was in the end excommunicated vexed with rebellions most shamefully murdred by a Dominican frier Don Caesare d'este duke of Ferrara was not I trow of our religion yet did the pope excommunicate him and most wrongfully take his state from him Lastly if religion now professed were the immediate cause and originall of any trouble like to ensue then should not the papistes haue béene the principall meanes to mooue warres and rebellions against the state nor the onely practisers against her Maiesties person and safetie as we haue found them to haue béene Wherefore if we will rightly estéeme we shall finde that as true religion is the cause of all those blessings we enioy so poperie and the faction that maintaineth it is the cause of all practises against her Maiestie and the state and of all rebellions and warres and mischiefes entended against vs. Againe as we were without danger as long as God was truely worshipped and idolatrie repressed and Iesuites and priests and their abettors diligently sought out and punished according to lawes and all concurred resolutely to maintaine true religion and the state so since Recusants began of some to finde fauour and masse-priests and Iesuites haue béene suffered to practise without punishment and idolatrie is begun to be priuily erected and some mens mindes grow colde in maintaining true religion and the present gouernment it is no maruell if some inconuenience be feared But remooue this there is no cause why any shoulde either doubt or feare For the pope hath businesse inough to maintaine his owne state no meanes to worke vs trouble but by English traitors In times past he was Stupor mundi the woonderment of the world now he is Fabula mundi that is a matter for idle priests and friers to prate of but not to be feared vnlesse wée liste The Spaniard hath more reason to feare vs and our associates of the low Countries that may be lordes of the sea if we please and may take what part of the Indies we list then we to feare him Sure if his force had béene such as is pretended neuer would he haue suffred such scorne nor descended to such dishonorable courses as he hath done Both the pope and Spaniard depend vpon the aide of English fugitiues and malcontents Draw from them this hope then haue you the end of these supposed feares and a full answere to this traitors painted tales and fables Thus you see this noddy hath neither reason nor truth in his discourse And yet that is not all the fault it hath For it is also impertinēt to the purpose For what if there were some cause of feare or doubt doth it therefore follow that we haue receiued no benefits nor blessings by her Maiesties most happie gouernment the abolishment of idolatrie and restoring of true and catholike religion If then there be no iust cause of feare and onely certaine pusillanimous companions quake at the popes thundring and Spanish bragging or else pretend to do it bicause they looke backe to the fleshpots of Egypt and glory of Babylon then are we to acknowledge Gods fauour that hath not onely giuen vs many graces by her Maiesties meanes but also meanes to maintaine them and to secure our selues And for such cowards as feare forreine enimies we are to put them into the next ranke to English traitors alreadie conspired with the enimie Hée telleth vs further That by alteration of religion in England Scotland Ireland Flanders and France haue tasted of many miseries tumults calamities and desolations Hée should haue said of many blessings and friendly fauors For kindnesses and fauours all our neighbors haue receiued from vs but those calamities and desolations that he speaketh of haue procéeded from the popes furie and malice and from his adherents persecuting quiet people for the profession of true Christian religion But let vs heare the rest of his wise tale Beside battels murders destructions of countries prouinces townes cities houses and particular men saith hée three Princes two Queenes and one King haue beene all brought to their bane by this occasion He saith further That the noble houses and linages of Hamiltons Douglasses Stuardes in Scotland of Desmondes and other peeres in Ireland haue been thereby ruinated and finally That in France and Flanders there is no end of the accompt of those that haue beene destroied by this change of religion as if we had procured all these battels murders destructions or as if wée or our religion were the occasion of the destruction of princes or kings or as if the massacres of France and those bloodie executions had béene committed by vs. What a shamelesse fellow is this to impute the cause of warres and troubles to vs that euer auoided warres as much as we could and offered force to no man nor euer stirred but as defendants for sauegard of our liues Are lambes the causes of the crueltie of wolues or were Christians the authors of the bloodie persecutions of heathen Emperors all these bigge wordes therefore are nothing else but arguments of the Noddies distracted mind and furious hatred against truth that exclameth and crieth out vpon religion and imputeth al calamities vnto it whereas in truth all the cause of this wracke and destruction both of states and priuate families proceeded wholy from want of conscience and hatred of true religion For if wee will looke backe and search the histories of our times wée shall finde that all those tragicall stirres and hurly-burlies that haue brought not onely millions of christians but also a great part of Christendome to destruction haue taken their beginning from the implacable hatred of popes and papists against Christian religion Paule the third enflamed the warres against the princes of Germanie which consumed a great part of that countrey himselfe sent thither great forces both of horse and foote fearing not a little least Charles the fift should make any composition with the Germans In the low Countries the people liued in peace and obedience to their gouernours vntill such time as the popish faction fearing the ruine of their Babylon beganne not onely to make cruell edicts and decrées against the professors of true religion but also by force of armes sought to establish both the Spanish inquisition and an absolute tyrannie a Vita de Pio. quinto Pius the fift when the kings of France and Spaine grew wery of troubles sent his messengers to negotiate with king Philip and the Cardinall of Alexandria to set forward the French king against his subiects He sent also money and soldiers to aide the king to destroy his subiects In king Henrie the eightes daies Paul the third in this Quéenes daies Pius the fift and Gregorie the thirtéenth and other popes a Sanders de Schism stirred vp diuers rebellions in England and Ireland against lawfull princes By the solicitation of the popes agents many thousands of innocent people were massacred in France contrarie to faith and promise These therefore are
ecclesiasticall gouernment he meane power to direct cōmand in externall matters and to cause euery ecclesiastical person to do his function and to sée the church euery part thereof well ordred and abuses reformed it is most apparent that such gouernment appertaineth to princes and euer did both before Christs time and after and that no pope of Rome did euer meddle with any such matters before Gregorie the seuenth or Gregorie the ninth his time as before hath béene declared and shall against stronger aduersaries then this séely Noddy bée iustified Lastly they were no heretikes that giue to the prince this authoritie but those rather that giue power to popes to depose princes and discharge their subiects from their othes of allegiance as Sigebertus Gemblacensis speaking of the trecherous dealing of Gregorie the seuenth against Henry the fourth in expresse terms affirmeth and the Synode at Brixina assembled against Gregorie the seuenth determineth And thus wée see that this Noddy contrary to his intention hath intricated himselfe and his clients the Recusants in this cause Before this many men woulde haue thought that hee and his friendes the Recusants had béene of a better mind to her Maiestie and this state But now all the worlde may sée their whole purpose and intention verified by their owne masters doctrine and authoritie They serue the prince but not with hartie affection nor in all causes nor against euerie enimie They yéeld her no authoritie in ecclesiasticall causes nay they giue it cléere away to the pope Finally they make her subiect not onely to the popes excommunication but also to his sentence concerning her crowne and kingdome So it appéereth by their owne confession that they are but sory subiects and when the pope hath once gotten a side héere apparent enimies The same doth also appéere by their rebellions and practises against her Maiestie and the state and by their infamous libels set out by the pope by Sanders Allen Ribaldineira Rishton and diuers traytors which the Recusantes either approoue or do not disallow and lastly by the generall hatred that papists beare both against true religion and also against all that maintaine it or professe it Wherefore albeit I do not wish the punishments of papists aggrauated yet I say it is great weaknesse in vs either to suffer their insolency or not to secure our selues against their hatred and tyrannie But I need not vse many words to stir vp the magistrates to vigilancie They see these things and I doubt not will take a course not still to suffer their right to bée disputed or their actions disgraced and slandered and euery true patriot I hope I will concurre with their prince and not suffer the bowels of their countrey any longer by these vipers to bée gnawed The trecherous intention of this our aduersarie I haue opened so that I hope the quieter sort of Recusantes will not much trust him his malice against true religion is euery where apparent so that I trust honest men will héereafter learne to detest him and to prouide more carefullie against him and his consorts And so I dismisse him for this turne as a false traytor you may looke to his procéedings if you please as a false teacher CHAP. VII Of the pope of Rome and his vsurped authoritie and of N. D. his seuenth encountre IN the beginning of this seuenth encountre our aduersarie swelleth verie bigge and degorgeth very great words against sir Francis charging him With immodest rayling and calumniation and saying that he hath ouerlauished to the iniurie and slander of forreine potentates and nations abroad vsed opprobrious speeches against the sacred honors of annointed princes and the greatest monarkes of Christendome A man that readeth his loftie praeludium woulde haue imagined that some great matter had béene out of ioint that made him leape into this rage But when I saw that all this furie grew vpon some wordes vttred partly against the pope of Rome that is neither lawfull prince nor potentate nor honest man but onely a greasie priest or frier if so much and partly against the Spaniard who to serue the popes pleasure without desert of ours is become our enimie then I perceiued it was nothing else but a loftie tricke of iacke an apes that for feare of the whip leaped out of his little patience To storme against vs for defending our selues against the publike enimies of religion of the state of her Maiestie of our nation hée had no reason but that hée woulde shew himselfe enimie of religion the state Quéene and countrey Certes if hée had not declared himselfe an open enimie hée woulde neuer haue pleaded for publike enimies nor béene so much offended with those that speake in defence of his prince and countrey But let vs heare what slander it is that our accuser laieth to our charge First it gréeueth him excéedingly to heare that the pope should be called The man of sinne and that Antichrist of whom the apostle 2. Thes 2 speaketh And some reason he hath in regard of his owne particular to be offended For if the pope be Antichrist then is our aduersary a marked slaue of Antichrist a false prophet and an instrument of satan But how heinously the matter is taken it is not greatly materiall that the pope is very Antichrist we make no question neither should any doubt if they would well consider his procéedings For first the name of Antichrist importeth that taking the authority and place of Christ he should notwithstanding set him selfe against Christ Secondly the office of Antichrist is to set himselfe against Christ his kingdome Thirdly he shall excell in pride and arrogancy and take to himselfe diuine honors Fourthly notwithstanding his pretence of holinesse yet shall he excell in all impiety and wickednesse Fiftly he shall haue a face of brasse and pretend vnderstanding of all doubtes of religion Sixtly he shall appeare vpon the decay of the Romayne empire Seuenthly he shall rise out of the ruines of that state 8. Hée shall cause a great apostacie from the Christian faith and in his raigne there shall bee a generall corruption of mens manners 9. Although his kingdome shall be opposite to Christes kingdome yet shall he sit in Gods church and take on him the authority of the church 10. The seate of his empire shal be in Rome 11. His kingdome is represented by the purple whoore Apocalip 17. and by Babylon Apocalip 18. 12. Antichrist his impietie shall bée hidden and mysticall 13. Hée shall most gréeuously afflicte Christ his church 14. He shall rule in mens consciences 15. He shall make merchandise of mens soules 16. Hée shall bee like a lambe and yet speake like the Dragon 17. Hée shall take to himselfe the power of the Romayne Empire 18. Hée shall bring in a newe forme of Religion 19. Hée shall bée an authour and cause of many impieties and great corruption in manners 20. Hée shall in effect denie Christ Iesus 21. Hée shall pretend
as seeke her destruction and the desolation of this countrey for our selues that professe true religion and abhorre Romish idolatry superstition and heresie With Sir Francis you haue no reason to be offended if you be as you pretend a friend to her maiestie and the countrey Hee speaketh against the Spaniard and why should he not the Spanish king without all iust cause professing himselfe our enimie He weigheth little the popes authoritie And hath he not reason the pope in his tyrannie shewing himselfe not onely to be our enimie but also the enimie of Christian religion of Christs church He toucheth also the practises and treasons of g Gifford Worthington c. priestes and h Parsons oâ— Delman Hâ—it Walpooiâ— c. Iesuites and their adherents but not without iust cause seeing they haue shewed themselues not catholikes as you terme them for catholikes neuer held either any such religion as theirs is nor sought by violence to murder lawfull Princes and ruinate their natiue countrey but dangerous traytors and most malicious i Testified by Sixtus Qâ—intus declaratorie sentence against the Queene enimies of their countrey Likewise he commendeth her Maiesties clemencie and you haue no cause to dislike the same least percase it may please God to turne her hart through your vngratefulnesse and hatefull practises from her entended course of clemencie which is not well fitting for your sharpe humors into a course of iustice which your treacherous and most wicked practises doe drawe vpon you This is his course against enimies this is his dealing with his soueraigne He neither iniustly chargeth his enimies nor doth he basely or seruilely flatter his friends and superiors But admit your aduersarie had not vsed either that moderation in his stile or sinceritie in his dealing which might passe the iust censure of seuere iudges yet no man hath lesse cause to finde fault with these courses then your selfe and your consorts For in railing and calumniation no man may compare with you It is not one only biting libell and iniurious pamphlet which you haue set out but very many and diuers I will deale plainly with you for that I am well acquainted with your stile and know your lewde packing and practising and can conuince you if you haue your steele vizor on and shame not to denie so plaine matters I say then that you Robert Parsons falsly abusing the name of Iesus to ouerthowe the truth of Iesus haue published first certaine chartels against your friends in Oxford secondly one famous or rather infamous libell against the Earle of k Leicesters coÌ„mon-wealth Leicester thirdly another single l Entitled a confutation of pretended feares libell against the late Lord Treasurer fourthly another infamous m The words by no loyall subiect may be spoken libel against her Maiestie against all her chiefe counsellers vnder the name of Andreas Philopater Neither can you excuse your selfe that n A Iesuite residing in the court of Spaine and Parsons disciple and Agent Creswell was the man that made the Latine which you cannot doe when as you either made it first in English or else gaue him all his argument Fiftly you holpe Allen in his libell against the Queene and state anno 1588. and published diuers copies Sixtly you set out Dolmans treacherous discourse to shew your selfe not onely a libeller but a notorious traitor and sworne enemie to your countrie Albeit o The discouery of a countersect conference one of your friends doth only terme it a chartell or libell This wardword shal make vp the seuenth libell and the patched relation of the conference betwixt M. Plessis and Eureux sent vs lately from Rome the eight Beside these you haue published diuers base and paltrie pamphlets not woorthie to be mentioned and these be the flowers or rather furies of your writings and the fruites of your inuectiâ—e veine Neuer did any vse more lying forging false dealing scornfull gibing odious bragging then your selfe in all your writings Your owne p The priestes banded in England against the Iesuites friends accuse you of Machiuilian and Turkish practises and well doe your writings and doings deserue these titles The like also may be verified of Sanders Rishton Ribadineira Allen that hungrie cardinall other your friends Tisiphone and the furies of hell spoke with their toongs wrote with their pennes and wrought in their malicious harts It is your selfe therefore and your treacherous consorts vpon whom all the reproofes wherewith you load your aduersarie do light fitly and lye heauily And that you shall perceiue by this discourse ensuing Wherein if I reforme your error in many things whereof before you were ignorant you are to thanke me If you fee the hostile dealings of your friends the pope and Spaniard declared and auowed and your owne and your consorts treasons and a great masse of your hidden villenies discouered take it grieuously you may thank your selfe that gaue the occasion If any Papist finde himselfe agrieued with my plainenesse let him impute the fault to you also that first began to stir these coales and to the mysteries of popish religion that contain such deepe matters of rebellion and treason and not to me that being thus prouoked haue so plainely reuealed them Because vpon small aduantages you haue made great triumphes and called your aduersary forth to answere you as it were in eight encounters vanting and facing as if you were to play your maisters prises I haue taken vpon me to ioyne with you vpon your owne ground and to try with you at your owne weapons hoping to prooue you ignorant both of state matters wherein you pretend to know such secrets and also of sound diuinitie and other learning of which your friends and your selfe make such vants For matters concerning Sir Francis Hastings his owne person I refer you to his owne answere that may sufficiently satisfie you For the rest I thought it not amisse to discourse with you more at large And because you goe about to carie away matters with faire pretenses as if you papists the popes children were the only catholikes and did professe the ancient faith of the catholike church and as if all others were heretikes and wrong beleeuers I doe also vpon your lend glosses draw you out into fiue new encounters wherein if you ward not the better it shall be prooued First that you are no catholikes nor hold the catholike faith secondly that your religion is a new deuise and not the auncient religion of Christs church Thirdly that you are heretikes Fourthly that the Romish Church is the harlot of Babylon and not the true church of Christ And lastly that your consorts haue beene executed for treason most iustly and not for religion Which being prooued I trust your selfe will confesse that wee haue iust cause to maintaine that religion that we professe and to withstand antichrist the Spaniard and all their adherents that goe about both by force and treason to
not with armes and to iustifie first our accusation against Romish religion then against the pope the Spaniard the Iesuites Cardinall Allen the recusantes and all enemies traytors and malcontentes whatsoeuer And forasmuch as vnder colour of religion our aduersary would slily defend all attemptes and practises against this state I haue with my answere vnto this Noddy conioyned a breife discourse and in certaine new encounters drawing him foorth into a new combat prooued that popish religion whereon he so much standeth as if it were catholike and the old religion of Christs church Is neither catholike nor ancient nor true religion and finally that neither the church of Rome is the true church of Christ nor the popes agents and adherents that haue beene executed for traytors true subiectes or martyrs Which treatise if it profit not obstinate papists yet shall it greatly strengthen the hands of good subiects and of all men well affected and stay others that they be not easily carried either into opinions sauoring of heresie or else tending to disloyalty and treachery I shall not neede to tell you what manner of man this N.D. is against whome we deale He declareth himselfe so plainely that I cannot more euidently prooue him either a malicious enemy or a disloyall traytor then he doth himselfe For what greater signe of an enemy then to pleade the cause of publike enemies and to enuy that any commendation should be giuen or any blessing happen to this state What more plaine conuiction of his trecherous intentions then that he extolleth the prayses of traytors and is very sory that forreine enemies and wicked rebells haue not preuailed against vs It is an old saying that eagles loue eagles and beares well sort with beares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as saith Theocritus There cannot be deuised any thing more malicious then the pope and Spaniard to the English nation neither can any speake more spitefully of his country of this state and of religion then this rinegued English and Hispaniolized fugitiue And doe wee maruell if they be friendes and ioyne together Onely this is much to be maruelled that any sober minded papist should allow such a proctor to speake for him or that this Noddy would be so presumptuous as to present his fooleries to the councell or so foolish to thinke that such notorious enemies and traytors can grace the cause of papists or procure them fauour whom his patronage maketh much more suspect then before This we may boldly conclude that whatsoeuer such enemies perswade or offer that it cannot be for the good of our state It is an old b Sophocles in Aâ—ace mastig saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The gifts of enemies tend not to our good The Greekes as is said in time past would present Minerua of Troy with a horse but in the bellie there lurked treason So this Sinon N. D. if such a Noddie may be compared to Sinon would perswade vs to receiue the horse-religion of papistes and horse-friendship of Spaniards But if he should preuaile then might we say of him as the olde man in c Plautus in Pseudolo Plautus said of Pseudolus Superauit dolum Troianum atque vicit Pseudolus But I hope I haue discouered all the trecherie of this Sinon or Pseudolus or false traitor or whatsoeuer his malice deserueth to be called It may be some will mislike that I should so roughly handle our countrie papistes and their religion But they must consider what rebellions haue beene raised arâ— what practises haue beene attempted against her Maiestie this state and all true Christians by this faction I doe not meddle with olde men that are abused with ancient errours and liue quietly but with factious papistes and such as aide them and receiue them and either haue correspondence with forreine enemies or receiue their agents Now what termes can be too bitter against these that seeke to bring in strangers to oppresse all honest men to ruinate their countrie to murder their prince and all that shall adhere to her As for the religion of papists whereby I vnderstand all those corruptions which vnder the popes authoritie they haue brought into the church of God and which the church of England refuseth it is nothing but a packe of nouelties superstitious vanities and heresies as we both haue and alwaies shall be readie to maintaine either against Parsons or the cardinall Iesuite Bellarmine or the proudest of that sect and faction This religion of poperie therefore being not that seede which Christ did sowe in his field the church but the cockle and weedes sowne and set by the malitious man while the gouernours of the church were asleepe what termes could I vse more gentle then I haue done This I may boldly say that I haue not followed the aduersaries veine in scurrilous scoffing nor his vanitie in ruffianlike bragging nor his sharpnesse in plaine rayling But why should I goe about to excuse my selfe before the faultes be prooued Percase it is no fault to write as I haue done And were it a fault yet I trust thou wilt beare with my weakenesse seeing as the d Iacob 3. apostle saith All of vs offend in many things This I speake in the presence of God that my intention was not to wrong any but onely to lay downe the truth plainly that we may knowe not onely who be friends who be traitors but also who they be that contend for religion and iustice and who not Reade with indifferencie and weigh my allegations and compare diligently my defence with the Noddies challenge and then vse thy libertie in iudgement and respect not me but the cause and the proofes CHAP. I. That God by meanes of her Maiesties gouernment hath bestowed many benefits vpon the realme of England as well in establishing true religion as otherwise and that our aduersarie in his first encounter sheweth himselfe both shamelesse in denying it and vngratefull in refusing and not acknowledging the same ALbeit the malice of papists is great in defacing her Maiesties actions and slandering her gouernment yet who so listeth to consider the same with indifferencie cannot choose but acknowledge her to bée an excellent and singular woman to bée parangoned with the famous women of ancient time if not preferred before them Osorius albeit for his religion opposite to her yet could not choose but highly commend her both for her manly constancy mature wisedome and singular modestie Quid admirabilius a In prafat ante lib. 3. de religione saith he quà m in foemina virilem constantiam in virgine senilem prudentiam in summa opum affluentia summam modestiae laudem eminere Hée praiseth also her witte her learning and her clemencie Es singulari ingenio praedita b Ibidem saith he magnarum artium disciplinis erudita laudibus mansuetudinis lenitatis quae cum istius formae venustate consentiunt excellis nec eas laudes quae ex
now in reward of his flatterie is made a cardinall flatterer doth smoothly call f Ibidem the pope The corner stone of the church accompteth him g Lib. 2. de pont c. 31. not onely A stone most precious approoued spoken of by the prophet but also as the sunne in The firmament and the head and spouse h C. solitae ext de ma. obed of the church Others aduance him aboue the moone others say he so farre i Lib. 3. summae c. 9. excelleth the emperor as the sunne in the firmament doth excell the moone Simon Begnius in the Councell of Laterane doth call Leo the tenth The Lion of the tribe of Iuda and doubteth not to name him his sauiour Ecce saith he venit Leo de tribu Iuda c. te Leo beatissime saluatorem exspectauimus Another in the Councell of Trent saith The pope was that light that came into the world abusing the words of the scripture to flatter him Papa lux saith he venit in mundum Turrecremata k Lib. 2. sammae c. 26. doth call him King of kings and prince of the church and saith He hath more perfection in him then all the residue of the body of the church To recite all their flatteries were infinite neither is it néedfull séeing these are sufficient to declare them in this kinde singular Beside termes they do fall downe before him and adore him as an idole they carie him about vpon mens shoulders and omit no kinde of seruile flatterie a In epist an t lib. de Caluino-turc Gifford calleth Philip the second king of Spaine The greatest monarke vnder the sunne to shew himselfe to be one of the grossest flatterers vnder the moone And this Noddy to shew himselfe a noble parasite vpon whom the rigour of his whole inuectiue against flatterers doth most fitly fall b P. 90. calleth the pope of Rome and king Philip the second of Spaine The greatest monarkes of Christendome of which two the first is no lawfull monarke nor prince but an vsurping tyrant and that of more malice then might The second while he liued was a seely old man neither in his dominions nor in his actions deseruing any extraordinarie praise nor being in any sort comparable to Christian princes of whom we read in stories So we sée that all this common place of flatterie as it is farre from the matter so it fitteth this Noddie and his consorts very properly Afterward drawing néerer to his purpose he c Pag. 2. telleth vs in very tragicall termes That notwithstanding her Maiesties good intentions there is none so simple that discouereth not nor so euill affected that rueth not the difficulties that growe and are growing by alteration of religion but his matters are so well handled that his aduersaries do easily discouer his notorious impudencie and his friendes do rue his simplicitie séeing him to take as granted and boldly to affirme That all men see and acknowledge the difficulties that arise out of alteration of religion when none either séeth or iustly can affirme any such matter This if he were not a stranger or rather an enimie to his countrey he might know that all honest and true harted subiects and not onely true Christians do holde and willingly acknowledge that the reformation of religion wrought by her Maiesties meanes is the principall fountaine from whence diuers blessings haue issued and flowed out to the great benefite of many Neither doth any amplâ—â—ie these pretended difficulties and dangers and holde our case ruthfull but such rinegued English and traiterous priests and fugitiues as himselfe and his consorts are who repine and grudge at nothing more then our well dooing and prosperitie and whose traiterous practises they being combined with forreine enimies of the state are the onely cause from whence either any suspicion or feare can procéed Beside this if anie calamitie did procéed from this alteration of religion then should her Maiestie deserue most blame by whose authoritie the same was wrought and procured and so should this parasite that would so willingly insinuate himselfe into her fauor spill all fauour by imputing to her all our pretended feares and calamities To cléere himselfe he saith That this alteration did not proceed from her owne inclination at the first But while he would séeme to excuse her he doth gréeuously accuse her as if shée had done contrarie to her owne inclination and had by chance as it were and without any knowledge or firme resolution entred this course He doth also depriue her of the most principall part of all her glorie which rose especially vpon her zeale in reforming religion Further he telleth a most shamelesse vntruth for who knoweth not that this reformation of religion did wholy proceede from her owne most earnest zeale did not shée her selfe when any difficulties were surmised vpon this alteration neglect them all was shée not alwaies taken for a professor of Gods truth was not this the onely cause of Winchesters and all the papists hatred and practises against her finally where he would gladly yéeld her Maiestie some praise for her good inclination he doth like a noddie dispraise her and charge her to haue wrought that Which all true affected men may rue But to passe ouer his follie and vndutifull behauiour towards his prince to whom he oweth all honor and reuerence yéeldeth none that which he talketh of our estate which he imagineth to be miserable ruthfull deserueth more consideration For gladly would he worke a dislike of the present gouernment in mens mindes and principally he desireth men shoulde beléeue that all supposed dangers procéed from the alteration of religion at her Maiesties first comming to the crowne But for the first the state of things themselues will answere Lawes are ordinarily executed no man is wronged either in his person or his lands or his goods but he may haue remedie Religion is truely preached professed and if any complaine it is bicause such malcontentes as mislike oppugne the gouernment are too much fauoured Against forraine enimies we want neither meanes nor courage to resist And if nothing would mooue vs to like the state present yet the malice of traitors and enuie which they beare against it may perswade vs that it is well founded and setled For if it were otherwise they woulde then as much reioice as now they sorrow For the second we say that howsoeuer we stand true religion is neither the cause of trouble nor of danger For if that were so then were all princes and states that professe religion in the same case Againe then should all that enioy popish religion enioy peace also prosperitie which experience teacheth vs to be most vntrue For the Portugals albeit extraordinarily popish yet are oppressed by the tyrannie of the Spaniards and the popish prouinces of the low Countries liue in great slauerie The French king Henrie the third notwithstanding his deuotion to the pope
a hundred thousand were slaine in one yeere in the rebellion of the countreymen against the lords about religion But the more hée toucheth these matters the more shame hee shall bring vpon himselfe and the synagogue of Rome For not any of our communion but the cruell popes of Rome and their agentes haue caused these tragedies They stirred vp the French King Spaniard to make wars vpon their quiet subiects that desired nothing but peace Nay when a solemne peace was concluded they made that a trappe to catch a number of noble men and others to murder them True christians haue still suffered and yet this sauage companion imputeth vnto them the tragicall murders committed by papistes In Scotland the people neuer stirred before their liues were sought the insurrection of the rusticall people in Germany was for a Sleidan gréeuances offered them by their Lords and not properly for religion They were not of our religion but rose against lords as well of our religion as papists and by our side were both by word and force suppressed But the warres in Bohemia and Germanie and Swizzerland were indéede raised by the popes and their agents and all the worlde séeth that all their studie is to raise warres and tumults to trouble all Christendome And yet Christian princes will not sée neither will Christian people beware of such vnchristian courses As for the people of England they are to shewe themselues thankfull not onely for the restoring of true religion but also for the fruite that hath thereof ensued in all true religious Christians After his talke of spirituall blessings hée passeth to speake of temporall benefits and saith that If her Maiestie as she entred by generall consent and was promoted by the forces of papists especially and shewed herselfe in all points of religion and behauiour a papist and was crowned at a masse so had continued then had shee and her realme beene most happy and first shoulde haue had a most florishing kingdome vnited both to her and among themselues in religion iudgement affection fidelitie and friendship But his tale consisteth of diuers foule leasinges and his coniecture is vaine and improbable For albeit shée entred with consent of all good men yet it gréeued the papists excéedingly insomuch that shée could not get any one popish prelate to execute the ceremonie of consecration but onely one and hée one of the meanest The rest like traitors refused Secondly it is false that shée was promoted by force of papists For what néeded force if all were willing shée shoulde bée crowned and if the papists were vnwilling it is not likely they would vse force vnlesse it was to force their owne wils Thirdly it is most false that shée shewed herselfe in all points of religion and behauiour both in her sisters daies and at her coronation a papist For if shée had so done why should the popish prelats feare any alteration seeing shée gaue no signe of any as this babling companion prateth And why should they refuse to sacre her if shée ment to obserue all popish ceremonies vnlesse they doubted of her title Lastly it is most false that shée was crowned at a masse For shée declared plainly shee woulde no masse which was a great occasion why the popish bishops refused to consecrate her But were this true yet his coniecture of happinesse that would haue ensued of continuance of the masse is most vaine and foolish For albeit the French kinges Francis the second Charles the ninth and Henry the third continued the masse and all popish ceremonies yet neither did the kingdome of France flourish in their times nor were their subiectes eyther vnited to their princes or at vnity among themselues Likewise they of the Low countries haue long continued in great troubles and dissensions and béene forced to defend their liues and liberties against the violence both of the king of Spaine himselfe and of his agentes albeit the king alwaies séemed a sworne seruant and vassall of the pope of Rome and a firme papist The Portugals also neither greatly affect the Spanish king nor do well sort with the Castilians or those that fauor them and haue now lost their ancient glorie and libertie albeit their princes haue still continued vassals to the pope Why then notwithstanding the continuance of popish religion might not dissension as well haue hapned in England betwixt the prince and people and among the people themselues do we thinke that our nation could still haue endured the vnsatiable crueltie of popish prelates or is it likely that a frée people could haue endured the slauish yoke of the pope of Rome But bée it that our countrey-men could haue swallowed all yet must wée vnderstand that the pope of Rome woulde neuer haue suffred her Maiestie to reigne whom both Clement the seuenth had declared illegitimate a Sanders de schism Paul the third pronounced vncapable of the crowne This coniecture therefore of a flourishing kingdom in case poperie had continued is nothing but a vaine flourish of a foolish discourser And so much the rather may we thinke so because no kingdome can florish without true religion nor can they long agrée among themselues that haue no attonement with God nor consent in true faith Secondly he imagineth that great securitie woulde haue ensued of the cōtinuance of popish religion For saith he Then none of these feares and terrors of inuasions conquests treasons and conspiracies had euer come in consideration But hée much mistaketh the knights meaning if he do suppose that hée either feareth the force of forreine enimies or the secret practises of traitors For hée feareth them not but exhorteth his countrymen to prepare themselues to repulse the forreine enimie that is so busie and to watch that they bee not intrapped by secret practises of pretended friends True it is that the rinegued and Hispaniolized English do by all meanes séeke to draw forreine enimies into the countrey and to practise mischiefe at home but hée is very blinde that séeth not that we are as well able to resist such attempts as euer our ancestors were and he is a bastardly and dastardly Englishman that feareth to encounter the Spaniard in so good a cause or is afraid of the Spanish brags In the meane while it is woorth the marking that this Noddy doth signify that either by force or practise the papists meane to haue their will And yet some men there bée that will not sée their malice and thinke it needlesse to take any course to resist and encounter their practises But suppose poperie had héere continued how coulde this Noddy haue giuen vs warrant that we shoulde haue béene neither oppugned by enimies abroad nor by traitors at home was not Henrie the third of France excommunicated by the pope oppugned by his subiects murdred by a Dominican frier notwithstanding his zeale in poperie and all his seruice done to the pope Did not the Spaniard inuade Portugall albeit the
people were all of one religion Nay he that casteth away gods true seruice can neither be secured abroad nor at home Nor may we thinke that the pope woulde haue liked her Maiestie with any condition vnlesse shée woulde haue receiued her crowne from him which is a matter most dishonorable to imagine and abominable to vtter a P. 8. Thirdly he telleth vs that if her Maiestie had embraced poperie Shee had been by all likelyhood maried mother of many faire and prince like children As though if shée had pleased shée might not as well haue maried continuing in true religion as in any other religion or as if none coulde haue faire and princely children but women of their faction He imagineth that difference of religion hath hindred her mariage but if he were as well acquainted with matters of state as he doth pretend he might haue knowne that diuers great princes of a diuers religion haue sought her yea that the great monarke whom he so highly extolleth would gladly haue matched with her and promised to procure a dispensation to that purpose Neither was religion any hinderance to the mariage of the present French kings sister But suppose no papisticall prince woulde haue maried with her yet might shee haue matched with kings and princes of true catholike religion if so shée had thought conuenient Againe suppose shee had maried was not Quéene Marie also maried yet was shee not mother of many faire and princely children And the thrée last French kings died al not onely without faire children but also without issue This is then a méere toie and vaine fancie to talke of children before mariage séeing God doth often denie this blessing to diuers maried folkes and often taketh awaie children that are otherwise likely to liue Fourthly he supposeth if her Maiestie had bene pleased to haue vpholden the masse and to continue popish religion and married that then the succession of the crowne should haue beene established in her issue But he should haue remembred that God saith by his b 1. Sam. 2. prophet that he will honor them that honour him and despise them that despise him As for idolaters and maintainers of strange religions they shall not prosper Beside this who knoweth not that the fruite of the womb is the blessing of the Lord and that god doth often dispose of kingdomes according to his diuine will and pleasure Finally the pope that taketh on him to be Christes vicegerent would haue had a great stroke in this matter especially if shée had acknowledged his vsurped authoritie Neither is it likely he would haue allowed her and her issue whom diuers of his ancesters by their definitiue sentences had both shamefullie dishonoured and iniuriously disabled And to bring so great a prince to submit her selfe to so base a slaue and of him to receiue her right to the crowne were a matter dishonorable to her Maiestie and intollerable to the state and a frierlike fancy not to be imagined of any but of Parsons the Iesuite and such like trayterous rinegued fugitiues But let vs suppose that her Maiestie should leaue no issue behind her is she the first that hath béene in that case and is there no remedy eyther by lawes already prouided or by wise men to be deuised but that we must needes fall by the eares together about this matter This is the supposition of the noddy our aduersarie and this garboyle percase he desireth to gratifie the Infanta and the Spaniard whose slaue hée is but our trust is in God and in the resolution of honest men that I hope will prouide for the safetie of the state and looke to preuent the malice of those that are so desirous of our trouble Fiftly hée telleth vs of the popes excommunication denounced against her Maiestie and maketh a great matter of it And saith That if religion had not beene changed we shoulde haue had no breach with Rome nor needed to haue feared this terrible thunderbolt of excommunication But what more absurd then to obiect the breach with Rome and the popes excōmunication when we estéeme that to be one of the greatest blessings that euer hapned to this lande being thereby fréed from the slauerie of Antichrist and the darknesse of Egypt and do no more feare the popes thunderbolt of excommunication then a flash of light out of a lantern Wee know what the pope is and how little power he hath to excommunicate any Christian being himselfe excommunicate and vnwoorthy the name of a bishop But to let passe all this which the Noddie our aduersarie passeth by and shall neuer prooue I say that princes that continue in popish religion haue notwithstanding felt the sharpenesse or bluntnesse of the popes boltes I would say buls and continued long in the popes displeasure The ancient Germaine emperors Henry the fourth and fift the two Fridericks diuers other that succéeded them knew no religion but that which the pope taught which no doubt was a goodly religion yet hée thundred out his excommunications against them persecuted diuers of them to the death yea and after death Betwixt Lewis the 12. of France which for his bountie was called The father of his countrey and Iulius the second there hapned a great breach and out came excommunications against him and against his followers albeit about matters of religion there was no different betwixt them No man was more superstitious in popish religion then Henrie the third of France yet was he slaine by a Dominican and excommunicated by the pope The same may be confirmed by the late excommunication of D. Caesare da Este duke of Ferrara and infinite examples Suppose then the Quéenes Maistie coulde haue liked of the sect of Antichrist and his abominable religion yet woulde he haue disliked and looked to haue had some finger in disposing of the crowne so that all these supposals rest vpon weake groundes which by no reason can well stand Sixtly hée saith That if this breach with Rome had not hapned then England had continued in her old ancient amitie with Spaine and Burgundie As if it were not more hurtfull to the Spaniard to breake with vs then for vs to breake with the Spaniard Surely if her Maiestie woulde haue taken her aduantage either in the Low Countries or in the Indies and if the pensioners of Spaine had not béene more happie in breaking all enterprises against king Philip then men of seruice incouraged to attempt them hée shoulde well haue perceiued this to bée true long ere this And therefore among diuers instructions which the emperour Charles the fift left his sonne this was one principall That by no meanes hee should breake with England But admit this were a matter dangerous to fall out with Spaine howe coulde wée haue auoided it by continuing in popish religion séeing the Portugals that are perfect papists coulde not by any mediation kéepe their countrey from his vsurpation and tyrannie Naie pope Paulus the fourth
and therefore most woorthie to bée abolished and anathematized It is false also That the pope was by vs made a matter of scorne or that this proposition viz. That the pope is antichrist and such like are matters ridiculous For such propositions we take to be most true and dare alwaies maintaine them against more valiant disputers then this Noddy euer will be And therefore we do not thinke the pope a man to bée scorned but a tyrant to bée seriously shunned and abhorred of all christians Let this then make the eight lie This is also a lie most palpable and grosse That other princes fearing harme that might ensue of the alteration of religion in England complained heereof to the pope and that hee proceeded against the Queene vpon their complaints and instance Let him if hée can shew these pretended complaints If hée cannot shewe them let him at the least prooue them by some witnesse or record If not then do I not doubt but hée will prooue himselfe a vaine iangler Which appéereth also by this that Sanders a Lib. 3. de schism saith The pope proceeded at the instance of English prelates that referred the matter to him Beside that the pope is not so dull in working mischiefe that hée néedeth the solicitation of others to stirre him Nay it is cléere that pope Pius b Vita di Pio quinto stirred vp both Philip of Spaine and the French men against vs. And the like industrie did Paul the third vse in stirring vp warres and rebellions against Henrie the eight king of England and drawing troubles vpon the princes of Germanie No man therefore hencefoorth can iustly doubt but that all those practises which haue béene lately made against her Maiestie haue procéeded principally from the popes malice and rancor against true religion and the professors thereof and next from the malcontentment and trecherie of papists and their agents These are the two fountaines from whence all our warres rebellions treasons attempts to murder and poison princes and other great persons and other such like vilanous practises against the state haue flowed Now least any scruple might remaine in mens mindes hée endeuoureth to shewe how farre the excommunication of Pius quintus toucheth the papists in England and saith that They are not to discusse the question betwixt the Queene and the pope but to loue the one and the other But this resolutiō is so vnsufficient that it doth rather encrease then diminish our doubt For how can any good subiect loue him that seeketh the destruction of his prince How can a man serue not two masters but two masters so contrarie and adhere to a religious Quéene if hée bée a vassall to antichrist Beside this séeing papists make the pope the souereigne iudge of these matters what a ridiculous conceit is it to thinke that a papist can iudge otherwise then the pope iudgeth or sentenceth His reasons also are such as can satisfie none of any meane vnderstanding First saith hée This excommunication is an act of iurisdiction betwixt two superiors As if it were not méere foolerie to say that iurisdiction can bée exercised betwixt superiors or betwéene equals And if papists grant that the pope is superior to the Quéene then must they adhere to him and forsake her Which no doubt they will do and must doe if order bée not taken with them Besides wée deny that this excommunication is an act of iurisdiction or iustice Nay the worlde séeth it is a méere act of vilany and presumptuous tyrannie for a ribald like companion and a lousie frier to attempt to depose a prince and a most notorious foolerie to imagine that the popes of Rome who haue no right in that which they iniuriously possesse haue power to take away the right which belongeth to others Secondly hée saith That vpon the popes excommunication against a prince the subiects consent was neuer asked nor admitted Why then doth the pope excommunicate all those that after his excommunication adhere to her Maiestie Are not his a In bulla Pij ◠aduers Eliz. wordes plaine Howbeit I confesse that if rightly we will estéeme of matters the popes excommunication is no excommunication he being an vsurper and no iudge in this case And therefore all true subiects are to account of his excommunication as of a denuntiation of his malice and an argument of his shamefull dealing against Christian princes contrarie to all precedents of antiquitie and to estéeme them all not onely slaues of Antichrist but enimies of the estate that shall not plainly condemne it as wicked and vnlawfull But if the excommunication shoulde bée lawfull yet are Christians to know it and allow it for that it bindeth not before it bée published and allowed Thirdly he saith It is no new thing for popes to excommunicate princes And that the subiect is not to be troubled for his old receiued beleefe about the popes authoritie But hée is much deceiued in things new or old In faith and beléefe all is new that is not taught by Christ and his apostles Wherefore vnlesse hée can shewe this authoritie to be giuen from Christ hée must néedes confesse the Romish faith therein to be new Nay hée cannot shew that the popes either claimed or practised any such power as to excommunicate and depose princes before Gregory the seuenth that was therefore rightly called Hell-brand or the firebrand of the diuell to set discord betwixt Christian princes to the weakening and vtter ouerthrow of Christendome and enlarging of the Turkish empire Otho Frisingensis and Trithemius and hée that wrote the life of Henry the fourth emperour do all testifie that hee was the first that attempted to excommunicate princes and that at the first his excommunications were little regarded Fourthly hée telleth vs that The subiect is not to discusse whether the pope had iust cause to excommunicate the prince which altogither ouerthroweth his clients the papists cause declareth them to be vtter enimies to the prince excommunicate For if they may not discusse the popes procéeding but to beléeue that in his iudicial sentences hée cannot erre especially in matters of faith then must they of force beléeue that the pope hath done well to excommunicate their Queene and must aide him to execute it without further enquirie which teacheth vs without further enquirie also that all papists that allow the popes authoritie in excommunicating the Quéene are enimies if they bée forreiners and traitors if they be subiects Lastly he referreth his clients the papists of England to consider what the papists of France did of late when their kings were excommunicate and to English that liued in king Iohns time Which plainly argueth that though hée woulde haue them looke smoothly for the time yet when occasion serueth hée closely signifieth that they ought to rebell against their princes For so did they of the league in France and so did the subiects héere in England against king Iohn And generally all papists are bound
to beléeue that the popes excommunications are to bée executed and this is their common doctrine But suppose our aduersarie shoulde teach papists to contemne the popes authoritie which hée is not like to do yet would not his exhortation worke any effect For alwaies vpon the popes excommunication haue wars and rebellions ensued where the pope hath had any authoritie This was the beginning and motiue of the bloody warres of the popes against Henry the fourth and fift and the two Fridericks and against Otho Philip and Lewis of Bauier emperours of Germanie And no other cause can be assigned of the insurrections against king Henry the eight other excommunicate princes In vaine therfore doth this Noddy go about to reconcile the subiects obedience with the excoÌ„munications of the pope They neuer did nor euer coulde agrée hitherto Fire and water may percase bée reconciled but these two cannot Neither do I thinke that hée meaneth to reconcile them Onely hée desireth some respite vntill by our negligence either the papists may get a head or forreine enimies haue made their prouisions ready For how little affection hée beareth to the prince and state it appéereth throughout all his defence In this place hée goeth about to smooth and as farre as hée dare with the safetie of the cause in hand to defende the insurrection in the north of England anno 1569. the rebellions in Ireland the practises of Charles Paget and Francis Throgmorton and diuers other attempts against her Maiestie and the state Whereas the earles of Northumberland and Westmerland rose in armes in the north and spoiled all that quarter and purposed not onely the destruction of the prince but also the subuersion of the state and the bringing in of strangers as appéereth by the negotiation of Ridolpho as it is set downe in pope Pius the fift his life hée saith They onely gathered â—heir tenants togither and without battaile or bloudshed retired As if they had ment nothing but to méete at an ale-stake or May-game Doctor Sanders raised a rebellion in Ireland Francis Throgmorton not onely reuealed the secrets of the state to Bernardin Mendoça and practised with him how to draw in forreine enimies but also had his finger in other treasons Charles Paget began a practise about the coast of Sussex was the ouerthrow of Henry earle of Northumberland and afterward continued practising what mischéefe he could against his countrey The late earle of Northumberlandes actions were openly declared in the Starre-chamber to be dangerous The last earle of Arundell was taken as hée was passing ouer to the enimies And yet all these treasonable and dangerous practises are by him either lightly passed or else coloured Hée saith that Francis Throgmorton died for hauing a description of some portes in his chamber But his owne confession testifieth that hée was touched for far greater matters and I haue partly pointed at the same Hée saith The earle of Arundell was condemned onely for hearing of a masse and that he had cause to reioice that he was condemned for such a treason As if it were so spirituall and glorious a matter to heare a masse Assuredly in times past masses were no such glorious matters when they were solde to all commers for thrée-halfe-pence a péece and vnder As for the earle hée had great cause to commend the clemencie of this gouernment or else hée had well vnderstoode that hee had committed greater faultes then hearing of a masse all which I forbeare to relate for the respect I beare to his house The iustice that hath béene doone vpon papists that haue béene conuicted eyther of rebellion or secrete practises with forraine enemies or other kindes of treason and felony he calleth Pressures vexations dishonors rapines slaughters and afflictions Dishonoring her Maiestie and the state and calumniating the iudges And yet were more true catholickes and religious christians executed within one yéere in Queene Maries time then trayterous papists since her Maiestie came to the crowne a Histor Genuens lib. 23. Bizarus and other strangers do greatly commend her Maiesties clemency her very enemies could neuer appeach her of cruelty The papists most cruelly murder those that are of a diuers religion albeit they yéelde obedience to their prince and desire to liue quietly Her Maiestie executeth none to death for popish religion nay least she should séeme to touch any for religion she doth oftentimes spare offendors guiltie of dangerous practises and treasons Likewise in drawing the obstinate to the church there is great moderation vsed Many offend few are punished and that very gently The papistes haue the greatest part of the wealth of the land in their handes Diuers rayling companions are still publishing libels to the dishonor of her Maiestie and the whole gouernment neither can this Noddy represse his malitious affection but he must néedes allow their dooings And yet the papistes are spared although neuer the more for his wise pleading Finally he commendeth the papistes for their patience But I thinke he meaneth the patience rather of Lombardes then of christians For they neuer had yet patience but when they were vnable to resist In king Henry the eightes dayes they made diuers insurrections in England The trumpets of sedition were monkes and friers In king Edward the sixt his daies they stirred in Deuonshire and Cornewall and all for want of their masse and holywater and such like trinckets The chéefe moouers thereof were likewise priests in Quéene Elizabeths time they made head first in the north parts and afterward in Ireland by the seditious practises of priestes and Iesuites either most or a great part of that country is in combustion Neither haue they omitted any opportunity to mooue new rebellions in England In Fraunce they conspired together against their lawfull kings Henry the third and fourth and neuer gaue ouer vntill they were ouercome by famine sword and other calamities and this is the patience of papists nay they say that if the first christians had had power they would haue deposed Nero Dioclesian and other persecutors a Lib. 5. de pontif Rom. c. 7. Quod si Christiani olim saith Bellarm. non deposuerunt Neronem Dioclesianum Iulianum apostatam ac Valentem Arianum similes id fuit quia decrant vires temporales Christianis So when papistes are too weake to resist then they are content to obey but giue them head and then beware Compare now the dooings and procéedings of our side with our aduersaries I hope there shal be no such wickednes found in our hands Diligently doth this fellow search matter against vs but findeth none To iustifie his consorts he telleth vs of Goodman but we do not allow his priuate opinion Beside that he doth not like rebellion but misliketh womens gouernment which opinion since himselfe hath retracted Secondly he obiecteth against vs Wyats rebellion But that was not for religion but for matter of state not against Quéene Marie but against strangers whose tyrannie hée
for that they peruert scriptures and corrupt the fathers and other auncient writers both adding and taking away and altering the text Which power Gregory the thirtéenth in a bull bearing date Anno 1575. séemeth to haue giuen vnto them That this diuision containeth diuers vntruthes it will appeare by these arguments Where he saith They are hated for their rule which notwithstanding is the same in substance with other religions and a way to perfection there are thrée apparent vntruthes First true Christians rather abhorre them for their vnruliâ—es then for their rule and other sectes albeit they loue their rule yet hate the men for their leud conditions and their friendes in regard of their rule that agréeth so well with the popes humor do loue them Secondly this rule is diuers from Christes rule which is the onely true and direct rule of religion It varieth also in infinite pointes from the rules both of monkes and begging friers Neither canne this be denyed For if it were the same yea euen in substance what should we néede this new rule hauing Christes rule Beside what meane the Iesuites to adde a fourth vowe and so many strange constitutions and lawes If the profession of Iesuites be the same that the ancient eremites or monkes professed why do they tie themselues with such othes and practise in matters of state and thrust themselues into the prease of people which the first monkes did not Thirdly it is most absurd to affirme or thinke that Ignatius Loyola could deuise a more perfect rule then Christ Iesus or that Christ deuised not a perfect rule but that we should néede Ignatius a lame soldiers and blind guides helpe The Iesuites therefore are hated not so much for their rule as for other iust causes And no more doth the commendation of ancient monkes belong to them then the prases of the ancient people of Israell to the obstinate Iewes that crucified Christ or of the old Romaynes to the scumme of the world that doth now inhabite Rome It is also most vntrue that they are hated for their learning for not their learning but the abuse of their learning which is wholy employed to maintaine heresies doth make honest men to suspect them and abhorre them Would they teach the catholicke faith as this man pretendeth they do they should be beloued and embraced But he must know that their doctrine of the popes power and supremacy of the sacraments of the Romish church of purgatorie and infinite other points is not catholike Much therefore is hée deceiued that thinketh wée account the name of a Iesuite to bée a crime for both master Topcliffe whom hée bringeth in to witnesse this point and many others can tell that their treasons practises and lewdnesse haue made them odious and not the name of Iesuites onely Lastly the defence of this discourser is very vnsufficient For it is not inough to say that they haue a rule and learning and liue orderly but they must haue their office and calling allowed by Christ Iesus if they meane to take vpon them the office of pastors teachers and gouernors in Christes church Wherefore eyther let them shew themselues to haue a lawfull calling or let them not thinke much to be thrust out as intruders We do not finde either in the epistle to the Epâ—esians chap. 4. or the first Epist to the Corinthians chap. 12. any such extrauagant friers Neither in ancient writers is any precedent of their Loyolian profession to be found Nay we do not read that Christ commaunded any to forsweare mariage or to giue away their goods to idle vagabondes or to obey the rules of Ignatius but rather the contrarie Further it is not sufficient in termes to praise the doctrine and manners of Iesuites vnlesse this discourser were able to iustifie the same by the rule of Christes doctrine and example of Christ and his apostles and the holy fathers of the church But that will be very hard for him to do Christ neuer taught that princes were to bee deposed by the apostles or their successors or that it was lawfull to kill excommunicate persons These teach that it is lawfull for the pope to depose princes and that it is lawfull for the subiects to rebell against such as the pope shall excommunicate and to kill them Benedict Palmio a Parries voluntary confession and Annibal Codret two famous Iesuites did not onely teach William Parry that it was lawfull to kill the Quéene of England but also that it was an act very meritorious Varade a Iesuite of Lion in confession did absolue Peter Barriere that went about to murder the French king now reigning and did assure him that it was a most noble and Christian act for which he shoulde obteine celestiall glorie as the saide Peter being executed at Melun for the saide attempt confessed who likewise affirmed that another Iesuite whose name he knew not did concurre with Varade in the same opinion In Paris the Iesuites not onely resolued that it was lawfull to kill king Henry the third but also by their perswasions did induce Iames Clement to effect the same Richard Williams Edmund Yorke Patricke Ocollen Iohn Sauage and diuers others that haue béene at seuerall times executed for attempting to kill the Queene confessed that they were perswaded to it by Holt and other Iesuites and were also made beléeue that it was a most meritorious act Lately one Edmund Squire confessed that hée was induced to empoison the Quéene by Walpoole an English Iesuite in Spaine Peter Panne confessed before his execution at Leiden that hée was hired to kill the Count Morice the terror of the papists and a great protector of the oppressed in the Low countries Neither is it to bee doubted but that this is the common resolution and iudgement of all Iesuites For if it be lawfull for subiects to rebell against their princes vpon the popes warrant and commandement as they holde then is it also lawfull to kill them and murder them For armes are not taken vp for other end then to force and kill all that resist Secondly it is not likely that so many woulde concurre in this perswasion if they did not like it Thirdly they woulde not teach it openly as did Comolet in the last siege of Paris saying That there wanted an Ahud meaning there wanted one to kill the king Fourthly they woulde not otherwise in their colledges dispute resolue that it was lawfull to kill princes excoÌ„municate by the pope And this is prooued first by the confession of one Chastel a scholler of the Iesuites that wounded Henry the 4. of France purposed to haue killed him And secondly by the writings of one Ghineard a Iesuit of the colledge of Clermont in Paris a In the register of the court of Parliam of Paris Chastell being demanded Whether this question viz. whether it was not lawfull to kill the king was not ordinarily talked of and disputed among Iesuites answered that hee hath oftentimes
scorneth al husbandry and honest trauaile So strange is their doctrine that they woulde alter not onely Christes religion but also rules of state and houshold Where sir Francis telleth vs That he knoweth by experience what hurt womens perswasions haue done in hardening their husbands harts in matters of religion and saith That the night crowes perswasion preuaileth much Hée gibeth at the terme of Night crowes and chargeth the knight with Playing the part either of Iudas to betray Recusants or of Pilate to condemne them or afflict them But first there is great oddes betwixt the recusants that haue nothing either of Christ or of good christians but the bare name Christ Iesus our sauior Hée refused not to come into the temple though abused nor sought to betray his nation into the hands of high priests and forreine enimies These refuse to come to Gods church and are the high priests of Romes seruants and many of them haue too great affection to forreine enimies Secondlie euill do our Iustices deserue these reprochfull termes of Iudas and Pilate for dealing against euill affected subiects a Iustices and other her Maiesties officers stirred vp to do their duties against priestes and recusants by the reproches of the aduersarie and woorse affected Christians and may learne to execute the lawes more exactly séeing for their remissenesse they are called carpet knights and for dooing nothing railed at as if they were as euill as Iudas or Pilate In the meane while wée giue this Noddy to vnderstand that his consorts may much better bée termed Pilates that murder Christ in his members and condemne infinite innocent Christians and therefore in the end they are to looke for the end of Pilate The Recusants likewise may rightly bée resembled to Iudas that woulde so willingly betraie their masters brethren and their owne friendes and countrimen And it is no new thing for sacrificing priests that continually betray kill or immolate Christ as they say to be called Iudasses b 4. Brig 133. onus eccles c. 23. Bridget saith they are woorse then Iudas Corpus meum saith Christ in Brigits prophesies speaking of priests amarius crucifigunt quam Iudaei And againe Maledicti sacerdotes ad me simulatoriè accedunt quafi proditores Thirdly most true it is that simple men are often misledde by the subtile perswasions of péeuish women And therefore may they wel be resembled to black night crowes that are still croking in their husbands eares and entising them both to opinions and workes of darknesse Beside this these nightcrowes are too familiar oftentimes with night walking priests Iesuites that teach them new fashions of shrift and draw them into euill opinions and dangerous practises In Venice they encroched so farre vpon the womens fauour that their husbands forbad them to come any more néere the Iesuites Like fauour haue the Iesuites obtained at the handes of the goodwiues of Milan By meanes of the wiues of Friburge the Iesuites attempted to set dissension betwixt the Cantons of Suizzerland We may not therefore thinke it strange if trecherous priestes worke their feates by the meanes of women Where it is saide that by the leud perswasions of Recusant women many fall away our aduersarie asketh Whether they fall to enormitie of sinne or wickednesse of life As if the Recusants were such saints that they coulde not fall to sinne or wickednesse Certes the common opinion is otherwise For commonly Recusants make lechery and ribaldrie to bée no great sinne And their women make it more nice to go to Gods church then to go to strangers beds It is well knowne that papists allow of bordels and a C. at si clerici De iudi ijs account adulterie and fornication small faults and easilie they dispence with them Heerein England the priests corrupted the Gailors daughter of Wisbich and another priest ranne away with one of Bellamies maides Nay there is a priest in England that confessed how hee shriued fewe women but hee lay with them And yet the simple Recusants neither feele their owne shame nor prouide remedie against these priests of Baal Beside that Recusants are often drawne into strange and disloial practises as appeereth by the examples of Arden Someruil Babington Tichborne and many others But to omit filthinesse of life and trecherie it is fall great inough that simple men oft by leud perswasions fall into the errors and heresies of poperie so many and so gréeuous that popery as it conteineth nouelties aboue the doctrine which wee professe is nothing but a packe of heresies as wee shall particularly shewe héereafter But saith the discourser They are catholikes and haue a scruple to go to the Protestants churches because they thinke their religion is naught And thereupon hée concludeth That religion and conscience is cause of their refusall and not euill will or rebellion But the poore idiots are much abused where they are perswaded that either their owne religion is catholike or that ours is not catholike This is a common song which the popish priests sing in their eares but the note is iarring and the dittie can neuer bée prooued Catholike religion was that which the apostles taught generally throughout the worlde and that is the religion which wée professe in our Créede and finde written in holy scriptures All which we holde and refuse all doctrine contrarie to the same But the papists in their schoolemens commentaries and popish decretals and wicked missals and portuises and such like bookes of Romish deuotion haue brought in not onely a faith diuers from the apostolike and catholike faith but also contrarie to the same Much therefore do we pittie the blindnesse of Recusants that not onely shut their eies against the light and condemne that for heresie which indéede is truely catholike but also embrace falshood and heresies for true religion worshipping angels saints and the virgine Marie yea stockes rotten bones and rags in stead of one true God and embracing antichrist in stead of Christ And all this they do building themselues and their religion either vpon lying legends or popish decretals or vncertaine customes neuer vsed in the catholike church So that heerein there is neither one scrpule of true religion nor any dramme of conscience but onelie blindnesse and wilfulnesse of which afterward ensueth vnnaturall vnkindnesse towards their prince and countrie and wicked practises hurtfull to themselues their déerest friends and countrimen Neither can it excuse them That they are so perswaded in their conscience For all conscience ought to bée grounded on right reason and not vpon this or that fancy Therefore the a Thomas aq 1. p. q. 79. art 12. Siluest in verb. conscientia schoolemen say Quod conscientia est actus synteresis But this synteresis is nothing but a facultie of the minde wherein are principles naturally knowne preserued Saint b Lib. 2. de lib. arb c. 10. Augustine saith Quod in naturali iudicatorio adsunt quaedam regulae
speaketh of the first our question is of the second kind of conscience as is euident by our aduersaries wordes who teacheth that if our consciences perswade vs to do any thing that we are bound to do it although our reason lead vs wrong Which is contrary not onely to the apostle but also to the schoolemen The apostle saith Whatsoeuer is not of faith or a good conscience is sinne And the schoolemen teach as I haue shewed that an erroneous conscience is not to be folowed but rather forsaken So that if we folow the apostles rule then those that vpon false perswasions abstaine from hearing Gods eternall word and coÌ„municating with vs in the sacraments and that go to idole seruice and eat bread that is made an idole do offend gréeuously for that this cannot procéede of conscience but rather is against good conscience Fourthly he assureth vs That the conscience of papistes that refuse to go to the church is grounded vpon so sure and euident groundes as any demonstration in the world can lay downe And his ground is this That the religion professed by papistes is true and that therefore they may not seeme to professe any other And here he thinketh he standeth firme immooueable But if this be his ground his building is founded vpon sand and vpon a cleare vntruth For neither shall he euer be able to disprooue that truth which we professe nor to iustifie those pointes of popish religion which we condemne If he will promise to do it I will giue him what tearme he pleaseth And to the entent all deceiued papists may sée his vanitie I will shewe him b See the 4. encounâ—â— following this treatise héereafter what the points are that hée cannot prooue In this place it is sufficient to shewe that his popish positions are contradicted in the greatest part of christendome But no firme demoÌ„stration can be grounded vpon vntrue or doubtfull propositions Aristotle c Analyt post 1. telleth vs that demonstrations are syllogismes That worke certaine knowledge But this demonstration of his is nothing but a mist or rather darknesse to deceiue ignorant people Wherefore let all papisticall Recusants beware what they beleeue vpon others credite The Iesuites teach them lies for truth heresie for faith antichrist for Christ superstition and falsehood for true religion and draw from them all meanes of their saluation Fiftly hée telleth vs That wee do greatly discredite our doctrine which wee were woont to teach viz. That no man shoulde be forced in matters of his conscience But the discredite is rather his that either vnderstandeth not our doctrine through his dulnesse or else cauilleth about this matter of forcing the conscience without iust cause then ours that teach as wee did euer and vary not from our doctrine in our practise Wée say as wée did euer that the conscience neither ought to bée forced with tortures and terrors of death neither can be forced For faith founded vpon sure groundes surmounteth all violence of tyrants and crueltie of persecutors which terrifieth and discourageth none taught rightlie in Christs schoole As for the sauage and barbarous crueltie of the popish synagogue that purple whoore of Rome Whose a Apocal. 17. vesture is red with the blood of Saints and which without difference of age sexe or qualitie tortureth hangeth burneth and killeth true Christians it is odious not onely to those that vnderstand the truth but also to the milder sort of the aduersaries Further albeit no man can bée forced to religion yet all gentle courses are to bée vsed to draw men to religion For this cause wée exhort the weake and ignorant and with pecuniarie mulctes wée represse those that are wilfull and obstinate And this is all the punishment that her Maiestie vseth against recusants too little certes if wee respect either their deserts or the malice of our enimies neither do we thinke it either vnlawfull to procéed further against hereticall teachers that corrupt Christs doctrine with their leuen or sufferable that notorious blasphemers and railers at religion shoulde escape vnpunished So then wee beléeue that religion is to be taught and not by terrors thrust vpon the people and yet denie not but that such as bee wilfull disturbers of the state of the church or common-welth ought to bée punished Neither is there any repugnance betwixt these two courses Onelie let papists absteine from practises and for the rest they are secured both of life libertie lands and goods We seeke them and not theirs and onely proceede against such as shew open contempt against our religion and yet vse all câ—emencie vnlesse their vntollerable abuses against church and state vrge vs to extremitie Finally he doth preferre the orders of the popish synagogue that burneth not onely those that forsake their religion a The papists cannot dissemble their bloody crueltie but such also as will not come vnto their religion The popes religion he calleth The faith of all Christendome and saith That such as thinke hardly thereof ought rather to be barred from comming to the church then drawne thither Wherein he sheweth first his cruelty and bloudy humor that seemeth to reioyce in slaughter and commendeth the woluish nature of the Romish synagogue Secondly his folly and treacherie that betraying his clients cause would haue them punished with death For if all that forsake the faith of Christ and his apostles be to suffer death then will it go hard with his clients the recusantes who pretending catholicke faith indeede do embrace the priuate doctrine and faction of popes Thirdly his impudency that dare auouch the popish religion to be the faith of all Christendome which notwithstanding is contradicted by the easterne churches and forsaken of a great part of the west church and is onely maintained by fire and sword and cruelty Lastly his ignorance in teaching religion that would haue such as do not like all points of faith to bée barred out of the church Which course neither by our Sauiour nor by his apostles nor by any true teachers of Christianitie was euer practised Nay our Sauiour inuiteth all to come to him when hée had made readie to feast his friends woulde haue guestes compelled to come in Likewise the apostles taught all that came and opened their armes to embrace all that were desirous to learne The ancient fathers by all meanes sought to draw people to the church and shut the doores against none that was willing to come in What then shoulde we thinke of the aduersaries but as of enimies of Christ true religion that seeke to murder and famish Christs flocke In the meane while let vs holde on our course and with our Sauiour call al men and refuse none that are willing to heare And thus an ende of the first consideration that concerneth the hurt that popish Recusants do Next we are to consider What hurt they would do that briefly Now that is apparent First by their hatred against religion
to worke wonders and the worlde shall beléeue his signes and wonders 22. He shall prescribe a certaine forme of ceremonies lawes to all his folowers Finally he shall rise obscurely receiue power of princes encrease by force be folowed with all wicked traytors heretikes atheistes and shall be destroyed with the breath of Gods spirite All which conditions as they are proper and well agrée to the pope of Rome and his kingdome so the aduersaries themselues cannot shew any other vnto whome these qualities canne agree He calleth himselfe Christs vicar and yet opposeth himselfe against Christ and his kingdome He declareth himselfe a plaine aduersary in suppressing Gods word and extolling his owne constitutions and aduancing himselfe aboue all that is called God He taketh to himselfe the name power and honor that is proper to God excelling all mortall creatures in pride and arrogancy His life is full of all abominations He taketh no shame albeit his dooings be most shamefull nay albeit his ignorance in religion be excéeding great yet doth he vant himselfe that he cannot erre in decyding of matters of faith Presently vpon the decay of the Romayne empire his kingdome beganne to shew it selfe Neyther did he rise but vpon the ruines of that state Hauing gotten credite among Christians he brought in infinite nouelties into religion and by his euill example and facilitie in granting pardons wrought a great dissolution in mens manners At Rome hée now reigneth and none but hée Nay hée is reputed to bée head of the church although head of the societie of wicked and feined Christians His kingdome is plainly described in the figure of the purple whoore and of Babylon Finally his mysticall impieties persecutions of Christians merchandizing of mens soules and all those properties of antichrist which before I described appéering in him and in no other declare him to bée antichrist Neither can any medicine which the papists haue deuised helpe this gréefe As for the Noddy our aduersarie hée doth not vnderstand those reasons which hée draweth out of Bellarmine Much lesse is hée able to enforce them First hée telleth vs That antichrist shall be one singuler man But that cannot stande with the apostles wordes that teacheth vs that the mysterie of iniquitie began to worke in his time Againe the kingdome of Antichrist could not bée erected attaine to such greatnes by one man onely nor is one onely man opposite to Christ Further the state of antichrists kingdome is called an apostacie but the terme of apostacie cannot fit one man Finally Saint a 1. Ioan. 2. Iohn saith that that antichrist that was prophecied of was in the world in his time And b Tract 30. in Matthaeum Origene maketh antichrist a state or succession of men Generaliter saith hée vnus antichristus est species autem eius multae Neither haue the Scriptures or fathers any thing whereof the contrarie may directly be concluded Onely the scriptures by the figure of one beast do set out a state and the fathers do firmely adhere to the manner of spéech vsed in Scripture which by one particular man vnderstand diuers men succéeding in one state Nay the aduersaries themselues beléeue that Christ by the rocke Mat. 16. whereupon he said he would build his church vnderstood not onely Peter but all the bishops of Rome Secondly he saith That the Iewes shall receiue Antichrist for their Mesâ—ias And therefore that it is not likely that the pope should be Antichrist whome they canne neuer admit for their Messias But the antecedent is a méere fancy taken vp without ground For albeit our sauiour â—an 5. saith that the Iewes Will receiue another if he come in his owne name yet canne it not be gathered that he speaketh there of Antichrist For he speaketh indefinitely and saith if any come in his owne name that him they will receiue And so doth d In Ioan. 5. Nonnus expound it And if we should otherwise take it then would it folow that Antichrist should come in the apostles times that he might be receiued of those to whome our sauiour then spoke Thirdly he reasoneth out of Matth. 24. and 2. Thes 2. That the gospel of Christ must first be preached to all nations before the comming of Antichrist which saith he is not yet fulfilled But in the 2. Thes 2. there is no mention made of preaching the Gospell to all nations In the 24. of Matthew wée finde that the preaching of the Gospell to all nations shall bée fulfilled before Christs second comming and not before the comming of Antichrist But were this a signe of the comming of antichrist yet it is long since the sound of the Gospell hath passed throughout the world Fourthly That antichrist should be a Iewe and of the tribe of Dan is but a méere conceite of some few vpon false vnderstanding of scripture for how shall a Iewe that establisheth the ceremoniall law of Moses bée receiued among Christians Wherefore this notwithstanding the pope may bée antichrist Fiftly it is a Iewish fancie That antichrist shall reigne in Hierusalem and restore Salomons Temple Neither is anie such matter gathered out of the eleuenth chapter of the Apocalypse where it is saide not that the bodies of Henoch and Helias as this falsarie hath but That the bodies of the two prophets shall lie in the streetes of the great citie For he speaketh not of the persecution by antichrist but by the Gentiles and vnderstandeth all godly men that shall beare witnesse of the truth of Christ Iesus a Lib. 18. in Isai ad Algas q. 11. Hierome saith that all these imaginations of restoring the citie and temple ceremonies procéede from the heresie of Cerinthus And truely very strange it were if antichristes reigne continuing but thrée yéeres and a halfe as our aduersaries hold hée shoulde reedifie the citie and the temple and founde so large a kingdome as that of antichrist shall bée Sixtly it cannot bée prooued That antichrist shall expresly deny Iesus and vtterly abolish the sacraments instituted by Christ and openly professe that either hee is Messias or God himselfe Neither in the 1. of Ioh. 2. v. 22. nor Ioh. 5. nor 2. Thes 2. which places are cited to this purpose is any such thing to be founde Nay his dooings they shall bée mysticall and hée shall deceiue many But if hée shoulde plainly denie Christ and abolish his Sacraments he coulde not deceiue any Christian Saint b In Ioan. Tract 3. Augustine therefore calleth them antichrists That by their workes denie Christ And cunningly shall antichrist peruert the Sacraments and take to himselfe diuine worship All which wée sée verified by the pope and therefore rightly take him to be antichrist Seuenthly that antichrist shall worke lying miracles it is not denied For it is very apparent that popish religion doth much stande vpon miracles and the legendes red in churches are full of them But that hee shall make fire come really and visiblie downe from heauen
haue caused great trouble both to the king and this realme vpon the dissolution of that vnlawfull contract if the kings vigilancie and magnanimitie had not surmounted the same Great friendship likewise hath béene betwéene our kings and the dukes of Burgundy of whome the late kings of Spaine are lineally descended betwixt the English nation the people of the low countries depending on the house of Burgundie The nations by mutuall trade reaped great profit each of other The princes by the aide and countenance each of other were much strengthened against their common enemies Charles the fift in his time much estéemed for his wisedome did make so great accompt of our nation that he chose Mary Quéene of England as a fit match for his sonne Philip to whome he left all his dominions and dying gaue his sonne this speciall charge that he should neuer breake with England nor loose the fauour of our nation He did wisely consider our strength by sea and what aide we were able to afford him béeing friend and what hurt we might do vnto him if we conioyned our forces with his enimies Much it were to be wished that the frendship of the Spaniard had béene as profitable to the English nation as the friendship of the English was to the Spanyard But then we should not haue lost Guines and Caleis by this coniunction nor béene spoiled of the remainder of the ancient conquest of our ancestors in France by his meanes neither then should the English for his pleasure haue béene intricated with the warres with France Howsoeuer the same ought to haue béene profitable vnto vs yet for our goodwill a man would neuer haue thought that we should haue reaped displeasure and wrong Yet we sée what is come to passe This league of friendship is broken and all ancient good offices doone by our nation to the Spaniard quite forgotten King Philip when her Maiestie came first to the crowne forgot not onely the bond of allyance with her sister but also his fathers charge In the treaty of peace betwéene France and Spaine he a Guicciardin de paesi bassi forsooke his sister and left her to shift for her selfe and that also in a war which himselfe had begun Not long after at the solicitation of pope Pius the fift he became our professed enimie and sought the destruction of her Maiestie b Girol Catenae in vita Pij Quinti one saith that to secure his dominions in the low countries he determined to aide the rebelles in the north and to ouerthrow the Quéene c This record of Pius his negotiation with king Philip doth ouerthrow all Philopaters calumniation Non potendo assicurare i suoi stati di Fiandra con miglior mezzo che con l'abbatimento de quella reina Both Pius the fift and he conioyned their forces and counsels together to do vs hurt determining vnder the conduct of Chiapin Vitelli to send ouer aid to the rebells in England Hauendo commandato saith d Ibidem Catena Il re catholico che dalla parte di Fiandra si mandasse in Inghilterra vna quantita di gente armata sotto la scorta di Chiapin Vitelli Pio quinto rimessa grossa prouisione di denari c. When the Duke of Alua made some stay of the execution of the kinges commaundement the king againe sent him expresse word that notwithstanding any difficulties or considerations whatsoeuer he should e Ibidem aide the rebelles of England which he termed His friends Nuouamente il rè gli comandò che non ostante qual si volesse difficultà ò consideratione seguisse l'impresa d'aiutar gli amici d'Inghilterra gli mandò appresso la persona di Ridolphi denari per l'esse quutione Yea and with such affection did he prosequute this matter that when he saw his purpose tooke no effect he wept for sorrow E'lre Catholico saith f Ibidem Catena ne pianse alla presenza del Cardinal Alessandrino By this therefore it appeareth that all loue of that king to her Maiestie which this philippicall parasite so much pretendeth was altogether extinguished and al bondes of alliance and friendship vtterly broken and that by king Philips g Andreas Philopater his slanderous report to the contrarie is refuted by Pius Quintus his letters default first When secret practises of rebelles preuailed not the king prouided a nauy which his flatterers called inuincible and a great force and army of land souldiors determining with fire and sword to inuade this realme by fine force to dispossesse her Maiestie of her crowne What successe his enterprise had the world knoweth and therefore we néede not here report His inuincible nauy was well beaten and scattered his souldiors and mariners for the most part either were slaine or taken or dyed of want and misery and the mightie monarke of whose Potent force our aduersary maketh such crakes was ouercome by a woman But whatsoeuer the succsse was it appeareth that this was no brotherly part thus to inuade her Maiesty nor any point of a catholicke and Christian king to oppugne peacible Christians for the profession of true catholicke religion Nay albeit this great losse and shame might haue forced him to acknowledge Gods iustice and powerfull working against him and caused him to surcease his cruell persecution against Christians yet did the same worke nothing in his hard hart nor coulde hée be induced to giue ouer his former desseignements so long as breath lasted anno 1594. being verie weake and for some daies spéechlesse the a This was written out of Spaine first wordes which he vttered after he came to himselfe were these Is the adelantado gone for England So much was his head troubled about that voyage His friends also report that he should say that hée woulde sell his siluer candlestickes and the rest of the furniture of his chappell before hée woulde giue ouer the warres against England And I beléeue it to bée true séeing notwithstanding diuers repulses and infinite losses anno 1588. 1594. 1595. and 1599. hée neuer gaue ouer vntill such time as hée gaue vp his spirite and yéelded to nature The papistes do excéedingly commend his zeale in popish religion or rather his great hatred against the professors of true religion So earnest he was in this cause that he spared not his owne onely déere sonne for that he was thought to fauor that truth which we professe E cosa molto notabile saith b In vita Pij 5. Gierome Catena Ch' el re facesse sacrificio della sua carne del suo sangue à dio Et Pio publicamente commendò la Christiana catholica mente religione di lui dicendo quia proprio filio non pepercit Albeit his sonne Charles was a prince for his yéeres of great excellency and then the onely sonne of his father and the hope of his succession yet did not that mooue the fathers hard hart to
pity but he made him a sacrifice for the good of the Romish clergie and pope Pius did highly extoll this fact comparing king Philip most impiously and blasphemously to God almighty that gaue his sonne to be sacrificed for the redemption of mankind But to forbeare now to speake of the popes blasphemy and to speake of the Spanyards malice it is very apparent that king Philip while he liued professed himselfe an enimie vnto all that professed true and catholicke religion and especially to her Maiestie that hath alwaies according to her stile declared her selfe to be a defender of the faith and a principall maintainer of the professors of true religion and all true catholickes He hath also shewed himselfe an enimy to our whole nation entending with force to subdue vs and by all meanes to trouble vs. He hath taken many a In the embarguo anno 1586. honest men of our nation prisoners and confiscated their ships and goods without anie lawfull proclamation of warres Hée hath suffred diuers of Her Maiesties subiectes to bée murdred by the bloody Inquisitors contrary to all iustice Neither haue the rebels attempted any thing against the state either in England or b Iacobo Geraldino Cantabrorum ac Gallecorum manum concessit Andreas Philopater p. 134. Ireland but by his knowledge abettement and procurement The whole Spanish nation also hath drunke very déepe of that cup of hatred which the pope hath filled to their king Don Iuan de Austria while he was gouernor of the low countries did neuer cease to c This was a part of Escouedoes negotiation at his going into Spaine perswade his brother to transport an army into England here to make wars The duke of Alua before that was likewise desirous that his sonne might passe with forces into England for the aide of the northren rebells And that of long time hath béene a common argument for priests and friers to handle in their sermons They haue also d These pardons were found vpon diuers Spaniards ann 1588. preached indulgences and remission of sinnes and offred the same to all that would fight against vs accompting it percase meritorious to kill any of our nation If their iourney 1588. had succéeded either they had killed our people or made slaues of them to worke in their Indian mines or to rowe in their gallies or else to do other base and seruile worke our goods they had already swallowed in their hope and meant to haue deuided the land amongst them and to haue raigned here like great conquerors And albeit at that time they had no good successe yet haue they not giuen ouer their hope nor ceased to take all opportunities to worke vs either dishonor or domage I omit to speak of the wrongs they haue done to particulers albeit many gréeuous for that our dispute is about the disposition of the Spaniardes to our whole nation And yet many particular wrongs and actes of iniustice crueltie doe argue a great hatred to the English in generall But to forbeare to speake of particular actions and of generall attempts formerly passed it appéereth they meane not thus to giue vs ouer For out of Spaine there come priestes and others daily to practise treason against her Maiestie and the state It is not long since Squire was executed for a most horrible treason plotted in Seuile Neither can the shamelesse impudent denials and cauils of Iesuites and priests which they make at the processe against him either make that vndoone which is done or qualifie so foule a fact Nay admit the poore fellow shoulde erre in some circumstance yet no reason can be alleaged why hée shoulde accuse and charge himselfe in a matter that concerned his life wrongfully And to the entent there may bée a succession of traytors and conspirators which may make the way more readie for their intended inuasions and conquestes at common costes they maintaine two Seminaries of English fugitiues and traytors I know they pretend planting of popish religion but if that were their onelie marke they aime at why doth a Testified against him by priests in their memorials Parsons cause euerie one of them that come for England to take an oath that they shall to their vttermost power prefer the Infantaes of Spaines title to the crowne of England Is this no point of treason And doth not this flowe from some purpose of the Spaniard against our countrey and nation To make our nation hatefull Ribadineira a certaine ribaldly frier hath published a most odious discourse of schisme in Spanish wherein hée omitteth nothing that may procure vs dishonor or hinderance And yet these are the men whom our aduersarie commendeth and defendeth and vnto whom Cardinall Allen Robert Parsons and other Iesuites and priests that lurke among vs haue vowed their seruice Great reason therefore hath our nation where so violent enimies séeke to hurt vs and so malicious traytors endeuour to ensnare vs to watch and looke about Our aduersary crieth peace peace but war is in his hart hée may tell vs as long as hée listeth that the Spaniards are our good friends and meane vs no hurt at all But if wée list to arme our selues and preuent their malice wée may assure our selues if God be pleased that they neither dare fight with vs nor can bée able to hurt vs. These double toonged traytors pretend good dealing and vse many kinde wordes as if they loued their countrey but who can trust them that are so néere linked by oath friendship and opinion to publike enimies Finally now the Spaniardes and other publike enimies séeme to haue laide aside their armes but yet it is not safe to trust them After great calmes oft-times arise great stormes We must remember that king Philip the second was alwaies ready to execute the popes command and was still set on by the Iesuites Acosta in his booke of the new world calleth it Praeclarum Zelum in expugnandis debellandis fidei Romanae hostibus in praefa ad Philip. and commended for his zeale in oppugning the enimies of the Romish faith The whole Spanish nation is also much deuoted to popish religion and very ready to execute the popes commandements Wée must also consider that it is no argument of a disposition to peace that such great forces of men are continually leuied throughout most of the parts of Spaine and Portugall and that such numbers of ships of warre are either made of late or in making as wée haue not heard of manie yéeres before and that such care is had of prouisions of corne wine munitions and other things necessary for the wars as is not vsual I confesse that by reason of the kings large dominions and great occasions and affaires these prouisions are necessarie yet vnlesse hée had some extraordinarie purpose neither woulde his prouisions be so great nor should his men march toward Lisbone and Coronna nor his Magazins bée dressed in those parts that looke hitherward
is rich in mony Lastly as princes and states that haue great store of treasure haue meanes by their hired souldiers to make warres abrode and hardly canne be ouercome that way so are they weak and vnable to resiste if they be strongly affronted and set vpon at home where their treasure lyeth and their hired souldiers cannot be found Which appeared by the example of the Carthaginians and may appeare by the Spanyardes if wee please Now our cause is farre more iust and honest then the Spaniards b In primis spectat vt pacatè tantum suauiter viuat Andreas Philopater p. 14. Her Maiesty her people neuer desired any thing more then peace they desire nothing more then wars We if the Spaniard shall come against vs shall fight for our country our liberty our lawes our religion and conscience they come to spoile vs of al these and fight for the popes pleasure and for that religion of which they haue no a Stapleton praefat in princip doctrin relect further assurance then the popes word Her Maiestie neuer wronged the Spaniard nay she hath not taken that which lawes of warre and all nations did giue her When the shippes that carried mony to pay the souldiers in the low countries that were prepared against her and her country were brought into her ports and gaue her good meanes to helpe her selfe against her enimy yet was she content to restore the mony to the king When the Ilandes of Azores were offered into her handes yet did she refuse them Nay she would not accept of Antwerp and a great part of the low countries that offered to submit themselues vnto her béeing alwaies vnwilling to intricate herselfe with vnnecessary warres Yet was she assured that this was most lawfull and would be a certaine meanes both to bring the Spaniard to any conditions and to make the warres far from home and vpon other mens charges Nor in assisting them of Holland and Zeland hath she doone any thing but after she had attempted all other meanes and was forced to take this course by necessity for her owne safety But the Spaniards haue sought matter of quarrell against her and offered her and her people infinite wronges First king Philip hauing intricated our nation with the French about his quarrell lost Caleis and abandoned the English in his treatie of peace Anno 1567. when we thought he had continued our friend at the solicitation of the pope he b Girol Catena in vita Pij 5. It may also bee gathered out of the aduersaries discourse in Andreas Philopater determined to make warre vpon vs. Afterward he encouraged and holpe the rebels of the North and determined to aide the earle of Desmond in Ireland Anno 1588. he made open warres vpon vs and neuer since hath ceased to molest vs. Nay when he could do her Maiestie and her people no other harme he hath suffered Sanders booke of schisme and diuers other most rayling libells to be published by Ribadineira and others to the dishonor of our nation our princes and gouernours Finally Lopez that was executed for attempting to poyson her Maiestie c See his confession and the actes of the processe against him confessed that he was hired by Ibarra the Count of Fuentes and diuers of the kings agentes not without the kings priuity as was prooued by the deposition of Manoel Lois and Stephen Ferreira and diuers other circumstances Séeing then we haue such meanes to make warres and so iust a cause to vndertake them why should any eyther doubt or feare to encounter the Spanyardes especiallie if they will néedes be quarrelling But to surcease to discourse of the valour of the Spaniard in the warres and of his puissance or rather weakenesse both by sea and land let vs a litle consider him in his other parts and qualities and sée whether he deserueth such extrauagant commendations as N. D doth heap vpon him and what reason he hath to aduance the Spanyard so highly and to debase his owne nation Our aduersary a P. 106. commendeth the Spaniardes For their religion their labour in preaching and winning soules in the Indies their learning their morall vertues and forgetteth not to praise them for their country which he calleth Rich fertile and potent But if these be the points that he meaneth to stand vpon he will hardly perswade his Reader to affoord him any assent or credit For the religion of the Spaniard is not catholike as we shall easily prooue when we come to speake of catholike religion Nay few of that nation know any religion but are ledde by the noses by the pope and his priestes and friers receiuing for truth whatsoeuer they teach though neuer so false not knowing the very grounds of Christian faith though neuer so true Our aduersary knoweth that the Spaniard is saide to account it but a Peccadillo or little fault not to beléeue in Christ and euery man may sée they haue no right faith that receiue all the popes decretalles for true religion In the Indies their disorders haue béene so great that the barbarous people do beléeue rather any religion then that of the Spanyard Bartholomew à Casas a fryer and Hierome Benzo shew that where in Hispaniola there were thrée millions of people at the first arriuall of the Spanyardes there they shortly by their pious and vertuous gouernement brought them to the number of 300. So great was their slaughter and cruelty b Histor Indiar Hierome Benzo saith that all the religion the Indians haue is to make the signe of the crosse and to heare a latin masse which they vnderstand not and to performe such like ceremonies And if hée will not beléeue me yet hée may not with anie reason refuse the testimonie of Ioseph à Costa a Iesuite who of purpose writeth a storie of the new worlde and declareth how the Indians haue profited in religiō He sheweth that the Indians are so vnwilling to be baptized a De procuranda Indorum salute lib. 6. c. 3. That the Spaniards haue baptized many against theit wils whereby baptisme Is made a mocke among them Speaking of Christian religion in the Indies hée saith their knowledge is small and so offred to them that it is either refused easily or easily lost b Ibid. lib. 1. c. 2. Notitia quaedam vel ten uis offertur vel ita offertur vt facilè repudietur vel ita recipitur vt mox perniciosiùs deseratur He c Lib. 1. c. 14. saith They are like the Samaritanes that worship god idoles both togither And againe d Ibidem Simulatoriam Christianitatis speciem praeferunt non colunt deum seriò nec credunt ad iustitiam e A costa lib. 4. c. 15. Their priests and teachers hée chargeth to be giuen to couetousnesse dicing hunting concubinage and luxuriousnesse And this is that goodly conuersion of millions of soules of which this personate N. D. so much braggeth
and of which the pope doth séeme so studious and desirous But if hée were indéede desirous to winne soules to Christ and not gaine and glory to himselfe why doth hée not séeke to conuert the Grecians Asians and Mores that are hard by him and which through his ambitious quarrels about his superioritie haue beene oppressed by the Turkes and abandoned by the princes of the west empire Doth it not appéere that where Christian princes rule with their sword hée entreth there into the peoples closets with his counterfeit keies or rather picklockes and that hée neither can do any thing in countries oppressed by infidels nor is so willing to winne soules as to establish his authoritie and to séeke gaine To returne to our purpose In schoole diuinity diuers friers I confesse séeme well studied neither are the Spaniardes ignorant of other humane artes and learning Yet neither is the number of learned men great nor their learning singuler Their priests for the most part are ignorant both of tongues and of the grounds of religion Their common people know almost nothing and scarce canne say their Credo pater noster and aue maria but admitte they canne say the wordes yet are they ignorant of the sence Their morall vertues we will examine when we come to speake of particulars It should séeme they are not many when their aduocate mentioneth none Finally it is but a simple praise to dwell in a rich and fertile country For so the Indians and Cananites should deserue to be preferred before the Spaniardes For no country is richer in gold then the Indiaes And in time past the land of Canaan flowed with milke and hony and that is cléerely testyfied of it in holy scripture But were it that the Spaniardes deserued commendation for their religion and their zeale in preaching the truth and other vertues yet hath our aduersarie no reason to despise his owne nation or to preferre the Spaniards before vs. For héere true religion without mixtures of poperie is embraced and the same so generally taught that none can be ignorant but such as like the adder that stoppeth his eares refuse to heare Gods worde and to vnderstand the truth The number of learned men among vs is greater then among the Spaniards proportion for proportion neither to abridge this idle dispute shall N. D. finde that our nation either in morall vertues or naturall endowments or supernaturall graces is inferior to the Spaniard or ought to yéeld to him in any thing saue in this that hée hath better happe to encounter with English traitors to flatter the Spanish nation and we no Spaniards or fewe that will take on them to set foorth our due praises It resteth now that wée examine the particulars of our aduersaries pleading according to the course which before wée haue proposed to our selues Not that any great matter doth result of the whole summe but that wée may at the least gather a summe of our aduersaries fooleries and trecherous purposes In the beginning of this last encounter hée a P. 103. telleth vs That there remaineth yet another bickering about the Spanish king and nation Hée shoulde also haue told vs against whom this bickering made as it shoulde séeme by the shade b That is of a glasse of wine d'vn bicchier di vino is entended but that is apparent by the discourse ensuing for it is wholy against his countrey and nation So then this champion commeth out in his Spanish ierkin to fight for Spaniards and against his owne nation May we therefore thinke you safely trust him that taketh on him to speake for publike enimies against the safetie and state of his countrey and countrey people Well let vs sée what this champion hath to say for his clients First hée c Ibidem saith That a man must speake moderately of his enimie and that we must not lie nor faine reproches no not of the diuell himselfe So hee maketh a faire entrance into his matter comparing the Spaniardes to the diuell then which course nothing can be more reprochfull to his clients Hée may be glad that the Spaniards vnderstande him not Otherwise they woulde make him know that they are not to be compared to diuels But to let that passe and to grant that a man must speake moderately of his enimie yea of the diuel yet hath not hee obserued that moderation in speaking either of friendes or enimies For hée flattereth his friends grossely and raileth against his enimie most odiously and despitefully Nay hée raileth against his liege prince and such as haue shewed themselues to be her most faithfull subiectes and praiseth her greatest enimies albeit if hée were a true man hée woulde haue done neither In the libell against her Maiesties proclamation of the yéere 1591. published by him and Creswell vnder the name of Andreas Philopater vnder the title he placeth this sentence Vidi mulierem ebriam de sanguine sanctorum as if shée were drunke with the blood of saints Hée a Scelus sceler nectit p 6. saith Shee added wickednesse to wickednesse and vseth wordes not to bée vttred against so gracious a prince b P. 11. libr. Romae excus comparing her to Maxentius Iulian Costantius Decius and Nero. Hée disgraceth her in her parents and stocke and saith what his malice can deuise against her The like course hée taketh against her principall Counsellors c In praefat ac edictum accusing them of fraud crueltie rapines impietie and most hainous crimes Against the earle of Leicester and the Lord Treasurer that dead is hée hath published whole volumes of reproches in two seuerall libels entituling the first Leycesters common-wealth and setting out the second vnder the name of Causes of supposed feares c. Neither hath any railing libell of late come foorth but he hath had some finger in it Furthermore as the former bookes are full of railing and reproches so they want no prouision of lies and vntruthes Hée saith in d Andr. Philop p. 121. Philopater that King Philip did thrise deliuer the Lady Elizabeth out of trouble and cannot prooue once And that king Philip denied the rebels aide which Pius quintus the pope his grand master controlleth He repeateth diuers slanders out of Sanders and Genebrard and can write nothing without lies In this treatise which wée haue now in hand albeit hée séeme to professe Warding and fensing yet hath he no fence to kéepe his toong from lying And yet they say hée lieth verie closely yea and falsely too Such is his excellencie in both faculties that a great question may be made whether he raileth or lieth more impudently and starkely Do you not then take him to bée a fit man to giue precepts of modestie and true dealing to others that hath nor modestie nor truth nor reason in his owne dealing And may he take vpon him to censure others for rayling libelling raging lying and facing that in lying and libelling hath surmounted not onely
Lucian and Rabelays but also all his owne companions of the societie of his firie father Ignatius As for his aduersarie hée hath not spoken any thing that in equall iudgement can be thought to sauour of immodestie For albeit hée seemeth to charge the Spaniards with Oppression and tyrannie and saith that they are Proud ambitious bloudie rauening and cursed of God yet his intention was not to touch the whole nation in which no doubt there are many ciuill religious and honest men and of great woorth especially when they come to the knowledge of the truth but diuers of them indefinitely and such especially as came in the popes seruice to execute his wrath and displeasure against innocent Christians For against these doth hée direct his discourse and against them doth hée animate his countreymen to fight séeing their purpose is to destroy our countrey and with crueltie to establish both a false religion and an absolute tyrannie Neither coulde hée vse more gentle termes considering the insolencies of the Spanish forces in these cases and the tyrannie of their gouernment The ambassadors of the citie of Siena a Natal Comes â—istor lib. 6. say That the gouernment of the Spaniard in the kingdome of Naples and other places of Italy is so rigorous that the countrey people desire to liue rather vnder the Turke then vnder the Spaniard And this by infinite insolencies and actes full of iniustice and crueltie for manie yéeres exercised by the Spaniards in the b Bartholomeus casas Indies in the c Belgica hist. Meterani Low countries and lately in the countries of Iuliers Wesell Monsterland and places adioyning may be verified Our ancestors were woont to say they were crabbe faced and woorse natured Vultu despicabiles moribus detestabiles as Matth. Parts testifieth And if antichrist and these that receiue his marke and worship him be cursed and miserable then are the Spaniards that are so willing to execute the popes most irreligious and vniust commandes most miserable and haue a great curse hanging ouer their heads But faith our fencing warder and bickerer The Spaniards are hated for their catholike religion especially and next for their virtue and valor He saith also that the like happened to the English when they were Lords of France for the most part and to the Romaines when they ruled a great part of the world But why should he seeke for new supposed causes when the true causes and reasons are so well knowne and so violent and all sufficient Beside that it is well knowne that the Neapolitanes Milaneses and Portingals do not hate the Spaniards for their religion but for the causes formerly declared Neither do we maligne the Spaniards for their catholike religion for we know that their religion is not catholike nay we do not hate them in regard of their false religion which they hould but rather pray for them and pittie theÌ„ but we haue great reason to suspect their encrochements and to detest their ambition iniustice rapines and tyranny How they may be called Fortes or valiant I report me séeing as Philosophers hould a Fortitudo est virtus pugnans pro iustitia Fortitude is a vertue striuing for iustice Lastly he offereth great wrong not onely to the Romaines but also to the ancient English to compare the Castilians vnto them For neuer was the Romaine or English gouernement like to the Spanish nor canne these two famous nations well bee compared to the inhabitantes of Casttle Granada Valentia and Arragon that vntill of late were a poore b Matth. Paris in Henr. base people and for the most part nowe consisteth of Gothes Vandales Mores Maranes and Iewes which haue surmounted and deuoured the auncient inhabitantes of Spaine He telleth vs also That it is no reason albeit some Spaniardes be found to haue those vices which Sir Francis imputeth to them that all the nation should be charged with them As if either he or any other did suppose all Spaniards to be of like vitious humor No Sir Francis doth onely charge Spaniardes indefinitely and those principally that are the popes vassals and agentes and are so willingly emploied in his seruice And in effect saith no more then our aduersary willingly confesseth He a P. 105. saith further That no nation in Europe hath more cause to glory and giue God thankes for his giftes aboundantly powred on them both natural morall and diuine then the Spanish who haue a country potent rich and fertile praised in scripture 1. Machab. 8. a people able in wit and body as appeared by Traian and Theodosius emperors by Seneca Lucan Martial Poetes by Hosius Damasus Leander Isidorus Orosius renowmed Christians by famous martyrs Christian kinges famous souldiers that haue conquered great countries by the sword and finally by excellent preachers that haue gayned many millions of soules to Christ by preaching And thus with bigge wordes and many great bragges he thinketh to put his aduersary downe But he is confident without cause and triumpheth before the victorie nay before he séeth his enimie To answere him in his owne tearmes I thinke there is no nation in Europe more behoulding to this base lying companion then the Spanish For renouncing all loue to his country and duty to his prince he hath sould himselfe to publike enemies to flatter them and to set out their praises Beside that he forgetteth all plaine and honest dealing and delighteth himselfe with vaine reportes and lyes The world knoweth that Spaine for the most part is a bare and barreine country and that the common sort is poore and miserable Portingall that is accompted the more fruitefull notwithstanding is but barreine Ieiuna miserae b Buchanan saith one tesqua Lusitaniae Valete longùm vosque glebae tantùm Fertiles penuriae How potent the country is it may appeare by this that it hath béene so often conquered by the Cathaginians Romaines Gothes and Vandales and lastly by the Mores of Barbary Theodosius and Traian albeit borne in Spaine were of Romaine bloud brought vp in Italy and Rome Seneca also and Lucan and Martiall had their learning and skill at Rome albeit Martiall for his filthy and obscene writing sauoureth of the humor of some Spaniards It is also a matter of méere impudency to compare the battels and conquestes of Spaniardes in the Indiaes where they had to do onely with naked men and people vnskilfull in feats of armes to the actions of the Romaines that haue subdued the most warlike people of the worlde Neither can wée account of his relation of winning of soules to Christ in the Indies by friers otherwise then as of a lying legend and vaine bragge that hath no ground For a Hierom. Benzo Barth Cas diuers report that they haue destroied millions of soules and speake sparely of winning of soules But were all this true that is héere reported yet maketh the same nothing so much for the Spaniard as the Noddie imagineth For what auaileth it
to possesse a fertile and good countrey and which is praised in scriptures vnlesse the inhabitants bée good and vertuous Spaine I trow is not better then the land of Canaan that flowed with milke and hony yet were the people excéeding wicked What commendation is it to bée descended of a nation that hath had many religious Christians constant martyrs iust and wise princes valiant soldiers and captaines vnlesse the Spaniards continue in the steps of their ancestors But that now the Spaniards are like their auncestors this declamer durst not say Nay it may very well bée saide that the inhabitants of Spaine now are not descended of the Spaniards that were either in Traians Theodosius his time or in the daies of Isidorus and Leander Nor haue they the religion or zeale of the ancient Spaniards But saith the Ward-worder God in regard and recompence of other rare vertues will pardon other infirmities and defects Hée auoucheth also that God hath aduanced the Spaniards aboue other nations of Europe for the defence of Catholike religion So it appéereth by his owne confession that the Spaniards his clients want not sinnes and faultes hée calleth them onely infirmities Peccadillos and defects but all their enormous sinnes as hée supposeth are couered by their zeale in the popes seruice A verie excellent péece of doctrine If the Spaniard commit most heinous murders and rauage whole countries and liue most filthily and blaspheme Gods holy word neuer so execrablie yet by this mans diuinitie they neede not feare if they maintaine the popes cacolike religion and murder all that are studious of peace and Christs truth Let them go to father Parsons and hee will absolue them and set them toll frée that they shall not pay any thing to the pope But what if they oppugne catholike religion and murder Gods saints Then the case is altred and the Warder hath no fence for them nor for such offences Nay hée cannot denie but as their faith is heretical and superstitious so their sins are great and enormous The Spaniards therefore woulde be aduised not to trust this false frier too farre Zeale is commendable but then it must be ioyned with knowledge It is no Christian zeale that induceth men to kill poore christians Our Sauiour Christ sent his disciples to teach the Gentiles and not to kill them Neither did Peter kill the Gentiles and sinners that were ignorant of the truth albeit in a vision he was a Act. 10. macta manduca commaunded to kill and eate but sought by preaching to conuert them from their wicked liues to the truth of Christ Iesus But the pope and his adherents the Spaniards auert many from the truth conuert none to the truth kill the body with the sworde and destroy the soule with corrupt doctrine runne into the Indies vpon pretence of winning soules and yet neglect the Turkes Mores and Iewes that are hard at their doores And all this is commended in them by our aduersarie Nay he séemeth to teach that sinners that are out of the state of grace can merite remission of sinnes and that the Spaniards for murdring of Christians shall bée pardoned for other sinnes which they commit But be it hée shoulde onely say that a man that shoulde zealously adhere to the truth shoulde thereby purchase remission of other sinnes yet is not this iustifiable For wée being out of grace are dead in trespasses and sinnnes and Christ onely can purchase remission of sinnes which without faith cannot be applied to vs. Finally he is not ashamed to confesse That in times past our ancesters were neere linked to the Spaniard in loue leagues and allyance betwixt the princes of both the nations and that at this tyme the Spaniardes shew great kindenesse to papistes fled beyond the seas But little doth this make to the purpose and lesse for the commendation of the Spaniard For it is not here called in questiō what hath passed betwixt the natiōs but whether the Spaniard hath so rare partes in him that he is to be preferred before all other nations and before the English especially which is no way to be deduced or decided by this discourse concerning leagues and allyances Againe if we were so néere linked and conioyned together as our aduersary talketh and that to the profite and honor of both the nations what reason had the Spaniardes at the solicitation of that bald frier Pius Quintus to fall out with their ould friendes and to treate with our most malicious enimies What can they alledge why without all iust cause they should both by force and practises oppugne our nation that neuer offered them wrong Had they not thereby hazarded the losse of the low countries if her Maiesty would haue accepted them béeing offered vnto her And haue they not opened a way for the possessing some part of the Indiaes as oft as it shall please the princes of this land to establish a course for the mainteinance of the trade into those countries And albeit we haue omitted to take the aduantage of either of these two courses yet there is no time past but her Maiestie may alwaies take the one and percase haue opportunity to make benefit of the other Finally if the Spaniardes had remembred the ould friendship that hath passed betwixt both nations they would not haue abetted traytors to rebell nor receited rebelles that are fled out of the realme for feare of lawes albeit they pretend religion After the defence of the Spanish nation in generall our warder with his guard of loose wordes descendeth to speake of king Philip the second in particular A man now dead and buried and therefore the rather to be spared although while he liued he was a heauy enemy to our whole nation Yet for as much as our aduersary hired percase to pronounce a funerall discourse in his praise doth so commend him as he sticketh not to touch the honor of our nation someway entangled with his crosse dealings I thought it not amisse to consider what this exorbitant frier hath to say either for king Philip whome he rayseth out of his graue purposing percase to enshrine him for a saint or against the English nation which he hateth more deadly then doth the Spaniard First hée is offended that king Philip shoulde bée termed Proud ambitious false cruell trecherous tyrannicall and such like and saith that If any of the kings subiectes were to answere sir Francis he woulde giue him the lie and challenge him into the field As if the kings subiects were such dangerous men as none durst maintaine an honest quarrell against them or as if they were more terrible Rodomontes among the Spaniardes then otherwhere Well séeing these challengers come not forth we shall easily iustifie Sir Francis his charge against this frierlike combatants rude and vnciuill cauils and wrangling For it was no part of Sir Francis his meaning simply to charge king Philip with any matter further then concerned the cause in hand and further
first warres murder those of the true religion and shut out the rest Did they not in all other places as oft as they were the stronger séeke to murder them The matter is apparent and recorded in many histories Neither may wée thinke wée shall better agrée with them héere then others haue done in other places Light and darkenesse shéepe and woolues cānot agree togither And albeit our doctrine will not suffer vs to persecute papists yet their doctrine teacheth them to kill vs. And that is their continuall practise Finally this petition is most vnreasonable in respect of the petitioners themselues They will not grant or procure our brethren libertie in Spaine and Italy and yet they are so shamelesse to aske that which they will not grant vs or procure for vs otherwhere Againe they desire to liue vnder her Maiestie and yet they will not renounce her sworne enimie and his vsurped authoritie nor acknowledge her to bée lawfull Quéene although the pope do depose her Nay they giue her enimie power ouer her which by lawes of state is not sufferable Thirdly they haue héeretofore shewed themselues rebellious and factious How shoulde wée then secure our selues that they will behaue themselues more loyally héereafter Why shoulde wée thinke that they will do otherwise then the Irish rebels that haue shaken off her Maiesties gouernement They say they will behaue themselues peaciblie nay percase they will not sticke to sweare it But how shoulde wée beléeue either oathes or promises when they depend vpon the pope that will suffer them to kéepe neither I conclude therefore that to aske a toleration of the masse and of popish religiō is a matter impious vnsafe for her Maiestie and her people and most vnreasonable For it is contrarie to the a Exod. 20. Deut. 13. law of God that forbiddeth all idolatrie to the doctrine of Christ b Matth. 15. That excludeth all humane deuises in gods worship to the doctrine of the c Ephes 4. apostle that teacheth vs That there is but one Lord one faith and one baptisme to the practise of ancient Christians d Ioan. epist 2. That would not receiue those into their house or bid them god speede that brought not with them Christes true doctrine to the authoritie of fathers holy emperors and princes that by no meanes could endure any idolatrous worship or hereticall doctrine to the custome of the Romish synagogue and the traditions of the pope and his e Posseuini bibliotheca selecta lib. 1. c. 26. Iebusites and Cananites and finally to the lawes of the church and kingdome of England which without great consideration are not to be dissolued or suspended Neither can the same bée allowed by any good Christian or loyall subiect séeing it bringeth with it first an vncertaintie of faith and religion secondly a confusion in Gods worship thirdly a dissolution of ecclesiasticall gouernment discipline fourthly an ouerthrow of lawes and ciuill pollicie fiftly an entrance for seditious priests and Iesuites not tolerated euery where among the papists sixtly an easie meanes to practise against the prince and state seuenthly a coldnesse in religion eightly sedition trouble and rebellion Lastly the wrath of God and most spéedie destruction And that this is true the very f Ibidem aduersaries will not denie within the sphere of their actiuitie and in their owne gouernment Why then shoulde they looke for that at our hands which they will not yéeld vnto themselues Or with what face can they desire thinges so impious and vnlawfull First saith our aduersary Great princes and monarchies round about vs that had greater difficulties and differences then we haue He should haue said Monarkes and Neere vnto vs. For not monarchies but monarkes do treate of peace And the kings of France and Spaine dwell not round about vs but néere vnto vs. But we must beare with our great aduersary if talking of princes and states he forgot to vse fit wordes or make good sence Beside that he is much deceiued where he saith That they had greater differences difficulties in concluding of a peace then we haue For all ciuil causes may be compounded But no composition can be made with false religion or idolatry Againe kinges may agrée concerning temporall titles but we cannot agrée with the pope or his faction vnlesse we meane to forsake God and the true Christian faith Well let vs sée notwithstanding what These great princes and monarchies round about vs haue doone They haue saith hee concluded a most honourable peace and friendship And I will not deny but it may be so albeit diuers small accidentes may much alter the case But what maketh that for this purpose where it is debated whether the idolatrous masse is to be tolerated or any other course to be takē with English fugitiues and home-bred papistes If we might haue an honorable profitable and most assured peace it is the thing that we do much affect and desire neuer prosequuting warres but for our owne defence and safety But what is this peace héere spoken of to the toleration of seditious priests and Iesuites and such rebels and traytors Can wée haue no peace but by suffering of exiled and banished rebels and traytors to returne Why that is the extremest calamity that a ruined common wealth canne suffer Perditae ciuitates saith a Lib. 5. in Verrem Tully desperatis omnibus rebus hos solent exitus exitiales habere vt damnati in integrum restituantur vincti soluantur exules reducantur Againe we are not at warre with recusantes or papistes Why then should he talke of peace and friendship héere Therefore he telleth further How the French king is returned to the sea of Rome and that her Maiesty is courteously inuited to the same And is this the onely meanes of peace Sure then any warre is better then such a peace For if wée respect onely temporall matters yet to yéeld to a tyrant is the last and most extreme calamity that happeneth to a natiō vanquished and subdued and no prince can put himselfe vnder another but he giueth ouer his soueraignty Beside that suppose her Maiesty should yéeld to the pope which without indignation cannot be spoken nor yéelded vnto by any true English man how is she sure that she shall either reteine or recouer her crowne he hauing disabled her and dispossessed her of it Shall she begge a crowne at his handes Shall she do penance at his pleasure Will she abandon her selfe and her subiectes to such a base fellow Fye fye that any should be suffered once to motion such a shamefull and an abominable matter But if we respect religion truth and conscience we cannot submitte our selues vnto him we cannot acknowledge his authority we may not embrace his abominable doctrine and heresies whatsoeuer may ensue of it Hée is the head of antichristes kingdome and the synagogue of Rome is the purple whoore mentioned in the seuentéenth of the Reuelation
church doth onely mention two sacraments to wit Baptisme the Lordes supper c Lib. 1. 4. contr Marcion de coron milâ—t Tertullian where he handleth the same argument doth mention no more then two Cyrill likewise of Hierusalem d Catech. Mystâ—g speaking of the mysteries of Christian religion doth onely discourse of Baptisme and the Lords supper Dionysius whom they suppose to bée Dionyse the Areopagite albeit hée do fully set out the rites of the church of his time doth neither make penance nor matrimonie nor vnction of the dead a Sacrament Hée that wrote the bookes of Sacraments that beare the name of Ambrose and Augustine and Paschasius onely mention two sacraments Now who doth not sée that ordination of priestes and penance and matrimonie were instituted either in the law of nature or vnder the law of Moyses And certes if these things did iustifie then shoulde the Sacraments of the old law iustifie and iustification were a very easie matter No catholike writer doth imagine any such matter to bée in mariage or order and neither was extreme vnction nor popish confirmation known vnto antiquitie 10. In the Sacrament of Baptisme they vse exorcismes blowings salt spittle halowed water annointings light and diuers ceremonies neither vsed by the apostles nor practised by the ancient church And yet e Sâ—ss 7. Trident Concil c. 13. they say That none of their ceremonies may be omitted without sinne Finally they denounce them accursed that shall not holde Baptisme to bée necessary to saluation which ceremonies and doctrine do not appéere to bée catholike 11. They dissolue mariage contracted by entring into religion as they terme it and albeit it bée consummated yet they holde that by mutuall consent the maried couple may depart a sunder and that it shall not bée lawfull for them afterward to companie togither They separate also mariage for spirituall kinred and force all that will be priestes monkes or friers to forsweare mariage Matters not onely strange in the catholike church during the apostles and tâ—eir successors times for many hundred yéeres but also contrarie to Christs doctrine For what man can separate them whom God hath ioyned And what reason hath man to commaund any to forsweare mariage which the a Heb. 13. spirit of God pronounceth to be Honorable 12. They beléeue that penance standeth vpon contrition confession and satisfaction and that tâ—ese are the three parts of penance And yet themselues say that absolution is the forme of penance and that confession is not alwaies necessary Further b Concil Trid. Sess 14. they pronounce him anathema That beleeueth not that penance is properly a sacrament and that denieth confession in the priestes eares to be instituted by Christ Wherein they digresse both from the catholike church and catholike doctrine 13. The sacrament of the lords supper they haue most shamefully altered and abused teaching first that Christ is present with his body corporally and carnally in the sacrament and that he is there also really with his soule and that not onely wicked and faithlesse persons but also brute beastes swallow downe Christ quicke into their bodies Next that the substance of bread and wine is abolished and that the accidents thereof remaine without subiect and the substance of Christes body without the qualities of a body Thirdly that the sacrament is to be worshipped as God which is plaine idolatrie Fourthly they take the cup from the coÌ„municantes and for a communion make a priuate action of one priest called the masse Fiftly they make of this sacrament or sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing a sacrifice externall and propitiatory both for quicke and dead And by this sacrifice they hope to obteine remission of sinnes helth welth victorie and whatsoeuer the bâ—ter desireth Finally they do not distribute the sacrament as Christ commaunded but reserue it in pixes or carry it about in procession or as it pleaseth the priests All which do shew them to be no catholikes For catholikes do beleeue that these words This is my body are figuratiue c Lib. 4. contr Marc. TertulliaÌ„ saith That Christ made the bread which was giuen to his disciples his body by saying this is my body that is the figure of my body d De vnct Cyprian saith That Christ at his last supper gaue bread and wine with his owne handes and that thinges signified and signifying were called by the same names a In c. 15. Matth. Origen doth call the sacrament Christes figuratiue and typicall body b De ijs qui initiantur mysterijs c. 9. Ambrose saith That Christes true flesh was sacrificed but that the eucharist is the sacrament of that true flesh The Lord did not sticke to say this is my body saith saint c Contr. Adimant c. 12. Augustine when he gaue the signe of his body They beléeue not that the bread is abolished d Aduers Iudaeos Tertullian saith That Christ called bread his body Saint Hierome writing to Hedibia saith That the bread which the Lord brake and gaue to his disciples is the Lordes body The bread saith saint e De consecrat dist 2. c. qui manducant Augustine is the body of the Lord the cup his blood In the giuing of the mysteries saith f Dial. 1. Theodoret hee called bread his bodie But what néede testimonies of fathers when the apostle rehearsing the wordes of the institution calleth bread Christs body and nameth breade after consecration and when the pronoune Hoc can bée referred to no other thing but bread True catholikes beléeue that the holy communion of the Lords supper is a commemoration and a memoriall of the sacrifice made by Christ Iesus vpon the crosse rather then anie actuall and externall sacrifice Our g Matth. 26. Luc. 22. Sauiour saith This do in remembrance of me The h 1. Cor. 11. apostle saith that in this Sacrament Wee shew foorth the Lords death and celebrate a memoriall of it i In dialog cum Tryphon Iustin Martyr saith That in the sacrifice of bread and the cup which Christ instituted for a memoriall of his passion Christians giue thankes to God Saint k De fide ad Petr. c. 19. Augustine saith That in the sacrifice of bread and wine there is a commemoration of the flesh and blood of Christ that were offered for vs. Saint l In epist ad Hebr. Chrysostome saith That our sacrifice is a remembrance of Christes sacrifice Finally all true catholikes did distribute and receiue the holy Sacrament when they came to the Lordes supper and obserued his holy institution without mixtures of their inuentions or other alterations 14. The papists haue either abolished Christes priesthood or else much debased the same and haue brought in a new order of priesthoode neuer instituted by Christ nor practised by the catholike church For in stead of Christ they runne to angels to our Ladie and saints and beléeue that these can
exeuntes quia ipsi sunt scurriles leues volatiles rodentes sacras literas virides paganicae philosophiae sequaces quasi equi currentes sic illi in vanam disputationem 22. True catholikes haue alwaies shewed themselues obedient to their princes and performed their othes of allegiance They neither sought to murder them nor to depriue them of their crownes Dauid albeit he was gréeuously and vniustly persecuted by Saule yet did he not lay his hands vpon his prince albeit God had taken away the kingdome from Saul and giuen it to him The Israelites rebelled not against their kinges although they were wicked But papistes rebell against princes and neglect all promises and othes made to them as oft as the pope shall excommunicate them Nay the pope and his adherents excommunicate lawfull princes and pronounce sentence of deposition against them their associates make warres vpon them popish subiects are encouraged to rebell and are promised great rewardes and eternall blessednesse if they can kill the Lordes annointed as hath béene sufficiently alreadie declared by diuers examples In the rules or a Apud Ioseph Vestan de oscul ped pontif dictates of Gregorie the seuenth the twelft is That the pope hath power to depose the emperor The eight That hee may lawfully vse the ensignes of the emperour The 27. That hee hath power to absolue subiectes from their alleageance And this diuers late popes haue attempted and practised The which as it sheweth them to bée no catholikes so it prooueth them to be woorse then Turkes and Infidels which alwaies haue had a reuerend regard of their princes and superiors 23. True catholikes beléeued onely to haue remission of sinnes from Christ Iesus and neither trusted in indulgences nor Iubilies nor in pilgrimages to Rome or to other places But the Romanists without the popes pardons thinke themselues in no securitie and presuming of his fauour commit murthers and marie incestuously and do many outrages and villanies 24. True catholikes embrace all that doctrine which our Sauiour Christ commanded his apostles to preach to all nations throughout the worlde and refuse to heare those that preach otherwise and teach another kinde of doctrine But the papists haue not onely embraced diuers nouelties of which Christes apostles knew nothing but false heresiâ—s contrary to the doctrine of Christ and his apostles Which for that it is a principall argument to conuince them to bée no catholikes shall particularly God willing be demonstrated in the two chapters following Héeretofore wee haue shewed them to bée no catholikes for that their doctrine was neither generally taught nor receiued of al true catholikes now they shall bée prooued to bée no catholikes for that diuers points of their religion are either new deuises and fantasies not taught by the apostles nor receiued of the apostolicall and catholike church or else olde heresies condemned for such by the catholike church of ancient time CHAP. II. That diuers positions and principles of popish religion are meere nouelties and new deuises vnknowne to the most ancient and true catholike church of Christ IT may percase séeme strange especially to such papists as are but yoonglings and nouices in the Iesuites schoole that the religion of popes which is commonly called The olde religion shoulde now bée charged with noueltie and condemned by testimony of antiquitie Yet if wee please not onely to consider these later ages but also to looke backe to the apostles times and the ages next succeeding we shall assuredly finde by enumeration of many particulars that popish religion as it differeth from the religion now generally receiued and professed in the church of England is a new vpstart religion and full of nouelties and late receiued fancies For in religion that is onely to bée accounted ancient that is deriued from Christ and from his apostles Antiquitas mea saith a In epist. ad Philadelph Ignatius Christus est That is Christ is the originall from whence wée fetch our antiquitie b Lib. 4. contr Marcion Tertullian saith that the religion taught by the apostles is most ancient and from the beginning and most true Id vertus quod prius saith hée id prius quod ab initio id ab initio quod ab apostolis Saint c Epist 65. ad Pammach Ocean Hierome reiecteth all for newe that was not taught by the apostles Cur profers in medium saith hée quod Petrus Paulus edere noluerunt d Contra haeres c. 25. Vincentius Lirinensis calleth him a true catholike That doth onely beleeue and holde whatsoeuer the ancient catholike church did vniuersally beleeue Qui quicquid vniuersaliter antiquitùs ecclesiam catholicam tenuisse cognouerit id solum sibi tenendum credendumque decernit But the ancient church is not this late Romish church within this fiue or sixe hundred yeeres but the apostolike and primitiue church Now whatsoeuer commeth from late popes albeit the same hath had some hundreds of yéeres coÌ„tinuance yet is the same new and no part of the ancient catholike religion for that it hath no beginning from Christ nor from the apostles nor was vniuersally receiued of the most ancient church of Christ That corruption I say of poperie is new which the church of England refuseth as appéereth by diuers particular points First the very chéefe groundes and principles of popish religion and the lawes whereby they stande haue no greater antiquitie then from Iohn the 22. Clement the fift Boniface the eight Gregorie the ninth or to go to the highest from Hildebrand otherwise called Gregory the seuenth for from him doth a Bullarium hée that made a collection of all the popes buls and lawes fetch their first originall Before that it may be diuers bishops and popes wrote decretall epistles but vntill this time they had no force of law Nay before this time all histories do teach vs that the church was gouerned partly by the lawes of Emperors and partly by the canons of councels Now that the decretals of the popes being receiued and authorized for lawes are the foundation of popish religion it is apparent For therein all the nouelties of the Romish church are confirmed and established And b In praefat ante relect princip doctr Stapleton doth in plaine termes affirme so much In hac docentis hominis authoritate saith hée in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentum necessariò poni credimus And generally all papists confesse that the pope is the souereigne iudge in matters of religion Whereupon it followeth that his determinations and decretals are the chéefe groundes of popish religion Secondly the apocryphall Scriptures of Toby Iudith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus the two bookes of the Machabees and the additions extant in the Latine translation and not in the original bookes which are as second grounds of popery were not declared of equall authoritie with other canonicall scriptures before the councell of Trent At that time also was the Latin vulgar translation made
Lib. calam 3. Mantuan Templa sacerdotes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces caelum est venale deusque They do also sell Christ and therefore by Brigit are pronounced to be worse then Iudas Deteriores sunt Iuda saith a Brig 132. onus eccles c. 23. Christ in Brigittes reuelations qui pro solis denarijs me vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio The pope he b Taxa poenitent selleth pardons and Iubleies making most gaine of foulest sins Of the schollers of Simon Magus the friers haue learned to worship the images of their founders For as they c August de baeres c. 1. worshipped the images of Simon and Helena so do the papists worship the images of Francis and Dominike and Clare and Brigit and other founders of the diuers sectes of monkes and friers The d Iren. aduers haeres li. 1. c. 23. Basilidians were reputed heretikes For that they worshipped images and vsed enchantements and superstitious adiurations How then can the papistes excuse themselues that worship images and fill euery corner of their churches full of them and coniure and enchant water candels hearbes flowers and such like making exorcistes and coniurers a holy order and that order a sacrament of the church Carpocrates e Irenaus lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 24. vsed to worship images and Marcellina one of his followers as saint f Augustin de haeres c. 7. Augustine saith adored the images of Iesu and Paul and burnt incense vnto them If then this were heresie in thē why should it not be heresie in papists to worship the image of Iesu with diuine worship and to burne incense not onely before that image but also before the images of other saintes The g Iren. lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 23. Epiph. haeres 24. Carpocratians and Basilidians Did conceale and hide the mysteries of their religion least holy things should be cast to dogs So likewise the papistes kéepe the mysteries of their religion secret and will not haue lay men to dispute of them They reade scriptures and prayers in toongues vnknowne and say the words of consecration and diuers other prayers secretly that the people heare not and al this as they stick not to say Least holy things should be cast to dogs For no better do heretickes estéeme of Christians then of dogs The Marcosians did h Iren. lib. 1. c. 18. baptise in an vnknowne language and annoint those whom they baptised with chrisme or Opobalsamum They annoint also their dead and giue them extreme vnction l Ibid. c. 9. Epiph. haeres 34. Marcus their founder went about to make his followers beléeue That he did transubstantiate wine into bloud in the sacrament a Ibidem They accounted themselues perfect but as b Ibidem c. 15. Irenaeus saith Perfectus nemo nisi qui maxima mendacia apud eos fructificauerit Finally they c Ibidem c. 17. Epiphan haeris 34. alleage A multitude of apocryphall scriptures which themselues haue forged All which heresies the papistes haue translated into their religion For they also baptize in a language not vnderstood of the people and vse greasing and annointing in baptisme and confirmation They do also annoint men when they lye a dying and beléeue that the wine in the Lords cup is transubstantiate into blood Their orders of religion do account themselues to be in state of perfection but the most perfect of them which are employed by the pope in defence of the popish faction and religion do fructifie in telling of greatest lyes Finally for proofe of their traditions and doctrine they forge diuers writings and write new deuised legendes and now lately for a cardinals hat haue they hired one Caesar Baronius to corrupt the historie of the church with innumerable fables and lyes The Nazarites were condemned for heretickes first for that they d Angustin de haeres c. 9. Epiph. de haeres Nazaraeor 29. mingled Iudaicall ceremonies with the doctrine of Christianity and secondly for that they boasted much of their reuelations and miracles The like sentence is therefore to be pronounced against the papistes which e In missali Rom in fine consecrate euery yéere A paschall lambe and obserue the Iewish Iubiley and Iewish feastes and haue translated the ceremonies of the leuiticall priesthood into their synagogue and bragge much of their reuelations and miracles and f Bellar. de not eccles make them a marke of the church The g Augustin de haeres c. 16. Epiph. haeres 36. Heracleonites did annoint their followers departing out of this life and gaue them their extreme vnction Likewise they did say prayers ouer the dead For which they are numbred among heretikes So it séemeth that the papists haue borrowed their extreme vnction their dirges and masses for the dead from heretikes The followers of Helzai as h Haeres 19. ante Christ Epiphanius reporteth and the Osseni likewise Sweare by salt and bread and other creatures and worship the spittle reliques of two of their saints This i Ibidem Helzai did also teach his disciples to pray in a toong not vnderstood by them Nemo quaerat interpretationem saith hée sed solum haec dicat and then hée addeth a praier in a strange toong These heresies the papists also embrace For they sweare commonly by creatures yea by bread and salt and by saints as the Helzaites did They kéepe the ashes excrements and reliques of their saints and worship them Finally they pray in vnknowne toongs and say it is not materiall albeit a man vnderstand not what hée praieth a Damascen de haeres Marcion gaue women power to baptize and albeit he had corrupted a maiden yet did hée much extoll virginitie à Marcione saith b Haeres 42. Epiphanius virginitas praedicatur Hée also stood much vpon fasting c Lib. 1. c. 30. aduers haeres Irenaeus saith that he and Saturninus began to teach abstinence from liuing creatures Hée did also d Epiph. haeres 42. teach that By Christes descending into hell diuers mens soules were thence deliuered and e Tertul. aduers Marcion separated marriages for religion Of which heresies the papists do sauour very strongly For they do also f C. adijcimus 16. q. 1. c. mulier de consecrat dist 4. authorize women to baptize and extoll virginitie and fasting highly and yet obserue neither Their monkes shoulde abstaine from flesh They separate mariages vpon pretence of religion and teach that the fathers were deliuered by Christs descension into hell out of that place which they call Limbum Patrum The Messalians beléeued that baptisme was onely auaileable to cut away former sinnes So likewise the papists beléeue that baptisme doth purge sinnes past and that sinnes committed after baptisme are to bée done away by penance Against them both g Diuinor decret c. de baptismo Theodoret teacheth That baptisme is the
contrary in diuers maine points to the doctrine of the apostles Seuenthly they do neither retaine vnion with Christ Iesus nor with the ancient Church nor among themselues Eightly their decretaline doctrine is neither sound nor holy nor hath any efficacie in it nor hath other fountain then the popes fancie Ninthly their legendary miracles and prophecies whereupon a great part of the credit of the Romish faith dependeth are nothing but lies and forgerie and those ofttimes very ridiculous Tenthly their strange nouelties and heresies haue béene by many both olde late writers reproued and condemned Lastly as the authours of it haue liued vnhappily and died miserably for the most part so those that haue gone about to restore true religion and to roote out Romish idolatrie and heresie haue for this onely cause felt Gods great fauour towardes them both in their liues and ends 44 The Church of Rome is also conuicted not to be the true Church by the confession of a Relect. doct princip cont 1. q. 5. Stapleton For if the true Church began at Hierusalem and is vniuersally dispersed and hath continued in all ages and hath a true succession of bishops from the apostles and disagreeth not about matters of faith nor dissenteth from the head of the church and which hath planted christian religion preserued the same throughout the world and hath kept the apostolike forme of gouernment and preuailed against all heresies and temptations keeping the rule of faith sound and intire and which also sheweth the true way of saluation and keepeth the scriptures sound and pure frō corruption and finally which holdeth the decrees of all generall councels as blundering Stapleton not only confesseth but after his most odious and tedious fashion with multitude of words goeth about to proue then is not the church of Rome that now is the true church of christ Iesus For to say that the church of Rome began at Hierusalem is as absurd as to say that Rome is Hierusalem or to affirm that Rome now is like to old Rome Our aduersarie should do vs great fauour to shew that the glorie and fulnesse of power that the pope challengeth together with his cardinals dumbe bishops masse-priests idle monks lying fryars and all the popes decretals and ceremonies are come from Hierusalem He may doe also well to proue that the latter scholasticall and decretaline doctrine was vniuersally receiued throughout the world either in the apostles times or in the times of the ancient Fathers of the Church The rocke of succession vpon which they build so huge conclusions we haue shewed to be nothing but a banke of sand We haue shewed also that their doctrine is not only diuers but contrarie to the doctrine of Christ the head of the Church and of his apostles And how great contentions haue béene in the Romish church not onely the schismes and warres betwixt popes and princes but also the differences about all points of religion which is apparant both in the disputes of schoolmen and also in the writings of Bellarmine and his consorts do declare That the Romanists haue corrupted the faith not onely with nouelties but also with diuers heresies and haue changed both the ancient forme of apostolike gouernement and also the principles and grounds of faith established both by Fathers and councels and by the apostles themselues and haue yéelded to heresies and béene ouercome of the gates of hell I thinke no man can doubt that readeth this discourse and compareth the late procéedings of the Romish church to the rule deliuered vnto vs by Christ Iesus 45 Finally the testimony of a In his motiues Bristow doth vtterly ouerthrow the Church of Rome and declareth it not to be the true church For he commendeth that for the true church that is catholike and apostolike and which abhorreth all nouelties and heresies and idolatrie and whose doctrine is confirmed by scriptures most certaine traditions councels fathers and practise of the ancient church and which teacheth the narrow way and maketh subiects obedient and hath infallible iudges and is sure to continue But the Romish church is neither catholike nor apostolike neither doth it abhorre either heresie or idolatrie nor shun profane nouelties The doctrine of that church hath neither ground of scripture ancient councels nor fathers neither can the Romish doctors bring any certaine proofe of their traditions It teacheth a broad way and maketh rebellious subiects In iudgemēt it hath no other certaintie then the popes determination Finally already that tower of Babel which is built so high doth begin to totter and as we trust cānot long stand Further he saith that euerie church that is risen after the first planting of religion and gone out of the catholike church and from the apostolike doctrine and is not the communion of saintes nor euer visible and lastly that is not the teacher of all diuine truth and the vndoubted mother of Christs children is not the true church of Christ But the Church of Rome as it is now visible in the pope and cardinals and officers of the popes chamber in popish prelates sacrificing priests monkes friers and nunnes and their officers and adherents rose out of the earth long after the apostles times and went out of the catholike apostolike church and hath for the popes quarrell opposed it selfe against Christ and his true doctrine The same is also departed from the ancient faith and is no more to bée tearmed Christs Church which is a communion of saints linked together in the profession of Christs true faith but rather the combination of antichrist and the synagogue of Satan Such a church as is now to be séene at Rome and in the prouinces adhering to it was not visible many ages after Christ neither was any such church for a long time extant in the world neither when the same began to shew her selfe in great ruffe did she either teach all truth or refuse all heresie false doctrine or beare or bring forth children to Christ but to antichrist And therfore we may safely conclude that the Romish church of these times is the synagogue of Satan and not the true church of Christ Iesus The nature and propertie of the true and vnspotted spouse of Christ the inseparable qualities of true faith and such as truly professe the same and finally the confession and doctrine of the aduersaries themselues when they speake of the true church and true faith and true professours and matters incident vnto them in generall do declare it to be so CHAP. V. That no papists haue beene executed in England since her Maiesties comming to the crowne for meere matter of religion but for their treasons or other capitall offences HItherto wée haue spoken in the defence of our religion and Christian profession It resteth therefore nowe séeing our aduersary doth not onely calumniate our religion but our lawes also and gouernment that wée speake somwhat in defence of iustice especially so farre foorth as it
concerneth the popish faction that pretendeth thereby to be greatly wronged Our a In his first encounter aduersarie saith That manie honorable and worshipfull gentlemen haue endured continuall and intolerable affliction for perseuering in their fathers faith and that aboue a 100. priests haue bin tortured hanged and quartered for the same cause These men he cléereth b In the conclusion of his encounters from treason celebrateth their martyrdome Likewise Cardinall c Ad persequutores Anglos Allen in his treatise against the execution done vpon popish priests and their consorts doth greatly complaine of Persecution iniustice tyrannie and extreme crueltie and beareth the worlde in hande That they were very innocents and without iust cause died for matters of their conscience onely and not as the sentence of their condemnation ran for their treasons and wicked practises against the state and finally That they are to be esteemed as holy martyrs and not as leude traytors And because few of late time haue opposed themselues against these fellowes exclamations and accusations not onely diuers abroad haue had a heard conceite of our dooings but also some euen among vs haue doubted of the matter and of late time either staied or moderated the execution of lawes against them I haue therefore thought it a very necessary point to resolue you that the popes agents and adherents that haue within this realme béene executed about his quarrels haue died for treason and not religion and are to bée estéemed as traytors and not as martyrs and that the rest of their consorts are to praise God for her Maiesties great clemencie and moderation that suffereth them to enioy their ease and pleasures whom neither religion nor lawes nor rules of state nor reason will suffer to liue among vs beléeuing speaking and practising as they do First the law of God is very direct against false prophets and teachers that shall go about to drawe vs to serue other gods Propheta ille saith a Deut. 13. Moyses aut fictor somniorum interficietur Afterward hée saith That if our brother or sonne or friend yea or wife that lieth in our bosome shall go about to induce vs to idolatrie our eie must not spare them nor haue mercie on them to hide them Neque parcat ei oculus tuus vt miserearis occultes eum sed statim interficies Neither is it to bée doubted but that popish priestes are within the compasse of false prophets and teachers that woulde drawe vs to worship the idole of the masse angels and saints departed the images of the Trinitie and crosse and stocks and stones and ashes and bones we know not of whom nay to worship our owne fancies and opinions which is a grosse point of idolatrie The b Apocal. 2. Bishop of Pergamus is sharpely reprooued for that he suffered certaine false teachers that spred and held the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans The prophet Helias caused Baals priests to be slaine The c Tit. 2. apostle commaundeth vs To reiect and auoide heretikes And saint Iohn d Iohn 2. forbiddeth vs either to receiue them into our houses or to salute them You that are the children of light saith e Epist ad Philadelph Ignatius fly the diuision of vnity and the euill doctrine of heretikes f Homil. 2. in genes Chrysostome exhorteth Christians To flie from an heretike as from a madde man The emperors Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius g Cod. de haeret Manich. l. omnes haereses decréed That all heresies forbidden either by Gods lawes or imperiall constitutions should for euer be silenced Omnes vetitae legibus diuinis imperialibus constitutionibus haereses say they perpetuò quiescant They forbid also hereticall prelates to teach or to ordeine inferior ministers The emperors h Ibidem l. cuncti haeretici Arcadius and Honorius tooke from heretikes all places of méeting and forbad the exercise of their religion vnder a gréeuous penalty They also confiscated all their goods and depriued them of ability to buy or sell or to make a testament or last will Finally g Ariani Theodosius and Valentinian adiudged certeine heretikes woorthy of death To conclude this point saint Augustine albeit sometime he taught that heretikes were not to be forced with penalties and punishments to embrace religion yet retracted his opinion and highly commended these imperiall lawes against heretikes In hoc saith h Epist 48. he seruiunt reges Christo ferendo leges pro Christo And againe Quis meÌ„tis sobrius regibus dicat nolite curare in regno vestro à quo defendatur aut oppugnetur ecclesia domini vestri Non ad vos pertineat in regno vestro quis velit esse religiosus quis sacrilegus Neither néede we vse many wordes in this case séeing our aduersaries not onely yéelde but also contend that all extremity is to be vsed against false prophets and false heretikes and their practise is not onely to confiscate their goods and to banish such but also to kill them and torture them with all rigour But no man can doubt whether papists be heretikes and their teachers false prophets and seducers but such as either are not resolued in religion or are vtter enimies of true religion First then we are to vnderstand that religion cannot bée maintained vnlesse heresies be suppressed Secondly religion doth require at the handes of magistrates that they defende themselues their state and people against all rebâ—ls and traytors and practisers against the state For the magistrate i Rom. 13. Carieth not the sword in vaine is gods minister for our good a reuenger of wickednes The principall end scope of princes is to protect their subiects against all violence and seditious practises k 1. Tim. 2. Obsecro saith the apostle primum omnium fieri obsecrationes orationes postulationes gratiarum actiones pro omnibus hominibus pro regibus omnibus qui in sublimitate sunt vt quietam tranquillam vitam agamus in omni pietate castitate l Isai 49. Kinges they are foster fathers and Quéenes foster mothers of the church and therefore may not such suffer the church either by force or practise of Iebusites and Cananites to bee oppressed How do Kinges better serue the Lord saith Saint m Epist 50. Augustine then by forbidding thinges contrary to Gods commandements and punishing seuerely such as offend Quomodo reges domino seruimus in timore nisi ea quae contra iussa Domini fiunt religiosa seueritate prohibendo atque plectendo And the n Rom. 13. apostle signifieth That we pay tribute for that they are gods ministers and do him in this point seruice And subiectes as the p Tit. 3. apostle teacheth are to Yeeld obedience to princes viz. that all may concurre to this end that the state may bée preserued in tranquillitie If then our Iebusites and priestes and their consorts the recusants and Cananites
haue wholy and almost soly procéeded If wée looke not to them assuredly they will not spare vs. All true Englishmen are to defende their countrey their wiues and children from forreine enimies which these vnnaturall rinegate Iebusites and priestes haue sought to bring vpon vs as the practises of Allen Parsons Englefield and others do declare and some priestes more honester then the rest confesse and séeme to mislike But séeing they like the popes authoritie and doctrine they do but dissemble when they séeme to mislike that which followeth necessarily of it as a conclusion vpon premisses All that possesse landes or goods haue reason to looke that they bée not diuided as spoiles either by publike enimies or seditious and mutinous mal-contents Let them therefore haue an eie to those whose comming is to maintaine an opposite faction and whose end is to execute the popes bull and to ouerthrow the gouernment which bringeth with it diuision spoile and confusion The reuerend Bishops and clergie especially are to oppose themselues not onely against their doctrine which through some mens securitie and the diligence and watchfulnesse of the enimie beginneth to take more roote and in more places then in times past but also against their trecherous practises The ouerthrow of religion and their death aboue all others is resolued as appéereth by the testimony of a certaine k In a treatise of causes why he did not submit himselfe to the Iesuites priest speaking of the determinations of the rebels and enimies anno 1588 if God had not crossed their deseignes He sheweth also that a certaine special note is made by one of their adherentes of all abbey landes and church liuings and in whose handes they are which is the spoile that our Iesuites gape and thirst after It is also a dangerous matter for lawyers when matters come to be diuided by force and not ordred by law and would quite ouerthrow all their practise It behooueth therefore the honorable Iudges and learned lawyers diligently to looke to these fellowes procéedings to prouide that matters be not brought from the barre in Westminster hall to a triall in open fielde from pleading of lawes to violence and blowes Neither haue you papists that fauour your holy father whom you know not and blindly condemne true religion which you vnderstand not cause to trust your Iesuits priests too farre For they for truth deliuer you heresie and superstition for religion and if you take not better héede will engage you so farre in practise and treason that you shall not bée able to winde out of their labyrinthes plots Their perswasions are like Pontike honie of which l Natural hist lib. 21. Pliny speaketh which albeit it be faire in shew yet by reason it is gathered vpon noysome vnholsome herbes flowers prooueth ranke poison So these false teachers with a smooth countenance do giue you verie swéete and hony words and make you beléeue that the Spaniardes are your swéete friendes and that it will bée honie moone with you if once you may get vp your masses your roodes your images your beades holy water and other trash But beware that your hony be not mixed with gall and poyson and that it prooue not Pontike or rather pontificall and papall hony and remember that I haue tolde you that to séeke by forreine force or domesticall sedition or practise against the prince or state to bring in your intended deuises is a matter of high treason and a matter most dangerous to your selues your houses associates and followers If then you will not giue ouer your ouerthwart course for the loue that euery natural Englishman beareth to his Prince and countrey nor for the inward detestation that euerie man ought to haue of treason and disturbation of lawes and gouernment yet may the danger that hangeth ouer your owne heads as well as ours mooue you to consider better of matters before you runne headlong into those attempts into which the popes agents would drawe you If you be taken packing the state standing as it doth you know you stand in bad termes And if you should prooue so strong that lawe cannot be executed against you yet may you not suppose to runne away with the spoyle without contradiction You must imagine that other mens swords will cut as well as yours and that the sway of authoritie and countenance of the magistrate commaunding for truth and iustice will alwaies be able to daunt the pride of rebels or malcontents The effects of ciuill dissension are alwaies lamentable to both sides and neuer hath rebellion yet had good successe Of your selues you may not thinke to preuaile being the weaker and worst side and if you bring in strangers first you shall make your selues odious to your owne nation next you shall be made the first spoyle both to friends and foes and in the ende must submit your selfe to those that obtaine the victorie and receiue that at the hands of others which now you possesse quietly by the benefit of her Maiesties gouernment Content your selfe therefore if you be wise with the fauour you enioy and intricate not your selues with those that séeke to trouble the peace of this state and to make you the instruments of their wicked and trecherous intentions Finally this generation of rebellious malcontents that séeke by forrein force to establish their authoritie and Romish religion ought generally to be hated of all true christians and true harted patriots and subiects Of Christians for their factious courses against religion contrarie to the practise of all truely religious and catholike Christians For neither did Christ establish his doctrine by force nor did Christians euer vse force or seeke to take crownes from Princes Of all true patriots for that they seeke to destroy their countrey and to giue it as a spoyle to the Spaniards as the practises of Allen and Paâ—sons and all their consorts doe declare Of all true subiects for that they seeke to depriue vs of so gracious a Princesse and to subiect the crowne to the pope that is a most wicked and cruell tyrant and the publike enimie of our religion and this state Parsons will percase denie this to be true and great reason he hath so to doe but we haue conuicted him and all his consorts and all the schollers of the trayterous seminaries combined with him and with the pope and Spaniard of so many treasons as no wordes nor protestations nor oathes will cleere them I doubt not therefore but the magistrate will muzzell the mouthes of these wolues and prouide that these traytors that are continually working mischiefe to the state be not any longer let loose to doe hurt It behooueth also all true Christians and loyall subiects to open their eies that they be not taken sléeping In time past men did not imagine that Allen Parsons Campian Holt Englefield and other Iebusites and priestes and their consorts and adherents had any other intention then to plant their popish and
others and is one of the head pillers of our religion setteth out Eureux as a singular rare fellow a Hercules new come from hell a patriarch of the popes side â—scourse of â—â—rence â—eâ— and one that hath endeuoured to conuert others For Eureux is no other then I haue before declared Neither hath he conuerted any to religion but rather peruerted them seeking like Cacus to draw beastes backward into his denne of popery and there to hide them in darknesse Contrariwise the Lord of Plessis hath vsed all plaine and honest dealing in his writings and is therefore we confesse much prised among vs. And yet not so as we make him a piller of our religion which is not built vpon humane meanes and writings but vpon the word of God Neither doe we make such reckoning of his booke written against the Masse as if our cause did stand vpon that booke or any other mans worke Howbeit such are the grounds of his booke that as yet neither Italian nor French Iebusite nor other could ouerthrow it Manie curres haue long barked against it diuers priests fryers iâ— their chaires and in wine-tauernes haue spoken their pleasure against it But yet it standeth firme against the malice of many aduersaries and with sound argument cannot be ouerthrowne nor shaken Hauing talked his pleasure of the parties our relator descendeth to discourse of the occasions of the conference but hée should much dissent from himselfe if he should tell truth For where he saith that after that diuers examining the booke of the Lord of Plessis had found many most egregious falsifications and had cried out against them in pulpit the king diuers noble men that were protestants as namely the duke of Bullion Rosni Desguieres and others began to call vpon the triall of M. Plessis his booke for that it seemed to touch all their honours and of their religion especially There is scarce any shadow of truth or honest dealing For first the charge of egregious falsifications and of thousands of falshoods shall neuer be prooued against M. Plessis his writings But if we list to examine the lying decretals of popes the fabulous legends of the synagogue of Rome the cogging commentaries of Caesar Baronius the iangling disputes of Bellarmine his consorts we shall easily find here that number of falsifications which the aduersaries séek other where Secondly it is a most shamelesse vntruth to say that either the king or any other saue the Lord of Plessis himselfe and the Duke of Bullion that exhibited his supplication to the king did desire any such triall For if the king had called vpon this triall what should M. Plessis haue néeded to employ all his friends to procure that he might haue an hearing And what reason had either Rosni or Desguieres to deale in a matter that pertained not to theÌ„ Thirdly it is a ridiculous conceit to thinke that al these noblemens honours stood vpon the credite of a booke that was written by another or that our religion could not stand without the support of this treatise though otherwise neuer so excellent But this is but a tricke of Parsons cunning to aduance the fame of his supposed victorie It is also a most manifest vntruth that the king did shew great indifferencie in iudgement betwixt both parties For the world knoweth this conference was nothing but a packe with the popes Nuntio for the aduancing of the popes credite and the disgrace of the Lord of Plessis that the king made him selfe partie in the disputation against him and shewed all grace â—o Eureux denying all meanes of indifferent triall to the Lord of Plessis Neither doth he obserue more religion in relating the manner and issue of the triall where he saith that the day being appointed for the conference M. Plessis seemed to shrinke and vse delayes and that at the length he appeared with foure or fiue ministers on his side The same may be answered to Eureux his vainglorious letters who writeth that the victory of the combate betwixt the Lord of Plessis and him remained to the cacolyke church after many tergiuersations of M. Plessis and that sentence was prononced against him vpon euerie place and that those that came to assist him with one voyce condemned him Most falsly also doth the Popes Nuntio and another odde fellow write that M. Plessis was confounded in this combat and that those of the religion were more dismayed by the euill successe of this conference then if they had lost a battel of forty thousaÌ„d men Matters certes vntrue and very improbable For if M. Plessis had either shrunke or vsed any tergiuersatioÌ„ he would not so earnestly haue solicited this trial Nay albeit he perceiued the king to be made against him very plainly that the coÌ„ditions of the conference were so vnequal for him that scarce any would haue yéelded to theÌ„ yet did he resolue to procéed shut his eies against all difficulties bearing himselfe bold vpon his owne innocencie and refusing to heare those that willed him either to desist or to obtaine more equall conditions of tryall b A discourse of the conference at Fontainebleau But whatsoeuer M. Plessis did true it is that the Sorbonistes hearing of this quarrell aduised the popes Nuntio to take a course that it might procéede no further The popes Nuntio also dealt with the king for the hindering of the conference neither would he be satisfied vntill he was resolued that it should so procéed that the disgrace should fall on M. Plessis his side Finally Eureux being challenged priuatly made a publike matter of it as being vnable to deale hand to hand with his aduersarie and could neuer be drawn to performe his challenge either in refuting the whole booke or shewing 500. falsifications to be contained in the booke All that were present also can witnesse that M. Plessis had neither fower nor fiue nor any one to speake in his cause being still vrged not onely by his aduersarie whose arguments he weyed not but also by the king against whom his purpose was not to make himselfe partie Finally to whom the victorie belonged may appéere by that which hath béene said that he was condemned both by his owne friends and by the iudges and that our side was so dismaide as is reported is vtterly vntrue as both the euents and effects shew and those that were present are readie to testifie After this our relator taketh paines to set downe first the challenges on each side and M. Plessis his reply Next the kings letters Iames Perons owne report and the Nuntioes and an others letter sent to Rome Out of which I maruell what he is able to gather for his owne aduantage or not rather to his disaduaÌ„tage For by Perons offer made to M. Plessis in his answere to his challenge it appéereth that he hath fayled in performing it By M. Plessis his reply we gather that he could not obtaine any indifferent tryall
thing which he fathereth vpon Gardiner is a méere lie In the relation of the first thing also there are many vntruthes First whether the auditory were mooued or no at the bishops sermons it may be some question That the same was not mooued to beléeue the bishop if he said as much as is here written it is most certaine séeing the vntruth of his bragges of the kings fauour was so notorious Secondly that Gardiner should wéepe for denying the pope is a most ridiculous fiction Nay rather it séemed he wept that for sauing his temporal honors was here constrayned publikely to deny Christ and to adhere to Antichrist Thirdly it cannot be that Gardiner béeing néere his end should say those wordes that are set downe by this reporter For his toong was so swolne sometime before his death that he was not able to vtter one plaine word And if he did sometimes before his death lament his denyall with Peter yet could it not be that he meant of his abiuring the pope for Peter denied Christ and not the pope but of his plaine renouncing of Christ to please the pope Fourthly it is ridiculous to thinke that Gardiner was a sléepe when he wrote his booke De vera obedientia Nay it was more likely that he was brought a sléepe when he listned to the popes enchantements and forgetting Christ followed the course of the world Lastly all his wéeping sobbing and sighing was counterfait and his sorrow feined onelie to please the popes legate But saith our aduersarie If euer man might take vpon him to talke of a sleepe or dreame in matters of our common wealth then might Gardiner do it As if it were so great a matter to talke of sléeping Sure Gardiners and this fellowes talke is so euill fitted that they séeme to dreame while they reasoned of sléeping and come not néere that sléepe of which the apostle speaketh Philosophers say that sléepe is a binding of the senses and that it is rather a time of rest and quiet then of trouble and tossing too and fro Further in sléepe men oftentimes do thinke they sée and féele which they sée not nor féele not Absurdly therefore shoulde the times of king Henry and king Edward be compared to a sléepe if there were in those times such stirres and troubles as this fellow surmiseth Beside that when More and Fisher lost their heades it was no idle fancie such as is represented vnto vs when we sléepe Neither if the king was so much troubled about matters of religiō as this sléeping Noddy or Nodding sléeper pretendeth then was he not in a sléepe So then the similitude of sléepe a troubled state was very vnfit And yet to fit the same he feineth I know not what troubles in the kings minde about his diuorce and matters of religion most falsely For excepting those troubles which the pope stirred and Gardiner by his euil counsel procured there hapned to the king nothing more then ordinary Nay after his diuorce from his brothers wife his mind was setled and after the abrogation of the popes authority both he and his subiects receiued great contentment and his state great assurance He telleth further How Gardiner was wont to say of the king that leauing to loue her whom by gods and mans lawes he was bound to loue he neuer loued any person hartily afterward But this is not likely séeing Gardiner was a principall agent in the kings diuorce and knew that neyther gods law nor mans law was against it Nay he knew that it was directly against gods law for a man to mary the relict of his brother and that mans lawes also forbid it Lastly it is apparent that all that allowed this mariage stood onely vpon the popes dispensation which now all men know not to be worth a straw Beside this all this talke concerning the kings diuorce is impertinent to the sermon and more impertinent to Gardiners text about which the question is betwixt vs and argueth nothing but the extreame hatred and malice of the popish faction against the noble king Henry the eight of famous memorie whom vpon euery occasion yea and without occasion they are alwaies ready to traduce and all because he dispossessed the pope of his vsurped authoritie This is also the roote of their malice against Quéene Elizabeth which hath mooued them to publish so many scurrilous libels against her Neither haue they spared that innocent king the hope of our time so vntimely taken from vs king Edward the sixt vnto whom most impudently this railing companion doth impute the tumults and rebellions that were raised in his time by certaine seditious priests and papists in Deuonshire and Cornewall He vttereth also diuers reprochfull spéeches against the Protector and vainely braggeth of the antiquitie of popery whose nouelties are now apparent to all the worlde But what maketh all this either for the defence of Gardiners sermon or else for the iustification of Gardiners cruell murdring of Gods saints or for the cléering of him for diuers practises both against the Ladie Elizabeth now Queene and also against the state of religion this realme Is it not apparent that this Noddy in the midst of his long discourse hath lost himselfe and forgot the matter in hand The matter it selfe doth shew it But no doubt we shall heare of him againe shortly in some new practise or rebellion In the meane while let vs heare what he hath to say for his copartener in all treason the Cardinall Allen. He saith That the Cardinall albeit he wished moderation in yoonger men yet himselfe might speake his minde freely concerning the popes excommunication against the Queene As if that were not vnlawfull for him that was vnlawfull for others or as if it were not the part of an vnnaturall disloyall and impious traytor so to rayle and reuel against the Quéene his country the state of religion and all that loue her and the state as this rinegued and infamous wretch doth in the declaration of the pope Sixtus Quintus his bull against his Quéene and country and in his libels directed to the nobility and people of England and Ireland which he meant to haue published anno 1588. I néed not to touch other writings of his for that this passeth all nay therein he surpasseth himselfe and all that wrote before him The Quéene he calleth at his pleasure and doth not onely by manifold reasons disable her right but by infinite calumniations endeuour to make her odious to all posterity and not onely to her subiectes that now liue He setteth foorth the Spanish forces and stirreth vp all papists to take part with them vpon paine of the popes curse He rayleth at all those that eyther loue religion or liue in obebience or fauour the state And yet this discourser doth defend his dooing therein and saith he might do it fréely And no doubt but the papistes that adhere to the popes authority are of his opinion But will you heare his braue
reasons As in a great and noble house saith he Iarres and breaches falling out betwixt the goodman and the goodwife their eldest children may declare what they thinke with reuerence to both parts so in the church her Maiestie beeing our mother and the pope the spirituall father to all cacolikes Cardinall Allen Sanders Bristow Stapleton and such like as elder children may speake their mindes as well of the causes of the breaches betweene them as of the right of both parties This is the summe of his defence but how vnsufficient you shall easily iudge by the sequele First it standeth on false groundes Secondly it conteineth ridiculous matter Thirdly it maketh against him that made it For first we denie the pope to be any christians spirituall father For hée begetteth none by preaching but destroieth infinite soules by maintaining false doctrine and ruinateth christendome by warres murders and trecherous practises We deny also that Allen Sanders or any such trecherous companion hath any prerogatiue of birthright either in church or common-wealth Nay they haue declared themselues to be traitors and strange children enimies to their prince countrey We say further that no lawfull bishop much lesse the pope that is onely a bishop in name and title hath power to depriue a prince of his state We say finally it is a malepert part for a childe to determine that the father may put awaie his mother and such a one with a little helpe will declare his father a cruell husband his mother a dishonest woman and himselfe a bastardly sonne Secondly it is ridiculous to compare the pope to the goodman and princes to the good wife of the house séeing these two do neuer kéepe house togither and considering that the pope doth in his owne order vtterly condemne lawfull mariage Againe what more fonde then to compare the popes hostile procéedings to iarres that fall out betwixt man and wife in a priuate house Doth the goodman vpon euery iarre damne and curse his wife Doth he seeke to cut her throte as this good fellow doth the Quéenes Lastly how ridiculous is it to compare Allen Sanders Bristow Stapleton and such like to children when they haue declared themselues old knaues ouergrowne in all trecherie and villanie and run out of their natiue countrey Do children runne from their mother and forsake her house to follow a reputed father I knowe not where Is not this the part of bastardes and not of children Thirdly if children ought with reuerence to respect their mother then is this Allen a most vnnaturall sonne that hath with all villanous and reprochfull termes railed against his mother Then are the rinegued priests Iesuites and their consorts murdring parricides that by all meanes haue sought the destruction of their mother nay of the most kinde mother that euer this people of England had Againe if shée be as the good wife and the pope as the good man yet must not he take vpon him to be iudge in his owne cause Nor ought any woman to be dispossessed of her right but by lawfull iudges and orderly procéeding It is a strange kind of diuorce that is made by force of armes But what eyther Parsons the Iesuite talketh of the affection of parents that neuer knew his right father or bastardly traytors talke of the right of princes of which they are ignorant it greatly skilleth not Wherefore seeing nothing is more apparent then that Cardinall Allen conspired with the pope and Spaniardes to worke the destruction of his prince and countrey and came with them anno 1588. ready with fire and sworde to destroie this lande and when hée coulde do no woorse barked out a multitude of hellish slanders against the prince the state and all goodmen among all the traitors and enimies of this countrey he deserueth to be in the first ranke The same accompt also we are to make of N. D. and all his consorts that allow his villanies and treasons And thus much may suffice to answere our aduersaries in wordes The rest I referre to those that carry the sworde which no doubt will prouide as in such time of danger the magistrates of Rome were woont Ne quid resp detrimenti ab istis capiat CHAP. V. Of Iesuites and their disciples and consorts against N. D. his fift encounter THe dispute and controuersie betwixt our aduersarie vs béeing héere about Iesuites their leud and bloudie practises I woulde gladly knowe the reason why he runneth out into so large and ample a discourse of his father the pope in this chapter and the rather for that he hath reserued for him a proper and a peculiar tract and a place of great dignitie in that part that foloweth héereafter Was it not thinke you to let vs vnderstand howe nobly the Iesuites are descended hauing Antichrist for their father and the whoore of Babylon for their mother If this were not the cause then let Parsons the Iesuite the author of the Wardeword I trow and one that for want of a father is constreined to runne to the pope that is now the father of all ribaldes traytors murderers empoisoners and enimies to this state let him I saie shewe me what is the true cause He may do well also to shew vs in what bordell he left the honest woman his mother and to set downe his whole petigrée that hée may cléere himselfe of irregularitie and let his friendes vnderstand his descent and high nobilitie In the meane while let vs sée what he hath to say first for his holy father and next for himselfe and his consorts First he is much offended that the popes doctrine is called Dregs poison and superstition but assuredly without iust cause For who séeth not that the principall ground of poperieis tradition Themselues say that traditions are of equall dignitie to the Scriptures If then it be drawne out of cisterns of traditions and not out of the pure streames of gods word it is no maruell if in these cisterns there be found much dregs corruption Now adde vnto traditions all the popes decretals and scholasticall fancies and subtilties of friers and their followers and then the filth of popish doctrine must néedes séeme much greater Againe séeing they haue drawne into their synagogue many customes whereof some are Iewish other prophane and heathenish they haue no wrong to bee charged with superstition From the Iewes they draw their Leuiticall priesthood the formes of their sacrifice and all the furniture of the masse their paschall lambe their Iubiley and popedome From the heathen they borrow their sacrifices and praiers for the dead their purgatorie the parts thereof their stationarie obambulations about the limits of parishes the canonizing and worship of saints departed their holy water and many such like ceremonies Lastly they haue translated many points of old condemned heresies into their cacolike religion With the Simonians they buy and sell freely not onely benefices and things annexed to spirituall things but also sacraments not