nation and people to whom the matter so nearly apperteineth may throughly iudge aswell of this womans and her parentes deâ—ertes as of his Holines and his mightie and godly confederates moste happie intention and howe iustelie and nedefullie for our only benefiâ—e and succour they procede at this present to her chastisement and deposition Yt may please all my most deere cuntrymen and specialy our peeres and Nobilitie on whom the auncyent honor and libertie of our churche and cuntrie cheifely dependethe and by whose sworde and kinghtehood specially giuen to them and theire noble progenitors for defence of the Catholike religion our cuntrie hathe often bene deliuered from the tyranny and vexation of diuers disordered insupportable kinges and cruell vsurpers May it please them I saie to consider but alitle with me the condition of the person pursued and censured by Gods Churche together with the weight qualety number of her offences and horrible crimes which beinge open almoste to all the worlde before and now brefely recorded by this writinge no man I truste shall maruell why Christes vicar here in earthe with other highe ministers of Gods iustice wolde or could depriue this tirante of her vsurped state and dominion when no commonwealthe by lawe of nature nether wolde nor mighte iustelie suffer any suche to rule or raigne ouer any humane societie thoughe neither Christe Pope fayth nor religion were knowne The chee se poinctes of this admonitioÌ„ To procede therfore brefely and plainely we will sett downe what manner of womaÌ„ she ys against whom this holie enterprise ys made of whom and in what maÌ„ner dissended Howe intruded into that dignity wherin she standeth Howe she hath behaued herself both at home and abrode By what lawes of God and man her punishement ys pursued Howe iuste honest and necessarie causes all true Englishmen haue to embrace sett forward the same seing yt procedeth from so lawfull authorite so iust groundes so holie intentions and tendeth to so happie an ende and is to be executed by so suer and sweete meanes and chosen persons as now shall be declared And first of all it is notorious to the whole worlde that Henrie the supposed father to this pretensed Queene besides the infinite quantety and enormeous qualety of his most execrable wickednes for the which by all lawe of religioÌ„ reason nature he deserued often times to be depriued was in fine for his horrible sacriledges murtheringe of Saintes and rebellioÌ„ against Gods Churche lawfully excommunicated and depriued by Paulus tertius in the yeare 1535 and there withall by name and in particuler all the issue that should procede of his incestuous copulation with Anne Bullen was moste iustly declared illegitimate and vncapable of succession to the croune of England and that aswell by the sentence of the said Paule and of his predecessor Clement the VII in the yeare of our lorde 1533. bothe which stande in theire full force still as by sundry actes of parliament made by Henry him self and neuer repealed legitimating her sister and declaringe her to be base she must nedes be adiudged by lawe nature vnable to inherite the croune Neyther may she here alege that by consent of the states and Commonwelthe she ys lawfully possessed for that by force she intruded and constreyned many men to giue theire consentes deposinge vniustly the Lordes of the Clergy without whome no lawfull Parlament can be holden in that Realme nor Statute made which hath force to authorise Prince or binde Subiectes Ouer and besides that she neuer had consente nor any approbation of the See Apostolike without which she nor any other can be lawfull Kinge or Quene of Englande by reason of the auncyent Acorde made betwene AlexaÌ„der the. III. the yere 1171. and HeÌ„ry the II. then kinge when he was absolued for the deathe of sainte Thomas of CaÌ„terburie that no maÌ„ might lawfully take that Crowne nor be accoÌ„pted as Kinge till he were confirmed by the soueraigne Pastor of our soules which for the time shoulde be This accorde afterwardes beinge renewed aboute the yere 1210. by Kinge Iohn who confirmed the same by othe to Pandulphus the Pope his legate at the speciall requeste and procurement of the Lordes and Comons as a thinge most necessary for preseruatioÌ„ of the Realme from vniust vsurpation of Tyrantes and auoydinge other incoÌ„ueniences which they had proued and mighte easely fall againe by the disorder of some wicked Kinge But howsoeuer she be dissended or possessed of the croune her manifolde wickednes hath ben so heinous and intollerable that for the same she hathe bene in person iustly deposed by the sentences of thre sundrie Popes wherunto yf we adde the two former censures condemninge her incestuous natiuity and generatioÌ„ we shall finde that she hathe ben condeÌ„ned by fiue declaratorie iuditiall senteÌ„ces of Gods Churche Personable crimes of Elizabeth and first of Heresie And to beginne with the highest and most heinouse crime of all against God and his Churche she ys conuicted of many damnable heresies and open rebellion against Gods Churche and See Apostolike for which she ys so notoriously knowne termed and taken for an heretike aswell at home as abrode that she was glad to prouide by a special acte of parliament that none should call her heritike Schismatike Tyrante vsurper or infidell vnder paine of highe treason She arrogateth spirtiuall dignite She vsurpeth by Luciferian pride the title of supreme Ecclesiasticall gouernment a thinge in a woman in all mens memory vnheard of nor tollerable to the mastres of her owne secte and to Catholikes in the world most ridiculous absurde monstrous detestable and a verie fable to the posterite Bastardie She vnlawfully intruded herself as before I haue said in to possession of the croune of England and the annexed dominions not by any dissent of inheritannce or other lawfull title but only by enforced vniust partly made by her supposed father beinge then an excommunicated person and partely coacted by herself and her coplices in the beginninge of her pretended raigne beinge indede taken and knowen for an incestuons bastard begotten and borne in sinne of an infamous curtesan Anne Bullen after warde executed for aduoutery treason heresie and inceste amoÌ„gest others with her owne naturall brother which Anne her said supposed father kepte by pretensed mariage in the life of his law full wife the most renonmed and blessed ladie Queene Katherine daughter of Castill and Ara gon as he did before vnnaturally knovve and ke pe bothe the said Annes mother and sister Periury and impiety She ys guilty of periury and highe impietie for that she did breake violate and deride the sollemne othe and promise made in her coronation for defence of the Ecclesiasticall liberties and priuileges graunted by the auncieÌ„t Christian kinges of our realme and for the contempte of the holy ceremony vsed in the annointinge and inuestinge of all faithfull princes wher in her wickednes was so notorious that the
his custodie annointed and crouned him kinge and caused immediately the pretensed Queene to be slaine with her fautors at the courte gate not withstaÌ„dinge they cried TREASON TREASON as not onely iuste possessors but wicked vsurpers vse to doe this loe is the ende of iniuste titles this is the zeale authoritie of preistes for the maintenaÌ„ce of righteousnes religion Achab and â—esabell 3. Reg 18 19. No man can be ignorante with what courage and constancie Elias being sought to death by Achab Iesabell that ouerthrewe holie aulters and murthered the true religious of the lande told them that they and their housâ— were the subuersion of Israel and slew in his zeale all the Queenes false prophets foure hundrethe at one time and so sett vp holie alters againe He spared 4. Reg. 1. not the Idolatrous kinge Ochosias his capitains and messengers but destroied them by fier from heauen till the third capitain was forced to humble 4. Reg. 9. himfelf vpoÌ„ his knees vnto him Elizeus also caused Iehu to be coÌ„secrated kinge the house of Achab to lose their right to the kingdom and his sonne IoraÌ„ to be slaine by whose coÌ„maundment cursed Iesabell was afterward throwne out of her chaÌ„ber window in to the courte and after eaten of dogges in the very same place where she had comitted crueltie and wickednes before This Iesabell for sacrilege coÌ„tempte of holie preistes rebellion against God crueltie dothe so muche resemble our Elizabethe that in moste forrein cuntries and writinges of straÌ„gers she is comonly called by the name of Iesabell I know not whether God haue appointed her the like or a better ende Maacha 2. Par. 15. Queene Maacha mother to good kinge Asaa was as ours is an apostata from the true faithe and in fleshly lust not vnlike for she erected opeÌ„lie and worshiped the filthy Venerius statua of Priapus and replenissed all her courte cuntrie with effeminate and amorous persons and therfore was deposed from her regalitie by her owne sonne which the holie scriptures muche commende in him and the land purged of her whorishe abhomination By all which we lerne what crimes deserue in a prince deposition And howe preistes and prophetes haue bene principall workers and Gods ministers in there depriuatioÌ„ VVhearin the prophet Ely was so notorious that to his honor it is thus said of him in holie writ He cast downe kinges Eccle. 48 and destroied them and plucked the honorable from theire seates And of Elizeus in the same place thus He neuer feared prince nor could of no man be ouercum And thus it was in the olde testameÌ„t Nowe in the newe testament where the preistes haue muche more soueraigne authoretie the prince far strairer charged to obeye loue and cherishe the Churche the cause for vs is muche more cleare of which Churche it is said Kinges Isa 49. â—2 Isa 60. Psal 2. shal be thy fosterfathers and Queenes thy nurces And againe Kinges brests shall nurishe the and euery kingdome that serueth not the shall vtterly perishe In this Churche without faile is the supereminent power of Christes preistehood who with his iroÌ„ rod bruseth like a potsheard the pride Ier. 1. of princes that rebell against his holie spouse and hathe righte in his Churche ouer all kingdoms to plante and to plucke vp to buyld and destroie afore whom all kinges shall fall doune all nations shall do him seruice Matt. 16. Now is Christes preistly prerogatiue in moste ample and exacte termes comunicated to the chefe preist and pastor of our soules in other manner of clause then our pretensed monstrous spirituall gouernesse can shew for her self fie on that secular pride and wilfull blinde heresy that so repugnethe to Gods expresse ordinaunce and yet is wickedly vpholden of her flatterers though reproued both at home and abrode by the most notorious heretikes sect-masters of all sorts Now all Christes sheepe without exceptioÌ„ be they princes be they poore meÌ„ if they be ChristiaÌ„ men are put to Peters feadinge Iâ—an 21. Matt. 1â— and gouernment now the keyes of heaue giuen to Christs vicarr to let in to locke out to bynde to loose to pardon to punishe Nowe we be commaunded euery one be we Hebr. 13. kinges be we Cesars to obeie our prelates pastors and to be subiecte what Christian prince can excepte himself to theÌ„ as to those that must make accompte for our soules Nowe they haue 1. Cor. â— 2 Iohn 2 ad â—â—t 3. authoritie to forbid vs the cumpany of heretikes idolaters blasphemers not so muche as to salute them muche more not to obeie theÌ„ Act. 5. Nowe we finde by the experience of the Apostles practises and exaÌ„ple of their vsage that not onely our soules but our bodies goodes be in our pastors subiectioÌ„ so farr as is expedieÌ„t to our soules healthe and the Churches vtilitie which the very order and course of nature requireth Nowe S. Peter for Sacralege and simulation strooke starke dead bothe man and wyfe by his worde Now did S. Paule strike blinde Elimas Act. 13. the sorcerer for resistinge Gods truthe Now 1. Câ—r 4. 1. Cor. 5. did he threaten to cum to his coÌ„temners in rodd of discipline Now did he excomunicate a notable personage at Corinthe for inceste Not all onelie by spirituall punishement but by bodely vexation giuinge him vp to Satans chastismeÌ„t Now he also by excomunication corporally molested by an euill spirite for heresie and blasphemie 1. ad Timo 1. 2. Cor. 10 Himeneus and AlexaÌ„der Nowe he hathe authoritie to reuenge all disobedience and to bringe vnder all loftie spirites to the obedience of Christe Apostolicall povver Suche loe now is the Apostolicall force and power of Christes Preistehood in the new testa meÌ„t so farr aboue the authorety of earthly kinges as the sun is clearer then the moone heauen aboue the earthe the Soule of man better then his body and the comoÌ„ weale of the Catholike Churche formed by Christe more excelleÌ„t then any secular societie ordeined by man VVhere were then these disordred lawes and statutes that make the Apostles yea Christe him self and all his preistes that be borne out of EnglaÌ„d to be forren powers it was fiftene huÌ„dred yeares before kinges euer conceiued suche wickednes muche lesse to chalenge this moÌ„strous spirituall regiment for laie men children and verie women But this was then enacted this lawe stoode theÌ„ firme and bindeth the highest potentate of the world if he beare the name of a Christian aswell as the poorest person in earthe This I saie yfhe obeie not or heare not the Mat 18. Churche let him be taken for an Ethnike Strugglinge of princes against spirituall povver Yet such is the miserie and peruersnes of men that in a cause so plaine as this is some kinges haue bene founde to struggle against the ordinaunce of God and now oflate haue had flaterers to
Edward and other his forfathers for destroing all holie houses of Religion and sacrilegiously inuading all their goodes and possessions for marrienge remarringe changinge deuorcinge and killinge of his wiues when where and whome he liste Honuf in vita Pau li tertij for these and suche like vnspeakeable outrages he was excomunicated by Paulus tertius as hath before bene declared Elizabethe excomunicated and depriued anno 1570. And novv lastly not onely for iniust intrusioÌ„ and vsurpation but also for the forsaid crimes and followinge her said supposed fathers waies who was radix peccati of our daies and offended the more greuously bicause he first compelled the people of God to Schisme and sinne as Ieoroboam did the Israelites this woman was by good Pius Quintus excomunicated and depriued and all her subiects discharged of othe and obedience towardes her with charge efteâ—ones to all the subiectes of the realme of EnglaÌ„de or other her dominions that from thence forthe vnder like paine of excomunicatio and Gods holie Churches curse they shuold not acknowledge her for their Princesle or superior nor obey defend and manteine her but according to euery ones power and habillite to cocurr to her deposition and condigne punishment ExecutiÅ of the enâ—enâ—e deferred VVhich sentence most holie iuste and dread full though hitherto it haue not bene openly pursued partely by reason of the decease of Pius Quintus the publisher which ensued not longe after and partely for that the vsurpers forces rage and crueltie wer so great that they could hardly be resisted by the onely inhabitans of the realme without euident daunger destructioÌ„ of very many noble godlie persons in which case the churches censures so farr as they concerne onely temporall matters by the meaninge of him that gaue the sentence dothe not binde lastlie for that his holines that now is as his predecessors before him hauinge exceding tender care not onely of our soules but of our bodies goodes also haue hitherto tollerated in vs our enforced subiectioÌ„ and obedience to her in ciuill affaires specially vpon expectation and hope that she wold after so longe and fatherly sweete patience of the supreme pastors of our soules at the request of so many princes Christian at the pittifull sutes cries clamors complaints of so many of her owne people for the bludd of so many men meekely yeilded and the inconsolable complaintes of so many afflicted coÌ„sciences either aknowledge her faulte incline to mercie towardes the Catholikes and seeke as her supposed father desired to doe in the end of his life to reconcyle herself to the Churche or to cum to sum good order at leaste with the see Apostolike and graunt her Catholike nobibility and people leaue to serue God after their conscience and manner of all their forfathers Though I saie for all these causes and other more the former iuditiall senteÌ„ce hath not bene all this while executed yet now our holy father Sixtus the fifte seinge this vsurper and excomunicate person to be nothinge moued eitherwith pittie of the people or Apostolike authoritie but still obstinately and obdurately to persiste and procede in all her former mischeefes wickednes could not conteine or sorbeare any longer not onely himself to imploie against so monstrous and pernitious an heretike rebell vsurper and fierbrand of all mischeefe the treasures spirituall and temporall that the Omnipotent God hath giuen him for maintenannce of iustice innocencie and religion but also by the forsaid examples of his predecessors other holie Bishopes and by a speciall canon of the great De â—eret cap. 3. generall Counsell of Laterane touchinge the chastisement of princes that will not purge their do minions of heresie and heretikes hath seriously dealte with the chefe and greatest princes of his Christian Catholike coÌ„munion that they wold giue succurse to their afflicted brethreÌ„ coÌ„fede rates ioine together with him their supreme pastor for chastisemeÌ„t of that wicked womaÌ„ the bane of ChristeÌ„dome and all their kingdoÌ„s the scoorge of God and rebuke of womaÌ„kinde as in this case euery one wold haue bene most redy had they not beneforced at this time to im ploie all their forces against the heretikes rebels of ther owne dominions therfore hathe specially intreated Philip the highe and mightie Kinge Catholike of Spaine that for the greatnes of power giuen him by the almighty for his singular loue towardes that nation wherof by mariage of Holie Queene Marie of blessed memorie he once was kinge for the olde loue and league betwixt the said cuntrie and the house of Burgogne for the infinite iniuries and dishonors done to his maiestie and people by Elizabethe and to conclude for his speciall pietie and zeale towardes Gods house and the See Apostolike together with the consideration of the fresh barbarous murther of his consine the Queene of Scotland by which the sacred honor and name of Kingly dignety is dishonored and all lawfull princes highely intressed that for these and many other causes his maiestie wold take vpon him in the name of God almightie this sacred and glorious enterprise VVho at lenghte aswell by this his Holines auctority and exhortation as by his owne vnspeakeable zeale and pietie moued also not a litle by my humble and continuall sute together with the afflicted and banished Catholikes of our nation of all and euery degree who haue bene by his speciall coÌ„passion and Regall munificence principally supported in this their longe exile hath consented atlast taken vpon him this so holie and glorious an acte to the onely honor of God the benefite of the Christian worlde and your deliuerie my good brethren from the yoke of heresie and thraldom of your enemies and for restitutioÌ„ of those realmes and the subiects of the same to their auncient liberty of lawes and conscience For which causes his maiesty hath in the name of the lord God of Hostes commaunded sufficient royall and mayn forces bothe by sea lande to be gathered and to be conducted in to our cuntrie if nede be and if the pretensed and principall offender will not otherwise cum to order by the most Godly valerous Generall and Capitaines that be of his maiesties seruice in all Christendom Of whose procedinge in this action aswell of his holines as his maiesties intention meaninge therin we are to aduertife you all by these presents and to forwarne you against all false sclaunderous and seditious speaches of the enemies and heretikes by which they haue many yeres and in wonderful maner deluded some straÌ„gers to their vndoinge the ruine of their cuntreyes And to comfort yow against all other popular feares of the simple sorte that neither the CoÌ„queste of the lande dispossessinge of the Englishe distruction of Catholikes ruine of auncyeÌ„t howses abolishinge of our olde lawes liberties or customes is purposed nor any other annoiaunce or alteration in the world to be made sauinge so