong which is commonly vnderstood of the people as much as in them lyeth hindring them from shewing forth the Lords death they hold also that he is already come and present in the sacrament But the Church of England doth religiously obserue Christ his institution and that doctrine which the Apostles haue deliuered vnto vs. The same admitteth no sacramēts but two that is Baptisme and the Lords supper In Baptisme we refuse the idle and superstitious ceremonies brought in lately by Papists That which the Apostle had receiued of Christ Iesus and deliuered to the Corinthians 1. Cor. II. that we diligently obserue renouncing their nouelties heresies and blasphemies concerning the grosse carnal and corporall presence and eating and drinking of Christs body and bloud in the sacrament the late deuised transsubstantiation the blasphemous idole of the Masse the diuine worship of consecrated hostes the mangled communion vnder the forme of bread their celebration in a tongue not vnderstood of the communicants and all the rest of their abuses which without either authoritie of scriptures or allowance of the most auncient and sincere fathers they haue brought into the Church The sacraments therefore of the new Testament being pledges of Gods loue and seales of Gods graces whereby he worketh in vs we are not lightly to prize the true and sincere administration of them according to Christs holy institution nor to esteeme this a small benefite that the doctrine concerning the holy sacraments being reformed according to the canon of Gods word both the superstitious ceremonies in Baptisme and the idolatrous Masse with al abuses depending thereon were abrogated and remoued out of the Church and the celebration of Christs holy sacraments conformed according to the prime institution Many godly Emperors and Kings haue deserued praise in going about to reforme abuses crept into the administration of sacraments before their time but none more then our late most gracious Queene that from extreme abuses brought all to a most excellent order CHAP. IIII. Of the true worship of God established in the Church of England HOw the worship of God was corrupted among the Papists before the late reformation wrought by her Maiesties authoritie in the Church of England it wil hardly be of posteritie beléeued but that there are monuments of like corruptions yet remaining in diuers other countries and good records and memorials yet remaining of their notorious abuses in this countrie The faithfull Ministers that were yet remaining vpon the comming in of Quéene Marie wept to see the desolation of the Church as the people of
this cause If he know the practise of the Church and denie it he wanteth shame That other tongues haue bene vsed in publike Liturgies beside the thrée mentioned it may be proued by diuers testimonies Hierome in the funerall Sermon of Paula saith that Psalmes were sung not onely in Hebrew Gréeke and Latine but also in the Syrian language In his Epistle to Heliodorus he saith that the languages and writings of all nations do sound foorth Christ his passion and resurrection Nunc passionem Christi resurrectionem eius cunctarum gentium voces literae sonant And againe in his Epistle to Marcella Vox quidem dissona sed vna religio tot penè psallentium chori quot gentium diuersitates The tongue is diuers but one religion there be so many quires of singers as there be diuersities of nations S. Ambrose writing vpon the first Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 14. speaking of Iewes conuerted to Christ Hi ex Hebraeis erant saith he qui aliquaendo Syria lingua plerunque Hebraa in tractatibus oblationibus vtebantur These were Iewes which in their Sermons and oblations vsed sometime the Syrian tongue and oftentimes the Hebrew Theodoret lib. 4. cap. 29. saith Ephrem made Hymnes and Psalmes in the Syrian tongue And Sozomen saith they were sung in Churches Chrysostome in 2. ad Corinth homil 18. saith that in celebration of the eucharist all ought to be common because the whole people and not the priest alone giueth thankes Et cum spiritu tuo nihil aliud est saith he quà m ea quae sunt eucharistiae communia sunt omnia neque enim ille solus gratias agit sed populus omnis Saint Augustine expos 2. in psal 18. saith we ought to vnderstand what we say or sing that like men and not like parrots or ousels we may sing It appeareth by Iustinians 123. nouel constitution and by Isidore Ecclesiast offic lib. 1. ca. 10. and by the ninth chapter of S. Augustine de catechisand rudib that the people in time past did vnderstand Church seruice In Britaine the Romaine musicke was not in vse before the time of Iames the Deacon of Yorke about the yeare of the Lord 640. Bede lib. 1. hist. Anglic. cap. 1. stgnifteth that the knowledge of diuine mysteries was made common to diuers nations inhabiting Britanie by meditation of scriptures Auentinus annal Boior li. 4. saith The priests of Liburnia are ignorant of the Latine tongue and in their mother tongue offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist Adhuc saith he ignari sunt Romanae linguae sacrificia patrio more nempe Slauorum procurant The AEthiopian canon of the Masse which they call vniuersall is in the AEthiopian language as the translation witnesseth that is published in Biblioth patr tom 6. a Bignio edit Sigismundus Baro in his commentaries of the Muscouiticall affaires telleth vs how that nation doth celebrate Masse in their mother tongue Totum sacrum seu missa sayth he gentili ac vernacula lingua apud illos peragi solet The aduersaries themselues also testifie for vs. Thomas Aquinas in 1. Cor. 14. speaking of the vse of strange languages in the Church sayth it was accounted madnesse in the primitiue Church because Christians were not then instructed in Ecclesiasticall rites Ideò erat insania in Primitiua Ecclesia quia erant rudes in ritu Ecclesiastico In Primitiua Ecclesia saith Lyra in 1. Cor. 14. benedictiones cetera communia fiebant in vulgari that is in the primitiue church blessings and other common oraysons were made in vulgar tongues Iohn Billet in his summe de diuin offic in prolog confesseth that in the Primitiue Church Christians were forbidden to speake with tongues vnlesse there were some by to interprete He saith also that it profiteth vs nothing to heare vnlesse we vnderstand lamenting that in his time there were so few that vnderstood either what they heard or what they read And thus much to refel Robert Parsons his notorious impudencie that would néeds affirme that it cannot be shewed out of any author of antiquitie that any Catholike country had publike seruice in vulgar tongues His eight argument is deduced from the vse of the Hebrew Greeke and Latine tongues in Asia Africke and the Westerne countries But vnlesse he can shew that these tongues were not vnderstood of those people that had their publike seruice in them all this maketh for vs and not for him For we do not deny the vse of these tongues to those that vnderstand them but onely thinke it madnesse to vse them where they are not vnderstood In Asia the Greeke tongue was common to most nations Therfore the seruice was in Greeke and not in Latine albeit Parsons suppose Latine to be a sanctified tongue In Africke and diuerse Westerne countries Latine was a common language in time past and therefore they had their liturgies in Latine and not in Greeke It appeareth by S. Augustine retract lib. 1. c. 20 that diuers vnderstood Latine better then the Punike tong and Cicero pro Archia sayth that the Greeke tongue was a common language in his time Although therefore the publicke seruice of the Church was in Greeke and Latine when those tongues were best vnderstood yet it followeth not that the same should be still vsed when no man of the vulgar sort vnderstandeth them or that the Catholicke Church did generally or euer practise this or that S. Augustine lib 4. cont Donatist cap. 24. doth intend to speake for the vse of vnknowne languages as Fryer Robert vnlearnedly and blockishly pretendeth Finally he alleageth that euery man lightly vnderstandeth somewhat of the Latine But lightly he telleth vs a loud lie as experience may teach euery man that is not obstinate Beside that if it be profitable for some men to vnderstand some few words then reason will inferre that it were far more profitable if the publike seruice were in a tongue that might of all the hearers be vnderstood It is therefore a great blessing that we may heare God speaking vnto vs in scriptures in our owne mother tongue and praise and honor him with heart and voyce in the publike congregation If then Robert Parsons meane to confirme his owne opinion and to ouerthrow our cause he must bring better arguments answer these testimonies and not fight with his owne shadow or cauill with some words or allegations that are not materiall CHAP. VII Of the great deliuerance of Christians out of the bloudie hands of wooluish Papistes wrought by Queene Elizabeth No man can wel esteeme what fauor God hath done the Church of England by deliuering the same from the cruell persecution of the bloudie and mercilesse Papists but such as either themselues suffered or else knew the sufferings and verations of their brethren in Queene Maries time Neither do any so well apprehend Gods mercie in deliuering them from the dangers of the sea as those that haue either passed great stormes or escaped after shipwracke seeing their
the third doth in diuers places expresse the miserable estate of the prelacie in those times by reason of the Popes gréedinesse As for the common sort of priests that liued vpon sale of Masses and the begging Fryers that liucd vpō almes Robert Parsons hath no reason to extol thē for wealth lesse certes for other qualities But were our Clergy burthened more thē in times past yet hath this louzie companion no reason at all to mention the same séeing the blame ariseth from that Sodomitical priesthood of the popish synagogue that in king Henry the eight his dayes sold and intangled their liuings and haue since bene occasion of many troubles which without charge could not be ouerpassed He saith our Clergie may sing Beati paisperes spiritu and so might the Romish Clergie too if they were Christians Robert Parsons certes himselfe abusing this place to sport as the Pope abuseth scriptures to profite sheweth himselfe to be an Atheist and talking of his Clergie he proueth himself a sot For in the world there is not a more beggerly I might also say bougerly Clergie then in Italy especially those which liue vpon the sound of bels by their rustie voices as Grashoppers liue vpon dew and sing swéetly oft times when they haue little to eate saue sallades and pottage of coleworts and such like suppes and Italian Minestraes Afterward turning his spéech from others he runneth very rudely vpon me and giueth out that I haue complained secretly of heauy payments to prince and patron But either helyeth wilfully and wittingly against all truth and reason or els some secret lying companion hath gulled him Certes if he knew my estate and how willing I haue bene and am to spend more then ordinarie for resistance both of common enemies and such Caniball traitors as himselfe he would not impute this vnto me Let him therefore bring forth the man that told him this lie or else he must be charged with deuising the lie himselfe Finally he endeuoreth to excuse Innocentius the fourth and to lay the fault of the extreame exactions of his time rather vpon his collectors and officers then vpon the Pope himselfe He pretendeth also that Innocentius required a collection in a generall Councell But who is so simple to thinke that the whole state would complaine of the court and Pope of Rome if the fault were onely in a few vsurers and caterpilling collectors Againe why should Matth. Paris so often complaine of this and other Popes for their couetousnesse if the fault were onely in the collectors and why why did not the Pope sometime punish his collectors abusing their commission Thirdly it appeareth that this cogging pope abused the world pretending the recouery of the holy land gathering great summes of money vnder that pretence where it appeareth by the historie of Matthew Paris and others that he spent the money in warres to enrich his cousins and bastardo and employed the aduenturers that crossed themselues for the holy land against the Emperor and other Christian states Finally it is a méere abuse to call a rabble of idle Monkes and busie Fryers and swinish Masse-priestes combined with Antichrist a generall Councel or to say that the Pope euer meant to recouer the holy land or to enlarge Christian Religion séeing by his aspires and contentions the Turkes haue enlarged and Christians haue lost their Empire being abandoned oft times and betrayed by the Pope CHAP. IX Of the deliuerance of the Realme and Church of England from the yoke of the Popes lawes and vniust cenfures ALbeit the Cardinals of Rome and the priests of Baal and their adherents do not willingly complaine of the Pope being diuers of them his creatures and the rest his sworne seruants and marked slaues yet such is the grieuance and wrong that many haue sustained by his lawes and censures that diuers of them haue bene forced to open their mouths and to talke against their holy Father Petrus de Alliaco in his Treatise de reformat Ecclesiae saith that the multitude of statutes canons and decretals especially those that bind to mortal sinne are grieuous and burdensome Budaeus in his annotations vpon the Pandects saith that the Popes lawes serue not so well for correcting of manners as making of money His words are these Sanctiones pontificiae non moribus regendis vsui sunt sed propemodum dixerim argentariae faciendae authoritatem videntur accommodare In France as Duarenus saith it was wont to be a common prouerbe that all things went euill since the decrées had ales adioyned to them that is since the decretals were published Malè cum rebus humanis actum dicebant ex quo decretis alae accesserunt The Princes of Germanie complaine that the rules of the Popes Chancerie were nothing but snares laid to bring benefices to the Popes collation and deuised for matter of gaine They say also that the Popes constitutions were nothing but clogges for mens consciences Neither may we thinke but that they had great reason thus to speake considering both the iniquitie of most of these constitutions and the strictnesse of the obligation by which men are bound to obserue them For what reason haue they either to prohibite mariage to any order or state of men not prohibited by the law of God to marrie or else to restraine the libertie graunted by the lawe of God or to forbid flesh egges or milke vpon certain daies Againe why haue they brought in not onely their carnall presence of Christs bodie in the Sacrament transsubstantiation the idolatrous sacrifice of the Masse but their purgatorie their indulgences and infinite such trash Why haue they abrogated Christs institution in the celebration of the Lords supper not onely taking away the cuppe from the communicants but making a priuate action of that which should be a communion Is not this as much as the Pharisies did that transgressed Gods commaundement for their owne tradition And do not the Papists ordaine that vnwritten traditions should be receiued with equall affection to the holy Scriptures Againe what reason haue they to curse and anathematise nay to put to cruell death such as obey not their ordinances and vniust decrees S. Iames saith We haue but one Law giuer that is able to saue and destroy And no where do we reade that the Church of Christ did persecute Christians and put them death for matters of their conscience and religion much lesse for matter of ceremonies or such obseruances Neither can the aduersarie shew that bishops excommunicated Christians that would not rebell and take armes against their Liege Soueraignes Which of vs saith Optatus lib. 2. contra Parmenian did persecute any man The Apostle he commaundeth euery soule to be subiect to higher powers and not to rebell How vntolerable then are the Romish decretals and rescripts that not onely bind mens consciences in things free otherwise but also in things that may not be done without impietie Likewise haue diuers
complained of the abuse of popish excommunications That which our Sauior Christ saith If he heare not the Church let him be to thee as a heathen man or Publican that the popish faction translateth to the rediculous censure of the Pope And therefore excommunicateth al that place not the Churches vnwritten traditions in equall rancke with diuine Scriptures or that beléeue not that Christians can performe the lawe perfectly and are iustified before God by the workes of the law or that hold not the doctrine of the Romish Church concerning their seuen Sacraments or that do not worship Images or that receiue not their doctrine of indulgences and purgatorie and all the heresies and abhominations of the Pope or that submit not themselues to his tyrannie or that refuse to pay his annates or taxes or whatsoeuer he and his suppostes require Nay they excommunicate the subiects that rebell not against their lawfull Kings After that Pius the fifth that wicked and cruell hypocrite had commanded that neither the Lords nor people of England should obey Quéene Elizabeths commandements or lawes it followeth Qui secus egerint eos anathematis sententia innodamus That is Those which shall do otherwise we pronounce accursed or anathema Neither did the Pope onely in time past thunder out these curses but also gaue leaue to euery base companion and for euery small trifling cause to inflict most grieuous censures Petrus de Alliaco speaking of the Pope and his excommunications complaineth that he gaue leaue to his Collectors to thunder out excommunications to the offence of many and that other Prelates for debts and light causes did cruelly excommunicate poore men Saepè saith he per suos Collectores in multorum scandalum fulminauit aly Praelati leuiter pro leuibus causis vt pro debitis huiusmodi pauperes excommunicatione crudeliter percutiunt The Germaines complaine that many Christians were excommunicated at Rome for prophane causes and for gaine to the trouble of diuers mens consciences Romae say they caeterisque in locis per Archiepiscopos ac Episcopos aut saltem corum ecclesiasticos iudices multi Christianorum ob causas prophanas ob pecuniae denique ac turpis quaestus amorem excommunicantur multorumque sedeorum in fide infirmorum conscientiae per hoc aggrauantur in desperationens pertrahuntur Scotus in 4. sent dist 19. complaineth that the Church did too often strike with this sword and Petrus de Alliaco saith that by this abuse the sword of the Church was in his time growne into great contempt Oflate time the Popes of Rome haue excommunicated Emperours and kings if they would not depart with their townes countries and crownes and yéeid to their legats what they demaunded How intolerable this abuse was we may perceiue if we consider the heauinesse of this censure being rightly inflicted by the true Church Our Sauiour sheweth that the partie excommunicate is to be holden for a heathen man and a Publican Tertullian Apolo 39. doth call it the highest fore-iudgement of the future iudgement Summum futuri iudicy praeiudicium Cyprian doth esteeme them as killed with the spirituall sword Superbi contumaeces saith he spirituali gladio necantur dum de Ecclesia eijciuntur Commonly excommunication is called Anathema and Chrysostome homil 70. ad populum Antioch calleth it the bond of the Church We are therefore no lesse to be thankfull for our deliuerance from the Popes vniust lawes then the auncient Christians for their exemption from the yoke of the Pharisies and from humans traditions from which by the preaching of the Gospell they were freed Neither may we think it a simple fauour that we are made to vnderstand that the crackes of the Popes thundring excemmunications are no more to be feared then the ratling of Salmoneus that impious fellow that with certaine engines went about to counterfeit the noise of thunder We knew alwaies that a man vniussly excommunicated and by a Iudge vnlawfull was no way preiudiced Origen in Leuit. homil 48. speaking of a person excommunicate saith that he is not hurt at all being by wrongfull iudgement expelled out of the congregation Nihillaeditur in eo quod non recto iudicio ab bominibus videtur expulsus And the aduersaries confesse that excommunication pronounced vniustly and by him that is not our Iudge bindeth not C. nullus 9. q. 2. and C. nullus primus 9. q. 3. and C. sententia 11. q. 3. But few vnderstood the iniustice and nullitie of the Popes lawes and that he neither was nor is a competent iudge vntill such time as by true preaching of the Gospell which by Queene Elizabeth was restored vnto vs the man of sinne beganne to be reuealed CHAP. X. Of our deliuerance from heresie schisme superstition and Idolatrie These things therefore considered it cannot be denied but that her Maiesties godly resermation brought great profite to the Church of England Yet if we please to looke backe to the heresies of the Papists and to remember how they liued in heresie schisme superstition and idolatry we shall the rather praise God for that great deliuerance of his Church which he wrought by the meanes of our late Quéene For heresie and false doctrine is the bane and canker of the Church The Apostle Paul Ifan Angel from heauen should teach vs any other Gospel or doctrine beside that whith himselfe had taught the Galathians doth pronounce him accursed S. Iohn in his second Epistle forbiddeth vs to receiue into our houses or to salute such as bring not his doctrine Heresie schisme and idolatrie are reckoned among the workes of the flesh the workers whereof shall not inherit the kingdome of God Flie saith Ignatius those that cause heresie and schisme as the principall cause of mischiefe Quod maius potest esse delictū saith Cyprian lib. 2. Epist. 11. aut quae macula deformior quà m aduersus Christum stetisse quà m Ecclesiam eius quà m ille sanguine suo parauit dissipasse What offence can be greater or what blot more vgly then to haue stood against Christ then to haue scattered his church which he hath purchased with his blood Those which do perseuere in discord of schisme saith S. Augustine lib. 1. de bapt contra Donatist c. 15. do pertaine to the lot of Ismael Superstition is the corruption of true Religion and although coloured with a shew of wisedom yet is condemned by the Apostle Col. 2. Lactantius speaking of the superstition of the Gentiles doth call it An incurable madnesse Dementiam incurabilem and afterward vanitie Iustine in ser. exhort ad Gentes sayth that idolatry is not only iniurious vnto God but also voide of reason Principale crimen generis humani saith Tertullian summus seculireatus tota causa iudicy idolclatria That is Idolatrie is the principall crime of mankind the chiefe guiltines of the world and the whole cause of iudgement No maruell then if Iohn the Apostle
incense vnto them All which be points of that adoration that is due to God Secondly they commit those faults which the holy scriptures do note and condemne in idolaters of old time They worship creatures for the Creator as the Apostle Rom. 1. saith the Gentiles did They make similitudes of things both in heauen and earth bow downe to them and worship them although the same be prohibited in the second commaundement Exod. 20. They erect monuments and titles and stones for signes to be worshipped contrary to the law Leuit. 26. They make euery day new gods affirming that the priest maketh his maker Now this making of new gods is noted as a propertie of idolaters Psal. 81. They reioyce in the works of their owne hands and worship the images which themselues haue made as did the idolaters whereof S. Stephen maketh mention Act. 7. They serue the hoast of heauē as the old idolatrous Iews spokē of Amos 5. Act. 7. seruing diuers saints and as they call them Militiam curiam coelestem that is the soldiory and court of heauen As the statues of the Gentiles were siluer and gold the worke of mens hands and had mouthes and spoke not eies and saw not as sayth the Prophet Psal. 114. so is it with the images of Papists that albeit of costly matter and curious workemanship yet neither speake with their mouthes nor sée with their eyes As idolaters burnt incense to their statues as we reade 2. Paral. 30. so do Papists burne incense to their images Thirdly they fall into those abuses which the Fathers of the Church thought worthy to be reprehended of old time as sauoring of idolatry The Gentiles thought they could represent God in a materiall image And so do the Papists making the image of God the Father and God the holy Ghost The Fathers therefore reprehend them both alike Quis tam amens erit saith Eusebius praeparat Euangel c. 3. vt Dei formam imaginem statua viro simili referri perhibeat Who wil be so mad to think that the forme and image of God may be expressed by an image like vnto a man Hierome likewise writing vpon the fortith of Isay What image saith he wil you make for him which is a spirit and is in all places Ambrose in his oration of the death of Theodosius sayth It is an errour of the Gentiles to worship the crosse Inuenit Helena saith he crucem Domini regem adorauit non lignum vtique quia hic Gentilis est error sed adorauit illum qui pependit in cruce The councell of Laodicea condemneth the worship of Angels as idolatrous So likewise saith Tertullian de praescrip aduers. haeret that the heresie of the Simonians in seruing of Angels was reputed among idolatries Simonianae magiae disciplina Angelis seruiēs vtique ipsa inter idololatrias deputabatur Hierome in an Epistle of his to Riparius saith that Christians neither adore nor worship Martyrs nor Sun nor Moone nor Angels least they should therein rather serue creatures then the Creator Tertullian doth also say that euery lie of God is after a sort a variation of the kind of idolatrie Omne mendacium de Deo variatio quodammodo sexus est idololatriae Both he and diuers others say that heresie is a kind of idolatrie How then can they cleare themselues from the blemish of idolatrie that worship the crosse serue and worship Angels and are authors of so many sorts of heresies Fourthly they must néedes deny the crosse and the images of the Trinitie and the crucifixe to be creatures and works of their owne hands or else in worshipping of them they must néedes confesse and yéeld themselues to be idolaters But that they cannot do Finally the testimonie of their owne conscience doth proue them to be idolaters in that they leaue out the second commandement or as they make it a péece of the first commandement that is direct against the adoration and worship of grauen images and the making of them to that end in most of their Catechismes Manuals Psalters and rituall bookes where they rehearse the ten commandements as their Ladies psalters short Catechismes and diuers of their bookes do testifie But since it pleased God to restore religion in the church of England the leuen of popish doctrine and heresie is purged out the breach of schisme and diuision from the Catholike Church is repaired and all superstitious and idolatrous worships are quite abolished and remoued out of the Church CHAP. XI Of good workes and good life THe Ministers of God as they are guides to their people and teachers of the law so ought they to go before their flockes shewing them examples to prouoke them to do good workes and to cōforme their liues according to the lawes of God Shew thy selfe an example of good workes sayth Paul to Titus All true Christians also should shew themselues zealous of good workes For we are Gods workmanship created in Christ to good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them This is our doctrine and the practise of all that professe our religion If any hypocrites be found among vs that walke not according to their profession we renounce them we weed them out we punish them If worldlings and fleshly Papists that liue in the Realme do giue occasion of offence this ought not to be imputed to our Religion nor the true professors thereof that desire nothing more then that such may be weeded out and expulsed both out of the Church and Common-wealth But if we looke backe to former times we shall find that the Papists haue not onely erred in the practise but also in the doctrine of good workes For first they denie that the law of God is a perfect rule of life And therefore haue inuented other rules whereby they hope to attaine to a further perfection Secondly they hold that by the law of God we haue not knowledge of all sinnes teaching that it is as well mortall sinne to transgresse the Popes lawes as to transgresse Gods lawes as Nauarrus teacheth vs in his Manuall by many particulars Thirdly they giue absolution to euery haynous sinner confessing his sins before he hath repented Fourthly they suppose that euery man is able to satisfie for the temporall penaltie of sinnes and that the Pope hath power by his indulgences to remit sinnes concerning the penaltie without satisfaction Fiftly they teach that no man néedeth to repent for veniall sinnes and that such sinnes exclude vs not out of the kingdome of heauen Sixthly they teach that man is able perfectly to fulfill the law and by a good consequent to abstaine from all sinne which S. Hierome declareth to be Pelagianisme Seuenthly they hold contrary to the Apostle that man is to be iustified by the workes of the law and that eternall life is to be purchased by our owne workes and merites Many other false points of doctrin they haue beside these But their practise is farre worse
writings being nothing but either lying and rayling libels or fond and trifling discourses of points of Poperie and his practises tending all to murdering empoysoning sedition warre and bloudshed CHAP. XII Of temporall benefites enioyed by Queene Elizabeths most happie gouernment BEside great successe in affaires of the Church God hath also blessed the people of England in ciuil matters in regard that his name is truly called vpon by vs fulfilling that in England which he promised to the kéepers of his lawe by Moises Benedictus eris saith Moises ingrediens egrediens Thou shalt be blessed in thy comming in and going out And againe Emittet Dominus benedictionem super cellaria tua super omnia opera manuum tuarum benedicetque tibi in terra quam acceperis That is the Lord shall send his blessings vpon thy store houses and vpon all the workes of thy hands and shall blesse thee in the land which thou shalt possesse First by her happie entrance we were deliuered from the yoke of the Spaniards and from subiection to forraine nations A blessing very great and which is promised to the obseruers of Gods holy lawes The Lord saith Moyses shall appoint thee for the head and not for the taile and thou shalt be aboue and not vnder if so be thou wilt hearken to the commandements of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day That is God shall make thée commaund others and not to be commaunded by others Libertie is a gift litle estéemed because frée men know not the miseries of people subiect to forraine Lords But if men would consider the difference of men frée and subiect to strangers and tyrants they would preferre nothing before it Pro libertate saith Tully vitae periculo decertandum est For libertie we are to contend albeit we should hazard our liues And again Itapraeclara est recuperatio libertatis vt ne mors quidem sit in libertate repetenda fugienda So excellent is the recouerie of libertie that we are not to doubt to lose our liues for the regaining thereof Contrariwise it is an indignitie not to be suffered by any Englishman honorably minded that Spaniards should raigne ouer vs. The Spanish gouernment is very rigorous in Spaine but in Flanders Millan Naples and the Indiaes the same is most tyrannicall and intolerable Seing then that by the happie entrance of Quéene Elizabeth the Spaniards loft their footing in England which they had alreadie deuoured in their imagination and both perfidious Marans and the Popes bougerly Italians were turned out to séeke new countries wherein to practise their fraud and crueltie why do we not continually renew our thankesgiuing for so great deliuerance Her Maiestie was alwaies desirous of peace and neuer made warres against any but being prouoked and forced thereunto for the defence of her estate and people Yet neuer did she take armes in hand but she returned with victorie The French entring into Scotland and by that meanes intending to trouble England were forced to surrender Lieth and with scorne to returne from whence they came Upon which great securitie ensued to both the countries When the Nobilitie and people of Fraunce were oppressed by the Popes faction that meant after they had atchieued their purpose there to assails vs in England as in diuers Treatises they haue declared by her armes and mediation the Christians there obtained good conditions of peace if the aduersaries perfidiously had not broken them Both with forces in New-hauen and by other meanes she was alwaies willing to succour that distressed people By her support for the most part the states of the lowe countries being in danger to be depriued of their libertie priuiledges and lawes and to be tyrannized by the Spaniards haue long subsisted and maintained themselues against most cruell enemies Anno Dom. 1588. that fléete of Spaniards which proudly they called the inuincible Armada by her shippes through Gods fauour was chased dispersed and vanquished and all the bragges of Spaniards and their assistants brought to nothing Not long after when she saw that to resist the enemies malice it was necessarie for her to follow the warres she sent some forces to sea which albeit not great nor competently prouided yet did they possesse the harbor of Coronna take the base towne and defeat all the forces that were gathered against them at the bridge of Burgos The same also entred Portugal and had possessed it if there had bene good correspondence Sir Francis Drake with no great forces took S. Iago S. Domingo S. Augustine and Carthagena and laid a plot to take a great part of the Indiaes from the Spaniard but that he defended himselfe with bribes better then with shippes or armes corrupting some that alwaies ouerthrew most traiterously all attempts against him At Caliz her Maiesties souldiers burnt the kings fléete tooke the towne and had entred farther into the countrie had not the Spaniard some as good friends in our armie as the Quéene Not long since the English together with the States souldiers ouerthrew the Cardinals armie betwéene Newport and Ostend to the vtter ouerthrow of the Cardinall and the Spaniards in that countrie if the victorie had bene pursued And now albeit coldly pursued yet hath it so broken his forces that he hath lien idlely euer since before Ostend hoping rather by treatie then by force to preuaile In Ireland the Lord Gray ouerthrew the Earle of Desmond and cut the Italians and Spaniards that kept the fort at Smerwike in péeces About y t time also died Sanders the Popes Legate and other traitors stirred vp to rebellion by the Pope and his agents Neither could D. Iuan d'Aquila kéepe his footing in Kinsale albeit he had with him many good souldiers and great aduantages Diuers times hath the Pope troubled her both in England and Ireland stirring vp first the Earles of Westmerland and Northumberland and then certaine rebels in Norfolke and afterward procuring diuers seditious fellowes in Ireland in hope of his blessing to rebel But his blessings haue bene turned into cursings and all his trecherous deuises haue come to nothing Finally we find Gods promise to his people by Moyses Deut. 28. verified in her For where he sayth That God would make all his peoples enemies to fall down before them we sée that all the Quéenes enemies fel before her and that the more they maligned her the more God aduanced her Such reputation she wan both with Christians and with Infidels that al men had great respect vnto her except such as maliciously oppugned her The King of Poland and the Transiluanian haue receiued fauour of the Turk for her sake and her friends great comfort in all their distresses Before the Quéenes time the Pope claimed a great part in the gouernement of England challengingpower to make Ecclesiastical lawes to send hither Legates to ordaine and appoint Bishops in diuers cases to dispose of Ecclesiasticall liuings and those that possessed them He did
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
rather to be found in the Popes bosome then any corpes of Apostolicall doctrine for that is very rife with them With the corpes of Apostolicall doctrine the Italian atheisticall Popes are litle acquainted We tel him further that for trial of any point of doctrine we are not to run to the Popes sea which is as much able to resolue vs as his close stoole but to the word of God reuealed in Scriptures and if there be any difference about a place of Scriptures we are then to compare the same with other places to search the resolutions of Councels of auncient and later Fathers of the Church of England and learned men Prouided alwayes that nothing be receiued as a ground of faith which is not to be deduced out of the word of God Whether then S. Augustine or Hierome or Ambrose or Luther or Caluin or any preacher among vs bring vs the word of God it is to be receiued But if they teach without that we are not necessarily to credit them nor to beléeue them in grounds of faith Out of the Scriptures we learne that Christ hath giuen some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some pastors and teachers albeit all particular matters are not precisely set downe So likewise we are taught that these words this is my body are most true that the sacrameÌ„t is Christs body in a mysterie or sacramentally albeit how the Sacrament is called Christs body there may be some differences Likewise out of Scripture we are taught that the King is the most principall man in his Realme and not to be subiect to any other in externall gouernement albeit euery one percase vnderstandeth not the seuerall points of his supreme authority These differences therefore notwithstanding our rule of faith is most certaine Fiftly he would insinuate that as vertue houskéeping true dealing is much decayed since her Maiesty came to the crowne so pride in apparel gluttony drunkennes lechery swearing and other vices are much increased But the man should shew that these vertues are decayed and vices increased in men that are truly of our Religion If he say so then let him name the men that are guiltie of these faults If the men that are guilty be Papists that for the most part are knowne to be carnall and cruel and most vitious he striketh himselfe and not vs. If they be Atheists or hypocrites then his allegation maketh not to purpose This I will speake to his teeth that if our Ministery be no more honest and vertâ—ous then the Popes Cardinals Friers and Masse-priests and our true professors then zelous Papists it were pitie they should liue on the face of the earth Some proofes I haue brought before and more I shall alleage herafter Let Parsons do the like against vs and leaue his hypocriticall ostentation and generall declamation that maketh men rather to wonder at his impudency then to beleeue that he dealeth truly or sincerely Sixthly he very impudently imputeth all the troubles wars and calamities that haue happened in Scotland Ireland Flanders France to alteration in Religion and wold lay the blame wholy vpon vs. But if he looke into their immediate causes he shall find that the mint of this money was the Popes consistorie and that he and his agents are the onely firebrands of all mischiefe In Ireland Gregorie the thirtéenth stirred vp rebellion by the traitor Saunders his legate in England Pius Quintus by his agent Ridolphi and by Morton his messenger moued the two Earles to rise in the North Anno 1569. The same Pope animated the Spanish King to make warres against the Quéene of England and against them of the Low countries The same Pope sent not onely his agents to stirre the French but ayded them both with men and mony Gregorie the thirtéenth likewise sent ayde to Irish rebels The wars of Germanie were enflamed by that butcherly Pope Paule the third To make short all massacres trecheries warres and troubles haue wholy procéeded from their malice against the truth If the Pope and his adherents therfore haue bene troubled so was Herode and all Ierusalem with him at the birth of Christ. If they blame vs for their troubles so did the Pagans impute all their troubles to Christians and their religion But the true cause was not religion but the hatred of impious Papists against religion Finally he saith that if her Maiestie had not altered religion then her kingdome had bene flourishing and secure and that she would haue had issue and her succession certaine and continued in friendship with the Pope and auncient confederates and neither had wars abroad nor treason at home and insinuateth that by reason of alteration of religion al is fallen out contrarie But if Wil Sommer had written this discourse he could neuer haue spoken more foolishly nor impertinently For first I haue shewed that the state of the kingdome for diuers respects was neuer more flourishing Secondly if any danger hanged ouer our heads the same might easily be auoyded if lawes had bene executed against traitors Thirdly it is now apparant to the world that want of issue in her Maiestie hath not hurt vs God sending vs so gracious and magnanimous a king Fourthly his royall Maiestie succéeding in her throne hath declared that she wanted no succession The same act also sheweth that Parsons and all his consorts are a packe of false Prophets Parsons his booke of succession doth also declare him to be a false traitor Fiftly it is a ridiculous thing to tell vs of vnion with the Pope and his mediation of peace For there ought to be no agréement betweene Christians and Antichrist Here the Noddie will storme that his holy Father should be called Antichrist But let him answer my reasons in my fifth booke De Pont. Rom. against Bellarmine and then let him storme while his heart break Sixtly we haue so litle losse by breaking with the Spanish king that all men of knowledge pray that either he may chaunge his former courses or that the warrcs may still continue Finally this land hath no reason either to feare forraine warres or domesticall treasons vnlesse we will vncouple the Popes hounds that come hither to teare the kings Maiestie and State in péeces which I hope he and his Councell of state will looke vnto Whether then we looke into the Church or the State we must needes say that Quéene Elizabeths raigne was most happie And that so much the rather for that all her aduersaries wit and malice doth not affoord any one sound argument that doth any way sound to her disgrace Robert Parsons hath long barked in vaine against her procéedings But he should remember that the end of mad barking curres is beating if not hanging The second Booke shewing the miserable estate of Papists both in England vnder Q. Mary and elsewhere vnder the Popes irreligious tyrrannie weakely defended by N. D. in a leud Libel intitled the WARNE-WORD The Preface to the second Booke THE nature of
that all the mischiefe she brought with her For beside the yoke of Spaniards she put vpon her subiects the yoke of the Popes tyrannie and of his Italians relinquishing the first fruits and tenths of Ecclesiastical liuings to the Pope and making her people subiect to all his extortions and pillages which not onely to this nation but also to all Christians hath alwayes bene very grieuous Matthew Paris speaking onely of one Popes Legate and his rauinous pillages sayth excepting church treasure there remained not so much mony behind as he had caried with him out of England Nec remansit eadem hora vt veraciter dicebatur in Anglia tantum pecuniae exceptis sanctorum vasis ornamentis Ecclesiarum quantum à regno extorserat Anglicano The same man beside all this as the same author testifieth bestowed thrée hundred benefices at his own and the Popes pleasure Vnde regnum quasi vinea exposita omni transeunti quam exterminauit aper de sylua miserabiliter languit desolatum Whereupō it fel out saith he that the kingdom did miserably languish being laid desolate made like a vineyard exposed to euery one that passeth by and which the bore of the wood did roote out He that shall reade that storie shall find strange inuentions to extort money from the people and vnderstand that great summes of mony were transported out of England by the Popes agents and countrimen Bonner in his preface before Stephen Gardiners booke De vera obedientia sayth that the Popes prey in England was so great that it amounted to as much almost as the reuenues of the Crowne The English nation complained to the Pope in the synod at Lyon in the dayes of king Henry the third of diuers enormous pillages and exactions made by him and his officers but could find no remedy The Emperour as Mathew Paris testifieth found fault with the King of England for that he suffered his countrey to be impouerished so shamefully by the Pope Imperator reprehendit regem Angliae saith Mathew Paris quod permitteret terram suam tam impudenter per Papam depauperari If we account the tenths first fruites rents comming of dispensations about Ecclesiasticall benefices for mariages and vowes money for licences to eate flesh and white meates to kéepe concubines to erect new societies and orders of Friers money for indulgences and pardons canonizations of saints erecting of Churches for rescripts of iustice for absolution from othes for sale of Masses and such like Babylonish merchandize we shall find that the summe doth farre excéed Bonners accompt So iniurious was the Pope in extorting and so patient was this land in bearing all burdens that worthily it deserued to be called the Popes asse Nay such corruption was entred into the Romish church that no act of religion could be executed without paying somewhat At christening they paid a chrisme cloth at buriall a herse cloth Neither could any be maried or housled or absolued but some what was paid At Candlemasse they offered candles at another day bread and because bread would not downe without drinke they offered also good ale in some places By these meanes the priests of Baal liued vpon the poore mans labour and got the husbandmans cow the artificers instruments and what euery man had from the owners and pressed the very marrow out of the common peoples bones To all these pillages from which king Henry the eight of famous memorie and his sonne king Edward had fréed vs Quéene Mary did make her people subiect She also put her people vnder the bloodie hands of the butcherly Romish inquisitors Bonner Gardiner Storie and their fellowes which contrary to iustice and all good forme of procéeding caused foure or fiue hundred to be put to most cruell death in a short space and were the occasion of the death of many hundreds more that either for want or by diseases died being driuen to leaue their houses and to shift for themselues Some also died in prison before they came to their triall Whosoeuer would not forsake the truth was driuen to forsake his countrey kinred friends and to flie into strange countries for succor So we sée murder tortures banishments bands and persecution of Gods saints were the monuments of her raigne Therefore it plėased God to afflict this countrey with a great penury and dearth the like was not heard of for many yeares before nor since Our histories say that wheats was for foure markes the quarter and mault for 44. shillings which considering the rate of things is twise or thrise so much as that summe amounteth vnto now Hereupon it came to passe that the people were constrained to make bread of acornes that had refused the bread of Gods word and that many died for extreme want and penury and yet was not the country halfe so populous as now Finally to her perpetuall dishonor and the shame of all Papists she lost Calice Ghines whatsoeuer by the kings of England was left her in France King Edward the third that most victorious prince wanne Calice and she like a most disastrous Quéene lost it neither did any thing prosper that she tooke in hand In the beginning of her raigne she was driuen to flie into Suffolke disguised and had by all likelihood lost both her life crowne and hope if the professors of the Gospell of Norfolke and Suffolke had not resorted vnto her and defended her against those that pursued her for the which she promised them liberally but performed nothing They deliuered her from danger and she eontrary to her promise deliuered them vp to the bloudy executioners to be pursued with fire and fagot She maried with a stranger to the great dislike of all true hearted Englishmen But well was she requited For her husband neuer did well like her and in the end he went from her and did in a manner forsake her Great hope she had to leaue vs a king of her owne body to raigne after her but her expectation was turned into a mockerie and all the Masses said and prayers deuised and offerings to Saints relikes for her safe deliuerie tooke no effect The saying of the Prophet Psal. 7. was fulfilled in her She conceiued griefe and brought foorth iniquitie Concepit dolorem peperit iniquitatem Salomon for that he was a iust Prince had a sonne giuen him to sit vpon his throne after him as we reade 1. King 3. Was not then this mercilesse Quéene iustly punished with barrennesse for making so many childlesse Without cause she fell at variance with the French entring into her husbands quarrell But she spent her labour and treasure in vaine left the state in debt and lost all she did aduenture for At the sea she was most vnhappie losing a goodly shippe called The great Harrie by fire and hauing no successe in any thing And so it appeareth that she liued and died disgracefully leauing no memorie behind her but of cruell persecution of Spanish slauerie
them Now what is this but to confesse that couertly that he denyeth coldly And what traitour or fellon or séely fellow being charged at the barre with notorious treasons and fellonies cannot answere thus albeit he be charged with things most manifest For what traitor cannot say I neuer heard any man of iudgement or notice ascribe this treason vnto me And againe If I be not deceiued others are knowne to haue committed this treason But if Ro. Parsons answere no better he will soone be conuicted and trussed for a traitor In the meane while he shall here onely rest conuicted of lying and foolery Of which he may also be conuicted in that taking on him to disproue me where I charge him to be the authour of the Wardword he doth afterward plainely confesse it He doth also make me to say that he hath written in all eight contemptible treatises which are no words of mine but cogged in by him and chargeth me with suppressing his bookes where I confesse plainely that he hath written other base and paltry pamphlets Whosoeuer therefore will estéeme the rest of my discourse by this against which he taketh such exceptions as he would haue it may see that as I haue dealt in all things plainely and sincerely so this fellow dealeth most childishly impudently idleiy in most of his discourses To conuince me of ridiculous vanitie in vaunting as he calleth it he alleageth nothing but only a challenge made by me to himselfe in fiue new encounters I do also request if himselfe be busie about some packe or practise of treason or els percase about some plotto win a Cardinals hat wil not or hath no leisure to answere that either Creswel or some other babling Iebusite may be set forth to try his skill in this combat But neither is it a ridiculous matter to defend the truth nor any vanity to challenge Parsons or his paltry schollers and seditious companions Beside that if it be vanitie in vs to challenge some few then should Robert Parsons be a most notorious vaine fellow that in defence of his Censure against matter Charke doth most proudly challenge the whole Church of England to dispute and in his Wardword vanteth that we dare not to deale with him and his fellowes Campian also challenged all commers in his ten reasons as if a common fencer should challenge all men at ten weapons And yet Parsons I trow will not accuse him of ridiculous vanitie in vanting Neither will the seditious crew of traitorous seminary companions giue the title of Thraso Goliah Behemoth or Leuiathan to all challengers For then could not ruffling sir Robert nor cauilling Campian escape their censure considering especially that in all their pamphlets they breath furie out of their nostrils and folly out of their dried sculs bragging and vanting most vainely and excessiuely But Parsons speaking against others forgetteth alwaies to looke backe vpon himselfe or else age perhaps hath dried vp his wit Omnia fert aetas animum quoque saith the Poet age decayeth all things Parsons vnderstanding also His braine is dryed with Spanish sacke and Spanish seabbes haue seized on his scull Afterward not being able to iustific his thréefold accusation against my Epistle he roueth at certaine personall matters farre from the questions in controuersie First he saith I haue bene a souldier but what of that was not Ignatius the first founder of his sect a lame souldier And were not Pope Clement the seuenth Iulius the second and other Popes whom he dare not disclaime great men of warre Let him therefore beware least desiring to strike others he wound the lame souldier his founder and the Popes his holy fathers and himselfe that counterfeiteth sometime to be a souldier and calleth himselfe captaine Cowbucke being but a cow and a coward But it may be percase that he accompteth it irregularitie for a man of the Church to be a souldier for so he seemeth to insinuate But he is much deceiued in his own canons For albeit to be a bastard is irregularity yet is it not so to be a souldier And if it were so by the Popes laws who because the Iews said it was not lawfull for them to put any to death do therefore exclude their clergie from iudging of matters of death yet it is ridiculous to exact the obseruation of the Popes lawes of Christians when the papists do reason so absurdly from the words of the Iewes and regard their owne constitutions nothing at all Beside that if such traitors as himselfe and the Iebusites of Paris thinke it lawfull to beare armes against their liege Souereignes I hope he cannot disproue them that haue serued their princes against foreine enemies and traitors He saith also I haue bene a pirate But that sheweth he is badly informed and worse affected that calleth all that serue their countrey by sea pirats As for me I count it honour to be rayled on by professed enemies of their Prince and countrey and shall the rather endeuour to do seruice both against enemies traitors and railers Further saith he I vnderstand that he hath bene iudge marshall among souldiers But while he thinketh to offer me disgrace he saith more honour of me then I would percase haue sayd of my selfe if I had not vene occasioned by him For that is a place of honour as the Auditors generall of the Spanish armies can assure him Neither is the same incompatible with my calling although I serued the Queene in that place in the low countries before I had any function in the Church He is also much offended that I haue sometime taken vpon me the trayning of yong souldiers that were to be led against such villeines and traitors as himselfe comming with Spainiards and forraine enemies against their country But if he be sorie that he and his consorts could not cut his countrimens throats without resistance I am glad if I haue made my countrimen the more able to serue both against common enemies and such cut-throate traitors and I doubt Hot but to vse my skil to the benefit of my country if euer such traitors as himselfe is offer to bring with him any bougerly Italians or bragadocio Spaniards against England He proceedeth and saith I am married and matched as a minister ought to be In an other place he glanceth at my wiues French hood But what if I was married before I entred into the ministery and be able to maintaine her so without any profits of my Ecclesiasticall liuings Beside that himselfe being a filthy bastard and borne of a base queane as the Quodlibetist being a goodly martyr in the Calendar of traitors telleth him he sheweth himselfe both witlesse and shamelesse to speake against honorable mariage and such as are knowne to be descended of worshipfull parentage Furthermore he giueth vs occasion to detest the filthie masse-priests monkes and Iebusites that abiuring lawfull marriage burne in vnlawfull lustes and are knowne to be adulterers fornicators sodomites and
letters from Rome to Fitzherbert wherein he desireth to vnderstand the successe of the fleete that anno 1598. was to go for England Finally by the Adelantadoes proclamation made at the Groyne and whereof diuers printed copies were to be dispersed in England vpon his arriuall here The which for that if discouereth the pride of the Spaniard and the malice of the English traitors I haue thought it not amisse to set downe the whole tenour of the proclamation with some animaduersions in the margent Considering saith the Adelantado the obligation which his catholike Maiestie my Lord and master hath receiued of God almightie to defend and protect his holy faith and the Apostolicall Romane church he hath procured by the best meanes he could for to reduce to the auncient and true religion the kingdomes of England and Ireland as much as possibly hath bin in his power And all hath not bene sufficient to take away the offence done against God in dommage of the selfesame kingdoms with scandale of whole christianity yea rather abusing the clemency and benignity of his Catholike Maiestie the heads and chiefe of the heretikes which litle feare God haue taken courage to extend their euill doctrine with the oppressing of Catholikes martyring them and by diuers wayes and meanes taking from them their liues and goods forcing them by violence to follow their damnable fects and errours which they haue hardly done to the losse of many soules Which considered his Catholike Maicsty is determined to fauour and protect these Catholikes which couragiously haue defended the Catholike faith and not onely those but such also as by pusillanimity and humane respects hauc consented vnto them forced thereunto through the hard and cruell dealing of the said Catholikes heretical enemies And for the execution of his holy zeale he hath commaunded me that with force by sea and land which be and shall be at my charge to procure al meanes necessary for the reduction of the said kingdomes vnto the obedience of the Catholike Romane church In complement of the which I declare and protest that these forces shall be employed for to execute this holy intent of his Catholike Maiestie directed onely to the common good of the true religion and Catholikes of those kingdomes as wel those which be already declared catholikes as others who wil declare themselues for such For all shall be receiued and admitted by me in his royall name which shall separate and apart themselues from the heretikes And furthermore they shall be restored to the honour dignity and possessions which heretofore they haue bene depriued of Moreouer euery one shall be rewarded according to the demonstrations and feates which shall be shewne in this godly enterprise And who shall proceed with most valour the more largely and amply shall be remunerated with the goods of obstinate heretikes Wherfore seeing almightie God doth present to his elect so good an occasion therfore I for the more security ordaine and command the captaines generall of horse and artilerie the master generall of the field generall captaines of squadrons as all other masters of the field the captaines of companies of horse and foote and all other officers greater and lesser and men of war the Admirall generall and the rest of the captaines and officers of the armie that as well at land as sea they vse well and receiue the Catholikes of those kingdomes who shall come to defend the Catholike cause with armes or without them For I commaund the Generall of the artilerie that he prouide them of weapons which shall bring none Also I ordaine and streitly commaund that they haue particular respect vnto the houses and families of the sayd Catholikes not touching as much as may be any thing of theirs but onely of those that will obstinately follow the part of heretikes in doing of which they be altogether vnworthy of those fauours which be here granted vnto the good who will declare them selues for true Catholikes and such as shall take armes in hand or at least separate themselues from the heretikes against whom and their fauourers all this warre is directed in defence of the honor of God and good of those kingdomes trusting in Gods diuine mercy that they shall recouer againe the Catholike relgion so long agone lost and make them returne to their auncient quietnesse and felicitie and to the due obeience of the holy Primitiue church Moreouer these kingdomes shall enioy former immunities and priuiledges with encrease of many others for the time to come in great friendship confederacie and trafficke with the kingdome of his Catholike Maiestie which in times past they were wont to haue for the publike good of all Christianity And that this be put in executiō speedily I exhort al the faithful to the fulfilling of that which is here contained warranting them vpon my word which I giue in the name of the Catholike King my Lord and master that all shall be obserued which here is promised And thus I discharge my self of the losses and damages which shall fall vpon those which will follow the contrary way with the ruine of their owne soules the hurt of their owne country and that which is more the honor and glory of God And he which cannot take presently armes in hand nor declare himselfe by reason of the tyrannie of the heretikes shall be admitted from the enemies camp and shall passe to the catholike part in some skirmish or battell or if he cannot he shall flie before we come to the last encounter In testimonie of all which I haue commanded to dispatch these presents confirmed with my hand sealed with the seale of mine armes and refirmed by the secretary vnderwritten This being the Adelantadoes proclamation anno 1598. let the world iudge of the impudencie of Parsons that lyeth wittingly and saith the alarme was false Thereby it may appeare also what maner of man Parsons is that bringeth forreine enemies vpon his countrey and is consorted with them and yet faceth all downe that shall say the contrarie In his Epistle likewise he saith that the Ward word comming abroade the newes was in most mens mouthes that the Knight disauowed the Watchword attributing the same to certaine Ministers Where me thinkes I heare Thraso say Metuebant omnes me All stood in dread of me But that is not the fault that I meane here to touch For it is his egregious lying that we are here to talke of Let him therefore either name these most men that he mentioneth or at the least̄ some honest man that gaue out this report as from sir Francis his mouth or else we must say that this lie came out of his owne foule mouth that is now become a fountaine of lies He must shew also how Sir Francis could disauow a treatise subscribed and published by himselfe or else it will be said
like to Parsons and both of them hired to speake shame against the professors of the truth If then a théefe is not to be credited speaking for his fellow théefe nor a traitor testifying for traitors then let vs heare no more of this renegate rascall traitor that died in action against his countrey consorting himselfe with the rebellious and théeuish Irish. Fol. 40. They are wont to say saith he that S. Bernard was no flatterer But because the man is wont to lie no man will beléeue him vnlesse he bring forth the parties that haue so said For to call the Pope Abraham Melchisedech and Christ as Bernard doth sauoureth of the flattery and darknesse of those times The fourth fifth and sixth chapters of Parsons his first encounter are nothing else but a packe of lies either receiued frō others or deuised cogged by himself He affirmeth first that Carolstadius Oecolampadius and Zuinglius were Luthers scholers Secondly that they were opposite to Luther Thirdly that there were infinite opinions among them that denied the reall presence 4. That the Anabaptists rose out of Luthers doctrine 5. That there was a potent diuision betwixt Melancthon and Illyricus 6. That Caluin and Beża issued from Zuinglius 7. That Seruetus was Caluins collegue and that he and Valentinus Gentilis and other heretikes came from Caluin and Beza 8. That we admit no iudge of controuersies and laugh at Councels 9. That Zuinglius was condemned in a synod 10. That out of our synods at Marpurge Suabach and Smalcald we departed with lesse agreement then before as Lauater and Sleidan testifie 11. That Melancthon to proue the Zuinglians to be obstinate heretikes gathered together the sentences of the ancient fathers for the reall presence 12. That Zuinglius died in rebellion against his countrey 13. That Oecolampadius was found dead in bed by his wiues side strangled by the deuill as Luther holdeth lib. de priuata missa or killed by his wife 14. That great warres arose betweene Lutherans and Zuinglians as he calleth them 15. That Luther was the first father of our Gospell which he calleth new 16. That Stankare was a protestant as he calleth him 17. That Chemnitius in a letter to the Elector of Brandeburg doth censure the Queene of England and the religion here professed 18. That there are warres and dissentions in England in most principall points of religion He doth also rehearse diuers other points which are all vtterly false and vntrue For first Oecolampadius and Zuinglius were learned men aswell as Luther and taught truth before they knew him Carolstadius also taught matters neuer learned of him Secondly except in the exposition of the words of the Lords supper in which the Papists do differ more then any others all consented with Luther in most things and in this did modestly dissent from him Thirdly those imagined different opinions among them that dissallow the reall presence cannot be proued Let Parsons shew where they are now maintained and by whom 4. It is apparent that Luther taught alwayes contrary to the Anabaptists as his writings shew 5. It cannot be shewed that either Melancthon condemned Illyricus or contrariwise 6. Caluin and Beza had their doctrine from the Apostles and not from Zuinglius 7. Seruetus was a Spaniard and a Papist and an heretike and no collegue of Caluin Nay by his meanes his heresies were first detected and refuted and he punished 8. It is ridiculous to say that we admit no Iudge and laugh at generall Councels For we esteeme them highly and admit the censure of any iudge proceeding by the canon of scriptures 9. The condemnation of Zuinglius in a synode is a méere fiction The 10. lye is resuted by Lauater and Sleidan Sleidan saith they agréed at Marpurge That seeing they consented in the chiefe points after that they should absteine from all contention Quandoquidem in praecipuis omnibus dogmatis idem sentirent abstinendu◠esse deinceps ab omni contentione The 11. lie is refuted by Melancthons whole workes where it is not found that euer he called his brethren heretikes or went about to proue them so Nay his principall study was vnitie and peace 12. Zuinglius died accompanying his countrimen of Zuricke in the battel against other Cantons of Suizzerland and standing for his country not against his countrey 13. Oecolampadius died in peace neither did Luther euer write of him that which the Papists haue reported 14. The names of Lutherans and Zuinglians we haue detested and if any contention were betwirt those that fauoured Luther or Zuinglius yet was it rather priuat then publike 15. Our religion we claime from the Apostles and not from Luther and so do other reformed Churches 16. Stankare we condemne as an heretike 17. The letter supposed to be written by Chemnitius against the Quéene is too ridiculous to proceed from him The same doth rather sauour of the blackesmiths forge of papists 18. In England there are no publike contentions nor do priuate men such specially as are reputed among vs as brethren contend about matters of saluation As for those contentions that haue bene about ceremonies they by the kings wise dome are ended to the great griefe of Parfons and other enemies of our peace Wherefore vnlesse Parsons can bring better proofes then Rescius Stancarus Staphylus and such like barking curres of his owne kennell both he and they will be taken for wicked and shamelesse forgers of lyes and slanders Hauing belyed vs before in the seuenth chapter of his first encounter he telleth lies also of himselfe and of his owne conforts First he saith If Papists were idolaters that this error was vniuersally receiued among them But that followeth not For all Papists haue not one opinion of Saints of relikes of images of Saints The second Nicene councell denieth That Latria is due to images or that the images of the godhead are to be made by Christians Some hold that not the image but the thing signified is to be worshipped many hold contrary All giue not diuine worship to the crosie nor pray to it in one sort Finally Bellarmine in his bookes de imaginibus and de Sanctis doth confesse that there are many different opinions among the worshippers of images Secondly Parsons denyeth that Papists are idolaters But Lectantius lib. 1. instit diuin c. 19. and other fathers shew that all are idolaters that giue the worship of God to creatures as the Papists do honoring the sacrament the crosse and images of the Trinitie with diuine worship This point is also fully proued against the Papists in my last challenge chap. 5. Thirdly he sayth most falsly That all Friers and Monkes professed one faith without any difference in any one article of beliefe The falshood of his assertion I haue shewed by diuerse instances heretofore Fourthly he sayth The Papists may haue a ministeriall head of the Church as well as we haue a woman for the head But it is a greater matter to be head of
all honest men are to like it the better being misliked of Parsons and his viperous consorts who as they poyson mens soules with false doctrine so do they by poyson and practise seeke to murder all that are opposite to their wicked purposes spicing the cup so as Cardinal Allen the bishop of Cassana Sixtus Quintus Throkmorton diuers others neuer throue after they had tasted it Parsons also hath so spiced his bookes with calumniations that he may well be master of the diuels spicery Fol. 12. Doth not our Minister saith he Shew himselfe more then Bizarro that is as he expoundeth it light and fantasticall headed And yet the heauy and beetleheaded block sheweth no sufficient reason of his spéech Will it then please him to take this word and to bestow it vpon the head of the Romish Church who claiming to be Peters successor and being most vnlike to Peter séemeth to be if not Beatissimo yet Bizarrissimo padre and to want both wit and braine The 13. leafe is all farsed with reproches but hath no more tast then his Italian porredge made of coleworts Let him therefore take them himselfe and bestow them at his pleasure being a hungry mastif curre a cunning companion and a cosiner of such as trust him a notorious fire brand that hath long sought to set his owne country in cōbustion a sycophant ready to dctract basely from honest men by words and libels and a shop or rather to speake of his putatiue fathers occupation a forge of trechery and knauery For this he voluntarily giueth to vs but we giue it him vpon credit and warrant of his owne consorts And to requite him for his courtesie let him take from vs the choise of the best titles that are to be found in the hang-mans budget Fol. 14. He shall haue a K sayth he for the first letter of his title which is a fauour more then I desire Notwithstanding because he is so liberall I wold be loth to be vnthankfull let him therfore take both the K. and the rest of the word and an addition of p. p. in honor of the Pope and so all will make a pild po k. Fol. 17. Let vs sayth he learne the subtill shifting of this shuffling Minister And yet himselfe presently falsifieth the law Cunctos populos Cod. de sum Trin. fid Cath. leauing out that forme of faith which the Emperors commend in their law It appeareth therefore that Parsons and his consorts be a packe of cards that neither shuffled nor vnshuffled are worth any thing but to make sulferous matches to light candles to the diuell Fol. 2. he talketh of my companions and calleth them A rude rabble of pyraticall companions railing at men of honour and seruice that haue both by sea and land serued their countrey against all forreine enemies set on by a packe of renegate traitors and which shall alwayes be able to withstand the practises of all bougerly Popes and Cardinals and all their adherents Fol. 26. he termeth me pedling merchant but without all reason For I haue with all my force withstood the Masse priests who like pedlars come from the Pope with a packe of hallowed graines beades Agnus deis pictures and such trash being sory they cannot sell their Masses and make trafficke of mens soules as they were wont But percase he despiseth all pettie pedlars himselfe like a montbanke offering to sell the crowne of England Fol. 39. But ho sir swashbuckler sayth he forgetting his swashing when he plaid captaine Cowbucke and when an 1588. he was swashing and swaggering among the Spaniards that he meant to bring to cut his own countrimens throates Fol. 41. he raileth like a lunatike friar and fol. 58. and in other places calleth me Oedipus himselfe playing Dauus and like a daw cackling at euery one that commeth in his way Fol. 97. b. where I say that the Church of England professeth the doctrine of Christ Iesus according to the rule that was established by common consent and that they that digresse from this rule are not to be accounted of our societie Marke sayth Parsons the giddy head of this gagling goose But what aileth this frantike felow thus to raile Forsooth because he imagineth that I ioyne them of France Germany and Suizzerland which he in his drunken fits calleth Lutherans Zuinglians and Caluinists with vs in vnitie of faith and as he beléeueth cut them off presently againe But the congerheaded Noddey deceiueth himselfe if he thinke I cut them off For in matters of faith I doubt not but to shew that we al agree as touching the substance And that is proued in the harmonie of our confessions Fol. 115. What atheisme doth this martiall Minister and this diuels Deane bring in saith Parsons And why Because I deny that the Churches of France or Germany differ from vs in matters of substance Yet shall this be iustified alwayes against this diuels agent Neither doth it therefore follow that we haue no lawfull ministery as this swaggering friar newly dropt out of the hangmans budget supposeth and as this wicked atheist and sworne slaue to Satan inferreth Fol. 116. Oh saith he that Luther were aliue again to canuas this arrogant barking bastardly whelpe of his But if he wish him aliue once the Pope and the rest if he were aliue wold with him often dead both aliue and dead being a dreadfull enemy to the tyrannie of Antichrist the false doctrine of friars and a scourge to all those hungrie curres that are now barking against him and casting forth al maner of villanie against the truth As for me I speake of Luthers opinion as some grossely vnderstand it and not as it may be vnderstood his words being fauorably construed Parsons therfore for this cause had no reason to raile and scold in his mothers language But if he would haue railed yet it sitteth not well for bastards and barking hel-hounds and proud peacockes to obiect either bastardy or barking or arrogancy to others Fol. 116. he sayth a Minister and a minstrel a preacher and a pirate a Bishop and a bitesheepe a Deane and a diuell are all one To answer him I say they are as like as a Pope and a puppet a friar and a frying pan a companie of Cardinals and a packe of coate cards a Massepriest and a mustardpot O noble Parsons the only minstrel that maketh vs this mirth And as the Quodlibetist sayth not only a pirate and a biteshéepe but a diuell incarnate begot by some Cardinall diuell Encounter 2. c. 6. he calleth me whirleheaded Minister and saith my reasons are circular But the errour was in the whirling head of this quadrāgular or rather foure elbowed sot For I do not remit men from Christ to the Scriptures nor from scriptures to interpreters nor backe againe as he supposeth turning like a dizard in a morice dance but say that the doctrine of Christ concerning saluation is apparant in Scriptures and there I would haue all to rest Albeit
in shifting and concealing then he doth deny disputing Ita opertus ac tectus incedis sayth Hierom to one epist. 6. vt plus confitearis tacendo quà m renuas disputando This we may truly say of Parsons that his shifts and answers which he bringeth to couer the wounds of his cause do make the matter far more suspicious then before What then are we to think of such a shifting and iugling fellow Will you heare Parsons giue sentence in his owne caúse If he do I hope you will say we do produce no witnesse that wil deale partially in fauor of our cause But he in his 2. encon c. 9. fol. 62. saith that he which vseth a trick of legierdemain but once of known and set malice to deceiue is neuer to be trusted againe What then remaineth now but that such a shifting trecherous companion be rather trussed then trusted haltred then harbored baffulled then beléeued CHAP. XIII Parsons his patcheric in begging things in controuersie discouered THe very name of an aduersary and often mention of controuersies if nothing else me thinkes might haue moued Robert Parsons to looke better to his proofes and to haue presumed lesse of his begging For albeit he be of the Ignatian sect and by profession a mendicant friar yet hath he no reason to beg of his aduersaries nor to take as granted things that hang in controuersie Nor haue we cause to maintaine of almes such vagarant sturdy roging beggars as the laws iudge worthy of hanging It may be he wil stand vpon termes and sweare like a hackster that he is no beggar bestowing many thousands of crownes vpon spies and cutthrotes But the truth will appeare by the sequele of his doings Fol. 1. b. he accuseth me of deportment against all kind of Catholike men though neuer so learned vertuous worshipful or honorable But he shold haue proued himself his traitorous consorts which are the men that I do meane to be both Catholikes and learned vertuous worshipfull and honorable We of the plainer and simpler sort could yet neuer learne that it was a thing either honorable or commendable to betray his prince or countrey or to take part with Italians or Spaniards against his owne nation Fol. 7. talking of priests put to death in England he calleth them and others seruants of Christ and sayth they suffered for auncient religion But we looked for proofes and not for bare and beggarly affirmations For the seruants of Christ came neuer to depose Princes from their thrones Nay our Sauior Christ saith plainely that his kingdome is not of this world But these Massepriests as appeareth by records and by their confessions and the Popes faculties granted to them came for that purpose Secondly we haue proued in our challenge that their religion as it differeth from the faith which we professe in England is neither Catholike nor anciēt Lastly we haue there also declared them to be culpable of treason and to haue died for that not for their religion though otherwise bery louzy and beggarly bellacos and as beggarly defended by this begging and cousining companion In the same leafe also he affirmeth that Christ is the Masse-priests captaine and master and that he assureth them on his honour and power that no one haire of their head shall perish In the end he doubteth not to call thē martyrs But to proue his matters he alleageth neither testimony ofscripture nor sentence of fathers Nay where that Romish Church teacheth that no man can be certaine of his saluation without speciall reuelation yet this disciple of Antichrist affirmeth that Christ vpon his honor hath assured Campian Ballard Babington and I thinke Lopez too that they shall not perish For of these I thinke he speaketh To shew them to be no martyrs I haue alleaged diuers reasons Reason then would that if he would haue wonne credit he should haue either answered our reasons or proued his owne cause by argument In his obseruations vpon my Preface and in diuers places of his book he giueth the name of Cathōlikes to papists And yet he knoweth that this is a maine controuersie betwixt vs. What punishment then doth he deserue that wittingly and wilfully wil beg or rather steale that which belongeth not vnto him Fol. 14. most impudently he giueth the title of the Catholike Christian church and the vniuersall body of Christs commonwealth vnto papists that are neither the whole church nor part of the Church Unto vs he giueth the title of Protestants Puritanes and Lutherans which we renounce professing onely the faith of Christ Iesus He doeth also match vs with Arrians and other sects which we detest But these are points in controuersie to be proued Fol. 17. he sayth that the Councel of Trent was gathered by like authoritie as that of Chalcedon was A matter vtterly denied by vs and not any way proued by him Nay it is most absurd to compare that reuerend synod assembled and moderated by the Emperors authority and proceeding according to scriptures to a conuenticle of slaues sworne to Antichrist and assembled by his writ and doing all according to his pleasure Fol. 20. a. he sayth It cannot be proued that any one Pope impugned his predecessor in matters of faith As if al our pleading were not that the later Popes do impugne and ouerthrow the faith of the first bishops of Rome Themselues also deny not but that Agatho condemned his predecessor Honorius for a Monothelite In the same place also affirming that all the Popes and Bishops of Rome from Iohn the first to Leo the tenth held one faith he saith that this demonstration is as cleare as that three and foure make seuen But this seuen and seuen yeare he shall neuer proue that which with a light fingar he taketh as granted is clearely false For the instruction giuen to the Armenians in the synode of Florence and the decrees of the Conuenticle of Constance were neuer holden of Popes before them Nor did former Popes beléeue the doctrine of the Conuenticle of Trent Fol. 77. b. he taketh as granted that a hundred haue bene put to death for being priests and for being ordained to that function beyond the seas and for defending the faith belonging to that function and that great numbers are dayly apprehended arraigned and condemned for standing in their fathers faith and resisting nouelties Both which are notorious vntruths For neither in the arraignement of priests or others is any question made of faith nor is that louzy patched religion that Papists hold ouer and aboue our faith the faith of the Apostles or Fathers nor are priests executed simply for being priests but because they come from forrein enemies and are combined with them which alwayes hath bene accounted treason Fol. 80. he talketh idly of sending money out of England for defence of heresie for he beggeth of vs that which he shal neuer obtaine that popery is religion and true religion heresie and that we maintaine heresie Fol. 104.
friends are sory to sée so worthy a worke misnamed For if he had done me right he should haue called his pamphlet A confirmation of my challenge for so in truth it is the author answering nothing to the purpose and rather by silence consenting then by good answering contradicting our arguments The most of his discourse standeth vpon bitter railing vaine talking and childish trifling about serious matters If any man doubted whether popery were heresie before I doubt not but that this weake discourse that yéeldeth no satisfaction to any indifferent Reader may resolue him The author of this deuise as we are credibly informed is VValpoole the ruler of the kitchin or porredge pot of the colledge of yong English popish traitors in Rome In Italian they call him traitors and empoysoners The treatise of thrée conuersiōs is deuided into two parts The summe and scope of the first is comprised in these few words England hath bin thrise conuerted to Christian religiō by preachers sent from Rome ergo England is to submit it selfe to the Pope and to accept of that religion which he recommendeth vnto vs. This Robert Parsons doth suppose to be a good consequence For else he should but trifle in his whole discourse and then especially where he talketh of our obligation to the sea of Rome of S. Peters chaire Neither doeth he doubt but to proue his triple conuersion and that in honor of the Popes triple crowne But if we do well examine his grounds and allegations we shall find that vnder the title of S. Peters chaire and apostolical doctrine the man doth séek nothing else but to recommend vnto vs the Popes close stoole with a decoction of his decretaliue doctrine and most beastly abominations The grounds of the whole discourse are false and the inference made out of them most weake and euil concluding First most false it is that Britannie or as Parsons sayth England was thrise conuerted by preachers sent from Rome Of Peters preaching in Britaine whereupon the first supposed conuersion standeth the obliuious fellow is but lately aduised For in his Wardword wherein he maketh the best ward for Rome that he can he could not find any more then two conuersions and those he rather fancieth then proueth His proofes for S. Peters preaching in England stand wholy vpon the testimony of Simeon Metaphrastes a lying pedant full of fabulous narrations whereto the aduersaries themselues make conscience to giue credit of Surius a Carthusian Monke and a great eater of stockfish and a codshead parasite hired to speak for the Pope and vpon a forged lying decretal set out vnder the name of Innocent the first wherein notwithstanding we reade nothing specially of Britaines conuersion Those that were sent from Eleutherus bishop of Rome to the Christian King Lucius of Britannie séeme rather to haue bin Britans then Romanes as the names of them set downe by Galfridus by Caius and other writers of British histories do report Lucius certes had no reasō to craue baptisme at the hands of Eleutherus his mandataries vnlesse he had bin well instructed in Christian religion before Beside that the Romanes in these times ruling in most part of Britaine it may be a question how far the kingdome of Lucius did extend it selfe Suppose then that this historie is authentical which may well be doubted the same being onely found in legends and fabulous writers all the glory of this conuersion must néedes stand vpon weake surmises and fabulous legends As for the Monke Austine he could not speake one Saxon or British word but was faine to bring interpreters with him out of France then called Gallia How then could he conuert them which vnderstood not one word spoken by him We do not reade that he preached to the Saxons or Britans but only that he baptized And very likely it is that he holp onely to baptize those whom either the Britans alwayes remaining among the Saxons and submitting thē selues vnto them or the interpreters which Austin brought with him from Gallia which then had a tongue common to both Gaules and Britons had before conuerted But suppose that either himselfe speaking British or Saxon or by some interpreter should haue conuerted somc few yet all that amounteth to nothing and is scarce worth the speaking of it Secondly suppose some Britans or Saxons had bene conuerted to Christian Religion by preachers sent from Rome in auncient time when religion was pure and sincere yet Parsons hath no reason to make any great clamor vpon so small aduantage For first all those that are conuerted to religion are not to subiect themselues to those churches frō whence those came that did conuert thē or else to the bishops that sent them The church of Rome acknowledgeth no subiection to the Church of Ierusalem or to the Bishop thereof Neither doth Friseland or Germany that was conuerted by Saxons that came out of England acknowledge our Church or Bishops to be their superiors But were Rome beholding to Ierusalem from whence her first preachers came yet da not the Romanists now turne Turkes because Turkes preside at Ierusalem Suppose then we were beholding to Christian Romanes yet what is that to Antichristian Romanes that haue declined almost into as grosse impieties as Turks and worship idols or as they call them images so grossely that the Turkes do condemne them and may iustly rise up too against them in iudgement Againe suppose we had bene beholding to the auncient Romanes yet this maketh nothing for the moderne inhabitants of Rome that either are a race of Gothes and Lombards that were enemies to the Romanes or else a collection and Ramasse of other nations nothing like to the Romanes Finally if we ought to embrace that religion that was either taught by S. Peter Eleutherus Austin or by other Christian Bishops in their times then are we to renounce the decretaliue doctrine of Popes together with the philosophicall mixtures of schoole diuines both which haue bin brought into the Church long after the ages wherein they liued Furthermore the idolalatrous worship of the crosse with latria of the saints with dulia of the blessed virgine with hyperdulia the doctrine of Papists concerning the carnall eating of Christs bodie transsubstantion halse Communions priuate Masses reseruation of the Sacrament purgatorie for temporall paines after the guilt remitted popish indulgences and other popish trash might be packing It would also be time for the Pope with his triple crowne two swords guard of Suizzers Cardinals Menkes Masse-priests and Friers to trusse vppe his trinkets and to make himselfe readie for his iourney into some farre countrey beyond all Christianitie For neuer shall Robert Parsons proue albeit he could conuert him selfe into all shapes that Britaine was conuerted to any such religion as this or that the Church then had such a forme as now wée see in Rome Page 103. hée alleageth two proofes whereof the first he calleth negatiue the second affirmatiue and thereby hopeth to shew that