be a very beneficiall and mercyfull sharpnesse But now let vs come to that part that toucheth men more nerely than any loue of God Let vs sée how they be traitors to kinges and kingdomes If we haue minde to sée that Papistes which holde all the Popes doctrine to be true are traitors in déede to kinges and kingdomes it behoueth to call to minde what be the Popes doctrines doinges practises concerning the crownes of kinges and states of kingdomes Popes haue chalenged and Papistes that affirme the Popes to be frée from errour their doctrine to be true and their authoritie to be lawfull do also holde that it is their due which they chalenge that is to haue the authoritie of both swordes spirituall and temporall the one in exercise the other in power to haue the disposition of all the crownes of Christian Princes to haue the iudgement of deciding to whom the right of any kingdome belongeth to haue power for disobedience to him or by hys discretion to transferre the crownes of kings to whom he will to haue lawfull power to geue kingdomes to prey spoyle and conquest to such as can inuade and possesse them to haue power to assoile and discharge Christian subiectes from fayth and allegeance to their lawfull and naturall soueraigne Lordes Kinges and Princes to haue power to geue leaue yea commaundement blessing reward forgeuenesse of sinnes and heauen it selfe to subiectes to rebell against the Prince to depose the Prince disherite and destroy him that there is of common right and by the mere lawe of God reserued to the Pope a speciall subiection resort appellation and obedience of one great part of all Princes subiectes yea and of all subiectes of all Princes in one great part of their causes Be not these hainous treasons And these can not be denied to be the naturall and very treasons of all Papistes that is to say of all that depend vpon credit of the Pope that holde hym for Gods vicar for Peters successor for whom Christ prayed that hys fayth should not faile that applie to him this title ad quem persidia non potest accedere to whom falshode can not reach that holde hym for a constant rocke an assured preacher of truth an apostolicall man if he be not some other thing than a man to whom our belefe is bounden with such other false titles wherewith Popes them selues haue garnished them selues and their parasites haue ouerloden them Consider the ordinarie practise of Popes and Papistes accordyng to these doctrines and than shall you sée that from the most hye treason which the Pope committed against hys soueraigne Lorde the Emperour the renting and destruction of the Empire all the victories and successes of the Saracens Turkes against Christendome all the tearyng away of most noble and large kingdomes and prouinces from the body of Christianitie all the subduing and thrallyng of infinite Christian soules to Mahomete and the deuill all the deposinges murderinges turmoyllinges ciuile warres debates betwene Christian Princes shedinges of Christian bloud indignities and oppressions of Christian kinges and Emperours conquestes rebellions and mischiefes for these v. C. yeares and aboue are wholly or chiefly to be imputed to the treasons of Popes and Papistes All sometime most learned and noble Grecia yet lamentably rueth it All Africa the mother of most constant Martyrs féeleth it The Germane Emperours with most hainous reproches and foule treading in their neckes may not forget it The kinges of Fraunce and Spaine bothe at home in their natiue kingdomes and abrode as well in Naples Sicile Lombardie as in other territories of Italie and of the Empire haue sharply felt it The Lordes and states of Italie haue bene daily and long shaken with it The kinges of England haue bene poisoned whipped beaten with roddes murdered deposed the land geuen in conquest enterdited made tributarie robbed pilled scraped of their treasure brought into slauishe subiection depriued of honour and estimation euery way most villanously abused To let passe the elder times and further realmes let vs speake nothing of deposing of olde Emperours erecting of new setting the sonne against the father the subiect against his Lord making them come barefooted them selues with theyr wiues and children long wayting with submission in colde frostes treading in their neckes spurning of their crownes and a thousand such abhominable prides of Popes and slaueries of Princes Let vs deale but with our selues and with our owne féeling knowledge and memorie The accursing of king Iohn the receauing him vassall the making his Realme subiecte and feudatarie to the Pope the arming his subiectes against him the poysoning of him at length the geuing the land to the French Kinges sonne the inuading thereof by the Dolphine of Fraunce his so long possessing a great part of it the rebellion of the Barons to take the Frenchmens part all the mischiefes that fell in all this while were they not the good workes of Popes and Papistes The great diuision of the two noble houses of Yorke and Lancaster which cost so much English bloud that there remaineth no house of hie or meane nobilitie that hath not smarted for it so many foughten fieldes within the Realme so long and so great vncertaintie which side were true men and which were traitors and for how many daies or houres they should be so estéemed such desolation and miseries to whom are they to be imputed but to the Popish Clergie and Papistes and among other to Thomas Arundell Archebishop of Canterburie that traitorously practised the deposing of his lawfull soueraigne Lord king Richard the second But come yet to later times How was the Quéenes maiesties most noble father assalted by the Pope and Papistes His Realme was interdited and geuen away to him that could catch it Legates and one notable Englishe traitor were sent about to persuade Christian Princes to inuade England to destroy and depose King Henrie and to take the Realme in reward for their labour When Charles the late Emperour was setting forward against the Turke Cardinall Pole being sent by the Pope made a solemne Oration to him which is yet extant in Print to persuade the Emperour to turne his prepared power from inuading the Turke and to bend it against King Henrie the viij as one worse then any Turke What turmoile was raised then by the Northren rebells against him whereof some by his elemencie a good example haue liued to this day to raise a new rebellion How troubled they her maiesties most excellent brother with vnhappie seditions How vexed they and how endangered they the Realme and the Quéenes owne person in her sisters time What might Charles the Emperour haue done for recouerie and enlarging of Christendome if his force that way entended had not by Popish practise bene peruerted sundry waies and times to the sheding of Christian bloud and wasting of Christendome and to the ouerthrow of his victorious course What tempestes hath the late conspiracie of Trent
take vpon him to extend hys curse to the prince of our countrey and all the people thereof and that he hath power to discharge the subiectes of the realme from their fayth and allegeance and hath authoritie to binde theyr obedience to whome he will and is able to geue heauen to rebelles that shall venture theyr liues in wasting and destroying our countrey he I say that can yelde hys consent to these doinges thinkinges must néedes be a traitor to hys countrey And such a one is euery such English Papist as I haue described and can be none other if he hold the Pope for a true teacher and haue good opinion of of the Popes doctrine and examples And to defend that we ought to yelde our saythes or submission to the Pope is in generalitie to affirme all these mischiefes and treasons And such as be of that minde as all such Papistes bée can not in true iudgement be seuered from traitorous watchers to put the same in execution when so euer they may haue times and meanes to beare them harmelesse Let be called to minde the treasons of the clergie agaynst Henrie the second and specially the vile practises of the two traitorous byshops of Lincolne and Heresord agaynst Edward the second But principally how as I haue aforesayd the Dolphin of Fraunce by color of title geuen him from the Pope for King Iohns disobedience to that apostaticall seate inuaded and long possessed a great part of England how the deceaued barons of England both at that time specially at some other times seuerally at the Popes will and vpon pronouncing of his curse against the king forsooke their allegeance looke part with the frenchmen spoyled their owne countrey and like most vnnaturall children at an adulterous stop fathers bidding did thrust theyr swordes into their mothers bellie Remember Cardinall Poles message to the Emperor the rebellions raysed in that time and since the late practises in Queene Maries dayes to bring the realme in thraldome to the most insolent and intolerable nation and to transfer the inheritance of the crowne with not onely disheriting but also destroying the true and naturall heire their great sorrow that it was not performed the great trust that our Papistes in all their countenances and speches shewed them selues to haue of the good successe of Henrie the french king whome God tooke away before his accomplishment of thretened enterprises against this realme Let not be forgotten their glorienges in their champion of Guise It is yet fresh and raw in remembrance how openly they vttered their as it were applaudinges gratulations and cherefull significations of fauor to that side euen then when as it is well knowen the same familie of Guise sought vnder color of his kinswomans title and by that foren title which was made the title and fundation of this last rebellion to inuade this land to ouerthrow the Quéenes maiesties estate and to transport the crowne of our countrey to strangers Let it be considered what good practises these late Rebels haue had with strangers to the hazard of their countrie euen so far forth as they feared not in their proclamations with a litle colorable forme of pennyng to brag and put their confederates in hope of strangers coming to inuade and destroy the realme which by a prety gentle false terme they call reforming the realme Let it be well weyed what they meane to the realme that vnder colour of succeding do so far vndermine the head of our country that by raysing some to a hope of the next succeding they conuey the countenance fauour and supportation of a great corrupt nomber of suche as may frame them selues any hope of gaine that way to other persones that by such kindled ambition may be the more hastely enboldned Such mad hopes made lewd bokes to be published in print to entitle strangers to our crowne and to geue aduise to cherishe the amitie of Fraunce to this ende that the rebellious nation of England as they terme vs may by that meanes be tamed if we wyll not contentedly yeld to such subiection It is not nothing that the same bookes were ambiciously published in Paris and set vp vpon euery post and piller and by men of great place and charge most earnestly defended when on our Quéenes Maiesties behalfe they were required to be suppressed I speake not yet of the worst bookes well knowen to the best persons This to doo is to shew vs a Sunne rysing to whose worship they would faine draw vs from our Sunne declinyng as they suppose No no our Quéene is our true Sunne and what soeuer shinyng thyng they wold set vp in her tyme it is no right Sunne but an vnlucky Comete And it is not yet noone I trust with our Sunne or if it be I hope yet God will lengthen the day to our Sunne for his honors sake as he dyd to Iosua and the rather shall all good subiectes haue cause so to hope it if the residue of the day may be so spent as Iosua spent it and for which purpose God dyd prolong it to rid the world of Gods enemies Let it be suspected what hopes of preuention anticipation most dreadfull mischief which I feare and abhorre to name the encouragement of such succedyng which is the worke of Papistes may minister where the onely person of our most deare and precious soueraigne Ladie standeth without any moe meane stayes of her most honorable and ioyfull issue betwene them and their desired effect the vtter vndoing of vs all and specially where the power of reuenge may by possibilitie fall into their handes for whose sake it should be attempted It is no small mischiefe danger and apallyng of fayth and courage when our prince must be defended agaynst those that by possibilitie may aspire to hope to haue colour to be our Princes them selues and to wreke it vpon good subiectes that serue our Quéene truely What kindnesse or naturalnesse will doo hath béen abundantly shewed already diuerse wayes And in the late murderous mischief a most foule president but a most perfect lesson this one thyng is much to be noted that it was here by rumor reported as done before it were done there which argueth that the conspiracie extended hither and how farre further or rather nerer is good to be quickly and earnestly searched and by the same example to be remembred what harme the losse of vsyng occasion hath bredde when it might haue so béen preuented that neither he had bene murdered nor the Quéene encombred I dispute no titles I haue no reache beyond our Quéene I can sée nothyng beyond our Quéene but a Chaos of miserie therfore I am lothe to looke so farr My onely care is as my prayer is all good subiectes ought to be for our Q. Maiesties preseruation What other title so euer be pretended be it good or bad if it shall once threaten danger to the Q. Maiestie whose title and
blowen vp in Christendome that can not yet be quieted and all because the Pope hath instilled an opinion into his Papistes that Princes if he dispense with them are not bound to kéepe fayth and promise no not the word of a king wherby no peace can yet be assured Whereof yet riseth one good admonition to trust them no more and to be well ware of them and specially to thinke of this one particular that wicked persons which haue geuen occasion of dangerous rebellions against the Quéenes maiestie their chiefe and onely succour and refuge will neuer be witholden by any respecte from attempting or procuring to be attempted any most hie and hainous treason and mischiefes against our soueraigne Ladies safetie if auantageable opportunitie may serue them so long as such persons are infected with Papistrie and can thinke the Pope hable to pardon or rather willing to reward them yea so farre as they shall suppose them selues not onely to winne the kingdome of England therby but also the kingdome of heauen It is perilous to thinke what traitorous rage may do being armed with dronken superstition It is a sore thing to consider the impotentie of ambition specially when it is ioyned with the furie of reasonlesse loue The common experience is how dangerous those knottes of théeues be where there is a woman in the companie Thus is it plaine that for as much as the Pope claimeth such wrongfull vsurpation and tyrannie ouer kinges and realmes and sith Papistes holde that he saith true and claimeth but his right and can not erre in discerning it all such Papistes are traitors to all kinges and kingdomes As for the second conclusion which accuseth English Papistes of treason to the Quéenes maiestie it is sufficiently proued for that it is as a particular within a generall included in the former Yet for the speciall confirmation of it it hath certaine priuate and seuerall reasons It is well knowen how they sought her graces death in her sisters time what practises what fetches were vsed for it what examinations what searchinges were to finde color of her destruction yea if it be true which is credibly sayd how farre without color they proceded if God had not miraculously kept her to the preseruation of this Realme and the comfort of whole Christendome But to make some demonstration of their hatred to her maiestie by reason and after to descend to the examples and practises let vs examine the causes Whereas the Papistes holde that the Pope is head of Gods vniuersall Church and that such authoritie as the Quéene claimeth in England ouer ecclesiasticall persons and in ecclesiasticall causes as due to her highnesse in right of her crowne is not due to her but belonging to the Pope in so saying they must say that her maiestie claimeth an vniust tyrannicall power And whosoeuer shall so say though not in the same sillables is an vniust and an errant traitor and can not loue her that hath pulled downe him whom they call head of their Church Also where Papistes affirme the Chirch of Rome to be the true Catholicke Chirch of God and that as out of Noes Arke there was no safetie from drowning so out of the Romane Church there is no escape of damnation is there any hope that they so thinking can or do loue her highnesse that hath dismembred them from the body of that Chirch and plucked them out of that Cocklorelles boate Where Papistes holde the heresie of transubstantiation and the bread to be Christes naturall bodie the blasphemie of Popishe Masse to be an auailing sacrifice for quicke and dead the Popes pardons to be hable to deliuer them from hell and damnation is it likely that they loue her whom they thinke to depriue them of so great treasures Where the Papistes holde our whole forme of seruing of God which forme the Quéenes maiestie hath prescribed and deliuered to her subiectes to be schismaticall our lawes in spirituall thynges no lawes our sacramentes no sacramentes our Bishops no Bishops our Clergie no Clergie surely they thinke our Coronations no Coronations our Quéene no Quéene or at least they are sory she is so Where Papistes beleue a Purgatorie and that Masses Diriges and such other gainfull marchandise of the Popish Clergie be beneficiall for their frendes soules and their owne and do in the meane time imagine that theyr fathers grandsires grandames wiues and other frendes soules lie frying in vnexplicable tormentes and the Quéenes maiestie holdeth from them the onely meane to release them thinke you such persons grudge not at her excéedingly Where the Pope hath accursed the Quenes maiestie as an heretike and schismatike all those Papistes which suppose that the Pope hauing the disposition of Gods sentence and the thunderbolt of excommunication in his hand can not erre do also suppose that the Quenes highnesse our Quene Elizabeth I meane is not lawfull Quene of England for so must all Papistes hold that hold the Pope to say true for the Pope doth not so accept her And true it is that the refusall of the othe for the acknowledging her Maiesties supremacie ouer ecclesiasticall persones and in ecclesiasticall causes is for very good reasons to be suspected that for the most part it is but coloured with pretense of conscience for ecclesiasticall causes and to be thought that in very deede it dependeth chefely vpon this poynt that sith her Maiestie hath bene suspended excommunicated and declared out of the church by the Pope they thinke her Maiestie not lawfull Quene of England For the like example or preiudice haue the like Papistes geuen heretofore at many times and namely when Elizabeth Barton that hipocriticall harlot sometime called the holy mayde of Kent with whose false traitorous practises were fowly spotted and entangled More and Fisher the new Romishe Saintes published as a reuelation from God a traytorous article suggested vnto her by popishe Priestes and Monkes with whom she carnally and filthily liued that the Queenes Maiesties most noble father after a time by them limited was not King of England one houre in the sight of God The like interpretation did Papistes make of king Iohn And Papistes haue published that Gospellers whom they call heretikes ought not to haue any office among Gods people much lesse a kingdome And this poynt is well to be considered that they which take from the Quéenes maiestie the supremacie ouer ecclesiastical persones and causes do transferre the same iurisdiction to the Pope for they neuer yet bouch saued to geue it to any other ▪ and I am sure that after so many parables and examples of bées and beastes and other thynges they will not now haue any particular church hedlesse and destitute of a supreme gouernor either vniuersall like a monarch as they wold haue it or speciall vnder God of eche kingdome or dominion as Gods good disposition hath sorted it If then the Pope haue in theyr opinion any ecclesiasticall iurisdiction in
England he must haue Ius excommunicandi lawfull power and authoritie to excommunicate in England without which the ecclesiasticall power can not stand Which power if he iustly haue and hath excommunicate and accursed the Quéene either by speciall name or generally vnder title of heretikes of which sort he estemeth her then hath he therin done pro suo iure as he lawfully myght do And this beyng so supposed true then is it good to consider what is taken for Gods law and the law ecclesiasticall De vitandis excommunicatis for shonnyng of excommunicate and accursed persones which yeld not to any repentance submission or reconciliation to that church forsothe that euery Christian in peyne of excommunication de iure wherein to dye is thought to dye in state of damnation is bound to withdrawe from such accursed persons not repentyng all frendly or louyng company and countenance all ayde and relefe all seruice and obedience Which doyng for these good subiectes of England to put in execution toward the Quéene were a very meritorious act But what doth it merite the iust peynes of treason for breakyng theyr due allegeance and eternall damnation if they repent not for resistyng Gods lawfull ordinance This géere goeth sore it is very euident and playne that by necessary consequence to this confession of traitorousnesse they must be driuen if they will continue Papistes that is will affirme the Popes sentences not to erre or will geue the Pope any spirituall iurisdiction in England Wherfore these refusalles to acknowledge her maiesties lawfull power by othe would be well looked vnto and the pretenses colors and causes of such refusalles would be well examined namely in such as shall haue to do with iustice and gouernyng the contrye but specially with those that shall haue accesse into her hyghnesse houshold and presence And well it would be sought what defense of dispensation or toleration they haue for theyr dissemblyng theyr purposes in not yet executyng the Popes sentence agaynst her and what deuises they haue for warrantyng of theyr consciences in suspendyng such treasons till stronger opportunities what absolutions or instructions Popishe Apostles haue brought at theyr secret steppyng into England agayne For such salues are not vnlikely to come out of hys shoppe that dispenseth with breach of fayth yea that openly proclaymeth that there is no fayth to be kept with Christes frendes hys aduersaries hys shop I say that can geue grace to haue consecrated altarstones or superaltares for hys traitorous frendes in enterdited landes to haue masse without peril his shop that can send out badges with leaue to sweare and vnsweare with so liberal permissioÌ„ as to say Geue me thy hart and it suffiseth And well may it suffice for the hart will cary the hand too when opportunitie serueth when theyr Golden day approcheth of which they make so great accompt Such good fellowes would be well looked vpon And for as much as Papistes accompt theyr Popes decrées the voyce of Gods spirite frée from error it is to be weyed how farre we must nedes thinke they suppose the Popes curse to haue extended agaynst our most noble Quéene realme with whoes publike seruice and prayer yea where nothyng is vsed but the vndouted word of God and agreable with it they can not finde in theyr hartes to communicate but abhorre it as schismaticall They would be opposed with a few interrogatories It would be enquired whether they thynke our Quéene lawfully Quéene of thys realme before God notwithstandyng the Popes sentence And whether they thinke the Popes sentence to reache any nerer vnto her hyghnesse then if it had béen the sentence of the Byshop of Toledo or the Byshop of Paris and not geuen by the Byshop of Rome or vnder hys authoritie And if it reach nearer then how farre it reacheth And if it extend to cases touchyng her hyghnesses crowne and dignitie or the seruice and obedience of her subiectes or so farre as it were treason for any English subiect to put it in execution in England then whether the Pope in so presumyng and publishyng that he doth but as he lawfully may do haue iudicially erred in matter both of fact doctrine passed hys boundes or no But to come somewhat nerer to Papistes alway supposing such Papistes as I haue before specially described I shall in one thyng moue myne owne conceite for a question in law referring it yet to the correction iudgement of such as be learned in law of which sort I trust there be none that haue not already by theyr othes acknowledged the Quéenes maiesties full authoritie and so haue declared that them selues be not giltie The statute made in the first yeare of the Quéenes maiesties reigne the vj. Chap. sayth thus And be it c. that if any person or persones at anie tyme after the sayd first day of May next to come by any writing printyng ouert dede or act maliciously aduisedly and directly do affirme that the Quenes maiestie that now is ought not to haue and enioy the stile honor and kingly name of this realme c. shalbe demed and adiudged hye traitors I take it by the same Statute that such an affirmation that the Quéenes maiestie ought not to haue and enioy the crowne of Ireland is hye treason for that the kingdome of Ireland is of ryght perteinyng to the crowne of England and the title therof is belongyng to and parcell of the stile honor and kingly name of this realme and is in the Quenes maiesties vsuall stile so plainly expressed And so thynke I so much as is conteyned in the Quéenes maiesties royall stile or as the law doth in anie wise say to be parcell of the stile honor or kingly name of this realme But the Quéenes iurisdiction ouer ecclesiasticall persones in ecclesiasticall causes within this realme is parcell of the ancient right of the crowne and so part of the stile kingly name or honor of this realme and so it is acknowledged in the first statute of the same Parliament where it is sayd May it c. for the restoryng of the rightes iurisdictions and preeminences apperteinyng to the imperiall crowne of this your realme c. Item for the restoryng and vnityng to the imperial crowne of this realme the auncient iurisdictions authoritie superiorities and preeminences to the same of right belongyng and apperteinyng Also the authoritie of Rome is in sundry places of the same first statute recognised to be vsurped which can not be if the Quenes supremacie do not of right perteine to her croune Which act is also intitled An act for restoryng to the croune the auncient iurisdiction ouer the state eccâ—esiasticall c. Moreouer the same her maiesties right is playnty expressed to be parcell of the stile honor and kingly name of this realme in the vsuall stile as it is set out at large in her maiesties Iniunctions and also conteyned in the commonly written stile