troubles enough from the Papacy euen in these remote parts farre from Rome after the thousandth yeer of Christ that is after the loosing of Sathan Reuel cap. 20.7 8. and after that the Pope came to his height Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury did somewhat trouble King Henry the first for whereas in former times the Bishops and Abbots of England vsed to receiue their Inuestitures from the King by receiuing a Pastorall Staffe and Ring at his hand as Saint Wulstan had done from St. Edward the King professing thereby he would resigne it onely to him now Anselme refused to consecrate certaine Bishops whom the King aduanced and gaue them their Inuestitures so that the King was compelled to send an Embassage to the Pope Paschalis and before him to pleade his cause as Anselme also did his in like manner But this matter was indifferently quietly ended for the Pope by the mediation of white and red saith a Monke the historian was content to confirme the Bishops but ordained withall that the King should doe so no more that is that the King should lose the priuiledge of his Ancestors This was done Anno dom 1104. Anselme died Henries primi anno 11. Speed Chron. pag. 457. But Thomas Becket being made first Lord Chancelor and afterwards Archbishop by the fauour of King Henry 2. troubled the King much more for the King being informed of much misdemeanour of Clergy men who besides other offences had committed an hundred murders in his raigne and that they were not punished nor degraded by the Bishops but shifted away into Abbeyes or otherwayes defended so that the wronged had no remedy the wrong-doers no punishment true innocent men no safety and none of them were in condition of subiects the King required such to be punished by his Lawes and to haue the customes of his Ancestors obserued whereunto all the Bishops assented but onely Becket who not only resisted but complained of the King to Pope Alexander and Alexander at first desiring to hold the Kings loue willed Becket to yeeld and Becket so promised to the King absolutely But when the King assembled his States at Clarendon in Wiltshire Becket relapsed and said hee had grieuously sinned in promising but would not sinne in performing yet at the instance and teares of many Noble persons and others priuately intreating him for the good of the whole land he yeelded againe and promised in verbo sacerdotali to obserue all and all the Earles Bishops Abbots and Clergy did sweare and promise the like but when hee should set his hand and seale to a writing thereof hee refused againe Of all this the King by Embassage enformed the Pope desiring a legantiue power to be sent to the B. of Yorke which the Pope vnwillingly granted and withall made it so slight that the King in disdaine sent the Bull backe againe to the Pope Then was Becket required to giue an account of his Chancelorship which he refused to doe and to come vnto the King and being told he would be condemned of periury and treason for not yeelding temporall alleagiance to his temporall Soueraigne as hee had sworne and that the Prelates would disclayme all obedience vnto him as their Archbishop hee caused to bee sung before him at the Altar The Princes sit and speake against mee and the vngodly persecute me And forthwith taking his siluer Crosier in his hands went armed into the Kings presence Whereat the King inraged caused his Peeres to proceed in iudgement against him they condemne him to prison for treason and periury he appeales to Rome and away gets him into France procures the French Kings fauour and by him the Popes To the Pope the King sends a Noble Embassage desiring to haue two Cardinalls sent into England to end the matter The Pope denies it reseruing the iudgment to himselfe The King by his Sherifs Sequesters all Beckets profits in England Becket in France excommunicates all in England that maintained the Auitall or ancient customes naming some great men The King fearing his owne excommunication gathers a great Army pretending to subdue Wales Meane season the Pope is perswaded to send two Cardinalls but they cannot perswade Becket to yeeld any thing and so that designe for peace was frustrate At length the two Kings of France and England being reconciled met in France before whom Becket being called and earnestly dealt withall would not yeeld any thing so that all men blamed him The Pope willed Gilbert B. of London to admonish the King to giue ouer hee did so but excused the King to the Pope The Pope excommunicates Gilbert and went so farre that the King had scarce one left to reade diuine Seruice in his Chappell The King prayes the Pope to send two Cardinals to absolue his subiects and to make peace Two come into Normandy but returne without possibility of doing any good because Becket would not yeeld a iot At last by the Popes mediation the two Kings met at Paris where King Henry offered to stand to the iudgement of the Diuines of Paris but no peace would be had After all this the King crowned his sonne the Archbishop of Yorke supplying Canterburies absence And in the beginning of the seuenth yeere of the banishment of Becket the two Kings met againe in France and the King fearing the whole Realmes interdiction by the Pope receiued Becket into fauour yeelding him his Bishopricke with all the profits and arrearages and signified it to his sonne in England Now Becket Archbishop in England shortly after published the Popes letters suspending the Archbishop of Yorke for crowning the young King which was Canterburies office with all his adiuuants and would not absolue them but vpon conditions at the earnest request of the young King which the Father King hearing in Normandy was sore displeased and shewed it by some words which foure Knights Courtiers hearing and thinking to doe a great pleasure to the King and to ease the Kingdome of much trouble posted into England and at Canterbury the next day after Innocents day killed the Archbishop at the high Altar and fled into the North. The old King was exceeding sorrowfull at the newes of this murder and sent to the Pope desiring him to send Cardinalls to enquire of the murder to whose wils he would submit himselfe if he could be found consenting Here obserue 1. What these customes were which Becket withstood 1 That without the Kings licence none should appeale from the Courts of England to the Court of Rome 2 That no Bishop nor Archbishop should leaue their Flocke and goe to Rome without the Kings license 3 That they should not interdict nor excommunicate any officer or such as held on the King in chiefe without the Kings licence 4 That Clerkes accused for secular offences should bee tried before secular Iudges 2. Obserue that these Customes besides profitable and necessary were also ancient and so termed but now shortly after Hildebrands time must be altered Kings and States depressed and
the Pope aboue all former times exalted 3. Obserue If Becket had stood for the substance of Religion or any necessary point thereof it had beene a worthy which now was a wicked part but his standing for matters against the good and peace of the Church and Common-wealth and them ancient and well established and that with obstinâ—cy against the iudgement not onely of the King Bishops and Nobles at home but euen of the Pope himselfe at the first the Cardinalls the King of France the Vniuersity of Parts and as I may say all the world argued his exceeding folly pride and peeuishnesse 4 Obserue that euen the best sort of Popes against their owne knowledge and inclination may be drawn by their Counsellors and flatterers and by the tickling desire of wealth and greatnesse to take parâ— countenance and backe most obstinate rebells periured persons and vntollerable troublers of Church and Common wealth yea to defend them while they liue and Saint them after their death Thus King Henry was troubled much by the Romish Hierarchy but King Iohn much more It appeares by this which hath beene said Flores historiarum Matthaei West monast l. 2. p 81 anno 1205 that there had beene troubles about the ancient customes libertie of Princes in the English Church which the Kings stroue still to maintaine and the Popes to infringe whereof one was that no Bishop should bee elected and inuested without the Kings consent in his owne dominions which King Iohn maintained as his predecessors had done It hapned in the seuenth yeere of his raigne that Hubert the Archbishop of Canterbury dyed and the Monks of Canterbury secretly in the night chose Reginald their Sub-prior and brought him in with Te Deum first to the high Altar and then to the Archbishops chayre and presently causing him to sweare secresie sent him with some of their company to the Pope to see how it would be taken but the Pope seeing no letters commendatory from the King made some stay and tooke time to deliberate In the meane season the Monks at home hearing of this delay and finding that Reginald in his way towards Rome had carried himselfe as Archbishop elected and so published their secrets now repenting their euill choyse and bad successe sent to the King and craued license to chuse a new Archbishop whom the King would commend The King winking at their former iniury tooke this kindly and commended vnto their choyse Iohn Grey Bishop of Norwich and brought him to Canterbury himselfe and the Monks in the Kings presence very solemnely chose him put him into the Archbishops seate and the King put him into all the Archbishops possessions writing to the Pope to accept him Had the Pope beene a pious Father of the Church as you describe him giuen to seek peace and ensue it Rom. 12. as much as in him lay he might haue beene well pleased with this peaceable course but hee was led by the spirit of Hildebrand not of Peter and Paul and tooke a course that there might be no peace and that the people might not vnder their natural Kings leade a peaceable and quiet life in all godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim 2. For he would neither accept of Reginald nor Iohn but vrged the Monks that were sent vnto him to chuse a third one Steuen Langton and against all excuses commanded them vpon their obedience and vnder payne of Anathema to doe it presently Whereupon they all yeelded except onely one Elias de Brantfield who still stucke to the King and to the election of the Bishop of Norwich a man worthy of honourable memory for his constant standing though standing alone in danger and to the Popes face to the right to his Prince to the good and liberty of the Church The rest with the Hymn brought Langton to the Altar and the Pope wrote to the King to receiue him B. Caritou iuris c. 7. §. 124. The King was herewith much moued because Steuen Langton though an Englishman born was brought vp vnder the French King promoted by him and tyed to be at his command And therefore King Iohn wrote to the Pope that he had no reason to admit such a one as Langton to such a great place in his kingdome And withall hee banished the Monks that had chosen Langton as traytors and confiscated their goods This was done vpon Saint Swithens day Mat. Westmonast vbi supra The Innocent Pope Pope Innocent the third who about the same time excommunicated Otho 4. Emperour and discharged the States of Almaine and of the Empire from their alleageance vnto him being set on fire with this news sent to the Bishops of England commanding them to put the King and his land vnder the sentence of interdiction which was executed the 24. of March by the Bishops of London Ely and Wigorne who now turned plainely subiects to the Pope and leauing England fled to Rome The King for this cause of Interdict whereby himselfe and his whole land stood accursed commanded all the goods of the Clerks to bee confiscate and theÌ„ drew as many as he could of his people to an oath of alleageance The Pope proceeds to excommunicate the King by name and finally to pronounce sentence of deposition against him discharging all his subiects of their oath of alleagiance vnto him sending also Pandulph his Legate first into England and then to Philip Augustus King of France to bestow vpon him the kingdome of England so that hee would expell King Iohn and take it by force By this meanes King Iohn was strangely and suddenly weakened and vtterly disabled to hold his kingdome seeing strong inuasions from without and daily reuolting within to open insurrections and euery man now counted a Saint and Martyr that would fight or suffer in wars against him considering that the Popes Bulles like Magike spelles had let loose many turbulent spirits not easie to be layd againe but by him that raised them After much strugling he was finally compelled to deliuer vp his Crown to Pandolph that he might receiue it againe from him as from the Popes hands and be protected hy him And this was done in the 15. yeere of King Iohns reygne anno dom 1213. And Steuen Langton made Archbishop Thus the King became the Popes vassall and the King of France forbidden by the Popes Nuncio to meddle any further against him K. Iames Remonstrance pag. 256. being now the Popes liege man whom he would protect And now Iohn held his Crowne of the Pope as a man holds his land of another in Knights seruice or by homage and fealty and did faire homage to the Popes Legate laying downe at his feet a great masse of the purest gold in coyne which the reuerend Legate in token of his Masters Soueraignty kicked and spurned with his feet and at solemne feasts was easily entreated to take the Kings Chayre of estate Obserue here first The progresse of the Hildebrandine Religion in deposing of
priests onely Cassander writes and Micrologus Cassander praefat ord Romani Microl. de officio Missae cap. 19. Clicthâ—veus on the Canon of the Masse cited by Cassander ibidem and Clicthoveus among many others Circumgestation saith Cassander is contrary to the manner of the Ancients Cassander consult art 22. Feild quo supra for they admitted none to the fight of the Sacrament but the partakers and therefore the rest were bidden depart Crautzius praiseth Cusanus who being the popes Legat in Germany tooke away his Circumgestation vnlesse it were within the Octaues of Corpus Christi day The Sacrament being instituted for vse and not for ostentation Touching the honour of Saints Gerson and Contarenus Gerson de Directione cordis consider 16. sequent Contarenus in confut artic Lutheri and many others reprehend sundry superstitious obseruations and wish they were wisely abolished Whether the Saints in heauen doe particularly know our estate and heare our cryes and grones not onely Saint Augustine August de cura pro mortuis Glossa in Esay 63 Hugo Erudit Theolog. de sacram fidei lib. 2. part 16. cap. 11. and the Author of the Interlineall glosse But Hugo de Sancto victore tels vs it is altogether vncertaine and cannot be knowne So that though in generality they pray for vs or rather for all the Church on earth yet we may not safely and with faith pray to them That in the primitiue Church publike prayers were celebrated in the vulgar tongue Lyra confesseth Lyra in 1. Cor. 14 Caietan in respons ad Articulos Parisienseâ— and Caietan professeth that he thinketh it would bee more for edification if they were so now And he confirmeth his opinion out of Saint Paul Saint Bernard wrote diuers things concerning the now Romish Doctrine touching speciall faith imperfection and impurity of inherent righteousnesse merits power of freewill the conception of the blessed Virgin and the keeping of the feast of her conception a See D. Field Appendix to the fift booke of the Church part 1. pag. 89. Bernard serm 5. de verb. Esaiae All our righteousnesse saith he is as the polluted rags of a menstruous woman b Serm. 1. de Annunciat We must beleeue particularly that all our sinnes are remitted vs. c Tract de gratia lib. arb in fine Our workes are via regni not causa regnandi they are the way that leadeth to the kingdome but no cause why we raigne d Epist 175. ad Canonicos Lugd. The blessed Virgin was conceiued in sin and the feast of her conception ought not to be kept So that what errours and abuses we haue amended in our reformed Churches those the learned men of former Ages haue espied and haue written against them and we haue made no other Reformation then they heartily desired For conclusion of this point see what a number of famous men writing and preaching against the corruptions of Rome One Vniuersity afforded and thereby gesse what the world did §. 15. Gabriel Powel de Antichristo Edit Lond. 1605. reckons these Oxford men amongst many others in his Preface 1 King Alfred Founder of Oxford Vniuersity would not haue his people ignorant of Scriptures or bard the reading thereof Anno 880 Capgrav cataloge Sanct Angliae Polydor. Virg hist Ang. lib. 5. Baleus 2 Joannes Patricius Erigena a Brittan first Reader in Oxford ordained by the King wrote a booke of the Eucharist agreeable to Bertrams and condemned after by the Pope in Vercellensi Synodo And he Martyred for it anno 884. Philip. in Chron. lib. 4. sub Henr. 4 Baleus cent 2. cap 24. 3 Some Diuines at Oxford were burnt in the face and banished for saying the Church of Rome was the Whore of Babylon Monkery a stinking carrion their vowes toyes and nurses of Sodome Purgatories Masses dedications of Temples worship of Saints c. inuentions of the Deuill anno 960. Matth. Paris lib. 4. Guido Perpin de haeresib Baleus cent 2. 4 Arnulph or Arnold an English preacher a Monke of Oxford for preaching bitterly against Prelats and Priests wicked liues and corruptions cruelly butchered anno 1126. but saith Platina greatly commended by the Roman Nobility for a true seruant of Christ Bale cent 2. cap. 70. 5 Joannes Sarisburiensis anglus Oxoniensis theologus Episcopus Carnotensis beloued of the Popes Engenius 3. and Hadrian 4. wrote against the abuses of Clergy and Bishops in Objurgatorie Cleri in Polycratico he saith The Scribes and Pharises sit in the Roman Church laying importable burdens on mens shoulders The Pope is grieuous to all and almost intollerable Ita debacchantur ejus legati ac si ad ecclesiam flagellandam egressus sit Satan a facâ—e domini and he that dissents from their doctrine is iudged an Hereticke or a Schismaticke c. 1140. Sarisburien Polycr lib. 5. cap. 16. lib. 6. cap. 24. 6 Gualo Professor of Mathematicks in Oxford much praised of Sarish in Polycrat wrote inuectiues against Priests of the Monkish profession their luxuries pompes and impostures anno 1170. Bale cent 3. cap. 15. 7 Gilbert Foliot Doctor of Diuinity in Oxford Bishop first of Hereford and after of London perswaded King Henry 2 after the example of Jehoshaphat and other Kings to keepe the Clergy in subiection and oft resisted and blamed Tho. Becket to his face 1170. Bale ib. cap. 7. 8 Syluester Gyrald Archdeacon Meneuensis beloued of Hen. 2 and Iohn King of England wrote a booke of the Monks Cistertians naughtinesse c. 1200. â—eland catalogo virorum illustrium Bale cent 3 cap. 59. 9 Alexander a Diuine of Oxford sent by King John to defend his authority against the Pope which he did by reasons and Scriptures and wrote against the Popes power and temporall Dominion He was banished by Langton Bishop of Canterbury and dyed in exile he liued anno 1207. when King Iohn banished 64. Monkes of Canterbury for contumary breaking his commandement Bale cent 3 cap. 57. 10 Gualter Maxes Archdeacon of Oxford a famous man hauing been at Rome and seene the ambition of the Pope he set it out while he liued with most vehement satyricall criminations He wrote a booke called The Reuelation of the Romish Goliah and diuers others of the enormity of the Clergy lamentation ouer Bishops and against the Pope the Roman Court the euils of Monkes c. he flourished anno 1210. Siluester Gyrald in spec eccles lib. 3. c. 1. 14 Bale cent 3 cap. 61. 11 Robertus Capito Robert Grosthead Doctor of Diuinity in Oxford Bishop of Lincolne wrote against Prelats idlenesse and thundered against the Romish Court he modestly but yet publikely reproued the couetousnesse pride and manifold tyranny of Pope Innocent 4. He was excommunicated to the pit of hell and cited to come to their bloudy Court but he appealed from the Popes tyranny to the eternall tribunall of Iesus Christ and shortly after dyed anno 1253. The Priests that taught mens commandements and not
many nay But the issues of these Ladies were very vnfortunate and many calamities proceeded from these marriages as he there reports Yet the pope dispensed with all this partly to bind the French vnto him and partly to bridle the Emperour whom he would not haue grow too great by addition of Britany to his State Besides he needed not much care for this present Emperour Maximilian a poore prince full of affaires and of small credit Yea Maximilian himselfe afterwards affected the popedome as Guicciardine reporteth But come we to the affaires of our owne Nation Pope Julius the 2. gaue a dispensation that King Henry the 8. of England might marry Katherine the wife of his brother Arthur deceased A marriage plainly condemned by the Scriptures Leu. 18.16 and 20.21 and Mat. 24.2 4. and by many learned Vniversities Afterwards pope Clement the 7. Hist concil Trid. lib. 1. pag. 68. at Henries sute sent Cardinall Campeggio into England framing a Briefe to dissolue the Kings said marriage with Katherine to be published when some few proofes were passed which he was sure would easily be made and to giue liberty to the King to marry another This anno 1524. but anno 1529. The pope thinking it better to ioyne with the Emperour who was sonne to Katherines sister sent another Nuncio to Campeggio with order to burne the Breefe and to proceed slowly in the cause For the popement to apply himselfe to his best aduantages but the King espying their iugling finally banished the popes authority out of England Annals ibid praepar pag. A. 3. Latin Apparat. p. xij But Queene Mary the daughter of Hâ—nry by the said marriage of Katherine perswaded her selfe that all the right that she had to the Kingdome of England was vpholden by no other meanes then by the power of the pope whose dispensation made that marriage lawfull and gaue sentence of her side after her father had declared her illegitimate and therefore she was bound to cleaue strongly to the Pope Also Charles the 5 Emperour procured a marriage betwixt Philip his sonne of Spaine and Mary Queene of England by a dispensation of pope Iulius the 3. because they were allied in the third degree and that Charles himselfe had contracted to marry her being then vnder age for time to come Ibid. pag. 5. sed â—atin pag. 4. After her death King Philip desirous to keepe England treated seriously of a marriage with Queen Elizabeth his late wiues sister with promise to obtaine a speciall dispensation from the pope Which the King of France fearing it would be granted by the pope laboured secretly to hinder but the hindrance of the marriage was from Queene Elizabeth her selfe Relation of Religion in the West pag. 34. 27. See the whole Tract pag. 25. seq By such dispensations from the pope marriages in the house of Austria haue been so neere that they remaine still as brethren all of one family and as armes of the selfe-same body Keeping their dominions vnited still together without distraction Philip the second of Spaine might call the Archduke Albert both brother cozen nephew and sonne being vncle to himselfe cozen-german to his father husband to his sister and father to his wife Such marriages made lawfull onely by the pope dispensing with the Law of God must needs binde both the parties and issue thereof to be firme to the Papacy and to maintaine that authority by which themselues stand maintained and honoured So searched and penetrant is that Sea of Rome to strengthen it selfe more by vnlawfull marriages of other men then euer Prince yet could doe by the most lawfull marriage of his owne And thus the Pope by some one act ties vnto himselfe the fauour of many friends and many generations Yet may this be thought fit onely for blinded or ill-minded Princes The well-sighted or well-minded need no such cloake nor will make vse of any such for any otherwise vniustifiable courses But if they through their owne ignorance or their Ancestors vniust proiects haue been inuolued in such nets as their conscience now mislikes they may after our King Henries example by Gods booke and the counsell of godly wise and learned men alter their courses abolish his authority that alters Gods Lawes or deludes them and establish their state by more sound meanes Humanum est errare perseuerare diabolicum §. 9. VI. Other dispensations See Verdunt discourse anno 1563. Mense Febr. in hist conc Trid. lib. 7. pag. 676. See Tortura Torti pag 57. for diuers things hurtfull to the Church States and People but very profitable to the Pope and Court of Rome are ordinary About which one Iohannes Verdun spake freely and iudiciously in the Councell of Trent Dispensations saith he are accounted dis-obligations from the Law but Gods Law is perpetuall and remaineth inuiolable for euer The Pope is not Lord and the Church his seruant to bestow fauours as a master vpon his seruants Hee is but a seruant at the best to him who is Spouse of the Church neither can he by dispensing vnbinde any that is bound but onely declare to him that is not bound that he is exempted from the Law Indeed humane Lawes through the imperfection of the Law-makers and Cases not foreseene may admit dispensations in sundry occurrences as exceptions from the generall Law where it may be iustly thought the Law-makers would haue made exceptions if they had foreseene those Cases but where God is the Law-giuer from whom nothing is concealed and by whom no accident is not fore-seene the Law can haue no exception but all his Law is equity it selfe perpetuall and immutable Hist conc Trid. lib. 4. pag. 321. The King of France anno 1551. in a Printed Manifest published to his subiects that they were not to regard the Popes dispensations which were not able to secure the conscience and are nothing but a shadow cast before the eies of men which cannot hide the truth from God Euen in mens lawes Dispensationes sunt legum vlnera Dispensations are deepe wounds In Gods Lawes deadly wounds both to the lawes and to the dispenser for lawes often wounded haue little life left in them and he that wounds them hath little feeling of conscience Christ came not to dissolue the Law but to fulfill it Matth. 5.17 the Pope comes not to fulfill the lawes but to dissolue them He vnbinds subiects oathes to Princes yea bindes subiects with oathes against Princes both against Gods Law binding where he should loose loosing where he should binde as Anti-god and Antichrist He bindes his Catholickes for a time while they want strength they shall not stirre getting strength then they are loosed then stirre killâ— and massacre Thus Gregory the 13. interprets the Bull of Pius the 5. And thus Princes of the old Christian faith that they liue and reigne are beholden to the Catholickes of the new stampe not for their faith but for their weakenesse Hist conc Trent lib.
Vicar or Vicegerent be applyed giuen or sold to whom he thinkes good A quaint deuise but without all this purgatory pardons pilgrimages Masses for the dead c. are to no purpose If Saint Pauls doctrine of Iustification by Christs merits onely stand then haue we no merits if no merits no supâ—rerogation if no super-erogatory merits then no pardons if no pardons surely either no purgatory or no deliuerance by the pope from thence and then a great deale of the popes income is cut off But horresâ—o refâ—rens rather then that earthly treasure be diminished the spirituall and heauenly treasure and worth of Christs merits be diminished the sound Doctrine of Iustification corrupted mans free-will merit supererogation pardons and other gainfull doctrines appendant thereunto deuised magnified and established Saint Paul said 1 Tim. 6.6 9 10. Godlinesse is great gaine these men make great gaine to be godlinesse He saith They that will be rich fall into temptations snares foolish and hurtfull lusts and that the loue of mony is the root of all euill which while some haue coueted after they haue erred from the faith Alas that they that hold the chiefest places in the Church should be of that number §. 13. I omit Crucifixes Beads Amulets Graines Medals and other things of great vertue sent from the pope to be hanged about peoples neckes or otherwise worne about them 1 Cor. 3.12 as defensatiues against euill spirits and other dangers which though they may be thought to be but hay and stubble yet when your Midaâ— hath touched them they are taken for pure gold and of great vertue farre fetched and deare bought §. 14. To omit these and many other things I will speake onely of extraordinary exactions and in our Countrey onely An. Dom. 1245. Regis 29. or especially Matthâ—w of Wâ—stmiâ—stâ—r â—n his booke called Flores Historiarum writing of King Henry the thirds tâ—me saâ—th that the Kâ—ng vpon search through euery County of England found the Romane reuâ—nues to amount to threescore thousand markes by yeare equall to the Kings reuenues And yet the popes exactions were so great besides Pag. 195. that our Nobles made complaints thereof both by words anâ— writing in the Counâ—ell of Lyons shewing the â—ntollerable grieuanâ—es oppressions of the popes Officers most impudently violently done that by the popes Commissâ—on coâ—mand with a non obstante which took away all lawes or rights and authenticke writings The pope for the present put off his answer being busied with excommunicating Fâ—edericke the Emperour But afterwards enraged with anger and disdaine at their complaints he multiplied their oppressions without measure or end So that a Parliament was called to take some course to saue the land from vtter spoyle and ruine of the pope Pag. 206 207. and all men reioyced to see the Kings courage and constancy hoping now they should be powerfully deliuered from the iniuries of the Court of Rome And first seuerall letters were sent to the pope and Cardinals wrâ—tten by the Bishops and by the King and by the Abbots and Priors and by the Earle Richaâ—d and all the Nobles with him all humbly petitioning to spare the exhausted Realme of England and recall the grieuances which in their letters they rehearsed which letters were pennâ—d in such pittifull sort that they were able to soften an heart of yron saith the story But they receiued hard answers Pag. 209 210 217. and drew more misery still vpon them For the pope shortly after demaunded of euery Beneficed man in England resident on his charge a third part and of non residents an halfe of their goods for thâ—ee yeares which prouoked all Christ and in England to hate and curse the pope And diuâ—rs Noblemen of France to wit the Duke of Burgundy the Eâ— le of Britaine the Earle of Saint Pâ—ul and many other conspired against â—im and bâ—gan a Sch sme which tâ—â— puâ—lished in writing which is extent in â—he â—â—ory and in Mâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 â—erswading all men to reforme and liue after the fashion of the Primitiue Church Anno 1247. But the State and Clergy of England wrote againe to the popâ— and Cardinals for ease from these exactions giuing notice also of a dangerous Shisme else like to follâ—w This caused the pope somewhat to mitigate the exaction in England and draw downe to â—lâ—uen thousand markes to be payed for his present necessities Which summe our Bishops thought best to grant to auoyde the Roman greater persecution But out of this payment they left out all the Abbots of England pag. 219. to be deeplier fleeced by the Court of Rome At the same time also the pope got vp sixe thousand markes in Jreland and in other Countries what could be raked vp pag. 210 After all this new exactions came vpon the English especially vpon the Abbots and exempted persons pag. 222. Of one Abbey of S. Albans the popes Officer demaunded foure hundred markes which yet the pope was afterward induced to mitigate Math. Paris in vlla Henrici tertij See also Speeds Chron. in Henry 3. nu 52 57 60. anno 1234. In the same Kings raigne Mathy Paris saith that by the popes mandata de prouidendo for illiterate Italian Clerkes and Gratiae expectativae to wit in giuing Benefices as they fell voyd to Italians that neuer came at them but had the yearely reuenues thereof in mony brought into Jtaly to them there went out of the land yearely more treasure then the Kings reuenues amounted vnto And because it was not possible that the English of themselues should be alwayes funished with money to be sent in such summes out of the land the popes Merchants as they called them that is men sent hither for that purpose supplied them with money vpon vsury and the Roman Farmers and Proctors like greedy Harpies scraped vp all into their hands to the great impouerishing and misery of the English So that holy men with heart-breakings teares and deadly groanes singultu cruentato saith Paris professed it were better for them to die then to see such miseries vpon their Nation and vpon holy men the Daughter of Sion becomming such an impudent Harlot Against which Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lincolne opposeth himselfe writing to the Pope his Epistle is extant in Mathy Paris that his detestable abhominable soule-murdering actions did euince him to be an Hereticke worthy of death yea to be Antichrist and to sit in the chaire of pestilence next to Lucifer h mselfe and that he had no power to excommunicate such as resisted these his actions Paris telleth further that King Henrie requiring the Prelates to binde themselues to the Popes Merchants for a great summe of money they replyed English Prelats counted it rather Martyrdome to dye against the Pope then for him that they would rather dye then suffer such oppression holding it a more manifest Martyrdome to dye in such a cause then was the death of Thomas Becket
Bishops and ordinary Pastora would or no and to vphold the Popes falling kingdome and withall to execute a most cruell Inquisition against hereticks for by that odious name were all good Christians branded that would not be subiect to the popes tyranny and Romish corruptions But all this being insufficient f Rigordus histor anni 1208. pag. 207. he published his Croysadoes promising pardon of all sinnes and the ioyes of heauen to all that would take the signe of the crosse vpon their Coates or Armour and become souldiers against the Waldenses and continue in the warre for forty dayes together after they came or that happened to dye in their way comming thither A very politicke and a thrifty course he promised paradise and eternall life very liberally to his crossed souldiers but bestowed not one crosse of siluer to maintaine them But withall they that were once crossed thus for the holy warres in what land soeuer were no longer the Kings subiects but the popes neither might they be arrested sued or troubled for any debts or actions but must be suffered freely to goe about to prepare themselues and all men must thinke it a holy and meritorious deed to furnish and ayde them with whatsoeuer they needed and account them the vndoubted citizens of heauen whether they liued or dyed Thus the politicke pope turned the Croysadoes and Armies ordained to goe against Christs enemies the Sarazens or Turkes now to goe against the popes own enemies Christians the best seruants of Christ g Gretserus Prolegom in scripta edita contra Waldens cap. 6. Vsh ib. cap. 9. §. 4 5. The Catholicks saith your Iesuite Gretser which tooke the badge of the crosse vpon them to warre and roote out the hereticks Albigenses or Waldenses were promised to enioy the same Indulgence and be guarded with the same holy priuiledge which was granted to them that warred against the Turke for defence of the holy Land And further the better to gather numbers of souldiers in euery place h Vmbert Burgund Serm. part 2. serm 64. the pope vsed the helpe of Preachers to stirre vp the people And the Preachers taking this or some such like text Psal 94.16 Who will rise vp for me against the euill doere or who will stand vp for me against the workers of Iniquity would commonly conclude their Sermons with this exhortation Behold deare Brethren you see the malice of the Heretickes you see how much hurt they doe in the world and you see againe how carefully and by all holy meanes the Church doth labour to recall and recouer them but with such men she cannot preuaile no they defend themselues with the secular power And therefore our holy mother the Church sore against her will and with great sorrow is compelled to call together a Christian army against them Whosoeuer therefore hath any zeale of Religion whosoeuer is touched with the honour of God whosoeuer desireth to be a partaker of that great Jndulgence let him take vpon him the signe of the crosse and ioyne himselfe to the army of our Lord crucified By these meanes the pope drew out of all parts an innumerable company of Souldiers in the yeere 1209. conducted by many Bishops Earles and Barons c. The King of France himselfe saith Guilielmus Armoricanus sent fifteene thousand at his owne charge giuing example to others This great Army in short time tooke one great strong populous City * Vrbem Biturensem and put to the sword threescore thousand among whom were many of their owne Catholickes i Caesarius Heisterbachensis histor lib. 5. cap. 21. Let our English Catholicks consider what they are to looke for in like cases of our enemies preuailing For Arnoldus the Cistercian Abbot being the Popes Legate in this great Warre commanded the Captaines and souldiers saying Cedite eos novit enim Dominus qui sunt ejus Kill them all Catholicks or Hereticks for the Lord knoweth who are his Then the Army marched on to Carcasson a City both of it selfe strong and well manned not likely without strong siege effusion of much blood and great losse of time to be taken with this great Army and therefore the Leaders were glad to gaine it by composition suffering a woâ—ld of people of the Albigenses religion thence to depart so they would leaue the City vnweakned and vndefaced which City thus gotten §. 4. they made the head City of the warre which they foresaw would be very long the number strength and resolution of the Albigenses being very great k Vsher cap. 10. §. 26. This City tnerefore they fortified and furnished with all manner of store for all future euents and made Simon of Montfort a Noble man highly descended and allied to the Kings of England and of France gouernour of the City and generall of the whole Army and Lord of all the Land already conquered or to bee conquered by these warres The cunning Legat to get the great Earle of Beziers into his hands perswaded him with faire promises and safe conduct to come to a parley l Vsh ib. Hist Albig booke 1. cap. 6 7. and when he had him in his power contrary to promise tooke him prisoner saying that faith is not to be kept with Hereticks He dyed shortly after in prison suspected by poyson and Simon Montfort succeeded him in his Lands and in a monethes space tooke an hundred Castles with much slaughter of the Albigenses and their fauourers But this course of victories had interchanges of losses For the Gentlemen of the Vicounty of Beziers by secret instructions of the King of Aragon tooke such aduantages that Simon was faine to send to all the Prelates of Europe for new supplies affirming hee had lost aboue forty Townes and Castles since the last departure of the Pilgrimes Then Simon taking the Castle of Beron neere vnto Montreal caused the eyes of aboue an hundred Albigenses to be put out and their noses cut off leauing onely one with one eye to conduct the rest to Cabaret §. 7. See ib. and the Authors there alledged The new pilgrimes or crossed souldiers arriuing the next yeere 1210 Simon taketh Minerbe a strong Castle situate vpon the Frontiers of Spaine where 140. some say 180 men and women chose rather to bee burned on earth then in hell for changing their Religion Among many other hee tooke also the Castle of Thermes and Remond lord of the place and Countrey spoyling all with fire euen the lord also his wife sister daughter and other Nobles for their constancy in their old faith m Vsher ibid. §. 9 seq Caesarius hist lib. 5. cap. 21. The next yeere also 1211. §. 6. another great Army arriued which tooke many Cities and Castles hanging and burning many of the Albigenses and besieged Lavallis a towne strongly fortified and defended during which siege others of the Religion tooke Montem gaudij and flue great numbers of the Pontificians But after along siege Lauallis
was taken the souldiers slaine foure hundred Albigenses burnt the rest hanged and the like executions were done in many other Cities and Castles But the City Tolous though besieged could not then be taken Remond Earle of Tolous was a great man neere in blood to the King of France in the 2. degree he had married Joane once Queene of Sicilia sister to Iohn King of England by whom he had a son called also Remond who was the last Earle of Tolous and after the decease of Joane he married Elenor sister of Peter K. of Araegon He was strong therfore in bloud affinity and confederacy and n Armoricanus philippidâ—â— lib. 8. one saith he had as many Cities Castles and Townes as the yeere hath daies He had many great prouinces vnder him Bertrandus o Bertrand de gestâ—s Tulosar fol. 32. col 4. reckons them thus Tenebat Cemes Tolosanus comitatum Tolosae comitatum de Sancto Egidio Prouinciam Delphinatum comitatum venaissimi Ruthenensem patriam Cadurcensem Albigensem Tolosae circumvicinas Iudiciarias linguam Occitanam lata dominia intra vltra Rhodanum Aquitaniam But because he was a great defender of the Albigenses and was one of their Religion himselfe The pope proscribed him and exposed him to extirpation and ruine and to be a prey to Simon Montfort with his pilgrimes p So saiâ—h â—â—m Marian â—â—â—ch hâ—span lib. 1. cap. 2. The Earle therefore gathering an Army of an hundred thousand was very likely to haue vtterly ouerthrowen Simon had not the vnexpected death of the King of Aragon intercepted by ambush quite discouraged and dissolued the Albigenses Army so that they could not be stayed by their Captaines from running away q Vsher ibid. §. 34. seq Some write that the Albigenses lost 15000 fighting men some say 17000 others say 32000 r Hist Albig lib. 1. cap. 11. By this meanes Simon now able to take the City of Tolous sendeth for the King of France his sonne to come and haue the honour of taking the City who came accordingly tooke it and dismantled it beating downe the towres thereof §. 7. Yet this great mifortune cast not downe the Albigenses but their courage and power was still so great that new Croisadoes and Jndulgences were sent abroad to gather new crossed souldiers against them anno 1213 by whose aide Simon wonne many other Castles and townes And now in a Councell of many Bishops was Simon declared Lord of all the Countries and Dominionâ— gotten by this holy warre and possession shortly after giuen vnto him by Lewis eldest sonne of the King of France and confirmed also by the pope in the Councell of Lateran anno 1215. §. 8. Yet for all this while Simon made a iorney to Paris to the King and stayed there about honourable Ceremonies and making marriages for his children Remond was returned to Tolous and ioyning with many Aragonians that were come to reuenge the death of their King tooke the City and many other Castles anno 1217. Vpon the newes whereof Simon returned and for recouering of the City besieged it but was most strangely and suddenly slaine with a stone which a woman threw out of an Engin. Whereupon the siege brake vp that town remained and many other townes and Castles returned vnder the obedience of old Remond Earle of Tolous Againe anno 1219. The King of France sent his sonne now the second time taking vpon him the signe of the crosse with a great Army against the Albigenses who slew of them 5000 and besieged Tolous againe but in vaine The Albigenses also retouer many Castles Againe anno 1221 King Philip of France sent 10000 footmen and 200 horsemen against them still without fruit of their labours In the yeere 1223. by the popes appointment Vsh d cap. 10. §. 46. was a Councell held at Paris by the popes Legate two Archbishops and 20 other Bishops against the Albigenses and King Philip of France at his death appointed 20000 pounds or as some write 100000 pound to be bestowed in winning the Albigenses lands saith Å¿ Rigord pag. 225. Rigordus For now the Albigenses had recouered the strong City head of the warre Carcasson and many other Castles which their enemies had wonne and held 14 yeeres t Math. Paris hist an 1223. pag. 306. And were now growne so powerfull in Bulgaria Croatia and Dalmatia that among many others they drew some Bishops to their partie But on the other side Remond the Earle of Tolous § 9. submitted himselfe â—nto the pope vpon his oath that he would endeuour to root out the Albigenses the pope restored him Yet when he came before the Legat in a great Councell of French Bishops and there claimed restitution of his lands according to the popes grant Simons sonne came also and claimed the same lands as wonne by his father and assured by the pope and also by the King of France hereupon the Legat demurred Vsher ib §. 51. seq Math. Paris hist pag. 319. seq and vnderhand procured the King of France Lewis to to gather a great Army of crossed souldiers to winne from the Albigenses the Citie of Avignion a place of theirs of great strength and thought to be invincible The King mak ng peace with the King of England by mediation of the pope raiseth a great army anno 1225 of 50000 horse and innumerable foot and marcheth towards Avignioâ— then being in the power of the Earle of Tolous and being denyed entrance besiegeth it The warlike Earle defended it brauely Hee had very prouidently before the kings comming withdrawen all kind of prouision out of the Countrey round about into the City to furnish them within and disfurnish them without and now by often sallies hee mightily afflicted them killing at one time 2000 at another 3000 being helped by the breaking of a bridge and the pestilence daily wasted great numbers So that the King though he had sworne neuer to depart till he had taken the City went aside to an Abbey not farre distant to auoyd the pestilence where he dyed shortly after as some write out of his wits The Legat the more easily to winne the City kept secret the Kings death and despairing to preuaile by force attempted to doe it by fraud He cunningly perswaded the City to send vnto him 12 of their Citizens to conferre about some good conditions giuing them his oath for their safe returne but when the gates were opened to receiue them so returning his Army rushed in and tooke the gate and finally the City contrary to his oath giuen For the Pope or himselfe by the popes authority could easily enough dispense with such oathes Thus the city of Avignion which could not be taken in three monthes siege and assault by the power of the King of France Math. Paris hist an 1228. 〈◊〉 237. was easily taken by the fraud and periury of his Holinesse holy Legat. §. 10. In the
1213. and 1220. §. 4. The twelfth Chapter sheweth there were many of the Waldenses Religion in England Matth. Paris in anno 1174. some burnt in anno 1174 saith Math Paris and in King Henry the second his time many were grieuously persecuted in England saith Thomas Waldensis an English man Waldens de Re sacram lib. 6. tit 12. cap. 10. Wiclife taught their very doctrine and greatly spread it in England Also in Saxony and Pomerania and in the Diocesse of Eisten in Germany ib. cap 11. were many Waldenses they had twelue Pastors knowen besides the vnknown Yea as Trithenius reports they were in such numbers and so spread in Germany that they could trauell from Colen to Milan in Italy and euery night lodge with hostes of their owne profession §. 5. The thirteenth Chapter shewes many in Flaunders the fourteenth in Poland Sigonius de Regno Italiae lib. 17. Rainer in summa fol. 18. the fifteenth in Paris it selfe the sixteenth in Italy as writeth Sigonius Rainerius saith in anno 1250. The Waldenses had Churches in Albania Lombardy Millan Romagnia and also in Vicence Florence and Val Spoletine Anno 1280. there were many Waldenses in Sicilia saith Du Haillan Roger Haillan in the life of Philip. 3. Sigonius lib. 17. King of Sicilia made constitutions against them and Pope Gregory the ninth persecuted them in Jtaly especially in Millan as saith Sigonius So did Honorius and Boniface the 8. The seuenteenth Chapter sheweth Rainerius de forma haereticor fol. 10. an 1250. the Waldenses had Churches in Constantinople Philadelphia Slavonia Bolgaria Digonicia by the testimony of Rainerius and they were spred into Livonia and Sarmatia Vignier histor Biblio thec part 3. pag. 130. as Vignier sheweth Sectionis 3. Subsectio 4. § 1. The Waldenses continued aboue 400 yeeres vntill Lutherrs time and after § 2. Jn England by meanes of Wiclife § 3. His doctrine and many followers Oxford Diuines § 4. The story of Iohn Hus Ierom of Prage and Bohemian affaires § 8. and 9. The continuance of the Waldenses after Luthers time Luther wrote a Preface to one of their bookes Letters passed betwixt them and Oecolampadius Bucer Caluin c. Antiquus Enough Sir of their spreading but except you shew also their succession and continuance till Luthers rising you can haue no hope to satisfie Antiquissimus I haue shewed Councels consultations persecutions massacres and mighty warres against them whereby many thousands of them haue beene burnt slain rooted out banished wasted Vsher ib. cap. 10. §. 64. but yet the maruellous hand of God still appeared in preseruing multitudes of them in diuers and many places in the middest of all their grieuous and continuall persecutions their doctrine was still preserued preached beleeued spred continued and deliuered to posterity Your a Thuanus hist sui temporis in praefatione Thuanus writing but the other day saith Supplicia parum profâ—cerunt Persecutions or punishments preuailed little They were slaine banished spoyled of their goods and dignities and scattered into diuers Countries rather then conuicted of errour or brought to repentance Surely as the persecution of the Apostles at Ieruâ—alem quenched not the Gospell but b Acts. occasioned the spreading thereof in Samaria and remoter parts so did the persecutions of the Waldenses in some parts of France occasion their spreading into other parts and other Countries as Germany Bohemia Polonia Livonia c. as c Thuanus ib. Thuanus there sheweth §. 2. In Britany or England the Waldenses doctrine was quickly receiued by many Haply by means of the entercourse of the English people with the great Earle of Tolous his subiects by reason of the d Before subs 3. §. 4. affinity betwixt those Princes for in the yeere 1174 and in Henry the seconds time there was persecution and burning of them as e Subs 2. § 6. Mathy Paris and Thomas Walden haue recorded But that doctrine was more generally receiued and had fuller passage in King Edward 3 raigne when f See Archb. Abbot against D. Hill Reason 1. §. 25 Fox iâ—â—ita Wicl â—â— Iohn Wiclife a learned Doctor of Diuinity g Bailiol Colledâ—â— Master of a Colledge in Oxford and publike Reader of Diuinity in that Vniuersity taught it there with the great liking applause of the hearers and approbation of the whole Vniuersity For the Vicechancellour Proctors diuers Preachers and Batchelors of Diuinity tooke part with him And when Buls came thicke from Rome against him and his Doctrine First from Gregory 11. anno 1378. And afterwards from Gregory the 12 whereby he was to be condemned for an Hereticke The whole Vniversity gaue a testimony in fauour of him vnder their seale in their Congregation house in these words among others h Anno 1406. Octob. 5. God forbid that our Prelats should haue condemned a man of such honesty for an Hereticke c. §. 3. This mans doctrine as the said Bulles of the two Popes did say agreed with the doctrine of Marsilius Patavians and Johannes de Ganduno i Abbot ib. This Marsilius a very learned man in that Age about the yeere 1324 had written a booke entituled Defensor Pacis in defence of the Emperor Lewis of Bauier who was mightily laid at by three Popes successiuely demoÌ„strating the supreme authority of the Emperour and beating down the iniquity of the Popes vsurpations ouer Christian Princes and generall Councels shewing that things are to be decided by the Scriptures that learned men of the Laity are not to be debarred voyces in Councels that the Clergy and pope also are to be subiect to Princes That the Church is the whole company of the faithfull that Christ is the foundation and head of the Church hath not appointed any one to be his Vicar that Priests may be married as well as other Christians that S. Peter was neuer at Rome that the Popish court or Synagogue is a denne of theeues that the doctrine of the Pope is not to be followed because it leadeth to euerlasting destruction The popes being informed that this was also Wiclifes doctrine must needes condemne him or yeeld themselues guilty Many other positions were attributed vnto him also some bad enough and vndoubtedly false as had been before to the Waldenses and the Primitiue Christians but what hee truely held may be seene in his owne workes that remaine and in Mr. Foxe writing his life and in Catalogo testium veritatis lib. 18. Gabr. Powel De Antichristâ— In Prafatione n. 25. The summe whereof Mr. Gabriel Powel a diligent searcher and obseruer deliuereth thus Hee taught that there ought not to be one supreme Bishop in the Church that the pope is not only not Christs Vicar but also that he is Antichrist that his priuiledges bulles dispensations and indulgences are not onely idle and vnprofitable but also wicked and impious that to spirituall men is not to be giuen the politicke Dominion
Caxton in aucta rio Polychron cap. 19. Fabian in Chron Bale cent 7. cap. 86. Hondorfâ—n theat hist disputed with Thomas Walden publikely in the Schooles of Oxford of many questions of Wiclifes doctrine for maintaining which being persecuted he fled into Bohemia afterwards hee was chosen to be preacher to certaine Christians at Melda in France which misliked the corruptions of the pope where in processe of time he and 62 of his hearers were surprised by the Magistrate and sent to Paris bound in Carts where 14 of the principall were burned the rest tormented and put to other deathes oâ— banished he and Steuen Mangris in whose house they had vsed to meet and heare the Gospell preached had their tongues cut out then were hanged and lastly burned 1433. The next day the Clergy went in solemne procession carrying the hoste thanking God for that happy execution and a Doctor inueighing against the Martyrs said it was necessary for euery man to beleeue to his saluation that these men were damned whose bodies they had burned and that God could not be God if he did not damne them 1433. Aeneas Sylv. in discript Europae cap 49. hist Iohem Peter Pain or Peacocke Fellow of All-S ules Colledge in Oxford for his constant preaching against the Roman Antichrist was faine to flye into Bohemia whence he was sent with other Legats to the Councell of Basil where he defended the doctrine fifty dayes He flourished 1438. Bale ibid. cent 8. cap. 4. Roger Oueley in Oxford Diuine Chaplen to the Lady Elenor Cobham wife of the Duke of Glocester wrote a learned booke against the peoples superstitions and for attempting somthing with the said Lady against the papacy hee with some of his associats was executed and quartered at London and the Lady banished into the I le of Man 1442. Bale ibid. cap. 2. Humfrey Duke of Glocester sonne of King Henry the fourth brother to the fifth vncle to the sixth hauing bin educated in Oxford in Baliol Colledge was a great fauourer of Preachers of the purer Religion he was the Founder of a worthy Library in Oxford which he enriched with an 129 most choyce bookes procured out of Italy and France The Bishops and others hated him deadly by whose meanes he was taken in Bury Abbey in the night cast in prison and there shortly after found suddenly dead whether smothered by pillowes or by some other means 1447. Bale cent 14. cap. 99. Philip Norise an Jrish man Deane of Dublin a Diuine of Oxford inveighed against Antichristian Monks and Fryers calling them Antichrists Wolues Theeues Traitors Swine Hypocrites Hereticks more pestilent then the Arians Pelagians Donatists Nestorians orother Heretickes whatsoeuer For which the Fryers complained of him to pope Eugenius 4. from whom he appealed to a generall Councell 1446. Bale cent 8. cap. 12. David Boyse Fellow of Merton Colledge a witty and learned man embraced the syncere Religion and abhorred the blindnesse and tyranny of the Clergy of his time 1450. Ibid cap. 63. To omit many others I conclude with Iohn Colet a Diuine of Oxford and Deane of Saint Pauls in London he taught in Oxford that Mans iustification was by the meere grace of Iesus Christ that Images are not to be worshipped that Bishops not feeding their flockes are Wolues c. He was accused of heresie by Richard Iames Bishop of Lond n and two Franciscan Fryers Bricot and Standish 1507. which was but tenne yeeres before Luthers rising Iohn Hus might well say §. 4. Hus tomo 1. in Replica contaâ— Anglicum Ioan. Stoaks fol. 108. a. 109 b. 110 a. that for thirty yeeres from Wiclifes time to the time of Husses writing the Vniuersity of Oxford did read Wiclifes bookes and he yet saith further that there was scarce a man to be found in that Vniuersity which did not read hold and study the doctrine that Wiclife taught Hus speakes of 30 yeeres we find 100 yeeres and more euen vnto Luthers dayes And if Oxford was so fruitfull of such teachers can we imagine that her sister Cambridge was barren or that the Countrey yeelded them no disciples No we read in most kings raignes of persecutions and executions of them beside the secret ones whose persons escaped their enemies and their names the histories which doubtlesse were not a few But were they many or few remaining in England wee see the learned professors being persecuted here found good refuge entertainment in Bohemia where as we formerly obserued many Waldenses had planted themselues before Some of them carried thither first the bookes of Wiclife entituled De realibus Vniuersalibus saith Aeneas Sylvius Aenean Sylvius hist Bohem. cap. 35. Cochleus hist de Hussitis lib. 1. Afterwards saith Cocleus Peter Paine brought into Bohemia Wiclifes bookes in quantity as great as Saint Augustins workes many whereof Iohn Hus translated into the Bohemian tongue for the better instruction of the Waldenses there of whom the said Hus and Ierom of Prage were the chiefe pastors Cochl hist lib. 2. Bellar praefat general contâ—ouers and of his name their aduersaries called them Hussites Cochleus and Bellarmine ioyne the VViclefists Hussites and VValdenses together as holding the same points of doctrine and reprouing the same abuses of Rome The same Cochleus also saith The Hussites and Thaborites were branches of VViclife Cochleus ib. lib. 2. 3. 6. Platina in vita Ioan. 24. and lib. 6. cals the German Protestants New VViclifists And Platina saith The Hussites as Sectators of VViclife were condemned in the Councell of Constance Thus therefore by these confessions and many other the VValdenses doctrine was continued not now to name others in the VViclifists and Hussites Iohn Husse a very carefull and painefull man translated also the holy Scriptures into their mother tongue whereby the common people were so well grounded in the soundnesse of his doctrine and multiplyed so much in short time that w Onuphrius in tabula concil ad Platinae hist partly to represse them and partly to take away the schisme betweene the Popes the Councell of Constance was called x Fox in concil Constant histor D. Abbot ib. §. The Nobles of Bohemia so much fauored Hus that they wrote two seuerall supplications to the Councell in his behalfe but for all that and contrary to their and the Emperours safe conduct or promise that Hus Ierom of Prage should goe and come safely both Hus and Ierom were there burnt wherat the Nobles of Bohemia greatly displeased and complaining the Emperour Sigismund y Cochleus lib. 4. layed all the fault vpon the Councell §. 5. z Ibid. The Bohemians thus robbed of their principall Pastors were much moued at the perfidiousnesse of those at Constance and assembled together to the number of thirty thousand and in the open fields vpon three hundred Tables which they erected for that purpose they receiued the holy Communion in both kindes Afterwards rushing into the
proued by â—criptures Fathers and Councels that no mortall man had power to giue a dispensation for a man to marry hâ—s brothers wife and told the Pope they had brought also other learned men out of England which were ready by dispensation to maintaine it The Pope promised sundry times a day of disputation but after many delayes giuing them good entertainement he made Cranmer his â—enitentiary and dismissed them Then the rest returning Cranmer was sent by the Kings appointment Embassadour into Germany to the Emperour where hee drew many to his side and among the rest Cornelius Agrippa While hee was in Germany Archbishop Warhan dyed and the K. sent for Cranmer to make him Archbishop of Canterbury who delayed his returne partly for businesse and partly for conscience and feare that he should be vrged to receiue the Bishopricke as from the Popes Donation when the right or Donation was in the King As he plainely told the King after his comming home But yet the matter was so handled that both with the Kings and the popes consent Cranmer was made Archbishop There are many letters from the pope soâ—â— to the King some to Cranmer in fauour of Cranmer recorded in the Register of Cranmer fol. 1 2 3. and related in Master Masons Booke lib. 2. cap 6. Whereof one for his Consecration runnes thus Clement Bishop 〈◊〉 our welbeloued sonne Thomas elect of Canterbuty Weâ— grant he eâ—câ— to thee that thou mâ—â—st â—â—â—eiue the gift of Consecration of whatsoeuer Catholicke Prelate thou wilt so he enioy the fauor and communion of the Apostolicke See two or three Bishops enioying the like fauour and communion being sent for and assisting him in this businesse Dat. Bouon 1532. Pontificatus numeri decimo And he was accordingly consecrated March 30. 1533 24. H. 8. by three Bishops to his Lincolne John Exon Hâ—yâ—ry Assaph I hope there can be no quarrell picked against this Consecration The most busie-headed Iesuite of our times Robert Parsons acknowledgeth Cranmer a true Bishop in his three Conuersions part 3. pag. 340. Antiquus But did not Cranmer take the oath to the Bishop of Rome at his Consecration as his predcessors had done and afterwards brake it Sanders de schis lib. 1 cap. 58. Mason lib. 2. cap. 7. Ex Regist Cran. fol. 4. b. Antiquissimus Indeed your D. Sanders so slanders him as if he had taken it simply and absolutely which he did not but with a protestation often made and repeatâ—d plainly and publikely first in the Chapter-house secondly kneeling before the high Altar in the hearing of the Bishops and people at his consecration thirdly in the very same place and in the very same words when by Commission from the Pope they deliuered him the Pall. The summe of the protestation was this That hee intended not to binde himselfe to any thing which was contrary to the Law of God or contrary to the King or Common wealth of England or the Lawes and prerogatiues of the sâ—me nor to restraine his owne liberty to speake consult or consent in all and euery thing concerning the Reformation of Christian Religion the Gouernment of the Church of England and the prerogatâ—ue of the Crowne or the commodity of the Common-wealth And euery where to execute and reforme such things which he should thinke fit to be reformed in the Church of England And according to this interpretation and this sense and no otherwise he professed and protested that hee would take the oath Sect. 5. Antiquus Well I am satisfied for Cranmer What say you to the rest of that time for he alone could not consecrate Antiquissimus I say first the Bishops in King Henries time which had beene consecrated before the renouncing of the popes authority lost not their power of consecrating afterwards For their Character is indeleble and cannot bee nullified by schisme heresie or censure of the Church being a thing imprinted in the soule by God and not by Man as the Councels h Concil of Florence Trent cited by Bellar. De Sacram in genere lib. 2. cap. 19. and your owne Doctors i Bellarmine in the same chapter De Rom. pont lib. 4. c. 10. § Respondeo falsissimum esse in fine he saith Quis ignorat Catholicorum baptizatos ab Haereticis verè esse baptizatos similiter ordinatos vere esse ordinatos quando ordinator vere episcopus fuerat adhuc erat saltem quantum ad Characterem teach Secondly I say that by the Statutes made in the 25 yeare of King Henry 8 it was ordained that euery Bishop should be consecrated by three former Bishops and with all due ceremonies And this is acknowledged by your k De schis lib. 3 pag. 296. D. Sanders and was duly performed in all Consecrations as of Cranmer of Canterbury 1533. Lee of Liechfield 1534. Browne Archbishop of Dublin 1535. Wharton of Assaph 1536. Holgate of Landaffe 1537. Holbecke of Bristow 1537. Thurlby of Westminster 1540. Wakeman of Glocester 1541. Bucklsy of Bangor 1541. Bush of Bristow 1542. Kitchin of Landaffe 1545. Euery one consecrated by three Bishops at the least and with all due ceremonies So that of King Henries time both by the statute De jure and by Records De facto you may be fully resolued that according to your owne rules all were true Bishops that were consecrated either before or after the schisme as you call it nd so they were acknowledged that liued still in Queene Maries time they that had beene thus consecrated in King Henries time were acknowledged I say by all your Catholickes and by the Pope himselfe to be rightly consecrated neither needed they any new consecration as B. Bouer Bishop Thurlby and Cardinall Pole But Thurlby made Bishop of Westminster in King Henries time was translated to Norwich by King Edward and to Ely by Queene Mary and made of her priuy Councell And Anthony Kitchin made Bishop of Landaffa in King Henries time so continued in King Edward and Queene Maries time and till his death in the fift yeare of Queene Elizabeth without any new orders or consecration the first being sufficient and in all times vndoubted Also Reginal Poole Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Watson Dauid Pole Iohn Christoferson made Bishops in Queene Maries time deriued their Consecration from Bishops which were made in the time of the pretended schisme and some of them from Cranmer himselfe Now then if you allow them for Canonicall you must allow their consecrators also to be Canonicall Sect. 6. King Henries Bishops then being thus cleared come we to King Edwards time wherin the Bishops formerly made and then continuing are cleared also to bee truely Consecrated and the Priests also formerly made and continuing in King Edwards time must be acknowledged to be rightly ordered and therefore to be capable of consecration to be made Bishops as were Ridley Hooper Ferrar. These therefore being consecrated by three Bishops became true Canonicall Bishops and so were all throughout King
Edwards dayes as appeareth both by your Doctor Sanders confession l Sanders de schism lib. 3. pag. 297. And by our publicke Records or Registers m Extracted published in Mr. Masons booke Ridley 1547. Ferrar 1549. Hooper 1550. Poynet 1550. Scory and Couerdale 1551. In whose consecrations good and fit prayers were vsed and all necessary ceremonies as of imposition of hands c. Auoyding onely vnnecessary superfluous superstitions Ceremonies as we call them which your owne men confesse to be accidentall things onely and not touching the essence of orders without which orders may well stand and be prefect enough Of Queene Maries time you make no doubt all was according to your minde all the Bishops and Priests were true and Canonicall and might well deliuer the like to posterity I speake this ex concessis And of Queene Elizabeths time you haue as little reason to doubt Sect. 7. Antiq. Yes for in the very beginning of Queene Elizabeths time some Bishops were depriued See Arnâ—ls of Elizabeth Engglish Darâ—â— pag. 32. and the rest denyed to consecrate new ones So that for the consecration of D. Parker Archbishop of Canterbury there could not be found Bishops to do it D. Sanders saith you had neither 3 nor 2 Bishps to do it D. Kellison saith you could finde none Antiquissimus This is a shameles vntruth For when the Deane and Chapter had elected D. Parker for their Archbishops according to the ancient and inuiolated custome of the Church as the Record n Register Mat. Parker saith the Queene sent her letters Patents to seuen Bishops giuing commission that they or at least foure of them should consecrate him c And foure of them did it accordingly the 17 of December 1559. To wit William Barlow and Iohn Hodgskins both made Bishops in King Henries Dayes and John Scory and Miles Couerdale made Bishops in King Edwards dayes Antiq. There may be some doubt whether these were Bishops or no because they fled and left their Bishoprickes in Queene Maries dayes and other Bishops were placed in their roomes Antiquissimus These prelats did but as Athanasius and many other holy Bishops did in the dangerous times of the domineering Arrians Matth. 10. â—3 who according to Christs precept fled to saue their liues and reserue their gifts to better times But as Athanasius and those otâ—er Bishops were still accounted the true Bishops and those that were set vp in their roomes were accounted vsurpers and put downe when those better times came and the other true Bishops restored to their places so at the comming of Elizabeths happy times these Bishops that fled were recalled returned and restored to their former places or preferred to other Now except you will condemne that most worthy Athanasius and the other for no Bishops in the time of their exile when others had their places you cannot reiect these worthy men as no Bishops their case being the same with those ancient Bishops And of all other you should least quarrell at these things For you know there are many in your Roman Church both Bishops and Priests which haue no particular places Bishoprickes or Benefices and yet you account them true Bishops and Priests Such was Olaus Magnus Archiepiscopus Vpsalensis o Gentil in Examine and blind Robert Archiepiscopus Armachanus p Jdem ib. Who both were sent by the Pope to the Councell of Trent to fill vp the number of Bishops q Sleidan com lib. 17. And Robert King entituled Episcopus Roanensis r Goodwin Catalogo in the Archbishoprick of Athens in Grecia vnder the Turke and many the like And your innumerable Priests without Benefices sent into England and other Countries Your owne Bellarmine saith Å¿ Bellar. De Sacram conf lib. 2. cap. 12. in fine Respondeo Suffraganeos esse verè episcopos quia ordinationem habent iurisdictionem licet careant possessione pro priae ecclesia They are true Bishops which haue ordination and Iurisdiction though they want the possession of their proper Church And this also warranteth our Suffragan Bishops wherof we had some in later times who had both due consecration by three Bishops and also Iurisdiction though not very large as other Bishops had t By the statute of 26. H. 8. c. 14. Antiquus Since you haue so well satisfied mee of Archbishop Parkers consecration when true Bishops willing to put to their hands were so hard to be found I need not doubt of the rest of al the Bishops the in more plentifull reignes of Queene Elizâ—beth or King Iames since D. Sanders u Sanders de schism lib. 3. pag 297. confesseth that the Law of King Henry 8 for consecration by three Bishops was reuiued by Queene Elizabeth and standeth in force and hath been very duely obserued in these later times Antiquissimus If you desire yet fuller satisfaction you may see the Consecrations of the Bishops in both these Princes raignes set downe largely in Master Masons booke together with a deriuation of the Episcopall line from the Bishops of King Henry 8 which you acknowledge to be Canonicall vnto George now Lord Archbishop of Canterbury with the dayes and yeares when euery of them and their Consecrators were consecrated euer more by three former Bishops and sometimes by foure or more I conclude with Bishop Andrewes answere to Bellarmine Eliensis Responsio ad Bellarmini Apologiam contra Praefationem monitoriam Iacobi Regis cap. 7. pag. 168. Our Bishops haue been alwayes ordayned by three true Bishops Bishops not as you sometimes against the CanoÌ„s by abbots Also by true Bishops euen your Bishops except yours be not true This Canon was neuer violated by vs nor that order euer interrupted And in our Bishops there is res Episcopi non nomen solum et opus non opes the office and not onely the benefice Which they performe much more frequently and diligently then yours doe Sect. 8. Antiquus I haue been very much wronged and abused with the contrary opinion which our teacherr hold so confidently and vrge so vehemently with such seeming certaine knowledge of the trueth that I thought it a shame to doubt of it And I confesse it was one principall cause of my alienation from hearing or regarding your Ministers whom otherwise I knew to be very honest and learned men Antiquissimus You may see by this how mens mindes leauened with malice will Imagine euill without cause and how mightily their passions and affections transport them to receiue vayne surmises for truest oracles and vent them for arguments vnanswerable This may occasion you to suspect their dealing in other things And as you do wisely and religiously to yeeld to the manifest truth grâ—euing that you haue been abused by the vnskilfull or deluded by the willfull euill teachers so I hope when others see the same truth they will be stayed from falling and they that haue fallen be restored to the bosome of their naturall
Kings and discharging their subiects of their alleagiance fidelity and obedience dissoluing gouernment and filling kingdomes with warres and miseries begunne by Hildebrand and still continued by his successors Obserue secondly out of the story of King Iohn Mat. Westmonast Flores loco quo supra pag. 95. K. Iamâ—s Remonstr p. 58. That this successor of Peter fished not for soules but for kingdomes euen with the destruction of millions of soules if your owne doctrine be true for he caused the whole land to be interdicted and so to continue six yeeres fourteene weekes and two dayes plaguing all this while the whole body of the land for the head the Kings offence a point of iniustice with a heauy spirituall plague for a light temporall offence a point of impiety For al this while the Church-dores through the whole kingdome were shut vp no belles stirred no prayers preaching Sacraments permitted Children kept vnbaptized bodies vnburied all people accursed liuing like heathens dying like dogs without instruction exhortation consolation and all that dye thus vnder the curse of the Interdict without some speciall indulgence or priuiledge are thought for euer damned and adiudged to eternall punishments as dying out of the communion of the Church Alas how many millions of soules did this Innocent the Pope wilfully send to hell in this large kingdome of England and Wales in this large time of aboue six yeeres for anothers offence for what could they doe or what offended they poore people if the King would not be ruled by the Pope Nay they offended the King also and incurred much danger and dammage by falling from their obedience for the Popes sake and yet are thus recompensed by him Are these the actions of the Vicar of Christ to saue soules or rather of Antichrist to destroy them Is this the kinde Father of the Church K. Iames ib. p. 257. But obserue further thirdly how these pretended successors of Saint Peter change their spirituall power into temporall for their worldly gaine and greatnesse and change Christs Kingdome which was not of this world into the winning and disposing of the kingdomes of this world and make the pennance of sinners the forfeiture of their estates Is this the satisfaction to be imposed vpon a sinner that of a Soueraigne and free Prince he must become vassall to his Ghostly Father and make himselfe and all his subiects tributary to a Bishop that shall rifle the whole Nation of their coyne and make them doe him homage Shall not a sinner be quitted of his faults except he be turned out of all his goods possessions inheritance and his Pastor be infeoffed in his whole estate Is this holinesse or is it not plaine tyranny and robbery It is plainely to heape robbery vpon fraud and tyranny vpon robbery and to change the sinners repentance into a snare or pitfâ—ll of coozening deceit And as the end is naught so the meanes is worse to bring it to passe by such subtill pranks and wicked deuices as not to sticke at setting a whole flourishing kingdome on fire by warres and seditions not to care what becomes of mens estates of their bodies liues or soules but bring them all to ruine so that the kingdome may be weakened and the King brought to so low a degree of misery that hee may be easily lifted out of his estate and the kingdome seized vpon Of King Henry the thirds reygne See before booke 1. cap. 6. sect 14. Reade also Math Paris Math. Westminster in Henr. 3. B. Carlton of Iurisdiction exhausted of treasure and scourged of his subiects by the Popes most intollerable exactions which caused the people to wish rather to dye than to liue to endure them I haue spoken something already and can say much more §. 12. Antiq. This is enough for me and for this matter more than enough But it may be in these latter times of greater light and opposition the Popes haue beene more moderate and become more like to their first Ancestors Antiquis Neuer a whit See before Booke 1. cap. 5. §. 3. consider 6. haue I not told you before of K. Henry 8. who though he continued the Popes religion entire yet for reiecting his iurisdiction was condemned by the Pope excommâ—nicated pronounced no King his subiects commanded to deny subiection to him and all men to take armes against him c. The like course the Pope hath runne agaynst our late most excellent Princes Queene Elizabeth and King Iames. For I will passe by the mischiefes done in other Countries and the murders of the two last Kings of France the troubles of our owne kingdome will hold me long enough Camden Annal. Elizab. p. 27. By the happy abolishing of the Popes authority by Queene Elizabeth England became the most free of all Countries in the world the Scepter being as it were manumitted from forraign seruitude and a great masse of mony kept at home which formerly was exhausted and yeerely and daily carried to Rome for first fruits Indulgences Appeales Dispensations Palles and such other things so that the land grew much more rich than in former ages The Popes could not be insensible of their losse this way besides all other and conceiuing some hopes of recouery by encouraging persons discontented with this mutation B. Car ton thankfull remembrance pag 13 See the Bull of Pius 5. in Camdens Annals pag. 183. in the eleuenth yeere of her reigne Pope Pius the fifth excommunicated her deposed her by his Bull dated anno 1569. quinto Calend. Mart. thereby also absoluing her subiects from their oath of alleagiance and from all other offices and duties accursing all that did obey her This was done to procure a strong party in England to ioyne with the Pope and Spaniard in their designe for the inuasion and conquering of England when their forces should bee ready Camden ib. pag. For the Papists in the Land were so strangely perswaded and bewitched as to admire with astonishment a certaine omnipotency in the Pope and that his Bulles were dictated by the holy Ghost and that they in executing them and in murdering their Princes should doe meritorious acts very acceptable to God and dying therein should become glorious Martyrs and haue higher places in heauen than other men See Camden Annales Elizabethae p. 315. p. 348. in fine anni 1581. To gayne more people of all sorts Noble Gentle inferiours to their faction and to gull them with such false opinions the Pope out of his Seminaries at Rome and Rhemes sent out yeerely a number of Priests disguised into England to grope and peruert the hearts of men secretly and wickedly telling them that the Pope had supreme power ouer the whole world yea euen in politike affayres that such as were not of the Roman Religion were to be depriued of all regall power and dignity that it was lawfull yea and a meritorious work to depose Princes excommunicated by the Pope that the
Pope had actually pronounced published by his Bull Elizabeth to be excommunicated and deposed that since that publication all her actions were by the Law of God disanulled and to be held for nought her Magistrates were no Magistrates her Lawes no Lawes Yea some of them denied not in publike hearing that they were sent for no other cause into England than to absolue euery one particularly from their obedience to the Qu. as the Bull had absolued all in generall and this they did in taking confessions of their Reconclliation to their Church priuately and promising absolution from all mortall sinne so doing most safely and secretly These Seminaries were not erected to teach true Religion and points of doctrine necessary to saluation for those might bee taught and learned in all places without such cost but principally to fit young wits and fiery spirits to become instruments to vphold the Papacy with the dominion greatnesse Camd. ib p. 844. alibi passim and wealth thereof and to regaine those that were fallen from it though it were with the destruction of Kings dissipation of kindomes bloodshed murthers insurrections treasons poysonings massakers and many other euils as the histories following will declare most plainly and by their owne confessions may appeare 1. This story and the rest of the treasoÌ„s against Q Elizabeth are set out at large by B. Carlton in his booke entituled A thankful remembrance whose chapters I here note in the margent To come therefore to the Plots and Treasons practised against Queene Elizabeth effects of the Popes excommunication The first was The rebellion in the North stirred vp by one Nicholas Morton a Popish Priest the chiefe leaders within the land were the Earles of Westmerland and Northumberland who were to ioyne with the Duke of Norfolke entending a marriage betwixt him and the Scottish Queene thereby to make clayme to the Crowne of England Queene Elizabeth being deposed by the Popes Bull. With them also was to ioyne the Duke of Alua with his power from the Low-Countries the Earle of Ormond at the same time raysing tumults in Ireland and all procured by Pope Pius 5. who also secretly wrought the mindes of many English by one Ridolph a Gentleman of Florence Camden Annal. an 1568. p. 146. an 1572. p. 227. an 1569. p. 158 166 vnder colour of Merchandise by whom the Popes Bulles letters and money to wit an hundred and fifty thousand crownes were conueighed for the managing of this businesse The Pope further promising to the King of Spaine to engage all the goods of the Sea Apostolike Chalices Crosses and holy vestiments to further it But God preuented this mischiefe for the Northerne Earles preparations being discouered and rising before the other associats were ready were dispersed the Duke of Norfolke taken and put to death and the whole plot defeated to the great griefe of the Pope and the Spaniard The King of Spaine said before the Cardinall of Alexandria the Popes Nephew that neuer any conspiracy was more aduisedly begunne more constantly concealed nor more likely to prosper than this For that an Army might be sent out of the Low-Countries in 24. houres space which might suddenly haue taken the Queene and the City of London vnprouided restored the Popes authority and set the Queene of Scots in the Throne especially hauing so mighty a faction within land and Stukely an English fugitiue made Marquesse of Ireland by the Pope vndertaking at the same time with the helpe of 3000. Spaniards to bring all Ireland to the Kings of Spaines obedience and with one or two ships to burne all the English Nauy This story is written at large by Hieronymus Catena in the life of Pius the 5. and printed at Rome anno 1588. by the same Popes authority and priuiledge by which we come to the knowledge of the whole plot B. Carlton ib. c. 3. Camden ib. pag. 72. 2. I passe by the treasonous leagues made by the Earle of Ormonds Brethren with Iames Fitzmorice of Desmonds Family and others to serue the Pope and Spaniards designes against Queene Elizabeth And the Earle of Darbies sonnes with Gerard Hall Rolston and other Darbishire mens conspiracy to set vp the Queene of Scots And other conspiracies of B. Rosse Henry Percy c. and of Powel and Owen for the Queene of Scots Also of don Iohn of Austria his plotting to marry the Q. of Scots and put downe Elizabeth with the fauor of the Pope and Guises for these plots miscarried in their Infancy Thomas Stukely hauing rioted out his State in England Ibid. cap. 4. Camden Annal. part 2. pag. 193. 229. passed to Rome and made Pius 5. beleeue that with 3000. Italians he would driue the English out of Ireland and burne the Queenes Nauy Pius dying Gregory 13. employed Stukely to get Ireland for his bastard sonne creating the said Stukeley Marquesse of Lagen Earle of Wexford and Caterlogh Vicount of Morough and Baron of Rosse famous places in Ireland and made him Generall of 800. Italian souldiers But Stukeley comming by Portugal ioyned with the King in a warre in Africa that the King afterward might goe against England with Armes as he against Ireland but in Africa they were both slayne and two other Kings died also at the same battell 1572. Whereupon the Spanish King turned his forces prepared for England to subdue Portugall Note here the Popes zeale not to win soules to Christ but Kingdomes to their Bastards Note also two Popes proceed in malice and malediction against Queene Elizabeth and one English fugitiue makes them both fooles And note thirdly how God can diuert the great preparations of puissant Princes and turne their wise policies into fooâ—ishnesse Nicholas Sanders D. of Diuinity Ibid. cap. 5. Reaâ—e Camd. Aâ—nal parâ—t 3. pag. 371 372. hauing written a witty and wicked booke to maintaine the Roman visible Ecclesiasticall Monarchy comes into Ireland 1579 with the Popes legantiue authority and a consecrated banner with three shippes to ioyne with the rebels against Queen Elizabeth where much mischiefe was done supplies sent of men money and armour from the Pope and Spaniard but after diuerse yeeres diuerse fortunes the Earle of Desmond chiefe of the rebels wandering and poore was killed by a common Souldier and D. Sanders for griefe ran mad and finally died miserably being hunger-starued Ibid. cap. 6. See Camdens Annals p. 315. c. Anno 1568. began the Seminaries deuised by Cardinall Allen an Englishman as Sanders was first at Doway for English fugitiues but remoued to Rhemes by the Guises and another erected at Rome by Gregory 13. In them were trayned vp many fit instruments for Rome and Spaine traytors to England issuing out thence when they were fitted as Campian Parson Sherwin Kirby Briant and multitudes of others not in the habits of Priests but of Gallants Seruingmen Summoners or any other the better to insinuate into company and peruert men without danger of discouery
them and stirre vp the people and then all subiects will forsake their princes and serue the pope against them all Religious persons will be their Trumpâ—ters Captaines and Leaders all Cloysters Abbeyes and Colledges will be as good as Castles vnto them the promise of heauen a sufficient pay and the threatning of death not onely temporall which happily might be contemned or avoyded but eternall which by disobeying the pope is thought to be vnauoydable is terrour enough and all these giue courage enough to doe their bâ—st for the pope against all princes of the world Sir Iohn Hayward of Supremacy pag. 62. By this meanes eight Emperours besides other Kings and princes haue been excommunicate by the pope namely Fredericke the first Fredericke the second Philip Conrade Otho the fourth Lewis of Bauaria Henry the fourth and fift which was occasion enough for their subiects to revolt and for other Princes to inuade The succeeding Emperours partly vnwilling but principally vnable to sustaine so sad and heauy blowes submitted themselues to the papall power and renounced the right which by long custome they claimed and held I omit the troubles of other princes and Nations and of our owne also in formâ—r times of our Kings Henries and Iohn Our late troubles in the times of our most gracious Soueraignes Elizabeth and Iames are fresh in memory to the detestation of the Authors thereof and they are published to the world in their owne bookes See the booke entituled Important Considerations set forth by the Secular Romish Priests in England anno 1601. with Watson the Priests Preface or Epistle before it The secular Priests sticke not to relate to the world what they cannot hide the treasons insurrections inuasions and other troubles which I haue reckoned vp before and more also plotted by the Pope and his Agents to bring Queene Elizabeth and her Kingdomes to confusion Pius Quintus his plot ioyning with the King of Spaine to depose her by his Bull and execute it by the Northerne Rebellion 1569. And after anno 1572. by D. Sanders booke De visibili Monarchia iustifying that course and shewing the world how the pope had sent Morton and Webb Priests to stirre vp the Nobles and Gentlemen to take Armes against the Queene Then how Stukeley was made a great Lord and Marquesse of Ireland by the pope to take Jreland from the English but miscarried by the way After how Doctor Sanders came furnished by the Pope to take Ireland by Inuasion and Rebellion and there dyed miserable and mad After this how Gregory 13 renued the pestilent Bull of Pius 5 cursing and disabling the Queene to raigne and anno 1580. sent into England Campian Parsons and other Iesuites to perswade the subiects to execute it assuring them of a mighty inuasion from Spaine to ioyne with them and how these wicked practises iustly inforced straiter lawes to bee made against such Vipers For what Prince or state of any force or Mettall could endure their owne ruine to be wrought with their eyes open and their hands vnbound Then followed his Holinesse displaying his banner as a temporall Prince in Ireland to dispossesse the Queene and afterwards the Duke of Guises practises to transferre the English Crowne to the Q. of Scotland imploying therin Mendoza the Spanish Leager Ambassadour Throgmorton and others And anno 1583. Arden and Somerviles treason Then Doctor Parries to murder the Queene Againe Babington and his fellowes treason discouered anno 1586. And sir William Stanlies 1567. and the great Spanish Armado 1588. Then the Bull of Sixtus Quintus against the Queene And new Seminaries errected in Spaine by the procurement of Parsons the Iesuite whence issued 13 accomplished Priests to infuse Treasons into Englishmens braines anno 1591. to prepare them for a new Inuasion And anno 1592. Heskot was sent by the Iesuites to stirre the Earle of Darby to Rebellion After this Father Holt a Iesuite perswaded Patricke Colen to murder her Maiestie And anno 1593. Doctor Lopus his poysoning plot was discouered also Holt the Iesuite animated Yorke and Williams to shed her blood and Walpool the Iesuite set on Edward Squire to poyson her saddle Pommell After this for the other intended Inuasion the Spanish Fleet put twice to Sea and both times were sea beaten torne and dispersed Meane-season Father Parsons in printed bookes entituled The Jnfanta of Spaine to the Crowne of England and vsed all possible meanes to make it take place All these vncatholicke vnchristian inhumane courses the secular Priests confesse condemne and lament laying all the fault thereof from themselues and other Roman Catholâ—ckes vpon the Iesuites We doe all acknowledge say they that by our learning Ecclesiasticall persons by vertue of their Calling Important consid pag. 37. are onâ—ly to meddle with Praying Preach ng and administring the Sacraments and such other like spirituall functions and not to study how to murder Princes nor to licitate Kingdomes Jb. pag 38. nor to intrude themselues into matter of state-Priests of what order soeuer ought not by force of Armes to plant or water the Catholicke Faith but In spiritu lenitatis mansuetudinis to propagate and defend it So it was in the Primitiue Church ouer all the world The ancient Christians though they had sufficient forces did not oppose themselues in armes against their Lords Ib. pag. 39. See the Epistle Dedicatory of B. Carlton before his booke of Iurisdiction the Emperors though of another Religion The Catholicke Faith for her stability and continuance hath no need of any treachery or Rebellion it is more dishonoured with treasons and wicked policies of carnall men then any way furthered or aduanced Thus the Priests giuing vs a good hint what to iudge of their Religion that hath euermore beene thus planted and propagated It is not the Catholik Faith and Religion of the Ancients But erroneous superstition is alwayes more violent then true Religion They giue vs an Item also what our English Roman Catholiks may looke for if the Spaniard should preuaile Watson in his Epistle to the Important Considerations saith The old King of Spaine aimed at the Crown of England with the death of her Maiestie and subuersion of the State and the vtter ruine of the whole I le and the ancient Inhabitants thereof and neuer once shewed any care or respect that he had to the restoring of the Catholik Romish Faith amongst the English Nay his direct course was taken quite contrary still to extirpate the name of all Catholikes that were English out from the face of the earth Therefore he would not aid Stukeley to get Ireland for the pope and also charged the Duke of Medina his generall in 88 rather to spare Protestants then Catholikes And the Booke of important Considerations written by themselues pag. 25. saith It is well knowne that the Duke of Medina Sidonia had giuen it out directly that if once he might land in England both Catholikes and Heretiks that came in his way should be all
one to him his sword could not discerne them so he might make way for his Master all was one to him How vnlike are the Romish Religions of this age to the Ancients As the pure Primitiue vncorrupt Religion was the greatest blessing both to Prince and subiects so this corrupt ambitious and turbulent visor of Religion hath beene an vntollerable scourge and Plague vnto them meanes more likely to make Religion stinke in the nostrils of men then to make it sweet and comfortable vnto them All these vnâ—atholike courses I grant the secular Priests lay vpon the Iesuites as if all other Papist were cleare of them Which is nor so 1 For who were in the fault â—n the troublâ—s of the German Emperours and other Kings before there wâ—re any Iesuites in the worlâ— whose first beginning was little abâ—ue an hundred yeares agone and their plotâ—ing Statizations within halfe that time 2 Secondly all Papists in common seculars not excepted hold the Apostolicke power and necâ—ssity of obeying it Quodliâ—et 8. art 9 â—ag 277. 3 The secuâ—ars often bewray it in their writings though somewhat couertly because the times fit not so well to vtter their mindes plainely See Watsons Quodlib iâ— 9 art 3. pag. 293 art 5 pag. 306. quodl 8. art 6. pag 243. 4 They also submit themselues and all their writings yea euery word and tâ—ttle to the censure of the Roman Church as Quodl 8. art 8. pag. 267 361. 362. and Important Considerations pag. â—3 in the Postscript 5 The seculars sometimes plainly confâ—sse it Jmp Con. pâ—g 15 hauing spoken of diuers attempts of the pope and Spâ—niard in England and Ireland to depriue Queene Elizabeth of her Crowne they say plainely in all these plots none were more forward then many of vs that werâ— priests adding that if they the priâ—sts had opposed those designments the Laity would haue beene ouer-rulâ—d by them 6 Beyond all this Watson himselfe a secular priest who had set forth the said Important Considerations with a flourishing Epistle before as also the Qâ—odlibets c. to cleare the secular priests from all treasons euil practises became himselfe a Traitor and a Ringleader of diuers others in the beginning of King Iames his raigne for which he and Clarke his fellow were executed and the Traitor Ballard 1586 was a secular priest And many secular priests were in the Spanish army against England anno 88 as saith the Quodlibet 8. art 7. Doctor Sanders Morton and Webb were secular priests So that howsoeuer they would excuse themselues and lay all vpon the Iesuites it iâ— certaine that all perfect papists are conscious or guilty in heart and many of them in action of these courses vntollerable to the Church and State Isaacus Cosaubonus pist dedic ad â—bum Regem praefix Excercitatâ—n Baronium But concerning the corruptions of the Church both in doctrine and practises and our happy Reformation thereof I present the Reader with the substance of a worthy discourse of learned Casaubon Who after hee hath shewed that neither Truth nor Christians nor Christ himselfe the Way the Truth and the Life euer wanted enemies and that amongst those enemies two troopes haue euer beene most infest and most infectious Nonatores Veteratores the Introducers of new Doctrines and they that vnder colour of forged antiquity oppugne the true antiquity as some oppugned the most ancient true worship of the true God to maintaine old Gentilisme the worship of Idols he proceedeth to shew the old enemy of mankinde seeing himselfe shut out of the gates crept in at the backâ—ore into the Christian Church and not being able to hinder the sowing of good seed he secretly sowed Tares amongst it as in our Europe the Westerne part of the world the worship due to God alone to be many waies giuen to creatures Ceremonies vnder whose burden the Church groaned in Saint Augustines time wonderfully encreased drawing men from the substance of Religion to place all their hope of saluation in obseruing them from whence grow the worship of sacred Reliques beyond custome and due measure the trust in the aide of Saints and the carefull inuocation of them the worship and adoration of Images which we see at this day increased which nouelty when it was first brought in set the East and West at jarres and warres and droue the Emperour out of Italy Thence came also new idle worships deuised by mans brain and new rites of new superstition and the better to keepe the world from mistrusting or misliking such Innouations the holy Scriptures were by the vncredible fraud of Sathan withheld not onely from the Laity but from the greatest part of the Clergy And to top vp all these euils was introduced a terrible domination of one man The seat of Rome which before thought it sufficient to bee accounted the first among the Patriarkes seates now would bee the Lady and Mistresse of the whole Church And when her Bishop had lifted vp her power in spirituall things to the highest top not content with that height set his heart also to bring all temporall power vnder him and would neuer be quiet till hee saw himselfe lifted aboue Emperours Kings and princes and looked vpon them as persons farre beneath him vpon whom he might tread with his feet as oft as he list or iudged expedient for his affaires Thus the light of the Gospell was turned into darknesse the golden simplicity of true piety into innumerable superstitions Christian liberty into horrible seruitude the Rights of the Church together with the Crownes of Emperours and Kings made subiect to that Monarches Miter who challenged to himselfe alone the power to giue and take away Empires and Kingdomes Which he practised by bringing in all kinde of calamities wars and vexations wherewith Europe was so often and mightily shaken wh le the truth lay hid euery where neglected and deepely ouerwhelmed drowned and buried Thus Gasaubon of the former times III. Then hee proceedeth to the times of Reformation The great blessings of the Reformation of Religion After a long suffering saith he of vnspeakeable euils after long sighings and gronings of Emperours Princes Clergy and Laity after much expectation of many Ages for reformation in the head and members often promised neuer performed At last there were some found which brake the patience and shewed themselues leaders to them that sought the truth from their hearts What they were or what infirmities they had it mattereth not to argue Malice neuer speakes well of the best and most innocent This is certaine by the very euent that they as men stirred vp by God awaked and rowzed vp the world to looke into the corruptions of Christian Religion which long-time had brought in and to thinke of the grieuances and complaints which both Princes and people throughout Europe had shewed And if then the Bishop of Rome had carried the mind to suffer himselfe to be ouercome with the entreaties prayers publâ—ke or priuate of the Emperors
Kings Princes and Nations and of the whole Church their hopes should not haue beene so often deluded who sought and promised to themselues at least some tollerable reformation from him neither should there haue beene such a Rent among the Churches of Europe when euery Nation seeing Rome would doe nothing was constrained to looke to it selfe and make if not a perfect reformation yet as good as it could and as neere to the Word of God and the custome of the Primitiue Church as time and meanes would afford For if it be obiected that the intended Reformation is not perfect as appeareth by the differences of some Reformed Churches yet surely first th◠Reformers mindes were good who with all their hearts and endeuours sought it and secondly the coniunction of all Nations Wits Learning and other meanes by a free generall Councell which might ouer-rule the Pope and all other particulars was onely hindred by the Pope and his Faction But 3 surely the Reformation was most laudable and necessary if it had effected no more but this as one of them wrote in answere to Cardinalll Sadolet that they freed themselues from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and had constituted in their Countries somewhat better forme of the Church which before was most vntollerable both to Princes and People Such a Reformation as many former Ages had with greeuous sighes and grones wished and desired hungred and thirsted after but all in vaine because the truth in Europe had not yet shined out of darknesse of which our Sauiour had said ye shall know the truth Ioh. 8.32 and the truth shall set you free Therefore 1 Our late Princes 2 all the orders of the Kingdome and 3 all the people haue seene and felt the goodnesse of God and are bound to be most thankfull to him except they be of all men the most insensible and vngratefull for their great blessing following the Reformation of Religion in England 1 The Princes that they reigne now in their owne right they are not the liege-men and Vassals of the Pope that haue not their kingdome Precariò at the pleasure of another as Bayliffes of another mans inheritance that they and their Reuerend Clergy are at vnity neither fearing excommunications nor depositions from other that they diuide the care of placing Ministers with their Bishops challenging to themselues without feare that part which is due to them and concerneth the temporalls and leauing that part of the care to the Bishops which toucheth spirituals and all things which proue them to be true Kings For this blessing Kings are behoulden to Gods truth which is a friend to them which establisheth them and is with all care and diligence by them to be established Alas for those former times Inas See Polydor hist Angl. lib. 5. pag. 86. wherein amongst our Kings glorious Ancestors one led away with blinde superstition hauing zeale but not according to knowledge did of his owne accord when no necessity compelled him make his Kingdome tributary to Gregory the third King Iohn Bishop of Rome Another brought into desperation by aduerse crosses yeelded vp his Kingdome of England and Ireland to Pope Innocent 3. By whom he had bene miserably embroyled and was compelled to be content to be the Popes steward or Baily O horrid blindnesse of those times O sucessors of Peter egregiously resembling Peter in their doings O what a griefe surprized not onely the Barons Nobles and all subjects of the Realme but also the Kings and Princes throughout Europe as euery one was more wise and better then other to see the fall so heauy so foule of so great a Prince The speaches which some of them vttered at the newes of so inhumane example are committed to writing for perpetuall memory as witnesses also of their most iust both indignation and amazement Yea the speach of that vnfortunate King is extant in the writers of those times most worthy to be deeply setled in all Princes hearts After that I was reconciled to God saith hee and subjected my selfe and my Kingdomes alas for sorrow to the Roman Church nothing came to me prosperous But al things contrary Post quā ut dixi Deo reconciliatus me ac mea regna proh dolor Romana subjeci ecclesiae nulla mihi prospera sed contraria omnia aduenerunt 2 The Clergy and people of England liue happily The Bishops elect neede not run beyond the Alpes to buy their confirmation of the Pope for great summes of money nor purchase their Palles with the waight of gold nor run to Rome euery 3 yeares or as oft as the Pope list that is as oft as he thirsteth after English coyne Now they haue no such care as in times past the Bishops of England had to take vp the best benefices for Italians In which benefices as Mathy Paris saith neither lawes nor order were kept nor releefe for the poore nor hospitality nor preaching of Gods word nor necessary ornaments or repair of Churches nor care of soules nor diuine or deuout prayers as was fit and as was accustomed in the country but in their buildings the walles and roofes fell downe or were pitifully rent and torne Now the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury feareth not new Bulles from the Pope to suspend him from collating any benefices vntil 300 Romans be prouided for by benefices next falling void as it fell out anno 1239 to Edmund the Archbishop by Buls sent from Gregory 9. The Pope hauing promised it to the Roman citizens who at that time little fauored him 3 The Ecclesiasticall controuersies arising in England by a very ancient Canon wherof S. Cyprian also maketh mention are determined in England The collectors of Peter pence and other contributions the Roman visitors proctors and farmers the Marchants of Indulgences or pardons to men according to their wealth the dispencers of vowes and Institors of legitimation to make men capable of orders the Caursine Vsurers that liued at Rome but drew thither all the wealth of England lending to English Nobles others vpon morgage of their lands or other extreme vsuries money to satisfy the Pope and his Harpies The bringers of Buls for new extortions The witty Mice-catchers Muscipulatores as the Story cals them such as Petrus Rubeus and many others conning Artificers to drain money from men for the Pope and sixe hundred such like greedy and greeuous Arts by the vnvtterable benefit of the truth of Religion their names are now scarse heard of and should be vtterly vnknowne were it not for the monuments and histories of former ages Neither doth now any Legat à latere any messenger from the Popes side exercise any Rauin for money in England as many did heretofore and some with execrable hunger of gold as we read of one of them Otto sent by Gregory 9 who after three yeeres raking together of money by most detestable Artes at last departing hence left not so much money in the whole Kingdome as he either carried with
him or sent to Rome before him And yet these euils are small in comparison of others which Englishmen haue felt continually for many Ages from the Court of Rome as the Historians of those times with full consent record Verè enim hortus deliciarum Papis fuit tum Anglia puteus inexhaustus As we reade it was truly and trâ—mly said by Pope Jnnocent 4. England was a Garden of deliciousnesse to the Popes and a fountaine inexhaust or vndrainable I speake not now of the true blessings of the soule for which all men may thanke the Reformation of Religion which pious Princes make more account of then of all the Kingdomes of the earth The sincere worship of God alone without fellowes or copartners The veneration of the B. Virgin and holy Saints without superstition The peace of conscience with God by faith in the merits and death of Christ not that the faithfull should cease from good works fie away with such madnes but that when a man hath doneall he can do yet to acknowledge himself an vnprofitable seruant and neuer place confidence in his owne merits to gather exceeding great comfort in the daily and continual reading and meditating of the Scriptures not interpreting them after his own sense but in those things which he finds in them perspicuous and plaine for in such sort they afford vs if we beleeue the Fathers all things necessary to saluation and such as are agreeable to the expositions of the first Doctors of the Church he may sortisie his minde against false opinions which at this day are obtruded vpon the vnwary for ancient articles of faith The receiuing of the holy Communion according to the institution and commandement of our Lord and the continuall practise of the Chuch for more then a thousand yeeres vnder both kindeâ— Mindes confirmed against those thunders of Excommunication so terrible in former times which the Popes cast abroad oftentimes against innocent Princes and rather for humane causes then Diuine as euery man knoweth As when Innocent 3 kept all the people of this Land vnder a curse most deadly and damnable as the Popes would haue men beleeue and then it was so beleeued whole sixe yeeres three moneths and fourteene dayes In which time all that dyed in the Land were depriued of buriall and iudged to bee damned creatures all new borne remained vnbaptized prayers and teaching ceased in all Churches and men liued like Infidels In so large a land so plentifull of people to continue this curse but for one day vpon so many thousands of Innocents had been doubtlesse a most wicked and damnable thing But from all these euils and many other the blessed Reformation of that formerly corrupted Religion hath redeemed vs. Such things writes the learned and iudicious Casaubon And as the Reformation deliuered vs froÌ„ many euils so it hath filled vs with many blessings which we daily feele in full measure but are not able in any sufficient measure to expresse Take a short view of our blessings enioyed vnder our late Princes Cambden Annales Elizabethae initio B. Carltons Thankfull Remembrance initio Queene Elizabeth entring her raigne anno 1558 found at first many potent enemies few and impotent friends Philip King of Spaine who sued to marry her by a dispensation from the Pope hauing buried Mary her sister his former wife now being refused by her turned his loue into hatred Henry 2 King of France with whom she sought peace and amity brake out into open hostility His sonne Francis hauing married Mary the Queene of Scotland professed his Wife to be the heire of England assumed the Armes and Title thereof and sought to displace Elizabeth as one also accounted an Hereticke So were the great neighbour-States of Spaine France and Scotland her professed enemies Her Friends that would haue hâ—â—ped her were weake and could not but stood in need of helpe from her The Scots sore troubled with the French Armies procured by the Guisians The Low-Countries beaten down by the Duke of Alva Agent for the King of Spaine The Protestants of Denmarke and France were faine to craue aide from Her as also other friends did The State at home was much troubled the treasure exhausted and oppressed with great debt contracted by King Henries boundlesse expences King Edwards minority and Queene Maries forraigne marriage and other troubles the land without strength forces souldiers artillery powder and treasure Calis lately lost and nothing seemed lefâ— but a weake and poore State destitute of meanes and friends So that her great neare Neighbours round about her made no other account of her but as one left to be a prey to the strongest that would inuade her Yet see the mighty hand and blessing of God vpon her not onely to deliuer her out of all these difficulties but further to enable her to support her friends and to match and master her enemies When shee prouided Armour at Antwerpe and King Philip caused it to bee stayed yet she partly procured Armour and Weapons out of Germany but principally God opened new Brasse Mines in England which had been long before neglected sufficient for vs and to vent into other Countries and yeelded vs then first the stone called Lapis calaminaris needfull for working in Brasse By meanes whereof She caused store of Gunnes to be cast of Brasse and Iron at home and Gunpowder also then first to be made in England which before was bought from other Countries Camden ibid. pag 27. And further By the happy abolishing of the Popes Religion as England became the most free of all other Countries in the world the Scepter being as it were manumitted from the former seruitude of the Bishop of Rome so it became also more rich then in former Ages a great masse of money being kept at home which formerly was exhausted and yearely and daily carried to Rome for first fruits Indulgences appeales dispensations Palles such other things Strengthned therefore by all these blessings She fortified Barwicke against Scotland and prouided a great Nauy to safeguard the Sea-coasts And whereas former Kings hyred ships from forraigne places Hamburg Lubecke Dantiske Genua Venice c. Now She built great store of ships of Warre Herselfe and all Coast-townes with incredible alacrity wondring at her wisedome and care of them did the like So that in short time England was able to employ twenty thousand men in Sea-fight at once And her enemies began to feare her more then she did them And such was her power and policy See Speedes Chronicle in Elizabeth § 347. seq and Gods extraordinary blessings vpon them that the great affaires of Europe mainly depended vpon Her directions She sitting at the helme of the ship as Fronto spake of Antonius the Emperour arbitrated and guided their estates both in peace and warre Spaine seeking to ouerflow all was beaten backe and scarcely able to maintaine her owne Barkes In France the house of Valoys vnderpropped by Her counsell that of Bourbons
aduanced by her countenance forces and treasure Scotland releeued by her loue Netherlands by her power Portugals King by Her bounty Poland by her commiseration likewise Germany Denmarke Sweueland often tooke vp and laid down Armes at her becke and dispose The great Emperour of the Turkes in honour of so great a Mediatresse granted peace vnto the Polonians outworne with warres Her Kingdome was a receptacle and her Court a Sanctuary for the banished Protestants as was the Palace of Constantius the Husband of our Helena for the persecuted Christians when he sate Emperour of the West in this Iland of Britaine Whereby as in her life-time shâ— attained to be stiled by forraigne Churches so at Her death was she by them generally lamented as the Nursing Mother of the French Beza in ep prafiu Comment in Iob. Dutch Italian Exiles for Christs Name and the vnconquered Defendresse of the whole Christian Religion Thus our Land became as Gods Paradise his Eden his blessed Garden replenished with all necessaries both for sufficiency and delight Aboue all the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life are planted plentifully in it and all men permitted perswaded commanded to seed on them the Knowledge of God and the Bread of Life and all other blessings consequent and appendant vnto them Whereof our feeling and experience out-strippeth all possible words and discourses I will therefore shut vp all with the Royall testimony of our late most Learned and Iudicious King Iames. King Iames to the Reader of his â—asilicon Doron towards the end First of Queene Elizabeth he writeth thus She hath so long with so great wisedome and felicity gouerned her Kingdomes as I must in true sincerity confesse the like hath not beene read or heard of either in our time or since the dayes of the Roman Emperour Augustus And he caused this Epitaph to be set vpon her Tombe Speeds Chron. quo supra Sacred vnto memory Religion to its Primitiue sincerity restored Peace throughly settled France neere ruine by intestine mischiefes releeued Netherland supported Spaines Armado vanquished Ireland with Spaniards expulsion and Traitors coertion quieted both Vniuersities reuenues by a Law of prouision excellently augmented finally all England enriched and 45 yeeres most prudently gouerned Elizabeth a Queene a Conqueresse a Triumpher the most deuoted to Piety the most Happy after 70 yeeres of Her life quietly by death departing hath left here in this most famous Collegiat Church which by her was established and refounded these Remaines of her mortality vntill at Christs call they shall againe rise Immortall She dyed 24 March 160â— of her Raigne 45 of her Age 70. Secondly of himselfe his owne times and Kingdomes he writeth thus One thing is necessary King Iames in his answer to the Oration of Cardinall Perene pag. 243. namely the feare and knowledge of my God vnto whose Majesty alone I haue deuoted my scepter my sword my penne my whole industry my whole selfe with all that is mine in whole and in part I do it I do it in all humble acknowledgement of his vnspeakable mercy and sauour who hath vouchsafed to deliuer mee from the erroneous way of this age to deliuer my Kingdome from the Popes tirannicall yoke vnder which it hath Fen in times past most greeuously oppressed My Kingdome where God is now purely serued and called vpon in a tongue which all the vulgar vnderstand My Kingdome where the People may now read the Scriptures without any speciall priuiledge from the Apostolike sea and with no lesse liberty then the people of Ephesus of Rome and of Corinth did read the holy Epistles written to their Churches by Saint Paul My Kingdome where the people now pay no longer any tribute by the poll for Papall indulgences as they did about an hundred yeares past and are no longer compelled to the Mart for pardons beyond the Seas and mountaines but haue them now freely offred from God by the Doctrine of the Gospell preached at home within their owne seuerall parishes and Iurisdictions And in another place he saith thus Ibid. pag. 274. Greater blessings of God greater outward peace and plenty greater inward peace with spiritual and celestiall pleasures were neuer heaped vpon my Great Britaine then haue beene since my Great Britaine became great in the greatest chiefest respect of all to wit since my Great Britaine hath shaken of the Popes yoake since she hath refused to receiue and to entertaine the Popes Legates employed to collect Saint Peters tribute or Peter pence since the Kings of England my Great Britaine haue not beene the Popes Vassals to doe him Homage for their Crown and haue no more felt the lashings the scourgings of base and beggarly Monkes Of Holland Zeland Friesland what need I speake Yet a word and no more Were they not a kinde of naked and bare people of small valew before God lighted the torch of the Gospell and aduanced it in those Nations were they not an ill-fed and scragged people in comparison of the inestimable wealth and prosperity both in all military actions and mechanicall trades in traffick as Marchants in marting as men of warre in long nauigation for discouery to which they are now raised and mounted by the mercifull bleâ—â—ing of God since the darknesse of Popery hath beene scattered and the bright Sunshine of the Gospell hath shined in those Countries Behold the Venetian Republik hath she now lesse beauty lesse glory lesse peace and prosperity since she hath lately fell to bicker and contend with the Pope since she hath wrung out of the Popes hand the one of his two swords since she hath plumed and shaken his temporall dominion Vpon these considerations I. Of the excellency of the first primitiue Christian Religion II. Of the intollerable euils which the corruptions of Rome brought into the world with the grones and cries of men for Reformation and III. of the great blessings which the Reformation hath brought vpon the countries which receiued it Mee thinkes there should need no further perswasion to men of any reasonable vnderstanding and Iudgement to forsake the vncatholike corruptions of the Romish Church and imbrace this so blessed a Reformation with all due thankfulnesse to God for the true doctrine of Saluation and peace of Conscience with the desired peace of their estates loue of Prince and Country wealth ioy and happinesse and all both earthly and heauenly blessings that mans heart in this world can desire O fortunates nimium bona si sua norint Angligenas O happy English if they knew their happinesse But if they will not open their eyes to see nor their hearts thankfully to imbrace the happinesse so graciously offered vnto them if they will still blinde their eyes harden their obstinate hearts and striue against all reason and Religion to returne backe into the Egyptian darkenesse and bondage alas what can I doe but with greife of heart say with the Prophet Ieremy Ieremy 2.12 13. Bee astonished O yee heauens at this My people haue committed two euils they haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing waters and hewed themselues out Cesternes broken Cesternes that can hold no water Or with the Poet Horace Eia Nolint at qui licet esse beatis They may Horace Serm. lib. 1. Satyra 1. but will not be happy For be a man neuer so happy Non est beatus esse se qui non putat He is not happy that thinkes himselfe not so And then as Horace addes Miseros iubeo esse libenter I can but bid them wilfully be wretched But in hope of better successe I haue vndertaken this great labour which I beseech our gracious God to blesse to the good of euery Reader whose good acceptance of my loue and paines I craue with their prayers to God for me Glory be to God on high on earth Peace and good will amongst men Luke 2.14 FINIS