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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04286	An apologie for the oath of allegiance first set foorth without a name, and now acknowledged by the authour, the Right High and Mightie Prince, Iames, by the grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. ; together with a premonition of His Maiesties, to all most mightie monarches, kings, free princes and states of Christendome.	James I, King of England, 1566-1625.; Paul V, Pope, 1552-1621.; Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.	1609 (1609)	STC 14401.5; ESTC S1249	109,056	264

thinke he doth not meane by his Diuina Dogmata the word of the God of heauen but onely the Canons and Lawes of his Dominus Deus Papa otherwise all his Primacie of the Apostolike Sea would not be so much sticken vpon hauing so slender ground in the word of God And for the great feare he hath that the suddennes of the apprehension the bitternes of the persecution the weaknesse of his age and other such infirmities might haue bene the cause of the Arch-priests fall in this I haue already sufficiently answered him hauing declared as the trueth is and as the said Blackwel himselfe wil yet testifie that he took this Oath freely of himselfe without any inducement therunto either Precebus or Minis But amongst all his citations he must not forget holy Sanderus and his Vi●ibilis Monarchia whose person and actions I did already a little touch And surely who will with vnpartiall eyes read his bookes they may well thinke that he hath deserued wel of his English Roman-Church but they can neuer thinke but that he deserued very ill of his English Soueraigne and State Witnesse his owne books whereout I haue made choice to set downe here these few sentences following as flowers pickt out of so worthy a garland Elisabeth Queene of England doth exercise the Priestly act of teaching and preaching the Gospel in England with no lesse authority then Christ himself or Moses euer did The supremacy of a woman in Church matters is from no other then from the Deuill And of all things in generall thus he speaketh The King that wil not inthrall himselfe to the Popes authority he ought not to be tolerated but his Subiects ought to giue all diligence that another may be chosen in his place assoone as may be A King that is an Heretike ought to be remoued from the kingdome that he holdeth ouer Christians and the Bishops ought to endeuour to set vp another assoone as possibly they can Wee doe constantly affirme that all Christian Kings are so far vnder Bishops and Priestes in all matters appertaining to faith that if they shall continue in a falt against Christian Religion after one or two admonitions obstinately for that cause they may and ought to be deposed by the Bishops from their temporal authority they hold ouer Christiās Bishops are set ouer temporall kingdomes if those kingdomes do submit themselues to the faith of Christ We doe iustly affirme that all Secular power whether Regall or any other is of Men. The anoynting which is powred vpon the head of the King by the Priest doeth declare that he is inferiour to the Priest It is altogether against the will of CHRIST that Christian Kings should haue supremacie in the Church And whereas for the crowne and conclusion of all his examples he reckoneth his two English martyrs Moore and Roffensis who died for that one most weighty head of doctrine as he alleadgeth refusing the Oath of Supremacie I must tel him that he hath not bene well informed in some materiall points which doe very neerly concerne his two said martyrs For it is cleare and apparantly to be prooued by diuers Records that they were both of them committed to the Tower about a yeere before either of them was called in question vpon their liues for the Popes Supremacie And that partly for their backwardnesse in the point of the establishment of the Kings succession wherunto the whole Realme had subscribed and partly for that one of them to wit Fisher had had his hand in the matter of the holy mayd of Kent he being for his concealement of that false prophets abuse found guiltie of misprision of treason And as these were the principall causes of their imprisonment the King resting secure of his Supremacie as the Realme stood then affected but especially troubled for setling the crowne vpon the issue of his second marriage so was it easily to be conceiued that being thereupon discontented their humors were therby made apt to draw them by degrees to further opposition against the King and his authoritie as indeed it fell out For in the time of their being in prison the Kings lawfull authoritie in cases Ecclesiasticall being published and promulged as wel by a generall decree of the Clergie in their Synode as by an Act of Parliament made thereupon they behaued themselues so peeuishly therein as the old coales of the Kings anger being thereby raked vp of new they were againe brought in question as wel for this one most weighty head of doctrine of the Pope his supremacy as for the matter of the Kings marriage and succession as by the confession of one of themselues euen Thomas Moore is euident For being condemned he vsed these wordes at the barre before the Lords Non ignoro cur me morti adiudicaueritis videlicet ob id quod nunquam voluerim assentiri in negotio matrimonij Regis That is I am not ignorant why you haue adiudged me to death to wit for that I would neuer consent in the busines of the new marriage of the King By which his owne confession it is plaine that this great martyr himselfe tooke the cause of his owne death to be only for his being refractary to the King in this said matter of Marriage and succession which is but a very fleshly cause of martyrdome as I conceiue And as for Roffensis his fellow Martyr who could haue bene content to haue taken the Oath of the Kings Supremacy with a certaine modification which Moore refused as his imprisonment was neither onely nor principally for the cause of Supremacy so died he but a halting and a singular Martyr or witnes for that most waightie head of doctrine the whole Church of England going at that time in one current and streame as it were against him in that argument diuerse of them being of farre greater reputation for learning and sound iudgement then euer he was So as in this point we may wel arme our selues with the Cardinals own reason where hee giueth amongst other notes of the true Church Vniuersalitie for one we hauing the generall and Catholike conclusion of the whole Church of England on our side in this case as appeareth by their booke set out by the whole Conuocation of England called The institution of a Christian man the same matter being likewise very learnedly handled by diuers particular learned men of our Church as by Steuen Gardiner in his booke de vera obedientia with a preface of Bishop Boners adioyned to it De summo absoluto Regis Imperio published by M Bekinsaw De vera differentia Regiae Potestatis Ecclesiasticae Bishop Tonstals Sermon Bishop Longlands Sermon the letter of Tonstall to Cardinall Poole and diuers other both in English and Latine And if the bitternesse of Fishers discontentment had not bene fed with his daily ambitious expectation of the Cardinals hat which came so neere as Calis

to the Emperours for their Confirmation And this lasted almost seuen hundreth yeeres after CHRIST witnesse Sigebert and Luitprandus with other Popish Historians And for Emperours deposing of Popes there are likewise diuers examples The Emperour Ottho deposed Pope Iohn the twelfth of that name for diuers crimes and vices especially of lecherie The Emperour Henry the third in a short time deposed three Popes Benedict the ninth Siluester the third and Gregory the sixt as well for the sinne of Auarice as for abusing their extraordinarie authoritie against Kings and Princes And as for Kings that haue denied this temporall Superioritie of Popes First we haue the vnanime testimonie of diuers famous Historiographers for the generall of many Christian Kingdomes As Walthram testifieth That the Bishops of Spaine Scotland England Hungary from ancient institution till this moderne noueltie had their Inuestiture by Kings with peaceable inioying of their temporalities wholly and entirely and whosoeuer saith hee is peaceably solicitous let him peruse the liues of the Ancients and read the Histories and hee shall vnderstand thus much And for verification of this generall assertion we will first begin at the practise of the Kings of France though not named by Walthram in this his enumeration of Kingdomes amongst whom my first witnesse shall be that vulgarly knowen Letter of Philip le Bel King of France to Pope Boniface the viij the beginning whereof after a scornefull salutation is Sciat tua maxima fatuitas nos in temporalibus nemini subesse And likewise after that Lewes the ninth surnamed Sanctus had by a publike instrument called Pragmatica Sanctio forbidden all the exactions of the Popes Court within his Realme Pope Pius the ij in the beginning of Lewes the eleuenth his time greatly misliking this Decree so long before made sent his Legate to the said King Lewes with Letters patents vrging his promise which he had made when he was Dolphin of France to repeale that Sanction if euer hee came to bee King The King referreth the Legate ouer with his Letters-patents to the Councel of Paris where the matter being propounded was impugned by Ioan. Romanus the Kings Atturney with whose opinion the Vniuersitie of Paris concurring an Appeale was made from the attempts of the Pope to the next generall Councell the Cardinall departing with indignation But that the Kings of France and Church therof haue euer stoken to their Gallican immunitie in denying the Pope any temporall power ouer them and in resisting the Popes as oft as euer they prest to meddle with their temporall power euen in the donation of Benefices the Histories are so full of them as the onely examples thereof would make vp a bigge Volume by it selfe And so farre were the Sorbonists for the Kings and French Churches priuiledge in this point as they were wont to maintain That if the Pope fell a quarrelling the King for that cause the Gallican Church might elect a Patriarch of their owne renouncing any obedience to the Pope And Gerson was so farre from giuing the Pope that temporall authoritie ouer Kings who otherwise was a deuoute Roman Catholike as hee wrote a Booke de Auferibilitate Papae not onely from the power ouer Kings but euen ouer the Church And now permitting all further examples of forraigne Kings actions I will onely content mee at this time with some of my owne Predecessors examples of this Kingdom of England that it may thereby the more clearly appeare that euen in those times when the worlde was fullest of darkened blindnesse and ignorance the Kings of England haue oftentimes not only repined but euen strongly resisted and withstoode this temporall vsurpation and encroachment of ambitious Popes And I will first begin at King Henry the first of that name after the Conquest who after he was crowned gaue the Bishopricke of Winchester to William Gifford and forthwith inuested him into all the possessions belonging to the Bishopricke contrarie to the Canons of the new Synod King Henrie also gaue the Archbishopricke of Canterburie to Radulph Bishop of London and gaue him inuestiture by a Ring and a Crosiers staffe Also Pope Calixtus held a Councell at Rhemes whither King Henry had appointed certaine Bishops of England and Normandie to goe Thurstan also elected Archbishop of Yorke got leaue of the King to goe thither giuing his faith that hee would not receiue Consecration of the Pope And comming to the Synode by his liberal gifts as the fashion is wanne the Romanes fauour and by their meanes obtained to bee Consecrate at the Popes hand Which as soone as the King of England knewe hee forbad him to come within his Dominions Moreouer King Edward the first prohibited the Abbot of Waltham and Dean of Pauls to collect a tenth of euery mans goods for a supply to the holy Land which the Pope by three Bulles had committed to their charge and the said Deane of Pauls compering before the King and his Councell promised for the reuerence he did beare vnto the King not to meddle any more in that matter without the Kings good leaue and permission Here I hope a Church-man disobeyed the Pope from obedience to his Prince euen in Church matters but this new Iesuited Diuinitie was not then knowen in the world The same Edward I. impleaded the Deane of the Chappell of Vuluerhampton because the said Deane had against the priuiledges of the Kingdome giuen a Prebend of the same Chappell to one at the Popes command whereupon the said Deane compeered and put himselfe in the Kings will for his offence The said Edward I. depriued also the Bishop of Durham of all his liberties for disobeying a prohibition of the Kings So as it appeareth the Kings in those dayes thought the Church men their SVBIECTS though now wee be taught other Seraphicall doctrine For further proofe whereof Iohn of Ibstocke was committed to the goale by the saide King for hauing a suite in the Court of Rome seauen yeares for the Rectorie of Newchurch And Edward II. following the footsteps of his Father after giuing out a Summons against the Abbot of Walden for citing the Abbot of S. Albons and others in the Court of Rome gaue out letters for his apprehension And likewise because a certaine Prebend of Banbury had drawen one Beuercoat by a Plea to Rome without the Kings Dominions therefore were Letters of Caption sent foorth against the said Prebend And Edward III. following likewise the example of his Predecessors Because a Parson of Liche had summoned the Prior of S. Oswalds before the Pope at Auinion for hauing before the Iudges in England recouered the arrerage of a pension directed a Precept for seasing vpon all the goods both spirituall and Temporall of the said Parson because hee had done this in preiudice of the King and Crowne The saide King also made one Harwoden to bee declared culpable and worthy to bee punished for procuring the Popes Bulles

God and the Preaching thereof should bee meant by the Spirit of the Lords mouth which should peece and peece consume and diminish the power of that man of Sinne till the brightnesse of the Lordes second comming should vtterly abolish him And by his expressing the meanes of his working he doeth likewise in my opinion explane his meaning very much For he saith It shall be by a strong delusion by lying wonders c. Well what Church it is that vanteth them of their innumerable miracles and yet most of them contrary to their owne doctrine Bellarmine can best tell you with his hungry Mare that turned her taile to her prouender and kneeled to the Sacrament And yet I am sure he wil be ashamed to say that the holy Sacrament is ordeined to be worshipped by Oues Boues caetera pecora campi Thus haue I prooued out of S. Paul now that the time of the Antichrists comming and the generall Defection was not to bee till long after the time that he wrote in That his Seat was to be in the Temple and Church of God and That his Action which can best poynt at his Person should be to exalt himselfe aboue all that were called Gods S. Iohn indeed doth more amply though mystically describe this Antichrist which vnder the figure of a monstrous Beast with seuen heads and ten hornes he sets forth in the xiij chap. and then interpreteth in the xvij where he cals her a Whore sitting vpon many waters and riding vpon the saide monstrous Beast concluding that Chapter with calling that Woman that great city which reigneth ouer the Kings of the earth And both in that Chapter and in the beginning of the next hee calles that great City Babylon So as to continue herein my formerly proposed Methode of the Time Seat and Person of Antichrist this place doth clearely and vndeniably declare that Rome is or shal be the Seat of that Antichrist For first no Papist now denieth that by Babylon here Rome is directly meant and that this Woman is the Antichrist doeth clearely appeare by the time of his working described by 42. moneths in the xiij Chap. which doeth iustly agree with that three yeeres and a halfes time which all the Papistes giue to the Reigne of Antichrist Besides that the Beast it selfe with seuen heads and ten hornes hauing one of her heads wounded and healed againe is described iust alike in the xiij and xvij chap. being in the former prooued to be the Antichrist by the time of her reigne and in the latter Rome by the name of Babylon by the confession of all the Papists so as one point is now cleare that Rome is the Seat of the Antichrist Neither will that place in the xj Chap. serue to shift off this poynt and proue the Antichrists Seate to bee in Ierusalem where it is saide That the Corpses of the Witnesses shall lie in the great Citie spiritually Sodome and Egypt where our Lord also was crucified For the word spiritually is applied both to Sodome Egypt and Ierusalem in that place And when he hath named Sodome and Egypt hee doeth not subioyne Ierusalem with a single vbi but with an vbi as if hee would say and this Antichrists abomination shall bee so great as his Seate shall be as full of Spirituall whoredomes and Idolatries as Sodome and Egypt was nay and so bloodie in the persecution of the Saints as our Lord shall bee crucified againe in his members And who hath so meanely read the Scriptures if he haue euer read them at all that knoweth it not to bee a common phrase in them to call CHRIST persecuted and slaine when his Saints are so vsed So did CHRIST say speaking of the latter day and in the same style did hee speake to S. Paul at his conuersion And that Babylon or Rome since Bellarmine is contented it bee so called is that great Citie where our Lord was crucified the last verse of the xviij Chap. doeth also clearely proue it For there it is said That in that Citie was found the blood of the Prophets of the Saints and of all that were slaine vpon the earth and I hope CHRIST was one of them that were slaine vpon the earth And besides that it may well bee saide that hee was slaine in that great Citie Babylon since by the Romane authoritie he was put to death vnder a Romane Iudge and for a Romane quarrell for he could not bee a friend to Caesar that was not his enemie This poynt now being cleared of the Antichrists Seate as I haue already sayd wee are next to find out the Time when the Antichrist shall raigne if it bee not already come In the xiij Chap. S. Iohn saith that this Beast with the seuen heads and tenne hornes had one of his heads wounded and healed againe and interpreting that in the xvij hee saith that these seuen heads are also seuen Kings whereof fiue are fallen one is and an other is not yet come and when he commeth hee shall continue a short space And the beast that was and is not is the eight and yet one of the seuen By which Beast hee meaneth the Antichrist who was not then come I meane in the Apostles dayes but was to come after So as betweene the time of the Apostles and the ende of the world must the Time of the Antichrists comming be and with this the Papists doe also agree Whereby it appeareth that Babylon which is Rome shall bee the Seate of the Antichrist but not that Ethnicke Rome which was in the Apostles dayes for Iohn himselfe professeth that he is to write of nothing but that which is to come after his time Nor yet that turning Christian Rome while she was in the conuerting which immediatly followed the Apostles time glorious by the Martyrdome of so many godly Bishops But that Antichristian Rome when as the Antichrist shall set downe his seat there after that by the working of that Mysterie of iniquitie Christian Rome shall become to bee corrupted and so that deadly wound which the Gothes and Vandales gaue Rome shall be cured in that Head or King the Antichrist who thereafter shall arise reigne for a long space But here it may be obiected that the Antichrist cannot reigne a long space since S. Iohn saith in two or three sundry places that the Antichrist shall worke but the space of three yeeres and a halfe Surely who will but a little acquaint himselfe with the phrases and Style of S. Iohn in his Apocalyps shall finde that he doeth ordinarily set downe numerum certum pro incerto So doeth he in his twelue thousand of euery tribe that will be safe so doeth hee in his Army of two hundred thousand that were sent to kill the third part of the men and so doeth hee in diuers other places And therefore who will but remember that in

drying thereof or vnexspected passage made through it by Cyrus Babylon was wonne and Baltasar destroyed and his Monarchie ouerthrowne euen while hee was sitting in that literall Babylon corporally drunken and quaffing in the vessels ordained for GODS Seruice and so sitting as it were in the Temple of GOD and abusing the holy Mysteries thereof For remedy whereof at the powring forth of the sixt Vial three vnclean Spirits like frogs shall then come foorth out of the mouth of the Dragon that Beast and of the false Prophet which I take to be as much to say as that how soone as the kingdome of Antichrist shalb● so obscured with such a grosse and a palpable ignorance as learning shall be almost lost out of the world and that few of the very Priests themselues shall bee able to read Latine much lesse to vnderstand it and so a plaine way made for the Destruction of Babylon Then shall a new sect of Spirits arise for the defence of that falling Throne called three in number by reason of their three-folde direction beeing raised and inspired by the Dragon Sathan authorized and maintained by the Beast the Antichrist and instructed by the false Prophet the Apostatike Church that hath the hornes like the Lambe but speaketh like the Dragon These Spirits indeed thus sent forth by this three-folde authoritie for the defence of their Triple crowned Monarch are well likened to Frogs for they are Amphibions and can liue in either Element earth or water for though they be Church-men by profession yet can they vse the trade of politike Statesmen going to the Kings of the earth to gather them to the battell of that great day of GOD Almightie What Massacres haue by their perswasions beene wrought through many parts of Christendome and how euill Kings haue sped that haue beene counselled by them all the vnpartiall Histories of our time doe beare record And whatsoeuer King or State will not receiue them and follow their aduise rooted out must that King or State be euen with Gunpowder ere it faile And these Frogs had reason indeed to labor to become learned thereby to dissipate that grosse mist of ignorance wherewith the reigne of Antichrist was plagued before their comming foorth Then doeth this Chapter conclude with the last plague that is poured out of the seuenth Viall vpon the Antichrist which is the day of Iudgement for then Babylon saith he came in remembrance before God But in the xvij Chapter is the former Vision interpreted and expounded and there is the Antichrist represented by a Woman sitting vpon that many-headed Beast because as CHRIST his true Spouse and Church is represented by a Woman in the xij Chap. so here is the Head of his adulterous Spouse or false Church represented also by a woman but hauing a cup ful of abominations in her hand as her selfe is called a whoore for her spirituall adultery hauing seduced the Kings of the earth to bee partakers of her Spirituall fornication And yet wonderfull gorgious and glorious was shee in outward shew but drunken with the blood of the Saints by a violent persecution of them And that she may the better be knowen he writeth her name vpon her forehead agreeable to her qualities A Mystery that great Babylon that mother of whoredomes and abominations of the earth A Mystery is a name that belongeth vnto her two maner of wayes One as she taketh it to her selfe another as she deserueth it indeed To her selfe she taketh it in calling herselfe the visible Head of the Mystical bodie of CHRIST in professing her selfe to bee the dispenser of the Mysteries of GOD and by her onely must they bee expounded This great God in earth and Head of the faith being a Mystes by his profession that is a Priest And if the obseruation of one be true that hee had of olde the word Mystery written on his Myter then is this prophecie very plainely accomplished Now that indeede shee deserues that name the rest of her Title doeth beare witnesse that sheweth her to be the Mother of all the whoredomes and abominations of the earth and so is she vnder the pretext of holinesse a Mystery indeed of all iniquitie and abominations vnder the marke of pretended feeding of Soules deuouring Kingdomes and making Christendome swimme in blood Now after that this scarlet or bloody Beast and her Rider are described by their shape garments name and qualities the Angel doth next interpret this vision vnto Iohn expounding vnto him what is signified both by the Beast and her Rider telling him the seuen heads of the Beast are seuen Hils meaning by the situation of that Citie or seat of Empire and that they are also seuen Kings or formes of gouernement in the said Citie whereof I haue told my conceit already As for the tenne Hornes which hee sheweth to be tenne Kings that shall at one houre receiue their power and Kingdome with the Beast I take that number of ten to be Numerus certus pro incerto euen as the number of seuen heads and ten hornes vpon the Dragon the Deuill cannot but bee an vncertaine number And that he also imitates in those ten hornes the ten hornes of the seuen headed Beast in the seuenth of Daniel and therefore I take these ten Kings to signifie all the Christian Kings and free Princes and States in generall euen you whome to I consecrate these my Labors and that of vs all he prophecieth that although our first becomming absolute and free Princes should bee in one houre with the Beast for great Christian kingdomes and Monarches did but rise and receiue their libertie by the ruines of the Ethnicke Romane Empire and at the destruction thereof and at the very time of the beginning of the planting of the Antichrist there and that wee should for a long time continue to worship the Beast hauing one Catholike or common consenting minde in obeying her yelding our power and authoritie vnto her and kissing her feet drinking with her in her cup of Idolatrie and fighting with the Lambe in the persecution of his Saints at her command that gouerneth so many Nations and people yet notwithstanding of all this wee shall in the time appointed by GOD hauing thus fought with the Lambe but being ouercome by him that is conuerted by his word wee shall then I say hate the Whore and make her desolate and make her naked by discouering her hypocrisie and false pretence of zeale and shall eate her flesh and burne her with fire And thus shal the way of the Kings of the East be prepared as yee heard in the xvj Chapter And then doth hee subioyne the reason of this strange change in vs for saith hee GOD hath put it in their hearts to fulfill his will and with one consent to giue their Kingdomes to the Beast till the words of GOD be fulfilled according to that sentence of

that you should bee one or rather the Standerd-bearer and Generall to the rest And whatsoeuer hath beene the cause that your Constancie hath quailed whether it bee the suddennesse of your apprehension or the bitternesse of your persecution or the imbecillitie of your old age yet we trust in the goodnesse of God in your owne long continued vertue that it will come to passe that as you seeme in some part to haue imitated the fall of Peter and Marcellinus so you shall happily imitate their valour in recouering your strength and maintaining the truth For if you will diligently weigh the whole matter with your selfe truely you shall see it is no small matter that is called in question by this Oath but one of the principall heads of our faith and foundations of Catholique Religion For heare what your Apostle S. Gregory the Great hath written in his 24. Epistle of his 11. booke Let not the reuerence due to the Apostolique Sea bee troubled by any mans presumption for then the estate of the members doeth remaine entire when the head of the faith is not bruised by any iniury Therefore by S. Gregories testimonie when they are busie about disturbing or diminishing or taking away of the Primacie of the Apostolique Sea then are they busie about cutting off the verie head of the faith and dissoluing of the state of the whole body and of all the members Which selfe same thing S. Leo doth confirme in his third Sermon of his Assumption to the Popedome when he saith Our Lord had a speciall care of Peter prayed properly for Peters faith as though the state of others were more stable when their Princes minde was not to be ouer come Whereupon himselfe in his Epistle to the Bishops of the prouince of Vienna doeth not doubt to affirme that he is not partaker of the diuine Mystery that dare depart from the solidity of Peter who also saith That who thinketh the Primacy to be denied to that Sea he can in no sort lessen the authority of it but by beeing puft vp with the spirit of his own pride doth cast himself headlong into hel These many other of this kind I am very sure are most familiar to you who besides many other bookes haue diligently read ouer the visible Monarchie of your owne Saunders a most diligent writer and one who hath worthily deserued of the Church of England Neither can you be ignorant that these most holy learned men Iohn Bishop of Rochester and Tho. Moore within our memorie for this one most weightie head of doctrine led the way to Martyrdome to many others to the exceeding glory of the English nation But I would put you in remembrance that you should take hart considering the weightines of the cause not to trust too much to your owne iudgement neither be wise aboue that is meete to be wise and if peraduenture your fall haue proceeded not vpon want of consideration but through humane infirmity for feare of punishment and imprisonment yet doe not preferre a temporall liberty to the libertie of the glory of the Sonnes of God neither for escaping a light and momentanie tribulation lose an eternall weight of glory which tribulation it self doth worke in you You haue fought a good fight a long time you haue well neere finished your course so many yeres haue you kept the faith doe not therefore lose the reward of such labours do not depriue your selfe of that crown of righteousnesse which so long agone is prepared for you Doe not make the faces of so many yours both brethren and children ashamed Vpon you at this time are fixed the eyes of all the Church yea also you are made a spectacle to the world to Angels to men Do not so carry your self in this your last acte that you leaue nothing but laments to your friends and ioy to your enemies But rather on the contrary which we assuredly hope for which we continually power forth prayers to God display gloriously the banner of faith and make to reioyce the Church which you haue made heauie so shall you not onely merite pardon at Gods hands but a crowne Farewell Quite you like a man and let your heart be strengthened From Rome the 28. day of September 1607. Your very Reuerendships brother and seruant in Christ Robert Bellarmine Cardinall THE ANSWERE to the Cardinals Letter AND now that I am to enter into the fielde against him by refuting his Letter I must first vse this protestation That no desire of vaine glory by matching with so learned a man maketh mee to vndertake this taske but onely the care conscience I haue that such smooth Circes charmes and guilded pilles as full of exterior eloquence as of in ward vntruthes may not haue that publike passage through the world without an answere whereby my reputation might vniustly be darkened by such cloudy and foggy mists of vntruthes and false imputations the hearts of vnstayed and simple men be mis-led the trueth itselfe smothered But before I come to the particular answere of this Letter I must here desire the world to wonder with me at the committing of so grosse an errour by so learned a man as that hee should haue pained himselfe to haue set downe so elaborate a letter for the refutation of a quite mistaken question For it appeareth that our English Fugitiues of whose inward societie with him he so greatly vaunteth haue so fast hammered in his head the Oath of Supremacie which hath euer bin so great a scarre vnto them as he thinking by his letter to haue refuted the last Oath hath in place thereof onely paid the Oath of Supremacie which was most in his head as a man that being earnestly caried in his thoughts vpon another matter then he is presently in doing will often name the matter or person hee is thinking of in place of the other thing he hath at that time in hand For as the Oath of Supremacie was deuised for putting a difference betweene Papists and them of our profession so was this Oath which he would seeme to impugne ordained for making a difference between the ciuilly obedient Papists the peruerse disciples of the powder-Treason Yet doth all his letter runne vpon an Inuectiue against the Compulsion of Catholiques to deny the authoritie of Saint Peters Successors and in place thereof to acknowledge the Successors of King Henry the eight For in King Henry the eights time was the Oath of Supremacie first made by him were Thomas Moore and Roffensis put to death partly for refusing of it From his time til novv haue al the Princes of this land professing this Religion successiuely in effect maintained the same and in that Oath only is contained the Kings absolute povver to be iudge ouer all persons asvvel Ciuil as Ecclesiastical excluding al forraine povvers and Potentates to be iudges vvithin his Dominions vvheras this last made Oath containeth no such matter onely medling