or herd of The Emperor knoweth not how much ambicion gyle malice craft and wickednes reygneth in hym he hathe begonne to broode in hys bosome suche a yonge adder as wyll shortly shot vp to a mightie dragon and wyll at lengthe digge out his owne eyes This priestlynge in continuaunce of tyme wyll so growe in ambicion pryde and bostyng in vayne glory that he will stablishe hys seate aboue the dignitie of Themperours There wyll a tyme come and it is now very nye at hand when it shal be nedefull for the Emperour if he will haue hys crowne he shall aske it receyue it if it please him to geue it at our bishops handes and that he shall come as an humble suter to hym and kysse his fete and he in the name of God a very holy byshoppe shall trede with hys fote vpon the Emperours throte Neyther wyll he bee contented with all that ignominy but in conclusion he wyll stryke of his heade Yt maye chaunce peraduenture that themperours name onelye shall remayne vnto hym but he shall not possesse one foote of land which shall properly be called themperours O lamentable state of thee O people of Rome What misery arte thou falling into Thou shalt bee taken from y e great dominion and noble renowme wherin thou diddest floryshe in tymes paste and shortly shalt bee made a dryuen drudge and a vile slaue of a most foule castaway priest Yf our old aūceant noble harted Romās shoulde lyue in those dayes how woulde they abide it when they should see the sacred senat house replenished with so many wycked theues But I see the churche of Rome comminge out of the church of S. Iohn Lateran she semeth to iourney towardes me and I desiere very muche to common with her I haue met her ī good time God saue you holy churche of Rome The churche Wishe ye me to bee saued when as I within this fewe dayes haue gotten so muche saluacion and helthe by the reason of the wonderfull dygnitie that I haue receaued at themperours handes whereby I am the mother of all other churches that the helth of al the whole world dependeth vpon me Therfore must not I receaue thys thynge of other but communicat it to all other The people Sence I vnderstode that our byshoppe is changed by the Emperour from most reuerend to most holy and most blessed I haue bē more troubled then euer was man and many and sundry doubtes doeth vexe my brayne The churche Shew me your doutes and I will resolue you fully in them al for ye know right wel that there is nothynge to be douted of myne answere I am now made blameles so that I can no more erre The People Tell me in good faithe had ye neuer a begynninge The churche Yes without question The people And who was youre mother that conceaued you The churche The churche of Hierusalem as it was forspokē by Esay the prophet The lawe came out of Sion and euen so the worde of god from Hierusalem Therfore when Christ ascended into heuen ther remayned none other churche in earthe besides the churche of Hierusalem and she by the ministery of thapostles begat all other churches The people Yf the churche of Hierusalem bee youre mother as ye confesse her to be howe then cōmeth it to passe now that the self same mother is made your doughter The churche O immortall god what a grosse phylosopher ye seme to be For euen as ye knowe ryght well that the selfsame virgin Mary is both the mother and doughter of Christe euen so am I my selfe the doughter of the church of Hierusalem also the mother of her and all other churches The people O how blynde was I now I perceaue howe the matter standeth As the vyrgyne Mary is the carnall mother of Christ also Christes doughter spiritually so be you where as in tymes paste ye were the spirituall doughter of the church of Hierusalem within this fewe daies ye are made the carnal mother of thesame churche and al other Nowe then seinge ye be the carnal mother of al churches ye shal as a carnal body be shortly infected so infected that in short time ye shall depraue destroy w t youre poison rottennes slander and corrupciō al other churches as well as your selfe And when they all be once poysened as ye bee ye shall beget them to hell as in tymes paste the churche of Hierusalem your spirituall mother begat you to Christe Suerly I maruayled howe ye could otherwise regenerat the church of Christe whiche is gouerned with the spirite of god els is it not the churche of Christe excepte ye gaue vnto it the spirite of the deuill for there is but onlye one holye spirite whiche continueth for euer The church I will be theyr spirituall mother and as a spiritual mother I wil comfort them giue sucke to them and noryshe them to Christe The people Nay ye will suck al the blude from thē and if ye fortune to gyue thē suck it shal be with the mylke of adulacion and flattery The churche I will make all churches riche The people Yea wys with iubileis pardons and blissinges The churche I wyll defende suche as flye to me for succour when they be opressed with other The people Ye will defende them in dede be it right or wrong if they bryng money The churche Yf ther arise any dout in matters of religion I will open it by and by The people With your owne iudgement agaynste the worde of god The churche I will also punnish them that will not obeye The people Ye mary with your wicked decrees and decretalles and that with fyer wherunto ye wyll committe them whiche confesse the wholsome doctrine of the gospell whiche is quite contrary to your doctrine I denie not but ye may be so highe aboue other churches in spirite in faythe and good workes and somuche profyt them with youre good example and learnyng that ye maye worthely be called theyr mother and superiour but I am afraide leste all together chaunce cleane contrary and that there was neuer tyraunt so cruell towardes hys subiectes as you wil be towardes youre doughters and therfore not worthy to be accounted or called theyr mother The church Be it that I were as wycked as might be possible yet shall I allwayes be theyr mother for that one prerogatiue the Emperour hymselfe hathe gyuen vnto me The People And what power I pray you hath themperor to make you mother of other churches if they agre not amongest thēselues therunto but be al vtterly agaynst it namely the churches of the Easte in coūtreyes where themperour hath no power nor dominion it muste nedes bee therfore that ye confesse themperoure hathe the chefe authorytie in spirituall matters and euen as he gaue you this dignity wrōgfully so may he lawfully take thesame away agayne from you The churche Naye that wyll I neuer graunte were it neuer so trewe Fayne I would haue you perswaded
apply his whole mind to y e vttermost of hys power for the performaunce of so noble an enterpryse and leaue nothyng vndone that shall seme expedient for the brynginge about therof Doubte ye not but the tyme is at hande when wee maye reuenge our olde iniury agaynst God And for asmuch as he would not suffre vs beiÌ„g most worthy creatures to bee felowes with hym in heauen wee wyll brynge to passe by our industrye that the vilest manne and moste cast awaye in the worlde shal be aboue hym in earthe And nowe that euery one of you in hys degre maye the more cherefully applye hymselfe about thys busines I promise you ye nede not doubt but you maye bee well assured that we shall in shorte space brynge the thyng to passe that we desier For in thys poynte wee haue God hymselfe fauourable vnto vs whoe in sondrye places of scripture prophecied that there should an Antichrist come and nowe is the tyme expired wherin that wycked head of Christendome ought to come into the world Then yf God wyll not be made a lyar it is necessary that at the last he come and be disclosed to the whole worlde For with thys whyppe God wyll scourge and punishe the false christians Who because they woulde not beleue the trueth God of hys rightfull iudgement wyll that they shall beleue lyes and bee worthely deceyued as Paule hathe wrytten There were neuer nor neuer shal be more shynynge cerimonies neither more beawtifull wherby to allure men vnder a coloure of holines then those shal be whyche Antichriste and his membres shall deuise to be vsed amongest menne And know ye more ouer for a confirmacion of their doctryne and liuynge that they maye be more easly deceyued God wyll suffer many woÌ„ders many signes and miracles to be shewed by vs by reason of whom euen the very chosen shall be seduced if it were possible as Christe hym selfe hath prophecied I am sure ye haue in remembrauÌ„ce how that in the beginning of the churche of Christ when it was moste pure a longe ceason after there were chosen aswel in Rome for to be Bishoppes such men as were moste godly best learned in Goddes holye scriptures and as most diligently and faithfully laboured to auaunce goddes true word and his glory but afterwarde when good discipline began to decaye and we had powred ambicion darnel and discencion into the worlde then were chosen to be Byshoppes by their owne procuremente not suche as were most godly but suche as were most worldely most ambitious and craftie seking more their owne glory and lucre then the auauncement of godâ—es glorye and the exercise of their office rather pluckyng from the shepe their mylke than fedyng them with good pastures So that the name of a Byshop now is no more the name of a verye paynfull office as it was in tymes paâ—â— but of a great pompe dignitie Furthermore they haue ordeyned accordinge to the example of the olde Patriarches Abraham Isaac Iacob thre newe Patriarches one of Antioche in Asia another of Alexandria in Affrik and the thyrd of Europe in Rome Of a like sorte ye know that a long ceason all Christian men in the church of Christ haue ben taken for spiritual sanctfied religious meÌ„ as they bee called in the scriputure and as they are in dede for asmuche as they be halowed in baptisme dedicated to god to be his children and to bee led by his spirite But the infidels whiche bee not of the church of Christ as meÌ„ vtterly without Christ be accouÌ„ted as they be iÌ„ dede prophane hetheÌ„ vngod i. But now of late dayes only a sort of cloysterers disguysed men in apparel and lyuinge from other men begin to bee taken for spirituall religyous and holy menne though they bee neuer so vicyous All other Christian menne be they neuer so godly and replenished with the heauenly spirite yet bee they iudged prophane and vnworthy to touche theyr holy garmentes with theyr lytle fynger Thys wonderfull dignitie and magnificence shall set out the royaltie and glorye of oure Monarchie and sole kyngdome not a lytell Beleue me deare bretheren wee haue a mete tyme and oportunitie for our triumph for our glory and victory God for thauauncement and for thincrease and establishment of hys churche gaue to it the holye scripture for a rule to lyue by for euer likewise for the increase the inlargynge and confirmation of our churche we will giue vnto it oure decrees and Cannons which although they bee for the moste parte prophane and wicked yet shall they neuertheles not only seme good and holy but also they shal be takeÌ„ for the veray squire and rule wherbi the holy scripture shal bee tryed Furthermore because God knewe right well that his holy word is a thing most necessary aboue all other he commaunded his Apostâ—es that they shoulde preache throughe out the worlde the voyce of the gospell which in dede is the trew chief office of them whiche wil be taken for the trewe ministers of Christe For although baptisme as all men knowe be a ceremonye ordeined of God both holy and necessary yet was the Apostle Paule so diligent and busied with preaching the worde of god that he christened very few with his owne handes but left that office to other ministers But nowe shall the tyme come yea and it is at hand wherin the chiefe headdes of this our kingdome shall not onely chalenge to be the successors of thapostles but also of Christ him selfe they shal be striken with such a madnes that they shall thinke it a vile shamefull thynge for them to preache the gospell therfore shall they substitute vnder them symple Sir Iohns who for the fashions sake shal pretende and doe the outward ceremonye of preachinge but the doctrine wherwith they shall instructe the people shal be handeled and infected after theyr owne fashion And as for the byshops they shal bee giueÌ„ al together to esteme thinges of the world and of the fleshe And yet to th ende that they may appere before menne as though they were byshops in dede at certayne tymes of the yere they shall set forthe sundry ceremonies with a great shew to the people which shal be no lesse colde dumme and folishe than wicked and supersticious whiche shal be framed and wrought in our workehowse of hel But brefely to comprehende an endles sea of matters in fewe wordes know ye my brotherne that this kingdome of ours shal be so pestilent abhominable that it shall not only infecte hurte the church of god the holy ceremonies constitucions trew worshippinge of god the sacred scripture it selfe but it shall also destroy ouerthrow other lyberaâ—l artes sciences Belzee When I consyder howe shorte the lyfe of man is it semeth to me a thinge vnpossible that one byshop of Rome in so shorte a space shoulde bring to passe so many mischefes Luci. Brother me thinketh
scoles and bokes whether God be or not And y e same thing dare your preachers also euē in the pulpet thoughe there be none that doubteth of so manyfest a trueth yet standeth it not with your consciences to reason in a brefe disputacion of the Byshoppe of Romes primacie Maye it euer come to passe or not y t the Pope shal be so muche greater and higher then God that it shall not bee lawfull to speake of hys primacie And lawefull enoughe to dispute boldly of goddes essencie Papista It is lawfull to dispute whether God bee or not Without any remorse of conscience and without daunger because the reasons whiche be brought for the contrary parte bee so weake and the other so stronge cleare and pithie wherby it is proued that god is that after suche disputacion menne remayne muche more assured But there can not be a disputaciō of the primacie of the Byshoppe of Rome without prickyng of conscience bycause thys thynge is not so cleare and euident as the other is that is to say that there is a God And perhappes yf it shoulde come in question we should remayne in greater doubt then we were before Wherfore it shoulde seeme that it were better to lette the matter sleape as it is and not to question therof Hen. Then you your selues graunt that the Popeshyp is a doubtfull thynge and agayne on the other syde ye woulde haue vs shut oure eyes and beleue it and imbrace it and vndoubtedly to receyue it for an heauenly thynge Yf the popeshyp were a thynge indifferent whiche coulde neither hurte nor profyt the soule of manne it shoulde seme no matter though we left reasonynge therof and let it remayne quiet as it is without disputacion But for asmuche as vpon the Byshoppe of Rome hangeth oure saluacion yf he be Christes Uicar in earth as they say he is and agayne yf he be not vpon hym contrarywyse hangeth oure dampnacion we haue determined to know the trueth of the thynge And so muche the more desirouse be we to haue thys disputacion goe forewarde for that we see you so earnest to refuse the same We may be well assured that we shall offend God in no poynt of thys disputacion yf wee doe all thynges soberlye with a meke spirite to the glory of God hauinge alwayes goddes worde for our iudge whiche is the onely and euerlastyng rule of trueth Papist Bycause it semeth good to youre maiestye that it be so I for my part haue nothynge els to say but that the byshoppe of Rome is Christes Uicar in earthe with full power Hen We knowe not whether he bee Christes Uycar or not but to y e intent to haue a perfect knowledge therof I haue sent for you Of thys we be well assured that the moste parte of them were excedynge vicious we perceaue also that y e great eccleciastical reuenues whiche of ryght belonge to the poorer sort of Christ be by hym consumed and solde for ready money and the cure of soules also whome the sonne of god him selfe redemed with the pryce of hys bloude And they be not affrayed to committe so weyghtie a charge euen the cure of soules to the children which be euil borne and worse broughte vp And to menne vnlearned wicked and vicious to horse kepers and to their cinoedis Sodomittical boies We also know that he doeth not only sell his priuileges relaxaciōs composicions and dispensacions but hys Iublies also hys pardons and remissions of synne his absolucions hys blessinges hys masses hys buryalles hys Sacramentes yea and the merites and bloude of Christ and heauen it selfe And it is well knowen that they haue caryed awaye great treasures out of our kyngdomes we receyuyng nothynge agayne but ynke and parchement and seales of leade vnder pretence of their buyldynges and warres agaynst the Infideles they haue polled more money from vs then all oure kyngdomes bee worthe A blynde man maye see what meanes they vse to robbe both quicke and dead In so muche that of the house of God they haue made a denne of thieues And all these thynges haue they done vnder a shadow of religiō a pretence of holines Yf a man coulde open hys eyes and loke vpon the discordes and striues whiche they haue sowen in all christendome and see the bloude they haue shed the slaunders and offēces they haue committed the soules they haue lost and the viciouse life of them that wylbe called moste holy who ought to ieoparde their owne liues to profit their neighbour Yf I say he coulde see howe they be couered with fraude vnfaythfulnes and deceate howe they trouble all the whole worlde with suche thunderynges in contencions as thoughe heauen and yearthe went together and all for none other cause but to encrease their yerely reuenewes to preserue their falsely pretended honour and their vayne titles Surely he would not iudge them to be the Uicars of Christe but rather to occupie the ruome of the great deuyll of hell Papista Be it that their workes were neuer so wicked yet cease they not therfore to be Christes vicars yf their doctrine be sounde Henry Yea mary that is the thynge that we bee desirous to knowe whether he be Christes Uicar or not Whether he be Antichrist or not Whether hys doctrine be true or false Whether we ought to wurshyp hym or to banishe hym out of oure kyngdome Therfore of these thynges we be desirous to heare other mennes myndes Thomas arche When God determined to saue hys electes firste he disclosed himselfe by a certayne light shewed in the olde testament by hys Prophetes and holy men before he came into the worlde and he mynded so to doe not onely bycause he woulde be knowen a farre of that menne shoulde put theyr trust in hym and so be saued but also that at hys commynge he myght be knowen agayne by thesame sygnes and tokens and the gentlier receyued of a lyke sort when he determined for the larger settyng forth of his glorie to publish the triumph of Christ the perfect happy state of his electes he paynted forth and expressed lyuely in the holy scriptures that suche as haue vnworthelye the name of christians muste haue one head in earth full of abhominacion and wickednes to the intent that he beinge disclosed vnto vs we shoulde not only not gyue credit vnto hym but should by all meanes possible shunne hys wicked tiranny First therfore as touchyng the place god hath playnly declared vnto vs that he must be borne at Rome As Daniell the Prophet wrot who discribed the foure monarches of the worlde vnder a similitude of foure beastes that is to saye the Empire of Babilon which was of the Assirians The empire of the Persians of the Grecians and of the Romanes And out of the head of the fourth beast that is to say out of the head of the monarchie of Rome sprange a litle horne that is to say Antichrist himselfe Who hath so auaunced his might and power that
he hath brokeÌ„ the power both of the other hornes and also of the empire of Rome and hath preuayled agaynst the godlye The same thyng Paule the Apostle confirmeth sayinge before Antichrist be reueled and apeare very stronge there muste be a departinge or goinge awaye that is to saye the people must fall awaye or departe from thobedience of the Empier of Rome as al holy men take it wherfore of necessitie it must be grauÌ„ted that he must haue his seate at Rome for he shal succede the Emperour of Rome Moreouer Iohn in hys Apocalipse setting forthe the churche of Rome vnto vs to bee not the spouse of Christ but of Antichrist sayth that he saw a certaine whore the mother of all vncleannes abhomynation of all the worlde gorgeousely arayed with golde and stone holdinge a cuppe of gold in her hand with whose migled liquour al the dwellers of the earthe shoulde bee made dronke from the highest to the loweste And further thys whore shal be made dronke with the blude of Sainctes of the martyrs of Christ. And vpon her forehed she had wrytten Babilonia And leste any man shoulde doubt whether Iohn spake of Rome or not he sayeth playnely that the whore sat vpon seuen hilles which thinge is wel knowen to be agreable to Rome wherupon it is called the citie of seuen hilles Wherefore hys seat must be at Rome Whiche thynge is euident bothe by holy scripture and also by Hierome in an epistle that he wrot to Fabiola agaynste Ioninian to Marcella to Algasia in the .47 Chapter of hys commentaryes vpon Esay and in the second Chap. vpon Osee. Thesame thinge is confirmed by thauthoritie of Tertulian wryting against the Iewes and the gentiles in a boke of the resurrecâ—ion of the body And of S. Augustine also in hys bokes de ciuitate Dei In thesame opinioÌ„ also is Nicholaus de Lyra vpoÌ„ Daniell many other besides And if we wil way Paules wordes diligently we shall also knowe the tyme wherin Antichrist muste be disclosed to the worlde For wryting to the Thessalonians that thought Christ should shortlye come to iudgement and mindynge to brynge them out of that opinion sayeth that there shall a departinge come before the daie of iudgement That is to saye that men must fal from the Empier of Rome as Hierom Anselme Theophilact Bede Dionise almoste all the rest of the interpreters take it Trewe it is that Paule spake thys thynge darkely leste he should offende mens myndes Therefore then sayth Paule that great wycked bodye shall shewe forthe him selfe Yea and he shall not onely succede especially at Rome in hys owne strength but also as Daniell writeth he shall destroye and bringe to nothynge the reste of the hornes and strength of the Empier of Rome So that we nowe see playnely enough that the people hathe not only shronke from the obedience of the Emperoure of Rome but also that themperours haue had no dominion in Rome more theÌ„ this seuen hundreth yere The byshoppes haue occupied the place in the stead of the Emperours by the which byshoppes chefelye themperoures power hathe bene minished Wherefore we muste graunt that they bee ryght antichriste Besides this Christe himselfe hath expressed and paynted forthe Antichriste and al his qualities in holye scriptures with so lyuely colours that who so seeth the pope hath neuer so litle light of knowledge and seeth his properties can not chose but he muste also knowe that he is very Antichriste And to speake sumwhat of hym generally Euen as Christe is the heade of all hys electes so shall Antichriste be the head of al them that be reiected of god whiche bee falsely named Christians As in Christe all thresours of knowledge and wisedome of god be hidden So in antichrist shal be hidden with a couer of hipocrisie al mischefes craftes and deceites giles and falsnes whiche be in the great deuell of hel himself And moreouer as the holy gost is geueÌ„ to Christ and powred into hym without measure and not heÌ„med in with any boundes or limites and as Christe is full of grace and truethe yea in hym dwelleth all fulnes of perfecte vertue and perfection So there dwelleth in Antichriste all vices wickednes abhominations deceytes and lyes without all measure So that as Christe is the very trewe and lyuelye ymage of God so shall Antichriste bee the very trew and lyuely ymage of the deuell Wherefore Esaye calleth hym the wycked one Dauyd also wryteth hym to bee the heade of all wyckednes Danyell and Christe hymselfe call hym abhomynacyon it self Paule calleth hym the wycked manne the childe of perdition not onelye because he shal bee loste hymselfe but because he shall also destroye all them that shall folowe hys steppes and doctryne And also Saincte Iohn called hym Antichrist that is to saye a contrary enemye and a repugninge aduersarye to Christe and beecause he especyallye aboue all other creatures shall shewe hym selfe to bee an enemy and an aduersarye to Christe therefore in that hys excedynge contraryousnes agaynste Christe he is called Antichriste Nowe as Christ was conceaued of the holy gooste and borne of the vyrgyne Marye So shall antichriste be conceaued of the spirite of the deuil borne of Simony ambition which shal be in the mindes of theÌ„ y t shal declare him pope Then shal y e pope be created of y e most corrupt infected congregation of people that is whom they cal Cardinalles who as thoughe they were the very pillers of mischiefe shal sustayne al the worlde and all the wickednes therof vpon their shoulders They saye thys order was created of god when he sayed The pyllers of the earth be of the Lorde and vpon them he layed the foundacion of the worlde hereby it is easie to bee sene whether they vnderstande rightly the holy scriptures or els wryth theÌ„ violently to their croked purpose Who so shall reade their histories and will diligently consider by what craft hipocrisie dissimulacion fayre promises gyftes deceyt and prodicion and suche lyke wicked meanes they haue achiued to thys Popeshyp whiche they so muche desired he shal easely peceaue of what spirite they were both conceyued and begotten Yea they haue gyuen themselues wholye to the deuill so y t they might once come to the Popeshyp As it is playnely written of Siluester the seconde He that could see by what spirite the Popeshyp was conceyued in the myndes of menne and appeared to the worlde shoulde soone knowe whether it be a thynge of God or of manne or of the the deuyl Foure hundreth and foure score yeres after the birth of Christ that litle horne of Daniel that is to say the Byshoppe of Rome had but litle strength and power of manne because they had none authoritie but onely in their owne dioceses as other Bishoppes haue But a bout the yere of our Lorde .480 Odoacer reigninge in Rome
the counsells for otherwyse is your argument playne false or at the least waye so made in a circle that in disputacion it beginneth agayne where it began before to no purpose Papi Yf it were so that the Bishoppe of Rome were Antichrist in dede as you saye yet for asmuche as he hathe bene accounted of Christian menne for Pope so many hundreth yeres and the chiefe Byshoppe of all other then the churche of Christe had decayed longe agone contrary to hys promes who sayed I am with you vnto the worldes ende Tho. arch As touchyng this poynte the same answere shall bee made to you nowe that was made in tymes past to Helias when he thought none aliue to imbrace the faythe of God but himselfe alone to whome God sayed I haue preserued to my self seuen thousandes who hath not bowed their knees before Baal Euen so is it nowe for in Europe Affrike and Asia there were alwayes manye christian menne who wurshipd not Antichrist Papi What were they al Heritikes Thomas arch They were by youre sayinge for they woulde neither obey Antichriste neither beleue purgatory neither woulde they kepe the feaste of Easter vpon the sondaye Hen. Ye haue reasoned now enough and enough now we see playnly that this felowe of whom we moued this questioÌ„ was is veâ—y right Antichrist FroÌ„ hence forth we wil in no wise consent to his euilnes lest god continue his anger agaynst vs. We haue suffered to longe a great deale so intolerable a tiranny We will proue suerly whether he be God iÌ„ yearth or not And whether we haue more full authoritie in oure owne dominions and kingdomes then he hath or not Papi Then shal your maiestie loose your title of defender of the fayth Hen Nay we wil be called the destroyers of the false faythe of Antichriste and maynteners of the trewe fayth of Christe Kynge Edwarde the sixte The Lorde Protectour Edvvardâ— ALexander the great dyd sette so muche by the honor and glorie of the worlde that when his father Philippe ouercame moe and moe Cities and contryes daylye and all other men reioysed very much of hys victories Yet he alone beynge of tender age lamented very muche therefore not withstandynge that he ought to haue bene ioyfull and glad beinge his fathers onely heire of all hys kyngdomes thynkynge that hys father woulde preuent hym and take awaye all occasions from hym whereby he mighte compasse the dominion of the worlde by hys owne wit and industrye wherof shoulde insewe worthye renowne and immortall memorie esteminge a kingdome as nothynge without glorye But for as muche as it hath pleased God to lighten our mynde with the cleare bryghtnes of heauenly doctrine therby to gyue vs knowledge that he hath placed vs in thys seat of a king that we shoulde direct the vse of oure scepter royall and the sterne of oure gouernement not to the glorye of the worlde but to the glorye of hym so muche more we be studious of the glorie of God aboue that the glory of the world as we know that the one is heauenlye excellent and durable and the other vayne slydynge awaye and able to continue but for a whyle And we can not but lament euen from the botom of â–ª our heart euen in this tender age of ours when we see our onelye Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christe with no small rebuke of hys heauenlye and eternall father dryuen out of his seat kingdom such a cruell and wicked tyraunte placed in hys roume Wherfore we be very desierfull to restore Christ into his own former place agayne that by him god may be honoured not myndinge in any wise to suffer suche abhominacion to remayne within oure dominions All Christian menne haue euer more abhorred the name of Antichrist and shall we haue hym at home with vs. Knowinge hym to be suche a one as he is and shall leue hym vnbannished out of the coastes of our countryes That shal neuer be Suerly all the treasures honours frendeshippes pleasures and all the happie condicions of thys worlde canne neuer make vs happye no not so muche as in thys lyfe so longe as we see not Christe him selfe not Antichrist reigne in the hartes of his subiectes The maiestie Royall of kynge Henry the viii of famouse memory oure naturall father began thys worthye and noble enterpryse that we intende whose steppes we will followe for the performauÌ„ce of hys wyll seynge that he beinge preuented with deathe coulde not brynge that thinge to suche perfect end as hys mynd was at the fyrste attemptinge therof We haue determined therefore to pursewe the famouse enterprise of oure moste famouse father and not onely to plucke vp by the rootes and vtterlye baÌ„nishe out of our kingdome the name of Antichrist and his Iurisdiction but also clearely to purge y e mindes of oure subiectes from all wycked idolatry heresie and superstycyon and suche lyke deuelishnes as by hym was brought in And for asmuche as there is none other thynge that moueth vs thus to doe but the onelye glory of god we dout not but that Christ wil be with vs and will rule oure councelles and doynges with his holy sprite And althoughe I dout not but that you study likewise with an earnest feruentnes of spirite to set forthe this high glory of god yet haue we thought good to disclose thys oure intent and purpose to you being our dearely beloued and faythful couÌ„saylours To thintent that thys godly dede maye be the more spedely brought to passe Counseil Suerly your maiesty could haue tolde vs nothynge that could haue pleased vs better either that canne be more to the glory of God more profytable to the common welthe or elles more worthy and honorable to a Christian kynge Wherefore we be compelled to render immortal thankes to God and hauinge a tast of youre graces wisdome by thys thing to hope for greater and more excellent enterprises of you then any manne would conceaue in that we perceaue so muche sage and auncient wisedome in thys your so tender age and so feruent a Zeale to the settinge forth of goddes glorye For thys thynge is commonly seen by the common course of nature that suche menne as be of the common sort and of slender corage be colde and slacke in the waye of the Lorde yea and be many tymes offended with suche a confusion and varietie of iudgementes when they see noble men so caryed with a blynde and a wicked zeale with all that euer they canne make for the defense of wicked Babilon and of theyr deuelishe Antichrist not stayinge with blody handes and blody hartes to bee glutted and made dronke with the bloude of Christe and of his electes many times also haue they the better hand as the heauenly prophet Daniel prophecied But your pryncely maiestie as one indued with a high and a heauenly courage haue intended a gloryouse enterpryse and that beinge styrred vp and inflamed thereunto with a feruent zeale to the