extern and ciuil to the vtter vndoing of the realm that they wer glad to grow to agrement and suffer her son to haue his right and the vsurper had not only neuer a good day so loÌ„g as he reigned but also by the iust iudgement of God first was imprisoned and next lost his soÌ„ne Eustachiê° in whoÌ„ was all his glory thinking he shuld haue reigned after him what shuld we say God hath not onli shewed his displesure and wrath against such as haue sought vnder this pretence to defeat true heirs but also hath in this our realme raised vp greate houses by their menes as the house of York by Philippa aÌ„d Anna which by mariage brought the title into the house of the Morty mares And King Henry the .7 and all that line Poly. colde not claim but by the woman which was daughter to Henry the .6 and mother to Richard Duke of Richmond Charles the .8 refused Maximilians daughter to whoÌ„ he was betrothed aÌ„d maried the heir of Britain called Anna despoused to Maximilian but seduced by certen noble womeÌ„ bribed of the french King aÌ„d by that mariage became Lord of the couÌ„try against the wils of al the nobles For they thought it better to marrye one whiche might be their seueral Lord then to ioign Britaine with such a realm as shuld drown the name of it and bring them as they be to slauery Amias was defended by a womaÌ„ against tharmy of MaximiliaÌ„ Arnoldus it had ben els lost as al the french men confessed her name was Catherina licia A maid defeÌ„ded Orliance A vvomaÌ„ noble and happye in vvarres in armor against the duke of Burgundie and the English army and after with the same her army led the yoÌ„g king Charls the .7 to Rome aÌ„d ther crowned him Before this maids time the English euer prospered and the french wer eueÌ„ at the last cast geuing vp the goste but she brought them into that condicioÌ„ that afterwarde they grewe and we appaired The firste healpe of the french a vvoman Helena the Quene of the Adiabenits ruled so wisely and godli that after her deth the Iewes erected a monumeÌ„t for her remembrance at the gates of Ierusalem She ministred to the nede of the pore liberally in the greate dearth that than was in Iury. Euseb li. 2. cap. 10. Thus thou seest good Reader that if this man take nature so generallye as it may stretche to all conntries all tymes and al coÌ„mon welthes and then saye it is against nature for a woman to rule That is againste the generall confente and order engrafte by nature in al peoples and mennes mindes that then it is mooste vntrue For I haue proued that neither the Iewes nor the GeÌ„tils nor yet the christiaÌ„s had that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that coÌ„moÌ„ opinioÌ„ plaÌ„ted bi nature in their harts that it stode not with good order of nature that one of that sex shuld rule But shortly I reasoÌ„ thus with him whatsoeuer is natural the same is vniuersal But that womeÌ„ shuld not rule is not vniuersall Ergo it is not naturall If to rule in women be vnnaturall then not to rule is naturall But not to rule is not vniuersall Ergo it is not natural That it is not vniuersal we haue proued by a great number of histories which testify that wemen in al ages and all countries haue gouerned Again what so euer is naturall hath in the mind of maÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as that there is a God all menne haue it in their mindes ingrafted by nature that al societies must be ruled and ordered by magistrates and lawes that murder is wicked and against nature c. which be common opinions in the table of mannes minde written by the finger of God with the pen of nature but of this that only men must rule and not women when it pleaseth God there is no such principle vniuersal in mens mindes For you see that a number of countries decree the contrary wherefore it can not be said that it fighteth with nature But you will reply vpon me thus peraduenture Nature hathe made her a subiect Ergo she can not rule I deny your argument for nature hath made the childe and the seruaÌ„t subiects And yet they may rule as Fabius soÌ„ne and the Kinges seruaunt may be my master wherefor you must vnderstand the argument thus that if nature haue made her a subiect in that state she is a subiect and in respect of them to whome she is subiect she can not be their ruler As a thilde in the dutie of a childe towarde his father is his fathers subiect And a seruaunt in respecte of his master and the duty of a seruaunt can not be his masters heade But in respect of Ciuil pollicie the sonne bearing office may be in that functioÌ„ his fathers head and the kings seruaunt an other mans maister Gen. 39. as Ioseph was in the house of Putiphar So the woman being eyther as a childe to hir father or a seruaunt to hir maister or a wyfe to her husband respecting these persones can not be head ouer them in those offices that is in the office of a father a maister or a husband But in the office of a ruler and a magistrate she may be this maÌ„s wyfe that is his subiect and his head that is his magistrate So that this argument by destinction is nothing for it is a Fallax called ignoratio elenchi as resolue it and you shal see the faulte VVho so euer is one mans subiect can not be another mans ruler or the same mans ruler in an other respect But awyfe is hir husbandes subiect ergo she can bee none other maÌ„shead nor his in an other respect This is false for the contradictorie is true That a wyfe may be this mans wyfe and that mans maistres and this mans subiect in the dutie of matrimony and the same maÌ„s head in thauct horite of office Thus we se that al reasons well set out are lyke a wel kempt buss he wher neuer a here lyeth amysse so longe as he hath a hous to couer him But when he cummeth into the wynde it is sone ruffled Or lyke a paynted madams face whiche so longe as no maÌ„ bloweth vpon it nor sweat ryseth in it is gay glistring but any of these meanes make the wrinkles sone to appere So a false argumeÌ„t decked with fayre wordes semeth good but turne it naked and you shall sone see the botches The seconde Argument is this that the scripture forbiddeth that a woman should rule The secoÌ„d ArgumeÌ„t and therfore it is not tollerable the prouses be out of tholde testament Gen. 2. Esai 3. First that after the false of Adam through the womans intrcement it was enioyned hir and hir posterite as a penauÌ„ce to be at the beck and coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of the maÌ„ 2 That Esai pronouceth as a curse that the rulers for the peoples vnrulines shal be
AN HARBOROVVE FOR FAITHFVLL AND TREVVE SVBIECTES agaynst the late blowne Blaste concerninge the Gouernmēt of VVemen wherin be confuted all such reasons as a straunger of late made in that behalfe with a breife exhortation to OBEDIENCE Anno. M.D.lix. PROVERBES 32. Many daughters there be that gather riches to gether but thou goest aboue them all As for fauour it is deceitfull and bewtie is a vaine thing but A vvoman that feareth the Lord she is vvorthie to be praysed Geue her of the fruit of her handes and let her ovvne vvorkes prayse her in the gate ₠¶ At Strasborowe the .26 of Aprill ⧠To the right honorable and his singuler good Lordes Francis Earle of Bedford one of the Quenes Maiesties priuie Counsell and the Lord Robert Duddeley master of her highnes horsse and knight of the honorable order of the Garter Thauth our wissheth many quiet dayes the continuall feare of God and earnest zeale in Christes quarrell THE moste noble and excellēt philosopher Plutark reporteth most honorable that bulles fleshe corrupted and rotten be ingendred Bees of horse flesh Harnets and of mēs serpentes VVhereby not only appeareth the great diuersity of natures in the diuersities of kindes but also whiche is no small wōder how of that which is moste made of and estemed is bred the worst and vilest corruption of that which in oure cies is the beautifullest worke of nature springeth forth the foulest frute that is or can be found in nature No creature in this world is counted more excellente than man and no monstre in sighte more ouglie and in nature more hurtfull than a serpent so that we see that of the fairest cometh the foulest of the best loued the most hated of the most holsōe the most venimous and to be short of the sinest in our cies the filthiest in oure iudgement Vvherby God geueth vs to vnderstand that mischeuous matter lieth oft hidden in fair vessels and no litle ill where we think to find most good If this poisoned venim be in the bodye of man to engender serpents shall we thinke that the minde is pure No certenly For though it bringeth not fourth being corrupted and rotten with error serpents adders and snakes yet be the buds of that tree either as ill or muche vvorse For like as a man inhabiting a stinking filthye and vnholsome house situate in a corrupt and vnclean aire can not be but subiect to that contagion so these mindes of ours beinge lodged in so impure an harborowe muste neades be defiled with the filthe VVherfore the Apostle crieth oute qui in carne sunt deo placere non possunt so long as we remain in this fleshe we can not please God The cause of this corrupcion no christian is so vnskilful but he knoweth it to be the dotage of our firste parentes conucied into the vaines of their mindes first and their bodies nexte by the venimous breath of that subtil serpent our auncient ennemy VVhome while they harkned vnto they became so charmed and bewitched that they forgate them selues forsoke God and became of hys deare sonnes his extreme enemies of his obediente and louing seruaunts his wilful and obstinate rebels and confederats with his sworne ennemye the deuill Here we finde the cause and we daily fele theffect in that we be in al things by nature repining at the wil of God ready to follow the will of the flesh winsing and kicking against godlines and truthe and on the other side euer huntinge for fleshlines and lies Out of this corrupted puddle of mas hart or rather out of this forge and shop of Sathan where sinne is wroughte and shapen breaketh forth amonge the reaste of monsters which it bringeth out the horrible hydras of errors sects ād heresies wherwith the world hath fence the beginning and to thending shal be poisoned and infected Hereof sprāg the curious contencions and soundry sectes of Ethnike Philosophers as Academians Peripateticās Stoikes Epicures Cyniks and all that rabble Here budded or rather flowed furth the horrible and most hurtful heresies hatched by the deuel in the nest of mans mind and vttered by the tōg and pen of busy bodies sealed vp to serue Satan in this kind of ministery Such wer in our ancettors dais the Nycolaitans the Cerinthians Arrians Macedonians Pelagians Eutychians Eunomians Nestorians and such other And in these our latter daies the old festred sores newly broken out as the Anabaptistes the freewillers or rather frowardewillers the iusticiaries c and others that be new as Adiaphoristes Oserianistes Maroranistes Papists with infinit other swarms of gods enemies by whom our aduersari Satan seketh to disturb the true vnitie of Christes church to choke the good corn of late sown in gods field and to dim that excellent lighte whiche according to his secreate counsell and decree he determined shuld shine to the vnspeakeable cōfort of his elect in these our dais Among these vgglie monsters and brodes of the deuils brotherhead hath of late krept out I cānot tel whether by wil or ignorance certen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which haue called into question among vs such thinges as good subiectes before neuer doubted of whether it wer lawful for women inheritours of kingdoms to gouern and guid the same or no. Although this error may appeare not to touch so neare the soule and saluacion of man as some of the fornamed do yet considering that the quiet of common weales is the nurse of religion and bulwark of good and faithful men and that the apostle pronounceth against the rebellious vtter damnaciō VVe can not think it to be a trifle to disturbe the common ordres of pollicies to sondre the mindes of subiectes by new inuented contrauersies and briefly to make men to muse of that they neuer before mistrusted Vvherfor chaunsing vpon a boke about a yere past intitled the first blast cōteining new broched doctrine to disproue the regiment of women After I had red it I wished that some notable learned man wold haue answered it that like as those which be stonge of Scorpians vse to fetch remeady of the same so this cause being wounded or rather a little scratted with som shewe and apparāce of learning might be again healed with suche plaisters as through the truthe of the matter true lerning ministreth And for as much as I hoped of this at som mens hāds and hard of one which is now gon to God that he had takē it vpon him I ment not my self for a time to medle with it least that a good cause by il handling shuld in the iudgmēt of som seme the worse But whan the length of time taught me that he that mēt it was takē frō it ād such as could haue throughly don it made no hast to it I thoughte it better rather by my sclendre handling of it to shew mi good wil thā by the common silence to seme to winke at it And so much the rather I toke it in hand because if no mā
conscience sake what I thinke and knowe withoute suspicion of flatterie or hope of benefyt Therefore I haue suppressed my name that my penne might be the freer VVherfor if thou thīkest that either I speake more then I thynke or do that I do for any hope of benefite thou doest me wrong in misiudging and hir great iniury in not beleuing If I should reherse al thynges which myght put vs in hope of hir good godly and vertuous reigne I shoulde peruse hir wholle lyfe paste But that were to longe and rather perteyneth to the Storie to be wrytten of hir The quenes bringing vp then to this argumēt wherfore I wil only touch one or 2. things to giue goodmē good occasiō to gesse at the rest It is knowē to al mē howe vertuosly and virginly keshe hath bene brought vp what wise honest discrete sober and godly women she hath had about her howe she hath bene trained in learning and that not vulgare and common but the purest and the best which is most cōmended at these dais as the tonges artes and gods word wherin she so excedingly profited as I my selfe can wytnes that vii year past she was not in the best kind of learning inferior to those that al theyr lyse tyme had ben brought vp in the vniuersities and were counted iolly felowes So that it is lyke that nowe she is not meanlye instructed and armed with good letters If then learnyng and the cōuersation with such as be wyse and honest fashioneth and frameth the mynde as Plato sayth and maketh it tractable as waxe to prynt in good images of vertues and modest maners And commonly wel tilled land bryngeth forth good frutes we must nedes conceiue great hope yea in a manner be assured that as she hath passed many of our kynges and alour Quenes in these good studies and Sciences so she must nedes exceede them in the rest of her lyfe and gouern ment And that you may vnderstand that there hath not bene nor is in her learnyng without nature and knowledge without towardnes to practise I wyl tel you what I haue credebly hearde and assuredly beleue of her For I woulde wyshe of God that all men knew by her asmuch as I do that thei might cōceiue of her the same opinion that I haue Her first scholemaster with whome I was familiar a mā very honest and learned The Quenes schole maisters ansvver emongst other talke which we had of her for I was curious in questionīg and he gentle in answeringe tolde me once that he learned eueri day more other then she of him It semed to me a mistery as in dede it was but because he wold not kepe me in doubt he thus expounded it I teach her wordes quod he and she me things I teache her the tongues to speake and her modest and maidenly life teacheth me workes to do For saith he I think she is the best inclined and disposed of any in all Europe It semed to me a goodly commendacion of her and a witty saying of him and therfor not to be forgotten In like maner an Italian An Italiās sayinge of the Quene which taught her his tonge thoughe that nacion lightlye praise not out of their own country said once to me that he founde in her ii qualities whiche are neuer lightly yock fellowes in one woman whiche were a singuler witte and a meruelous meeke stomacke I would haue thoughte that these men had thus commended her because she was their mistresse but by certaine knowledge other waies I vnderstode that it was true and that they might haue said much more and not haue lied This dispositiō and godly towardnes being in her then can not now be but muche encreased by continuaunce of study hauing about her such as feare God increasing in yeares and taught bi affliction which as Dauid saith bringeth vnderstāding and in a nother place Psal 104. Bonum mihi domine quod humiliasti me It is my great profite Lorde that thou hast brought me lowe The Quenes aduersitie for hereby I haue learned thy law and of this I think no English man is ignorant that her affliction hath ben far aboue the condiciō of a kings daughter For there was no more behind to make a very Iphigenia of her but her offring vp vpon the altare of the Scaffolde How she behaued her selfe in those stormes and tempestes let them wytnesse who beyng hir aduersaries hadde the muynge of her I wyll saye nothynge though I coulde saye muche But this I see and therefore muste saye that than she muste nedes be in hir affliction maruelous pacient whiche sheweth hir selfe now in this prosperitie to be vtterly without desyre of reuenge or els she would haue geuen some token or this daye of remembraunce howe she was handled It was no smal iniurie that she suffered in the protectors dayes whē certen venymous vipers spued oute their poyson against hir to dymynishe hir honour The Quenes assliction in the protectors daies But God hir father and defender made hir so muche the more to enter in to the hartes of good people howe muche the earnestlyer they wente aboute to harme hir VVas it no wrong think you that she susteyned of late dayes to be first a prysoner in her owne house and garded with a sorte of cutthrotes whiche euer gaped for the spoyle of hir house that they myght haue bene fyngeryng of sum what Then with great solempniti The Quene cōmitted to the Tour. with bandes of harnessed hangemē happie was he that might haue the carying of hir to be setched vp as the greatest traytour in the worlde hoisted into the tower there kept not lyke a kynges doughter and a Quenes sister but as one that hadde come out of Turkey to betraye Englande VVhat assemblies and counselles VVhat examinacions and rackynges of poore men was there to fynde out the knyfe that shoulde cutte hir throte what gaping among my Lordes of the clargie to see the daye wherein they myght washe their goodly whyte ratchettes in her innocent bloude thinckinge that then none shoulde be spared for they sawe the bloude of the father wash of the Scaffold the daughters bloud the husbandes the wifes the yonger brothers the elders and so one after an other tyll the hangemanne was wearye VVhen they sawe that so much woode was spente in Smith fielde about holy Martirs sacrificed to the God in the boxe that poore folckes for lacke died for colde in London when they sawe the streates of London so decked and adourned wyth Gallowes and behanged with gentlemens carcases that my L. of London coulde not haue place to goo a procession when they sawe all these notable tragedies wherein no respecte was hadde neither of sexe nor kynred neither of age nor innocency neither of noble nor vnnoble had not these ratchetters good cause to hope that this blessed woman shoulde haue followed and so they haue bene out of feare of thys daye whiche is