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A13158 A briefe examination, of a certaine peremptorie menacing and disleal petition presented, as is pretended, to the Kings most excellent Maiestie, by certaine laye papistes, calling themselues, the lay Catholikes of England, and now lately printed, and diuulged by a busie compagnion, called Iohn Lecey Sutcliffe, Matthew, 1550?-1629. 1606 (1606) STC 23452; ESTC S117870 127,037 159

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they seek for true pastors indeede why do they forsake the bishops and preests of the Church of England which indeed haue both the calling and exequute the function of true Bishops and pastors and runne after these wolues murdrers and deuourers of Christ's sheepe Fiftly they offer to answere person for person and life for life for the fidelity of theire preests to his maiesty and the state But what if the preests absolue traitors and perswade them to rebellion where shall the state seecke either for the parties or sureties And what shall it auaile to sue the bonds Agayne what a ridiculous conceite is this to thinke that the bonds of euery two or three base compagnions will be sufficient to secure either the life of so greate a king or the peace and state of so greate a kingdome against men already found perfidious Thirdly it will be a question whether if such a matter were to be performed euery pild crowned preest could procure such hostages and bondes as are offered it may be some good old Ladyes and recusant Cuckowes would offer any bond for their darlinges But the wiser sort J thinke woulde neuer put their liues in hazard vpon the massepreests promises who if the pope command them to doe an exployt for their holy mother the mother of fornications regard neither promise nor oath Finally it may be a question whether any such bonds are good in lawe and percase these good fellowes knowing them to be nought are the bolder to offer them thinking to gull the worlde with theire greate offers Fiftly comming to the poynt of their pretended submission they playnely refuse to submitte themselues offring rather articles of a capitulation betwixt the King and them then any forme of true subiection or submission for firste they say they will acknowledge his maiesty to bee their lawfull King and souerein Lord and will defend his maiesties heires and successors righte And for this his maiesty is much beholding to them But we must vnderstand howe this offer is made vpon condition if they may haue theire masse and theire Masse preests if they may not haue theire requests then they neither submit themselues nor offer any thing Further they acknowledge more then by the doctrine of popery they can make good For by the chapter v. nam sanctam extr de maior obed all kings are declared to be subiect to the pope They do also deny the kings authority in Ecclesiasticall causes and offer many preiudices to the Kings righte both ouer the Clergy and others and acknowledge him no further to be their lawfull king then it shall please the Pope who hath power to excommunicate him and depose him as they say Lastly where they speake of the Kings successors right they forget to mention the kings righte But what should wee stand vpon future coniectures when the treasons of Watson Clerk Garnet Hamond and the rest haue plainely declared them to bee the kinges enemyes Secondly they promise to reueale and to theire powers to withstand and preuent any conspiracy or treason agaynst the King and his heires and to defend the realm against forrein inuasions But miserable were the King and state if they shold depend vpon their reuelations and withstandings of treasonable attempts and invasions that are sworne to the pope depend vpon forrein enemies Former practises and experience sheweth that their words and promises are but snares to catch such as trust them of late they smothered the treason of Percy and Catesby as much as they could soughte by all meanes to haue their country set on a flame They acknowledge to his maiesty what is due by the word of god or hath been vsed by any of their sect but of the word of god they make the Pope supreme iudge and vse to deny obedience to Kings excommunicate by him nay to Kings not excommunicate in ecclesiasticall causes what they meane to performe it appeareth by Watsons and Percies treasons Lastly they say they will performe this by protestation or oath and offer the like for their preestes But what are oathes and promises when they say the pope can dispense with oathes and teach that faith is not to bee performed to hereticks in which rank these superstitious ministers of antichriste place all true Christians Furthermore it may bee doubted whether these felllowes can bring the stiffe necked massepreests to take these oaths if they cā yet shal they neuer make them to keepe them doth it not then appeare that these conning fellowes goe about to ensnare playne dealing men with their false othes and feigned protestations the examples of Iohn Husse of the professors of religion in Frāce and Flanders that haue bene often massacred when they relyed vpon the othes and promises of the Popes adherents doe assure vs of it and Garnets treasons may bee a caueat for vs. Wherefor seeing these proud suppliants confesse themselues but halfe subiects and are much lesse then halfe when the pope commandeth them whose they are body and soule seeing they always cut away halfe the kings authority and sometymes all and endeuoure to bring vpon his maiestye and his subiects not only a false idolatrous hereticall and impious religion but also a most greeuous yoke of the popes tyrannicall gouernement from which this land hath by the grace of god and prowesse of his maiestyes noble ancesters been most happily freed and deliuered and seeing they haue alledged nothing which might eyther iustify their abusiue false religion or cleare themselues from the common imputations of the disloyalty of the popes adherents or assure the king and state against the trecherous plots and practises of rinegued English sacrificers Iebusites and other theire associates euer suspected now lately plainely detected in Percies treasō to be sworn slaues of Antichrist professed enemyes to the king I doubt not but his maiesty the state wil take a cours with these bold importune petitioners assure the church and realme both against their corruptions in doctrine and attempts in the affaires of Policy and that in the meane while as all Christians abhorre theire antichristian doctrine and dangerous practises so they will concurre in repressing and extinguishing the causes of them This al christians ought to performe and these especially that haue eminent places both in church and common wealth VVhat then should I need to exhort them to performe that which belongeth to their duty as they doe well knowe and which both god requireth and all true christians expect at theire handes Chap. 22. A censure vpon certain letters of the banished masse preests sent back to the lords of his maiesties councell anno 1604 and annexed to the former petition IT is an old saying all is lost that is bestowed on men vngratefull and may well bee verified by the fact of certein massepreests who hauing well deserued death if the lawes of the land had been exequuted against them were graeiously pardoned by his maiesty only
spirits vvhich sought to alter the state her course and to enter into bloud but all was 7 Onely the malcontent faction of papists vvas so filled filled with feares and suspitions at home with 8 Shame come to the Pope and his adherents that occafinned them The losse hath lighted vppon them already wars and diuisions abroad and with continuall frights and allarmes of strange attempts either against 9 Looke vvho these attempters vvere and you shall finde them to haue been either papists or Atheists set on by papists her person or state and in fine when her treasure was 10 This may be truly of firmed of her Maiesties enemies and their states But not of England as I hope his Maiesty vvill vvitnesse But vvere vve hurt by the vvars yet should not this cause vs to loue papists that mingled heauen and earth and stirred the vvorld against vs to vvin their purpose exhausted her subiects and kingdomes extreamely impouerished and all the kingdomes almost about vs disgusted and in open tearmes of iealousie and 11 Much to their ovvne losse and paine as the sequell had declared if the king had not giuen them peace hostilitie with her she began againe to thinke of her former fortunate dayes and to incline to a 12 It is rather madnesse then mildnesse to spare either professed enimies or secret traitors milder course as the onely meanes to setle her and her Realme in peace security and former prosperity which times compared together do demonstrate that the seuerity of lawes made against Catholikes were the 1 Lavves made against papists are the onely bands that hold the flate together and the best meanes vve can vse to contrecarre the mischiefs in ●eded by them forerunners of infinite mischiefes and miseries And least your Maiestie beholding such bloudy and strange lawes made against vs with their 2 They vvere alvvaies most slovvly executed rigorous execution by the space of so many yeares in so long a Raigne as was that of our late Queen might thereby coniecture that such new and neuer hearde of decrees could not without vrgent or notorious occasions haue beene inuented constituted and so seuerely executed least this apprehension of these former proceedings might make the like impression in your mind and auersion from vs we humbly craue your Maiesties gratious eares and attention And when you shall reuiew and consider deeply the lawes made against vs compare them with the objected crimes that then some ouerture may be proposed to the present Parliament for clearing the lawes by reason which is the soule of the law to them that distinction may be made by iustice betweene the innocent and guilty persōs for howsoeuer the late (a) The reason that might moue the late Queen to make lawes against Catholikes Queen might haue pretention to make them both by reason of her 3 A shamelesse slander It was only a deuise of the popish faction illegitimation by her own Father in publique Parliament notoriously diuulged and the jealousie she euer stood in of the Queen your gratious Mother both for the back and alliance she had with Fraunce and the right she semed to haue by the 4 The Pope is the Church to these men and by the same reason his close stoole may be their chappell But if they giue the Pope power to excommunicate princes and to depose them these popes churchmen are but mean subiects sentence of the Church pronounced against the diuorce of her Father and the diuers censures and 5 Very vvickedly and saucily and treacherously aliovved by papists excommunications promulgated against her Yet your Maiesty of whose rightfull succession and most lawfull and legitimate possession of this Crowne 6 Then is Parsons and his follovvers more diabolically disposed tovvards the king then Satan himself For they haue long impugned and denyed the kings title to the crovvn of England Satan himselfe being put to his shifts can make no doubt or difficulty against whom no 7 VVe report vs for disproofe of this to certain discourses set out by Parsons and Coluil Cōpetitor either hath or had purpose or power to contend (b) Vide D. Giffords cōmission and Mōsieur de Be thunes letters whom the 8 This Sea of Rome is a sea of abhominations and mischiefes And therefore it is not much materiall vvhat is regorged out of such a guise of impieties But that the Pope hath not excommunicated the King it hath proceeded rather from fear then loue or any indeauor of Gifford or Bethune His predecessorr got nothing by excommunicating Queen Elizabeth and lesse vvold the Pope novv vvin by censuring his Maiesty Sea of Rome is so far from censuring that she hath 9 VVhat thè vvhore of Babilon doth his Maiesty hath no cause to like This is certain the Pope nener censured Clerk nor Watsō nor Percy nor Digby nor Garnet and the rest that sought the subuersion of the state already censured all those that shal any way seek to giue you any disturbance or molestation and with whome all the Princes in Christendom are in perfect peace and amity and whom Catholikes haue as yet no way 1 Hath the king no reason to be offended vvith the tumults practises of papists in Scotland England vvhy then vvas Watsō hanged and order taken to persecute the Scottish rebells vvhy vvas the lavv executed against Faux and Digby other traitorous papists offended but by all meanes endeauoured to serue satisfie and content (a) His Maiesty hath no such reason to continue the lawes against Catholikes as the late Queen had to inact them Your Maiesty we say for these respects hath no such apparant cause to continue those lawes as the late Queen had to inact them the reasons and foundations of those lawes being by this happy mutation of state time and persons vtterly 2 Neuer as long as the king professeth true religion or refuseth to become the popes vassall remoued If then Dread Soueraign we haue been are and will be as we haue and will demonstrate as loyall 3 As the leaguers vver to Henry the 3. of France vvhose throat they cut Or as Percy and Catesby of late vvere to our King faithfull and affectionate to your Maiesty your predecessors and posterity and euen to those Princes that dealt most hardly with vs and to the good and peaceable estate of our Country as any sort of your Maiesties subiects within the Realme of our Ranke whatsoeuer we see not how by authority we can be driuen to forsake our Catholike 4 Your faith is proued neither to be Catholik nor your fathers faith Fathers faith and beleefe vnlesse authority can by reason 5 Authority is one thing reason another These iumble both together conuince vs that our faith is infidelity our Religion superstitron and the seruice we vse Idolatry or the 6 This is proued and all your brabling obiections ansvvered
doth playnly declare the authors thereof to want shame modesty reason and wit For if they had not wanted shame then woulde they haue blushed to charge others with disloyalty themselues being vnable to discharge themselues if they had not wanted modesty they woulde haue contented themselues with present fauors being such as they afforde not to our brotheren in other countries and not soughte audaciously to haue dignity honour and further liberty Jf they had not wanted reason they woulde not haue saide that they haue yeelded sufficient reason for theire religion and finally if they had not wanted wit they woulde no haue vndertaken to accuse innocentes themselues being guilty nor would they haue compleyned of wounds deepe and dangerous in their honors being honored aboue their desert nor would they haue called the King Sweete Soueraigne or once mentioned Souereinty considering that they ouer throw the kings Souereinty and make him the popes subiect by their doctrine but yet that passeth all the rest of their fooleries that not being able to cleare themselues nor hauing spoken one worde in defence of theire sacrificing preests and Iebusites now in the conclusion of their request they speak for them also for masse preests I say which contriued the kings destruction by the practise of Clerck and Watson and lately absolued Percy Catesby Tressam and their complices which went about to blowe vp the King Queene Prince and high Courte of Parliament with gunpowder to massacre true Christians to alter lawes and to ouer throw the state Chap. 21. The insufficiency and foolery of the submission promised by lay papists to the king is examined and refuted THere is no chapter nor almost clause of this petition of lay papists whereto we may not take iust exception But yet if we doe put them alltogether and compare them with the 7. Chapter wherein they offer to be bound for the King and his Kingdome and to tender a submission to his maiesty for his satisfaction this will passe all the rest in fooolery and absurdity listen therefore I pray you and hear what they say for theire massepreestes and how they secure the kings person and Crowne from the trechery of their shauen Crowned trecherous masse preestes Chap. 7. The forme of the Catholikes submission IF we may be permitted to enioy some quiet graue The lay Catholikes submission and vertuous Clergie men for the comfort of our soules we doubt not but to giue your Maiesty a far greater security for the few hundreds of our Priestes then was giuen for the many thousands of Queen Maries Priests and Prelates in the late queen Elizabeths dayes against whome albeit aboue 1 Abate nine thousand (a) 10000. Clergy men left their liuings rather then they wold leaue their religion ten thousand of them did abandon their Ecclesiasticall Liuings rather then they would conform themselues to the times especially the (b) All Queen Mary Bishops forsook their Prelatures rather then they would forsake their chiefe Pastor holy Senate of Bishops no one excepted yet in the time of the said Queen for the space of thirty years extreame and restlesse 2 You are extreamly vngratefull that suffer not our late gratious Queen to rest that alvvayes fauoured you to her ovvne hurt persecution no capitall lawes were made or executed And in the (c) The booke in tituled execution for treson and not for religion made by the late Lord Burleigh book intituled Execution for treason and not for Religion composed and set foorth by the late L. Burleigh then high Treasurer of England on whom for his great wisedome and policy the menaging of the Commonwealth of this Realme vnder the Queen principally depended Anno. 1583. and Anno Regni Eliz. 26. it is in expresse words set down what fauour these Priestes found in tearmes as followeth And though there are many subiects knovvn in the Realm that differ in some opinions of Religion from the Church of England and yet doo also not for heare to professe the saeme yet in that they doo all professe loyalty and obedience to her Maiesty and offer readily in her defence to oppugne and resist any forraigne force though it should come or be procured from the Pope himselfe (d) None of Q. Maries priests or Prelates persecuted for religion none of these sorte are for their contrary opinions in Religion persecuted or charged vvith any crimes or paines of treason not yet vvillingly searched in their consciences for their contrary opinions that sauour not of treason After which Narration he reckoneth vp great numbers as (e) D. Heath Archbishop of Yorke D. Heath Archbishop of Yorke B. Poole B. Tunstall B. VVhite B. Oglethrop B. Thurlby B. VVatson B. Turberuill none of all these vvere pressed vvith any capitall paine though they maintained the Popes authority against the lavves of the Realme he recounteth (a) Abbot Feenam one Abbot and diuers Deanes whome he commendeth for learning modesty and knowledge and concludeth that none (b) None of all these held or punished as traytors though they maintayned the Popes authority against the lawes of the Realme of these nor yet diuers others of the like morall and indifferent cariage were euer called to any capitall or bloudy question vpon matter of Religion nor were not depriued of any of their goods or proper liuelihoods of the like indulgence and lenity mention is made in the same booke vsed towards the layety in wonderfull pleasing words as followeth There are great numbers of others being lay men and of good possessions in Lands and men of credit in their countries that do enioy their estates though they houlde contrary opinions in Religion for the Popes authority and yet none of them haue been sought hitherto to be impeached in any point or quarrell of treason or losse of life member or inheritance So that it may plainely appeare it is not nor hath not been for contrary opinions in Religion or for the Popes authority alone as the Aduersaries do boldly and falselie publish that euery person hath suffered death since her Maiesties Raigne yet some of this sort are well knowne to hold opinion that the Pope ought by authority of Gods word to bee supreame and onely head of the Catholike Church throughout the whole world and that the Queenes Maiesty ought not to be (c) To deny the Queen to be supreame gouernesse ouer Ecclesiasticall persōs not persecuted with charge of treason gouernesse ouer any her subiects in her Realmes being persons Ecclesiasticall yet for none of these points hath any person been persecuted with the charge of treason or in danger of life If then this were the case of Queen Maries priests and other quiet and faithfull subiectes in the late Queens dayes we hope that our Priests being aswell qualified in all respects to our Princes good liking satisfaction as they were both for quiet behauiour ciuill life and sincere affection to your Maiesties seruice may for our comfort obtaine