owne conscience I must shortly appeare before the same Christ in the presence of the same his Church to giue an account thereof Therefore I neither durst any further to pursue my owne desire of honor nor to hazard my soule any farther in the iustification of that religion which I saw was impossible to be iustified by any such reason as at the day of Iudgement would goe for payment and that it may appeare that I haue not respected any thing so much in this world as my dutie to your Maiestie and my loue to my friends and Country I humbly beseech you giue me leaue as briefely as I can to recount vnto you the whole course of my studies and endeuours in this kinde euen from the beginning of my life vntill this ptesent 2 I was borne in the yeare 1566. being the sonne of ANTY CARIER a learned and deuout man who although he were a Protestant and a Preacher yet he did so season me with the principles of pietie and deuotion as I could not chuse but euer since be very zealous in matters of Religion Of him I learned that all false religions in the world were but policies inuented of men for the temporall seruice of Princes and States and therefore that they were diuers and alwayes changeable according to the diuers reasons and occasions of State But true Christian religion was a truth reuealed of God for the eternall saluation of soules and therefore was like to God alwayes one and the same so that all the Princes and States in the world neuer haue beene nor shall be able to ouerthrow that Religion This to mee seemed an excellent ground for the finding out of that religion wherein a man might finde rest vnto his soule which cannot be satisfied with any thing but eternall truth 3 My next care then was after I came to yeares of discretion by all the best means I could to informe my selfe whether the Religion of England were indeed the very same which being prefigured and prophecied in the old Testament was perfected by our blessed Sauiour and deliuerd to his Apostles and Disciples to continue by perpetuall succession in his visible Church vntill his comming againe or whether it were a new one for priuate purposes of Statesmen inuented and by humane lawes established Of this I could not chuse but make some doubt because I heard men talke much of those dayes of the change of religion which was then lately made in the beginning of Queene ELIZABETHS raigne 4 I was sorie to heare of change and of a new Religion seeing me thought in reason if true religion were Eternall then new religion could not be true But yet I hoped that the religion of England was not a change or new religion but a restitution of the olde and that the change was in the Church of Rome which in processe of time might perhaps grow to be superstitious and Idolatrous and therefore that England had done well to leaue the Church of Rome and to reforme it selfe and for this purpose I did at my leasure and best oportunitie as I came to more iudgement read ouer the Chronicles of England and obserued all the alterations of religion that I could find therein but when I found there that the present religion of England was a plaine change and change vpon change and that there was no cause of the change at all of the first but only that King HENRY the eight was desirous to change his old Bed-fellow that he might leaue some heires male behind him for belike hee feared that females would not be able to withstand the Title of Scotland and that the change was continued and increased by the posterity of his latter wiues I could not choose but suspect something but yet the loue of the world and hope of preferment would not suffer me to beleeue but that all was well and as it ought to be 5 This I satisfied my selfe at schoole and studied the Artes and Philosophie and other humane learning vntill being Master of Artes and Fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge I was at the last by the Statutes of that house called to the studie of Diuinitie and bound to take vpon me the order of Priest-hood then I thought it my duty for the better satisfaction of mine owne soule and the sauing of other mens to looke as farre into the matter as possibly I could that I might find out the truth And hauing the oportunity of a very good Library in that Colledge I resolued with my selfe to studie hard and sâ—tting aside all respect of men then aliue or of Writers that had moued or maintained controuersies further then to vnderstand the question which was betwixt them I fell to my praiers and betooke my selfe wholy to the reading of the Church historie and of the ancient Fathers which had no interest in either side and especially I made choise of Saint AVGVSTINE because I hoped to finde most comfort in him for the confirming of our Religion and the confuting of the Church of Rome 6 In this sort I spent my time continually for many yeares and noted downe whatsoeuer I could gather or rather snatch either from the Scriptures or the Fathers to serue my turne But when after all my paines and desire to serue my selfe of antiquitie I found the doctrine of the Church of Rome to be euery where confirmed and by most profound demonstrations out of holy Scripture made most agreeable to the truth of Christs Gospell and most conformable to all Christian soules and saw the current opinions of our great Preachers to bee euery where confuted either in plaine termes or by most vnanswerable consequence although my vnderstanding was thereby greatly edified for which I had great cause to render immortall thankes to our blessed Sauiour who by these meanes had vouchsafed to shew himselfe vnto me yet my heart was much grieued that I must be faine either not to preach at all or else to crosse and varie from the doctrine which I saw was commonly receiued 7 Being thus perplexed with my selfe what course I were best to take I reflected back again vpon the Church of England and because the most of those Preachers which drew the people after them in those dayes were Puritans and had grounded their Diuinitie vpon CALVINS Institutions I thought peraduenture that they hauing gotten the multitude on their side might wrong the Church of England in her doctrine as well as they desired to doe in her Discipline which indeed vpon due search I found to be most true for I found the Common-prayer-booke and the Catechisme therein contained to hold no point of doctrine expressely contrarie to antiquitie but only that it was very defectiue and contained not enough And that for the doctrine of Predestination Sacraments Grace Free-will Sinne c. the new Catechismes and Sermons of those Preachers did run wholly against the Common-prayer book and Catechismes therin and did make as little account of the Doctrine
which hath not yet bin iudicially condemned by the Church of Rome They all seemed to abhorre the fact as much as the best subiects in the world and much more to fauour and defend the authoritie of their Kings and Princes then the Heretikes doe And they said that althoug your Maiestie were out of the Church yet they doubted not but if complaint were made in a iudicial proceeding that fact should be iudicially condemned In the meane time it was sufficient that all Catholike writers did condemne it and that the Pope by his Breue had condemned it exhorting the Catholikes of England to all Christian patience and obedience As for any other authority or superiority of the Pope then such as is spirituall and necessary for the vnitie of the Church I haue met with none that doe stand vpon it 14 So that whereas my hope was that by finding out the corruptions of the Church of Rome I should grow farther in loue with the Church of England and ioyfully returne home and by inueighing against the Papists both enioy my present preferments and obtaine more and more I saw the matter was like to fall out cleane contrary It is true indeed that there are many corruptions in all States God hath no Wheat-field in this world wherein the Diuell hath no Tares growing and there are no Tares more ranck then those that grow among the Wheat For optimi corruptio pessima and where grace aboundeth if it be cōtemned there sin aboundeth much more But seeing both my reading experience hath now taught me that the truth of Christian Religion taught and practised at this day in the Church of Rome and all the obedient members thereof is the very same in substance which was prefigured and prophesied from the beginning of the world perfected by Christ himselfe deliuered to his Apostles and by them and their Successors perpetually and vniuersally in one vniformity practized vntill this day without any substantiall alteration And that the new Religion of England wherin it doth differ hath no ground but either the pleasure of the Prince and Parliament or the common cry and voice of the People nor no constancy or agreement with it selfe what should I now doe It is not in my power not to know that which I doe know nor to doubt of that which I haue spent so much time and taken so much paines and bestowed so much cost and made so many trials to find And yet I know if I should yeeld to be reconciled to the Church I should be for this world in all likelihood vtterly vndone and that which grieued me more I should be reiected of your Maiesty my most redoubted Lord and Master and despised by all my deare friends and louers in England 15 These were my thoughts at the Spaw which did so vex and afflict my soule as that the waters could doe my bodie no good at all but rather much hurt Neuerthelesse I auoided the company of Catholikes abstained from the Church and did both dispute write against the Church of Rome as occasion was offred I still hoped that time would giue me better counsell and therefore resolued to goe from the Spaw to Heidelberg to doe my duty there In the mean time I thought with my selfe It may be God hath moued his Maiesties heart to think of peace and reconciliation I know his disposition was so in the beginning and I remember Master CAVSABON tould me when I brought him out of France that his errand was nothing else but to mediate peace betweene the Church of Rome and the Church of England Therefore I thought before I would submit my selfe to the Church of Rome I would write vnto Master CAVSABON such a letter as he might shew vnto your Maiestie containing such conditions as I thought might satisfie your Maiesty if they were performed by the Church of Rome The copy of which letter is too long heere to set downe But when Master CAVSABON answered me that he knew your Maiesty was resolued to haue no society with the Church of Rome vpon any condition whatsoeuer and that it would be my vndoing if those my letters should come to your Maiesties hands or of those that bare the sway I began to despaire of my returne into England vnlesse I would ouerthrow both the health of my body and the quiet of my minde and either vtterly damne mine owne soule or greatly endanger not only my liuing and credit but my life it selfe also by reason of your Maiesties displeasure and the seueritie of the Statutes made and in force against Catholikes and Catholike Religion 16 There is a Statute in England made by King HENRY the eight to make him supreame head of the Church in Spirituall and Ecclesiasticall causes which Statute enioynes all the subiects of England on paine of death to beleeue and to sweare they do beleeue that it is true And yet all the world knowes if King HENRY the eight could haue gotten the Pope to diuorce Queene KATHERINE that he might marry ANNE BOLEINE that Statute had neuer beene made by him and if that Title had not enabled the King to pull downe Abbeyes and Religious houses and giue them to Lay-men the Lords and Commons of that time would neuer haue suffered such a Statute to be made This Statute was continued by Queene ELIZABETH to serue her owne turne and it is confirmed by your Maiesty to satisfie other men And yet your Maiesty yeeldeth the Church of Rome to be the Mother Church and the Bishop of Rome to be the chiefe Bishop or Primate of all the Westerne Churches which I doe also verily beleeue and therefore I doe verily thinke he hath or ought to haue some spirituall Iurisdiction in in England And although in my yonger dayes the fashion of the world made me sweare as other men did for which I pray God forgiue me yet I euer doubted and am now resolued that no Christian man can take that oath with a safe conscience neither will I euer take it to gaine the greatest preferment in the world 17 There is another Statute in England made by Queene ELIZABETH and confirmed by your Maiesty that it is death for any English man to be in England being made a Priest by authoritie deriued or pretended to be deriued from the Bishop of Rome I cannot beleeue that I am a Priest at all vnlesse I be deriued by authority from GREGORY the Great from whence all the Bishops in England haue their being if they haue any being at all 18 There is another Statute in like manner made and confirmed that it is death to be reconciled by a Catholike Priest to the Church of Rome I am perswaded that the Church of Rome is our Mother Church and that no man in England can be saued that continues wilfully out of the visible vnitie of that Church and therefore I cannot choose but perswade the people to be reconciled thereunto if possibly they can 19 There is another Statute in
the first Mouer and she had a practize of maintayning Warres among her Neighbours which became a Woman well that she might be quier at home And whatsoeuer prosperity or honour there was in her dayes or is yet remayning in England I cannot but ascribe it to the Church of Rome and to Catholike Religion which was for many hundred yeares togither the first Moouer of that Gouernment and it is still in euery setled Kingdome and hath yet left the steps and shadow thereof behind it which in all likelihood cannot continue many yeares without a new supply from the Fountaine 5 As for the honour and greatnesse of the TVRKE and other Infidells as it reacheth no farther then this Life so it hath no beginning from aboue this World and if we may belieue Saint AMBROSE in LVC. 4. Et alibi Those honours are conferred rather by Gods permission then by his donation being indeed ordayned and ordered by his Prouidence but for the sinnes of the People conferred by the Prince that rules in the Ayre It is true that the Turkish Empire hath now continued a long time but they haue other principles of State to stand vpon The continuall Guard of an hundred thousand Souldiers whereof most of them know no Parents but the Emperour The Tenure of all his Subiects who hold all in capite ad voluntatem Domini by the seruice of the Sword their enioyned silence and reuerence in matters of religion and their facility in admitting other religions as well as their owne to the hope of saluation and to tolerate them so that they be good subiects These and such like are principles of great importance to encrease an Empire and to maintaine a Temporall State But there is no State in Christendome that may endure these principles vnlesse they meane to turne Turkes also which although some be willing to doe yet they will neither hould in Capite nor hould their peace in religion nor suffer their King to haue such a guard about him nor admit of Catholike religion so much as the Turke doth 6 It is most true which I gladly write and am so out with all the honor I can of your Maiestie to speake that I thinke there was neuer any Catholike King in England that did in his time more embrace and fauor the true body of the Church of England then your Maiesty doth that shadow thereof which is yet left and my firme hope is that this your desire to honor our blessed Sauiour in the shadow of the Church of England will moue him to honor your Maiesty so much as not to suffer you to die out of the bodie of his true Catholike Church and in the meane time to let you vnderstand that all honor that is intended to him by Schisme and Heresie doth redound to his great dishonor both in respect of his Reall and of his Mysticall body 7 For his Real body it is not as the Vbiquitaries would haue it euery where as well without the Church as within but only where himselfe would haue it and hath ordained that it should be and that is only amongst his Apostles and Disciples and their successors in the Catholike Church to whom he deliuered his Sacraments promised to continue with them vntil the worlds end so that although Christ be present in that Schisme by the power of his Deity for so he is present in hell also yet by the grace of his humanitie by participation of which grace only there is hope of saluation he is not present there at all except it be in corners and prisons and places of persecution And therefore whatsoeuer honor is pretended to be done to Christ in Schisme and Heresie is not done to him but to his vtter enemies 8 And for his Mysticall body which is his Church and Kingdome there can be no greater dishonour done to Christ then to maintaine Schisme and dissention therein What would your Maiesty think of any subiects of yours that should goe about to raise ciuill dissention or warres in your Kingdome and of those that should foster and adhere vnto such men It is the fashion of all Rebels when they are in Armes to pretend the safety of the King and the good of the Countrey but pretend what they will you cannot account such men any better then Traytors And shall we beleeue that our blessed Sauiour the King of Kings doth sit in heauen and either not see the practises of those that vnder colour of seruing him with Reformation doe nothing else but serue their owne turnes and distract his Church that is his Kingdome on earth with sedition Or shall we thinke that he will not in time reuenge this wrong Verily he seeth it and doth regard it and will in time reuenge it 9 But I hope and pray that he may not reuenge it vpon you nor yours but rather that he will shew that your desire to honor him is accepted of him and therefore will moue you to honor your selfe and your posteritie with bestowing the same your fauour vpon his Church in the vnitie thereof which you doe now bestow in the Schisme and that he will reward both you and yours for the same according to his promise not only with euerlasting glory in heauen but also with long continued temporall honor and securitie in this world And this is the first reason of my hope grounded vpon the promise of God The second Reason of my hope that Catholike Religion may be a great meanes of honour and security to your Maiesties posteritie is taken from the consideration of your Neighbours the Kings and Princes of Christendome among whom there is no State ancient and truly Honorable but only those that are Catholike The reason whereof I take to be because the Rules of Catholike Religion are Eternall vniuersall and constant vnto themselues and withall so consonant vnto Maiestie and Greatnesse as they haue made and preserued the Catholike Church most Reuerent and Venerable through out the World for these thousand and six hundred yeares and those temporall States that haue been conformable therevnto haue been alwaies most honorable and so are like to continue vntill they hearken vnto Schisme And as for those that haue reiected and opposed the rules of Catholike Religion they haue been driuen in short time to degenerate and become either Tyrannicall or Popular your Maiesty I know doth abhorre Tyrannie but if Schisme and Heresie might haue their full swing ouer the Seas the very shadow and Rehques of Maiesty in England should be vtterly defaced and quickly turned into Heluetian or Belgian popularitie for they that make no conscience to prophane the Maiesty of God his Saints in the church will after they feele their strength make no bones to violate the Maiesty of the King and his children in the common wealth 11 I know well that the Puritans of England the Hugenots of France and the Geuses of Germanie togither with the rest of the Caluinists of all sorts are a
or nothing left at the yeares end to lay vp for his children that encrease and grow vpon him may remember that in Catholike times there were better peny-worthes to be had when the Clergie had a great part of the land in their hands who had no need to rayse their Rents themselues and did what they might to make other Lords let at a reasonable rate which was also an inestimable benefit to the Commons So that whereas ignorant men caried with enuie against the Clergie are wont to obiect the multitude of them and the greatnesse of their prouisions they speake therein as much against themselues as is possible For the greater the number is of such men as are Mundo Mortus the more is the exoneration of the Commons and the more the lands is of such as can haue no proprietie in them the better is the prouision of the Commons For themselues can haue no more but their food and regular apparell all the rest either remaines in the hands of the Tenants or returnes in hospitalitie and reliefe to their neighbours or kept as in a liuing Exchequer for the seruice of the Prince and Countrie in time of necessitie So that the Commons doth gaine no wealth at all but rather doe lose much by the Schisme 42 And as for libertie they are indeed freed from the possibilitie of going to shrift that is of confessing their sinnes to God in the care of a Catholie Priest and receiuing comfort and counsel against their sinnes from God by the mouth of the same Priest which duetie is required of Catholike people but only once in the yeare but performed by them with great comfort and edification very often so that a man may see and wonder to see many hundred at one Altar to communicate euery Sunday with great deuotion and lightly no day passe but diuers doe confesse are absolued and receiue the blessed Sacrament The poore Commons of England are freed from this comfort neither is it possible vnlesse their Ministers had the seat of secresie for them to vse it And what is the libertie that they haue in stead thereof Surely the seruants haue great libertie against their Masters by this meanes and the children against their parents and the people against their Prelats and the subiects against their Ring and all against the Church of Christ that is against their owne good and the common saluation for without the vse of this Sacrament neither can inferiours bee kept in awe but by the gallowes which will not saue them from hell nor superiours be euer told of their Errors but by Rebellion which will not bring them to Heauen These and such like bee the liberties that both Prince and People doe enioy by the want of Confession and of Catholike Religion 43 As for the libertie of making Lawes in Church matters the common Lawyer may perhaps make an advantage of it and therefore greatly stand vpon it but to the common People it is no pleasure at all but rather a great burthen For the great multitude of Statutes which haue beene made since the Schisme which are more then fiue times so many that euer were made before since the name of Parliament was in England hath caused also an infinite number of Lawyers all which must liue by the Commons and raise new Families which cannot be done without the decay of the old And if the Canons of the Church and the Courts of Confession were in request the Lawyers Market would soone be marred And therefore most of your Lawyers in this point are Puritans and doe still furnish the Parliament with grieuances against the Clergie as knowing very well that their owne glory came at the first from the Court Infidel and therefore cannot stand with the authoritie of the Church which came at the first from the Court Christian. I speake not against the ancient Lawes of England which since King ETHELBERTS time were all Catholike nor against the honest Lawyers of England I know many and honor all good men among them and doe for better times by the Learning Wisedome and moderation of the chiefest But I am verily perswaded that the pretended liberties of the Commons to make Lawes in matter of Religion doth burthen the Common-wealth and both trouble and preiudice your Maiestie and pleasure none at all but the Puritan and Petty-fogging Lawyer that would faine fetch the Antiquitie of his common Law from the Saxons that were before King ETHELBERT So that whether we respect the spirituall instruction and comfort or the temporall wealth and libertie of the Commons of England if the Puritan Preacher and Puritan Lawyer who both doe seeke the ouerthrow of the Church and deceiue and consume the people would let them alone there would quickly appeare no reason of their State at all why they should hate the Catholike Church that is so comfortable and beneficiall vnto them or maintaine the Schisme that with sugred speeches and counterfeit faces doth so much abuse them 44 I am therefore in very assured hope that by my comming to the Catholike Church besides the satisfying and sauing of mine owne soule I shall doe no ill seruice to your Maiestie neither in respect of your selfe nor your Children nor in respect of your Lords and Commons and that there is no reason concerning the State if any of these that is sufficient to disswade vnitie There is onely the Clergie left which if Caluinisme may goe on and preuaile as it doth shall not in the next age be left to be satisfied And there is little reason that any man that loues the Clergie should desire to satisfie such Clergie men as doe vnderhand fauour Caluinists and maintaine such points of Doctrine as if your Maiesties fauour were not would out of hand ouerthrow the Clergie and in stead of them set vp a few stipendarie Preachers 45 There neuer was is nor shall be any well setled State in the world either Christian or Heathen but the Clergie and Priest-hood was is and must be a principall part of the Gouernment depending vpon none but him only whom they suppose to be their God But where Caluinisme preuaileth three or foure stipendarie Ministers that must preach as it shall please Master Maior and his brethren may serue for a whole Citie And indeed if their opinions be true it is but a folly for any State to maintaine any moe For if God hath predestinated a certaine number to be saued without any condition at all of their being in the visible Church by faith or their perseuering theroin by good workes if God hath reprobated the greatest part of the world without any respect at all of their infi delitie Heresie or wicked life if the faith of Christ benothing else but the assured perswasion of a mans owne Predestination to glory by him if the Sacraments of the Church be nothing but signes and badges of that grace which a man hath before by the carnall Couenant of his parents faith if Priest-hood