alway to be noted that the Prince is so not a priuate but a publike person as no attempt against her safetie can or ought to be accompted a priuate cause The full proofe and larger explication of these conclusions though it be easy as a thing which not onely all conuenientie of reason affirmeth but also dayly experience laieth before all mens eyes that haue a frée consideration not accombred with corrupt zeale and affection so yet surely were it a méete thing to be handled by some such man as could adde thereto such ornaments of speche such strength of eloquence and pith of persuasion as myght not onely be vnderstoode beleued but be felt mouel Here any most excellent orators special-vertues might be well employed A fit argument sure it were to shewe witte and knowledge but specially truth and good meaning But till some fitte person shall take in hand to bestow his more profitable trauayle that way let vs yet for vnlading of some of the abundance of our entier deuotion for Gods truth for her maiestie and our countrey haue some remembrance of the particularities thereof For the first article that defineth papistes that accuseth thē of treason to God to kings and to realmes if it be well weyed it can not but quickly be séene for vndouted truth Though it be true that euery one that holdeth any one error or article of doctrine that the Pope teacheth varying from the worde of God is in that article a papist as for example the heresie of transubstantiation the blasphemie of popish masse or any such other yet compt I not euery such a one wholy a papist within compasse of this article that is vnder title of a traitorous Papist but such a one as holdeth all the Popes doctrine to be true that the Romane church erreth not that it hath rightfully such superioritie and primacie in others kingdomes and diocesces as it hath proudly claimed vsurped and that Christians are bound to referre their fayth vnto it and to hang vpon the Popes determinations Many men otherwise good honest subiectes are not yet purged of all errors wherwith Rome hath infected them must haue their tyme to be better instructed But those that are perfect Papistes that publish the Pope to be head of the church which yet in dede is no member of the true church and would haue vs with an implicite bond faith to depend vpon that sea for that reason will refuse by all lawful meanes to confesse the right of Princes in their kingdomes ouer all their subiectes they be perfect traitors in deede yea and the learned sort of them be wilfull heretikes traitors For though in the darke tymes when controuersies of religion were not brought into searching the streame of error caried men awaye without douting yet since that by debating the light hath bene euidently opened and men haue sought and throughly examined the matter there is no learned papist but he knoweth he mainteineth error and in defending and spreading the same he defendeth and spreadeth and so directly aduisedly wilfully and maliciously putteth in execution to his vttermost power hye treasons against God against kinges and kingdomes Against God I cal them treasons though our law the iudge of ciuil treasons in England haue no such name because the nature of the offence so properly receaueth that title and also the vsuall name of hye treason in iure gentium in the common law of nations and in other languages doth so playnely expresse it Hye treasons are in their true nature offences against hye maiestie that is either to the destruction of the persons or denyall and defacement of the iust dignities and authorities of those that beare the name of maiestie and to whom the hyest dutie of obedience faith and alleageance extendeth And therefore is treason called Crimen lesae maiestatis the crime of violating or abating of maiestie Greater maiestie than the maiestie of God can not be therefore hyer and verier treasons then against God can not be His person can not be destroyed or touched his dignitie honor glorie and authoritie may be sclaundered and blasphemed and his subiectes that is mortall men may be withdrawen from their due obedience and drawen into rebellion against him And this I say is hye treason to God to violate or abate the maiestie of God and this do papistes For though God be king of the whole world and so is rightly called the Lord by vniuersall name yea euen of deuilles yet is hys chirch hys more proper and certaine kingdome whereby he is more restrainedly and aptly called our king and our father and so more fitly called our head in respect of the body which is his chirch and not the rest of the worlde In this kingdome hys hyest dignitie is to be the onely head thereof which the Papistes take from him and deriue it to their Pope And though with gloses they excuse it that theyr Popes take it not from God 〈…〉 vnder God as his vicars yet must they be admonished that wythout sufficient deputation and warrant from the kyng himselfe which the Pope hath not the subiect to thrust himselfe into gouernance of the kingdome is hye treason where he that being a stranger would seke to conquere it were but an enemy And so is it rightly to be sayd that the Turke is to God an enemy and the Pope is to God a traytor and all his adherentes principall traytors for treason admitteth no accessaries Also one great part of Gods maiestie standeth in making of lawes to gouerne his kingdome that hys shéepe shall heare hys voyce and no strangers Against which poynt of maiestie as it is hye treason to publish lawes and proclamations in ciuile kynges names against their wyll so are papistes hye traytors in publishing and receauing lawes proclamations and decrées from a climing and vsurping tyrant to bynde Gods subiectes the chirch wythout the wyll and warrant of God Also rebelliously to burne destroy tread downe or deface in great contempt the commissions and lawes of temporall kynges is an hye offence against maiestie and therefore papistes that dishonor and discredit the word of God and destroy the bookes thereof are hye offenders agaynst hys maiestie Also hie treason it is for the subiect to leuie warre agayst hys soueraigne and to destroy hys lande hys faythfull subiectes and true liege people And therefore Papistes in their persecuting and murderyng of Christians with open hostilitie haue shewed themselues hye traytors to the vniuersall King of Christians Also where the counterfaityng of princes handes and coynes and the clipping and abating the value of their true coynes and the vttering of such forged and abated coine is hie treason what lesse name than hye treason agaynst God can we geue to papistes that haue counterfait the writing and coynes of God and geuen out false commissions false patentes and false charters in stede of his worde that clippe from the dignitie
haue spent theyr bloudes to kepe wrong from hym and hys and dyd serue agaynst Papistrie it selfe till theyr treason and Papistrie was rype to be aduaunced Are not the great doers of thys last rebellion and conspiracie those of whom her Maiestie hath most well and bountifully deserued And yet while they were in her presence they were as desirous as any that be now about her to haue her Maiestie thinke of them as of good and faithful subiectes Yea when they were nere the execution of theyr treasons beyng suspected and examined therof denyed it and made vehement hye protestations with great othes of theyr purpose to the contrarie and theyr readynesse to subdue them that should breake the peace as in her Maiesties proclamation appeareth The successe of whoes doynges so shortly folowyng amounteth to as much as if they had playnly sayd what soeuer viser of faith whatsoeuer promysse of true allegeance what soeuer assurance of wordes what soeuer employeng them selues agaynst theyr owne partes till perfect readinesse what soeuer iudgyng and condemnyng of theyr owne faction beyng not yet strong enough Papistes do pretend it is to no other end but to insinuate them selues into fredome from mistrust and to draw her Maiesties eyes to looke an other way to bryng her into a securitie till the danger be vnauoidable as I trust it neuer shalbe if good subiectes sticke well together to her hyghnesse which shalbe so long as her Maiestie shall as she doeth sticke well to God her good subiectes not to suffer them to be dishabled to defend her Surely when Papistes are come so far that the wyfe can procure the murder of her husband the father of hys sonne the mother of her child the frend of hys dearest frend and so in all degrées of coniunction shall her Maiestie looke to haue clemencie and liberalitie requited with loyaltie at theyr hands that already bost that they receyue no clemencie or goodnesse of her but by theyr owne cunnyng meanes or by a superior enforcement And truly of this theyr great vnkyndnesse there is one great reason while Papistrie remayneth in them Earthly thynges must geue place to heauenlie and transitorie to eternall They esteme the voyce of the Pope as the voyce of the eternall God Whyle her Maiestie actually reigneth ouer them they suppose not them selues to lyue vnder her hyghnesse as subiectes but to be holden as captiues and so with all theyr fained shewe they beare to her a seruile reuerence euen altogether such as the bond Mores haue done to the Spanyardes and as Gardiner and hys fellowes dyd beare to kyng Henry the viij and to kyng Edward and my Lordes of Northumberland and Westmerland and theyr companie with these that haue dropped to them since or shall hereafter shrinke lykewise from her do beare to her selfe They are ready further at theyr God the Popes voyce whensoeuer they may be hable to shake of her yoke and gouernement with opinion of meritoriousnesse as the vyle Monke that tempered a tode for hys naturall kyng and as doctor Mackerell in tymes past and some other both then and since haue openly vttered Agayne where they suppose theyr auncesters and frendes soules for lacke of the helpe which the Quéene kepeth from them to lye in vnspeakeable peynes where also they suppose their owne soules to lacke their ghostly comfortes them selues to be cut from Gods church beyng seuered from the pope the hed thereof chiefly where they thinke not onely them selues but also theyr children and posteritie for euer to be by the settyng forth of this Religion which the Quenes hyghnesse auaunceth drawen into a continuall dangerous streame and vnrecouerable state of damnation And where all this whyle they are further persuaded as they must nedes be if they think the Romane church catholike the Pope the hed therof and the catholike church and the hed thereof to be preserued from possibilitie of error that by force of the Popes sentence and for schismaticall and vnrepentant swaruyng from hys church her Maiestie is not in Gods sight iust Quene of this realme with remembring how farre they thinke they may or ought when they dare to shonne her as a person excommunicate and to withdraw from her all ayde relief seruice and obedience is it trow you to be thought that such benefites as they receiue in clemencie and otherwise which yet they impute to Gods preseruing them for the holynesse of theyr cause or to theyr owne policies in deceiuyng her are hable to weye downe those depe and eternall considerations of miseries which they beleue them selues to sustayne by her meanes It is not possible beyng so persuaded of her right to the croune and of the Popes power ouer her croune and person as they be Whyle they thinke them selues true Israelites the chosen people of God and the Pope theyr Moses or rather Christ what accompt make they of the prince whom they serue other than as of Pharao or make they any more conscience of withdrawyng all duties from the Prince and theyr whole contrey than the Israelites dyd of robbyng the Egyptians how fayre soeuer they spake promysed or bound them selues when they borrowed theyr iewelles Many such examples haue ben seen in her Maiesties most noble progenitors dayes but most chiefely and most euidently in her owne Of lyke truth it is that Papistrie being an heresie or rather a bondle made vp of an infinite nomber of heresies must nedes haue the propertie of heresie to florish with indulgence and lenitie We sée the lyke example in the sect of Arrians which vnder hereticall Emperours excedingly encreasced and beyng ones condemned restrayned by punishment hath worne away to a few So farre as kyng Henry the viij went in reforming religion which was to abolish the primacie of Rome out of this realme a noble conquest with certaine grosse idolatries dyd not the seueritie of hys lawes the awe of hys person the dred of due execution so hold downe those partes of Papistrie which he suppressed that they durst not ones shew them selues in hys dayes and yet in the same tyme the greuous law of sixe Articles made agaynst Gods truth and sinisterly procured by Popish clergie nor yet the earnest inquirie nor cruell executyng of it by Byshops other could hold downe the truth of the Gospell but that it brake out more and more vpon them The reason is that Papistrie and Christian truth haue two seuerall endes truth respecteth heauen and Papistrie the world Wherby theyr aduentures enterprises are commonly diuerse the Papist dare boldly set vpon any mischief where he hath hope to auaunce hys falsehode The Christian dare constantly abyde any torment to geue witnesse of Gods truth And such qualitie of Gods truth haue the auncient fathers described when one of them calleth the bloud of Martyrs the water to water Gods garden an other sayth that they encreace with cuttyng downe and other in other maner haue expressed the same
and sufficiencie of hys word that haue coyned false heresies abated true doctrines so do publish and vtter them Also if corrupting and counterfaityng of Princes seales and geuing out or annexing his seales to false charters of theyr owne in the Princes name be hye treason are they not hye traitors to God that corrupt his seales his Sacramentes and set forth new priuate institutions of their owne as Masses and such bagages in stede of them I meane not onely the inuenters and forgers but also the receiuers publishers vtterers and cariers abrode of such abhominable vntruthes Also what greater offense agaynst Maiestie can be than to commaunde the Princes subiectes not to beleue the Princes word or writyng nor any thyng that shall passe by his authoritie without such offenders confirmation and allowance And that the Princes word and writyng suffiseth not to direct the subiectes dutie without such offenders explication and addicions And that such offenders may adde at their pleasure And that such addicions are to be holden equal with the Princes word And that the Princes word must euer be so taken as such offenders expound it none otherwise Then must the Papistes in theyr discredityng the word of God in their dishablyng it as not sufficyng to the instruction of our fayth for the saluation of our soules ▪ in theyr clayming false and vndue authoritie to theyr traditions and in their restrayning the word of God to their expositions though directly against the word against the spirite of God nedes be accompted hye traitors agaynst Gods maiestie Also the greatest honor and dignitie that God hath and chalengeth ielously to hym selfe among men is the redemption and iustification of man The Papistes which draw that from God to man from grace to workes as they are most haynous and blasphemous traitors to God in denying his frée graciousnesse therin so are they most arrant theues to Christian men in robbyng them of the benefite therof Also if to deny that the Prince ought to enioye the stile kyngly name and dignitie of the realme with al preeminences to they same belongyng be hye treason are the not hye traitors to God that take from God the name of our onely Iustifier and from Christ the title of our onely redemer and Aduocate and from the holy ghost the office and stile of our onely true and sufficient Instructer Also seing that to defile the kynges wife is hye treason wherby the succession of hys crowne may growe to dishonor and oncertaintie are not Papistes then hye traitors that haue made the church the spouse of God to commit so many fowle spirituall whoredomes with idolatries heresies and yeldyng her selfe to be abused of strangers So appeareth it euidently that if violatyng of maiestie if denyng the kyng to be the onely kyng and hed of hys owne realme if vsurpyng supreme gouernance without the kynges assignement if makyng and receiuyng lawes and proclamations in the kynges name without hys warrant if destroyeng and defacyng in contempt the kynges charters if leuyeng warre agaynst the kyng within the realme and murderyng hys subiectes if counterfaityng the kynges coyne or seales if annexyng hys seales to false writynges if abatyng hys coyne by clippyng or otherwise if vtterance of such forged or abated ware if discredityng the Princes word and authoritie and auauncyng their owne aboue it if denyeng the kinges right to hys kyngly office if takyng from him hys royal stile name dignitie if corruptyng hys wife with adulterie if any of these if all these together be hye treason Papistes are hye traitors to the maiestie of almightie God But these parhappes may be thought to be but allegoricall or figuratiue treasons so litle the matters of God do moue vs and in the eye and consideration of the law of the realme they are none other yet are they in very dede truely treasons offenses agaynst the hyest maiestie euen the same maiestie by whom kynges do reigne and are vpholden and the same maiestie for which kynges ought to be carefull if they will haue hym to prouide for theyr maiesties Yea they are the very sedes of ciuil temporall treasons For vndoutedly as no man breaketh out into actuall sinne agaynst men that hath not first yelded to an assent to offend God so no man procedeth so farre as to commit treason agaynst the Prince that hath not first conceiued a traiterous minde to rebel against God And as of ordinarie course and naturall necessitie it foloweth that full and strong sedes throwen in ground fit for them cherished with conuenient moisture and comfortable heate of norishyng sonne must rankly growe and bring forth herbes or wedes of theyr propre kynd so these traitorous sedes layed vp in fat soile of Papistes bosomes if they be watered with welth and indulgence and shyned vpon with the cherefull glimses of opportunities will surely bryng forth the frutes of theyr owne qualitie treasons agaynst princes And for this respect other offenses that haue in tymes past ben wrongfully supposed to be of this nature haue ben also punished by the lawes of the realme In ancient order of Letes and other courtes they haue ben enquired vpon before treasons done to the prince They haue had theyr seuerall formes of punishmentes yea in some cases they haue ben and in some places and causes they yet be exempted from the Princes power to pardon They haue bene termed by speciall names of heresies and blasphemies and theyr punishementes byside temporall peynes haue ben extended in opinion to the further reuenge of the eternall Maiestie whoes crowne and dignitie they haue ben thought to violate And surely if in discernyng which were heresies and blasphemies they had not erred if they had not mistaken and executed the true man for the traitor the generall care which was pretended to mainteyne truth and the church stode well with the dutie of Christian Princes as viceroyes and deputies iustly zelous for theyr superior or rather supreme Lord king of kynges and Lord of lordes the true monarch of whole vniuersalitie And though the same late new deceiued antiquitie swarued from true iudgement of the persons and causes I can not well sée howe that should be a warrant to disburden Princes of imitation of that zele when it is ones ioyned with right vnderstandyng no more than the wrongfull hangyng of a true man by mistakyng hym for a thefe or a murderer ought to be a discharge for the very thefe or murderer when he is afterward taken in dede And without doubt more holesome and profitable it were for these hereticall traitors agaynst God I meane the Papistes them selues to be in this lyfe by some sharper law and execution driuen to repentance than to be repried or reserued to arrainement before the last iudge whoes knowledge can not be deciued whoes iusties can not then be entreated whoes execution hath neither end nor measure and so a litle more hardnesse with them a while would