a conninge spokesman Now as for those things which by theÌ„ haue been layed against vs in part they be manifestly false condempned so by their owne iudgementes whiche spake theÌ„ partly again though thei be as false to in deede yet beare thei a certain shew and colour of truth so as the Reader if he take not good hede may easily be tripped and brought into errour by them specially when their fine and cunninge tale is added thereunto and part of them be of suche sorte as wee oughte not to shunne them as crimes or faultes but to acknowledg professe them as thinges well done and vpon very good reason For shortely to say the truth these folke falsely accuse and slaunder all oure doinges yea the same thinges whiche they themselues can not deny but to be rightly and orderly don and for malice do so misconstre and depraue al our sayinges and doinges as though it were impossible y t any thinge could be rightly spokeÌ„ or don by vs. They should more plainly sincerely haue gon to worke if thei would haue dealt truely but now they neither truelye nor sincerelye nor yet Christianly but darklye and craftely charge and batter vs with lyes and doe abuse the blindenes fondenes of the people together with the ignoraunce of Princes to cause vs to be hated and the truth to be suppressed This lo ye is the power of darkenes and of men which leane more to the amased wondering of the rude multitude and to darknes then they doe to y e truth and light and as S. Hierome saieth which doe openly gain say the truth closing vp their eyes and wil not se for the nonce But wee giue thankes to the most good mighty God y t such is our cause wher against wheÌ„ they woulde faynest they were able to vtter no dispite but the same which might aswell bee wrested againste the holye Fathers against the Prophetes against the Apostles against Peter against Paule and against Christ himselfe Nowe therefore if it be leeâ—ull for these folkes to be eloquent and fine tonged in speaking euil surely it becoÌ„meth not vs in our cause being so very good to be dumme in answering truelye For men to be carelesse what ys spoken by them and their own matter bee it neuer so falselye and slaunderouselye spoken especiallie when it is suche y t the Maiestie of God and the cause of religioÌ„ may therby be dammaged is the part doubtles of dissolute and retcheles persons of them which wickedlye winke at the iniuries don vnto the name of God For although other wroÌ„ges yea oftentimes great may be borne and dissembled of a milde ChristiaÌ„ man yet hee that goeth smothelye awaye and dissembleth the mater when he is noted of heresy Ruffinus was wont to deny that man to be a Christian. We therefore will do the same thinge which all lawes which natures owne voyce doth command to be don and whiche Christe him selfe did in like case when he was checked and reuiled to the intent we may put of from vs these mens slaunderous accusations and may defend soberly and truely our own cause and innoncencie For Christ verelye when the Pharysies charged him with sorcery as one y t had some familiar Spirites wrought many thinges by their helpe I saide he haue not the Dyuell but do â—e glorifie my Father but it is you that haue dishonored me and put me to rebuke and shame And S. Paul when Festus the LieutenauÌ„t scorned him as a mad man I saide he moste deere Festus am not madde as thou thinkest but I speake the wordes of truth and sobrenes And the auncient Christians when they wer slaundered to the people for mankillers for adulterors for committers of incest for disturbers of common weales and did perceaue that by suche slaunderous accusations y e Religion which they professed might be brought in question namely if they should seeme to hold their peace and in maÌ„ner to confesse the fault lest this might hinder the free course of the Gospell they made Orations they put vp supplications and made meanes to Emperors and Princes that they might defend them selues and theyr fellowes in open audience But we trulye seeing that so many thowsandes of our brethren in these last twenty yeares haue borne witnes vnto the truth in the middest of most painfull tormeÌ„ts that could be deuised and when Princes desirous to restraine the Gospel sought many wayes but preuayled nothinge and that now almost the whole worlde dothe begynne to open theyre eyes to behold the light we take it that our cause hath already ben sufficiently declared and defended and thinke it not needfull to make many wordes since y e very matter saith inough for yt selfe For yf the Popes woulde or els if they could weigh with their own selues the whole matter and also the beginning and procedinges of our Religion how in a maÌ„ner al their trauail hath com to nought no body driuing it forwarde and without any wordely helpe and howe on the other side our cause againste the will of Emperoures from y e beginning against the willes of so many Kynges in spite of the Popes and almoste maugre the head of all men hath taken encrease and by little and little spredde ouer into all countries and is com at length euen into Kings courtes and Palaices These same thinges me thinketh might bee tokens greate ynough to them that God him self doth strongly fight in our quarrel and doth from heauen laugh at their enterprises that the force of the truth is suche as neither mans power nor yet hell gates are able to roote it oute For they be not all mad at this day so many free Cities so manye Kynges so manye Princes which haue fallen away from the Seate of Roome and haue rather ioyned themselues to the Gospell of Christe And although the Popes had neuer hetherunto â—eaâ—our to consider diligentely and earnestly of these matters or thoughe some other cares do nowe lett them and dyuerse wayes pull them or though they couÌ„pt these to be but coÌ„mon and trieflinge studies and nothinge to appertain to the Popes worthines this maketh not why oure maâ—ter oughte to seeme y e worse Or yf they perchaunce will not see that whiche they se in deede but rather will withstande the knowen truth ought wee therefore by and by to be coumpted heretâ—kes bycause we obay not their will and pleasure Yf so be that Pope Pius were the man we say not which he would so gladly be called but iâ— he were in deede a man that eyther woulde accoumpte vs for his brethrene or at least woulde take vs to be men he woulde firste diligently haue examined our reasons and woulde haue sene what might be saied with vs what againste vs and woulde not in his Bull whereby he lately pretended a CouÌ„cel so rashely haue condeÌ„ned so great a part of the worlde so many learned and godly men so manye common wealthes so many kyngs and so
this presente through Goddes goodnes the Gospell is taught where is there more maiesties where is there lesse arrogancie and tirrannye where is the Prince more honored where be the people lesse 〈…〉 hathe there at anye time the 〈◊〉 wealthe or the Churche beene 〈◊〉 Perhappes ye will say 〈◊〉 the firste beginninge of this 〈◊〉 the common sorte euerye wheare 〈◊〉 to rage and to ryse throughout 〈◊〉 Alowe it were so yet Martin Luther the publisher and setter 〈◊〉 of this doctrine didde write 〈◊〉 behementlye and sharpely against them and reclamed them home to 〈◊〉 and obedience But whereas it is wont sometime to be obiected by personnes wantinge skil 〈◊〉 the Heluetians chaunge of 〈◊〉 and killinge of Leopoldus the duke of Austria and restoringe by force their Countrie to libertie that was donne as 〈◊〉 playtielye by all stories for 〈◊〉 hundreth and threescore yeares past or aboue vnder Boniface the â—ight when the authoritie of the Byshop of Rome was in greatest solitie about two hundreth yeres before Hulderike Zuinglius eyther beganne to teache the Gospell or yet was borne And euer senâ—e that tyme they haue hadde all thinges still and quiet not onelye from forreine ennemies but also from ciuell dissension And of it were a sinne in the Heluetians to deliuer their owne countrie from foreine gouernemente speciallye when they were so proudelye and tyrannoullye oppressed yet to burthen vs with other mennes faultes or them with the faultes of their forefathers is against all right and reasone But O immortall God and will the Bysshoppe of Rome accuse vs of treason will hee teache the people to obeye and folowe their Magistrates or hath hee anye regarde at all of the Maiestie of Princes whye doothe hee then as none of the olde Bysshoppes of Rome heretofore euer didde suffre hym selfe to bee called of his flaterers Lorde of Lordes as though hee woulde haue all 〈◊〉 and Princes whoe and what 〈…〉 they are to bee his vnderlinges 〈◊〉 doothe hee vaunte hym selfe to bee 〈◊〉 al kynges and to haue kyngelye 〈◊〉 ouer his Subiectes why 〈◊〉 he al emperors princes to swere 〈…〉 and true obedience Whye 〈…〉 that the Emperours 〈◊〉 is a thowsandfould inferiour to hym and for this reason speciallye bycause God hath made two lyghtes in the heauen and bycause heauen and 〈◊〉 were created not at two beginninges but at on Why hath he and hys compâ—tes like Anabaptistes and 〈◊〉 to thende they myght ronne on more licenciouslye and careleslye shakeÌ„ of the yoke and exempted themselues from being vnder all â—iuell power why hath he his Legates asmuche to saye as most sâ—â—tle spyes lieng in wayte in all 〈◊〉 Courtes Councells and priuey 〈◊〉 whye doth he when he lyâ—◠〈◊〉 Christian Princes one against an other and at his owne pleasure trouble the whole worlde with debate and discorde why dothe hee excommunicatâ— and commaund to be taken as a heathen and a Pagan any Christian prince that renounceth his authoritie and why promiseth he his Indulgences his pardoÌ„s largely to any that will what way soeuer it be kil any of his ennemies Doth hee maintaine Empires and kingdomes Or dothe hee once desire that common quiete should be prouided for You must pardonne vs good Reader though wee seeme to vtter these thinges more bitterlye and bitingly then it becommeth Diuines to doe For bothe the shamfulnes of the matter and the desire of rule in the Bysshoppe of Rome is so exceeding and outragious that it could not well be vttered with other words or more mildly For he is not ashamed to say in open assemblie that all iurisdiction of al kinges dothe depend vpon himselfe And to feed his ambitioÌ„ greedines of rule hath he pulled in peeces the Empire of Rome and hered and rent whole Christendom 〈◊〉 falsely and trenterouslie also did he release y e Romains y e Italians him 〈◊〉 to of the othe wherby they and hee 〈◊〉 straightly bound to bee true to the Emperour of Grecia and stirred vp the Emperours subiects to forsake him and taking Carolus Martellus out of FraÌ„ce into Italie made him Emperour such a thing as neuer was seene before He put Châ—perieus the Frenche king being no euel prince beside his realm only because he fansied him not and wrongfullie placed Pipin in his roume Againe after he had cast out king Philip if he could haue brought it so to passe he had determined apointed y e kingdom of Fraunce to Albertus king of Romaines He vtterly deâ—â—oied the state of y e most florishing cyty coÌ„moÌ„ weale of FloreÌ„ce his own natiue couÌ„trie brought it out of a free peasable state to be gouerned at y e pleasure of on maÌ„ he brought to passe by his procurement y e whole Sauoy on the one side was miserably spoyled by Themperour Charles the fifth and on the other syde by the Frenche kinge so as the vnfortunate duke had scant one Citie left him to hyde his head in Wee are cloyed with exaumples in this behalfe and it shoulde bee very tedious to recken vp all the notorious deedes of the Byshops of Rome Of which side were they I beseche you whiche poysoned Henry Themperour euen in the receauinge of the sacrament whiche poysoned Victor the Pope euen in y e receauing of y e Chalice which poysoned our king Iohn kinge of England in a drinkinge cuppe whosoeuer at least they were and of what sect soeuer I am sure they were neither Lutherians nor Zwinglians What is hee at this daye whiche alloweth the mightiest Kinges and Monarches of the worlde to kisse his blessed feete What is hee that commaundeth the Emperour to goe by him at his horse bridell and the Frenche king to holde his stirrop Who hurled vnder his table Fraunces Dandalus the duke of â—enice Kinge of Creta and Cypres fast bound with chaines to feed of bones amonge his dogges Who set the Emperiall crowne vpon the Emperour Henry the sixthys head not with his hand but with his foote and with the same foote againe cast the same crowne of sayinge withall hee had power to make Emperours and to vnmake them againe at his pleasure Who put in armes Henry the sonne against Themperour his father Henry the fourth and wrought so that the Father was taken prisoner of his owne sonne and beinge shorne and shamfullye handeled was thruste into a monasterie where with hunger sorow he diued away to death Who so ilfauoredlye and monstrouslye put the Emperour Frederikes necke vnder his feet and as though that were not sufficient added further this texte out of the Psalmes Thou shalt go vpon the Adder and corkatrice and shalt treade the Lyon and Dragon vnder thy feete Suche an example of scorninge and contemninge â— Princes maiestie as neuer before this was heard tell of in any remembruance except I weene either of Tamerlanes the kinge of Scithia a wilde and barbarous creature or els of Sapor king of
sit at home and leaue our whole cause to Gode then to iorney thither whereas wee neyther shall haue place nor bee able to dooe anye good whereas wee can obtaine no audience whereas Princes Embassadours be but used as mockyng stockes and whereas also all wee be condemned alredy before trial as though y e matter were a forhaÌ„d dispatched and agreed vpon Neuertheles we can beare pacientlye quyetely our owne priuate wronges but wherfore do they shut out Christian kynges and good Princes from their Conuocation why do they so vncourteously or with such spite leaue theÌ„ out as though they were not either Christen menne or els could not iudge will not haue them made acquaynted with the cause of Christian Religion nor vnderstand y e state of their own Churches Or yf the sayd kynges Princes happen to entermedly in suche matters and take vpon them to do that they may do that they be commaunded to doe and ought of duty to do the same thinges that we know both Dauid and Salomon and other good Princes haue don that is yf they whiles the Pope and his Prelates slugge and sleepe or els mischevouslye withstande them doe bridle the Preistes sensualitie and driue them to do their dewty and kepe them still to yt yf they do ouerthrow Idols yf they take away superstition and set vp again the true worshiping of God whye do they by and by make an out crye vpon them that suche Princes trouble all and presse by violence into an other bodyes office and do therby wickedly and malepartly What scripture hath at any time forbidden a ChristiaÌ„ Prince to be made priuey to such causes Who but themselues alone made euer any suche lawe They will saye to this I gesse Ciuell Princes haue learned to gouerne a common welth and to ordre matters of warre but they vnderstande not the secret mysteries of Religion Yf that be so what is the Pope I praye you at this day other theÌ„ a Monarche or a Prince or what â—e the Cardinals who must be no nother now a days but Princes and kyngs sonnes What els be y e Patriarches and for the most part the Archebysshops the Byshops y e Abbots what be they els at this present in y e Popes kingdome but worlikely Princes but Dukes and Earles gorgiously accompanied w t bandes of men whither soeuer they go Oftentimes also gaylye arayed wyth theynes collers of golde They haue at times to certeine ornameÌ„tes by them selfes as Crosses pillers hattes miters and Palles which pompe the auncient Bysshops Chrysostom Augustine and Ambrose neuer had Setting these thinges aside what teache they what say they what doe they how lyue they I saye not as maye become a Byshopp but as may become euen a Christian man Is it so great a mater to haue a vaine title and by chaunging a garment onely to haue the name of a Byshop Surely to haue the principall staye effecte of all maters commited wholy to these mennes hands who neyther know nor will know these thinges nor yet set a iote by any poinct of Religion saue y t which concernes their belly and Ryot to haue them alone sit as Iudges and to be set vp as ouerseers in y e watch tower being no better then blynd spyes of the other side to haue a Christian Prince of good vnderstanding and of a right iudgement to stande still like a blocke or a stake not to be suffred nother to giue his voice nor to shewe his iudgement but onely to wayt what these men shall well and commaund as one whiche had neyther eares nor eyes nor wytt nor hearte and whatsoeuer they giue in charge to alowe it without exception blindly fulfilling their commaundementes be they neuer so blasphemous and wicked yea although they commaunde him quite to destroye all Religion to crucifie again Christ him selfe This surely besides that it is proud and spitefull ys also beyond all right and reason and not to be endured of ChristiaÌ„ and wyse Princes Why I praye you may Cayphas and Annas vnderstand these matters and may not Dauid and Ezechias do the same Is it laufull for a Cardinall being a man of warre and delightius in bloud to haue place in a Councell is it not lauful for a Christian Emperour or a kynge wee truely graunt no further libertie to our Magistrates then that we know hath both ben giuen theÌ„ by the word of God and also confirmed by the exaÌ„ples of the very best gouerned coÌ„mon welthes For besids that a Christian Prince hath the charge of both Tables coÌ„mited to him by God to thende he maye vnderstande that not temporall matters only but also Religious ecclesiasticall causes pertaine to his Office Besides also that God by his Prophettes often and earnestly coÌ„maundeth the king to cut down the groues to breake downe the Images and aultres of Idoles and to write out the boke of y e law for him selfe and besides that the prophet Esaias saith a kyng ought to be a patrone and nurse of the Churche I saye besides all these thinges we se by histories and by examples of the best tunes that good Princes euer tooke thadministration of ecclesiastical matters to partain to their duety Moses a Ciuile Magistrat chief guide of the people both receiued from God deliuered to y e People al the order for religion and Sacrifices and gaue Aaron the Byshop a vehemeÌ„t and so are rebuke for making the golden calfe and for suffering the corruption of Religion Iosua also though he were no nother then a Ciuil Magistrat yet assone as he was chosen by God and set as a Ruler ouer the people he receiued coÌ„maundements specially touching Religion and the seruice of God Kynge Dauid when the whole religioÌ„ was altogethers brought out of frame by wycked kyng Saul brought home againe the Arke of God that is to say he restored ReligioÌ„ again and was not onely amongest them him selfe as a counseller and furtherer of the worke but he appoincted also hymnes and Psalmes put in order the companies and was the only doer in setting furth that whole solemne shewe and in effect ruled the preistes Kyng SalomoÌ„ builte vnto the Lord the Temple which his Father Dauid had but purposed in his minde to do after the finishing ther of he made a goodly oration to the people concerning Religion and the seruice of God he afterward displaced Abiathar the Preist and set Sadock in his place After this when the TeÌ„ple of God was in shameful wyse polluted thorough the uaughtines and negligeÌ„ce of the preists Kyng Ezechias commaunded the same to be clensed from the ruble and filthe y e preistes to light vp candelles to burne Incense and to do their diuine seruice according to the olde allowed custome The same kyng also commaunded the brasen Serpent whiche then the people wickedly worshipped to be taken down and beateÌ„ to pouder Kyng Iehosaphat ouerthrew
many Prynces only vppon his owne blynd preiudices and foredeterminations and y t without hearing of them speak or without shewing cause whye But bycause he hath alredy so noted vs openlye least by holdynge oure peace we should seme to graunt a fault and specially bycause we can by no meane haue audience in y e publik assembly of the general Councel wherein he would no creature should haue power to geue his voice or declare his opinion excepte he were sworne and straightly bounde to maintaine his aucthoritie For wee haue had good experience hereof in his last conference at the councel at Trident where the embassadours diuines of the Princes of Germany and of the free Cities were quite shutte out from their company nother can we yet forget how Iulius the third aboue ten yeares past prouided warely by his writt that none of our sorte shoulde bee suffered to speake in the Councell except there were som paraduenture y t wolde recante and chaunge his opinion For this cause chieflye we thoughte it good to yelde vp an accoumpte of oure faith in writing truely and openly to make aunswere to those things wherwith wee haue ben openly charged to thende the worlde may see the partes and foundacions of that doctrine in the behalfe whereof so many good men haue litle regarded their oune lyues And y t al men may vnderstand what manner of people they be and what opinion they haue of God and of Religion whome the Bysshop of Rome before they were called to tell theire tale hath condemned for heretikes without any good consideratioÌ„ without any exaumple vtterly without lawe or righte onelye bycause he hearde tell that they did dissente from hym and his in som pointe of Religion And although S. Hierome would haue no bodie to be patient when he is suspected of heresy yet we wil deal herein nether bitterly nor brablingly nor yet be caried away w t angre heate though he ought to be reckned neither bitter nor brabler y t speaketh y e truth We willingly leaue thys kynde of eloquence to oure aduersaries who whatsoeuer they say against vs be it neuer so shrewdly or dipitefully sayde yet thinke it is sayd modestely and comely ynough and care nothing whether it be trew or false Wee neede none of these shyftes which do maintaine the truthe Further yf wee do shewe it plaine that Gods holie Gospell the aunciente Byshops and the primatiue Churche do make on our syde and that wee haue not without iust cause left these men and rather haue retourned to the Apostles and oulde catholique Fathers And yf wee shall be founde to doe the same not coulorably or craftely but in good faith before God truly honestly cleerely and plainly and yf they theÌ„selues which â—ye our doctrine and woulde be called Catholiks shall manifestly see how al those titles of antiquitie whereof they boste so much ar quite shaken out of their haÌ„ds and that there is more pith in this oure cause then they thoughte for wee then hope and trust that none of them wil be so negligent and careles of his own saluation but he will at length studye and bethinke him selfe to whether parte hee were best to ioyne him Vndoubtedlye excepte one will altogether harden his hearte and refuse to heare he shal not repent him to geue good heede to this out defence and to mark well what wee say how truly and iustly it agreeth with Christian Religion For where they call vs Heretikes it is a crime so haynous y t onles it may be seene vnles it may be felt in maÌ„ner may be holdeÌ„ with hands and fingers it ought not lightly to be iudged or beleued when it is â—aide to the charge of any Christian man For heresy is a â—orsaking of saluatioÌ„ a renouncing of Gods grace a departing from the body and spirite of Christe But this was euer an olde and solempne propretye with them and theire forefathers yf any did complaine of their errours and faultes and desired to haue true Religion restored streighte waye to coÌ„demne such one for heretikes as men new fangled factious Christe for no nother cause was called a Samaritan but onely for y t he was thoughte to haue fallen to a certaine newe Religion and to be the Aucthor of a newe sect And Paul thapostle of CHRISTE was called before the Iudges to make aunswere to a matter of heresy and therfore hee saied Acordinge to this way whiche they call Heresye I doo worshippe the God of my Fathers beleeuinge all thinges which be written in the law and in the Prophets Shortely to speake This vniuersal Religion whiche Christen men professe at this day was called firste of the heathen people a Sect Heresy With these termes did they alwaies fil priÌ„ces eares to thintent when they had once hated vs with a foredetermined opinion and had coumpted all that wee sayed to bee faction and heresy they might be so ledd away from y e truth right vnderstaÌ„ding of the cause But the more sore and outragious a crime heresye is the more it ought to be proued by plaine and strong argumentes especially in this time wheÌ„ men begin to geue lesse credite to theyre words to make more diligent searche of theyr doctrine then they were wont to do For y e people of God ar otherwyse instructed now then they were in times past when all the Bysshopps of Romes sayenges were allowed for Gospell when all Religion did depende only vpon their aucthoritie Nowe a daies the holie scripture is abroad the writinges of the Apostles Prophets ar in printe whereby all truth and Catholyke doctrine may be proued and all heresie may be disproued and confuted Sithens then they bring furth none of these for them selues and call vs neuertheles Heretiques which haue nether fallen from Christ nor from y e Apostles nor yet from the Prophets this ys an iniurious and a very spitefull dealinge With this sword did Christe put of the Dyuel when he was tempted of him w c these weapons oughte all presumption which doth auauÌ„ce it selfe against God to be ouerthrowen and coÌ„quered For al Scripture sayeth S. Paule that commeth by the inspiration of God is profitable to teach to confute to instruct and to reproue that the man of God may be perfect and throughly framed to euery good work Thus did the holy Fathers alway fight agaynst the heretikes with none other force then with y e holy scriptures S. Augustin when he disputed against Petilian an heretike of â— Donatistes Let not these woordes quod he be heard betwene vs I say or you say let vs rather speake in this wise Thus sayeth the Lorde there let vs seeke the Church ther let vs boult out our cause Lykewise S. Hâ—erome All those things sayth he which without the testimonie of the scriptures are holden as deliuered from y e Apostles be throughly smitten down by the sword of Gods worde S. Ambrose also