that it can neuer be blotted out the writing the writing of the Law in our hearts In two Tables for our double duty to God and Man on both sides to take vp our heart so wholly that nothing contrary to those Precepts should euer haue any place in our Soules And certainely from this little Library that God hath erected within vs is the foundation of all our Learning layd So that people Ciuillized doe account themselues depriued of one of the best abilities of nature if they be not somewhat inabled by writing to expresse their mindes And there is no Nation so brutish or Barbarous that haue not inuented one kinde of Character or other whereby to conuey to others their inward Conceptions From these Tables of God wee may come to the writing of our Blessed Sauiour which we may put in the next place though not for order yet for Honour His Diuine Maiestie left behinde him no Monument of writing written by his owne hand in any externall Booke for he was to induce and bring in an other maner of the writing of the Law of Loue not in Tables of stone written not with incke and paper but in the Tables of our fleshly hearts written by the Spirit of the Liuing God Yet did he once with his owne finger write on the Pauement of the Temple of Ierusalem What he writ J will not now discusse S. Ambrose saith he wrote this Sentence Festucam in oculo fratris cernis trabem in tuo non vides Beda thinkes he wrote that Sentence that he spake He that is without sinne let him cast the first stone at her Haymo hath a pretty Conceit He thinketh he wrote certaine Characters in the Pauement which the Accusers beholding might see as in a glasse their owne wickednesse and so blushing at it went their wayes What euer it was sure we are our Sauiour would haue false accusations written in dust to bee troden vnder foote of them that passe by But howsoeuer I say our Blessed Sauiour did leaue behind him no writing of his owne hand Yet we may not deny but that God in the old Testament and our Sauiour in the New haue left vs many bookes of their owne inditements For all the Bookes of holy Scripture were written by inspiration and the Prophets and Apostles were but their Amanuenses and writ onely as they were led and actuated by the Spirit of God So that we may not make the Author of any of those Bookes any other then God Himselfe The old world before the flood wil afford vs no writings neither did that aage require them for the liues of Men of that aage were liuing Libraries and lasted longer then the labors of Men doe in this aage Yet S. Iude doeth insinuate somewhat of the writings of Enoch who though he were not in Stile a King Yet there is no reason to contend with him for that Title for his Dominion would beare it standing Heire-Apparent to the greater part of the world Origen Tertullian and Augustine report many things out of the supposititous writings that went vnder his name And Iosephus and that Berosus that wee haue tell vs that hee erected two pillars the one of Stone the other of Bricke wherein he wrote of the two-fold destructions of the world the one by Water the other by Fire But howsoeuer that be trew it is very probable he wrote something of that matter which though it perished with that world yet doubtlesse the memory thereof was preserued by Tradition vnto the dayes of the Apostles J will not here insist vpon the writings of Moses who was not onely a Priest and a Prophet but was as himselfe records amongst the people a King and was the first that euer receiued authoritie from GOD to write in Diuinitie Neither will J insist vpon the Example of King Dauid in whose Psalmes and Himnes are resounded out the praises of GOD in all the Churches for that J finde nothing that these men writ but what they writ as the Scribes of GOD acted as I said euen now by GOD his Spirit and not guided by their owne Yet I suppose wee may safely collect thus much from them that if GOD had thought it a matter derogatory to the Maiestie of a King to bee a Writer he would not haue made choice of those as his chiefe Instruments in this kinde who were principalls in that other Order J would easily beleeue that such men as haue had the honour to be GOD his Pen-men should neuer vouchsafe to write any thing of their owne for as we hold in a pious opinion that the blessed Virgine hauing once conceiued by the holy Ghost would neuer after conceiue by man So surely men that had deliuered nothing but the conceptions of that Spirit should hardly be drawne euer to set out any of their owne labours But we see the flat contrary both in Samuel and Solomon the one the greatest Iudge the other the most glorious King that euer that Kingdome had Samuel who writ by GODS appointment the greatest part of those two Bookes that beare his name writ also by his owne accord a Booke contayning the Law of a King or Institution of a Prince whereby hee laboured to keepe the King as well from declining to Tyrannie as the people from running into Libertie Solomon besides the Bookes of Scripture which remaine writ many likewise of his owne accord which are lost For to say nothing of his 3000. Parables his 5000. Songes that ingens opus as the Hebrues call it of the nature of all things Birds and Beasts Fowles and fishes Trees and plants from the Hysop to the Cedar All these were rather workes to manifest humane wisedome then Diuine knowledge written rather for the recreation of his owne spirit then for the edification of the Church For I cannot conceiue but those Bookes would rather haue taught vs the learning of Nature for which GOD hath left vs to the writings of men then edified vs in the gifts of Grace for which hee hath giuen vs his owne Booke Neither let any man suggest that these writings that are lost and as they say were destroyed in the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians were of the same authoritie as those that doe remaine for J can hardly be induced to beleeue that the writings that were indited by the Spirit of GOD layed vp in the Arke receiued into the Canon read publikely in the Church are vtterly perished Jt is a desperate thing to call either the prouidence of GOD or the fidelity of the Church in question in this point For if those that haue bene are perished then why may not these that remaine as well be lost which is contrary to our Sauiours assertion that one Iota shall not perish till all bee fulfilled Therefore J rather incline to thinke that what euer was Scripture still is then that any is lost Neither is this opinion so curious to hold as the other is dangerous to beleeue Better it
her needle and is now of his Maiestie esteemed as a most pretious Iewell Therefore since wee are compassed about with such a Clowd of Witnesses albeit these are but a little handfull in comparison of the infinite multitude that might be produced Since we haue the examples of all the Mightie-men of the World euen from the beginning thereof vnto this day who haue striuen as much to get a Name for their writings as fame for their doings haue affected as much to be counted Learned as Victorious and to be reputed of as much for their wise Sayings as for their worthy Deeds Why should it bee thought a thing strange in this time that his Maiestie whom GOD hath adorned with as many rare perfections of Nature and Arte as euer he did any that wee read of I except such as were Diuinely inspired should lend the world a few leaues out of the large Volumes of his Learning J commend the wisedome of our Aduersaries who hauing assayed all meanes the wit of man is able to inuent to incline his Maiestie to like of their partie and finding by all their Tricks they haue got no ground would at last put his Maiestie to silence and gaine thus much of him at least that since he will doe nothing for them yet that he would say nothing against them Therefore they cry out against his Maiesties writing and vpbrayd him more for that hee doeth write then they doe for any thing that hee hath written Jt is ynough to wonder at that Rex scribit These people are wise in their generation and haue learned by long experience that as the Kingdome of CHRIST is the Gospel of peace so it hath bene from the beginning spread more by the Pennes of the Apostles then by the power of Princes more propagated by the sweet writings of the ancient Fathers then it could bee suppressed by the seuere Edicts of Emperours and of late their Kingdome hath bene more shaken by a poore Monke then it hath bene able to recouer by the helpe of Mighty Monarches Therefore since the writings of poore Schollers haue so raised the Kingdome of CHRIST and so discouered the Mysterie of Jniquitie they do well to feare what may follow vpon the Writings of so great a King They liue securely from bleeding by his Maiesties Sword but they are not safe from being blasted by the breath of his Maiesties Bookes Jf they could bring it about therefore to calme and quiet his Maiesties Spirit from working vpon them that way as they see his Maiesties sweetnesse to bee farre from drawing of their bloods the other way they would deeme it a greater Conquest then all the conuersions of the Kings of the East and West-Indies they tell vs so many tales of For they looke vpon his Maiesties Bookes as men looke vpon Blasing-Starres with amazement fearing they portend some strange thing and bring with them a certaine Influence to worke great change and alteration in the world Neither is their expectation herein deceiued for we haue seene with our eyes the Operation of his Maiesties Workes in the Consciences of their men so farre as from their highest Conclaue to their lowest Cells there haue bene that haue bene conuerted by them and that in such number as wee want rather meanes to maintaine them then they minds to come to vs. But to conclude this point that Kings may write Giue mee leaue to offer you this Meditation How many are the wayes that men doe inuent to perpetuate their Memorie Insomuch that mortall-men haue made themselues Gods when they were dead that they might be adored as if they were aliue Wherein is the Impetus of Nature so strong as in the affection that propogates to Posteritie Wherefore serue Pictures but to continue our features Why doe men bestow so much cost in sumptuous Buildings but to leaue a Monument of their Magnificence To what end doe we erect Holy-houses and Hospitalls but to possesse mens mindes with the Deuotion of our Soules And shall wee blesse a King when wee behold him in his Posteritie Shall wee admire his features when wee contemplate them in his Pictures Shall we wonder at his Magnificence when we gaze vpon it in his stately Edifices and may wee not as well bee rauished when wee see his sharpe Wit his profound Judgement his infinite Memorie his Excellent affections in his admirable Writings Certainely it is a peruersnes to esteeme a man least for that whereby hee liues the longest to value him more for the outward worke of his hand then for the inward operation of his minde to esteeme him more for that which instructs but little then for that which shall edifie for euer What now remaines of Caesar so famous as his Commentaries What of Cicero as his Orations How comes Aristotle to be of more authoritie then Alexander Seneca then Nero The Triumphes and Victories of the one are vanished the Vertues of the other remaine in their perfect vigour And though all other Monuments by time consume and come to nothing yet these by time gaine strength and get authoritie and euer the more ancient the more Excellent Hauing now deliuered my opinion that J thinke it neither vnlawfull nor inconuenient for a King to write but that he hath the Liberty that other men haue if hee can get the leysure to shew his abilities for the present to perpetuate his Memory to Posterity to aduance his praise before his owne People and gaine Glory from others but especially to giue Glory vnto GOD. J will craue leaue to descend to an other Consideration for it may be there will not be so much fault found with a King for writing as for the matter or Subiect whereof he treates For Personages of their eminent Degree and State must not spend their paines on poore purposes nor write so much to try their witts on triuiall thinges as to winne themselues Honor by the Excellency of their subiect Jndeed if I were worthy to aduise a King hee should meddle very sparingly and but vpon important Causes with Polemicalls Hee should not often fight but in the field for put the case a King writ neuer so modestly that there be not in a whole Booke one word ad hominem nor any touch of his Aduersary in any personall infirmity yet J know not how it comes to passe that in all Controuersies a solide answere to an argument is a very sufficient occasion to make an Aduersary wonderfull angrie And so long as there are diuersity of Opinions there will neuer want matter for Confutations And in these Replications the person of a King is more exposed and lyes more open then the person of a poore Scholler can doe for as he is a farre greater marke so he may farre more easily be hit And though they misse him and can hit vpon nothing iustly to bee reprehended in him yet they doe thinke it Operaepretium to make a Scarre in the face of a King Whereas on the contrary if a King
word of God as I did shew you in the beginning of my Euangel 14 And the hostes of Angels and Saints in heauen followed him vpon white horses clothed in white and pure linnen whereof yee heard alreadie 15 And from his mouth came foorth a sharpe sword as ye heard in the beginning of this Epistle that he might strike the Gentiles therewith for hee shall rule them with a rod of yron as Dauid sayth and he treadeth to wit giueth command and power to tread the lake or sea of the vine of the fury and wrath of God Almightie as ye heard in the seuenth Trumpet 16 And he hath vpon his garment and vpon his thigh as the strongest part of his body this name written The King of kings and Lord of lords 17 And I saw an Angel standing in the Sunne that there he might be seene publikely of all and that the Whole world might take heed to that which he was to proclaime and he cried with a loude voice to all the fowles flying through the middest of heauen Come and gather your selues to the supper of the Lord 18 To eate the flesh of Kings of Tribunes of mightie men of horses and of their riders in short come eate the flesh of all free-men and slaues great and small This was to declare that the day of Iudgement was come wherein should that destruction ensue signified by fowles eating their flesh because fowles vse to eate the flesh of dead men vnburied which should ouerwhelme all sorts of men excepting alwayes these that were marked who were sundry times excepted before as ye heard 19 Then I saw that beast to wit Babylon together with the kings of the earth who tooke her part and their armies gathered together to make warre with him that sate vpon the white horse and with his armie 20 But the Beast was taken together with the false prophet or false Church which by her false miracles seduced the nations that did beare the Character of the Beast and adored his image as ye heard before and they were both cast quicke in the lake of fire burning with brimstone 21 And the rest were slaine by the sword which came out of his mouth that sate vpon the horse and the fowles were filled with their flesh for how soone Christ shall come to Iudgement then shall all the enemies of God be destroyed and so full victory obtained of this battell whereof yee heard in the sixt Trumpet and sixt phiale and shall heare farther hereafter And chiefly Babylon and the false Church shall be cast into hell because they merit double punishment for the abusing of men although they shall not also want their damnation that followeth them as is signified by their slaughter with the sword of his mouth whereof yee heard in the beginning of this Epistle and by the fowles eating their flesh as ye presently perceiue CHAP. XX. ARGVMENT The summe and recapitulation of all the former visions to wit the first estate of the Church in all puritie after Christ The heresies and specially the Popedome that followed The destruction thereof in their greatestrage The latter day The saluation of the Elect and condemnation of all others THe Spirit of God hauing now shewen vnto me the estate of the Church militant with the speciall temptations and troubles of the same from the death of Christ to the consummation of the world and their ioyfull deliuerance and victory at that time by the first sixe Seales and next more amply by the seuenth Seale wherin were the seuen trumpets and thirdly her greatest temptations and troubles more cleerely and at large by the vision of the woman persecuted by the Dragon and lastly the cleere and ample description and damnation of Babylon that great persecuter the sorrow of the earth and ioy of heauen therefore This vision now that ye shall presently heare was next shewen vnto me to serue for a summe as it were and a short recapitulation of the whole Prophecie so often reiterated before which is here diuided in three parts First the happy estate of Christes Church though not in the eyes of the world from his first comming to a long time after as was declared by the first Seale Next the grieuous troubles and temptations vnto the which shee shall be subiect thereafter as was declared by the third and fourth Seale and by the third fourth fift and sixt blastes of the Trumpets And thirdly the destruction of all her enemies her ioyfull deliuerance and the consummation as was declared by the sixt Seale the seuenth Trumpet the seuenth phiale and the comming downe of the white horse which in my last words before these yee heard described But specially in this vision is declared the punishment at the latter day of the deuill himselfe before the destruction onely of his instruments being mentioned as ye formerly heard The vision then was this 1 I saw an Angel come downe from heauen and he had the key of the bottomlesse pit and a great chaine in his hand 2 And hee tooke the dragon to wit the ancient serpent who is the deuill and Satan to wit the Tempter and bound him for the space of a thousand yeres 3 And did cast him in the bottomlesse pit and closed him in there that it should not be opened that he might come foorth and seduce the nations till the space of a thousand yeeres were completed and past for thereafter he must be loosed for a short space 4 Then I saw seats and persons sitting vpon them and iudgment or power of iudging was giuen vnto them And I also saw the soules of them who were beheaded or otherwise put to death for the testimonie of Christ and the word of God and adored not the Beast nor tooke his image neither his character on their foreheads nor on their hands These shal liue and reigne with Christ the space of the thousand yeres ye heard 5 But the rest of the dead shal not reuiue till the space of these yeres be complete This is the first resurrectiō 6 Blessed and holy is he that is partaker of the first resurrection for ouer such the second death shal haue no power but they shal be Priests of God and Christ shal reigne with him for euer This is the first part of the diuision wherof I presently told you to wit Christ by his passion did bind the deuill who before was raging in the world and closed him in hell by the remouing of the vaile of blindnes from the whole earth which remained so the space of a thousand yeres to wit a long space all that time the deuil remained bound and casten into hell by Christ who only hath power of it so as in all that space the nations were not seduced for the efficacie of heresies was not yet cropen in and the Saints and Church visible shal so increase albeit in the midst of persecution all this time and so retaine the purity of the trewth as by the glory of
returne to his friend or yet an Angel vse such formes PHI. And are not our war-woolfes one sort of these spirits also that haunt and trouble some houses or dwelling places EPI There hath indeede beene an olde opinion of such like things for by the Greekes they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth men-wolfes But to tell you simply my opinion in this if any such thing hath beene I take it to haue proceeded but of a naturall super-abundance of Melancholy which as we reade that it hath made some thinke themselues pitchers and some horses and some one kinde of beast or other so suppose I that it hath so viciat the imagination and memory of some as per lucida interualla it hath so highly occupied them that they haue thought themselues very Woolfes indeed at these times and so haue counterfeited their actions in going on their hands and feete preassing to deuoure women and barnes fighting and snatching with all the towne dogges and in vsing such like other brutish actions and so to become beasts by a strong apprehension as Nebuchad-nezzar was seuen yeeres Daniel 4. but as to their hauing and hiding of their hard and schelly sluiches I take that to be but eiked by vncertaine report the author of all lies CHAP. II. ARGV The description of the next two kinds of Spirits whereof the one followes outwardly the other possesses inwardly the persons that they trouble That since all prophecies and visions are now ceased all spirits that appeare in these formes are euill PHILOMATHES COme forward now to the rest of these kinds of spirits EPI As to the next two kindes that is either these that outwardly trouble and follow some persons or else inwardly possesse them I wil conioine them in one because as well the causes are alike in the persons that they are permitted to trouble as also the wayes whereby they may be remedied and cured PHI. What kinde of persons are they that vse to be so troubled EPI Two kindes in speciall either such as being guiltie of grieuous offences God punishes by that horrible kinde of scourge or else being persons of the best nature peraduenture that ye shall finde in all the countrey about them God permits them to be troubled in that sort for the triall of their patience and wakening vp of their zeale for admonishing of the beholders not to trust ouer-much in themselues since they are made of no better stuffe and peraduenture blotted with no smaller sinnes as Christ said Luke 13. speaking of them vpon whom the Tower of Sylo fell And for giuing likewise to the spectators matter to praise God that they meriting no better are yet spared from being corrected in that fearefull forme PHI. These are good reasons for the part of GOD which apparantly moonues him so to permit the Diuell to trouble such persons But since the Diuell hath euer a contrarie respect in all the actions that GOD imployes him in which is I pray you the end and marke he shootes at in this turne EPI It is to obtaine one of two things thereby if he may The one is the tinsell of their life by inducing them to such perillous places at such time as he either followes or possesses them which may procure the same and such like so farre as GOD will permit him by tormenting them to weaken their bodie and cast them into incurable diseases The other thing that he preasses to obtaine by troubling of them is the tinsell of their soule by intising them to mistrust blaspheme God either for the intolerablenesse of their torments Iob 1. as hee assayed to haue done with Iob or else for his promising vnto them to leaue the troubling of them in case they would so doe as is knowen by experience at this same time by the confession of a young one that was so troubled PHI. Since ye haue spoken now of both these kinds of spirits comprehending them in one I must now goe backe againe in speering some questions of euery one of these kindes in speciall And first for these that follow certaine persons ye know that there are two sorts of them One sorte that trouble and torment the persons that they haunt with Another sort that are seruiceable vnto them in all kind of their necessaries and omit neuer to forewarne them of any suddaine perill that they are to bee in And so in this case I would vnderstand whether both these sorts be but wicked and damned spirits or if the last sort be rather Angels as should appeare by their actions sent by God to assist such as hee specially fauours For it is written in the Scriptures Gene. 32. 1. Kings 6. Psal 34. that God sends legions of Angels to guard and watch ouer his elect EPI I know well inough where fra that errour which ye alledge hath proceeded For it was the ignorant Gentiles that were the fountaine thereof Who for that they knew not God they forged in their owne imaginations euery man to be stil accompanied with two spirits whereof they called the one genius bonus the other genius malus the Greekes called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof the former they saide perswaded him to all the good hee did the other entised him to all the euill But praised bee GOD wee that are Christians and walke not amongst the Cymmerian coniectures of man know well inough that it is the good Spirit of GOD onely who is the fountaine of all goodnesse that perswades vs to the thinking or doing of any good and that it is our corrupted flesh and Satan that intiseth vs to the contrarie And yet the Diuell for confirming in the heades of ignorant Christians that errour first maintained among the Gentiles he whiles among the first kind of spirits that I speake of appeared in time of Papistrie and blindnesse and haunted diuers houses without doing any euill but doing as it were necessarie turnes vp and downe the house and this spirit they called Brownie in our language who appeared like a rough-man yea some were so blinded as to beleeue that their house was all their sonsier as they called it that such spirits resorted there PHI. But since the diuels intention in all his actions is euer to doe euill what euill was there in that forme of doing since their actions outwardly were good EPI Was it not euill inough to deceiue simple ignorants in making them to take him for an Angel of light and so to account of Gods enemy as of their particular friend where by the contrary all we that are Christians ought assuredly to know that since the comming of Christ in the flesh and establishing of his Church by the Apostles al miracles visions prophecies appearances of Angels or good spirits are ceased which serued only for the first sowing of faith and planting of the Church Where now the Church being established and the white Horse whereof I spake before hauing
for keeping of the peace where by their naturall dewtie they are oblished to obey the lawe and keepe the peace all the daies of their life vpon the perill of their verie craigges For remeid to these euils in their estate Remedie of such euils Arist 5. Polit. teach your Nobilitie to keepe your lawes as precisely as the meanest feare not their orping or beeing discontented as long as yee rule well for their pretended reformation of Princes taketh neuer effect but where euill gouernement precedeth Acquaint your selfe so with all the honest men of your Barrons and Gentlemen Zeno in Cyr. Iso in En. Cic. ad Q. fra and be in your giuing accesse so open and affable to euery ranke of honest persons as may make them peart without scarring at you to make their owne suites to you themselues and not to employ the great Lordes their intercessours for intercession to Saints is Papistrie so shall ye bring to a measure their monstrous backes And for their barbarous feides put the lawes to due execution made by mee there-anent beginning euer rathest at him that yee loue best and is most oblished vnto you to make him an example to the rest For yee shall make all your reformations to beginne at your elbow and so by degrees to flow to the extremities of the land And rest not vntill yee roote out these barbarous feides that their effects may bee as well smoared downe as their barbarous name is vnknowen to anie other nation For if this Treatise were written either in French or Latine I could not get them named vnto you but by circumlocution And for your easier abolishing of them put sharpelie to execution my lawes made against Gunnes and traiterous Pistolets thinking in your heart tearming in your speech and vsing by your punishments all such as weare and vse them as brigands and cut-throates On the other part eschew the other extremitie in lightlying and contemning your Nobilitie Remember howe that errour brake the King my grand-fathers heart Plat. in 1. Al. in pol. 5. del Arist 2. oecom But consider that vertue followeth oftest noble blood the worthinesse of their antecessors craueth a reuerent regard to be had vnto them honour them therfore that are obedient to the law among them as Peeres and Fathers of your land the more frequently that your Court can bee garnished with them Zenâ— in Cyr. thinke it the more your honour acquainting and employing them in all your greatest affaires sen it is they must be your armes and executers of your lawes and so vse your selfe louinglie to the obedient and rigorously to the stubborne as may make the greatest of them to thinke that the chiefest point of their honour standeth in striuing with the meanest of the land in humilitie towards you and obedience to your Lawes beating euer in their eares that one of the principall points of seruice that ye craue of them is in their persons to practise and by their power to procure due obedience to the Law without the which no seruice they can make can be agreeable vnto you But the greatest hinderance to the execution of our Lawes in this countrie are these heritable Shirefdomes and Regalities Of Shirefdomes and Regalities which being in the hands of the great men do wracke the whole countrie For which I know no present remedie but by taking the sharper account of them in their Offices vsing all punishment against the slouthfull that the Law will permit and euer as they vaike for any offences committed by them Ar. 2. pol. dispone them neuer heritably againe preassing with time Laudable custome of England to draw it to the laudable custome of England which ye may the easilier doe being King of both as I hope in God ye shall And as to the third and last estate The third estate which is our Burghes for the small Barrones are but an inferiour part of the Nobilitie and of their estate they are composed of two sorts of men Merchants and Craftes-men either of these sorts being subiect to their owne infirmities The Merchants thinke the whole common-weale ordeined for making them vp and accounting it their lawfull gaine and trade The formes of Merchants to enrich themselues vpon the losse of all the rest of the people they transport from vs things necessarie bringing backe sometimes vnnecessary things and at other times nothing at all They buy for vs the worst wares and sell them at the dearest prices and albeit the victuals fall or rise of their prices according to the aboundance or skantnesse thereof yet the prices of their wares euer rise but neuerfall being as constant in that their euill custome as if it were a setled Law for them They are also the speciall cause of the corruption of the coyne transporting all our owne and bringing in forraine vpon what price they please to set on it For order putting to them put the good Lawes in execution that are already made anent these abuses but especially doe three things Establish honest diligent but few Searchers for many hands make slight worke and haue an honest and diligent Thesaurer to take count of them Pl. 2. de Rep. 8. 11. de leg Permit and allure forraine Merchants to trade here so shall ye haue best and best cheape wares not buying them at the third hand And set euery yeere downe a certaine price of all things considering first how it is in other countries and the price being set reasonably downe if the Merchants will not bring them home on the price cry forrainers free to bring them And because I haue made mention here of the coyne A duice anent the coyne make your money of fine Gold and Siluer causing the people be payed with substance and not abused with number so shall ye enrich the common-weale and haue a great treasure laid vp in store if ye fall in warres or in any straites For the making it baser will breed your commoditie but it is not to bee vsed but at a great necessitie And the Craftes-men thinke Of craftsmen Plat. 11. de leg we should be content with their worke how bad and deare soeuer it be and if they in any thing be controlled vp goeth the blew-blanket A good policie of England But for their part take example by ENGLAND how it hath flourished both in wealth and policie since the strangers Craftes-men came in among them Plat. 9. de leg Therefore not onely permit but allure strangers to come heere also taking as strait order for repressing the mutining of ours at them as was done in ENGLAND at their first in-bringing there But vnto one fault is all the common people of this Kingdome subiect A generall fault in the people as well burgh as land which is to iudge and speake rashly of their Prince Sal. in Iug. setting the Common-weale vpon foure props as wee call it euer wearying of the present estate and desirous
them hee told them these things and therefore they know saith hee what the impediment was Verse 6. and who did withbold that the man of Sinne was not reuealed Verse 7. although the mysterie of iniquitie was already working That the Romane Emperours in Saint Pauls time needed no reuealing to the Christians to bee men of Sinne or sinfull men no childe doubteth but the reuelation hee speaketh of was a mysterie a secret It should therefore seeme that hee durst not publish in his Epistle what that impediment was It may be he meant by the translating of the Seat of the Romane Empire and that the translation thereof should leaue a roume for the man of Sinne to sit downe in And that he meant not that man of Sinne of these Ethnicke Emperours in his time his introduction to this discourse maketh it more then manifest For he saith fearing they should be deceiued thinking the day of the Lords second comming to bee at hand he hath therefore thought good to forewarne them that this generall Defection must first come Whereby it well appeareth that hee could not meane by the present time but by a future and that a good long time otherwise he proued ill his argument that the Lords comming was not at hand Neither can the forme of the Destruction of this man of Sinne agree with that maner of spoile that the Gothes and Vandals made of * For so doeth Tortus call Rome when it was spoiled by them though it was Christian many yeres before Ethnick Rome For our Apostle saith 1 Verse 8. That this wicked man shull bee consumed by the Spirit of the Lords mouth and abolished by his comming Now I would thinke that the word of God and the Preaching thereof should be meant by the Spirit of the Lords mouth which should peece and peece consume and diminish the power of that man of Sinne till the brightnes of the Lords second comming should vtterly abolish him And by his expressing the meanes of his working he doeth likewise in my opinion explane his meaning very much For he saith It shall be by a strong delusion Verse 8.9 by lying wonders c. Well what Church it is that vanteth them of their innumerable miracles and yet most of them contrary to their owne doctrine Bellarmine can best tell you with his hungry Mare Bellar lib. 3. de Eucharist cap. 8 that turned her taile to her prouender and kneeled to the Sacrament And yet I am sure he will be ashamed to say that the holy Sacrament is ordained to be worshipped by Oues Boues caetera pecora campi Thus haue I prooued out of S. Paul now that the time of the Antichrists comming and the generall Defection was not to be till long after the time that he wrote in That his Seat was to be in the Temple and Church of God and That his Action which can best point at his Person should be to Exalt himselfe aboue all that were called Gods S. Iohn indeed doth more amply though mystically describe this Antichrist which vnder the figure of a monstrous Beast with seuen heads and ten hornes he sets forth in the xiij chap. and then interpreteth in the xvij where hee calles her a Whore sitting vpon many waters and riding vpon the sayd monstrous Beast Reuel 17. v. 1. Vers 3. concluding that chapter with calling that Woman that great City which reigneth ouer the Kings of the earth And both in that Chapter Vers 18. and in the beginning of the next he calles that great Citie Babylon Vers 5. Cap. 18. v. 2. So as to continue herein my formerly purposed Methode of the Time Seat and Person of Antichrist this place doth clearely and vndenyably declare that Rome is or shal be the Seat of that Antichrist For first no Papist now denieth that by Babylon here Rome is directly meant and that this Woman is the Antichrist doeth clearely appeare by the time of his working described by 42. moneths in the xiij Chap. Vers 5. which doeth iustly agree with that three yeeres and a halfes time which all the Papists giue to the Reigne of Antichrist Besides that the Beast it selfe with seuen heads and tenne hornes hauing one of her heads wounded and healed againe is described iust alike in the xiij and xvij Chap. being in the former prooued to be the Antichrist by the time of her reigne and in the latter Rome by the name of Babylon by the confession of all the Papists So as one point is now cleare that Rome is the Seat of the Antichrist Neither will that place in the eleuenth Chapter serue to shift off this point and proue the Antichrists Seat to bee in Ierusalem where it is saide Chap. 11.8 That the Corpses of the Witnesses shall lie in the great City spiritually Sodome and Egypt where our Lord also was crucified For the word spiritually is applied both to Sodome Egypt and Ierusalem in that place And when hee hath named Sodome and Egypt hee doeth not subioyne Ierusalem with a single vbi but with an vbi as if hee would say and this Antichrists abomination shall bee so great as his Seate shall bee as full of Spirituall whoredomes and Idolatries as Sodome and Egypt was nay and so bloody in the persecution of the Saints as our Lord shall be crucified againe in his members And who hath so meanely read the Scriptures if he haue euer read them at all that knoweth it not to be a common phrase in them Matt. 25.40 to call CHRIST persecuted and slaine when his Saints are so vsed Acts 9.4 So did CHRIST say speaking of the latter day and in the same style did hee speake to S. Paul at his conuersion And that Babylon or Rome since Bellarmine is contented it bee so called is that great Citie where our Lord was crucified Reuel 18.24 the last verse of the xviij Chap. doeth also clearely proue it For there it is said That in that City was found the blood of the Prophets and of the Saints and of all that were slaine vpon the earth and I hope CHRIST was one of them that were slaine vpon the earth And besides that it may well bee said that hee was slaine in that great Citie Babylon since by the Romane authoritie hee was put to death vnder a Romane Iudge and for a Romane quarrell for he could not be a friend to Caesar that was not his enemie This point now being cleared of the Antichrists Seate as I haue already sayd we are next to find out the Time when the Antichrist shall reigne if it be not already come Cha. 13.3 In the xiij Chapter S. Iohn saith that this Beast with the seuen heads and tenne hornes Chap. 17.10 had one of his heads wounded and healed againe and interpreting that in the xvij he saith that these seuen heads are also seuen Kings whereof fiue are fallen one is and an other is not yet
vs as he who is the searcher of the heart and reines can witnesse to make sundry Instances and Requests vnto the States Generall of the Vnited Prouinces for the banishment of a wretched Heretique or rather Athiest out of their Dominions named D. Conradus Vorstius hath bene so ill interpreted or rather wrested to a peruerse sence by a sort of people whose corrupted stomacke turnes all good nourishment into bad and pernitious humors as if it had bene some vanitie and desire of vaine glory in vs or else an Ambition to encroach by little and little vpon the libertie of their State which had caried vs headlong into the businesse As both to cleare our owne honour from the darke mists of these false and scandalous imputations as also to make it trewly appeare vnto the Christian world in what sort wee haue proceeded herein Wee haue thought good to publish this present Declaration containing as well the discourse of our whole Negotiation hitherto with the States in this cause as also the reasons which haue mooued vs to take it so to heart and to perseuere therein as we haue done and will doe God willing vntill it please him to bring it to some good and happy end In Autumne last about the end of August being in our hunting Progresse there came to our hands two bookes of the said Vorstius the one intituled Tractatus Theologicus de Deo dedicated to the Lantgraue of Hessen imprinted in the yeere 1610. the other his Exegesis Apologetica vpon that booke dedicated to the States and printed in the yeere 1611. Which books assoone as we had receiued and not without much horror and detestation cast our eye onely vpon some of the principall Articles of his disputations conteined in the first booke and his Commentary thereupon in the second God is our witnesse that the zeale of his glory did so transport vs as to say with S. Paul We stayed not one houre but dispatched a Letter presently to our Ambassadour resident with the States to this purpose following TRustie and welbeloued c. You shall repaire to the States Generall with all possible diligence in our name telling them that wee doubt not but that their Ambassadours which were with vs about two yeeres since did informe them of a forewarning that we wished the said Ambassadours to make vnto them in our name to beware in time of seditious and hereticall Preachers and not to suffer any such to creepe into their State Our principall meaning was of Arminius who though himselfe were lately dead yet had hee left too many of his disciples behinde him Now according to that care which wee continually haue of the weale of their State wee haue thought good to send vnto them a new aduertisement vpon the like occasion which is this That there is lately come to our handes a piece of worke of one Vorstius a Diuine in those parts wherein hee hath published such monstrous blasphemie and horrible Atheisme as out of the care that a Christian Prince and Defender of the Faith as we haue euer bene ought to haue of the good of the Church wee hold not onely such a scandalous booke worthy to bee burnt but euen the Authour himselfe to bee most seuerely punished This notwithstanding wee are informed that the States are so farre from beeing sensible of so great a scandall to the Church as that the most part of them haue already yeelded him their free consents and voyces for the obteining of the place of Diuinitie Reader in the Vniuersitie of Leyden which the aboue-named Arminius of little better stuffe lately enioyed and though himselfe be dead hath left his sting yet liuing among them Hauing therefore vnderstood that the time of Election will be about Michaelmas next and holding our selues bound in honour and conscience as a Christian Prince and one who hath vouchsafed the States our Royall fauour and support in respect of their Religion to preuent so great a mischiefe so farre as we are able Wee will and require you to let them vnderstand how infinitely wee shall bee displeased if such a Monster receiue aduancement in the Church And if it bee alleadged that hee hath recanted his Atheisticall opinions and that thereupon he may be capable of the place you shall tell them that wee thinke his Recantation so slender a satisfaction for so fowle an offence as that wee hold him rather worthy of punishment or at least to be debarred from all promotion Wherein though wee assure our selfe that they will of their owne discretions eschew such a viper who may make a fearefull rent not onely in their Ecclesiasticall but also in their Politique State yet notwithstanding all this if they will continue their resolution to preferre him you shall then make a protestation to them in our name That wee will not faile to make knowen to the world publikely in print how much wee detest such abominable Heresies and all allowers and tolerators of them And because the States shall know vpon what reasons we haue grounded this our Admonition you shall receiue herewith a * * This Catalogue is here purposely omitted for auoyding a needlesse repetition seeing the principall points therof are conteined in a little Collection annexed at the end of our second letter written to Wynwood Catalogue of his damnable Positions of which no one page of the booke is free Giuen vnder our Signet c. For obseruing that so prodigious a Monster began to liue among them We could do no lesse considering the infinite obligations which wee owe vnto God then to make Our zeale appeare against such an enemie to the Essence of the Deity Besides the charitie which Wee beare to the said States Our neighbors and Confederates professing the same Religion that we do did enforce Vs to admonish them to eschew and preuent in time so dangerous a contagion which dispersing it selfe might infect not onely the bodie of their State but all Christendome also the danger whereof was so much greater to our Dominions then to many others by how much the Prouinces of the said States are neerer vnto Vs in their situation Our Ambassadour therefore hauing sufficiently acquitted himselfe of that which Wee gaue him in charge by exhorting them in Our Name timely to preuent the danger which might ensue by enterteyning such a guest as VORSTIVS which at that time they might easily haue done seeing he was not yet setled at Leyden neither was he lodged in the house appointed for the publique Reader nor were his wife and family yet arriued and therefore much more easie for them to haue rid him out of their countrey sending him backe to the place from whence he came according to the old Prouerbe Turpiùs eijcitur quà m non admittitur hospes It is more honest to refuse a guest then when you haue once receiued him to thrust him out of doores Yet notwithstanding all the diligence that Our Ambassadour could vse and the oportunity which at that time
much lesse I will doe it when a Law is to restraine me I owe no more to the Scottish men then to the English I was borne there and sworne here and now raigne ouer both Such particular persons of the Scottish Nation as might claime any extraordinary merit at my handes I haue already reasonably rewarded and I can assure you that there is none left whom for I meane extraordinary to straine my selfe further then in such ordinary benefit as I may equally bestow without mine owne great hurt vpon any Subiect of either Nation In which case no Kings handes can euer befully closed To both I owe Iustice and protection which with Gods grace I shall euer equally ballance For my Liberalitie I haue told you of it heretofore my three first yeeres were to me as a Christmas I could not then be miserable should I haue bene ouersparing to them they might haue thought Ioseph had forgotten his brethren or that the King had beene drunke with his new Kingdome But Suites goe not now so cheape as they were wont neither are there so many fees taken in the Hamper and Pettibagge for the great Seale as hath beene And if I did respect the English when I came first of whom I was receiued with ioy and came as in a hunting iourney what might the Scottish haue iustly said if I had not in some measure dealt bountifully with them that so long had serued me so farre aduentured themselues with me and beene so faithfull to mee I haue giuen you now foure yeeres proofe since my comming and what I might haue done more to haue raised the Scottish nation you all know and the longer I liue the lesse cause haue I to be acquainted with them and so the lesse hope of extraordinary fauour towards them For since my comming from them I doe not alreadie know the one halfe of them by face most of the youth being now risen vp to bee men who were but children when I was there and more are borne since my comming thence Now for my lands and reuenues of my Crowne which you may thinke I haue diminished They are not yet so farre diminished but that I thinke no prince of Christendome hath fairer possessions to his Crowne then yet I haue and in token of my care to preserue the same to my posteritie for euer the intaile of my lands to the Crowne hath beene long agoe offered vnto you and that it is not yet done is not my fault as you know My Treasurer here knoweth my care and hath already in part declared it and if I did not hope to treble my Reuenue more then I haue empaired it I should neuer rest quietly in my bed But notwithstanding my comming to the Crowne with that extraordinarie applause which you all know and that I had two Nations to bee the obiects of my liberalitie which neuer any Prince had here before will you compare my gifts out of mine inheritance with some Princes here that had onely this Nation to respect and whose whole time of reigne was litle longer then mine hath bene already It will be found that their gifts haue farre surpassed mine albeit as I haue already said they had nothing so great cause of vsing their liberalitie For the maner of the Vnion presently desired It standeth in 3. parts Secondly The first taking away of hostile Lawes for since there can bee now no Warres betwixt you is it not reason hostile Lawes should cease For desiciente causa desicit effectas The King of England now cannot haue warres with the King of Scotland therefore this failes of it selfe The second is communitie of Commerce I am no stranger vnto you for you all know I came from the loynes of your ancient Kings They of Scotland be my Subiects as you are But how can I bee naturall Liege Lord to you both and you strangers one to the other Shall they which be of one alleagance with you be no better respected of you nor freer amongst you then Frenchmen and Spaniards Since I am Soueraigne ouer both you as Subiects to one King it must needes follow that you conuerse and haue Commerce together There is a rumour of some ill dealings that should be vsed by the Commissioners Merchants of Scotland They be heere in England and shall remaine till your next meeting and abide triall to prooue themselues either honest men or knaues For the third point of Naturalization All you agree that they are no Aliens and yet will not allow them to bee naturall What kinde of prerogatiue will you make But for the Postnati your owne Lawyers and Iudges at my first comming to this Crowne informed me there was a difference betweene the Antè and the Post nati of each Kingdome which caused mee to publish a Proclamation that the Post nati were Naturalized Ipso facto by my Accession to this Crowne I doe not denie but Iudges may erre as men and therefore I doe not presse you here to sweare to all their reasons I onely vrge at this time the conueniencie for both Kingdomes neither pressing you to iudge nor to be iudged But remember also it is as possible and likely your owne Lawyers may erre as the Iudges Therefore as I wish you to proceede herein so farre as may tend to the weale of both Nations So would I haue you on the other part to beware to disgrace either my Proclamations or the Iudges who when the Parliament is done haue power to trie your lands and liues for so you may disgrace both your King and your Lawes For the doing of any acte that may procure lesse reuerence to the Iudges cannot but breede a loosenesse in the Gouernement and a disgrace to the whole Nation The reason that most mooues mee for ought I haue yet heard that there cannot but bee a difference betweene the Antè nati and the Post nati and that in the fauour of the last is that they must bee neerer vnto you being borne vnder the present Gouernement and common Allegiance but in point of conueniencie there is no question but the Post nati are more to bee respected For if you would haue a perfect and perpetuall Vnion that cannot be in the Antè nati who are but few in comparison of those that shall be in all aages succeeding and cannot liue long But in the Post nati shall the Vnion be continued and liue euer aage after aage which wanting a difference cannot but leaue a perpetuall marke of separation in the worke of the Vnion as also that argument of iealousie will be so farre remooued in the case of the Post nati which are to reape the benefit in all succeeding aages as by the contrary there will then rise Pharaos which neuer knew Ioseph The Kings my Successours who beeing borne and bred heere can neuer haue more occasion of acquaintance with the Scottish Nation in generall then any other English King that was before my time Bee not therefore abused