Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A18210
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A petition apologeticall, presented to the Kinges most excellent Maiesty, by the lay Catholikes of England, in Iuly last
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Lecey, John.
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1604
(1604)
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STC 4835; ESTC S120958
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34,556
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41
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probation and therein not to be any way stayned The second triall of our fidelities consisteth in matter likewise of fact a Catholikes behauiour tovvardes his Maiesties Predecessors and him selfe towardes your Maiesties Predecessors your Title in them and in your selfe and the effect of our loue and affection performed in all occasions that might giue contentment to your Maiesty both before and since your entraunce into this your Kingdome of England which we will endeauour to touch as briefly as we can It cannot be denied then in the first ranke of these our comportements but that we our selues in our times and our Catholike Parents before vs at all times of opportunity offered haue declared our deuouted affections to your said Highnes b Catholikes alvvayes affected to the K. Title to England right to this Crowne the testemonies whereof are in printed bookes and publike facts so manifest to the world that we neede not long dwell on that point vouchsafe therefore patience we beseech you DEARE SOVERAIGNE to heare some instances of the c Blessinges benefittes his Maiesty hath receiued by Catholikes blessinges and the benefits your Maiesty hath receiued by Catholikes and by our seruices and fidelities King Henry the vij th and his eldest Daughter from whome your Maiesty hath receiued lineally and directly your birth right and naturall succession to this Crowne were most zealous and religious Catholikes and for that singuler affection he did beare to the d Henry the 7. preferreth the Scotish King before the Frensh Scotish nation principally for their great zeale at all times to the Catholike religion preferred the same before Fraunce bestowing his said eldest Daughter on your Highnes great Grand-Father and the younger vpon the French King by which happy marriage came that lineall and rightfull descent of bloud that made your Maiesties renowned Mother Heyre apparant to this Crowne of England who also was the vndoubted e His Maiesties Mother lineall heire to King Edvvard the Confessor lineall Heire to King Edward the Confessor by his sister Margaret Queene and Saint and consequently your Maiesty from your Catholike Mother and her Catholike Predecessors hath not only receiued the hereditary succession of the Kingdome of Scotland but also a double right to the Crowne of England as f His Maiestie true heire both to the Saxon Norman Princes heire to the Saxon lineall line by a holy Saint Catholike Queene and heire to the Norman line by a most worthy Catholike Prince and a blessed Martir and all them vnited in her and nowe duly descended to your Maiesty Queene Mary It was the pious and vertuous Queene Mary and her Catholike subjects who cancelled the forged will of her Father King Henry the eight exceeding preiudiciall to your right in this Crowne that disproued it in Parliament and deposed the Protestant vsurping Queene Iane a Queene Iane set vp by Protestants deposed by Catholikes set vp then by the Protestants to the disinheriting of Henry the eight his daughters Queene Mary and Queene Elizabeth and his eldest sisters issue vvho was your Maiesties great Grand-mother and whose issue were in all right to haue beene preferred before her younger sister Grand-mother to the vsurping Protestant Queene Iane who so deposed by that renowned pious Catholike Queene Mary the Crowne by her royall prouidence was reserued to the rightfull and lawfull heires thereof consequently descended nowe to your Maiestie conformable to the lawe of God Nature and Nations The serpentine inuectiue made by Hales and other Protestants in the beginning of Queene Elizabethes raigne directly against your Maiesties Title thereby intending b Hales inuectiue against the Title of Scotland the aduauncement of a pretender potently in those daies possessed in the breastes of no meane multitudes was vpon the setting forth thereof in the time of Queene Elizabeth indelayedly vndertaken fully answered learnedly confuted by c Hales ansvvered by Iustice Brovvne M. Ployden both Catholikes Sir Anthony Browne then one of the Iustices of the common Pleas and lately before in Queene Maries raigne had beene chiefe Iustice of the same Court and M. Edmund Ployden famous Lawyers with the assent of other Catholike Diuines ciuill Lawyers and Gentlemen of good worth judgement and experience Howe many d Havvardes Persies Pagets Vaux Treshams Throghmortons Salisburies Abington families of Catholikes haue endured great damages and detrimentes in renowne and state for desire they had to maintaine the right of your most blessed Mothers Title in remainder and aduentures made to relieue her and deliuer the afflicted Princesse out of her captiuity with much abundant loue teares and affection your sacred mother testified publiquely at the end of her life Since your Mothers death we remayned euer e Catholikes behauiour after the martirdome of his Maiesties Mother constant to your Maiesties right to the succession of this Crowne not ebbing and flowing in our affections but resolute euer to liue or die with your Maiestie in that most just pretence but if any particular person in forraigne countries hath spoken or written to the contrary for his priuate and particular pretentions he is to answere for himselfe and his owne fact for therein we disclaime which party as we are credibly enformed hath both before and sithence the Queenes death done great diligence to giue your Maiesty satisfaction And your Maiesty is not ignorant we are assured what hath beene the carriage opinion and opposition of vs and our friendes euen in that particuler in the fauour and defence of your Maiesties right both within and without the Realme what a The daungers damages and disgraces vvhich M. Charles Paget Cap. Tresham M. Iohn Stonor of Stonor and diuers others suffred therefore are notorious dangers we haue passed at home and what slaunders and damages very many of our Catholike brethren haue suffered abroade for shewing themselues Scotish in faction as we were tearmed that b Scotish infaction vvhat is firmely immoueably affected to your Maiesties right of succession to this Crowne your Maiesty haue heard and we haue felt and shall feele our honours and estates thereby being extreamely diminished and eclipsed whiles we liue vnlesse your Maiesties pious royall hart vouchsafe to repaire and relieue the same Neither did your Maiesties c His Maiesties zeale in the Protestants Religion did nothing diminish the Catholikes forvvardnesse tovvardes his right and iustice zeale in the Protestant religion any way alter or diminish the just conceit and dutifull consideration we carried to that justice and right which God and nature had prepared for you from your cradell If then our carriage and affection to your Maiesty was such when your Religion was to ours so different your Person to vs vnknowne your fortune doubtfull the factions diuers the oppositions in all likelyhood very great and the euent of your affaires very vncertaine what may your Maiesty presume of vs nowe or rather what may you not
satisfaction And therefore if we may obtayne this fauour at your Graces handes to be assured in conscience by the decision of the learned Deuines of both sides that the act of going to the Protestants sermones and seruice is not a damnable sinne then if after such a A most humble and reasonable request A Councell conference of disputation dispute decision information we shall refuse to conforme our selues to your Maiesties will and example we thinke then there is reason to giue life and reestablishment to the lawes made against vs. And this may suffise we hope for discharge of the dutifull respect we beare to your Maiesty and desire we haue to giue your Grace all possible satisfaction in matter of our beleefe and Religion CHAPTER 5. The proofes of the lay Catholike fidelities Reasons of loyaltie AND nowe we come to the matter of our loyaltie obedience GRATIOVS SOVERAIGNE in the defence whereof we are driuen by the necessity of our affaires and importunity of our oppugners to insist more particulerly then otherwise were conuenient in respect of our owne modesty or your Highnes bounty and magnanimity who neuer yet omitted to recompence and pay suo loco tempore loue with loue subjection with protection and vertue with honour For the full finall clearing therefore of that point of disobedience and disloyalty wherewith wee are so often charged rather in hatred of Religion then of any ground or substance that euer could justly bee shewed may it please your Highnes to consider that there be b Three vvaies of triall three wayes for a prudent and circumspect Master to trie out the honesty and fidelity of his seruant accused of treachery Former behauiour The first by making inquisition of his former life and behauiour what Master he serued before in what estate and for howe long time and with what successe and trustines Present carriage The second to looke narrowly into his present quality and carriage and to be assured howe he is and hath beene affected to him his forefathers friendes and dependers The last to compare his actions and comportments aswell past as present with those that traduce him and to see what caution he can giue to stoppe his enemies suggestions for his future fidelitie a Comparison betvveene the Catholikes nevv Clergies comportments To this forme of triall DREAD SOVERAIGNE we submit our selues our liues and actions and will indeauoure to giue you full satisfaction in all the foresaid points of our carriage Vt obstruatur os loquentium iniqua to the end that the mouth of him that speaketh wicked things may be stopt that you may not withstanding what exclamations soeuer to the contrary serue your selfe of our poore forces liues and habilities in all your fortunes and imployments against all your foes and enemies whosoeuer To beginne then where we left when your Maiesty made your happy enteraunce into this Realme and to put you in minde by what degrees and for what desertes wee were brought into that miserable estate your Highnes found vs in It is well knowne that before our imprisonment and restraint vpon the statute of recusancy for the only Testemony of our consciences some of vs did beare offices in the common wealth and were dignified by the late Queene in which charges and negotiations without vaunt be it said our carriages were b Catholike behauiours before their restrainte disgrace for recusancy ciuill laudable and loyall and some of vs liued without charge yet not without credit and estimation of worshipfull and honest men and were aswell accepted reputed in the Countries and Prouinces where we dwelt and had commandment in as were any other of our neighbours of the like calling and degrees After our restraint our c Their demeanure after their restrainte behauiour was such as became Catholike Christian subjects towardes Christian Magistrates with all humility respect modestie and subjection euer either readylie doing what they enjoyned or patiently suffering what they imposed The long time of our persecutions the number of them that were afflicted the diuersity of their rankes qualities and of their humors and dispositions the perpetuity and variety of temptations tribulations the infinite indignities we passed thorowe for so many yeares if they had fallen out among any other constitutions of men then Catholike they might haue wroung very probably out of men well mortified patient some action of dislike or perilous practize of discontentment when such multitudes of all degrees were so assayled especially of people so resolute in that supreamest degree of fortitude which is as Aristotle defineth it Tristia pro virtute tollerare to indure heauy thinges for vertues sake a point very dangerous and whereof there want not plenty of lamentable euents rising from cases of desperate necessity which Abner the generall of Saules armie objected to Ioab Dauids Lieutennant in these wordes Exclamauit Abner ad Ioab ait Reg. 2 cap. 2. num vsque ad internecionem tuus mucro dâ—saeuiet an ignoras quod d Desperatio periculosa periculosa est desperatio vsquequo non dicis populo vt omittat persequi fratres suos And Abner cried out to Ioab shall thy sword be cruell euen to the death Knowest thou not that desperation is perilous Why dost not thou commaund the people that they cease to persecute their brethren But this may wee glory in REDOVBTED SOVERAIGNE that in all this time no diligence of our Aduersaries no Malice no Polecy no Curiosity no Argus eyes of which there was great store greedely prying into all our doinges could euer espie the least shadowe of disloyaltie in any one action of the publike weales professors and most sufferers in the cause notwithstanding the long and perpetuall course of their seruitudes and vexations The true reason whereof is the Doctrine we are taught by the Religion which wee professe which telleth vs that we must obey our Princes Non propter iram sed propter conscientiam not for anie indignation but for conscience sake and that to resist them is to resist Gods ordinaunce and this is the bitte and bridle that euery true Catholike carrieth in his mouth to restrayne him from that by grace and feare of Gods judgementes which flesh and bloud otherwise with the liuely sence and feeling of insupportable miseries and afflictions might driue him vnto In this case of our a The laye Catholikes fidelity to the late Queene dutifull behauiour in the late Queenes dayes fiant immici nostri iudices let our enemies be our judges therein let the Roles Registers and Recordes speake sithence the great penalties imposed vpon vs for recusancy what hath beene our Innocency our Integrity our vnimpeachable carriage and demeanour how free we haue beene from the least suspition of treason and practise as it pleased the Lordes of the late priuie Councell to tell vs b Catholikes iustified by the Lordes of the Councell