he performed and broke not And is not our Princesse Quéene of England as wel as Asa was King of Iuda And hath not she as great power in hir kingdome as he had in his And if God was well pleased wyth King Asa for making and performing that couenant as hée was indéede woulde he then be angrye thinke you with Quéene Elizabeth if she made the like and performed it I thinke not But our merciful Quéene though she hathe set forth the very true law of God as spéedily as earnestly and as zealously as eyther king Asa or anye other Ruler hathe done to be followed and obserued throughoute hir whole Realme hath not made any such couenaunt or lawe to slea or kil them that do not followe and obey the same But consider this well if the Pope not appointed by Gods law to raigne and rule as he hath done and doth may murther and kill as many of you thinke he may the professors and folowers of Gods word being not his subiects for disobeying his law deuised inuented by man on earth and procured by the Diuel Then may not we thinke that our Quéene appoyâ—ted by God and allowed by his word to raigne ouer vs may lawfully kil and put to death the Idolatrous Papistes hir subiectes for wilfully disobeying and withstanding the law of God that came from heauen béeing long sinâ—e taught vs by the Prophets by Iesus Christ the sonne of God and by his Apostles moued and procured thereto by God the holy ghost Therfore I beséeche you weigh the milde nature of our gratious Quéene the mother of Mercie that doth not vse the iustice she may and marke your holy father the Pope the Captain of Crueltie that vseth â—he iniusticie he ought not I pray you is not our Elizabeth Quéene of England aswel as Quéen Mary was what power what iurisdiction what auctoritie what superioritie what excellencie and what else hadde Quéene Mary that this our Quéene Elizabeth hath not Quéen Mary was King Henry the eights daughter so was our Quéen Elizabeth Quéene Mary was King Edw. sister so is Quéene Elizabeth Q. Mary succéeded hir brother King Edward so dydde Quéene Elizabeth succéede hir sister Quéene Mary Quéene Mary was lawful Quéene of England Quéene Elizabeth is as lawful Quéene of England I wil not say more Quéene Mary put downe Gods worde planted by hir brother and set vp Papistrie and Idolatrie and obeyed the Pope Quéene Elizabeth putte downe Papistrie and Idolatrie planted by hir sister and obeys God Quéene Mary vsed hir harmlesse and obedient Subiectes cruelly and putte them to death that professed Gods word Quéene Elizabeth vseth hir wicked and disobedient Subiectes mercifullye and suffereth them to liue that professe and stiffely defende Papistrie and Idolatrie the doctrine of the Diuel These comparisons duly considered your Quéene Mary did not muche excell oure Quéene Elizabeth vnlesse in crueltie and burning hir harmlesse subiects Nowe if Quéene Mary might put to death hir humble and harmelesse subiects for professing of Gods worde then I can not sée but that our Quéene Elizabeth maye as wel execute hir stubborne and disobedient subiectes whiche she as yet neuer did that withstande Gods worde and wil néedes followe Papistrie and Idolatrie And further if Quéene Mary hadde a lawe to burne the seruauntes of God that were obedient to hir concernyng their worldly duty and neuer meant hir harm Then why may not our Quéene Elizabeth make a law to execute the Popes seruants that are bound to be hir louing subiects which are disobedient vnto hir and that séeke procure desire and wish hir death and destruction Therfore be thankfull to God that hath giuen you and vs such a merciful Prince to raigne ouer vs loue obâ—y hir that gyueth you for Iustice mercy and for extremitie lenitie And now as hir Grace doth refraine fcom that she may do so prouoke not hir highnesse to that she can doe And as I saide thinke not that hir Grace can not vse the sworde againste you bycause she hathe not vsed it for if you thinke so you do not only deceiue youre selues but also do much abuse hir Maiestie in that you séeme thereby to make hir a Prince without power whereby you are vnworthy of the great mercy she shewes vnto you What seruant is so foolishe to thinke much more to say that bycause his Maister doth not beate him for his faulte therefore he can not beate him Bycause the mercifull father doth not beate his sonne for his offence that maketh not that he can not beate him for the same Shall hir clemencie and mercie make you thinke in hir disabilitie Therefore if anye of you thinke so as I beléeue some of you haue said so you are not worthy of suche a mercifull Maistresse that vseth you so And I am sure that it is the spirite of vnthankfulnesse the spirite of blindnesse the spirite of errour or rather the spirite of the diuel that makes you say so Thinke not I beséech you that I haue written this for that I woulde haue the Quéenes Maiestie to withdrawe hir mercie from you and to vse you with crueltie whiche is contrary to hir milde and merciful nature if anye other way would serue for I do it as the Lord knows my hart to make you to sée and vnderstand hir great mercy lenitie and gentlenesse towards you thereby to win and allure you froÌ„ obstinacie to obediencie from ingratitude to thaÌ„kfulnesse from ignorance to knowlege froÌ„ error to truth It may be that some of you wil saye that you loue the Quéene as wel as we and wishe the commoditie of youre country as wel as we If you do so then you wil not procure nor wishe anye forraine foes to come into anye of hir Graces dominions to help aide or succor any rebelles or traytors against our Quéen neither wil you be glad when you heare that any such are aryued or come into anye of hir highnesse dominions to fight against hir neither will you reioice if they and the rebels shoulde prosper againste oure Quéene and country But if you hearken for their comming in to fight against hir Maiesty and hir louing subiects or to aide rebelles againste hir or if you reioyce that they aide or helpe traitors against our Quéene or if you desire that they the rebels may get the victorie of hir and hir louing subiects as I feare many of you haue done and yet doe then whatsoeuer you say you are I am sure you are not true subiects but traitors to your prince no friendes but enimies to England Did none of you reioice that the forraine foes ariued in Ireland of late were none of you glad that they aided the rebels there against our Quéene and hir louing subiects And were none of you sory for their euil successe and ouerthrow you in your consciences know whether you do thus or not whether you are such or not whether you reioyced that the forraine foes ayded the
A Persuasion from Papistrie VVrytten chiefely to the obstinate determined and dysobedient English Papists who are herein named proued English enimies and extreme Enimies to Englande ¶ Which persuasion all the Queenes Maiesties Subiectes fauoring the Pope or his religion will reade or heare aduisedlye and throughly especially such as woulde be counted friendes to ENGLANDE that wishe oure Princes prosperitie the safegarde of the Nobilitie the concorde of our Comunalty and the continuance of this our happy state and tranquillitie AT LONDON Imprinted by Henrie Bynneman dwelling in Thamis Streete neare Baynards Castel ANNO. 1581. Cum priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis To the most merciful and prudent Princesse Elyzabeth by the grace of God of Englande Fraunce and Ireland Queene Defender of the faith c. AS heretofore my moste gratious Soueraigne I troubled your Highnesse not without some trauell to my selfe in a thing that was necessarie reasonable and commodious to many and hurte to none Euen so I haue now not troublingly but louingly framed an earnest persuasion to suche of your subiects as feare not God as they ought regarde not hys worde as they shoulde nor obey your Highnesse as they are bounde naming them Englishe enimies as I maye verye well for Englishe friendes I am sure they are not whych persuasion is necessarie reasonable and very profitable for thē not hurtfull to any And as that which beefore I made to your Maiestie was by your Grace onely to be aucthorized for the greate releefe and succour of youre subiectes So this that I haue nowe written to your subiectes is to bee allowed and practised by them to the great comfort and ioy I hope of your Highnesse And though I haue penned it for them to performe yet I haue dedicated it to your Grace to peruse Beseeching youre Maiestie therein to pardon my boldenesse or rather presumption for thoughe it bee not so learnedly so cunningly and so finely framed as is requisite for your excellēcie yet it is so plainly so truly and so zealously done as is meete for your subiects Not doubting but stedfastlye trusting though al thereby be not allured from their errour that many will be wonne to the truth though it make not thē see that wincke for the nonce it wil cause thē to see that wil open their eyes And though it procure not the obstinate and determined Papistes from being Englishe Enimies yet it will enforce thousandes I hope of the simple seduced sorte to become Englishe friendes or rather friendes to England And thoughe there might seeme in mee too muche boldenesse to craue of your Maiestie to reade this presently yet I beseech your Highnesse to view and peruse it at your leysure conueniently For as the reading thereof I truste wil much profite them to whom I haue written it so your Graces reading of it woulde not a little reioyce mee to whome I dedicate it And whereas I firmely beleeue that God thereby wil be better honoured the Gospel more embraced Papistrie more contemned your Maiestie better obeyed your Highnesse of manye more loued your power more augmented treason lesse practised forraine foes more discouraged your louing subiects more comforted Englishe enimies more diminished Englishe friendes more encreased and this youre Realme of England the better strengthned yet the onely thing that I craue therefore of your Grace is well to accept it and in good parte to take it Beseeching your Maiestie not to respect the meane estate of the person but the meaning of the partie not the cunning of the contriuer but the intent of the writer neither howe it is couched but to what ende it is framed And if there be any thing therein that shall mislike your Maiestie I most humbly beseech you therefore to pardon me protesting to God and your Grace that I wrote the same not purposely but negligently and not willingly but ignorantly Hoping besides that the godly and wise will construe all things therein to the beste and not wreast them to the worst And as for other that haue an ouerweening in their owne wittes and that are rather curious carpers than profitable doers whereof there are not a few I doe not muche weigh for it is impossible to write so circumspectly to satisfie or please euery precise head And therefore I haue chosen rather to write truth and goodnesse for fooles to mislike than toyes and tryfles for the wise to deride not ignoraunte that there are moe finde-faultes than mende-faultes and moe that are ready to detract other mens doings than able to make the like of their owne whereof some thinke they deserue more to be commended so much they fancie their follie for discommending of that in a minute of an houre whyche the Writer with great study and paine for their greate profite and the continuall commoditie of many thousandes hath beene a framing and finishing twoo or three yeares And as a greate sorte for this will fauour me and not hate mee Euen so I am sure that some therefore will hate me moste spitefully that rather oughte to loue me earnestly Whose malice the better to withstande I haue chosen your Maiestie as one that is beste able vnder God to defende me Vnder whose protection this may the more safely passe abroade and thereby be the better accepted the more desired the gladlyer receyued the more willingly perused the more aduisedly scanned the lesse detracted and the better credited And thus omitting any further to trouble your Highnesse I as one of your most true and faithful subiects vnfainedly and from the bottome of my heart do beseeche God to preserue you from perils to shielde you from sorrow to confound al your foes to defend you from Traytours to reueale their conspyracies to frustrate theyr attemptes and to protecte you in peace Your Graces moste dutifull and obedient subiecte THOMAS LVPTON A persuasion from Papistrie IF this our famous realme of Englād hath manye Englishe enimies if it bréede and nourish such as lokes and hopes for y e subuersion of the good peaceable estate therof And if many that are carefully defēded therin by our most gracious merciful Princes are apparaunte enimies to hir grace and to this our countrey Then no maruel though it should haue a great sort of forraine foes Then it is vnlike that strangers borne and bredde out of it do wishe that it should prosper and thē how may it be thought that strangers not defēded by hir maiestie shold be faithful friends to hir to hir realme for if one hate his natural mother y t nourished brought him vp Thē it is not like y t one shold loue his stepmother that neuer did any thing for him And now for that it is wel known by tryal not surmised by heare say that ther are such mētioned english enimies as wel dwelling among vs as also rainging abrode in other Countreys which is no lesse griefe to hir grace than sorrow to hir louing subiects I for the zeale I owe to my prince
an Innocent Pope gaue to Philip the French king full remission of all his sinnes and the possession of al the realme of England to him to his heires if he eyther did kill King Iohn then King of this realme or expell him Was not this a frée and liberall Pope that would giue whole kingdomes at once this is more than euer Christe gaue that euer I heard of for he neuer gaue any remission of sinnes nor yet any Kingdomes for killing of Kings or of any other or for driuing them out of their owne kingdome or countrey Pope Boniface saide that Whoredome is no more sinne than the rubbing of the handes togither Some of you say that this our religion doth giue libertie to sinne but these wordes of the Pope doe not séeme greatly to forbid or restraine sin Saint Paule saieth that neyther whoremongers nor fornicatours shall enherite the kingdome of Heauen But I neuer heard that either he or Christ said that they that rub their hands togither shal not inherite the kingdome of heauen therfore rubbing of our hands togither is no sin but Whoredome is a great sin if the Scriptures be true therefore the Pope is a most wicked liar to saie that is no sinne that God Christ and the Apostles called sinne And as here he cals whoredome no sinne which is a great sinne so in other places the Popes call that a great sinne which Christ doth not cal sinne And thus you may sée plainly that the Pope is both in his sayings and doings cleane contrarie to Christ therfore if you followe the Pope you are then contrarie to Christe and so no true Christians Pope Sextus at the request of Petrus Ruerius a Cardinall of his owne making and of Ierom his brother permitted and graunted vnto the whole familie of the sayde Peter the Cardinal in the thrée hotte moneths of Sommer Iune Iuly and August frée leaue and libertie to vse the sinne of Sodomitrie a thing most shamefull to be vttered but most horrible and abhominable to be licenced or permitted What a wicked Pope was this that did licence and permitte that which God doth so detest that therefore he consumed Sodom and Gomora and whole countries with fire from Heauen And now as these that committed this detestable sinne were destroyed with fire from Heauen so I feare this Pope Sextus and other that licence and allowe it shall be tormented with fire in Hell Pope Clement the sixthe poysoned Lodowike that good vertuous and godly Emperour whiche shewes what hée was for euil men haue oftentimes poysoned good men but good men neuer poysoned euil men Therefore you may sée that this holy Pope was not of God but of his father the Diuell who was a murtherer from the beginning who teacheth his children to be of his owne occupation Pope Alexander did set his foote on Frederickes necke the Emperour when the said Emperour told him that he yéelded that honor not vnto him being Pope but vnto Peter yes sayd the Pope both to me to Peter so he placed himselfe before Saint Peter Be not here pretious Popes to make Emperours beléeue that Peter lookes for such honor Surely it is verie straunge that Peter should looke for that now being dead that he neuer desired when he was aliue nay when he was aliue he was most humble and willingly suffered the Emperour to put him to death now that he is dead would he so faine tread in Emperours necks or take pleasure that other shall do it for him truely I can not beléeue it nay I am most sure he doth abhorre it Therefore if pride be godly then your proude Popes are holy Pope Marcellinus was an Idolatour and Pope Siluester the seconde was a Coniurer and gaue himselfe wholy both body and soule to the Diuell by the Diuels procurement was made Pope must not these be good vertuous Popes when the Diuell muste be faine to make them Thus you may sée if you will not winke for the nonce that the Popes that name themselues Christes Uickars to bryng themselues in credite are neuerthelesse the Diuels Chaplaines for as they onely were Christes Apostles that Christ did chose and allow so they are the Deuils disciples that he doth elect and authorize And now bycause this sayd Siluester was made Pope by the Diuell therefore he was none of Christes but the Diuels deputie to determine and order things for the Diuel as no doubte but he and all other such like and of his religion haue done Pope Iohn the two and twentith was a cruell wicked Tirant he proclaymed al them for Heretikes that taught that Christ and his Apostles had here no possessions Bicause the Pope would not be poore like vnto Christ therefore he would haue Christ to be rich like vnto hym so bycause he can not resēble Christ therfore he wold haue Christ to resemble him and therfore he woulde haue it blased abrode that Christ and his Apostles were rich and had great possessions not that he would be like them in vertue but that they shoulde be like him in wealthe and thus he makes them Heretikes that tell trueth of Christe and them to be his Catholikes that shal tel lyes of Christ thus you maye sée howe the Pope Christes Uickar is vnlike to Christ for Christ would haue vs say true and the Pope would haue vs to lye Pope Clement caused certain of the electours to choose a new Emperour for he liked not the old which was Lewes Truely Christ nor all his Apostles neuer caused a new Emperour to be chosen I maruell that Peter did not cause a newe Emperour to be chosen in the steade of Nero when he was Pope for I am sure that the Emperour that the Pope did depose was not so euill as hée But whereas Peter was contente to suffer an euill Emperour to raigne our holye Father the Pope will not suffer a good Emperour to rule Pope Gregorie promised the kingdome of Heauen to all thē that fought against the Emperor thus he set Kings and the Emperour togither by the eares and encouraged his subiectes to rebell against him But I neuer read in the Scriptures that heauen should be gottē by fighting against their Prince or for one to murder kill another But I remēber well that Christ saith but it is something contrarie to the Popes wordes Blessed are the peacemakers for they shal be called the children of God Now if we may beléeue Christe who is of as good credite as the Pope the Pope will hardlye performe this his large promise For if the peace-makers shall be called the children of God then the peace-breakers who are cleane contrarie to them shall be called the children of the Diuel And I trust the Popes authoritie doth not extende so farre to giue the kingdome of Heauen to the children of the Diuell for heauen is onely appointed for the children of God as Christ doth
for the loue of my Countrey and for the â—are I haue of the the carelesse case of many and as one more willing than méete haue writteÌ„ vnto al you that are such English enimies as wel in England as elsewhere this earnest perswasioÌ„ which if you wil as aduisedly read as I haue willingly written I doubt not but that you will or manye of you at the least y t God hath not cleane giuen ouer or whoÌ„ the diuel hath not vtterly blinded or bewitched of english enimies become English friends and of disobedient people true and obedient subiectes Besides y t you shal plainly anâ— perfectly sée the wrong way you walke in how you wishe your owne woe séeke your owne sorrowe and desire your destruction Al which if you auoide therby I hope you wil not be vnkinde and vnthankeful to him that is so zealous and careful for you Yet for al that I loke for none other but that some of you more wilful than wise more churlish than curteous wil hate me spitefully for that you ought to loue me faithfully But suche shal haue no more cause to do so than the théefe to hate him y t perswades him from stealing If any be angry bycause I name English emies it is a great presumption such are not of them whoÌ„ we count to be English friends As I haue written to many of you and yet doe not know you so I wish you maye know your selues when I touch or iustly reproue you They that are English friends friends to England wyl not be angry bycause I name English enimies for that I do not touch them but they y t are Englishe enimies are such enimies to England wil stur bicause I do pinch them But be not angry for if we haue such English enimies as I am sure we haue then I must néedes cal them Englishe enimies if I cal them by their right name for if I shoulde cal a théefe a true maÌ„ or a harlot an honest womaÌ„ I shold misname theÌ„ Therfore I know no fitter name for a traytour than a traytour for a drunkarde than a drunkard for a Pyrate than a Pyrate and so for an English enimie thaÌ„ an English enimie But if it grieue you to be called thus then let it grieue you to deserue to be called thus And wheÌ„ you do chaunge your conditions we wil then change your name For if you wil obey louingly and willingly your merciful and peaceable prince then you shal be called true and louing subiects And if you wil vnfaynedly wish procure the quietnesse and commoditie of England we wil then cal you English friends But being now cleane contrarie we caÌ„not choose y t with grief of hart but cal you English enimies English for y t you were born nourished in England enimies for y t you enuy the peaceable and quiet gouernment therof wishing séeking an alteratioÌ„ of y e same How proue you y t may some of you say as some haue sayd alredy y t we do so howsoâ—uer I proue it your own words proues y t do say so that you take your selues to be of y e same nuÌ„ber for as your stinging doth cause you to kicke so doth your kicking make you be known And that there are such English enimies y t do enuy this our peaceable quiet gouernmeÌ„t of EnglaÌ„d wish an alteration of y e same it is not hard to proue vnlesse it be hard to proue y t the sun is vp at noone Therfore mark me wel for I wil now proue it We haue thanks be to God a most wise merciful Princes vnder whose gouernmeÌ„t through Gods goodnesse we haue had such a plentie peace as neuer hath bin y e like in this realme And yet there are a great sort I feare within this Realme that loue not hyr maiestie as they oughte feare hir not as they should nor obey hir according to their duty For how can they loue hir that despise hir godly procéedings how can they fear hir that contemne hir decrées how can they obey hir y t obstinately break hir good orders Now it is wel known y t there are many born bred within England y t despise obstinately refuse to follow hir godly procéedings set forth according to gods worde they y t despise refuse these hir procéedings are sory they coÌ„tinue so long they y t are sory therfore would gladly haue other orders much worse in their place and they y t would haue other wish y t hyr graces procéedings were displast they y t wold haue theÌ„ taken away which they know wil not be so loÌ„g as hir grace doth raign do wish hir being our head to be cut off or els hopes of hir short life But al their heads y t wold haue it so how many soeuer they be I wish stood on one necke y t they al might be cut of at one stroke Now you may sée y t I haue proued y t there are such English enimies w tin this realm for if these be not English enimies y t loue not their princesse y t ar sory she liues so loÌ„g y t wish hir deth or short raign y t wold haue an alteratioÌ„ or rather subuertioÌ„ of this our most happy quiet state if these I say be not English Enimies yea and great enimies to England then I know not what to name them vnlesse I should call theÌ„ English Rebels for English friends or good subiects I am sure they are not Therefore to you Englishe enimies that are wilful obstinate and determined Papists I chiefelye do write for no other English enimies haue al these aforesayde markes or conditions but only you I doubt not but that some of you wil be offeÌ„ded with me for calling you English enimies for y t you would séeme to be as good English friends as y e best bicause you are great enimies to England therfore I caÌ„not wel cal you Englishe friends or friends to Eng. Which I am most sure to proue hereafter if that be not sufficient y t I haue proued before It is wel known y t the Pope is enimie to our Quéene his lawes are repugnant to hir lawes and his religion is contrarie to hir religion which is the Gospell and Gods word now if any that is borne within England doeth earnestly loue the Pope then they cannot faithfully loue the Quéene if anye of them obey the Popes laws and decrées they must néedes disobey the Quéenes lawes and orders And if they imbrace and loue the Popes religion then they must néedes forsake and deâ—pise Gods worde the Quéenes religioÌ„ Now for that you y t are Papists are such then you are rather the Popes louing seruaunts than the Quéenes true subiects And if you be not true and louing subiects to our Quéene who vnder God is the chief staffe stay of the peaceable prosperous state of England then you cannot be friendes but enimies
why do you wish and are content that we shoulde be spoyled burned or killed for our religioÌ„ Therfore you that are of the Popes religion are not of Christs religion bycause you haue rackt vs spoyled vs tormented vs burned vs and murthred vs which you would not haue vs do vnto you Now if your religion be not Christes religion as these words and your workes haue sufficiently proued then I know not whose religion it is vnlesse it be the diuels religion whose religion must néedes be wicked and euil for that Christes religion is most holy and good And thus I haue sufficiently proued vnto you that the Gospel that we haue is the true law of Christ And the Pops law that you followe is the false law of the Diuell or Antichrist But if your harts be so obdurate that no trueth can enter into the same Then mark this that followeth and deny it if you can or confute it if you are able If god bestowed these his blessings before mentioned onely vppon that people that hearken to his voyce and obey his worde as he hath promised and if our gracious Quéene we hir subiectes and hir realme haue had these gods blessings moste plentifully poured vpoÌ„ vs euer since she hath set forth this our religion the worde of God put away the Masse and Idolatrie then it is most euident that this our religion is the true religion of Christ and lawe of God bycause of the wonderfull blessings that we haue enioyed withall And if God send these plagues and curses before rehearsed only vpon that people that doth not harken to his voice but disobeyes his lawes and commandementes commit Idolatrie as he hath promysed if these Kings and Princes their people that obey the Pope and his lawes that are enimies and suppressors of the word of God haue dayly these plagues curses light vppon them then it is most apparant that the Popes religion is false abhominable and wicked and that God therewith is highly displeased bicause of the manifolde plagues and curses that he dayly sendes among them And thus for that God doth blesse vs with his foresayde blessings and that with such a plentie quietnesse peace and prosperitie as Englande neuer tasted before And bycause diuerse Countreys that obey the Pope and embrace Papistrie haue bene and are yet still compassed and enuironed with the saide plagues and curses of God that is warres troubles scarcitie and such like both we striuing and taking our selues for Christians as did the Israelites and the people of Iuda that were all Iewes and called the people of God whereof the Kings of Iuda and their people for cleauing to Gods lawe were blessed and prospered of God and the Kings of Israel and their people bycause they committed Idolatrie and disobeyed the lawe of God were plagued and cursed of God Therefore it cannot be denyed by any vnlesse they be as senselesse as brute beastes but that this that we haue is the true Religion of Christ whereby wée haue our name of Christians and that Papisticall doctrine which you haue is a most false and erroneous religion the professors whereof cannot iustly be called Christians but rather Antichristians Yet perhaps al this wil not persuade some of you though it be neuer so plaine and true But if this and the rest will not allure you to â—lye from Papistrie and to sticke to Gods word Surely surely you are then fully bent to resist the open manifest truth And though therby you willingly cast of God and his word yet I beséech God that he do not cast you of for euer It may be that some of you wil graunt that Gods word is true but that we do mistake it and that we haue not the true meaning and vnderstanding thereof so that we misuse it certainely this I will saye to you if we do misuse it and mistake it then God takes his markes amisse and is maruellously ouerséene that blesses vs so aboundantly that mistake and misuse his word and sendes his plagues and curses on those Countries and people that vse it well take it rightly and so by this it should séeme that God doth directly against his promise But assure your selues thoughe your presumptuous Pope and his obedient Prelates may be deceiued ouerséene as no doubt they are God and his déere sonne Christ can neyther be deceyued nor yet ouerséene marrye God ouersées them all looke they neuer so high Therefore turne to the Lord and to his holy worde that therefore will blesse and prosper you and forsake the Pope and his doctrine whereby God doth plague and cursse you and loue obey and thinke well of your most louing naturall and mercifull Quéene that mercifully and myldely doth protect you If you would marke but hir Maiesties power and knew what she may do weighe your owne doyngs what you ought to do truely you would say then that she is the most myldest and mercyfullest Quéene one of them that euer raigned You thinke not amisse in hir grace and count hir not vnmercifull though she put Théeues to death for stealing which God hath not commaunded to bée punished wyth death and can not you sée that hir maiestie is maruellous mercifull in that she suffers you to liue for disobeyng of Gods word and committing of Idolatrie which God by his law hath commaunded to be punished with death King Iosias burned the Idolatrous Priests vpon the Altars that committed Idolatrie and yet he is reckned for a godly King but our mercifull Quéene Elizabeth hath not burned the Popish Priests on the Altars where they committed Idolatry in saying of masse and worshipped a piece of bread for the body of Christ which she might haue done if she would and yet you count not hir for a godly and mercifull Quéene You prayse and extoll Quéene Mary to the Heauens for vsing crueltie and for burning hir humble and faultlesse subiects but if our Quéene Elizabeth should vse lawful seueritie on hir stubborne and disobedient people Gods foes and hir enemies that desire hir death and destruction the confusion of their countrie and the ruine of this Realme you would dispraise and slaunder hir and saie she were a cruell tirant Nay for all hir highnesse hath vsed you so mildely mercifully as she hath done yet some of you would darken hir deserts if you could in saying most spitefully falsely that this is the time of Tirannie these are the daies of persecution this I grauÌ„t but not in England though you meane in England truly such as do say so must néeds I thinke speake against their coÌ„science their knowledge vnlesse they take mercie for crueltie crueltie for mercie then I may say vnto them as Esay saide to the Iewes Wo be to you that call euill good and good euill c. If this be the time of tirannie and persecution when you that are manifest enimies to your Quéene and Countrey before wel proued are
suffred to liue peaceably to enioy your goods quietly to go at your libertie or imprisoned to fare daintilie and there to liue merily or to be releast vpon suerty then what was Quéene Maries time when hir simple humble and faultelesse subiectes were cruelly imprisoned in stockes and chaynes and other Engines tormented most tyrannously racked their friendes to come to them not suffered on the bare boordes and ground lodged to haue pen and Inke and Candle light not permitted for want of meate to be famished in prisons priuily to be murthered and abrode in euerie mans eyes to be burned That time of Quéene Mary to all wise men may rather séeme to be the time of crueltie tyrannie and persecution than this milde mercifull time of our Quéene Elizabeth You that thus drownde the mercifull doings of our most mercifull Mistresse call it the time of persecution I pray God for your vnthankefulnesse and peruersnesse that hereafter you féele not a time of confusion I beséeche God to open your eyes to sée howe hir Grace doth persecute you for if you did sée yet I feare some are blind for the nonce you would then say that she persecutes you none otherwise than the louing father doth his childe and as the good Scholemaister doth persecute his Scholler that he would faine haue to learne Therefore your peruerse detracting of this most blessed time of the Quéenes happie and merciful gouernment doth shew that you doe not reioyce therin but wishe the contrarie And as Donald once king of Scots did neuer laugh but when he heard of the discord and slaughter of his nobles so I feare you that are Englishe enimies before mentioned are most sorrowfull at this most blessed and happie state of our Quéene and this our Countrey Wherefore consider what I of verye zeale before haue written and bée no longer English enimyes to haue Gods plagues and curses but become English friends to obtaine thereby Gods blessings and fauour But if the trueth of Gods word can not moue you the prosperitie of our godly Princes can procure you nor all that is sayd before by forreine foes can persuade you then learne at the heathen that knewe not God to loue your Prince and to be friendes to your Countrey Zopirus an Heathen that knew not God did cutte off his owne nose eares and lippes disfiguring himself to come in credite with the Babilonians whereby he deliuered the Citie of Babilon to Darius his Lorde and maister but you as it séemes that néedes will be Christians doe wish and goe about to deliuer the whole Realme of England your natiue Countrey into your enimies hands to y e confusion of your louing and mercifull Prince and the cutting off the heades of thousands of your Countrey men Mutius Sceuola an Heathen and a Senator of Rome for the loue and friendship he bare to his Citie and Countrey went into the Campe of King Porcenna purposely to slaye the King but missing his purpose of the King he was apprehended and threatned therefore to be put to death who then looking aside espying a great fire most couragiously therein he put his arme and there did hold it stil vntill it was burned saying then verie stoutlye to feare the King withall that thrée hundreth in Rome had likewise sworne to slay the King whereby the said King Porcenna made peace with the Romaynes But you that take your selues to bée the chiefest Christians and of the best Religion of all other are suche enimies to this your Countrey that you woulde haue our forraine foes enimies to come into this realme whom you woulde ayde and helpe to make warres vppon vs to displace your Prince to get our Countrey from vs not onely to spoyle vs but also to burne our armes bodies and all Marcus Curtius a worthy Knight of Rome an Heathen was such a speciall friende to his Countreymen and the Citizens of Rome that whereas there was a pit or gulfe in Rome out of which came such a stinking and horrible smell that a great sort died daily by y e infectiō therof which could be ceased by no meanes vnlesse the best Iewell or thing in Rome were cast into it which Curtius whē nothing could be found to cease it thoughe many Iewels pretious things was thrown into it taking himself to be the chiefest thing that the Romaines estéemed armed himselfe at al points and riding on a goodly courser richly trapped leapt into y e gulfe for the safegarde of the people then incontinent the earth closed which place was called Curtius lake but you that are obstinate and determined Papistes taking your selues for pure Christians woulde haue straunge Romanistes the Popes souldiors and our Princes enemies to come into hir Cities with great horses and coursers to make most stinking fumes smokes and smels where there is none to displace hir and to destroy vs and smulder vs that are your Countreymen and Citizens Zeleucus that famous Duke of the Locrenses an Heathen made a lawe that whosoeuer did commit whordome fornication or adultrie if he were known should therefore haue both his eyes put out the first offender wherof after the said law was made was his owne Sonne which worthie Prince by no meanes woulde bée entreated but the same lawe shoulde be kept and the offender to bée executed accordingly whereby his subiects might well thinke that if his owne Sonne coulde not be pardoned it was not for them then to looke for any pardon if they shoulde offende and so by the seuere execution thereof he was assured that the same necessarie law would be kept yet the sayde Duke at length by earnest motion and perswasion mitigated the rigour of the Lawe towardes his sonne but in such sorte that the same lawe shoulde not bée broken so that he commaunded that one of his sonnes eyes should be put out and an other of his owne but you that are the sayde Englishe enemyes inferiour Papistes not superiour Princes that take your selues to bée good Christians yea and woulde be angry with them that shoulde call you otherwise desire and wishe the Popes souldiors our foes to enter here into Englande to fight against our Prince and not onely to put out our eyes but also to plucke out our hartes and to destroy and abolish our good lawes the lawe of God which is against whoredome and fornication and thereby to bring in the Popes Lawe that maintaineth and allowes fornication and whordome Now séeing these Heathen with diuers others such that knew not God were such faithfull friendes to their Cities and Countries that for the safegard and commoditie therof did cutte off their noses eares lyppes dyd burne their owne arme dyd loose their liues and pluck out their eyes will you then that count your selues Christians wyshe or séeke the sorrow of your soueraigne the annoyance of your neighbours and the confusion of your Countrie Duke Dandalus was content to be tyed in Iron chaines and
you and suffer you vnplagued and vndestroyed that are but Bastards and as wilde Oliues whiche cruellye murther Christes members or reioice in the same whiche is as much as though you had killed Christ himselfe or reioyced in his death And if God spared not the Aungels in Heauen whyche serued hym day and night not for hurting of hym and hys members but for their Pride in that they would haue bin higher not content wyth their estate that God called them vnto doe you thinke then that he wil spare you that are vile earthly wretches whyche regarde not his lawes and burne spoile and murther the innocent members of Christ for the professing of Christs Gospell no no I warrant you Yet Lucifer and his fellowe Aungelles looked and hoped for as fayre a day as you hope for for they thought to be equall with God whyche you looke not to be thoughe you had your fayre hoped day but their hope was aslope and for their faire â—ndlesse daye they gote an euerlasting fowle darke and stormy night for the glorious and ioyful kingdome of Heauen they haue got the moste dolefull sorrowfull and paineful kingdome of Hell where the moste furious flames of fire shall neuer go out and where shal be wayling wéeping howling and gnashing of téeth for euer worlde without ende Thus you may sée what a faire day the tyrannicall Emperours that persecuted tormented and killed Christs innocent members the true Christians and the Iewes that put Christ to death and also the Aungels of Heauen haue got which they hoped and looked for Therefore if you hadde vppe your Masse and the Papisticall religion againe and thereby burnte youre brethren killed your countreymen and embrewed your armes vp to the shoulders in their bloud and drunke so much therof vntil your bellies burste what other daye could you looke for but onely for suche a day as the Iewes that killed Christe the tyrants that murthered Christes members and as the prowde Aungels of Heauen had that resisted God whyche in stead of a fayre day is turned into a darke terrible and stormy night Wherefore I beséeche you abhorre and forsake the Masse and the Popes doctrine which will not bring you a faire warme calme and bright daye as you thinke but a moste darke stormie and tempestuous night as we know and not a ioyfull day as you beléeue but a moste sorrowfull and doleful night as we are moste certaine I woulde you should not thinke that eyther the Quéens Maiestie doth feare you or that we dread you bycause so vehemently I do persuade you neyther lette this my exhorting you cause you to be more hawtie that oughte to make you more humble to encourage you to be more obstinate that teacheth you to be more obedient and procure you to rebellion that persuadeth you froÌ„ treason for the Quéenes Highnesse and hir louing and obedient Subiectes are most assured that as God hitherto hathe blessed and defended hir Grace for the setting forth and maintayning of his holy gospel so he wil hereafter blesse and defend hir against you and al hir enimies that shal goe aboute to resist or fight againste hir to suppresse the Gospel If you that are hir subiects do hope that the Pope wyll blesse you for disobeying your Prince Then hir Grace being your Quéene may be wel assured that God wil blesse hir Highnesse which is as good as the Popes blessing for obeying of him in setting forth maintayning and defeÌ„ding the doctrine of Christ the lawe of God You may perceiue if you wil perceiue by the reasons arguments examples and proofes before mentioned that if the Popes souldiours that you procure or wishe to come fight against our Prince to aide and helpe you vp with your Masse and y e rest of the Popes paltry should get the victorie whyche the Lord forbidde yet they would spoile you kil you murther you as they woulde vs though you be of their religion and woulde neyther trust you nor suffer you to beare any rule or be in aucthority for they would thinke as they might wel ynough that you that are false and rebellious to your lawfull naturall and most mercifull Princesse and Quéene that suffreth you to enioy quietly all that you haue and that dothe preserue you in suche prosperitie quietnesse peace as neuer any Subiectes enioyd before in England would not be true and obedient to them being forrain vnlawful and more straighter rulers that woulde dayly exact on you poll and pill you and your liuings to bring you vnder and in thraldome to them Whiche when you shoulde féele then their crueltie would teach you what our Quéene Elizabeth was whome nowe hir mildnesse and mercie cannot learne what our Quéene Elizabeth is And on the other side if the Quéenes Maiestie shoulde vanquishe you and them then manye of you shoulde be knowne for open Traytors that nowe are not surmysed to be hir priuie enimies and so therfore to be executed as you were well worthy This were but a verye foolishe and an vnwise matche made of you for whiche side soeuer should win you should be sure to loose and which side soeuer got the victorie you should be sure to haue the ouerthrow Therefore giue ouer your wilfulnesse and be persuaded by reason cease from your diuelish deuises your wicked attemptes and priuie conspyracies against our most milde and merciful Quéen and forsake your doctrine of the Pope and embrace the gospell which wil teach you to feare GOD to beléeue and hope in Christ to obey your Prince to loue your brethren and to be true to your countrey Thus I haue sufficiently prooued you specially you that are wilfull obstinate and determined Papistes to be not onely English enimies but also the worst enimies to England that can be and how the Pope is moste wicked and his doctrine false that you so muche loue and followe and that our religioÌ„ is most true which you abhorre and withstande that you hate your Prince enuy hir happy estate contemne our concorde desire our destrustion and therefore séeke your owne sorrow for that thereby you shal procure God to powre his plagues and cursses on you before mentioned Al which I haue done by sensible similitudes by tryed testimonies by infallible arguments by euident examples by ineuitable reasons and by the sacred Scriptures whyche if you be wise you wil wegh if you be Christians you wil consider and if you be of God you wil regarde But some of you are so addict to your holy Father the Pope that be a thing neuer so plainelye proued by arguments reasons proofes similitudes examples learning by learned Doctors and Writers yea and by the moste holy Scriptures yet you wil not beléeue it vnlesse it bée allowed or confirmed by the Pope who you think can not erre nor lye and therefore of all other to be trusted and al other besides him and his Chaplains to be mistrusted Wherfore to satisfie you withal I wil bring a Pope that
can not doe For thoughe God be called Omnipotens Almightie yet he is not Almightie bycause he can do al thinges but bycause he can doe all that he will or woulde doe whych the Pope can not do for all he taketh himselfe to bée a God for if he could this our realme of England shoulde not haue béene so long in quyet as it hathe béene And if Christe and the Pope make or haue one Consistorie or Iudgement seate then hereby the Pope maye be copercioner and fellow Iudge with Christe at the daye of Iudgement and iudge both the quicke and the deade But if then the Pope shoulde be so contraâ—ie to Christe and so muche hys enimie as he is here the controuersies of all matters and crimes from the beginning of the Worlde will not be determined and iudged in one daye For one daye woulde be little ynoughe to trye whiche of them shal sitte the vppermost for if he be ther then as haughtie and proud as hée is and hathe bene héere he will scarcelye suffer Christe to sitte aboue him for he that hathe sitâ—e aboue Emperours and kings and hathe made the Emperours necke his foote stoole wil be loath I beléeue to sit beneath Christ that was so poore as he was Nay if his power be aboue all the powers in Heauen and in earth as is before declared you shall sée that the Pope will goe neare to thrust Christ besides his seate and sitte there alone and be Iudge and al himselfe And if the authoritie of the Romaine Churche and the Pope is more than Gods worde as Siluester Prierias doeth write Then when Christ shal sit in iudgemente at the laste daye and hathe seuered the Shéepe from the Goates and bidde the blessed Shéepe to come into the kingdome of heauen and sente the curssed Goates into Hell the Pope maye come in then by hys aucthoritie and say to Christ by your leaue sirra a little séeing you haue giuen iudgement by your lawe I will nowe giue definitiue sentence by my lawe whiche is more than Gods worde And then the Pope maye say Come backe againe yée curssed that Christ bad to go to Hell and looke that yée go into Heauen for I haue appointed it for you to dwell in and you blessed that Christe hath willed to goe into Heauen come backe againe or I wil fetche you and sée that you goe into Hell for that is the place that I haue appointed for you to dwell in And thus maye the Pope by his aucthoritie whiche is more than Gods worde as Prierias sayeth controll and vndoe all Christes doings and sende the godly to Hel and the wicked to Heauen and he himselfe to be in Heauen like a God that liued on the earth like a Diuel What Hel-houndes are these that would make vs beléeue that the Popes power and aucthoritie is more than the word of God But if the Pope in a maner can do whatsoeuer God can doe or if he haue all power giuen hym in Heauen and in Earth as he sayeth then why did Pope Boniface the eight suffer Scaira wyth his souldiours to set fire on the gates of his pallaice and to breake downe the dores and windowes where he was in Aruagium and to enter vpon him and to rifle him of all his goods iewels and Treasure which was suche a deale as Christe and all hys Apostles neuer had And why then did he suffer them to sette him on a wilde and vnbroken colte with his face towardes the horsse tayle and the colte to runne vp and down with him vntil he was almost breathlesse and why did he suffer himselfe to be imprisoned by the sayde Scaira thrée dayes and to be almoste famished for meate thys holye Father that coulde commaunde the Angels to carry mens soules to Heauen I maruell that he did not commande them to come out of Heauen to deliuer him out of prison and out of his enimies handes But be bolde he woulde haue done it if he coulde haue done it And therefore you maye perceiue that he promiseth you more by hys Pardons than he is able to performe for if the Pope hath suche power to pardon you and to forgiue you your sinnes and to sende your soules by Aungels to Heauen then the Pope woulde haue helped himselfe out of prison and thraldome Therefore you maye sée if you wil sée that he tels you that he can doe a greate deale more than he can do for if he coulde deliuer mens soules from Hel he were able to deliuer his owne bodye out of prison And iâ— he be able to bring other mens soules from Earthe vnto heauen where he was neuer then he were as able to bring his own body out of prison to his own house where he hath bin And thoughe the Pope hathe suche greate and high aucthoritie as he hath he claimeth it not but by the aucthoritie of the Scriptures or by excellente and learned argumentes As thus the Sun is higher and greater than the Moone therefore Pope Innocentius sayeth that the Pope is greâ—er and higher than the Emperour this is that holy and méeke Pope that sayde that either he woulde lose his Mitre or else he woulde pul the Emperours Crown from his head Maister Harding to excuse the Pope withal said This is not a reason but a similitude To whom Maister Iewel the Bishop of Salisburie aunswereth as followeth This thing may easilye be graunted for in deede it is a similitude vtterly voyde of either Witte or Reason But who taughte the Pope so childishlye to playe with similitudes thereby to aduaunce himselfe and to abase the Emperour of the Worlde who tolde him that the Pope is the Sunne and the Emperour the Moone or that the Emperour is so farre inferior to the Pope as the Moone is inferior to the Sunne Isodorus that liued 600. yeares before Pope Innocentius the third sayth quite contrarie By the Sunne saith he we vnderstande the kingdome and by the Moone wee vnderstande the Priesthoode whereby he giueth vs to vnderstand contrarie to the iudgement of Pope Innocentius that as the Moone is inferior to the Sun so is the Pope inferior to the Emperour And here is another excellent argumente to proue the Popes aucthoritie both of the Spiritualtie and Temporaltie Peter sayde to Christe Lo heere are twoo swords Therefore Pope Boniface sayeth that the Pope hathe power both of the Spiritual Sworde and of the Temporall Sword Uery wel gest Maister Pope euen so one may say that by as good aucthoritie Lo here are two daggers And then a straunger to him that hath the Daggers may starte straighte-way in and say Marry therefore I oughte to be Lord Chauncelor of England and the Archebishoppe of Canterburie The Pope can lacke no power if suche conclusions may serue his turne Marke what a trimme exposition one of the Popes pâ—n men to maintaine the Pope in his Godhead hathe made vpon a verse of the eighte Psalme attributing
realme of Englande I haue also proued by the Scriptures by examples and by other infallible argumentes that wée haue the true religion and how that God therefore hath and doth prosper and blesse vs I haue proued also that the Popes whom you so much loue and leane to haue béene moste wicked Murtherers Coniurers Aduouterers Heretikes Blasphemers Idolators Sacrificers to Diuels and Derogators of Christs benefites hys death and passion and that they are the enimies of God the children of the Diuel yea and the verye Antichrist Therefore I beséeche you procure not to youre selues the cursses of God for the blessings of that wicked Antichriste enforce not youre moste mercifull Princes displeasure that doth defend you for that wicked Popes good will that will destroye you and séeke not youre Countries confusion that doeth nourishe you to haue youre Popishe religion that wil bring Gods plagues and cursses vppon you Perhappes some of you maye saye thoughe the Pope be wicked euil and thoughe he be proued to be Antichrist yet this religion that you and your fore-elders haue hadde vsed is not therefore euil nor to be despised to whome I answere if the trée be euil the fruite cannot be good can the Diuel sette forth a godly religion no it is agaynste his nature then can the Pope which is of the Diuell and the very Antichriste sette forth the pure worde of God no it is impossible for as the euil fruit doth shew the trée to be euil so the detestable doings wicked religiō of the Pope shewe him to be wicked and of the Diuell therefore make the trée good and the fruite good or the trée euill and the fruite euill But bycause I wil leaue nothing vndone that may allure you not onely from the Pope but also from his pestiferous religion I will God willing prooue the chiefest pointes of Papistrie that you stand vppon both by Scripture auncient Doctors and by naturall reason to be false most wicked and abhominable And bycause one parte of the Popes religion whiche is worshipping of Images is mentioned before among the cursses of God and therefore abhominable vnto the Lorde and directly against the second commaundement therefore I will firste beginne with it not doubting but that many of you doe not so much regarde and estéeme the worshipping or hauing of Images though some of you are déepely and superstitiously giuen thereto And first let vs heare what God said to Moses therein and in his lawe Thou shalt not saith God make to thy selfe any grauen Image of any likenesse that is in Heauen aboue nor in the Earth beneath or in the water vnder the earth thou shalt not bowe downe to them nor worshippe them This is the very commaundement of God that he gaue to Moses and enioyned the children of Israel in anye wise not to breake for if they did he promised to send vpon them his plagues and greate cursses before at large declared which diuers times he performed when they after did breake the same worshipped Images straunge Gods as I haue manifestly proued before by diuers examples Nowe bicause your Papistrie permitteth Images and your papistical Churches are al ful of Images and Idols and bicause you bowe downe vnto them knéele vnto them go on pilgrimage vnto them and pray vnto them therfore your religion is cleane contrarie to this lawe of God written in the first Table of Moses and therefore moste wicked and abhominable which deserues procures Gods great plagues cursses and vengeance And the yongest chylde that is if hée haue eyther read aught or learned aught knowes that to estéeme reuerence or worship Images is euill and wicked and against the commandement of God so that your religion of Papistrie in this poynt muste néedes be euill wicked and abhominable as is aforesayd and the Pope and his Prelates doo not onely suffer and permit them in Churches but also maintaine them defende them and make lawes that they shall be adored and worshipped as vtter enimies to God striuing with all their power to set vp Images whiche God directly dooth forbid And that this may more plainely appeare Pope Gregory the second did not onely withstand the Emperours Deputie by force of Armes which he neuer learned of Christ nor yet of his Apostles in taking downe and suppressing Images out of Churches but also wrote into all partes that neither for feare nor entreatie they shoulde obey the Emperours commaundement in taking away of Images and pictures of Saintes out of Churches for auoyding of Idolatrie but would haue Images erected set vp worshipped contrary to the holy worde of God Also the Pope and his Bishops in Nicene Counsell agréed with one consent contrarie to the counsell of God that Images in Churches are not onely to be allowed but also deuoutly and reuerently to be honored and that with the same honour that is due to God him selfe O Cerberus whelpes Sathans broode and destroyers of mens soules are they Christes Uicars can not they erre that make such lawes and decrées in their Deuilishe counsels that a péece of crooked rotten wood or a stone wrought and framed by earthly wretches is to be deuoutly honored euen with that honour that is due to God himselfe how can you that take God for your Father and Christ for your Sauiour abide either the Pope or his detestable religion any longer Also one of them saith I receyue and worship the reuerend Images and this will I teach whyle I liue An other sayth I doe perfectly adore the holy Images and I accursse all them that holde the contrarie yea but I beléeue your cursses come to late What if God haue curssed you before that worshippe Images how will you doe then I thinke his cursse will stand for a cursse before yours if you can either out cursse God or vndo his cursses make your owne curses to stande or to be of force then I will saye you haue good lucke Marke what a godly decrée was allowed in the Gréekes Counsel touching the worshipping of Images which is as expresly against the lawe of God as is possible to be And thus it is He that feareth God adoreth or worshippeth an Image as he would adore the sonne of God he that adoreth or worshippeth an Image and saieth this is Christ offendeth not he offendeth that adoreth or worshippeth not an Image he that adoreth not an Image is an Heretike wée muste adore or worshippe an Image wyth the same reuerence wherewith we adore or worshippe the holy Trinitie What varlets are these what vile wretches are these that make such contrarie decrées to Gods lawe would you haue thought it vnlesse you had read it nay will you beléeue it for that you doe heare it God sayeth Thou shalt not bowe downe to Images nor worship them The Pope sayeth he that feareth God worshippeth an Image as hée woulde worshippe the sonne of God The children of Israel worshypped a golden Calfe and
mans lawe had such a chaire of Uertue as this Popes Chaire is to sitte in then they shoulde not néede to take suche paines in studying nyghte and daye as they doe Therefore this Chaire being so full of vertue as is before saide surely one or other hathe stolne it from the Pope and set another chaire in the place of it like it in fashion but not in vertue truth was there euer any religion so rediculous that woulde teache vs to thinke that the whole knowledge and trueth of the same were nayled or fastned to a Chayre and that their Pope when he sittes in that Chayre can not erre God send vs a more certaine trueth than to depende vpon the trueth of a Chayre But if you be desirous to heare what Uertue and trueth there is in the Popes Chayre and how wise learned it makes the Popes to be after they once si◠in it I will not sticke to shewe you that by an excellēt example There was a great contention betwéene them of Ratispone in Germanie and the Abbay of Saint Denise in Fraunce about the bodie of Saint Denise which was so déepe a doubt to discusse that none but the Pope was able to try y e truth therof And so to Rome they went and the Pope sat sadly in iudgemente about it and examined their allegations and matter throughly and grew to a conclusion and in the end gaue thereof his déepe and diffinitiue sentence and sayde that both they of Ratispone and they of Saint Denise had the whole bodie of Saint Denise and that whosoeuer wold say the contrarie shoulde be an Heretike If the trueth hadde not bene faste nayled to the Pops Chayre the Pope could neuer haue giuen suche a true wise and learned Iudgemente of thys weyghtie matter Nowe surelye it was a Popely resolution yea and suche a one as muste néedes make the veriest fooles in the World beléeue that Wyll Somers woulde not haue giuen so fonde and ridiculous a iudgement This famous Diuine and true iudgement of the Pope is sufficient if there were nothing else to make vs beléeue that the Pope can not lye And as the Pope is verie wise and learned by the vertue of his Chayre to resolue doubtful matters so he hath wise and learned Doctours to giue him weightie and doubtfull matters to resolue Wherof I wil shew you some for a taste to sée howe you wil like them Augustine the Italian Monke that of some hath bin taken for the Apostle of Englande demaunded of Pope Gregorie by way of great councel whether a womanne wyth Childe mighte be Baptized or not and howe long afterwarde it myghte be lawfull for hyr to come to the Church Bonifacius the Apostle of Germaine demaunded of Pope Zacharie whether Iayes Dawes Storkes Beuers Otters Hares wilde Horsses be mens meate or not what order were to be taken with man or Horsse hauing the falling sicknesse at what time of the yeare it maye be lawefull or wholesome for folkes to eate Bacon and if a man list to eate it rawe howe olde it ought to be before he eate it what maye bée done if a Prieste haue a blacke in his eye who may hallow oyle with other déepe and doubtefull questions Surelye vnlesse the Pope had bene déepely profoundly learned by the great vertue of hys chaire he coulde neuer haue resolued these mysticall questions You maye reade the newe Testamente ouer ere you shal finde anye that euer demaunded anye suche thyngs of Christ. Marke further I praye you what dolting doctrine the Pope is faine to haue to proppe vppe hys Papistry wythall and what worthye argumentes are brought out of the Scriptures for prouing that the vulgar or common people ought not to reade the Scriptures Giue not holye things to dogges sayth Christ Ergo sayth the Pope it is not laweful for the vulgar people to reade the Scriptures Is not this an excellent and a true proofe to hide or kéep the Scriptures from the people By as good an argumēt I may say thus open not your secretes to your foe therefore tel not your minde to your friend or thus Giue no drinke to them that are drunken Ergo let sober men haue no drink The lay people are much beholden to the Popes penne men for they liken them to dogges But here for their purpose they can call the Scriptures holy but when they list they will call it the blacke Gospell and a nose of waxe Therefore consider and marke well though euen nowe to serue their turne the Scripture of them is called holye in what estimation and reuerence the Popes Prelates haue the holy Scripture and word of God and howe they extoll their Romishe Churche Ludouicus a Canon of the Churche of Laterane in Rome saith thus The Church meaning the Church of Rome is the liuely breast of Christ. But the Scriptures is as it is nowe deade Inke The Byshoppe of Poyters sayde the Scripture is a dead and a dumbe thing as are all other politike lawes Albertus Pighius sayeth if thou saye these matters muste be putte ouer to the iudgement of the Scriptures thou shewest thy selfe to be voyde of common reason for the Scriptures are dumbe Iudges and can not speake Eckius calleth the Scriptures The blacke Gospell and the Inken Diuinitie Pighius agayne sayeth The Church that is the Church of Rome hathe power to giue Canonicall authoritie vnto certaine writings whiche otherwise they haue not neither of themselues nor of their Authors and thus may the Pope by his aucthority allowe anye booke of the Scriptures and so he may make Scriptures Againe he sayth as one both truely and merily sayde the Scripture is like a nose of waxe that easily suffereth it selfe to be drawen backwarde and forward and to be moulded and fashioned this way and that way and howsoeuer they list Thus they teache the people to reuerence and estéeme the holy Scripture Gods worde they cal it deade Inke a liuelesse letter a dumbe Iudge that can not speake a blacke Gospell Inken Diuinitie a nose of waxe a thing vtterlye voyde of aucthoritie of it selfe Notwithstanding that Christ the sonne of God sayeth Search the Scriptures c. and they are they that testifie of me and hys Prelates giue good credite to Gods worde which is the chiefe worker of our saluation When obiection was made that King Dauid being not a Bishop but only a Temporall Prince had written the Psalmes that is to say the very key of the scriptures Hosius made aunswere Wrote Dauid Psalmes and why shold he not write them Horace sayth we write Ballades euerye body learned and vnlearned tagge and ragge so vnreuerently he skorneth and scoffeth at the holye scriptures the most pure word of God and compares the heauenly ditties of the holy Ghost to a vile heathen wanton ballade The same Hosius as one that hathe a mouth to speake blasphemie and to saye without all shame what he liste
knéele to him and kisse his féete surely he woulde haue done it But séeing these holy Fathers Popes who you do so reuerence and whose lawes you so loue did not learne these Luciferlike doings of Christ nor of his Apostles then surely they must néedes learne them of the Diuell who will reward them one day if they haue not repented for learning his lessons so well and for putting that in practise that he taught them If the Pope did not meane to kéepe the people in blindnesse errour what reason shoulde then leade him to kéepe the Scriptures from them and not to haue the same in their vulgar tongue You sée that children schollers are suffered to haue rules in their owne tongue that they vnderstande to make them Gramarians they that learne Arithmetike are permitted to haue the Rules of that science in the tongue they vnderstande to make them Arithmeticians they that studie Geometrie are permitted to haue the same in such a tongue as they vnderstand that they may become perfect Geometricians they that desire to learne Phisicke are suffered to studie the same in the tongue they vnderstand wherby they may be perfect Phisitions so of all other Sciences And shall not wée then that professe Christianitie be suffered to haue the lawe of Christ to looke on the lawe of Christ and studie the law of Christ in that tongue that we vnderstand whereby we may become perfect Christians Nay we haue more néede that meane to be Christians to haue y e law of Christ in our mother tongue that we vnderstand than they that studie any other Sciences For the sciences that they studie can but make them Doctors to maintaine them here to liue a while but our lawe of Christ if we studie it and practise it well will make vs Saintes and the sonnes of God whereby we shall liue in Heauen for euer And therfore the lawe of Christ which is the Gospell hath most néede of all other lawes sciences to be in the vulgar tongue y t euery one may reade studie vnderstand it vnlesse you wil say y t it is not méete for euery one to be Christians or that it is not méete for euery one to be saued Therefore howe iniuriously and tyrannously doeth the Pope vse the people in taking Gods worde from them that should guide them to heauen and without which they must néedes wander in darkenesse and fall into Hell If many goe out of their way which they haue gone in a faire bright day then it is impossible for one to goe right in a darke night where they knowe not the way or neuer went before Wherefore the childe of God will be willing that his brother shoulde haue a torche or a candle to guyde him in the darke Then may not he be called the child of the diuell that doth put out the candle or torche purposely that his neighbour hath in his hand for y e lighting of him home in the night and leades him a wrong waye in the darke whereby he falles into a ditch and is drowned yes truely and none will iudge the contrarie Then must the Pope néedes be a most cruell and diuelish Tyrant that pluckes the light of Gods word from vs that should guide vs to heauen so leades vs in the darke out of our way into the déepe pit of Hell where we shal be drowned both body and soule For he doth not onely burne Gods worde but also burnes them that haue it in their hands to light them withall and to guide them in this darke worlde to the kingdome of Heauen Perhaps some of you will say that we doe belye y e Pope for he suffereth vs to haue y e scriptures in Latine Yea marry but that is euen as though one should take the burning candle out of the launtorne and suffer the launtorne still in our handes and doe you thinke that then we shoulde sée to kéepe our way aswell as we did before No I trowe Euen so though we should haue the Bible in Latine and vnderstande neuer a worde of Latine what shoulde we then bée the better for the Bible Perhaps you will say that your Bishops Doctors and Priests would teach vs the right meaning of it and would leade vs the right way forsooth that they woulde as they haue done alreadye and as he that plucketh out the bright lincke out of ones hande and leades him in the darke into a ditche and so makes him to be drowned If one ment that I should go right he would not put out the Candel and leade me in the darke No more the Pope meaneth that we shoulde walke in the right way to Heauen that blowes out the Candel of Gods word and leads vs in the darke which way he list Nay he that is my friende and woulde haue me goe right wil not only suffer me to haue a linke to light me in my way in the darke but also he himselfe wil direct me in my waye Euen so if the Pope and his Prelates were of GOD they woulde not onelye suffer the people to haue the word of God in theyr vulgar or known tong that they vnderstande to guide them in the way but also they themselues would preach Gods word vnto them and so directe them the right way to heauen Therfore as théeues hate the light and desire to be in the darke bycause they woulde not be spyed so the Pope bycause he is a spirituall théefe hates the lighte of Gods worde and woulde not haue the people to haue it but kéepes it from them and suppresseth it least they by that light should spye his théeuerie and perfectly perceiue that he is a spirituall théefe For he knowes that Gods worde is the chiefest lighte of all other whereby to espye a spirituall théefe being well assured that if they hadde the lighte of Gods worde that then he coulde neyther robbe them of theyr goods and treasure as he daylye doeth neyther woulde they honour estéeme or credite him but take him for a Théefe a murtherer the enimie of God a destroyer of soules and the very Antichrist as he is in déed And therefore by no meanes he can abyde that the people shoulde haue Gods worde openly in theyr vulgar or knowen tongue for it woulde shewe them what he is what he hath bin and to what slauerie bondage and thraldome he brings them For as the word of God in our English tong hath vttered reuealed him what he is and therby out of estimatiō with our Prince vs here in England Euen so he knoweth well ynough if the word of God were in al other realmes in their vulgar tong they would then estéeme him no more than we do And so the Pope bycause he hides the Gospel and takes it from the people which shoulde chiefely guyde them hates the light and so is a spiritual théefe Christs enimie Therefore it séemeth that Christ did not chose his enimie to be his Uickar but the
impossible Therfore as the Iewes were worthily plagued for going from the word of the Lorde in committing suche wicked Idolatrie to a golden Calfe euen so assure your selues for your contemning and refusing the Gospell and for committing this moste detestable Idolatrie to a Cake of bread making it your Christe that you shal receiue the gréeuous plagues before rehearsed or greater in this world and after your deaths euerlasting torments in hel fire suche as no tong can expresse or hart can thinke vnlesse you repent vnfainedly flye from your Romish doctrine moste spéedily and embrace Christes Gospel right thankfully whiche is the pure doctrine of Christ and law of God thoughe many of you moste blasphemously call it Heresie Therefore right earnestly I desire you and most humbly beséeche you to cease from worshipping a Cake on earth and fall to the honoring of Christ in heauen Thus you maye sée if you wil sée that youre Popishe Masse and your Transubstantiation or turning or chaunging of the bread into the body of Christe by Gods worde is confounded by the Doctors confuted and by naturall reason cleane ouerwhelmed which you counted y e most truest and holyest parte of the Romish religion besides that it is a most diuelish detestable and damnable doctrine which robbes God of his glorie Christe of his merites and you of youre saluation Hitherto you may perceiue that the Popes and their doctrine doe not muche differ for as the Popes were moste wicked and diuelish so their religion is most erronious and pernitious So that howe can you thinke well of your selues and how can you take your selues to be méete members of Englande that for to haue this abhominable Idolatrous and monstrous Masse againe planted here you seeke or wish the supplanting of our prince the ouerthrow of our Nobilitie the sorrowe of our Communaltie the confusion of our Country and the ruine of the whole realme of England wherefore with all spéede of English enimies becom English friends to be defeÌ„ded by the power of England and to be nourished in England And séeing that I haue proued vnto you that your Masse is a gugaw not a Iewell a poyson not a preseruatiue a confusion not a consolation and a guyder to Hel not a leader to Heauen Nowe you shall heare what proper things the Popes pardons are to please you withall as your yong children are pleased with Babies but I would to God his pardons did hurte you no more than the Babies doe the children for the Babies doe stil them when they crye and make them mery hurte them not but the Popes pardons please you here for a while to displease you euer after I may compare the Popes pardons to a counterfaite Priuiledge as if a false suttle fellowe to get mony withal should write a large Priuiledge from the Prince counterfayting the Kings seale wherein he sheweth that the King hath giuen hym licence and whome hée shall allowe to steale without daunger of any lawe and to haue no harme therefore thoughe they be taken with the manner where vppon many giue him money to be priuiledged thereby to steale and think it to be no counterfaite but a true priuilege from the Kyng whereby they steale boldelye but are hanged therefore sodainely and though they alleage for themselues at the gallowes and shewe their aucthoritie to steale from hym that had the counterfaite Priuiledge and say that hée had money of them for it yet al that wil not serue but they are hanged for their stealing Euen so the Pope maketh you beléeue that he by his power and auctoritie from God may pardon whom he list for whatsoeuer offence they commit but whatsoeuer he say he hath no such Priuilege from God therfore his is but a counterfaite Commission which he like a false harlot hathe inuented onelye to get money whose wordes you so credite that you beléeue that God himselfe solde his Commission wherevppon you thinke that Commission from God is so cocke sure that you gyue hym mony for his pardons whereby you thinke you are not onely pardoned of all your sinnes and as cleane as when you were newe borne but also that you maye fréely commit what sins you wil assuring your selues for money therfore at anye time to be pardoned at the Popes handes yet we must not say but that your religion doth restraine men from sin and our religion of the Gospell doeth giue libertie to sin but how true it is herein you may sée if you be not blinde but when you are deade if before you haue not a better pardon of God without money than you haue of the Pope for money you are like to be hanged in hell with the Popes pardons about your necke And then the Pope bringeth you into a worse case than they that were hanged for stealing by a counterfaite Priuiledge But marke the mischieuous crafte of the Pope all the wares that he selleth you as his Masse Trentalles Dirges and pardons and al other his trumperie are such that by iust tryall in this life you cannot comptroll them or say they haue not pleasured you excepte you looke in Gods worde whyche hée kéepeth safe ynoughe from you for the tryall of hys wares whether they do you good or not is after your death whereby he is sure you can not come backe agayne to chyde or checke him for selling to you such deceitfull wares He promiseth and selleth you great and woÌ„derfull things that are to be tryed after your death but he doeth not promise and sell you things of smaller force and waight that maye be tryed duryng youre life I warrant you he wil not sell you any Pardons or Priuiledges that steale as ofte as you wil you shall neuer bée hanged or putte to death therefore that eate as muche as you will you shall neuer surffet or be sicke of it drinke as much as you wil you shal neuer be drunk and spend what you list you shal haue neuer the lesse mony in your puâ—â—e and yet these are easier things for him to promise and perform than to giue vs the kingdom of heauen y t deserue the kingdom of hel thaÌ„ to saue vs from our spirituall hanging in Hel though we neuer so much robbe God of his glorie and though we offend neuer so much yet still to be pardoned and cleane clensed from sinne Wherfore you may wel suspecte nay firmely beléeue that his pardons and other wares that he so boldly sels you are naught bycause they are such as you can not reproue before you be dead and for that he neuer offers to sel you any thing that you may trie whiles you are aliue For he knowes full well that if hée should sell you a priuiledge that though you eate neuer so much or what meate soeuer you eate you shoulde neyther be sicke or surfet thereby yet when you were sicke or did surfet by eating of it wherof you should be sure then you would say that his priuiledges were naught not
of the Scriptures and other learned Writers seauen thousand yeres then he that hath pardon for twentie thousand yeres is sure of ynough for thoughe the Pope may make you beléeue that his pardons will pleasure you before the day of Iudgement yet I hope that none of you beléeue that they will doe you anye good after the daye of Iudgement wherefore they that haue pardons from the Pope for twentie thousand yeares or nowe for two thousande yeares and payde their money to him for so long if they shoulde goe to Hell by and by the Pope dothe them greate wrong to suffer them to goe thither before theyr pardons be out and if they shoulde goe to Heauen then the Pope hath done euil likewise to take mony of them for me yeares than he was able to performe therefore it séemeth that the Popes pardons were naught bicause he gaue men more yeres than there néeded For if his pardons had bin good he would rather haue giuen them fewer yeares than they ought to haue He that sels water in steade of wine thoughe hée be a niggarde wil neuer sticke to giue more than measure It apperes that Frier Ticel the Popes pardner thought that the Popes pardons were of greate force and that the Pope that did graunt them had eyther greater aucthoritie than God had or else at the leaste equall aucthoritie wyth him for he made his Proclamations to the people openlye in the Churches as followeth Althoughe a man had laine with our Lady the mother of Christe and had begotten hir with childe yet were he able by the Popes power to pardon the faulte This is déepe Diuinitie they that woulde not giue mony for these pardons were not worthy to lie w t a fair womaÌ„ he y t can pardon one y t should get Christs mother w t child he is able to pardon Priests for keping of harlots I think if one had got a child on Christs mother if he were here on earth or aliue I thinke the Pope though hée were a bastard would make him Legitimate and I think they would make him more than the brother of Christ for I beléeue he would say it were Christ himselfe for he that makes a Cake to be Christ woulde surely make our Ladies second sonne to be Christ. What folly and fondnesse is this your Romish religion to pardon such vndecent and impossible things but as many of the things are ridiculous foolish vnméete to be named that the Pope promiseth to pardon So all his pardons that should pardon them are vayne toyes and bables to please fooles withal and of Christians are to be derided reiected and to be abhorred And now for that your Popish pardons were not manifested by Moyses not proclaymed by the Prophets not authorized by Christ not allowed by the Apostles not mentioned of the Martyres not declared by the Doctours but quite contrarie to Christ and his Gospel and is a maynetayner of mischiefe a procurer to wickednesse and a libertie sinne therefore they are to be detested and abhorred wherefore flye from them and trust no more to them and séeke only for Gods pardon which he will giue you fréely and shal cost you no mony only for y e loue of his deare son Iesus Christ. If the Popes pardons were so pretious his blessings so godly and his relikes so ful of vertue as some of you haue made witlesse woodcocks beléeue Then why did M. Smith hang himselfe in his Chamber who commonly did weare an Agnus dei aboute his necke hauing besides a Crucifixe whiche he broughte with him from Louaine why did the Parson of Grondal in Kent dye sodainely in the Pulpit hauing there presente the Popes pardon And why did the Suffragane B. of Douer breake his neck going down a paire of staires immediately after he had receiued the Cardinals blessing why did the Bishoppe of Winchester Steuen Gardener being pardoned by the Pope a little before his death-say That he had denyed with Peter but repented not with Peter and died so horribly stinckingly and desperatly as he did with diuerse other that ioyfullye receiued the Popes religion into England had the Popes pardon Surely if euerye one were of my mynde and opinion séeing so euill â—ck followes them that haue the Popes pardons relickes and blessing the Popes Bulâ— shold be kept in store to bread the Popes calues his blessings he should kéepe vntill we were yong Children againe and came to aske him blessing â—nd his Agnus dei and Crucifixes and his other whimwhams should be kept in store vntill haruest than to be hanged about the haruestdams neckes to make them gay withal and so though they did not much good yet they should do no great harme If a Chirurgion should promise that he coulde would help al kind of sores wounds aches vlcers impostumes al other pains and griefes that are so cured by surgerie yet for al his great brags promises curseth neuer a one but leaues them as he found them or rather worse fewe within a while after would set that Chirurgion on work or giue him anye money for his salues playsters or oyntements If a Phisition with a great show of learning shold take vpon him to helpe the diseases that were to be cured by Phisicke and therby should receiue much money of many and for all that neither helpe nor ease any suffering theÌ„ to dye vnder his hand few within a while would come to him for Phisike neither would any I think buy any of his medicines nor would receyue anye of them thoughe they might haue theÌ„ for nothing And can wée be so wise cyrcumspect to refuse the Chirurgions salues and the Phisitions medicines that helpes not or hurtes our bodyes And yet so foolish to buy the Popes paltry pardons that destroyes both oure bodies and soules séeing it is thus I muste néedes saye that the Pope hathe the beste lucke in vttering of his wares of all that euer I knew or hard for though his pardons are starke staring noughte and doe muche harme yet manye are so witlesse and foolishe and so farre in loue with the Pope and his pardons that rather then they shoulde not haue them they would goe to Rome with great paine trauell and cost and pay dearelye for them when they come there thoughe they hang themselues drowne themselues breake their neckes and dye sodainely when they come hom But to haue Gods pardoÌ„ in their owne house which brings eternall life without any trauel labour paine or cost and without paying anye thing at al they make none accoÌ„pt Thus you of this wicked Romish religion had rather with payne pay dearelye for your damnation than with ease at home and fréely to haue your saluatioÌ„ therfore if you are wise or wel in your wits let al wise men iudge If Christ had vsed the Iewes in this sorte as the Pope doth vse you that is to promise much performe nothing so manye woulde not haue followed
heauen aboue encountred with them Earthquakes brake out and ouerthrewe there buildings lightnings fel downe and burnt both the tooles in their hands and the coates on their backes And then was the Gospell of Christ more bewtiful and more glorious than euer it had bene before Thus the Iewes might haue perceyued that God was bothe angrie and dispised them and their Iewish sacrifices though once he estéemed them aboue all other and the Temple that he before commaunded to be buylded and wherein he appeared to the Iewes now he from heauen ouerthrewe and the builders thereof Wherby they also might well vnderstand that he had an other people and Religion that he estéemed better and would fight for And therefore séeing God ouerthrewe the building and the builders of the Temple of Hierusalem which he commaunded to be builded and that he once so well liked then he must néedes ouerthrowe as he hath begon partly well already all the dennes buildings of the temple or church of Rome which he vtterly hates and that he neuer commaunded to be builded For as Christ sayth euery plante that my heauenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted vp Therefore flie from this your Romish Church and hir doctrine which God doth daylie ouerthrowe and let the Pope and his partakers do what they can at length he wil plucke vp by the rootes and walke in the lawe of God least God powre his plagues and cursses vpon you For if they are accurst by Gods lawe that turnes out of it either to the right hande or to the left hande then thinke not that you are blessed that wilfully walke cleane oute of it and neuer come in it And let this suffise you that Woolues deuoure and Shéepe are deuoured So that the deuouryng Woolues are of the Sinagoge of Sathan and the deuoured Shéepe are of the Church of God But some of you haue saide that God in the olde lawe shewed for the better crediting of the same many wonderfull miracles that there haue bene many strange miracles for the confirmation of the Popes religiō Then belike you looke for miracles for a religion you think without miracles is nothing worth and therfore one of your religion said where be your signes where be your miracles but as Christ called the Iewes an euill aduouterous generation bicause they required a signe from heauen that they might the better credite him his doctrine so I can not count you a godly generation that wil not beléeue the gospel of Christ without miracles yea such miracles as you your selues should like And wil you not beléeue our doctrine without miracles nay will you beléeue it with great strange miracles I would you would Wel bicause yée would so faine haue myracles you shal haue myracles that other manner of miracles than euer your Romish church could shewe for the confirming of hir doctrine therfore marke them wel for they are wonderful and maruellous miracles Our litle Bible hath driuē al your great idols out of al the churches of England Our holy Communion hath put to flight all your Masses which you thought nothing could ouerthrow They that were blind the Gospell hath made them now to sée clearly the craftie iuggling of the Pope they that before were dumbe nowe speake so plainely and vehemently preach the Gospel of Christe These are wonderfull myracles I thinke But if some of you should say that these are no myracles or else no great miracles to be counted of yet I dare boldly say they are maruellous great myracles yea and passe your miracles a great deale For marke this well if you had neuer knowne that fire would increase in burning and should haue suddenly séene a whole Cittie burned and cōsumed with one litle sparke of fire and that such a huge and mightie fire shoulde come of one little sparke would you not haue thought that the same had bin a wonderfull myracle I thinke you would then why should not you thinke that the spiritual burning and enflaming with such a little sparke of the gospell at the first of such a number of peoples hartes consuming and wasting the idolatrie false religion and Papisticall superstition of Kingdomes Dukedomes Prouinces and such a great number of countries Cities and Townes and the mightie encreasing of this spirituall fire the gospell and that within so shorte a time is a maruellous myracle although the Pope and his power did what they could to quench the same Surely it is such a miracle in all wise mens eyes considering the Pope and his power do what they could were not able to quench as there can not be a greater And there is nothing that may more better persuade you that this our Religion is the very true Religion and worde of God than that God so mightily defendeth it and so miraculously increaseth it This and the other miracles before mentioned are sufficient miracles I hope for the confirming of any Christian hart to beléeue the Gospell yet you shall heare more miracles hereafter And now for that you haue called for our miracles I trust I may likewise call for your miracles What kind of miracles were they wherby your Romish religion was cōfirmed forsooth they were such as might make the wittie to become fooles but oures are such as will make fooles to become wisemen And now marke your miracles of your Romish Churche your Roodes and Images can speake if they haue a false knaue stande behinde them your Idols can roll their eies wagge there chappes and caste their armes abroade if there be one behinde them to plucke there Engines and they will sweate in Winter and colde weather if they be well oiled with Penetratiue oyles yea your images can light their owne lāps which is as great a miracle as a iack of the clocke to strike on y e bell your holy water can chase away Mise and your Priestes giuing women good counsell and blessing them for the Pope will not haue it called kissing and dallying miraculouslie make them to be with child your Popes pardons can make men die desperately and suddenly your Cardinals blessings can make Bishops breake their neckes your Agnus deis can make menne hang themselues are not these your Romish myracles wonderfull are they not woorthie to go for myracles yes I trow our miracles of the Gospel are no such they are not lyke vnto them but this you were best to beléeue that our miracles before mentioned are of God and these your miracles nowe mentioned are of the Diuell Thus I trust I haue sufficiently proued by Gods word by auncient Fathers and learned Doctours by naturall Reason by Argumentes by Similitudes by Examples by the Popes themselues by their owne wryters and by persecuting and murtheryng that the Pope and many of his predecessors Popes was and is wicked Diuelish the Diuels deputies not Christes vickars and the verie Antichrist and that his Religion is most false erronious and detestable and cleane contrarie
his cardes neuer so cunningly yet if a wise man haue him in handling his own tale will trippe him and trye him a théefe yea thoughe before he were thought to bée a true man For assure your selues that trueth will abyde all tryalles Veritas non querit angulos trueth seeketh no corners and trueth as is before said feareth nothing but least she should be hid And trueth doth most triumph when she cōmes to tryall And nowe for that your Romish doctrine refuseth triall that argues that it is not true For if your Papisticall doctrine bée so true so perfect and so pretious as you saye it is and our doctrine so false so wicked and so hereticall as you blase abroade then why doe you not confounde it rather wyth persuadyng than wyth punishing by disputing than by destroying by learning than with murthethering by preaching than by presecuting and by writing than with burning Thoughe I haue written this to wynne you and for your instruction yet I feare some of you therefore wyll wyshe my destruction And thoughe some of you doe barke against it as I thinke you will yet I am moste sure that none of you can disproue or confounde it for that the foundation whereon it is builded is truth which no storme can shake nor tempest can ouerthrowe Marrie if you had our power ioyned to your crueltie you woulde confute it and the writer thereof quickelye if burning and kylling maye bée called a confuting But if you shoulde so doe I muste bée content the seruaunte ought not to grutche to followe his Maister but this I wyll tell you by the waye the greatest friende I haue in the worlde coulde doe mée no suche pleasure as you shoulde doe mée thereby if the sendyng of one to heauen bée a pleasure for Christ sayeth whose wordes I beléeue Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the kingdome of Heauen Therefore if by your burning and kylling of mée you shoulde send me to Heauen then surely in my iudgement you coulde doe mée no greater pleasure And contrarie all the enemies you haue in the world could doe you no greater displeasure than you thereby should doe to your selues if going to hell be a displeasure for if they be blessed that are thus persecuted and shall enioy the kingdome of Heauen then their persecutors must néedes be cursed and vnhappie for theirs is the kingdome of hell And so by sending me to Heauen you shoulde sende your selues to hell vnlesse you repent but it is a more common thing to the persecutors of the Gospell as before you may sée if you will sée to die desperately than repentantly Wherefore let their dreadfull and desperate deathes driue you from the Popes persecuting Religion hoping that these terrible and fearefull examples of Gods heauie wrath powred on the persecuting and reuolting Papistes if they were fewer are ynowe to such of you as are ignorantly ledde in Papistrie and that will open your eyes to sée but I feare they are too fewe for such of you as are obstinately wilfully and purposely bent to continue in the same and that wyll winke for the nonce bycause you will not sée But marke this wel I beséeche you which of you if you did sée a man goe before you and fall on a slipperie ground where he may rise or be helped vppe againe woulde not shunne that place and séeke an other safer waye Nowe if you will shunne with one example a slipperie place for feare of a fall where you maye ryse or bée helped vp againe wyll you then runne wylfully hauing so manye examples and warnings into the dolefull and horrible pitte of Hell where you can neuer get out againe by any meanes thousandes haue shunned hell with a great deale lesse warning and will you fall into hell for all this great warning Though you féele not the tormentes of the saide persecutors and dead desperate Papistes yet if you doe and die as they died you shall féele as they féele But perhaps you thinke bycause you taste no smarte that they féele no sorrowe Be not incredulous and thinke not that your neighbours house is not burned bicause your house is safe and vnburned And be not lyke fooles that will not beléeue that fire hath burned their neighbours house before they themselues haue set fire on their owne houses and vntill they sée them burned and consumed before their faces It is not your harme to take héede by other but it would be your harme for other to take héede by you Therfore yéelde willingly vnto Christe and to his Gospell in time least you yéelde to Christ and his Gospell as the said desperate Papistes did agaynst their willes out of time And embrace Gods mercie whiles it is offered in tyme least it be denied you when you would haue it out of time And beware by the sayd desperate Papistes that are dead but let not them beware by you that are aliue The sayde Papists of your religion that died so horribly dolefully and desperately would giue all the world if they had it to giue to be but one howre in your place that they might repent then how happie are you that are here where you maye turne to the Gospell without giuing anything and where you haue many houres to recant and repent Therefore take héede in any wise that you come not into their place where you can not repent or else cannot haue mercie though you repent neuer somuch Detest and abhorre Papistrie with repentaunce leaste you detest and abhorre it as the other before mentioned haue done without repentance And refuse not Christes Gospell in this lyfe least Christ refuse you after your death And as we haue one God our heauenly father so let vs obey him as his moste louing children as wée haue one Christe that hath redéemed vs moste déerely so let vs embrace his Gospell that teacheth vs his will most truely as we haue a Noble and mercifull Quéene that gouerneth vs most prudently so let vs obey hir and loue hir as true subiectes most faithfully As we were all borne in this famous Iland of England so let vs loue one another to the strengthning of England As we are or haue bene nourished in this Realme of England so set vs all séeke the com̄oditie quietnesse of England And as you haue followed Papistrie the Popes wicked doctrine which hath made you enimies to England so now I most earnestly beséech you professe and followe the holy Gospel Christes doctrine which wil make you true friendes to England I thinke I haue written to much to many of you sufficient to some of you and to litle to a great sort of you But if any of you be so obstinate so wilfull that neither Gods word can winne you nor the learned godly writers can withdrawe you nor my reasons can persuade you nor my arguments will allure you nor the exāples I haue brought can moue you nor the pacient