Cinquebonets prentices they shall reckon before him that hathe all their doinges truly totted and faire engrossed all ready before hande and wher he shall in the daie of his general Audit saie to Samuel and all true gouernours that rule according to Goddes rule well fare ye ye good and faithfull seruauntes Come entre in to your Maisters ioie He shall contrary wise committe these oppressours and tirannes not to the lieutenaunt of the towre or to the wardein of the Flete but vnto the Iailour of gehenna to be chained in the warde of eternal paine and saie Awaie with these decea uours of mi people to the dogges of hell ye were maisters and not ministers ye were beare baitours and not bailifes ye were stroyes and no stuardes But let vs ymagine an vntruthe that all the subiectes goodes were the princes and that he might take them at his pleasure Let vs ymagine that the subiectes were only carnall men without the knowlage aÌ„d feare of God Yea aÌ„d let it be graunted also that they were spoiled of all their armour and great garisones set in euery place to kepe them in obeisaunce so that they had not wherwith to redresse their iÌ„iuries as na ture wolde counsail them were this a waie to make the people labour whan others should take the bread out of their mouthe Wolde they desire to liue to be in suche miserie them selues Wolde they desire to increace the worlde with children whan they knewe that they should be lefte in worse case than vnreasonable beastes No surely and that ye maie see by the worke of nature in the people of the West Indies now called newe Spain Who knewe of Christ nothing at all and of God no more than nature taught them The people of that countreie whan the catholike Spaniardes came thider were simple and plaine men and liued without great labour the lande was naturally so pleintiful of all thinges and continually the trees hade ripe frute on them Whan the Spaniardes hade by flatterie put in their foote and by litel and litel made them selues stong building fortes in diuerse places they to get the golde that was ther forced the people that were not vsed to labour to stande all the daie in the hotte sunne gathering golde in the sande of the riuers By this meanes a great nombre of them not vsed to suche paines died and a great nombre of them seing them selues brought from so quiet a life to suche miserie and slauerie of desperacion killed them selues And many wolde not mary bicause they wolde not haue their children slaues to the Spaniardes The women whan they felte them self with childe wolde eat a certain herbe to destroie the childe in the wombe So that where at the comming thider of the Spaniardes ther were accompted to be in that countrey nine hundred thousaunt persones ther were in short time by this meanes so sewe lefte as Petre martir who was one of themperour Charles the fifthes counsail there and wrote this historie to theÌ„perour saieth it was a shame for him to name This is the frute wher Princes take all their subiectes thinges as their owne And wheruÌ„to at leinghâ—… will it come but that either they must be no kinges or elles kinges without people which is all one But thou wilt saie wherof cometh this common saieng all thinges be the kaisers all thinges be the kinges It can not come of nothâ—…g But by that that is all ready saied ye see that euery maÌ„ maie kepe his owne aÌ„d none maie take it froÌ„ him so that it caÌ„ not be interpreted that all thinges be the kaisers or kinges as his owne propre or that they maie take theÌ„ froÌ„ their subiectes at their pleasure but thus it is to be expouÌ„ded that they ought to defende that euery man hathe that he maie quietly enioie his owne and to see that they be not robbed or spoiled therof For as 〈◊〉 a great maÌ„nes house all thiÌ„ges be saied to be the Stuardes bicause it is committed to his charge to see that euery man in the house behaue him selfe honestly and doo his duetie to see that all thinges be well kept and preserued and maie take nothing awaie from any man nor misspend or waste and of his doinges he must rendre accompt to his lorde for all so in a Realme or other dominion the realme and countreie are Goddes he is the lorde the people are his seruauntes and the king or gouernour is but Goddes minister or stuarde ordained not to misuse the seruauntes that is the people neither to spoile theÌ„ of that they haue but to see the people doo their duetie to their lorde God that the goodes of this worlde be not abused but spent to Goodes glorie to the maiÌ„tenauÌ„ce and defense of the coÌ„mon wealthe aÌ„d not to the destructioÌ„ of it The princes watche ought to defende the poore mannes house his labour the sub iectes ease his diligeÌ„ce the subiectes pleasure his trou ble the subiecttes quietnesse And as the sunue neuer standeth still but continually goeth about the worlde doing his office with his heate refreshing and coÌ„fortig all naturall thinges in the worlde so ought a good prince to be continually occupied in his mini sterie not seking his owne profit but the wealthe of those that be committed to his charge And therfore Saleuchus king of Siria vsed to saie if men knewe how muche busines and how litle quietnesse it were to doo the duetie of a king none wold take vpon him that office if he might haue the crowne for taking it vp out of the mire And Antiochus the great king also of Siria whan he was driuen out of his couÌ„trey by Scipio the Capitain of the Romanes and had lost all Asia and the countreies about he thanked the Romaines that by their meane he was deliuered of so great a parte of his cares He sawe it was so impossible for one maÌ„ were he neuer so diligent and watching to execute well so great a charge If these two great kinges who knewe not God but thought them selues Goddes that hoped not on euerlasting life but thought ther was non other but this life those that thought they could not be forced to make accompt of their doinges to ani persone thought it so great a charge to haue a rule ouer coun treies how muche more should such Princes as pretende to be christianes that knowe them selues mortal men no Goddes seruauntes no maisters and who must bicause God hathe saied it shalbe so make accompt for all their doings for all soules men women and children thinke their office and ministerie an heauye burthen and so geue ouer seking and hunting after their owne glorie their pompe their pride and seke the glorie of God and the wealthe and not the destruction of those that be committed to their charge and tremble at this sayeng of Chrisostome I maruail that any gouernour can be saued Which is not spoken in vayne VVETHER IT BE laufull to depose an euil
they be they are cruell and euill and ought not to be obeyed We haue this special commaundement from God the highest power ofte repeted by the holy goost Forbeare to doo euil and doo that is good S. Paule the true teacher of obediēce teacheth that ciuile power and princes be not ordayned to be a ter rour to those that doo wel but to those that doo euil ād will not that mē should do what so euer the power commaundeth but sayeth wilt thou not feare the power doo that is good and thou shalt haue praise of it for it is the minister of God ordained for thy benefite and not to thy destruction But if thou doo that is euil than feare for it carieth not the sweorde in vayne for it is the minister of God a reuenger and execucionar to punishe him that shal doo euil And therfore it is orday ned that euil might be taken awaye Men must be sub iecte not only for feare of punishement but also for conscience sake For not to obeye the power that defendeth the good and vertuous and punisheth the euil and wicked is deadly synne And the self same also S. Petreteacheth Wherfore the marke that all men ought to shoote at is to doo good and in no wise to doo euil whoso euer commaundeth it If the ministers of the ciuile power commaunde thee to honour and glorifie God as God wilbe honoured to defende with thy persone and goodes thy countreye against thenemies to doo suche thinges as be for the wealthe and benefite of thy countreye thou art bounden to doo it for it is good and God will haue thee to doo it And if thou doo it not thou synnest against God and iustly deseruest the punishement not only of the power but of euerlasting damnacion But if the ministers of the ciuile power commaunde thee to dishonour God to committe idolatrie to kill an innocent to fight against thy countrey to geue or lende that thou hast to suche as mynde the subuersion and destruction of thy countrey or to mayntene them in their Wickednesse tkou oughtest not to doo it but to leaue it vndone for it is euil and God the supreme ād highest power will not that thou shouldest doo it Thapostles in tyme of persecution did not onely geue vs an example so to doo whan the worldly powers wolde haue had them to folowe their procedinges but also lefte vs a lessō so to doo God must be obeied saye they rather than men And this lesson euen from the begynning before it was written was by the holy goost printed in mānes heart Whan Pharao the ty ranne commaunded the mydwyues of the Egipcianes to kill all the male children that should be borne of the Israelites wyues thinke ye he did only commaunde them No without doubt Ye maye be sure he commaunded not only vpō threatned paynes but also pro mised them largely and perchaunce as largely as those doo that being desirous of chidren procure the mydwyues to saye they be with childe whan their bely is puffed vp with the dropsie or molle ād hauing bleared the cōmon peoples eies with processioning Te deum singing and bonefire banketting vse all cere monies and cryeng out whilest an other birdes egge is layed in the nest But these good mydwiues fearing God the high power who hadde commaunded them not to kill wolde not obeye this tyranne Pharaoes commaundement but lefte it vndone Whan the Ioilye quene Iesabel commaunded that the prophetes of God should be destroyed that noen should be lefte to speake against her idoles but that all men should folowe her procedinges did Abdias the chief officer to the king her husbande saye your grace dothe very well to ridde the worlde of thē for those that worship the true liuing God cannot be but traitours to my souerayne lorde and maistre the king your husbande and to your grace and it is these heretikes that bewitche and coniure you that your grace cannot be delyuered of your childe nor slepe quietly in your bedde let me alone I will finde the meanes to despeche them all only haue your grace a good opinion of me and thinke I am your owne No. Abdias a man fearing God and knowing this commaundement to be a wicked womans will did cleane contrary to her commaundement and hidde and preserued an hundred of the prophetes vnder the earthe i◅ caues Whan the wicked king Saul commaunded his howne householde wayters and familiar seruaun tes to kill the priest Ahimelech and his children for hatred to Dauid did those his owne nerest wayting seruauntes s◅attre him forewarde and saye your Maiestie shall neuer be in sauetie and quiet so long as this traitour and his prating children that are alwayes in their sermones and bokes meddling of the kinges maters be suffred to lyue we wilbe your true obedient seruauntes we will beleue as the king beleueth we will doo as the king biddeth vs according to our most bounden duetie of allegeaunce we shall sone ease your highnesse of this grief other of your graces chaplaynes be more mete for that rowme than this hipocrite traitour No. they vsed no suche court crueltie but considering God to be the supreme power and seing Ahimelech by his answeres and his householde to be giltles of suche mater in forme and intent as by Doeges accusation Saul charged him with all they refused to kill any of them or ones tolaye violent handes vpon them but playnly and vtterly being yet the kinges true seruauntes and subiectes denyed to obeye the kinges vnlaufull commaundement And whan the same hipocrite Saul commaunded his seruauntes or souldiours to kill noble Ionathas his sonne who for necessitie hade taken a litel honie to recouer his streinght contrary to the king his fathers commaundement did they saie let vs kill him as we be willed so shall some of vs be made the kinges lieutenaunt we shalbe an ynche nerer to the succession we shall haue his landes possessiones goodes and offices parted amōg vs let vs not sticke to doo it Whan he is despe ched out of the worlde he can make no reuenge for dead men doo no harme No no cleane cōtrary They knewe that innocent Abels bloud did crie to the lorde Vengeaunce uengeaunce uengeaunce And that albeit Cain hade a marke that no man might laufully kill him in this life yet hangeth he now as good writers saie in chaines in hell And thefore they wolde not obeie the wicked and cruel tirannes commaundement but knowing that God will not haue innocentes blood shead but innocentes against tyrannes defended they toke vpon them the defense of the good sonne against the tyrannicall hipocrite and vnnatural father Iulian themperour albeit he were an Apostata from Christ and a great persecutour of Christes churche yet hade he vnder him souldiours that professed Christ. Whan he commaunded them to set forewarde to fight for the defense of the common wealthe they obeied him and did it willingly but did they before they were commaūded seke for the
from iniuries shauld so muche abuse their office and autoritie as to conuerte the sweorde to the destruction of them whose championes and defendours they ought to be Yea rather of all to saie which is most certain the simple people deceaued by great othes and begiled with faire promises suffred their gouernours to vsurpe suche autoritie and power ouer them and so long winked and bare with their iniquitie that they were not hable to take it from them But I beseche thee what nedeth to make one general lawe to punishe bi one name a great many offen ses whan the lawe is all ready made for the punishement of eueri one of them particularly If a prince robbe and spoile his subiectes it is thefte and as a thefe ought to be punished If he kill and murther them contrary or without the lawes of his countreye it is murther and as a murtherour he ought to be punished If he committe aduoutrie he is an aduouterour and ought to be punished with the same paynes that others be If he violently rauishe mennes wyues daughthers or maydens the lawes that are made against ra uishers ought to be executed on him If he goo about to betraie his countrey and to bring the people vnder a foreyn power he is a traytour and as a traitour he ought to suffre And those that be iudges in cōmō Wealthes ought vpon complaynt to summone and cite them to answer to their crymes and so to procede as they doo with others For the prophet speaking vnto those that haue the rule in cōmon wealthes and that be iudges and other ministers of iustice saieth ministre iustice to the poore and orphan pronounce the miserable and poore to be innocent if he be innocent take the poore and deliuer the nedy out of the handes of the wicked Whan ye sitte to iudge ye shal not haue respecte of persones whether they be riche or poore great or smal feare no man for ye execut◅ the iudgement of God sayeth the holy goost by the mouthe of Moses Iudge not after the outwarde appe araunce of men but iudge rightly sayeth Christ. God him self gaue thexample of punishement of euil gouernours For whan the children of Israel hade committed Idolatrie he commaunded moses to take the Princes of the people and to hang them up against the Sunne that his wrathe and furie might be tur ned from Israel Whan that doughtie dame Quene Athalia the woman tyranne seing after her sonne Ahaziahu was dead that she was childles and past hope to haue any childrē ha◅e killed all the kynges progenye sauing Ioas whom Iehosaba Iorams daughter hid and get with his nource out of the waye purposing to reigne therby in securitie and to transpose the right of the erowne to straungers or som other fauourer of her cruel procedinges at her pleasur by the helpe and subtilti of her traiterous Counsaillours and so went on in all abominacion and crueltie without comptrolling a great space Did her subiectes suffre her in her wickednesse still vnpunished though she was the vndoubted Quene and chief gouernour of the lande No no. But as sone as Ioas was a littell nourced vp and crept somwhat out of the shell being a childe of seuen yeares olde the nobilitie and commones feling by experience what miserie it was to lyue vnder the gouernement of a mischieuous woman not only garded Ioas with mē and all decent regal ceremonies vnto the house of God by thaduise and appoyntement of Ieoiada the high priest and ther crouned himsolemnely but also whan Athalia the Quenes highnesse cam in mar uailing what adoo that was and perceauing the mater rent her clothes howling and crieng as the maner of madde women is specially in the hotte seasones of the yeare they layed handes on her for all her crieng Treason treason and whan they hade caried her out of the house of God they slewe her And so was the realme ridde of a tyranne the right enheritour possessed in his regal astate the people made a newe bāde with God to serue him syncerely accordig to his worde and banished all idolatrie and false reli gion which the Quene had set vp and vsed and the common wealthe florished a freshe in her former peace and libertie The prophet Elias being no ciuile magistrate ca◅ sed the kyng and Quenes highenesse chaplaynes Baals priestes to be killed before Achabs face bicause they were idolaters and taught and mayntened false religion though scarce so false and idolatrous as the popes masse and religion is And whan the Quenes maie stie dame Iesabel that the deuil saw Iehu cō to her p◅ lace cried and reuiled h◅ as a traitour Iehu not passing vpō her wordes though she was his soueraigne ladi ād maistres cried alowde who is on my side who As though he hade saied if ther be any among you that setteth more by Goddes true religiō and their natural countrei than by that idolatro◅s witche the Quene cast her out at the wyndow And so two or three of her priuie Chambre threwe her out to him bursting her necke and bones against the walles And as sone as Iehu hade trodē her vnder his fete dogges as ye hearde before eat vp her fleshe ād slossed vp her blood Ioram was knowne the king and right enheritour of the crowne of Israel And yet whan he sawe Iehu and his cōpanie come towarde him he asked him whether he came in peace Iehu saied what peace should ther be as long as the horedomes of thy mother Iesabel and her witchecraftes be so great And so for his idolatrous tyrannie and euil gouernement Iehu slewe him And many moo suche examples in scriptures we haue which as the reste of the Bible is be lefte for the instruction of all christen common wealthes in like case as we want not also the like experiēce and examples euen in these our dayes Bicause the remembraunce of the horrible destruction of the euil gouernours and alteracion of the common wealthe in Schwuzerlande and certain other places in high Almayne now in our tyme is not very pleasaunt I will purposely passe it ouer albeit the mater is so freshe and grene yet still in all mennes sightes that it is spoken of vnyuersally through the worlde And was not Petrus Aloysius Pope Paule the thriddes sonne and duke of Placenza iustly slayne now lately of his owne people bicause of the euil gouernement and ◅rannye he vsed among them And wher this iustice is not executed but the prin ce and the people playe together and one wynketh and beareth with the others faultes ther can not be bust a most corrupte vngodly ād vicious state which albeit it prospre for a season yet no doubt at leynght they maye be sure that vnto thē shall come that came to Sodome Gomorra Ierusalem ād such other that were vtterly destroyed And on the other side wher the nobilitie and people loke diligently and earnestly upon their autorities and doo see the same executed on their headdes