VNTO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTIE Prince his Soueraigne Lord King IAMES A poore Subiect sendeth A Souldiors Resolution humbly to waite vpon his Maiestie IN THIS LITTLE Booke the godly Vertues of our Mighty King are specified with disscription of our late Queene and still renowned ELIZAS Gouernement The Pope and Papists are in their colours set forth their purposes laid open and their hopes dissolued the happie peace of England is well described and the long continuance thereof humbly prayed for LONDON Printed by Iohn Windet for Walter Burre dwelling in Paules Churchyeard at the Signe of the Crane 1603. TO THE MOST High and Mighty Prince IAMES by the grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland defender of the Faith c. MAY it please your Maiestie when I consider my owne vnworthines I checke my selfe for my presumption in that I haue aduentured to write vnto a Prince of so great power and wisedom as is your kingly selfe but when I do remember that your Highnes desireth to be approued a good poore mans King then in the hope of your gratious acceptance I not repent the little labour that I haue bestowed in which the clearenes of my conscience beares me vp and makes me hope that in my vpright course I shall not in the least sort displease the mightines of your great maiestie I haue like a Soldier hent my selfe against your publike enemies and the foes of Christ in the iustice of which course my resolution hath resolued in life and death to doe your Highnes faithfull and obedient seruice your poorest subict my renowned Soueraign humbly entreateth that you would be pleased gratiousely for to accept this his trifeling gift and with your mercies eye to view the lines vnto your princelie selfe directed and if they shall procure your content your seruant then receiues the fulnes of his ioy and gaines vnto himselfe his most desired recompence with all submission he referreth himselfe and this his worke to be censured by your Maiestie vnto whome he wisheth Salomons wisedome Dauids heart and Ioshuas courage with al the best cōmended vertues which did attend on them that Englands king may be a mirror to the world and that the nations of the earth may wonder at the long continuance of your most happy and princely gouernment Your Maiesties poorest Subiect ROBERT PRICKET A SOVLDIERS Resolution MOst mightie Prince the Angelicall graces wherewith your kingly spirit is indued the diuine excellencie of whose vertues worthinesse your royal hand hath in heauenly lines vnto the worlde commended as an apparant testimonie of your sound belief arightly grounded vpon the corner stone Christ Iesus by the grace of whose asistance your sacred Maiestie is made to be the worlds chiefe Christian king so that in all the kingdomes of the earth that doth homage to the name of Christ there is not any Prince of so absolute a power being arightly incorporated in the proper strength of his owne inheritance that can cōpare with the greatnes of your Magnificence nor is their any king vnder the heauens great Canopie that standeth like your royall selfe so clearly sequestred from the Romane Antichristian leprosie the demonstration of which apparant truth doeth vndoubtedly prognosticate that God hath raisde your highnesse vp vnto the throne of royall dignitie that by the happines of your godly gouernment you may encrease beautifie the glorious kindgom of his blessed Son And that your Maiestie like a most valiant victorious and triumphant captaine vnder the banner of the worlds Redeemer Christ should with maiesticke power confront and vnderneath your princely foote treade downe all oppositions that by secret plots of diuelish treacherie or publike force of hostile armes dares but presume by their tirannicall aspiring menaces to threaten the ruine of the house of God And as the Church in Englande hath for these last precedent foure and fortie yeares beene ruled by a godly religious maiden Queene renownde Elizabeth of famous memorie vnto the glorie of whose vertuous gouernment may with a Christian consideration be ascribed the long-agoe prophetical wonder seene in heauen Of a woman cloathed with the Sunne in whome the Church was figured compassed about with the illustrate and shining beames of the Gospell of Iesus Christ. And vnderneath her feet the wauering and vnconstant Moone was put For by her meanes from forth the Church was cast the vaine inconstant mutabilities of Romes inuented straunge traditions And vppon her head a crowne of twelue starres stoode which did foreshew as was by her made manifest that from the doctrine of the twelue Apostles should deriued be the forme and order of her gouernment the brightnesse of whose illuminating light shoulde with an vncontrolled power from forth her kingdome driue the loathsome darknesse of that soules poysoning contagious smoke which flies from forth that hell-borne pit the gulfe of Antichrist And in despite of that great red Dragon hauing seuen heades and ten hornes seuen crownes vpon his heades By which is mentioned the diuel the Pope Spaine Monkes Friers Iesuites and Seminaries with the rabblement of that Antichristian power burning with furie agaynst the Spouse of Christ hauing made themselues red with the effusion of those streames of bloud which their cruelties caused to gush forth from the innocent bodies of thousād martired Saints yet maugre the force of al their hellish tyrannising rage diuine Eliza during all the time of her most happy blessed peaceful and victorious raigne trauelled in the desire of her religious care to be a gratious mother and a tender nurse vnto the children of the Church of God and in the continuance of her now out dated and yet datelesse time her subiects being fed with the Nectar and Ambrosia of a heauenly diet by the ministry of that euer-enduring truth contained in the canonicall Scriptures of the olde and new testament many thousandes were begoten vnto Christ and taught arightly how to ground their faith vpō the al and onely sufficient sure foundation of their redeemers loue That plain and simple people in her land could with diuine and godly wisedome maintaine the argument of their faithes beliefe against the cunning coosening sophistry of a pernicious Popish Priest But now that our late mayden Queene whose sanctified soule vnto her God brought forth so many Saints hath left this earth to bee a Saint in heauen whither should my eyes returne themselues with ioy vnlesse to looke vpon your Maiestie And in this thought my soule is rauished with a priuate meditation my Countrey England hath stoode as a glorious Cittie built vppon a Mountaines toppe whose beautie wealth strength and gouernment hath lifted vp it selfe with admiration to the world the temple of the house of God was from mount Sion brought and placed in the midst of Englandes territories And since this Island first conuerted was from Pagan Athisme it neuer stoode so dignified by the true profession of a sound religion as now it did by the instrumentall
resolue with a Souldiers Resolution to follow your kingly Maiestie in your vertues steppes and not to suffer a little Monkish Mowle hill heape of tongues that rides vpon the skirt of Peeuish Popery to derogate from your kingly name the glory due vnto the honour of your faithes profession nor suffer that the godlie people in your land whose heartes prepareth as befitteth loyall faithfull and obedient Subiectes to bid your Highnes welcome to your Kingdomes Crowne that the ioy which they conceiue in the excellencie of your great Maiestie should be eclipsed by the inftigation of any secret Papisticall obiected doubt what should let my resolution to speake plainely to my King whole Highnes knoweth what drudges are sent from Rome and therefore will not take Phisicke for his soule from their impoysoned proiected potions The Chronicles with innumerable Tragike scenes haue made discription of the Roman regement shewing to the world that not any king nor Queene nor Prince in Christendome that euer did displease that proud vsurping Bishop since he rulde alone and gainde vnto himselfe the name of Papa but they were all of them eyther poysoned murdered or otherwise betrayed or their lands inuaded or their Subiects moued to rebellion or many times nearly brought in danger of those euils eyther by Monkes Fryers Iesuites Seminaries or some other villanous minded slaues sent from the Popes diuelishnes but mis named Holines to put in execution those three damned purposes Bohemia Lombardy Germany France bleeding Belgia haue bought their to true experience with a deare and bloudy prise And though that Spaine be Romes chiefe Champion yet king Philips eldest sonne euen in his Fathers sight must bleed to death when he displeasde the Pope England hath had a hard experience of his Tyranny and in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth the multiplisity of trayterous plottes laide against her life all wrought by Romes confederates were to long to specifie and for your Scotlandes Kingdome Mighty Soueraigne neyther your royall person nor your publike state haue stoode exempt from their most vilde attemptes and assuredly my Soueraigne Lorde no other then such like strategems are to be expected from their hands who by their oathes haue sworne and vowed allegiance to the Sea of Rome yet among them but not of them is there some that giues themselues vnto the vse of ceremoniall customes first brought in by Rome and yet no doubt they see the hellish euils that springes from thence but what they do is done for fashion for custom sake and peraduenture with some religious obseruation yet in their heartes I verily belieue they hate the proudnes of the Popes supremacie and grieues to see the Villanies wrought by his Workemanshippe and such as these I thinke are nothing dangerous for I haue obserued in them a due obedience to your Englandes lawes but for the former sort your Maiestie knoweth the daunger of their euill effects for be they but once reconciled to the Pope so as they dare not like louing and obedient Subiectes take their oath to your supremacie it cannot be but their intentions must be dangerous they cannot in their harts endure to be your subiects but as they lately were her Maiesties in cōtinuall hope of change nor doe I wonder at their minds in this for their subiection hath vowed it self an other way and vpon the pain of deadly sin their consciences are tied vnto the lawes of Antichrist they are taught by the doctrine of Rome Romane dispensations to suppose that vnto you belongeth no obedience then vnto them I am sure there belonges no trust And for the schollers that the scholes of Rome Spaine brings vp your kingly self and al your kingdoms haue by an often taught experience learnd the true vnderstāding of their traiterous documents Iesuites Seminaries and Popish Priests I do resolue will neuer be thought to loue your Maiestie nor cā they at any time deceiue your Highnes when they are at no time trusted surely no trust to them belongeth that are the empoysoned branches sprong from the venomous heade of earthes corruption And because I would not haue the Papists thinke I speake by gesse but want authority whereon to ground my selfe I haue to that end set downe some of the dangerous decrees made by the lawes of their misbeleeuing church for the Pope to establish his diuelish authority hath thus decreed First that no man may iudge the Pope nor giue sentence about his iudgement for he is to iudge al men vpon earth 2 That the seat of Rome giueth strength might vnto all lawes but it is subiect to none 3 That hee hath authority to breake all oathes bondes and obligations made betwixt any man of high or low degree 4 That he hath power to interprete declare and lay forth the holy scriptures according to his own will and to suffer no man to expound it contrary to his owne pleasure 5 That he is a God vpon earth ouer all heauenly earthly ghostly and worldly and no man may say vnto him what doest thou 6 That he hath authority to dissolue subiectes from their obedience to their Lordes and Princes and that he hath power to depose kings 7 That he may giue cleane remission vnto whom he will both a pena a culpa he whom he forgiueth must needs be the child of saluation for he hath absolute power to bind to loose vpon earth and saith he the holy Church hath so determined and the force thereof as faith his lying blasphemy is greater then the canonicall scriptures From the authority of these lawes doth this effect proceed that so soone as any Prince displeafeth Rome he is presently by the pope cursed excōmunicated proclaimed no right inheritor that it is not lawfull for to hold of him his subiects are absolued frō their true alegāce blessings with clean remissiō of sins sent to all those that wil inuade spoile or conquer the land of any kingdom or Prince with whom the Pope shall be displeased And the beter to effect these his often performed deeds of charitie he sendeth his leaden Bulles vnto whome hee listeth thereby giuing authoritie vnto subiects to resist their kings and lustely to take vp armes against them when by the Pope they shall be commaunded Their oathes for their allegiance are dispensed with so as although a subiect betray murder or by any meanes kill his lawfull Prince and Gods annoynted king yet shall not their accounted very honest executioner bee adiudged a traytor but rather a holy man for that hee hath done it on the Popes behalfe and in that respect his acte shall bee registred for a heauen purchasing meritorious deede and after the death of such a one there shall be diuers misnamed holy but vnhallowed Masses sung by a company of blacke white gray and pibal asses for the redeeming of his soule out of their fooles inuented
they turnd loose vnto a daungerous liberty when in the time of our late Queene the smoath coynd name of indifferent tolleration was alwayes counted in it selfe to hold a threatned desolation to the publik state And frō time to time the Lords and Peeres of England assembled in high court of Parliament did with one consent ioyne with our Soueraigne to enact those lawes and Statutes which alwayes did suppresse the least raisde vppe shewe of an Antichristian head And when they were thus confronted by a Mayden Queene and such course taken during the happy time of a womans gouernment vpon whose Sexe a smal perswation is sayd to worke with an accounted greatest force and yet in all those times they could neuer bring to passe the effecting of the leaste materiall substance vpon the gound whereof their weakest hopes were flattered and yet now a swarme of droanes which desires to liue vpon the spoile of the labouring bees sweete hiue flyes bussing vp and downe and sends a whispering noise vnto the eares of men and tels that now they hope the time of their deliuerance draweth neere and that forsooth they shall be smilde vpon with gracious fauour and their long as they say continued hard restraint shal now be pitied and that their supposed holy but vnhallowed patcht together seamerent sacraments shall be quietly amongst themselues administred for either an alteration which desires freely to feed vpon the foode of blaspemie and fat it selfe with this landes confusion or a tolleration secretly bending it selfe to such like purposes shall now say they assuredly be accomplished But as the mightie God of heauen doth in derision laugh their hopes to scorne so doth the great King Iames Englands God on earth in the priuacie of his meditation smile to see a rablement of trayterous mindes and soule deuouring murtherers expect to reape kinde fauours from his kingly hande but so fare they all as did Agag at the handes of Samuel who came smyling forth in the expectation of his supposed libertie So shall it bee vnto them all my Soueraigne Lorde for my Christian Resolution telles my soule that your Highnes is in the zeale of your faithfull thoughts resolued neuer in the least sort to leane vnto their vilde profession And against the aduersaries of God and of his Christ the sword of iustice cannot take too strict a course that valiant Ioshua the first worthiest Worthy stood alwayes cleared from a tyrants name although his powerfull arme did euer execute a strong austere seuerity vpon the heads harts of them that were the foes to God and to his truth the sword of Ioshua in a glorious battell offered vp a pleasing sacrifice vnto the eye of heauen the sight whereof so pleasd the heauens Creator that he gaue power vnto Ioshuas tonge that by his word he did command the Sunne against the nature of her fiery swiftest course to stand and giue him light till he had slaine his enemies fiue mighty kings he trāpled vnder foot was loath to leaue the smalest remnant of their seed Your Maiestie may still bee mercifull as late our Queene Eliza was and for your labour reape her recompence from those your enemies vnto whome your mercy chiefly doth extend it selfe Her Maiestie was by the Papistes in printed bookes accounted farre more tyrannous then was Dioclesian or that murthering Nero Parsons and Sanders in their trayterous libels did liberally affirme so much And I know a Papist ye aliue in England that did verifie vnto my face that Queen Mary was farre more mercifull vnto the Protestants during her raigne then was Elizabeth vnto the Catholikes what thanks your gratious lenity shall reape from such like minded men Your Maiestie can with best commended wisedom iudge how they affect the right of your succession their Dolmans Booke doth plainly specifie in which with cunning shews strange deriued pedegrees vprearde mountaine-lyes they haue intituled the Infant of Spaine to your inheritance and striued with a diuels inuented policie to dispossesse your Maiestie of your lawfull right this course they tooke before you were their king and since that time as by a truth which my selfe reueald vnto the Lords of your most Honourable Priuie Councell it seemeth that your Englands Papists haue amongst themselues aduentured to calculate the number of your dayes on earth if your Highnes shall deny to graunt one of the two before deseribed dangerous extreams which are either alteration or tolleration in religion so as what loyalty is to be expected frō their hands more then by constraint your Maiesty may directlie iudge And therefore because I know the remnant of these Roman Moabites will be the cōtinuall sowers of seditious seed and dangerous dissturbers of your Englands publike weale I could be contēt to wish for Gods glory my countries good the safty of your royall selfe and security of all your princely progeny that the whole packe of Papists were sent vnto their Holy father the Pope that they euen in his Citty Rome might stand together vnder the safe protection of the Popes abhominable blessing meane while during their stay if so they dare but once beginne to stirre I doubt not but al the argumentes wherewith they finely vse to pleade will bring themselues to bee deuided into fiue seuerall partes which deuision will in England worke Romes dissolution and in time I hope the gates of Rome will all bee ramparde vp so as we shall no more be troubled with his stragling runnagates but that the Pope shall bee enforced to liue within himselfe and onely take the profite that his town allowes his contributary whores can pay him 30. thousand pounds a yeare and no doubt he hath many other such like honest helpes Assuredly the times will shortly come when all the true religious kinges in Christendome will ioyne together and fire his sinke of sin about his eares And thus my soueraigne Lord with further ioyfull hope then is as yet reuealde by mee vnto the vnstaynde beauty of your princely Maiestie my resolution humbly bringes it selfe and though perhaps the Diuell will shortly roare and send abroad his instrumentes to holde his kingdome vppe Yet most puisant and valuorous minded Prince I know your kingly heart being indued as it is with true prowes and perfect fortitude can not endure the operation of timerous effectes but your kingly wisedome will prudently preuent all the occasions whence those monsters are begoten stand fast therefore God frō heauen wil giue vnto your maiestie a powerfull vncontrouled strēgth And by the best cōmended ordinary meanes the better to protect your safety I make no doubt but your highnes shal be continually attended with honorable valiant wise faithfull gentlemen whose loyall harts will carefully defend the safety of your royal person sure I am the subiects of your kingdom generally vnles some few scattered cōpanies of Romā straglers do in their soules reioice that God hath raysde
Soueraigne your Englands nation hath in times past been accounted famous in the exercise of Armes and your people for their magnanimious valour in warlike cheualry haue not onely beene admired but feared of all the kingdoms in Christendome and beyonde those bounds fayre Englands force hath marched with a conquering arrne so as the glorious renowne of honourable deedes being brought vnto this present age by the golden trumpet of fames true report dooth make such deepe impression in your Subiectes hearts as that I cannot but suppose the flower of your EnglaÌ„ds youth desireth to be accounted souldiers especially now that they are the subiects vnto a mighty king lineally descended froÌ„ the royal bloud of Englands mightiest kings yet vnto them whose hearts desires the exercise of armes my resolution thus much speaketh and sayth it is a thing conuenient for them to consider that warre being the shield of iustice is not to bee vsed but when iustice dooth commaunde the vse thereof and that peace with safety to the publike state is in this christian common wealth before warre to bee preferred And therefore those that would arightly be true valiant minded men ought thus to vse the exercise of martiall discipline not thereby within your Maiesties vnited kingdoms to infringe the happines of a long continued peace but that by their experience in the vse of warre they may become the most commended 〈…〉 is to maintaine the dignitie thereof against all occasions and powers that shall seeke to disturbe or ouer throw the same And in regard the Church of God your maiesties royal person your princely progeny your kingdomes and your Highnes 〈◊〉 are all to be defended by the sword of warre when forraine foes or priuate enemies shall with force in opposition riser no doubte but your Maieste will command such course to be taken as that your Subiects shall be taught the rudiments of warre so as they shall be familiarly aqvainted with the thinges belonging thereunto And that a souldiers hand shal by your Highnes gratious fauour be employedstd in assisting those your Maiesties faâ—thful friends and true beleuing Protestants whose country and whose people God in his aboundant mercy hath wondrously delivered from the tyranny of Rome bloudy Spannish Inquisition and for they fight against the Beast and those that on their foreheads beares his marke God hath with honour crownd the actions done by the 〈◊〉 and dignified their attempts in warre with glorious victories the iustice of their cause notwithstanding the coynde obiections made by Spaine is and hath beene by tho hand of God approued as may vnto the world be witnessed and your Highnes by assisting them doth as it was thought by our late Queene and stil renownd Elizabeth giue a strong security vnto the safety of your Englands peace for the maintenance wherof when your Maiesty shall see your people trayned vp with actiue skil to vse their weapons fit for fight and well to vnderstand the ordering of their Files and rankes and seuerall standinges in a pitcht Battalia that all to bee commaunded may sodainely with speedy execution know how to make a true performance according to directions giuen and that not any may commaunders bee but such whose wise valiant courage with tride experience ioynd shall make them worthy of their place and then al these throughout your kingdoms gouernment being by a godly ministery taught to vnderstand the iustice of their cause More deeds of honour shall then in time to come by the conquering hand of Englands king be done then euer yet disciphered was by the Chronicle description of precedent time for now the foes to God and to his truth shall feare the name of English men and your kingly Maiestie with the glory of your succeding princelie race shall be a terror to the enemies of Christ. For this a Souldier prayeth and all this to defend being by his king commaunded he hath his sword in readines And thus most mightie Prince and my renowned Soueraine A poore Souldiers resolution humbly offereth vp his liues employment at your princely foote FINIS Reuel cap. 12. VVere the gouernment of Rome now as then it was when England was conuerted there should be no Pope as now theâ—e is nor Masse nor Purgatcrie nor approbation to any of their erronious constitutions Ethelderius brought with him none of their new blasphemous doctrine Ioseph of Aramatheus before him was a stranger therevnto Our late Quâ— did in the time of her sicknesse bequeath her crown vnto our now king affirming it as in in deed it is his proper right Reuel cap 12. ver 8. 9. Reue 11. ver 9 A booke intituled A Souldiers wish vnto his Soueraigne Lord King Iames. The Papists desire to make a doubt of the certaine continuance of our religion in the forme which now it doth The doctrine of Rome and Spaine poysoneth both body and souls but helpeth neyther Boniface 3. by the leaue of Phocas the foolish Emperour did first write himselfe papa and then presently begaÌ„ the ruine of the Church the ful effect whereof was concluded by Adrian since whose time as saith planlina in the life of popes there was neuer any Emperour of might nor pope of any vertue Some seeme as if they were papistes but indeede are not VVhat maner of Subiectes papists were vnto the Queen now what hope there is of them The Schooles of Rome and Spaine are the nurseries of treason Dist 40 etsi papa 9. q. 6. ea cuncta 30 q. 1 Cap. In 6. lib. 2. de sen. 26. q. cap. Quouenc In. 6. lib. de sent Apostelatus in verb continetur In 6. lib. 2. de sen. King Herold exiled Robert Archbishop of Canter Ro. gat him to WilliaÌ„ D of Norm Pope Alexander to he reuenged of King Herold sent vnto duke W. a banner to go and conquere England and eleane remissioÌ„ of sins both a pena a culpa to all that would follow the banncr by this means was England the last time conquered Perpetual malses apointed to be suÌ„g in Swin fted Abbey for the Monk which poysoned king Iohn So is it now in Rome for him which slew the Prince of Orringe for the Frier which kild the French King Declectio et Significatio Panormitanus saith that councels may erre as they haue done inter raptorem et raptaÌ„ Hierom 39. q. 2. tria doth affirme as much and August de bap lib. 2. ch 3. contra Donatistas * Dist. 19. 51. Ro. er enim vero et nulli facit cap. 5. omnes Pope Celestinus 4 crowned the Emperour Henricus 6. with his secte A true descrip of Rome as is declared in the Reuela ch 17. The Authors Resolution doth in this place resolue vpon sufficient reason that the King hath no affection vnto papists The Church of Rome is in it selfe diuided secular priests and sesuits being at a desperate variance The reasoÌ„ why the priests did accuse the Iesuites and what their labor