subiection They pray for the Queene of Scottes that shee may be restored to hir former dignitie that she may attaine to the Crowne of England establishe the Romish religion and set abroche the Popes supremacie They pray for the prosperous successe of D. Nicholas Saunders proceedinges in Yreland I thinke the saintes to whome they prayed were fast asléepe and hearde not their prayers or else their mindes were ouer much troubled with she prayers of other men so that they coulde not bend downe their eares to them most heartely beséeching their deuine graces so fight with Saunders disloyall to his soueraigne false to his Countrey and enemie to the trueth They prayed that certaine hollow hearted papistes of great countenance high reputation should make an insurrection and ioyne all their powers mightes and forces to assist and ayde the rebellious caitiffe and wickedly disposed wretche D. Saunders captaine generall of a companie of Rakehels and bloodde suckers He that hath defended both our Queene and Countrey from all maltgnāt deuises treachiries wrought attempted by disloyall and vnnaturall subiectes I hope of his free mercie and bountie and not for any of our desertes shall continue and preserue the royall estate and dignity of our gracious Quéene and the desired welfare of this woorthye Englishe Ilande Lushe wee Christians set not a rush by all the studentes vngodly prayers what euill they wishe to their natiue soyle the same euil chaunceth to them selues they prayed earnestly seriously and as a man woulde thinke by their outward shewe and by the often mouing of their lippes very deuoutly theyprayed but their prayers tooke no place the victorie redounded to the prayse of the Christians and to the shame of the Papistes D. Nicholas Saunders was glad to run away and leaue his souldiers to abide the endelesse woe of vnfortunate destinie One paire of féete were better then two paire of handes to D. Saunders and his adherents Oh how vainely did the Students pray that hée for whom they prayed shoulde abide suche losse of his souldiers and suche infamie with well neere the hazarde of the rope that it had beene better for the Englishe Students to haue healde their peace and not to haue wearied their braines with vnlawfull inuocation of the helpe of saintes For sometimes the saintes are woont belike to take their recreation solace and pleasure being ouerwearied with the continuall sutes and supplications of phantasticall and busie headed Papistes Thus much for this matter and this I adde by the way Examine the state of thy religion oh thou papiste howe it beganne with crueltie is nourished with tyrannie and defended with forged fables of lying spirites whereas the christiā religiō tooke her beginning by lenitie was mainteyned with sincere and perfect simplicitie and is as yet sustained with genilenesse mildnesse and amitie If any bée gone out of the pathway of faith wée exhort him brotherly and friendly to forsake his errour and to become a reformed man These meanes the Papistes despise by threatnings and violence they séeke to inforce Christians to their pretensed religion inuented of man through the malice of our auncient aduersarie the subtill Serpent that deceiued Eue in the Garden of all pleasures and delightes Euery Saintes euening some of the Studentes are appointed to couer their bodies au◠their faces with sackcloth and come to the common haule whiles their fellowes bee at supper and there to whippe themselues so long that some of their backes shall be altogether bloody Some lay the strokes on their backes very softly some make their whipcordes not to smart and these fellowes will come forth when the Rectour hath knocked his fingers on the boord and say Oh what a good saint was hée whose feast wée celebrate to morrowe I whipt my self with ioy to remember the good déedes of this celestiall saint Oh saide hee and tooke a déepe sigh from the soles of his féete my backe aketh I think it bée altogether blooddy Well no force I will once againe for the saintes sake whom I serue whip my selfe And then hée goeth to his chamber and in the darke he layeth on his gown not his backe which such mighty strokes that if his gown could speake it would bid him holde his hands When hée hath done beating his gowne in steade of his backe hée commeth down to his fellowes and sayth I will mortifie this proude fleshe of mine For if I suffered but half the griefe and sorrowes that this saint Agnes or saint Lucia or saint Bridget or any other saint did I were not able to abide it but yet I will not spare my backe for my saintes sake If hee had said I will not spare my gown in the darke hée had tolde the trueth Euery chamber hath one sainte or other to bée patrone or patronnesse thereof as one Chamber hath S. Katherine of Stenna another hath our Lady the virgin Marie and another saint Gregorie and another saint Peter and suche like Saint hath euery chamber to kéepe the same and euery chamber is called according to the name of the saint As for example one Chamber is named sainte Peters chamber and another our Ladies chamber and another saint Gregories chamber c. Trisander Haue the Studentes once euery fourtnight daies of recreation Theophilactus Yes they haue once a fourtnight a day to recreate them selues and the Rectour prouideth vineyardes for them for their recreation and there they practise Marshall feates The one taketh vpon him to bée the chiefe leader of the campe and some become Captaines as Diuines and all the rest are souldiers Sometimes they fight with the canes of réedes in sporte but at the ende of the skirmishe they fall out by the eares in earnest The Iesuites are gladde sometimes to come and parte them least they grieuously hurt eche one another Twise a yéere there are priestes sent from Rome and Rhemes to england at Michaelmas at Easter and assoone as they are arriued in Englande they haue their Patrones to maintaine them some go like seruing men some like gentlemen and some like countreymen There goe from both places I meane Rome and Rhemes about the number of twentie priestes Wée may sée what vntrue subiectes there bée in Englande to maintayne suche a seditious broode of pestilent shauelyngs If they were al loyall subiects there should not be one masse priest in Englande but séeing they are most delicately nourished and most brauely mainteyned in apparell What passe they for Christianitie and true religion Amongst the Christians of the reformed Church it is but in vayne to hope for such delicate féeding and gorgeous raymentes These Epicures the papistes perceiue very wel and often speake thereof howe bare and poore the Christian Cleargie is howe it is pouled and pilled by Gentlemen Esquires Knightes and others wée shall shortly say they sée the spirituall liuinges ioyned to the temporall sir Iohn lacke latine shall be maister Parson to serue the parish and the patrone of the benifice
selfe will the instruments of Sathan and men pleasers in iniquitie they that buy embrace bookes wherin consisteth matter of defence in true religion or a plaine discouery of the hypocrisie of the wicked or the manifestation of the corrupt liues of suche as fight against their own consciēce I meane Papists What Papiste is there of any knowledge learning or reading in diuinitie but he knoweth seeth and readeth the trueth D. Alen. D. Bristow D. Nicolson Parsonnes Campion others were sometimes Protestantes but nowe as Demas Crescens Titus and Alexander they are departed from vs because perhaps they woulde not nor coulde not anie longer abide with vs what shall I say of the Seminarie men the most part of them all forsooke their Countrey for want of liuings for want of maintenaunce there are fiftie Schollers in the English Seminarie at Rome that coulde not tell what shift to make for their liuing here in England therefore being loth to bee taken as vagrantes and burnt in the eare as Roges they thought it farre better for the auoyding of this infamie to hazarde their soules to keepe their eares whole and their necke bone vnbroken they feared maister Recorder of Londō very much they thought it good to proue the Popes liberalitie in renouncing the trueth which before they professed and in acknowledging him to be their Christ to be their Messias to be their Iesuah And for some succour sake they outwardly faine themselues to be Papistes but inwardly the most part of them doe see the trueth and confesse they are in a wrong way some of them oftentimes tolde me at Rome whose names I omitte to put in writing hoping their conuersion that the Romish faith was not the true faith Foure of these with mee determined very often secretly to forsake Rome and returne to our countrey But these foure Schollers by their familiar frindes and fellowe Schollers were with much a doe perswaded to remaine at Rome vntill by their Rectours they shoulde be sent to England But as for me what I once determined to do by the sufferāce of god that I thought to bring to passe perswasions coulde nothyng cause me to change my purpose I was perswaded by diuers both by the Iesuites and by the schollers to remaine at Rome but I woulde not nor coulde not vnlesse I had despaired of my saluation as I did during the time of my sicknesse for that in hypocrisie I liued as a Papist my conscience striued so mightily within me that I feared not in talke with my fellowes to speake against the Romishe religion insomuch that oftentimes I was at Rome called heritique I appeale vnto them for testimonie of this trueth that haue heard mee so speaking at Rome but what is this to the purpose greater was my sinne that for any temporall liuing I shoulde forsake my God wherefore very often troubled I am in conscience and grieued in mind that I committed such an horrible offence in the sight of God In deede I must needes confesse that I beleeued vnfaignedly a Monasticall life to haue beene allowable before God I graunted inuocation of Saintes and as for transubstantiation I doubted these two pointes of the Romish religion I did hold a little before my conuersion at the Towre to haue bene firme and agreeable to God his holy worde and as for the thirde point which was transubstantiation I could not tell what to thinke therof but nowe God be thanked I am resolued in these three points as a Christiā ought to bee this treatise is called the book of Pilgrimage for that in my perigrinatiō I haue seen with mine eies the most things which I haue written in this booke for your instructiō christian readers not for any profite of mine estimation fame or glorie to bee gotten thereby as the Papistes doe surmize I am briefer then I woulde bee and that because there are certaine bookes scattered against mee and against my workes whiche bookes if I may geat I meane God willing to pourge my selfe of the slaunders and false reportes of the aduersaries I take no great pleasure in writing greater pleasure would I take to applie my studies but seeing that the Papistes seeke to deface my sayings it is reason that I should defend mine owne cause as farre forth as I may if they flow in termes of Rhetorique and seeke to shadow the truth with their subtilitie I woulde be contented with a plain stile so that I were able to bring forth somewhat in defence of truth I craue the spirite of mildnesse and not the spirite of scoffing and taunting which spirite they neuer want Farewell louing readers God graunt you a perfect faith and to me likewise and also for my former sinnes and hypocrisie the fatherly visitation of God here in this worlde that I may once feele Gods loue towardes me a sinner an abiect and wormes meate God be mercifull vnto me and confirme my faith God forgiue me mine hypocrisie my wicked life and lewde behauiour God giue me grace neuer to commit the like trespasses against his diuine maiestie in word or deede Be thou fauourable O Lorde vnto Sion build vp the broken walles of Ierusalem forsake not thy Sanctuarie but saue thine elect from the pernitions customes of the wicke◠worlde so full of poyson so full of murther so full of whoredome so full of auarice so full of contempt and so full of securitie that alas euen with horrour it swelleth to the toppe of the vppermost heauens and it annoyeth the seate of the most highest Such as are gone astray God bring them home such as are conuerted God make them strong such as are and euer herevnto haue bene in the true faith of Christ God giue thē perseuerance vnto the ende and in the ende suche as are wicked God make them good God increase the number of his elect God make vs all his faithfull seruantes to raigne with him in glory and blisse in his kingdome of euerlasting ioy Amen I. N. If vertue faile as it doth beginne The people must quaile and die in their siune And if it decrease Gods curse is at hand To destroy vs our peace our soules and our lande Therefore let vs amende Gods plagues to preuent For when life is gone it is to late to repent Take heede then to preaching Gods worde to imbrace And learne to take warning least God you deface IN not well perusing my copie through my default Christian readers fiue or sixe grosse words haue escaped my hands to the print vncorrected but yet they are not so grosse and obscure but that others more learned then I am in a matter more graue haue writen the like wherefore let not these fiue or sixe words offend your modestie neither thinke the woorse of my booke if any other faultes bee escaped in the booke amēd them I pray you and construe them to the best A Lessandro imperatore diceua che il prencepe doueria sempre essere piu prōto presto in dare
disguise the Churche with these superstious Ceremonies Thus doe some write of these times Vrbibus antiqui patres fugere relictis c. The tyrants did our Ancestours compell to flie to woods not in townes to dwel Many such godly men who were Bishops of Rome I coulde recite as Telesphorus the first Higinus the first Pius of Aquilia Anacletus Sother Eleutherius Victor Zepherius Calixtus the first Vrbanus Pontianus Antheros Fabian Cornelius Lucius a RomaÌ„ Stephanus Sixtus the secoÌ„d Dyonisi us Foelix Eutychianus Gaius or Caius Marcellinus Marcellus Eusebius Melchiades Sylâ—ester the first c. Except this one bishop Siluester al the rest gaue their blood to bée shed for testimony of their faith these foresaid bishops neuer claimed the supremacie as proude Popes doe now a dayes they neuer desired to bée decked with suche vaine gloryous titles it was a thing which they neuer wished nor neuer intended yet were they bishops of Rome And if the Supremacie were lawfull for their successours it had been much more lawfull for theÌ„ being the succéeding popes of their Predecessours They knew well that Christe gaue them no such prerogatiue aboue the rest of their fellow Bishops to bée rulers ouer all for they were Bishops such as God loued and suche as loued God they became not Bishops of Rome to the end they might goe in their Pontificalibus to the end they might bée richer then kinges or to the ende they might commaunde Emperours Kings Princes and all estates to doe according to their fantasticall mind to make them knéele and kisse their féete These Bishops were no suche proude Lucifer like Prelates they cared not for the vaine-glory of man the deceitefull pompe of his worlde nor the glorious shewes of his life but all their delight was â—o preache the glad tidinges of the Goâ—pell to preache faith fixed in Christe â—nd to preache repentance established in the minde to preache the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lorde and to preache the Sacrament of Baptisme in confirmation of which their sound and perfect doctrine they shed their innocent blood But assoone as their successours vanquished with pride and inflamed with ambition tooke to themselues the name and title of the vniuersall Bishop and would haue the Roman Churche called the head of all Churches then they raigned in the church of christiaÌ„s without iudgment or consideration of the heauenly spirit they did cast their eyes on earthly thinges forgetting Gods euerlasting Testament as if they regarded the fleshe onely and not the soule All their delight was in newe Traditions Ceremonies buildinges pleasures pompe warres treasons and translations of kingdomes so that they séemed to liue in the glory of this world in contempt with Christe Thus the Churche vnder their gouernement is at length become the strumpet of Babylon according to the whole discourse of the Apocalyps Yet men blinded by their owne affections and nouzeled in their owne vanities will néedes confesse these vngodly Popes to bée Christs Vicars héere on earth albeit their life bée abhominable albeit many of them haue beleeued the soule of man to haue béene mortall and haue taught that there was neither HeaueÌ„ nor hell neither God nor Diuell and haue procured generall disputations for that cause as Clement the eight who was a poysoner a murderer a bawd an vncleane liuer that in such sort as if it were not for offending chast eares is not to bée named Hée is also charged with Symonie adulterie rauishing of women periurie coniuring Church robbing finally to bée fraught with all kinde of villanie And therefore a certaine Poet wrote thus of him Clementi nomen dedit inclementia fati BelloruÌ„ hic fomes cunctoruÌ„ lerna maloruÌ„ The inclemencie of destenie gaue this name to Clement This man was a sturrer vp of warres a worker of all mischief Iohn the xxiii a Frenchman borne â—aide and stubbornly beléeued that the â—oule of man dyeth together with the boâ—y and is consumed to nothing like the â—oule of bruite beastes of which errour â—ée neuer purged himselfe These Popes are they by the iudgement of the Papistes that can neuer erre for the holy Ghost directeth them in all their doings I woulde aske them this question whither is the holy Ghoste gone or howe both hée direct them in all their doinges when they beléeue there is neither heauen nor hell God nor Diuell and when they maintaine this that the soule of man is mortall Surely the holy ghost is gone to prepare a place of miserere for such faithlesse Caitiffes I could write many thinges touching the Popes of Rome that liued most wickedly and denyed the immortalitie of the soule but because thou art learned thou mayest reade my sonne of their liues at large in the histories of Platina Christianus Masseus Carsulan Ptolomeus Lucensis c. Trisander The narration of the corrupt liuing and horrible heresies of these Popes before recited shall make mée beware howe I giue credite to any proude Papist that will haue mée confesse the Pope to bée Supreme head ouer all Churches Panteleon God graunt thou mayst doe so holde héere I giue thée two hundred poundes God blesse thée and make thee his seruant Trisander Fare you well my good father Panteleon Adue my sonne The end of the first Dialogue The second Dialogue Wherein mention is made of the liues of Cardinals and Bishops c. The speakers are Trisander the Pilgrime and Tiptelichia his mother Trisander SEeing that I haue obtained my fathers good will and receiued money sufficient for my voyage I thinke it my duetie likewise to request your leaue O louing mother to trauell to forreigne Countries The cause of this my requeste to trauell to strange forreigne kingdomes I haue alreadie declared I haue taken my farewell of my father and I meane to take my leaue of you in like maner deare mother Tiptelichia Sonne séeing that your minde and pleasure is to depart from vs and séeing your father my husband hath satisfied your request I am not to denie what you aske of mée in that behalfe But forasmuch as your father tendering the safetie of your soule hath tolde you many enormities of the Popes for your greater detestation of them it behooueth mée being your mother to impart vnto you my sonne a farther declaration of the corrupt liues of Cardinals and Bishops Trisander To heare your talke touching the abhominable and hypocriticall life of Cardinals and Bishops I would gladly giue eare that I may take héede of their delusions Tiptelichia Then listen to my wordes and marke what I say I will tell thée but truth and what I hearde reported vnto mée by my brother that hath béen a great traueller hath séene with his eyes those things which I shall recite vnto thée Trisand I pray you mother without farther tract of time reueale vnto me what your brother my vncle hath vttered vnto you Tiptelichia My brother being at Rome hard of many that Cardinall Far â—n his youth loued
condition where dwell you and howe long haue you stayed in this Countrie Diawinckiani For olde acquaintance sake curtesie mooueth mée to giue a direct resolute answere to euery particular demaund of yours I intende to trauell to Italie my state is not so happie as it hath béene for now I am poore then I was rich now and then I haue money plentie but then I had store alwayes Haec est vicissitudo rerum This is the course of the Cardes I haue no certaine limitted dwelling but sometimes I dwell in this Monasterie sometimes in that nowe in this Nunrie and to morrowe in that now in this Hospitall nowe in that nowe in this Countrie in another soone after nowe héere nowe there nowe I cannot tell where Hanc viuo vitam This life I leade in spight of the Diuell Lastly I tell you that in Fraunce Germany Italy Bohemia Polonia Flaunders Brabant and Freezeland I haue trauelled euer since the Coronation of this Quéene Elizabeth Trisander Wherfore went you out of the Realme and why returne you not againe Diawinckiani I went out of the Realme for conscience sake and because of religion Trisander What religion then do you professe Diawinckiani Papistrie otherwise and that rightly termed the Catholike faith which I doe imbrace with all my hearte Trisander What doe I héere Are you stil a Papist Will you neuer renounce the Pope with all his Traditions and filthie abhominations With all his idolatrie and superstitious Ceremonies I pitie your case alacke my friend hath Satan blinded your eyes with the cloudie mist of ignorance and hardened your heart as the flint or adamant stone I lament your state I bewayle your grosse errour wherewith you are intangled Oh my friende for the loue I beare you and for the olde acquaintance that hath béene-betwixte vs these many dayes I councell you for your owne saluation for your own glory life euerlasting to examine your vnstable religion grounded vpon a sandie and fickle foundation which is easie to bée ouerthrowne with the leaste blast of winde that can bée Diawinckiani To examine my religion I haue no néede it is warranted and grounded vpon a riche rocke strong auaileable against all stormes winds and tempests My religion standeth built vpon a good foundatioÌ„ as the pope â—s Cardinals Bishops and Abbots do â—ouch and declare in their assemblies â—nd councels generall Trisander Surely my friende thou â—iest truth For I hearde tell that S. â—eters Churche is builte vpon a little â—ocke very rich I cannot denie it For the Pope dwelleth fast by-it and hath â—he most of his treasure in that plott of â—rounde But your religion shoulde not â—ée contrary to the truth of Christes heaâ—enly Gospell though Saint Peters Churche were richer then it is though â—he Pope and his Cardinals with the â—est of his adherentes to kéepe their great titles honours dignities and promotions boldly say that the Romishe faith is the true religion Diawinckiani My friend Trisander the Pope hath larger reuenewes then any Prince in Christendome why therefore is hée not Christes Vicegerent And the Church of Saint Peter is the costliest Church in the worlde in many respects why therefore is not the Church of S. Peter the holy Catholike Church the holy ghost in the fourme of an owâ— hath confirmed this faith before the faâ— of a Councell and in the presence of tâ— Pope himselfe Therefore assure yoâ— selfe this is the Catholike faith whiâ—â— I holde and allowe This is the trâ—â— religion confirmed by the Pope Trisander O my friende thou a 〈◊〉 fouly deceiued For the holy Ghoste wont to appeare in the forme of a Douâ— but not in the likenesse of an owle Thâ— Pope is not able to establish true religâ—on but hée can peruert all truth for thâ— hée fitteth in the chayre of pestilence anâ— claimeth to himself supremacie on eartâ— But I purpose not to discusse of religioâ— séeing that I haue no sufficient leasuâ— oportunitie thereunto but this briefâ— I tell thée giue ouer thy lewde opinioâ— and let vs both trauell together as twâ— brethren and reconciled Christians Foâ— sometimes I was of thy religion albeiâ— not in all pointes Diawinckiani Let wordes of religion passe by and let vs talke of our long and tedious voyage which wée haue to take Trisander I am content let vs do you haue said How many miles haue â—ée now to Paris Diawinckiani Thrée short miles Trisan What is it of the clocke â—ay wée bée at the Citie before night Diawinckiani It is one of the clock â—â—d easily before the going downe of the â—unne wee may beat Paris Trisa Let vs ride a pace where shal â—e finde good lodging Diawinckiani Doe not you care for â—hat wée shall bée very well entertamed â—â—y the Prior of Saint Dominicks Monaâ—erie and our good fare shall cost vs noâ—hing Trisander But can my Lorde Priâ—r speake English Diawinckiani Not a worde but he â—peaketh Latine no man better then â—ée Trisander I am glad that hée speaketh Latin so well but is he so vertuous that hee will so friendly receiue into his Monasterie such trauellers as I am Diawinckiani Hée is very vertuous But this I forewarne you of that if you sée him with others of his Cloyster walking after supper to the fieldes and many of the Parisian Cleargie sporting in the faire meddowes speake not a worde if after their woonted maner man with man worke filthinesse as Sainte Paul writeth in the first Chapter to the Romans That some men leaue the naturall vse of the women and burne in their lustes one with another This thing hath béene doone this long time and this wickednesse is as yet practised amongest them secretely Trisander In the booke of the Bishop of Cambray I haue read of this abhomination vsed most commonly amongst the Parisian Cleargie and whether in those places as yet they vse the like filthinesse I cannot tell but surely I am perswaded that at home in their houses they are not ashamed to defile theÌ„selues one with another For I resorting to som of their houses as a stranger might easily gather by their vnseemely playing one with another that their life is Sodomiticall and by their carnall and venereal talke a man may rightly hee persuaded that they liue as the Sodomites and Gomorreans did Diawinckiani They had rather liue like Sodomites then bée married as the ministers of the reformed churches are for the auoiding of all occasions of these carnall and fleshly pranckes I will bring thée my friende to manie Monasteries in the Popish Countries where it is the Monkes and Friers custome to practise the vices specified by S. Paule in the first Chapter to the Romans At Shalome in Burgundie thrée Monks were taken in doing this déede and were banished the Citie A German Prieste and a Frenche Priest of the Cathedrall Churche there in the saide Citie will not bée ashamed to offer this villanie to straungers that come to their houses This vice and iniquitie aboundeth