health saying these bee examples of Iewes Gentils If the matter bee doubtfull and ambiguous why do you not rather help to confirm this true conclusion sithens the open display therof is the great glorie of God and the benefite of his church will you that I proue the true leuel of mine ayme and that I draw foorth this line from Persia in the east vnto England in the west seioyned from the continent of the whole world The Iewes they requested our sauiour Christ most instantly that hee would reuiue the Centurions seruaunt saying that he was worthie of that good turne for he had loued their nation had built them a synagogue Which good works because they proceeded from a perfect faith as appeared afterwards by the approbation of our sauiour Christ◠the Lorde did not forget him in the day of his sorrow and most bountifully remembred his faithfull deuout deeds Afterwards though many yeares the sunne of the Gospel was darkened with the manifold stormes and clowdy tempests of persecution yet when it began to reflect the cleare beames on the top of the highest mountaines of the earth to illuminat the hart of that holy renowned Emperour Constantine the great the sun waxed warm the fields were pleasant the soile was fruitful the seed of the Gospell of Christ sprong vp apace in sundry sortes so that this godly Emperor though he could not come to the beholding of the sun himselfe yet hee receiued the brightnes of his shining beames so clearely in at his eye and shut them so secretly in his heart that in perfect zeale he shewed his louing heart vnto the Christians hee stretched foorth his handes and most hartily embraced the poore orphane Christians dispersed persecuted weakened discomfited Hee nursed and nourished them he called them togither into one place knowing that vnited vertue is the stronger He gaue them the milke of good and wholesome councell willing them in the name of God to foresee what was the truth to seeke that to discusse that with one consent to conclude that he with all his wil power would ratifie the same After that the iointes of this little infant began to knit and councell waxed riper in the head he supplied stronger meats he gaue thē libertie of calling a generall councell hee supplyed with yearely commodities the wants of those which had illuminated his hart with the glad tidings of the God of heauen after innumerable great charges gifts endowments bestowed on the church that which is an example for all Christian princes hee spent all his time in meditating vpon the law of the Lorde in studiyng deuising howe hee might promote the religion true faith of Iesu Christ. Herein considering that we cannot possesse our soules in this life without bodies nor bodies without meate nor meate without money nor money vnlesse it bee giuē with great ioy loue he laid the foūdations of many faire temples raising thē an exceeding great height in the honour of Christ endowing them with great store of lands and possessions therewith giuing great freedome vnto those places and all the ministers of Christ to whome they belonged Hee built a verie solemne and sumptuous temple in the place where our sauiour did rise againe commaunding that it should farre passe all other temples of the worlde in exceeding faire walles and marble pillers adorning it within most richly with princely ornamentes more sumptuous than can bee expressed in a fewe wordes adding thereto solemne monuments of gold siluer and almost infinite numbers of pretious stones Neither was his loue as is the loue of man soone hote and soone colde or as is the loue of these latter daies in which wee surely looke for the greate day of doome but hee proceeded in building and founding of temples and religious places for the maintaining of the poore disciples of Iesu Christ. At Bethlem also where our sauiour was borne hee builded a temple and that at the motion of that deuoute woman the Ladye Helina the Empresse his mother who being endued with special graces from heauen ascended high after the steppes of Christ on the toppe of Mount Olyuet from whence he ascended vp into heauen euen in the very top thereof founding a sanctuarie for the Church of Christ and at the bottome of the same mount in that place where our sauiour was woont to resorte with his Disciples shee erected a verie fayre Church shewing vnto her sonne the waye wherein hee should walke not onely in founding temples for the woorship of the Lorde but in giuing vnto the poore in redeeming captiues in clothing the naked with hir owne hands in visiting the poore sicke Christians The cleare candle which this vertuous woman held in her hand gaue such light vnto the most worthie Emperour her sonne that imediatly after his mothers death hee builded temples in all prouinces making them much more faire than they were before Also he built many faire and sumptuous temples in Constantinople he retired backe againe into Asia euen to Nicomedia the first and chiefest citie in Bithinia where he built an exceeding large temple and no lesse beautifull adioyning to it on all sides verie high and faire Cloisters within he erected a sanctuarie of an infinit height being in forme eight-angled with verie huge pillers sumptuous arches bossinges and monumentes all adorned with great plentie of gold brasse and other pretious mettell Though the church of Christ and his profession was now but yong amongest the gentils yet he had a special regard to the faithful patriarches of old He looked farre backe and sith his sight was good hee beheld his forefather Abraham remembring that heauenlie apparation of the holie blessed and glorious Trinitie vnder the oke of the valley of Mambrie vnto the patriarch for a monument he commaunded a faire Church to be built in the same place reedified all the decayed Temples and monumentes building them verie high and faire destroying the Idols of the gentils pulling downe their altars vtterlie defacing their superstitious religion and all other worldly states whatsoeuer were a hindrance or disgrace to the church of Christ. It is plainle shewed by the ecclesiastical writers that so soone as hee had ouercomed the enemies of the Church hee imployed himselfe and all which hee could do by word by worke by letter and example to reedifie the churches of the christians or else to build them new leauing a most perfect patterne behinde him which all true christians ought to behold When hee had vanquished his enemies all the world ouer and was placed in the throne of the empire with great honor triumph glorie maiestie abundance of health of wealth of libertie to commaund what he list he did not swell in his hart with pride but in all humilitie fell downe before the crosse of Christ Iesus yeelding himselfe Christ his soldier vnder whose banner this most renowmed Emperour marched forwarde Hee was not so
forth in Israel not for weekes or yeares or hundred yeares onlie though it was suppressed in that watrish Aegipt but it shined so cleare out of the darke Cloude in the wildernesse that the arke was there built by the hande of his great messengers Moses and Aaron Neither could the desartes of Synaie or sinne or the exceeding high hilles of all the mountaine countrey restraine the course thereof but it passed ouer the toppes of the highest mountaines it diuided the deepest waters of that Countrey passing on drye lande throw the bottom thereof into that promised land the land of Canaan When the Arke the true figure of the Temple was by the prouidence of almightie GOD thus brought and placed neere the propper home And Dauid also the seruaunt of the Lord taken from the sheepefowlde preserued from the tyrannie of Saul and placed in his kingdome Now for our example let vs marke howe this holie place and godlie King accord together and what effect there is betwixt them The Arke hauing bene long before neglected by Saul which appeared by his ende Dauid hee had a speciall eie and regarde vnto it before all other thinges with great strength power glorie bringing it from the house of Abinadab neerer him ' First placing it in the house Obededom and afterwardes seeing the great blessinges which the Lorde shewed to that place where his Arke stoode he brought it home into the Citie of Dauid placing it in the tabernacle which hee had built for it Afterwardes when hee had conquered all his enemies round about and he sate quietly in his pallace hee followed not the swelling humour of flesh bloud which ruleth most in those that are the lowest born and the basest minded according to that auncient saying Asperius nihil est humili cum surgit in altum but that which is the dutie of a godly prince hee called the prophet Nathan vnto him and saide Do you not marke howe I dwell in my sumptuous house of Cedar and the Arke of the Lord is simply couered with skins shewing that it was not meete that the house of the king or of anie man should bee more faire more sumptuous more honourable and maiesticall than the house of God And therefore hee purposed fully with himselfe to builde a temple vnto the Lorde which hee hath perfourmed with dutifull endeuour in good time but that the Lord by the mouth of his holy prophet signified that his good intent was accepted and therefore the Lorde would blesse him on all sides promising that hee would giue him peace and rest from his enemies that he would place him quietlie in his owne pallace and when his yeares were come to an ende and that hee should after the manner of the godly sleepe with his fathers the Lord promised that hee would raise vp a sonne vnto him in whome he would establish the kingdome of Dauid for euer and which should builde an holie temple vnto the Lord God of Israell Heere vppon the kinglie Prophet did magnifie the Lord in his soule and his spirite did so hartelie reioyce in the wonderfull mercies of his creatour that hee lifte vp his voyce before the Lorde and penned manie Godlie himnes to bee musicallie and melodiouslie sunge by the chaunter and the quire before the Lord. He yeelded his whole heart vnto the Lord and gaue vnto him the first fruites of his lippes Therefore the Lord blessed him with a vertuous sonne euen the wise Salomon whose workes were lyke vnto the wisedome of his heart shewinge plainelie vnto vs the worke and fruite of true and perfecte wisedome and what is that As hee was the wisest man that euer was created so he brought foorth the best and happiest fruite that euer was building an holie temple vnto the honour and seruice of the Lord and that such a one as farre surpassed all the superstitious temples of the heathen Hee set manie thousandes of men a worke at once hee prouided the goodliest timber that could bee seene or heard off the fairest squared stones that might bee and of greatest price His ships went to Tharsis for golde and hee spared not to spende the iewels of Arabie on the same He erected therin great piâ—llers of beaten gold siluer gilding it on euerie side and garnishing it most â—oyallie Hee endowed it with landes and possessions most liberallie He finished it most perfectlie he frequented the same with his deuout praiers dailie to the glorie of God the profitre of his nation the publique practise of the â—olie lawe and sacrifice of the Lord. All the daies of his life hee enioyed it most happilie though by infirmitie hee fell yet y e Lord remembring his mercie let him depart in peace so that hee slept with his fathers and was buried in the cittie of Dauid and Roboam his son raigned in his steede Likewise also the highe and mightie Monarch Cirus King of the Persians though he were an heathen man yet hee yeelded so much vnto the true God that hee released his chosen people out of captiuitie saying the Lord of heauen who hath made mee Lord ouer the whole earth hee hath commaunded mee to builde him an house in Ierusalem Though hee was an heathen and cheefe ruler ouer all the worlde yet hee disobayed not the heauenlie voyce sending Zorobabell the cheefe of the Iewes proclaming that it might bee lawfull for anie of those which were in captiuitie to goe home and to helpe vp the buildinge of the house of the Lord bringing out the golden vesselles which Nabuchodonozer brought from the temple of Ierusalem and yeelding them all into the handes of Zorobabell and the rest whome hee sent vnto Ierusalem to builde vp the wasted temple giuing them great freedome authoritie and store of golde of filuer of worke men and all kinde of suppliance what so euer After this his religious bountie towardes the temple of the Lorde hee had great battailes against the Kinge of Babilon and manie other mightie Princes against whome the Lorde gaue him so great and so good successe that after he had ouercome the rich and strong king Craesus king of Babilon and that most mightie magnificent famous Cittie which manie other most puissant Princes hee alone was cheefe ruler of the Assirians the Medes the Persians beeing the first erector of the second Monarch of the worlde Wherein wee see most plainelie the great care and dilligent eye which the Lorde hath vnto his temple in that hee commaunded Cyrus to reedifie it and the good successe which followeth those which helpe to builde the same Especiallie if they perseuer in theyr good deuotion vnto the ende But if after they haue begunne to worke in the spirite they incline themselues to fulfill the desire of their fleshlie eye Let them knowe though they obtaine most excellent victories and high renowne in the battaile though they be placed ouer many kingdomes and haue obtained the height of theyr desire in what they
of the people to sit in the throne of maiesty This did not the noble Godfrie of Bullē he did not so but possessing the true treasure of right valure and perfect vertue in his hart he coūted not his saftie to stand in the death of his enemies nor his cheefe possession in worldly riches nor his honor in glistering show nor his triumphe in magnificent troupes of noble men nor his maiestie in a crowne of molten mettal This he might haue had but he would not si quidem posse nolle nobile the noble minde ofte may but wil not The vertue of the minde was his possession and wisedome was his guide in this famous victorie He was studied in bookes of arte and wisedome hee red the Poet and liked his heroicall verse full well Sicelides musae paulo maior a canemus non omnes arbusta iuuant humilesque myricae His minde was great indeede he could not glorie in fleshly pleasures He sawe this famous Cittie was but a heape of lime and sand built with the handes of manie poore slauishe workemen the riches like glistering poison infused with the wine into y e cup of gold the whole kingdome of Iudea he saw was earthlie and easie to be won at al times with a sworde of iron and steele Therefore hee counted the glorie of the crowne and scepter but a toye And what was that then which hee counted off euen that for which hee came by which hee conquered in which hee meant to dwell Ierusalem Not that Ierusalem whose desolata est did raise a most sweete pleasaunt note from the musitions penne not the figured but the perfigured euen the Church of Christ and also that which is figured by it the heauenlie Ierusalem the true holy cittie the place of eternall rest of the true glory of perfect triumphe where hee might safelie and euer saie vnto his owne soule O my soule thou hast marched valiantlie Hee counted not of glorie which riseth out of the earth and therefore most wisely he fixed his hart and minde on true eternitie which dwelleth onely in the heauens Hauing conquered he did not ascend the chaire of maiestye that hee might showe himselfe vnto the people with great glorie but as that holie and victorious conquerour Henrie the fifte king of England when with a fewe thousands of men hee had vanquished Charles the Dolphin of Fraunce strengthened with a royall army wherein was most of his nobility he with all his armie kneled downe in the feeld holding vp his hands to heauen singing saying Non nobis Dominenon nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but giue the glory to thy holy name Euen so this worthy conqueror of Ierusalem though not with the same words yet with the like deuotion hee humbled himselfe before the Lord for the space of seuen daies walking on foote in Ierusalē beholding the places where our sauiour Christ was cōuersant whē he liued here on earth where he was takē wher he was examined where he was whipped scourged despitefully spit on derided with a reed in his hand a crown of thorns on his head The mighty conquerour did behold all these with his eies and his heart melted within him Hee often kneeled down and kissed the places where our sauiour Christ had beene With weeping eyes hee looked vp into the heauens and his soule desired to see the Lord of light That the Lord of his mercie would regard him he daily prayed with great humilitie liberallye bestowing on the poore In the place where the temple was founding a most solemne colledge for religious men giuing them great and large liuinges calling them Prebends building them many faire houses neere vnto the Church for them to dwell in These and innumerable such like where the fruites of this noble minde which beeing cleare in the sight of God of Angels and of men the Lord blessed prospered him wonderfully in so much that in regard of his high prowesse and victorious conquests to his eternall fame with all posteritie he is reputed one of the nine worthies of the world The fountaine of this perfect glory did first breake foorth in Fraunce flying ouer the highest Alpes euen to Ierusalem where by the way if wee will but diuert a little into Spaine amongst some good some bad we shall see one most excellent famous noble woman a great freend true louer of the church The best truest chronicles giue her this stile Serenissima ac catholica domina Elizabetha Hispaniarū ac vtriusque Siciliae ac Ierusalem Regina c. The most vertuous catholicke lady Elizabeth Queene of Sapine Sicily Ierusalem c. This vertuous woman much like the godly Helina mother of Constantinus was so greatly esprised with the loue of Iesu Christ his church so y t shee bent all her muse cogitation seeking daily diligentlie how she might beate downe the heathenish power of the Turkes and infidels therewith to enlarge the kingdome of Christ and the dominions of the Christians to the ende that her vertuous intent might the better prosper she began this worke with fasting and often praying with almes-deedes and founding of many godly temples not leauing anie worke vndone which shee thought was acceptable in the sight of God nor any meanes vntried which might procure the fauour of Iesu Christ her louing sauiour She turned her euery way and looked diligently on all sides howe and where she might best bestow the fruitfull seed of her charitable deuotion her heart was so enflamed with this heauenly desire that she could not containe her selfe anie longer in her pallace In great desire she founde no rest And what followed with the consent of her princely Ferdinando shee mustered her men of warre and gathered together the power of a mightie prince like the auncient Debora shee marched forwardes into the kingdome of Granata the greatest part whereof had beene inhabited by the Ismaelites aboue seuen hundred yeares defended by them a warlike people continually against the Christians which kingdom paid tribute to the crowne of Spaine 800000 crowns by yeare she counted not of the force of so huge strong a people neyther once regarded the greate reuenewe which came into her treasurie that waye The winters diuers times were so extreme cold that her captains soldiers requested her most instantly to breake vp her campe till a more seasonable time of the yeare yet she answering that this was the subtiltie of Sathan to hinder the woorke of the Lord warred continually for the space of three yeares till the enemies of Christ cleane ouercome shee made that whole realme christian bestowing very liberally on the poore the maimed the captiues the strangers that were in anie distresse In the same realme founding and erecting many goodly churches colledges and hospitals for the poore maymed comfortles people Wee may see by the large spreading and plentifull
handes with Pylate and not onely to saie as hee said I am free from this innocent bloud but both in woord and deede to keepe our prophane handes from the violating of holie thinges That holie father Saint Augustine hee affirmeth that God is a cleere eye and seeth euerie where much more hee beholdeth all the corners of his owne house and the footsteppes of those which spoyle his temple before his face Which who so rudelie rashly and irreligiously presumeth at any time to attempt let him consider that he doth it against the Lord openlie before his own face and therwith let him know that he is a ielous God visiting the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children to the third and fourth generation of all which hate him sith he is God yesterday to day and for euer as also all thinges are which are once consecrated to his holie worship I vnderstand that by the course of lawe inheritaunce descendeth to the next of the bloud and for want of heirs in the second third or fourth generation of the eldest it commeth backe to the younger brothers issue and posterity of which if all fayle and at length by intailement or otherwise by lawe if it commeth into the possession of the King it neuer goeth backe If this bee the prerogatiue of goods giuen to earthly Princes which are here to daye and to morrowe lye rotting in the graue let vs not denie the same to the Lord of Lordes the King of Kinges the creatour of heauen and earth into whose house whatsoeuer is incorporated though conscience and religion dare not speake therein yet let the heathen Poet open his mouth and make the period 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is once doone cannot bee vndoone againe If this constancie was alwaies kept betwixt man and man how much more betwixt God man betwixt his Church his Prests his spirituall Pastours and the men of this world whose parentes and instructurs they are according to that saying of Micha vnto the Leuit remaine with me and be my father and my Priest and the tribe of Dan also to the same Leuit houlde thy peace and come with vs for thou shalt be our father and our Priest Sithe then by the secreet instinct of nature and also by the expresse commaundement of God wee are commaunded to honour our father and mother to obey and cherishe them in all wee canne by the same lawe wee are vtterlie forbidden to to detract or take any thing away from them And if any hard harted christian vnder the colour of dissembled zeale seeme to open away herein to his sacrilegious couetous minde saying that these commaundements of our Lord are meant concerning our naturall father and mother let him and all men knowe that the holie fathers expounding this commaundement affirme first that it concerneth our honour to our spirituall father and the Church our spirituall mother secondly it commaundeth vs to nourish and obey al superiours magistrates and ministers amongest whom are contained our naturall parentes But suppose that were obscure and doubtfull which is as plaine and cleare as the noone daie yet canst thou doubt what the will of God and the rule of right is in this case wherein the Lord hath spoken plainely as it is shewed before in these wordes whatsoeuer is once dedicated to God shall neuer be sould or redeemed As is the fountaine so are all the little brookes running from the same This is the lawe of the Lord concerning thinges dedicated to his holy worshippe and the liues of the holy Patriaches the Prophets the Apostles the Maâ—tirs the fathers doo cleerely expresse the same Ioseph the true figure of our Lord and sauiour Iesu Christ in that great famine of Aegipt when hee had bought almost the whole land and brought it into the Kings hand he would not once offer any money for the priestes landes but in that their great want gaue them nourishment of the Kings store according to that rule of the Lord the suburbes of the Priests shall not be sould for the possession of them is eternall without redemption God is our heauenly father he hath sowed the eternall seede of his exceeding looue in our hearts to the ende he might receiue from vs the same euen looue for looue because such as hee soweth such will he reape Can we say that we loue our spirituall father and therewith spoile his louing spouse our spirituall mother the holie Church castinge downe her walles banishing her eldest children possessing her landes goods and treasure which is an odious crime in the sight of God and man according to that saying of Saint Ambrose si quis in sua if any man presume to take the treasures of the Church to his priuate vse it is a great crime Wherin least he should seeme to abridge the spirituall pastours of the Church for whose sustenaunce they were first giuen hee expoundeth himselfe in these wordes Templum domini laicis tradi non debet the temple of the Lord ought not to be giuen into lay mens handes signâ—fying that wee must giue vnto Caesar those thinges which bee Caesars and vnto God those thinges that bee Gods Amongest the heathen Philosophers it was couÌ„ted the first point of iustice to giue to euerie man his owne and least amongst christians anie in time should prooue so barbarous and vtterly voide of grace that hee should laie violent handes on the goods of poore innocents which cannot speake euen the temples of the Lord dedicated to the worshippe of his holie name besides the expresse commaundement of the Lord in holy scriptures the holy fathers and councels haue pronounced it a cursed thing as the cleare bage of him which hath renounced heauen and taken himselfe wholy to serue this wicked world and the vanities thereof The councell of Gangrene celebrated the yeere of our Lord 324. or there about according to the Cannons of the Apostles decreed in this manner If any man shall presume to take any thing once offered to God vnleast it bee the Bishop or his deputie appointed for the distributing of the Church goods to the poore let him be accursed In like manner also the third councell of Rome If any man couet or take away any reuenews belonging to the Church or if any of the Priestes consent there to let them be accursed The reason followeth in the fift councel alleadged in this manner for it is a great iniurie and an vntollerable sacriledge that what so euer any man bestoweth on the church of Christ should be altered or translated to any other vse especially by those men who of all other ought to maintaine the Church as be christian Kings Princes and Prelates Furthermore that it might be manifest to all those which dutifully embrace and reuerence the spouse of Iesu Christ howe wicked an enterprise it is and what manifest daunger to the soules of all them which shall presume heerein the same
Christians to the Church which is the spirituall mother of all Christians as well rich as poore the mightie as the simple the king as the begger according vnto the saying of Saint Chrisostome writing on the Gospell of Saint Mathew Ecclesia primorum regum est mater The Church is the mother of the highest Princes Not many pages after giuing his iudgement concerning the goodes of the Church in this sorte those which builde tombes for the Martyrs of Christ and adorne his temples they do a good worke Thereby signifiyng that they which deface the temples of God and pull them downe they commit a great and greeuous sinne in the sight of the almightie Paulus Diaconus in the fourth booke de gestis longo Bardorum recordeth that Theodelinda that vertuous Queene built a faire Cathedrall Church dedicating it to the name of Saint Iohn Baptist adorning it with manye pretious iewells ornamentes and goodlie landes which the aforesaid Authour sayth oughte not to bee alienated According vnto the sentence of Iustinian in his booke Authent Columna secunda of constitutions intituled of not alienating or chaunging ecclesiasticall goods whatsoeuer All good Emperours in their lawes and constitutions had a special care of preseruing increasing and safekeeping the goods of the Church And sith Iustinians lawes were their direction he not onelie made General statutes for the preseruation thereof but also in his law he affirmeth that the holie vessels and garments of the temples ought not to be pawned except it bee for the redeeming of captiues out of the seruitude and tirannie of infidels nay in another place hee chargeth the Bishops that they take not to themselues the treasure of the Church which holesome lawes so mooued the harts of all Christian Emperours that they bestowed verie deuoutlie and bountifully on the church commaunding straightly that all meÌ„ should restore vnto the same whatsoeuer had bid taken therefrom by wicked tyrantes robbers of the Church and spoilers of the dead which Saint Chrisostome in his booke Defato counteth litle lesse than manslaughter Hereupon Theodoricus commaunded Duke Ibba that he should restore vnto the Church of Marbâ—na the possessions therof taken awaie detained from the Church by Alaricus And in an other epistle to Gelericus hee commaundeth him to restore a fielde which was alienated from the Church of Constance and to punish the possessor thereof in that hee presumed to take to his owne priuate vse the possessions of the Church This censure was giuen without exception of anie person according to that which Turonensis writeth in the fourth booke of his Historie certaine kinges saith hee haue presumed most irreligiouslie to take the goods of the church into their treasure as did Clotharius which made an edict that all the Churches of his realme should paie the third part of their fruits into his treasurie but beeing rebuked by that holie Bishop Iniuriosus he retracted his irreligious opinion and that wicked fact Let no man beare so irreligious a minde or so hard a hart within his breast to thinke otherwise than that it is a most grieuous sinne to take any thing from the holie Church sith first it is giuen to maintaine the holie worshippe of God there Secondlie to feed the poore and to bee bestowed on such like holie and vrgent necessitie according to the which our ancient Beda writeth in the first booke of his historie concerning this Iland Bonorum ecclesiasticorum saith hee of church goods the first part is due to the Bishop for the maintenance of hospitality the second to the inferiour clergie the third to the poore the fourth to the repairing of the church but to other or to those which haue sufficient of themselues the goods of the church are not to be imployed as that learned Prosper in his treatie De vita contemplatiua witnesseth in these wordes ecclesia nihil eis erogare debet c. The church ought not to bestow any thing on those which haue sufficient of their owne Otherwise though some of the Church giue it yet it is plaine sacriledge for them which take it as saint Ierom in his epistle to Damasus sheweth in these wordes qui autem parentum bonis c. Those which haue sufficient left them by their parents to maintaine them if they take anie of those goods which are giuen to maintaine the poore it is sacriledge Caluin writing on the seuenth of Amos calleth the diminishing of the immunities or commodities of the church sacriledge sounding the same with good Saint Barnard writing on the Canticles according to this tenor Proditores dei ecclesiae c. They which take from the temples they are betraiers of God and his church These learned fathers they expresse the true sentence of their mother the holye church pronouncing the true fauour of God and his louing countenance turned clerely vnto them which fauour nourish his holie church with his poore belonging to the same and the seuere wrath of the Lord God kindled against all those which spoile his louing spouse here on earth bereauing her of her beautiful children her costlie garmentes made of needle worke all glorious within concerning whom the Lord hath sayd hee which harmeth you he toucheth the apple of mine eie Bullinger on the fift of the first epistle of saint Paul to Tymothie concerning the reformation of Church goods writeth thus the goods of the Church are the gold of Tolossan which breedeth his distruction that possesseth it Therefore though the churches their goods landes were abused by Monkes and Friers yet there is no cause why Christian Princes should thinke that reformation good and religious which pulleth down the churches and turneth the church goods to the vse and possessions of laie men for they were not first giuen to this end kinges and princes and magistrates haue their reuenewes their tributes their fines their customes their publique treasures appointed for their vses but as for the goods of the church they were first giuen for the maintenance of students in humanitie and diuinitie for the maintaining of Bishops and hospitalitie for the relieuing of the poore widowes stangers and captiues and those which are in necessitie and a certaine portion was appointed for the repairing of Churches Let them restore such sufficiencie of goods to the Church as will fullie suffice for the maintaining of all the premisses before they take one halfe pennie from the Church or else let them surelie looke for the grieuous vengeance of God on them and their house That learned Peter Martir concerning the goods of the church vniustlie required by Magistrates writeth thus in eo quaesto difficilis est in qua dissoluenda c. In that case it is a doubtfull question in answering the which I had rather incline to that point that if the prince or magistrate should take awaie the goods of the church no man ought violentlie to resist them But if
manie faithfull witnesses surelie sealed with his most precious bloud He fixed it so surelie and with such vertue that therwith the speres did shrinke in the heauens the Moone against nature retired from the East into the Meridian the Sunne lost his light the aire was darke the earth did shake the graues opened the spirits arose the hel below all trēbled so that the powers therof were loosed After this athentical signifying of his most pretious death bitter passion in heauen in earth in hel he gaue it as his owne deed his last wil testamēt vnto his beloued spouse the holy church a sure seale and pledge of eternall saluation to her all her faithfull children for euer As is the loue of her husband so is hirs for she hath it giuen her of him euen breathed from his owne mouth hee is one and his loue is one for euer the heauens shall waxe old like a garment the Sun shal shrinke from his Excentrich the earth shall passe awaie like a tempest but the loue of our spiritual mother is as the loue of our heauenlie father once euer whom she once loueth she loueth them to the end that most entirely according to the saying of the prophet when father and mother forsaketh me then the Lord taketh me vp Therefore if we be his true children we must frame our selues that we bee like our spirituall parents not in countenance onlie outward looke but in sinceritie holy deuotiō We must forsake both father mother concerning the flesh honouring our spirituall father our spiritual mother aboue all other things both in heauen and in earth He hath begotten vs sonnes of the spirit euen by the spirite of life and she through his great grace doth nurse vs vp with the same food she taketh vs vp out of the mirie waies of this sinful flesh she vnfoldeth the sinfull clothes of the bodie wherewith wee are almost smothered she openeth our mouth applying thereto her tender teats from whence she distilleth the drops of spiritual life into our hearts wherby our soules be fed our bodies preserued our vnderstāding increased our eies cleared our faith perfected so that we see most plainly how we should loath the world learne to loue our holy mother the church knowing that it is not meete to leaue the cleare Sunne to waite on shadowes or possible to serue God Mammon this world heauen the flesh the spirit according as Hermes writeth Nisio fili corpus tuum oderis teipsum amare non poteris impossible est vtrisque simul intendere O Sonne vnlesse thou hate thy body thou canst not loue thy soule for it is impossible to applie thy selfe at once to them both Therfore be ye not so blinded with the stinking mist of Sathans deadly smoke or the painted vale of this wicked world or the sinful web of fleshlie corruptions ouerspredding the sight of your eie that you should not look into the cleer glas now set before your face wherein you may plainlie behold the reflexion of your deformities this vnnaturall spot wherewith you greatlie disgrace your selues before the face of God and man at this day If your eies be so dim through the cares of this present world that ye cannot looke into the times of old if you cannot see so far before you by reason of the cloudy tēptations which the world the flesh the deuil beat in your faces yet in regard of your safety look downe vnto your own feet least you depart frō the way of life If you be so intangled with the briers of this wicked world that you cannot goe forward nay that you cannot once turn your selfe to look towards the Church Yet fixe thy feete that thou goe not backward from euill to worse and let thy countenance affect the sight of the heauenly Ierusalem Though thine eies bee dim yet open thine eares harken to the sweet admonitiōs of thy mother foreshewing thee the sweete and the sower of this thy dangerous iourneie wherein sith thou art to walke through the wildernes of this wicked world before thou assaie the isie ground therof know that which elsewhere is wisely written Terra imbrobitatis est prouincia the earth is a prouince full of naughtines through which who so mindeth to walke safelie hee must bee verie circumspect taking heede to his beginninges knowing that hee which beginneth well hath halfe finished the work The first entrance of this waie vnto eternall life is to loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart thy mind thy soul the next step is like vnto it loue thy neighbour as thy selfe according to the rule of nature Quod tibi fieri non vis alterine feceris Do vnto others as yee would that they should doe vnto you againe This rule is generall the meaning large the obseruance thereof hard and tedious therfore before I post forward too fast vnto the ende I will make some litle small spence of time in opening the first beginning thereof and which is that as it is said in the rule of christian faith next to the blessed trinitie is ioyned the holie catholique church as also in the table of the ten commaundements next to those which wholie concerne the worship of God in the first place and before all the rest is placed Honor thy father and thy mother and that with a blessing which who so mindeth to be partaker of hee must not onelie honor his naturall father and mother but he must vnderstand truelie that as the spiritual part soule of man is before the flesh so first and principallie wee must honor our heauenlie father which hath begotten vs of the true spiritual immortal seed wherby as saith S. Paul the faithful daily crieabba father next to this our spiritual father aboue all fleshlie parentes we must honour our spirituall mother the holy catholique church whose children we are before we haue our perfect beeing in the flesh according to the saying of Euaristus in his decrees Scimus Christum esse caput cuius nos membra sumus ipse est sponsus ecclesia est sponsa cuius filii nos sumus wee trulie know that Christ is the head of his Church whose members we are for he is the husband and the church is his spowse we the children of thē both Therefore before wee looke at our naturall parents we must most christianly apply our selues vnto the honour and reuerence of our spirituall father and our spirituall mother Nay we must forsake both goods and landes honour and dignitie frendes kindred brethren yea our naturall father and mother and cleaue vnto our spirituall mother the holie Church according to that most christian aunswere of that learned Tritemius to his naturall mother To whō after she had signified by diuers louing letters that she most earnestly desired to see him face to face hee returned this aunswere Non licet mihi
to make any christian hart to melt when it is harde he suffered that cruell souldier to pierce his tender side with a speare wher with came out both bloud and water euen his most pretious heart bloud the eternall foode of our soules O what mercie is this and who is able to comprehend it shall I passe it with silence or shal my pen presume to touch the same shall my heart stande amazed at this wonder and my mouth keep silēce When I behold the heauens the angels the height of these creatures aboue mā And cōsider the depth of his mercie towards man shal I not beginne with the Prophet O what is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the son of man that thou visitest him And proceed with the voice of good Saint Barnard O hone Iesu. Quid tibi merito nos debuimus tu soluis nos peccauimus tu luis opus sine exemplo gratia sine merito Charitas sine modo O sweet Iesu howe belongeth this to thee or thy desert we are indebted and thou paiest it we haue sinned and thou art punished a worke aboue all cōparison mercie without all merite charitie aboue all measure O my soule open thine inward spirites and let my toong sound foorth his praise O praise the Lord in his holines praise him in the bountie of his great mercie and all that is within me praise his his holie name O ye princes open your gates and let the king of glorie enter in O bowe downe your princely eyes and beholde this great humilitie of the first and the last the king of kings the Lord of Lords the high souereigne king of heauen earth Take heede yee rulers of the earth that ye goe not farre from this fountaine of life least yee thirst and so perish by the way O come neere and taste howe sweete the Lorde our maker is and lette not the comfortable voice of his louing spowse whom hee hath made ouerseer of his will once depart out of your eares Take heede now your father is gone that you disquiet not your louing mother Doe not your selues that mortall disgrace or the Lorde of light that vnkindnes that you should forget his bloodie stripes wherewith yee were healed or his wounds which gaue you life or his exceeding loue which passeth all vnderstanding but render loue for loue to the vttermost of your power Sith hee hath loued vs first let vs loue him first of all Sith hee refused all creatures in heauen and in earth that hee might shew mercie vpon vs let vs refuse all other thinges and loue him alone not in word onely nor in shewe but in heart in worde in our outward life and conuersation Can wee taste of the cleare fountaine and not kneele downe or drinke of the liquor and not touch the cuppe with our lippes can we taste of the sweete drops of his most pretious bloud and not kisse the sonne of our saluation the spring of eternall life the glory of heauen and earth Then leauing heathnish glory the rule of flesh bloud christiā princes must come to the fountain of true christianity which is clear bright sheweth plainly that they must fall downe before the throne of the lamb that their regiment and commonwelth ought not to be disposed and for the establishing of their owne kingdome or for the aduauncement of their owne honour or for the safetie of their owne life but especiallie and aboue all thinges they must bend themselues to set forth the honour and glorie of God their high honours and offices must be appointed for the seruice kingdome of Christ their power their men their armour their goods their landes their dominions their nobles their court and courtiers are to be imploied in the seruice and obedience of the church of Iesu Christ. Thus proceeding in the waie of life let them not barely imagine that God is aboue all the rulers in the world but that he is carefullie and dutifullie to bee serued euerie daie and that the howre of his diuine seruice is not to bee appointed at our will but at his wil and when it shall bee thought most meet by them which are truelie religious Herein wee ought to be so resolutelie bent to serue the Lord our God with all our heart our mind and our soule so truelie and so hartilie that no embassadour no triumph no pleasure or worldlie affaires whatsoeuer should alter the hower of common praier which wee haue once giuen to the Lords seruice vnto the which if wee cannot resort sometime at the appointed howre which we haue once granted vnto the Lord yet let the rest of our life be so holie and reuerent before the Lord and his people that our Christian absence may shew most plainlie there is vrgent occasion why wee cannot come If they count it a more holie a more necessarie a more honourable thing to serue the Lord and to humble themselues on their knees before him in his holie temple then to feede their eies with worldly pleasures which in time and season are good and commendable if the count more of diuine seruice than of humane of the eternall ioy of heauen than of this perfect miserie of the euerlasting kingdome than of this earthlie tabernacle they will not onelie leaue all these and come to the temple of the Lord there falling downe before their good Lord and maker their maker and redeemer their redeemer and present helper their helper and comforter in al woe and distresse but in fact in truth in good earnest after the yeelding themselues their soules and bodies a holie and acceptable sacrifice before God which is their reasonable seruice don to him they wil open the bowels of their compassion vnto their holie mother the church and their poore bretheren they wil wiselie bestowe their best landes goods honors priuiledges counsels courtes auctorities euen the most perfect meditatiō of their vnderstanding harts vpon the spouse of Iesu Christ. O yee mightie men whose throne is exalted in the middest of flesh and bloud do you doubt of this Haue you not heard of olde how the gentils ruled which knew not God or what our Sauiour Christ said concerning them and what was it you shall not do so and how then The Apostle writeth that which the prophet said Credidi propterea loquutus sum I haue beleeued this truth and therefore I haue written neither is it bare beliefe sith plaine truth holdeth the sterne whilest my litle pen passeth ouer the high surges of this worldlie sea and that those worldlie mindes thus tossed and tumbled with the vncertaine flawes of worldie tempests might finde the true calme discried by the rule and compasse of Christian doctrine let them but looke vp a litle directing their eies vnto the climat where the sonne shineth cleare and bright and they shal see the land and hauen of quietnesse where they would faines◠bee And
base minded as to looke about him how hee might raise great summes from the poore people or how hee might vnder some good pretence exact some paiment from the church though his enemies were manie mighty his warre great his troubles innumerable his charges infinite yet hee did not molest any one person belonging to the church nether would he suffer the mightiest of his princes once to meddle with them He could not possiblie be perswaded to increase his treasure with any penny which came from the Church or his honour with their prerogatiue or his securitie with their trouble or his credit with their disgrace But this foster father of the poore dispersed lambs of Iesu Christ he bestowed he founded he erected on high he reedified those temples which the heretickes had pulled downe hee restored the landes which they had taken awaie when hee tooke it into his handes he did not giue one halfe to God kept the other halfe to himselfe saying I haue two eies the one to looke to my kingdome and the other to the church But beeing a good true christian philosopher hee knew that though wee haue two eies yet we must looke but one way nor see but one marke at once We cannot at once loue both God and Mammon sinne and righteousnesse the kingdome of this world and heauen But hee knew it truelie and wayed it wisely in his hart that the high God of heauen did create him that hee blessed him preserued him exalted him gaue him all that he had And therefore hee rendred vnto him and his beloued spouse all honor freedome peace and abundance Hee was taught by the holie fathers out of the booke of life that the Lord is a ielous God he will not part stakes with any nor giue his honor to any other but of him it is said and of him onelie Thine is thy kingdome thy power and thy glorie for euer and euer Amen When the good Emperour beheld this perfect stile of Iesu Christ did see the ensigne on which it was described together with the church of Christ cast downe to the bare earth hee drawing neere as S. Paul did to the altar wherein was written ignoto deo beholding but foure bare letters I. N. R. I. which signified that this was the ensigne of the vnknowen God not acknowledged amongest men forthwith hee humbled himselfe in the flesh and reioiced in the spirit that the vnknowen God the God of heauen of earth had vouchsafed him that speciall grace to reueale himselfe vnto him He cast downe his banner and tooke vp the crosse of Iesu Christ crucified hee cast all dignities courts commissions and kingdomes aside and laid his honor in the dust in regard of the true honor of Iesus Christ as wee haue mentioned hee imploied all the giftes which hee had giuen him euen of mind bodie and goods especially in founding erecting beautifying perfecting adorning priuiledging and freeing the church of Christ as Eusebius testifyeth most plainlie in these words Ecclesias vero Dei incredibile est supra omnem opinionem c. It is incredible and far beyond all mens opinions to recount what giftes and ornamentes hee bestowed on the church of God what freedome what plentie of maintenance what honors he gaue to them which had wholy bent theÌ„selues to serue the Lord in his holy temple daily to pray for the safety of the lande for the honour of the King and the sinnes of the people This was the expressed pietie of that first and most Christian Emperour and the Lord of his great mercie redoubled his kindnesse euen into his bosome for hee not onely shewed him the scale which Iacob saw and the gate of heauen opened at the top therereof but hee gaue him that great and rare gift of perseuerance in his deuout deedes euen vnto the end Therfore the Lord blessed him in his pallace in the field froÌ„ the arow which flieth in the wars abroad and from false friends at home and in such plentiful manner that all things which he tooke in hande did prosper wonderfully His victories are compared with the conquests of Cyrus but his end was much more happie for when he had most honourablye passed the full course of the life of man enioyed all the blessings of the earth aboue the space of sixtie yeares not once troubled with any sicknesse of bodie or vexation of minde but in wisedome and true christian loue florished continuallye like the greene bay tree whose fruite doth comfort the hart of man like the spreading vine like the fat Oliue braunch which maketh him to haue a ioyfull countenance sith hee distilled these sweete drops of his sincere loue into the bosomes of the poore distressed christians of his daies the Lord he kindled the sparke of true christian loue in his heart and made him glad with the ioy of his countenance Hee had alwaies victorie against his enemies conquering from Scythia in the east to this Ile of Britaine in the west Neither was the loue of the Lord extended vnto this good Emperour in his life onely but to the end all men may knowe that the loue of the Lorde is not fained that his iustice neuer changeth that his mercie endureth for euer hee departed out of this life being full of yeares in his ripe olde age euen about the feast of the ascension of our sauiour Christ and the descension of the holy Ghost at high noone At which instant his soule leauing the mortall body heere on earth hee was no doubt receiued vp into heauen by the hands of immortall angels there enioying the crowne of eternall blisse Which the Lord hath prouided for all those assuredly which looue his comming and maintaine his holy militant Church heere on earth Neither was the reward of the Lord onely proportioned by the merit of man neither did his munificent mercie onely exceede the merite of this true christian Emperour so much as the compasse of the heauens whose least starres are much bigger then the lande and sea exceedeth the earth in giuing him his hartes desire which is eternall blisse and felicitie but that which the Lord recounteth to Abraham Isaac and Iacob for a sure blessing here on earth he gaue this Godly Emperour three good and godly sonnes to â—it vppon his seate after him neither for one or two liues onely but as it is written of his posterity Vt imperii sedes c. That as the Empire discended from his father vnto him so by the course and lawe of nature it was continued vnto his childrens children and their posteritie Neither is it all onelie to bee marked what fruite the braunch beareth in the top but if we be good simplicians we will haue recourse vnto the roote from whence the first life and naturall vertue proceedeth Heerein if we consider well and looke more narrowlie into it wee shall plainely perceiue that these former examples more
nerely concerne our natiue couutri-men then at the first sight appeareth sith this is the tree which wee so highlie commend and we be all branches of the same Neither doth this more narrowly cōcerne vs in respect of the cleare fountaine of christianity which hee opened to vs with his finger directing the course therof more plentifully into this worthy Iland but because by bloud we be descended from the same line and kindred from whence Constantine the great did first spring in that the vertuous ladie Helina his mother was the daughter of king Coell sometimes king of this noble Iland let vs contend not onely to retaine the true vertue of her noble bloude but also that we be like minded vnto her in fasting in praying in the giuing to the poore in redeeming captiues in setting the bound at liberty in founding of temples maintaining them honourablie which with their bewtiful feete bring to vs the glad tidings of the Gospell Amongest whose excellent vertues that one doth shine most cleere representeth vnto vs the expresse image of her vertuous mind that in all her iournies beeing either neere or farre of when so euer she came to a nie cittie or towne so soone as shee was once alighted before shee would admitte anie sute or person to her speache or that she minded anie worldlie affaires first of all shee would haue recourse vnto the temple of the Lord there powring out her prayers and petitions before him bestowing rich iewels and costlie ornamentes on the Church and distributing her almes verie liberallie amongest the poore where so euer shee came Wherefore the Lorde of his exceeding mercy blessed her with a long a prosperous and blessed life giuing her a willing desire to leaue this wretched world after shee had passed eightie yeeres in this tedious vale of vanitye In which olde age shee called that pearelesse Emperour of the world her sonne vnto her holding his hand in hers she willed him to bestowe all her treasure and earthlie goods what so euer on good and godly vses Which diuine behest once passed from out her gratious lippes she committed her selfe into the handes of God her bodie died away Iesu Christ receiuing her blessed soule into his handes O wonderfull depth of the mercie of God towardes those which looue him O ye true christians what so euer and ye which descend from the bloud and line of that most vertuous Empresse though now in the olde crooked age of this world charitie be almost frozen to death yet let not hardnesse of heart preuaile so much against nature that beeing braunches of so worthy a tree yee should giue no shaddowe no leaues no blossomes no fruite at all to your posterity This honorable nurse of the Church she sprang out of the naturall soile wherein wee now dwell her vertuous seede did spreade it selfe bothe farre and neere it tooke deepe roote in Thrasia in Greece in Iurie in Italie in Fraunce in Germanie in Spaine and could the narrow seas restraine the course therof from her first natiue soyle Naturae sequitur semina quisque suae that which is bredde in the bone will neuer leaue the fleshe and the bountifull sowing of this vertuous Ladies seede brought foorth a plentifull haruest in England some taste whereof dothe sweeten the mouthes of some comforteth the hartes of others at this daie If yee bee not mooued with the discouerie of so fruitefull a vine which first did spring foorth of English soile and hath spred it selfe ouer all christian nations yelding pleasaunt iuyce and comfortable to the hartes of all true christians If you counte not of these examples which at this daie present themselues before your eyes through the glasse of other mens rising and falling If your owne euils will not mooue you because they be familiar then once againe do but loke backe vnto this mother vine let the roote alone nowe marke the passage of her bows the goodly spreading of her branches and you shall see manie fayre well plumped clusters of grapes which though thou canst not reache yet disdaine not to beholde the fruitfulnes of the vine Though it growe beyond the seas yet giue it the due commendation though the roote thereof bee founded in simplicitie yet it beareth holesome beries in the toppe though the Lord thereof was derided with a crowne of simple thornes Yet the kings and princes of the earth did raigne by his permission All knees shal bow to him who was the planter of this vine All christian princes shall honour him and though the wilde Bore haue broke downe the hedge though he haue spoyled the garden rooted vp the vine so that no one braunch therof dooth now appeare yet the mightiest Emperors will not passe by no they count more of this wasted peece then of all the kingdoms in the world They wil put of their shooes when they enter it because it is holy ground they wil cast down their crownes of golde from their heades because in that place it was said before the face of many witnesses to him whose kingdome endureth for euer Haile King of the Iewes Therfore Godfrie that worthy Bulliner the king of Fraunce after he had won the holy land being offered a crowne of gold to be set vpon his head he vtterly refused it saying it dooth not become me to weare a crown of gold where my Lord and sauiour the Lord of lords the king of kings the God of heauē earth did were a crown of thornes Herein we may behold the true image of a right noble hart for if we looke about vs and beholde the common sorte of base minded men all their desire is not so much by vertue and prowes to attaine the victorie which this noble Godfrie did first entring the wall himselfe as to haue the aboundant wealth of the place the maiesty of the crowne the glorie of the triumphe Of these men it is not so commonlie said as truelie verified he which hath the most shew without oft times hath least within truely manie puppies in the world if they were but a little sequestred from the pompe and pride which they showe without in glorious manner themselues were lighter then a feather which is carried away with euerie blast of winde when it falleth down is troden vnder foote Therefore because they haue it not within they are very carefull to magnify themselues with the outward appearaunce of that maiesty which in deede they haue not These base sorte of men if they had ouerpassed the walles with such good lucke once beene set on horse backe they would haue galloped ouer the bodies of their poore yelding aduersaries they would haue beene most fierce cruell they would haue bathed their swords in their bloud they would haue sought great glory by barbarous cruelty and their cheefe desire would haue beene with the golden cote on their backe the scepter in their hand the crowne on their head the applause
yeeld that this fruitfull braunch did spring from Helynaes roote For she not onely adueÌ„tured her owne person in mightie warres against the Infidels farther than that sexe dooth commonly affoord but she sent into the wide west Ocean sea to the 7 fortunate Ilands to the Atlantich IlaÌ„ds bearing far north by west gaining them all their people to the christian religioÌ„ which neuer heard of Christ before In which Ilandes to the end that after they had tasted the sweete milke of the Gospell of Christ they might be fed with stronger meat hauing built and erected many parish churches besides diuers goodly colledges she founded and erected in Granata foure Cathedrall churches in the fortunate Ilandes two in the Indian Ilandes three in Affrike she wonne Mellam a most strong defenced towne she wonne from the Turke the Iland Cephalena sometimes Vlisses inheritance amongst the Grecians and most louingly she restored it to the Venetians whose sometimes it was Shee wonne the Citie and tower of Ostia violently deteined from the Romanes by a tyrant restoring it vnto the Bishop of Rome she enacted that there should bee but one religion in her dominions one faith one forme of diuine worship and thervpon notwithstanding the great tribute which came yearely into her treasurie from the Iewes she expelled from her dominions all the Iewes which dwelt there euen to the number of six hundred thousands also shee offered to all Sarasins and Mahometists either freely to depart out of her dominions or to become Christians Wherby after some time and diligent preaching within one yeare of the Sarasins there were conuerted and baptised aboue twentie hundred thousand Lastly shee gaue to the adorning of the temple built ouer the sepulcher of our sauiour Christ foure costly syndones which whilest she was with child she did spin weaued afterward with hir own hands in token of her dutifull obedience towards him O most fruitful and vertuous Lady which shunned neither colde nor heat nor wars nor weapons nor wearying of hir selfe nor spending her treasure her time her life so that she might increase the church of Christ and make his name known amongst the Gentils Therefore the Lord looked down from heauen vpon her with his louing countenance giuing her all that her heart desired heere vppon earth with most happie successe till at the length after her long prosperous and victorious raigne shee which had leade her life most vertuously yeelded her soule into the hands of Iesu Christ most willingly After whose most happy death her childrens children were raised by the Lord vnto the seate and title of Earles Dukes Kings and Emperours This right renowned Lady was born in the yere of our Lord 1448 departed this life 1504 at which time also florished in England that most vertuous Princesse the Ladie Margaret Countesse of Richmond and Darbie mother to king Henrie the seauenth This deuout Princesse beeing replenished with heauenlie graces well knowing that the high honor of flesh and bloud is but a glistering cloude of vanitie leauing the transitorie delights of the world shee betooke her selfe wholly to the seruice and worship of God Shee fell downe often on her knees secretlie in her closet bowed her selfe most humbly before him in his holie Temple powring out her complaints together with the penetentiall Psalmes of Dauid humblie requesting the Lord in her prayers that hee would looke downe with his louing compassion on his holie Church mercifully forgiuing the sinnes of his people This shee did daily ordinarily faithfully sincerely To her diuine meditations she adioyned often fastings with many thousands of mercifull deedes to the poore hearing their crie willing that they might haue accesse vnto her helping them to their right against the mightiest of their Countrie of what calling place honor or office soeuer they were Her house most princely and solemnly ordered her vertuous statutes set downe by her godly Counsel and signed with her owne hand as it is to be seene at this day the Chappell was most reuerently regarded of all other places and not of her alone but of all her honorable retinue her hower appointed for praier no pleasure no businesse no embassage no King nor Keisar could once interrupt No oth within her dores nor any word or deed which might offend the King of heauen And yet those vsuall recreations which might verie well beseeme the better sort of Christians Her house thus wel reformed according to the disposion of her heauenlie mind though she waxed in years yet shee walked forth of her doores into the haruest of the Lord wherby the way looking vp she viewed the height fairnes of the temples wel thinking in her wise and Godlie meditation that there were many goodly places deuoid of worthy persons and many faire walles but not so many well learned as they should be Her thought was good her intent godlie her successe was happy And what was that shee seeing the haruest great and the laborers few forthwith shee thought to send more laborers into the field of the Lord. And how Shee pulled not downe manie litle Celles to build vp one great Colledge as did the Cardinall who liued not to see the end of his worke once begon but wisely waying the great inconuenience of walles without men men without religioÌ„ religioÌ„ without knowledge knowledge without spirituall pastors she founded an excellent colledge in our vniuersit of CaÌ„bridge after the name number of Christ and his xii Apostles endowing it with goodly landes possessions with statutes and rules of vertuous life to the end that by her meanes many good and skilfâ—ll workmen might goe forth into the haruest of the Lord. This branch of true christian charitie increased so much was so acceptable in the sight of God that by the view therof she framed a more solemne portraiture in her breast for not long after she stil meditating how she might best gratify the Lord of light who had put downe her foes and replenished her hart with ioy and gladnes according to the true rule of profiting in the schole of Christ she went from vertue to vertue from strength to strength euen a litle before her death raising vp a most solmne sumptuous colledge by her will founding therein seauenty fellowes according to the number of the seauentie Disciples sent out by our Sauiour Christ into the world to preach the Gospel for the good weale and prosperous maintenance whereof shee gaue very rich ancient faire and good lands Shee left them holsome and worthie statutes whereby a vertuous life might bee practised and all knowledge aswel of tongues as of sciences might by her godly deuotion bee more happily attained Lastly hauing bestowed great landes possessions for the maintenance of lectures in Hebrewe in Greeke in Latine in Arethmetike Rhetorike Logicke Philosophie Geometrie Mathematick Phisick Astronomy Diuinity and such disputations with other profitable exercises belonging to the same She cleaped this latter colledge by
them Whereby all men maye learne to feare the Lorde knowing that hee is iust and holie immutable and not as man is to bee pleased with a faire worde but euen amongst his chosen children hee sendeth his deuouring sworde to cut of the roote of their sinnes and not to them onely but to their children and childrens children Concerning this wee haue a cleare example in Achab king of Israell who when hee could not entreat poore Naboth to depart vnto him his vineyard and the inheritance of his forefathers hee lay down on his bed all sick with griefe turning his face from the companie towards the wall he sighed sorrowfully but the phisition was at his elbow For there was a commission presently sent forth a court called witnesses examined Naboth condemned brought forth executed When Achab heard of this he rose from his bed he descended and tooke possession But the Lord he sounded forth his trompet of defiance against him by the mouth of Helias saying hast thou killed and taken possession behold in the same place where the dogges licked the bloud of Naboth they shall also licke thy bloud and I will cut of the line of thy posteritie so that I will destroy from Achab euery one that maketh water against the wall Achab hearing this was wonderfullie sorie and vexed in his hart so that he rent his garment fasting and praying in sackcloth and ashes Therefore the Lord had an eie to his penitent sorrow and recomforted him by the mouth of Helias saying Because thou hast humbled thy selfe at my voice this euill shall not come in thy daies but in thy sonnes daies and yet not one iot of the word of the Lord failed concerning his death For after three years there arose great wars betwixt Israel and the Assâ—â—ians in which king Achab being sore wouÌ„ded vnder the side with an arrow the bloud ran down into the chariot and he died and they washed the Chariot in the poole of Samaria and the dogs licked his bloud in the selfe same place where hee spilt the bloud of the innocent Naboth His eldest sonne Ioram was partaker of this punishment sent from God for hee was shot betwixt the shoulders by the handes of Iehu being cast out of his chariot into the fielde of Naboth Also his wife Iesabel the deuiser of this sinne shee was cast out of her window downe vpon the pauement where her brains dasht out against the stones her bloud sprent vpoÌ„ the walles her body bruised against the ground When she should haue bin taken vp there was nothing found remaining saue onely her handes her feet and her scawpe as it was spoken by the mouth of Helias Dogges shall eate the flesh of Iesabel in the fieldes of Iesraell Lastly that wee may behold the seuere iudgement of the Lord against those which take away other mens possessions though Achab left great store of Children behind him euen 70. sonnes in Samaria so that it seemed verie likely in the eie of man that hee should neuer want issue to sitte vppon his seat yet the Lord in one day by the hand of Iehu destroyed them all their heads were cut of at his commaundement and laid on heapes by the citie gate to the end that all posteritie might learne hereby not to trust in the multitude of their landes authoritie and riches or to hope too much in the succession of their carnal bodie but to way the seuere iudgementes of the Lord against all those which neglect his honour and which through a greedie desire of earthly possession with the hasard of their owne soules willingly vndoo their poore neighbours and bretheren for whom the Lord Iesu the God of heauen and earth hath shed his most pretious bloud O that carnall men would consider wisely and way this conclusion truly in their hart that if the Lord did so seuerely punish Achab and yet not the thousand part which hee deserued for the taking away of one of his subiectes vineyardes which lay verie commodiouslie for him that hee died vnfortunately in the battaile his Queene was eaten with dogges his children euen 70. be headed all in one day what grieuous punishment hath hee prepared for those which take the house vineyards of his beloued spouse which impouerish his children of whom he hath said hee which hurteth you hee toucheth the apple of mine eye which eate her bread from her and make her barren of her best beloued children Which place all their studie and delight in hording vp corruptible riches not remembring how litle it auaileth a man if he win the whole world and loose his owne soule Nay not considering the exceeding great blessings which the Lord continuallie powreth on them that mainteine his holie temple and the extraordinarie curses wherewith hee cutteth of the desire and posteritie of all those which either decay his holy church or diminish the deuine worship of his holy name Me thinks our eies should not be so dim in this cleare light that wee should not see nor our hearts so fleshlie that wee should not vnderstand and the will of the Lord and his great iudgements against those which maintaine themselues by the goods of the church being none of those which do seruice or haue any special functioÌ„ in the same Though we wil not vnderstaÌ„d the feareful examples which the Lord hath shewed heretofore Yet let vs so incline our owne hartes and waies that of our selues we may be ready rather to giue with the blessed than to take away with the cursed Let vs consider with reason that man is created for the glory of God not for his owne glory for the seruice of God not for his owne seruice for the saluation of the whole man euen body soule not for a litle vaine delight whilest he liueth herein y â— flesh Herein let him know by the rules of nature of reason of ciuil lawes holy institutioÌ„ that the goods of the church came to vs by the right of successioÌ„ by the same right they are entailed to our posteritie succession of our place calling for euer If this bee so theÌ„ the sequel is most plaine true the goods of the church they are none of ours to giue but whilest we possesse theÌ„ nor theirs to take we offend in giuing they offend in taking away that which is neither theirs nor ours But as Naboths vineyard the inheritance giuen by our forefathers to vs our succession We gaue you them say some we may take them away Not so though the antecedent halt yet suppose it were true the coÌ„sequent is altogether maimed Though you had giueÌ„ that which you would faine take away though those good deuout soules your auncestors which so charitably prouided both for you vs liued at this day whose life would be to them a double death if their eies did see that which we see yet that which thou hast once giuen into mine hand willingly wittingly
lawfully thou canst not take to thee againe Who presenteth a noble man with a saire horse or a goodly dogge after the acceptance of the same with hartie thanks challengeth his gift again for his owne If his manners faile thus farre yet is it right or reason so to doe But if wee giue vnto the Lorde and that freely as we ought to doe if wee confirme the same with worde and deede with witnes hande and seale and willing deliuerie shal we be so shameles that before the Lordes face and in the sight of all his saints we will say giue me my goodes or these be my landes or as the Priestes boy saide if you will not giue me I wil take it this is thus or at the least I so suppose sith thou which lately didest walke belowe in order with thy brethren art now well fatted and they still leane thou hast taken a higher flight and aymest at a richer praye thou hast seene greate wars with the straunge deuise of forraine sleights thou breakest that which will not bend leauing the good country simplicitie entring the vsual course of this flattering worlde forgetting the plaine honest dealing of a true Englishman thou art thereby wel instructed to liue and so full soone thou becommest very well learned thou canst the rule to catch on all sides and to hold fast till death doth loose the knot In practise of this generall thou reapest where thou sowest not thou findest that which earst was neuer lost thou receiuest from the church that which when thy conâ—cience seeth it within thy gates it blusheth red as a rose and burneth within thy hart like the flame of fire That this flame may not onelie appeare without but also consume within euen the heart the life and the soule thou powrest oyle into it ioining house to house and land to land turning poore mens commons into thine owne priuate pasture With these two wings of violence of a sodain thou risest from the earth and with the helpe of the puffing winde thou mountest swiftly so high that the highest temples and mightiest mountaines to which before thou durst scarce lift vp thine eyes least thy head should dazell nowe are farre below thy slight and through great despoile almost out of viewe In this thy height remember that thou wert lowe before and that thou must descend down into the earth from whence thou camest The arrowe shotte vpright out of the bow when it is at the highest it turneth backe and swiftly falleth downe to the place from whence it came The soaring fowle which flyeth most swifte and high when mowlting time by kinde and course comes in ofttimes dooth cast her fayrest feathers Those on whome this worlde dooth laugh most pleasauntly which haue the fawning of outwarde fortune at their owne pleasure pleasing themselues in the high throne of honour and rule let them consider that the higher they climbe the lower will be their fall and that which is the corsey of their pompe the highest boughes be most weake and brittle This is the vaine hope of sinfull man What auaileth it to attaine the highest boughes sith on the same dooth hang the fruite of our perdition Canst thou sit surer and faster on the highest boughes aboue than olde Ely did on his Cell belowe from which hee fell downe backeward and brake his necke Flatter your selues still if you wil O yee which distraine your mothers teate so harde that it droppeth bloud withall and feed your selues with the doubtfull pleasure of this sinne and when you haue satisfyed your thirst with the taste of that which yee drinke too much then assure your selues if God bee God euen the God of Gods if he be iust euen iustice it selfe if he bee the same he was as saith the Apostle the same yesterday to daye and for euer if hee bee true which is the way the the life and the truth most true most holy most eternall that waye which you seeke to saue your life yee shall loose it that meanes by which ye desire to rayse your selues shall cast you downe those goodes which you laie vp in store for the maintaining of your children shall cutte off the line of their life and cleane blot out all thy name and memorie from off the earth and that which you studyed to make your honour shall bee your vtter confusion If the glasse nowe set before your face bee true and if your sight bee good why doe you not behold this spotte of earth wherewith your face is so besprented But if your blindnesse bee the same with his which will not see behold yet I will set the glasse nearer to your face and if I can I will so rubbe it that the spotte of your disgrace maye more easily appeare lothsome vnto your eies Hee which receiueth you receiueth mee saith our sauiour Christ and which honoureth you he honoureth mee Now doe ye but beholde a little what reward what countenance what place or credite a poore learned man hath amongst vs in this worlde and then marke if the spot be not fowle and great If he bee in the Court away good peake goose hence Iohn Cheese If in the country hee is of no wealth what call you for his witnesse wheresoeuer he commeth Pauper vbique iacet euerie wans verdict is this generall pitie alas poore scholler And thus he liueth The Lorde hath decked the barren earth with store of goodly flowers the trees he hath laden with leaues and the waters he hath replenished with fishes The cuntriman hath his house his cattell his plough his ground whereby he liueth the lawyer his pen and toong with which in few yeares he purchaseth hundreds the merchant his returning gain the courrier more than I can tel the secretary his secret coÌ„mings in which make him glitter in his gold abroad And is the learned man without house or home without money in his purse or good apparell to his backe without a cogging face and shiâ—ting lookes hath the Lorde prouided no such thing for him alas poore scholler Had hee neuer cretaine liuing of his owne hath he none or can he haue none Habui filium saith the olde man Nos quondam floruimus saith the Troiane And so do we it may be we had some certaintie and nowe it may well bee but the conduit pipe by which the water flowed from the spring into our bosomes is waxen so full of riftes that the sweete spring water runneth out on euerie side into strange groundes adioyning to the same There be liuinges good store saith one if the learned wil seek let theÌ„ assure themselues they shal finde Seeking is a ready way if it were so plaine as it seemeth short But what if the best hownd in the whole kennell bee not the best seeker who shall goe away with the Hare yet let him follow and at the length hee shall come to the view of the wished gaine It is true euen as
he opened his hart vnto thē and made them of his secrete counsell what speciall care he had of their good estate and prosperitie not that they shoulde goe vp and downe in his dominions on foote in threed bare coates But he gaue them freedome title and honour and to the ende that it might endure when he was dead and rotten an example for all christian Princes which shoulde succeede him he founded many goodlie temples endowing them with large and ample possessions with a christian care he reedified the temples which were wasted by the heretiques and Infidels building and raising them an exceeding great height He established all thinges concerning Christian religion and the professours of the same in most honourable and religious manner Therefore the Lorde blessed him most aboundantlie with perfect health with exceeding wealth with true Christian liberty of obtaining al which he did desire in this world and in the world to come with euerlasting felicitie If the life of this right vertuous Emperor cannot dissuade you from the contrarie but still you will proceede in this erronious opinion that the Church of Christ amongst Christians ought to be poore simple and naked as it was in the time of persecution vnder hereticks and Infidels If you be so constant in this errour that you will not regard that Constantine then goe forwarde in the way which you like so well and passing on marke by the way howe it fareth with those which though they professe the name of Christ yet in life and conuersation they denie him in that no lesse cruel then the Iews they take from him his clothes they afflict his spirituall bodie they disgrace him keepe him downe to the ende they may haue no riches in price but the mucke of the world no profession in account but worldly authoritie no glorie but the childish decking of the bodie no honour but outward pompe and vanitie no King but Cesar. As the hardharted Iewes cried out his bloud be vpon vs and our children Euen so the fleshlie worldlings answere at this daie What tell you vs of had I wist of times to come of doomes day If wee shall not answere till then then care away graunt vs so long a day to answere in and we will haue the rest O that men would learne by earthlie similitudes to vnderstand heauenlie wisedome If a clowde doe but rise South or Southwest we say it is like to raine and can wee not see the Sunne of our saluation euen nowe setting in a darke deadlie clowde before our faces Consider that the destruction of Ierusalem was a plaine resemblāce of the end of the world As it was in those daies euen so it shall be immediatelie before the ending of the world they cried awaie with him they tooke away his coate and parted his raiment they crucified him and all those which professed his name they stoned Saint Steeuen the Archdeacon and Iames the Cosin of our Lorde who after he had beene placed Bishop of Ierusalem manie yeares most rebelliouslie they pulled him out of his chaire casting him downe from a pinacle of the Citie wall and when hee laie gasping on the earth most barbarouslie they dasht out his braines with a Fullers clubbe These were the first which sought the decaie of the Church of Christ. And what destenie followed this euill aduenture The Lorde brought a huge Armie into their Citie with a destroying plague and consuming famine with ciuill sedition slayings and wastings domesticall murders inward anguish bred by ciuill discord so that through feare without and deadlie anguish within there died manie thousands nay hundreth thousandes within the walles of that Citie Many thousands laie gasping in the streete for breath of life many laie groning ruthfully in their houses many as they were putting vp their hands to their mouth to feed themselues were slaine with the deuouring sword of the seditious which destroied so on al sides of the City that the bloud of those which were slaine within by themselues came running out at the gutters of the gates and out at the sinkes vnderneath the walles The noble men were fain to eat their owne flesh from off their armes and that good auncient gentlewoman which when the wars began fled to that Citie for succor with hir litle infant sucking on hir brest after hir house had been often ransacked spoiled by the seditious hir men maides slaine in hir house hir victuals cleane consumed hir colour wan hir milke and bloude dried vp hir bodie fainting with hunger shee was compelled to thinke an vnnaturall thought in hir heart and to execute a deadly deuise with hir hands shee tooke hir litle boy now sucking on hir breast she held it a part from hir with both hir handes beholding the sweete countenance of hir prety childe the boy smiled but alas the mothers teares did shewe hir heauy cheare it were too much griefe to rehearse the mothers sorrowfull voice in this wofull distresse vttered to hir sonne Shee laid the litle infant on the table before hir face hir trickling teares redoubled their course enterchangeably after many distillations sent down from hir weeping eies shee saith vnto hir litle infant my little boy the childe of mee a most vnfortunate mother I nourished thee within my wombe and haue fedde thee a long time with the milke of my breasts and nowe thou must bee meate for mee thy wretched and most distressed mother With these words hir knife infixed into the breast and bowels of hir little infant the bloud springing vp into hir face shee dismembred shee rosted shee eate of him the smell whereof beeing once entered the nostrels of those seditious souldiers they brake open the dore they came rushing in running into hir they pulled the meate violently out of hir hande eating it most greedily Of which because shee had no more store ready they cruelly murthered that poore old gentlewoman To this and a hundred thowsand like miseries seldome heard of succeeded the destruction of the whole nation with the vtter destruction of the City the walles the Temple and all the auncient Monumentes of the most famous Kinges of Israell Though no Christian hart can take pleasure in walking this way yet sith wee are entered into it let vs passe on a litle further and wee shall easilie see that this sinne of defacing of the profession of Iesu Christ and his holy Temples here on earth is so hainous so contumelious so heathenish in the sight of God that he neuer suffreth it to lie long vnpunished Neither be the plagues and punishments sent vpon the earth for this sinne of spoiling the Temples of the Lorde due to ordinary or common infirmities incident by the course of nature vnto man but as it is a much more hainous and grieuous offence for the child vnnaturally to despoile his owne father which begot him into this light and cruelly with bloudy handes to take his life from him euen so
earum etiam est abusus contra Things well vsed may bee abused and things abused may be well vsed The truth of this generall is euident by sundrie rules and histories of the holy scriptures We read in the booke of Numbers that Eleasar the sonne of Aaron tooke the sensors wherewith the rebellious Corath Dathan and Abiram had sinned so greeuously that the ground opened and swallowed them vp quicke into hell and put them into the arke of God Iosua reserued the golde siluer and brasse of Ierico he put it into the treasurie and consecrated it vnto the Lord. Nay that which is most plaine Gedeon did offer a bullocke vnto the Lord which his father had fatted for an offering to Baall Our sauiour Christ preached in the Iewish synagogues which by shedding the bloud of the prophets and by diuers other enormities was grosly abused Saint Iohn preached in the temple of Diana which had beene many yeares superstitiously abused The rest of the Apostles in most partes of the worlde preached in the temples of the Gentils which were built for their Idoll gods and manie ages most sinfully abused Saint Paule alledgeth the sentences of sundry Poets whose Gods were the starres of heauen worshipped of them for many yeares and by them most idolatrously abused Therefore the right vse of things is not to be taken away because they haue bene superstitiously abused What then is the rule of right Christian reformation and wherein dooth it consist Euen in taking away the abuse and not the vse Herevnto agreeth Saint Augustine who willeth vs to deale with the goodes and temples as we doe with the men whome wee conuert from sacrilegious wicked men to good Christians Saint Gregory as Beda noteth concerning the reforming of the idoll temples in this land then built and dedicated to the Pagan gods writeth thus Fama idolorum in gente Anglica c. Let not the idol churches in England be destroied but vtterly subuert destroy the idols in the same If this litle taste of these pleasant running brooks wil not quench the outragious heat of thine vntemperate stomacke then returne with me againe vnto the fountain it self which sith it is able to wash thee cleane both body soule come boldly therevnto if thou doubt of the true way leaue off thine owne erroneous humour and harken to the voice of that good olde man S. Augustine teaching thee the waye most truly in these words Omnis Christi actio est nostra instructio that which our sauiour Christ did in this case that ought to bee our example And what did he when the fulnes of time was come that the vaile should be remoued that the sacrifice of the Iewes should cease because the light the body the thing it selfe by that prefigured was now come and that it was impietie now any longer to bee circumcised the Lord of light did not destroy the temple pulling off the lead breaking downe the wals the glasse the timber thrusting out the Scribes Pharises taking their lands liuings into his own hands but he reformed the abuses thereof hee whipped the money changers cast out them which sold doues therin he taught the gospel in the temple on the sabaoth day expounded the scripture in their synagogues Afterwards that holy Apostle and martyr of Iesu Christ S. Iames called Iames the iust hee taught the Gospell therein and in those countries beeing Bishop there thirtie yeares Likewise also the rest of the holy Apostles they frequented the temple and the synagogues very oftē that for 10. or 12. yeres after the ascention of our Sauiour Christ. Peter and Iohn went vp into the temple to pray Paul was conuersant in the sinagogue at Athens allowing the inscription on the alter ignot◠Deo The Apostles were dispersed into all quarters of the earth And yet wee neuer heare that they willed any Temple to be destroyed but with all pietie and humblenes of spirit they ingrafted the gentils into the true christian faith together cutting vp the branches of heresie and heathenish superstition Peter and Paul planted the faith of Christ in Rome they taught lōg in their temples But yet we read not where they willed to pul down the old temples or to take anie whit of maintenance away from the same The holy Apostle and Euangelist saint Iohn liuing sixtie odde yeares after the passion of our Sauiour Christ and being in his latter dayes in Ephesus we do not read that euer he once persuaded them to pul downe the great huge temple of Diana And yet that the Gospell was therein preached it is manifest by sundry histories as also in that it is recorded that this Apostle euen when he was so old that he could scarce goe being taken vpon mens shoulders least the throng of people should oppresse him and to the ende his voice might be heard the better as he passed from Ile to Ile hee held out his hand and said Fratres diligite inuicem diligite inuicem Hoc est preceptum Domini diligite inuicem Bretheren loue yee one an other Loue yee one an other this is the last commaundement of the Lord that yee should loue one another This brotherlie exhortation of the holy Apostle saint Iohn was pronounced by him in the selfe same temple in which the Idoll of Diana was worshipped Nether is this thing strange or any whit to be doubted sith it hath bene the manner of all Christians euen from the Apostles time to this daie to saue and not to destroy to conuert and not to subuert to reduce those temples to the seruice of the true God and not to subduce them into our owne purses If the matter were doubtfull I might easily alledge diuers testimonies out of the auncient fathers and latter writers for the same But in that I studie rather to edifie the well disposed than to satisfie the cauill of the froward I had rather vse that plaine way of example wherewith already I haue now begunne Requesting those which loue the true reuerent worship due to our Lord Sauiour Iesu Christ to vnderstand that as is said the glad tidings of the Gospell was preached by Christ in the Temples and sinagogues of by the Iewes his Apostles also their Disciples And not onely the Iewish synagogues but in the temples of the heathen at Corinth at Ephesus at Rome and also at Ierusalem which after it was woonne and inhabited by the Sarasins aboue sixtie yeares and the church thereof polluted with their Mahometicall idolatrie al that time Afterward it was conuerted to the vse of true Christian religion and so deteined for the space of foure score yeares and odde So that wee see most plainlie the truth of this conclusion which teacheth vs not to take away the vse of holie tēples for the abuse which hath bin committed in them Who seeth the poore waifaring man whose earnest desire
and full purpose is to passe the right waie vnto eternall life wandring out of the way because hee is out of the waie despoileth him of his money and raiment and also his life but rather with charitable pitie doth not take him by the hande and bring him into the right path againe and laying out that coyne which hee meant to bestow vpon seducers on the true guides and leaders of the way This seemeth much better and is much more to bee wished though not to bee hoped In meane time now in the ende of this world let vs count that true which the Lord hath alwaies shewed that the spoilers of his Temple as they were alwaies towardes and not braue minded men so not amongest the Christians onely but also amongest the heathen most commonlie they haue come to euill and wretched endes Paris following the pursuite of his venerious dreame spoiled the temple of Venus and Diana in the Greeke Iland Citherea whereupon followed the lamentable distruction of that heroicall kingdome of Troy Cyrus and Alexander the great declining from the vertue of their yonger age and that loue which they then shewed towards the holy temples according to their latter inclination they which had liued honourablie died ignominiously the one with all his armie being ouercome by a woman Queene of Persia the other through pride insolencie contemning his people by whose helpe he obtained the high dignitie of 3. Monarchs neglecting the tēples and the sacrifice of the Gods which before hee so much honoured hee became odious vnto his subiects so that he was poisoned in that faire citie Babilon being at supper amongest his minions euen in his greatest glorie and delight In these two mightie monarches is not the conclusion which I intende concerning the louers the neglecters of holy temples most plainly nay in both of them or else in which you will Cirus in the beginning of his age was desirous to build vp the temple of Ierusalem he prospered wonderfully conquering in al his wars he forgot the Lord his holie Temple and forthwith he was vanquished of his enemies So likewise Alexander whilest he loued his gods their temples he prospered wonderfully but when he fel from that his first loue he left his chiefest safetie in that cup wherin he tooke much pleasure hee lost his life So that those which loue the Lord and so long as they striue to lead a holy vertuous godly life he mercifully rewardeth them according to their faithfull christian deeds but if the righteous turne from his good life and leaue the christian rule of sanctimony wherby he hath once bin guided then the Lord turneth his face frō such an one setteth open the gate of euil end destruction before him Let no mā flatter himselfe with the deceitfull appearance of this vncertaine world of this pelting honour and authoritie for which wee so much contend with these tempting vnsatiable vnquiet vnlucky cancred riches after which the hart of sinfull man by nature thirsteth and languisheth with earnest desire thereof or with the vaine pleasures of the flesh and all the foolish pompe and pride belonging to the same of which if wee haue but once our sacietie it is most sinfull most deceitfull most lothsome and detestable euer vnto those which earst lusted longly after the same Neyther account lesse of those most auncient kings and princes named before because some of them were long sithence and others heathen But let vs knowe for a truth that they on whome the tower of Siloe fell were no greater sinners than we and vnlesse we repent wee shall likewise perish Let vs beholde the rising and decay of the Monarch of the Babilonians of the Persians of the Graecians of the Romanes the increase decrease of the good estate of the christians Looke the liues of their princes so long as they honoured the God of heauen earth accounting more of his holy worship than of their owne so long they prospered and flourished in all kind of wished blessings and glorious prosperitie But after they regarded their own honour more than the temple and seruice of the Lord then within few yeares they came to miserable ends The example is plaine in Nabuchodonoser in Cyrus in Alexander the great in Iulius Caesar. Though these were mightie Monarches of the world yet the same iudgement is due vnto all men euen from the highest to the lowest which any way decay the woorship of God and the true reuerence of his holy temple Romulus and Numa Pompilius the first rulers of the Romanes erected temples to their Gods with great obseruance and reuerence therevnto and they prospered wonderfully by this good meanes Contrary obseruation may bee had of that mighty Ruler amongst the Romaines Antonius who requesting all the young men of Alexandria that on a solemne feast day they would present the best comliest of the citie before him in the field to the end he might choose of them the best prefer them to honor after they were all gathered togeiher friendly with good cheare before him his Armie he most cruelly caused his horsemen to run on them killing slaying destroying cruelly treading in pieces many comely young gentlemen and others with their wiues childrē which were nere to the place This cruel impious mind not contented with this wicked dasterdly murder in the field he came into the town despoiling the temples of al their rich ornamēts But as the shadow followeth the body euē so his desteny succeeded his steps for not long after as he was marching brauely forward with his army hauing occasion to step aside for his easemēt conueying himself a litle from his army into a secret corner onely with his secret seruant when his points were vntrust and his hose let downe he turned him aside to ease himself with which Martialis priuy to his wicked facts lothing his impious mind towardes God man pulling out his dagger quickly stept to him presently wounded him deadly left him there lying miserably If this had bin in our time we would say it was an euil chaūce he a wicked fellow I graunt but why do we not remēber that there is no haire falleth frō our head without the permission of God why do we not wisely way with our selues that there is no hindrance or disgrace or danger whatsoeuer which we suffer but it is sent of the Lord for our sin When he calleth thus why doe wee not rise out of our earthly bed with little Samuel why doe wee not run to the priest aske the question what shall I do or why do wee not enter into our owne hearts and aske within our selues euen in our conscience what haue I done this commeth for my sin which I haue committed for my notorious pride wherewith I woulde seeme to be loftier then others of my calling for my secrete murthers secrete adulteries
secrete polling and vndermining the Church of Iesu Christ. And if it be a great punishment sent from God vpon thee thy wife thy children thy house or family thy countrie or people though thou haue not sinned lately notoriouslie yet remember what thou hast done long since thinke that long since thou inclosedst such a fielde from thy poore neighbours that that thou tookest the goodes lands and priuiledges from such a Church there giuen to maintaine the worshippe of the Lorde therewith remember that though it were long since yet with the Lord a thousand yeares is but as one day and therefore now hee punisheth thee euen with as perfect iustice as if the deede were nowe in dooing before his face Would to God that men woulde hereby learne to feare the Lord and to tremble at his secrete iudgement that they woulde cast off the loue of this wicked worlde which corrupteth their consciences and poisoneth their owne soules that they woulde leaue this fained kinde of repenting in worde onelie and repent in deede which is restoring with Zacheus foure folde and vndooing that which they haue done to the vttermost of their power If the loue of the Lords blessinges will not incite them to good life yet let the fcare of his heauie iudgementes deterre them from sinne Let vs not looke on those great and grieuous examples which I haue nowe rehearsed thinking those were long since in times past and that in forraine nations beyond the seas for if we looke well we shall see that as many plagues pestilences and other contagious diseases of the bodie haue beene brought ouer sea into this fortunate Iland so also this most contagious and deadly maladie of bodie and soule came ouer and rooted it selfe in this lande long since Wee haue store of examples at home and one shall serue for the perfecting of this period William Rufus the third sonne of the Conquerour after hee had ouercome his enemies and their resistance diuers times beeing returned out of Fraunce and quietly enioying the Scepter of this land afterward hee liued in ioy and triumph and for the more suppliance of his pleasure and pastime he to inlarge his Forrest pulled downe foure Abbeies seauenteene parish Churches and all the Townes belonging to the same Quo quisque peccat eodem saepe plectitur modo Oft times a man is punished the same way by which hee offendeth and so was hee for in the same Forrest where these Churches stood which hee pulled downe and in the same disport or pastime for which he dissolued them he was slaine by the glauncing of an arrow shot at a Deare by a Knight so that hee fell downe therewith on the grounde giuing onelie one grone Some write that in the same place where he fell downe and died in olde time there had beene a faire Church which with others in his Fathers time were dissolued for the enlarging of the said Forrest in which Forrest also a litle before the Kings Nephew was slaine by the like chaunce This Kings Father and he both minded to haue made this a fâ—ire goodly Forrest fit for the disport and hunting of a king but the Churche of Christe and the houses of his poore Subiects stood in his waie His officers and sycophants considering what would come rouling into their purses that way said it was very meete it should be so so it was But alas it proued a small pleasure of the father which ended with the deadlie groning of his sonne a simple pastime for the king to haue his bodie wounded with the piercing arrow to the death Pleasure bought with griefe is seldome kindly and gaine procured with the displeasure of the Almighty doth neuer profite The hearts of the wicked lust after their owne bane and wanton pleasure poisoneth hir owne Nurse The flower of flesh florisheth not an houre and the fall thereof is griefe to the eie The wisedome of this world compoundeth cares and the height of their deuises want successe Most mens fancie wearieth the spirite and their welthiest wish is perfect disquietnes He which magnifieth himself seeketh his owne decaie because the chaire of pride is placed on slipperie ice Hee which gathereth vnrighteous goodes for his children pierceth the heart of his owne flesh and who so taketh away his neigbours possession he diggeth vp the roote of his owne posteritie Hee which neglecteth his maker choketh his soule and hee which taketh from the Church shall not prosper vppon earth his bodie shall decaâ—e without his bloud shall drie vp within his marowe shall consume within his bones his musicke shall bee groning daie and night his feeding shall be loathsomnes of meate his wish shal be O that I were as yonder poore man his comfort that his good daies bee past his recreation one pang vpon an other his glad tidings the death of his children his consolation the loathing of his friends his hope the feare of death and vnlesse hee repent his ende shall bee despairre of eternall life Who so mindeth to liue with Iesus Christ eternally in heauen aboue and in this life mindeth to see good daies let him walke the way of the righteous and marke the fruitlesse paths of the wicked Frst of all let him keepe his hands from violating holie things and behold the miserable ende of those which doe the contrarie Let him reade the holie Gospell of Saint Mathewe and in reading let him marke diligentlie in marking diligentlie let him vnderstand truelie what our Sauiour Christ meaneth when hee saith yee fooles whether is the golde holie or the Temple which sanctifieth the golde and whether is the gift holie or the Altar which sanctifieth the gift If the Temple make the ornaments holie then the walles the woode the stone of the which the Temple doth consist is holie if the Altar doe sanctifie the gift then that which belongeth to the maintaining of the Altar is sanctified they which minister ther at are to be reputed holy If by our sauior Christ his speach those things be true then they be holie men which build vp the Lords house and they be wicked which pull downe the same according to that old verse Ecclesias Christi quas fundauêrâ— parentes Heu malè diripiunt gnati pietate carentes The godlie Fathers builded vp the Churches of Christ and the vngodlie children haue pulled them downe But marke the end of all those which walked this way and learne to keepe thy conscience cleare from this gracelesse fact The Lord inflicted manie plagues on them whilest they liued here and when they were once deade their honour vanished like smoake and was buried with them in the graue As their bodies consumed in the earth euen so their infamie did spring vp out of the ground their goods wasted like waxe in the fire and like snow before the Sunne their posteritie became like the grasse growing on the house top which withereth before it â—ee ripe Nether was this only the
and a newe earth doe but looke backe a little into the olde worlde and you shall see plainely that the time is nowe expiring There bee but twelue houres in the day and if ye will calculate exactly there bee eleuen of them and fiftie nine minutes past Hee which standeth on the hil toppe he seeth the enemy a far off the vigilant watchman he saith that euerie minute hee perswadeth himself that he heareth the trumpet sounding Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium arise ye deade and come to iudgement The world was created in six daies and perfected in the seuenth whereby the ancient writers learned by coniecture out of the prophesie of Elias also by proportion that the world should remaine six thousand yeares and after that should succeede the eternall sabaoth of our soules Fiue ages by all mens computation are past now we liue in the sixt whose 1589 yeares nowe already past argue that the sequell of the sixt is also at an ende Of those six thousand which long since the learned aimed at already bee expired 5562 and hee which with his word did create the world and at his wil shal destroy it clean euen in the twinckling of an eie he hath promised that the daies shalbe shortned for his elect chosen childrens sake which seemeth likely that the day is euen now appearing in the heauens If wee looke a little into the deepe visions and reuelations of Daniel in which the course of times seasons to come in the latter end of all was plainly reuealed vnto him wee may easily gesse by that which is past the course which is yet to come Hee which hath seene the rising of the sunne and marked the course therof fiue daies togither from the rising to the setting and the sixt day he marking howe it did rise in the morning howe it was eleuated at noone howe it beginneth to decline when it draweth into the west hee will haue a shrowd gesse when it is towardes night So likewise let vs but a little tourne ouer the two and twentie bookes of hidden conference which according to the sixe daies of creation deuided the world into three tooes The infancie which is two thousand before the law the strong age which is two thousand vnder the law the old age which is two thousand vnder grace Let vs rise by proportion from two to foure which bee the foure astrologicall trigones in the heauens executing the influence of the seauen planets and that by the ministerie of the foure elements in order proportionating the foure great Monarches of the world Hereunto if wee shall adioyne the regiment of the seauen mouers or spirits which the Lord hath placed vnder him by the course of nature according to his secret decree to dispose the elementall creatures here below we may gesse to our great comfort by that which is past that the end is at hand The trigonicall course of constellations haue alwaies begun proceeded declined and ended after the same manner in the heauens beginning the first daâ—e of creation at the first degree of Aries the head of the fierie trigone so passing through the earthie the airie the watrie till it ended in the last minute of Pisces the full and perfect period of the watrie trigone These trigones as they alwaies passed after the same fort in the heauens so commonlie the same or verie like successe fell out in the earth and the same spirit of planet entring the rule of the world the same or like euents followed here on earth The world as Plato diuinelie writeth was created in fier euen in the signe Aries the head of the fierie trygone At which time Orifiel the first planeticall angel or spirit of Saturne began according to the disposition of the Almightie to rule the world After whom according to the processe of the foure trigones followed Araell the spirit of Venus Zachariell the spiâ—it of Iupiter Raphael the spirit of Mercurie Samael the spirite of Mars Gabriell the spirit of the Moone Michaell the spirit of the Sunne Each of them ruling the world three hundred â—iftie and foure yeares till the ende of that great watrie trigone in the taile of Pisces At which time according to the computation of the seauenty interpreters and that learned Beda the watrie trigone ending vnder the reigne of Gabriel the spirit of the Moone within few years after issued that great vniuersall flood Vnto this day the trigones with the regiment of the seauen angels or planeticall spirites according to the appointment of God successiuely tooke the disposition and regiment of the world beginning in the fierie trigon vnder the spirit Orifiell passing on to the other trigons whose particular proceedings if I should declare with the whole course of the successe effect of that which followed here vppon earth shewing that as the constellations changed in the heauens so commonlie there followed alterations of kingdomes of states of prosperity and aduersity of famin plenty of alteration of lawes rules people and nations the rising continuing and ending of Monarches mighty Empyres it were a more demonstratiue and forcible way But because it is tedious to shew this course perticularly from the beginning of the world vnto this day As for example When Orifiell began his dominion ouer the world first then men were naked rude liuing abroad To whom when Arael the spirit of Venus succeeded then began they to bee more handsome and to loue one another After him Zachariell the spirit of Iupiter succeeded vnder whom men began to build and to rule one ouer another To this Raphael succeeded the spirit of Mercurie vnder whom caracters and writing and musicall instrumenâ—s were first inuented To this succeeded Samal the spirit of Mars vnder whom though the Hebrewes accouÌ„t that the flood was yet according to the account of the septuaginta Isiodore Beda and Tritemius who prooueth this assertion by the same rule of multiplicatioÌ„ the flood was afterward vnder the dominion of Gabriel the spirit of the Moone Because it were both obscure and tedious to shew from the beginning of the world vnto this day euery course of these trigones in the zodiach and euerie dominion of these planetical spirits with the effectes which followed here on earth to the end that wee may vnderstand a secret truth sufficient to warne euery one which loueth the Lord to be ready sith his day and comming seemeth neere at hand I will onely shew some effects of the watry trigone especially what followed when it ended as it did lately in the tayle of Pisces with the appliance of the effects of Gabriell the spirit of the Moone who last of all begun his dominion ouer the world the yeare of our Sauiour his incarnation 1525. and shal rule vnlesse the Lord shal cut off those euill effects til the year one thousand eight hundred seaueÌ„ty nine eleuen months For
the more inciting of vs vnto the consideration of our state and this present age in which wee liue let vs call to minde the words of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ who when he forewarned his Disciples of the last day of doome which now hangeth ouer our heads then saith hee looke vp for your redemption is at hand He which biddeth vs looke vp hee first created man vpright to behould the heauens not minding to make vs gase at nothing but hee hath set some cleere obiect for vs to behold aboue And because heauen is aboue and earth below looke vp vnto the heauens and behold the starres which as the Scripture faith are fixed therein for signes times for years and dayes sith the Lord himselfe in the creation of the starres appointed them for signes and seasons and sith the Son of God hath bid vs looke vp to them Let vs not regard the coloured speeches of the ignorant who beeing a ridiculous generation would faine seeme that which they are not But let vs looke vp we shall see straunge signes in the heauens such signes as hath not bene since the beginning of the world vnto this day and were not nor could not well haue bene found out of vs if wee had not had cunning and expert Astrologers amongest vs. The apparance of these prodigious sights in the heauens do bid vs consider that the sixe thousand years are almost ended that the sixt age of the world is inclining it selfe into the graue that the fourth Monarch though Liberatie verie learnedly addeth a short defensiue for the same is now languishing The starres were appointed for signes seasons this is a great signe of the decaying of the fourth monarch in that the watrie Trigone is now expired vnder the which the fourth monarch had the beginning The same two great planets Saturne and Iupiter being conioined in Scorpio Iulius Caesar being then in the height of his imperiall pride which was fortie seuen yeres before Christ. That learned Liberatie argueth strongly on the contrary to an other conclusion than I will name affirming that no constellation decaieth his owne proper effect Ciprianus Leouitius coniectureth a shorter conclusion from heauen It is lawful for all men to beleeue what seemeth most likely and when all is doone the conclusion is meere coniecturall but yet by many probabilities This for our instruction let vs mark after the passing of these six thousand yeares six ages foure momarches and now the fourth Trigone newly ended that the world also is drawing towards and end With this lette vs consider howe often this constellation hath had issue from the beginning of the world together with the dominion of Gabriell the spirit of the Moone who ruleth now And therewith let vs consider the effectes which followed them Anno mundi 2242 the watrie Trigone drawing to an end Gabriel the angell of the moone began his dominion ouer the world and what followed men being then giuen to pride and lecherie to feeding their bodies and not their soules to regard the kingdoms of the earth not the kingdome of heauen not regarding that learned Noe the seruaunt of the Lorde the cloudes were dissolued aboue the fountaines of the earth were opened below the seas were let loose abroade the waters flowed outragiously ouer the whole earth and drowned all worms and beasts all fowles all men women and children all liuing creatures of the earth except Noe and those which hee tooke with him into the Arke After this general destruction of the whole world in the ende of Pisces the spirites of the planets together with the Trigones proceeded successiuely till at the length in the ende of the dominion of Samaell the spirit of Mars vnder whome the destruction of Troy was complete Gabriel the angell of the moone beganne the second time to rule in the ende of the watrie Trigone And what followed that mightie Monarchie of the Assirians was destroyed and came to vtter ruine vnder that â—leshly Sardanapalus Also the kingdome of the Macedonians the kingdome of the Syluians ended and the Romanes began together with the captiuitie of Babylon amongst the Iewes Thirdly the Trigones and planeticall spirits proceeded successiuely till the same watry trigone ended againe the fiery entring six yeares before the birth of Christ and what followed There was great change throughout the whole world The sacrifice of Moses did cease the oracles and idolatrie of the heathen came to an end the Gentils were called to be partakers of the true faith the empire of Rome was subdued and brought vnder the lawe of the Gospell which began vnder the fiery triplicitie After which the succession of the trigones proceeded to the end of the watry trigone which was about the yeare of our Lord 600. And what followed Mahomet the Arabian brought in the sect of the Saracens by which the Romane Empire and the profession of christianitie decayed together in Asia besides many wastings destructioÌ„s in the church recouered againe by Charles the great From that time to this the trigones haue passed their course successiuely in such sort that nowe the watrie trigone is once againe expired in Pisces and the fiery newly entred in Aries together vnder the dominion of Gabriell which ruled in the time of the floud and in the destruction of the first Monarch And what shall followe God knoweth and no man no not the angels in heauen And yet let vs not be so blinded with the cloudie fancies of the flesh that we should looâ—e our spirituall vnderstanding But let vs looke vp to heauen and behold the great signes which the Lord sheweth in the heauens especially let vs fixe our cogitation on that strange star which he shewed vnto vs fifteene yeares since Which though it appeared amongst the starres of heauen and that in the place of a starre so that none but Astrologers could perceiue the same yet it was a straunge sight to all the learned which beheld it And so much the rather because it was found to bee placed verie high in the aethereall region aboue the sphere of the moone a faire cleare bright calme starre round and euen but brighter than the starres of heauen it was exceeding strange to the wise and learned because there was neuer any such like seen since the first creation of the world vnto this day but at the comming of Christ. Though some olde Chaldeans note that the like appeared to Noe fifteene yeres before the floud therfore seemeth to be a signe vnto the world of such an effect as neuer was in the world before vnlesse it were the comming of that holy one the Lord and sauiour of the world It appeared in the heauens not in the elemeÌ„ts whereby we gather that it signifieth an euent from heauen In a signe which neuer setteth and that a whole yere together which forsheweth an eternity The signe
of the Frenchmen And Brennus himselfe beeing sore wounded in many places and not able to indure the paines and exceeding anguish of his wounds he killed himself with his owne dagger and so for his bold attempts he had his deserts by deserued death WheÌ„ â—yrrâ—us had coÌ„pelled the Citizens of Locris to giue him a great portion of the treasure of the goddesse Prosorpina wheÌ„ he was sailing away loden with his wicked praie he and his whole nauie by force of a sodaine tempest was beaten against the shores of the goddesse on which the money being found againe it was restored to the olde custodie of the treasurie But what should I speake anie more of these things for I feare me that if I should comprehend all the examples of auncient times appliable to this purpose in this treatie that I shoulde keepe no meane in writing of the same for they bee so manie that they can scarce bee numbered I omitte the example of Qu Cipio who beeing Consull when hee had sacked the Towne Tholosam and that there was found much golde and siluer in the Temples of the same Towne whosoeuer presumed to touch anie of that golde in that spoile in lue of his deserts hee died therefore in most horrible griefe and anguish I omit Xerxes the king of the Persians which sent foure thousand soldiers to Delphos to destroy Apollos Temple which companie was cleane destroied with lightning and tempest that Xerxes might vnderstande thereby the greater iniurie hee offered to God so much the lesse his force shoulde bee to resist Which reuenge truelie may bee applied to these our daies for wee haue seene it oftentimes chaunce in like sort vnto you euen in these daies since you beganne to take the goods of the Church into your owne handes and to paie Souldiers wages therewith For as you your selues can witnesse verie well not onelie your Shippes full fraughted with munition for warre were destroied with diuerse tempestes with thundering and lightning from heauen but also manie thousandes of souldiers afflicted with diuers calamities died most miserablie so that none or verie fewe which you sent vnto the warre came safe home againe Tell me O most renoumed Venetians how should these strange ouerthrowes these strange slaughters and destructions of men these manie calamities and miseries come but that this your warre is not onelie against man but also against God and his true worship a worde in this matter is inough Now I mind to applie my speach vnto these our times and to couclude with domesticall examexamples for we must not content our selues with the examples of auncient times if our owne bee appliable also hereunto Especiallie sith manie will saie vnto me why doe you propound vnto vs the examples of the Pagans temples and their wicked gods why doe you rehearse their reuengementes against their enimies sith by the hand of God at length they were all taken away To whome I may well answere in good time that I make mentioÌ„ of those heatheÌ„ gods to the end we might thereby vnderstand how seuere a reueÌ„ger our God eueÌ„ the God of all Gods of his iustice ought to bee vnto those which presume wickedly to take away the goods of the church and transport them vnto other vses sith that those which were falselie called gods and which indeede were no gods or rather God himselfe by them sent such cruell plagues and punishmentes for the contempt of their religion The cause why the most righteous God permitted that they which were rather deuils then gods should so grieuouslie punish men was because forasmuch as they knew they contemned the true religion and the true God Sith those idols were most wickedly contemned of them which though falselie yet the whole people tooke them to be true gods and they seemed to these men which spoiled them so wickedlie to bee true gods indeede Wherefore God himselfe brought iust punishment vpon them for this contempt of that which they faithfullie beleeued to bee God And nowe in these daies that cloud of ignorance beeing cleane remoued sith he is more barbarously contemned of vs surely he will punish vs more seuerely greeuously But nowe from whence wee digressed let vs returne vnto these of our time to tell what great death slaughter chanced to that wicked Fredericke the second for violating the libertie of the church I shall not need many words for that is plaine inough to those which read the histories For when he was made Emperor by Innocentius the third and had taken the crosse in his hande against the enemies of the Christians then euen vnto his owne vndooing deuising most vnhappily with himself how he might take away the goodes of the church now dedicated to holy vse he was not afraid to take them wickedly and to imploy them prophanely herevpon hee became so blinde in his owne opinion that hee made a sacrilegious pact with the mightie king of Aegypt the Soldan concerning the suppressing of religion religious houses and concluded that from which a christian man ought especially to abhorre But hee did not long escape the iust vengeance of God For after that he had spoiled many cities after many dissentions had with the church of Rome after that hee had deuoured many temples after many most cruel barbarous sacrileges hauing his own sonne in a ielousie that he affected his Empire he shut him vp in most filthie dungeons til he died And he feeling the great grieuous censure of the church as the righteous God had appointed he was strangled of his own sonne Manfredus most cursedly Here I will not omit the like calamities of the princes of Carraria in the like impietie for when they began once wickedly to challenge to themselues the ordering of those things which belong only to holie function by reason of the pestilent councell which they had taken very soone after they lost that famous citie Patauium most strong both by situation force which was thought almost to be inuincible Neyther fained he which wrote that saying Vnlesse the Lord keepe the citie the watchmen watch but in vaine And vnlesse the Lord of hostes doe helpe truly he laboureth but in vaine which leadeth the armie forth trusting onely to his owne wit and pollicie So also did that holy woman Iudith sing before the Lorde when she cut off the head of the insolent Holifernes with his owne sworde she did sing most excellently in this manner O Lorde thy power consisteth not in the multitude of an host neither in the strength of an horse but the praier of the humble and meeke was alwaies acceptable before thee Wherfore if you put your confidence in your strong and mightie nauie of goodly ships and do not seeke to please God with good works and more diligent deuotion in your religion ye haue good cause to feare least whilest yee haue offended him hoping for victorie yee striue in vaine when according to the heuenly saying of Dauid wee must
rather put our whole trust and confidence in the Lord these be his wordes Some trust in chariots and some in horses but in the name of the Lord our God wee shall obtaine the victorie With this force your ancestors did ouercome their enemies both by sea and land most victoriously with this kind of fight they obtained many victories and glorious conquests But yet they neuer tooke councel once to touch holy thinges the goods of religious men that they might imploy theÌ„ on warlike affaires Read your histories of auncient time reuise your old monumeÌ„ts you shal neuer find that they sought any waies to strengthen themselues with the goods of the church Lastly propound vnto your selues the late example of Philip. Maria who wheÌ„ he had good successe in al his affairs al things fel out with him aswell as he would wish at length he gaue ouer himselfe vnto such madnes that al feare laid apart he challenged church goods vnto himselfe But marke howe duely he suffered worthy punishment for being wearied with continuall warres he not only lost a great part of his dominions his enemies besieging him eueÌ„ hard vnto his walles but also he suffered dangerous grieuous diseases in his bodie so that hee being blinde lead a most sorrowfull life a long time after but what became of his Empire and by what meanes his noble family is now cleane extinguished no succession left at all it may easily appeare to euery man the thing being yet so fresh in memorie To what ende say some haue you set downe so many examples of Gentils of Pagans of ChristiaÌ„s I haue briefly gathered al these together O most noble prince you most renowned Venetians for that goodwil and dutie which I owe vnto you to your commonwelth to the end that they which are addicted to this opinion of spoiling holie things might both by auncient examples and also by their ill successe he moued to take better couÌ„cel also that euery man may know right well that there was neuer anie not onely in our time but in the times of olde found which stretched out wicked handes vnto holie things who prospered any long time after and suffered not the present punishment therof the which I pray God to turn froÌ„ you your dominioÌ„ by which exaÌ„ples least I should be too long be ye afraid O most worthy Venetians if ye persist any longer in this your purpose feare and tremble least so many daungers hanging ouer your heades yee bee compelled to suffer greater greeuouser Thinke not that God wil leaue it vnpunished in you rather than in others The wrath of God proceedeth gently vnto reuenge but hee recompenseth the slownes of his wrath with the greeuousnes of his punishment Neuer was there any excellent ruler in the coÌ„mon wealth commended for dwelling too long in the selfe same opinion but as in sailing if you cannot attaine the hauen it is the point of art to yeeld to the course of the tempest But when you can attaine the hauen hauing turned saile it is a follie and meere madnes to followe that daungerous course in which ye were before so ought wee to doe in the gouernment of the commonwelth neither ought wee alwaies to followe the same councell and aduise but that which wee are sure bringeth honest and profitable good and happie successe to the commonwelth that is to be followed to be imbraced to bee retained most constantly But if it be discerned to bee hurtfull to the commonwealth all men knowe that it is follie and rashnes to followe that with daunger which we may easily leaue with safety glorie Nowe O worthie Venetians harken vnto mee a man most desirous of your prosperous estate take better councell for the safetie of your selues and your affaires retaine ye the name of Venece most famous thoroughout the whole world in more religious manner than ye do Remoue these diuers and tempestuous calamities which are ready to fall vpon you with more wholesome means that with such councel wisdomâ— ye may foresee what most belongeth to your own 〈◊〉 faires the commonwelth whose safety cannot stand without yours FINIS Iohn 19 Hesiod Daniel 2. Pindarus Dorne Psal. 115. Esai 62. Solon ExceptioÌ„ S. Ambros lib. 2. offic cap. 28. Sozomine S. Gregorie Hessiod Psalm 8. Act. 1. Math. 19. Reg. 4. Psalm 22. Psalm 2. S. Iohn 1. Luke 9. Simonides Apocalyps Aristotle Math. 12. Leuiticus Math. 6. Peter 1. 1. Corinth 1. Math. 25. Reg. 2. Bachilides Esaie 42. Ecclesi 35. S. Bernard Math 27. Heb 15. Common Lawe Iudges 17 Patres Leuilic 〈◊〉 Ioseph Math 6. Galaâ— 4. Ambrose Math 22. Consil. Grangren Consil. Rom. Math 18 Iohn 10. Consit Aurial Consil. Spalens Consil. Paris Consil. Magunt S. Ambros. S. August Reg. 2. S. Chrisost Paulus Diac. Iustinian Theodoricus Turoneus S. Beda Prosper S. Ierom. Caluin S. Barnard Bullinger P. Martir Celsus Act. 5. Euagrius Gabaones Alaricus Bullinger Acts 10. Math. 25. Hermes Gen. 3. S. Ierom. Hebr. 12. Ephes. 6. Ephes. 6. Ephes. 4. Math. 11. Apoc. 22. Math. 7. Luke 19. Virgill Sisera Iosua 7. Iudges 5. Psal 118. Psal 121. â—sdras 3. Iohn 1. Psal 23. Psal 21. Luke 10. Esdras 3. Celsus Tim 2. 1. Corin 2. Math 3. Psalm 48 Tullie Iohn 1. Act 2. Dionys. Areop Pet. 2. Math. 19 Hemes Aristotle Lex Nat. Rom. 8. Euaristus Tritemius Eusebius Rom. 8. Zachar 13 Cor. 2. Iacob 1. Gal. 5. Rom. 7. Aristot. Plato Rome 13. Corint 1. Psal 31. Esay 40. Hermes Daniel 5. Luke 22. Dan. 6. Augusti Paule Rome Psalm 2. Psalm 26. Matheteci Prouer. 21. Cor. 1. Psal. 1. Pet. Heb. 2. Iohn 19. S. Barnard Psal. 23. Apoc. 7. Deutro 6. Rom. 12. Psalm 115. Corinth 2. Psalm 106 Math 2. Vira Luke 2. Corinthâ— 1. Esay 9. Gen. 20. Prou. 8. Reg 3. Psal. 67. Cor. 1. Psal. 36. Gen. 26. Gen. 28. Gen. 28. Act. 4. Rom. 9. Luk. 1. Exod. 36. 2 Kings 6. 2. Kings 7. 3. Kings 5. Diemon Paralip 2. Cirus Seldan Plutarch Plato Esai 1. Amos 3. Amos 3. August Luke 23. Reg. 4. Psal 57. Darius Esdras 3. Artaxerxes Paralip 2. Paralip 1. Grecians AlexaÌ„der Ianus Tully T. Liuius T. Hostilius N. Pom. Albani Proserp Temp. Pleminius Maro Caesar. Luke 7. Constantine Eusebius Helina Euseb vit Constant. Math. 6. Math. 6. Act. 17. Iohn 19. Eusebius Deut. 16. Psalm 90. Psal. 103. Gen. 17. Gen 1. 7. Eusebius Gua L. red paral 2. Exod 3. Iohn 19. Godfrie Bullin Mic Ritius Adricom Virgilius Iudge 4. psal 114. Ludouic Brunus M. Ritius L. Brunus Marh 9. Aristot. Elizab. Regina Gen. 27. Túe rose of EnglaÌ„d Psal. 36. Toby 13. Math. 3. Psal. 25. Psal. 126. S. Bernard Iob. 10. Gen. 2. Per. 2. Psalm 112 Psalm 18. Sapien. 15. Exod. 20. Reg. 4 10. Celsus of Vetona Exod. 20. Honorius Solitarius Reg. 4. Athanasius Ely Exod. 4. Reg. 1. Exod 20. S. Pet 2. Reg 1. Nabuchodonoser Ierem. 39. Daniel 4. Daniel 4. Daniel 5. Regum 3. Reg. 4. Iesabel Reg. 4. Math. 46. Actes 20. Reg. 3. Reg. 1. Gen. 3. Psal. 48. Heb. 13. Math. 10. Gen. 40. Terence Tullie Psalm 40. Math. 7. Mark 10. Regum 4. Psal. 120. Aiax Acts 12. Phil. 2 Luke 22. Acts. 2. Iohn 1. Iohn 18. Ebion Cherinthus Euseb. 3. Math. 27. Const. M. Sozom. â— Rom. 6. Acts 7. Euseb. 2 Iosep. Bel. Iu. Daniel 9. Cels. SeioÌ„ Acts 5. Arrius Nestorius Euagrius hist. 1. Maximinius Euseb. 9. Iulian. Sozom. 6. Ruffing 1. Platina Aristot. Psal. 67. Prouer. 20 S. Angust Plautus Num. 6. Iosua 6. S. August â—pist 154. S. Greg. S. August Math. 21. S. Iames Platina S. Peter Euseb. 2. S. Paul S. Iohn Euseb. 3. Hier. lin Galat. Acts 13. Luke 4. A drico Dares Phâ—y Q. Curtius Eccles. 16. Ezec 33. Luke 13. Romulus Numa Pompil â— Antonius Herodian Kings 4. S. Pet. S. Iohn Wil. Râ—f Rom. â— Ouid. Prouerb 8. Math. 23. Pal. 129. Corinth 1. Psal. 120. Deut. 33. S. Iohn 4. Act. 4. Oza Reg. 2. Reg. 4. Apoc. 22. Iud. 6. Math. 24. S. Ierome Elias Daniel Liberati Leouitius Plato Tritemius Septuaginta Beda Hebraei Isodorus Gen. 1. Iul. Câ—sar Gen. 6. Troy Tit. Liuâ— Iosephus Rom. 1. Lonicerus P. Iouius An. Dom. 1573. I. Dee T. Digges Cassiopeia Aratus Gâ—ariau Mercator Enoch Esai 64. Math. 24. Gen. 7. Gen. 19. Pet. 2. Ioel. 2. Esai 13. Exod. 14. Sapien. 3. Sapien 6. Iames 5. Math. 25. Iulius Caesar. Religio Aegyptiorum Indians Aethiopians Cambises Hercules Dionysius Ioseph the patrâ—arch The Romane Priests Augustiue Q. Fuluius Flaccus XenophoÌ„ Agesilaus Mithridates Antiochus Heliodorus Cn. Pompeius M. Crassus Themistocles Philippus Maria.