forsaken the name and religion of a Christian mentioned in the Gospell And because you will bee sure not to returne backe againe to Christe nor become Christians you haue made a great othe to obserue the orders rules and religion of the same whiche is cleane contrarie to the lawe of Christ as shall appeare by the particular pointes of your othe O what a wicked diuell is this that thus doth be witche you To keepe the lawes of Christ to continue in his seruice you make but a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which you breake euery day but to continue in a 〈◊〉 deuised societie cleane contrary to y e Gospel of Iesus Christ which will leade you to hell you make a great 〈◊〉 whiche nothing can cause you to breake And to the intente that euery one may see that reade this if they 〈◊〉 not wilfully blinde that the othe you take is 〈◊〉 pugnaut and directly against the lawe of our sauiour 〈◊〉 Christ I haue here 〈◊〉 the same not onely to make 〈◊〉 ashamde to 〈◊〉 the name of Iesus whose law you deeply sweare to resist but also that the indifferent reader hereof may perfectly perceiue that though outwardely you showe your selues by your name of Iesuites to be the followers friends of Iesus yet inwardly you are mortall enemies of Iesus that you are the seruauntes or rather bondslaues of sathan And this is the oth of you Iesuites that followeth I. N. doe firmely admit and imbrace the Apostolike and ecclesiastical traditions and the rest of the obseruations and constitutions of the same Church Also I doe admitte the holy Scripture according vnto that sence which the holy mother the Church hath and doth holde it to whome it appertayneth to iudge of the true sence interpretation of holye Scriptures neither will I euer receiue or interpret it but according to the vniforme consent of the fathers I doe also professe that there are truely and properly seuen Sacramentes of the newe lawe ordayned by Iesus Christ our Lorde and for the saluation of mankinde though not all to euery one necessarie to wit baptisme confirmation The Lordes Supper penance extreame vnction order matrimonie and that they confer grace And of them baptisme confirmation order without sacralidge may not be reiterated I doe also receiue and admitte the receiued and allowed rytes of the Catholike Church in the solempne administration of all the afore saide Sacramentes I do embrace and receiue all and euery the thinges which of originall sinne and iustification haue bin defined and decreed in the holy Synode of Trent I professe in like sort that in the Masse there is offered vnto God the true proper propiciatorie Sacrifice for quicke and dead And that in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist there is truely really and substantially the body and blood together with the Soule and diuinitie of our Lorde Iesus Christ and that there is a conuersion of the whole substance of bread into the body the whole substaunce of wine into blood the which conuersion the catholik church calleth transubstanciatiō I confesse withall that vnder one onely kind whole perfect Christ and the true sacramēt is receiued I do constantly hold purgatorie that the soules there deteined are relieued by the praiers of the faithful in like sort that the saints raining together with Christ are to be honoured called vpon that they pray vnto God for vs that their relyques are to be worshipped I do firmely auouch that the images of Christ the mother of God alwaies a virgin also of other saints are to be had retayned that we are to giue them due honour worship I do affirme that the faculty of pardons hath been left by Christ in the church that the vse of them is very wholsome to christian people I do acknowledge the holye Catholik Apostolike Church of Rome for the mother mistresse of all churches I doe promise sweare obedience to the bishop of Rome successour of blessed Peter prince of the apostles and vicar of Iesus Christ. I doe also vndoubtedly receiue professe all that haue bin deliuered defined and declared by the holy canons and generall councels specially by the holy Synode of Trent and withall all thinges contrary heresies whatsoeuer haue by the church bin condemned reiected accursed I also do condemne reiect and accurse This true catholike faith without the which none can be saued the which I do presently willingly professe truely hold the same wholy immaculate vnto the last gasp most cōconstantly retaine teach and preach asmuch as in me 〈◊〉 lie I the same N. do promise vow and sweare so God me helpe and the holy Gospel s of God Are not you the true folowers disciples of Iesus that makes this othe or sweares to keepe performe al these articles vntil your last gasp O most mad bewitched iesuits what an oth vowe do you make here Iesus by whom you name your selues Iesuits that only can must be our Sauiour you haue cleane lefte out neuer make mētiō in this your oth of your obeying of him nor of his word But of the Pope of the Church of Rome with pardōs reliques worshipping of images such other trūpery that is quite cōtrary repugnāt to y e law cōmādemēt of Iesus Christ our redeemer And in this your detestable oth you swere to cōtinue hold this dānable doctrine vntil your last gasp because as I said before of set purpose you will not returne to Christ. But I 〈◊〉 God of his 〈◊〉 goodnesse if it be his blessed will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your hearts with his holy spirite that you 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 and dangerous way you are in and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 from this your societie of Sathan as M. Nicols hath done wherby you may be of the true church of 〈◊〉 so to be y t childrē of God I need not go about to 〈◊〉 these your points of your Papistical religiō wherunto you are sworne partly for that the simplest soule that can but reade may see how contrary your profession is to Gods worde and the Gospell of Christ but chiefly for that by many and profound learned men by the holy scriptures and by inuincible argumentes they are confounded vanquished and beaten downe besides in my saide booke called A 〈◊〉 from papistrie the chiefest pointes of your religion are prooued false wicked detestable vaine foolishe childishe and rydiculous But least mysilence should make you say that I woulde haue confuted the particular poyntes of your said othe if I coulde shortly therefore God willing I will set forth and publishe a briefe treatise touching the same whiche shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 falsely you are foresworne by this your horrible othe wherein through Gods helpe by your owne foure markes and three properties whiche you produce in your sayde discouerie to proue your Churche of Rome to be the true Churche your saide Churche of Rome
shalbe plainely proued to be none of Christes Church but to bee the Synagogue of Sathan And as you haue gone about to discredite my sayde booke by this your discouery so I will God willing therein disproue your said othe and you by some paricular partes of my said book by you slandred as it shall appeare manifestly to the indifferent reader And 〈◊〉 that I haue discouered your detestable and horrible 〈◊〉 whereby the meaning of this your discouerie may 〈◊〉 be 〈◊〉 I will proceede God willing to repugne some particular 〈◊〉 of your booke and to defende mine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rest for M. 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 as I saide before who chiefly knoweth his owne cause and 〈◊〉 best able 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The seconde part TO the intente you woulde haue your simple Reader thinke that you haue the name of Jesus in great reuerence though you dispise his doctrine you haue on the one side of your florished Jesus placed these words of Saint Paule God hath exalted him and giuen him a name which is aboue all names If you thinké that S. Paule ment these wordes on Jesus Christ as most certainly he did thē why should you not 〈◊〉 y t his doctrin is aboue all doctrines It is a strange matter that you shoulde reuerence the name of Jesus and detest and forsweare the doctrine of Jesus Surely if a man detest a mans deedes or doctrine I cannot thinke that hee doth loue or fauour his name for hee that hateth a mans doings or doctrine will haue no great lust to heare of his name Nay the hearing of his name will make him straight way to speake euill of his person Therefore if you loue the name of Jesus you will not sweare to renounce the doctrine of Jesus but because you haue sworne to forsake the doctrine of Jesus therfore say what you will you cannot loue the name of Jesus Wherfore vnlesse you receiue the doctrine of Jesus and beleeue only to bee saued by him at your last gaspe hee wil say to you at the last day though you tell him thē y t you are Jesuites and holde of his name away yee workes of iniquitie for I know you not The thirde parte ON the other side of this your florished name of Jesus you haue set these wordes of Saint 〈◊〉 in the Actes of the 〈◊〉 whereby you would 〈◊〉 the people thinke that all you doe is by the 〈◊〉 of God when God knoweth you 〈◊〉 all thing 〈◊〉 quite 〈◊〉 to the same and sweares for state of 〈◊〉 that you will withstand the same vntill your last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the wordes There is no other name vnder heauen giuen vnto men wherein wee must bee saued Saint Peter by these wordes sheweth him selfe to bee no good Procter for the Pope though the Pope taketh him for his chiefe piller and Patron Except Peter ment nothing by these wordes or that they must haue none other sense then the Church of Rome will allow for the scriptures by the saying of Cardinall Cusanus hath no right sense nor meaning but that the Church of Rome doth allowe and also by your meaning or els you woulde not sweare so deepely to admit the holy Scripture according to that sense which your holy mother the Church hath and doth holde And so you may make the sense and meaning thereof to fall out thus There is none other name vnder heauen giuen vnto men wherby we must bee saued that is to say There is no saluation without the Churche of Rome or that none can bee saued without the catholike faith of the Church of Rome If this were Peters meaning or that the giuing of the sense thereof is referd to the Church of Rome whereby to expound them thus or which way they list Then it is like this name of Jesus will doe you Jesuites great pleasure or els if Saint Peter ment thus by the same wordes or that the Church of Rome hath power to expounde them thus There is none other name vnder heauen giuen vnto men 〈◊〉 in wee must bee saued that is to say if wee carry or weare vpon vs the name of Jesus either printed written grauen sowed or embroidered or otherwise 〈◊〉 then I will not say but that the bare name of Jesus woulde saue both Jesuits and Jewes for then Jesuits Jewes Turkes Sarrizins Heathen Infidels and all other be they neuer so wicked may haue the name of Jesus sowed or set on their garments and then they shoulde bee safe so saued by the name of Jesus Or els if Peters or the Popes meaning bee that the naming of Jesus without any other thing wil saue vs then I will not say but that the only naming of Jesus will saue both Jesuites Jewes Gentiles yea and Diuels also for the Diuels that possessed the two men to whom Christe gaue leaue to goe into the heerde of Swine did name Jesus saying O Iesu thou sonne of God c. And therefore if naming of Jesus will serue the turne then Diuels and all may be saued But it is not the setting of the name of Jesus florished as it were with fierie tongues in your bookes nor the textes of scripture magnifying the name of Jesus nor the wearing on you the name of Jesus in your Agnus deis or your gospels or other such like nor y e fayned naming of Jesus but the following of the doctrine of 〈◊〉 and beleeuing only in Jesus For so did the Pharisees and the Saduces bragge and boast of Abraham as you doe of Jesus yet for all that holy John Baptist coulde not abide them but called them generation of vipers saying O generation of vipers who hath taught you to flee the vengeaunce to come as though they coulde not flee from it because they were not taught by Christe or that they thought to flee from it by the traditions of men not by the worde of God Doe therefore saith hee the fruites of repentance and thinke not in your selues wee haue Abraham to our father c. Therefore boast not nor bragge too much of the name of Jesus as the Pharisees and Saduces did of Abraham neither follow the traditions of the Churche of Rome as they did y e traditions of their elders But follow the doctrine of Jesus and beleeue only in Jesus For according to Christes wordes Not all they that say Jesus Jesus shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but they that doe the will of Jesus which is in heauen Whose will can neuer bee doone vnlesse wee heare or reade the last will of Jesus which is the holy Gospell The fourth part AND vnder the name of Jesus you haue placed these wordes of the 〈◊〉 of Salomō A lying witnes shall haue an euil end As though your Jesuitical 〈◊〉 were nothing but truth y t professors therof did neuer make lie and as though our religion were altogether false and in the professours thereof were nothing but falsehood But if euill endes are
speciall markes according to Salomon of lying witnesses then you that are Iesuites haue no great cause to boast that you are true witnesses And nowe for that you graunt that a lying witnesse hath an euill ende then they that haue euill endes are not like to bee true witnesses and so by this meanes Sherwood and Ducket that dyed so dangerously and had so euill an end of late though they professed your Romishe religion and did holde on the Pope were lying witnesses And seeing they were lying witnesses the thing they witnessed was a lye and so by your owne sayings in the first front of your boke of this your discouerie you haue discouered your Romish religion which they witnessed at their last gaspe to bee a lye And as you haue proued here by Salomon that Sherwood and Ducket were lying witnesses by their euill ende So I haue shewed in my saide booke called A persuasion from papistrie Diuers of your Romish religion that had euill 〈◊〉 because they were lying witnesses but least you should forget them I will put you in remembrance of some of them Iohn de Roma a professour of your Romishe religion an enemie to the Gospel and a great 〈◊〉 therof for hee filled bootes with boyling grease and so put them on the Gospellers legges tying them backward to a forme with their legges hauging downe ouer a small fier to torment them the more and so examined them through the vengeance of God rotted and swarmed full of vermine not able to abide his owne smell so that his flesh fell away from his bones by peecemeale whose end and death was most horrible and euill and therefore by your owne iudgement hee was a lying witnesse The Commendator of Saint Anthonie of Vienna an enemie to the Gospell one of 〈◊〉 holy Romish Church that gaue sentence of condenmation on a true professour of the Gospell called 〈◊〉 dyed 〈◊〉 and had an 〈◊〉 ende and therefore according to your owne sentence hee was a lying witnesse Thomas Arundale Archbishop of Cantorburie a principall member of your Romishe Church that condemned the Lorde Cobham a true professour of the Gospell his tongue did so swell that hee coulde swallow no meate and so dyed and had an euill end and therefore by your owne doome hee was a lying witnesse Also a certaine Bishop of Hungarie a mightie mainteiner of your popish religion and a false witnesse against the Gospell did runne about starke madde and rauing died miserably and so he had an euill ende and therefor he was a lying witnesse Moreouer one Berrie the Uicar of Aylsham a Comissarie and a champion of your Church and a cruell persecutor of the professours and witnesses of Gods worde fell downe sodenly to the ground with a 〈◊〉 grone and neuer 〈◊〉 after neither shewed any token of repentance and so hee had an euill ende and therefore by your owne saying hee was a lying witnesse A great sort of suche are described at large in the latter end of my said boke wherby it doth most manifestly appeare that the said professors of your Romish religion were false witnesses because they had an euill ende And so your romishe doctrine is false because the professours mainteiners and defenders are lying witnesses And nowe as lying witnesses are tryed by their euill endes so true witnesses are knowne by their good endes And because the pure perfect professors of Gods worde our religion haue good endes therefore they are true witnesses And as I haue prooued a great fort of your Romishe religion by my saide booke to bee false and lying witnesses because of their euill endes so haue I in the latter ende of the saide booke proued diuers professours of this our religion to bee true witnesses for that they had good endes For they that suffered for the Gospell were in their tormentes most patient and constant whō God did myraculously ayde helpe and strengthen vntill the yeelding vp of their spirite Which if you had read as aduisedly as I feare you omitted purposely you should soone haue spied thē of your religiō to be lying witnesses by their euil ends and them of our religion to be true witnesses by their good ends If you would sticke to this saying of Salomō produced by you and consider the most wicked dangerous deathes and horrible desperate and euill ends of your sectaries and professours of your religion you would thē say y t the 〈◊〉 Papists are lying witnesses Therefore haue a better consideration of the same wordes of Salomon and then you shall plainly perceaue that you are woūded with your owne arrowe and that you haue shot your selues thorow with Salomons shafte The 〈◊〉 parte VNder the saide sentence of the Prouerbes of Salomon you haue placed these wordes of Saint Barnard An nō ex hac odiosa impudentia pullulabit mox impenitentia mater desperationis Will not impenitencie the mother of desperation shortly breede or spring of this hatefull impudencie Hereby you woulde haue your Readers beleeue that the professours of the Gospell and they that speake or write against you in the defence thereof are so without all shame that it will bring thē shortly to impenitencie and then to desperation I woulde the lesse blame you for bringing this text of S. Barnarde against vs if you coulde shewe but one of the earnest professours followers and continuers of the Gospell that dyed impenitently desperatly as I haue alleadged a great sort in my saide booke by you slaundered and can do many mo of your Romish and Papisticall religion that haue died most horribly wickedly and desperately But because you are not able to doe it you seeke by one that is of more credit thē your selfe to discredite vs. But as you shoote without his consent so you shoote his shaft heere at a wrong marke for he shooteth not this arrowe at vs nay he shooteth it at you For if you Jesuites and Papistes bee impudent lying witnesses against the manifest truth of the Gospell and haue an euill end dying impenitently and desperatly Then doeth not the text shew plainely that S. Barnard hath hit you and not touched vs Yes I thinke And that it may appeare whether this text of S. Barnarde doth hit your selues or not though you shoote it at vs I wil here briefly note some examples of the impenitent and desperate deathes of some of the champions of your Romishe Church which I haue produced in my saide booke concerning the same The Lord of Reuest chiefe president of the Parliament of Aiax being a great professor and mainteiner of the popes religion and there withall a cruell persecutor of the Gospellers was stricken with a horrible furie and madnesse and so he dyed in his rage furie Whereby it appeareth y t he was impudent so impenitent therby brought to desperation One Morgan Bishop of S. Dauids in Queene Maries time a great post of your popish Church
haue her your mother is a verie whoore so this holy mother that I wil speake of was a very harlot if they that haue 〈◊〉 without husbāds are harlots For though Marie the mother of Christ did conceaue by the holie Ghoste yet I hope you wil not say but that this your mother did cōceaue by some other Your Pope Ioan the eight whose proper name was Gilberta a dutch woman of Magunce first went with an Euglish monke out of the Abbey of Fulda in mans apparell to Athens And after through her dexteritie of witte and learning was made Pope and so she ruled as pope two yeeres sixe monethes At the last that it might appeare what a holy matrone was head of your holy mother in a general procession openly she fell in labour and trauell of childe and so dyed by reason whereof the Cardinals vntill this day do auoyde to come neere that streete where your holy mother the Church of Rome receiued that shame So that all that whyle they had no man Pope but a woman Pope But though al this while they lacked a holy father yet they were sure they had a holie mother If euer ante might cal y e church of Rome their mother they that were aliue and vnder this your virgin Pope Ioan might lawfully call her mother for then they had a mother indeed y t was the ruler and head of their church It hath pleased you to entitle our Preachers ministers w t infamous actes but this act of your Pope Ioan was not very famous if yee marke it wel I am sure that in all these twelue yeres in which you so charge our preachers ministers w t infamous acts nor yet for this xx yeres nor at any 〈◊〉 vnder y e preaching of the gospel you are able to say that you haue read or heard y t euer our ministery was once touched w t such a notable infamous act as this y e was committed by this your holy harlot chiefe head ruler of your sayd holy mother I muse y t euer you can be so fond foolish 〈◊〉 once to thinke y t your romish church could be a holy mcther that was ruled and gouerned by such an vnholy harlot You shal 〈◊〉 now another famous Pope I may not say in famous for that is the liberal liuery that you vouchsafe to bestow on out preachers ministers pope Iohn y e thirtenth was full of all abhominable vices he was a whoremaster an 〈◊〉 incestuous libidinous a gamester an extortioner periured a fighter a murtherer cruel and tyrannous of his Cardinals some he put out their eyes of some of thē he cut out their tōgues of some he cut of their fingers of some 〈◊〉 noses and many other such like mercifull actes I must not say infamous actes he ordeined deacōs in a stable he cōmitted incest with two of his owne sisters he called for the diuel to help when he playd at dice he made boyes bishops for money he defloured virgins strāgers he made a stewes of his pallace of Lateran he lay with Stephana his fathers concubine w t other he put out y t eyes of bishop Benedict he caused houses to be set on fire he brake opē houses he drank to 〈◊〉 diuel c. If this Pope were Christes vickat thē Christ did chose for himself but a mad vickar he was far vnlike his master it is hard for you to finde such a famous fellowe I may not say infamous amōg al y e patriarks prophets or apostles do you thinke you can pick out such a one amōg al our preachers ministers of Gods word y t haue 〈◊〉 are or euer shal 〈◊〉 I think it wil be very hard for you to doe you might me thinkes well haue spared your notable infamous actes frō our ministers and preachers and bestowed them a great deale better vpō these your notable famous I must not say infamous popes for y t they did such notable famous facts y t none other can deserue to haue that title from them Pope Iohn the 14. caused one Petrus first to be stript naked then his head to be shauē to be hāged by y e haire a hole day together after that to be set vpō an Asse his face 〈◊〉 backward his hāds boūd vnder y e Asses 〈◊〉 so to be led through y e city y t al men might see him y t done to be scourged w t rods so banished the city Whether he was a chast pope or no I know not but it appeareth he was a very charitable pope according to y e charitie of your holy mother the church of Rome Pope Boniface the 7. caused Pope Iohns eyes to be put out after to be thrown into prison where he was as some say famished some say he was slaine by Ferrucus Your holye Pope Hilde brande was a notable Sorcerer and a Necromancer who on a time sent 〈◊〉 for a booke that hee had left behinde him who though hee commaunded them to the contrary reading a little of the same sodenly there came a greate sorte of Diuels about them wherewith they were almost out of their wittes and then the diuelles saide vnto them tell vs what you woulde haue vs to doe or els we wil fall vpon you then one of them that had the booke bad them plucke downe certaine walles 〈◊〉 to Rome which they did quickly and at last with 〈◊〉 feare they came to the pope and gaue him his holy booke It is said that the Pope hath the holye Ghost at commaundement but sure this Pope 〈◊〉 had the diuell at his becke It is no maruell though your Churche of Rome were a holy mother that was ruled and gouerned by such a holie father This holy Hildebrand hired one to lay great stones ouer the Emperours head in the roofe of the Church where he vsed to pray and to let them fall vpon him and so to kill him but the fellow that did so fell down and was dasht all to peeces with the same This was a famous deede of a Pope but you woulde haue saide as you might well enough that it had beene a notable infamous acte of a Preacher or minister of the Gospel Also this holy Pope Hildebrand 〈◊〉 three men to death before they were conuict or founde or approoued guiltie and caused them to be hanged without delay cōtrary to al law Also be caused the foote of a widowes sonne to be cut off not withstanding he had fulfilled al that was enioyned him by the saide Pope before and after his foote beeing cut off he died within three dayes after All you that woulde learne equitie and iustice learne here of the Pope I coulde neuer reade that Christ after hee had the woman that was taken in aduoutry goe away and sinne no more that eyther he commaunded the Iudges to put her to death as this Pope did or els that he caused
the word of God as according to S. Chrysostome who saith Hierusalem hic c. Here by Hierusalem euermore vnderstand the Church which is called the Citie of peace the foundations wherof are laid vpon the mountaines of the scriptures 〈◊〉 in Math. Homil. 46 Your Doctors and you amongest you haue made mowlehiles of them making your Romish Church the mountaines and as it is manifest by the wordes of the Popes penne man Siluester Prierias in that they haue extolde your Churche to bee aboue and more then Gods worde calling those mountaines of the Scriptures also a nose of wax inken diuinitie a liuelesse letter and a dumbe 〈◊〉 with such like as shal appeare more 〈◊〉 hereafter And therefore though you cannot proue that wee haue made mountaines of mowlehilles yet I haue proued y e you haue made 〈◊〉 of moūtaines The 〈◊〉 part YOu say that wee cannot shewe you any one Prieste in these latter yeeres peruerted by vs. By this your most spightfull and venemous word you meane that our religion the Gospell of Christe is wicked els you woulde not haue saide peruerted Though you haue derided mee for vsing a P. Whereof I will God willing speake in place conuenient yet it lamenteth mee that you misuse a P. here in this place as you doe At the last day when all knees shall 〈◊〉 before the Maiestie of Iesus Christe you shall then 〈◊〉 whether this 〈◊〉 religion according to the gospell is such that they that are wonne vnto it are peruerted or not I feare you did speake against your conscience whē you wrote that worde If they be peruerted that are wonne from 〈◊〉 to truth from darkenesse to light from mens dreames to the worde of God from 〈◊〉 to Christ and from hell to heauen then belike they are 〈◊〉 that are allured from truth to errour from light to darkenesse from Gods worde to the Diuels dreames from Christe to 〈◊〉 and from heauen to hell Well you that deale thus preposterously with Christe at the day of iudgement he will deale vprightly with you But I beseech God if it be his will that you may be conuerted to be the childe of saluation or els that you haue no power to peruert soules to damnation You make a great bragge because not one priest of late yeres is allured to our 〈◊〉 as though your religion were true because priests sticke so hard to it and our religiō false because no priestes doe receiue it Truth dependeth not vpon priestes but good priestes depend vpon truth Truth will be truth and will remaine stil though there were neuer a priest in all the worlde the religion of Christes Gospell is wel able to stand without any of your priests Though your masses cannot be said without popish priestes yet our holy Communion instituted by Christe may bee celebrated well 〈◊〉 without them Therfore you are wide to 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 religion cannot be without your priestes or y t your religion is true because you haue such priestes ours false because we haue none You persuade your selues 〈◊〉 like y t you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sodenly a great conquest because 〈◊〉 cannot 〈◊〉 you any 〈◊〉 priest 〈◊〉 which to liketh you 〈◊〉 cal peruerted but I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of you how many priests of Moses 〈◊〉 did Christe conuert when he was heere on earth If you cānot shew me one wil you therfore say y t high priestes and 〈◊〉 religion was true and Christes religion false and that because he conuerted no 〈◊〉 I hope you wil not And now if Christ the sonne of God which was the best conuerter of all other did not conuert one prieste of Moses law y t law of God vnto him then it were no great mexuell though our preachers that are but the seruantes of Christe cannot conuert one of your priestes of the popes law which are enemies to the law of God And though you so stoutly affirme that there hath not one priest byn 〈◊〉 to vs in these latter yeeres you may bee 〈◊〉 for all you are a Iesuite for if there were seuen thousand Iewes that went not from God to Ball though 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of God knew not of it then may there not one priest be conuerted from the pope to God though a Iesuite a seruant of y t pope do not know it yes wel enough Though you if you be at Rome may vnderstande of all the reuolters that come from vs to you thither yet one or two papisticall 〈◊〉 may turne to vs heere in England you neuer the wiset Wherfore write not so precisely upon an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as that cocke is not to bee counted of that croweth vncertenlie so you are not to bee commended to affirme things 〈◊〉 The fifteenth parte YOu say you haue nothing to compell our Ministers vnto your part which haue offered themselues to you in this time except euidence of truth nor anything to allure them except 〈◊〉 and honestie Bragge is a good dogge if truth may be got with talking I doubt not but you will haue it but as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only truth so they that will haue it must learn it of Christ. But because you are 〈◊〉 by the holy 〈◊〉 of God to maintaine the Popes 〈◊〉 y t are false which is olene cōtrarie to y e gospel of god w t is truth therefore you haue not y e truth The Iewes bragd y t they had Abrahā to their father but Christ told them flatly that they had the Diuell to their father who was a lyar frō the beginning and therefore they were lyars because they were his children Now if the 〈◊〉 which were the elect people of God were lyars and were the children of the diuell for all they said they had Abrahā to their father then you that are not the peculiar people of God may misse of y e truth and bee very lyars though you say your selues you haue the euidence of truth The Scriptures are chiefe tryars of y e truth Christ saith Ego sum via veritas vita I am the way the truth and the life and hee also saith Search the scripture for they beare witnesse of mee Now 〈◊〉 it is 〈◊〉 by Christes owne wordes that the scriptures be are witnesse of Christ which is truth Now seeing you cleaue to the Popes lawe which is contrary to Gods Iawes you forsake the scriptures and therefore you haue not the truth because you search not for it in the Scriptures Theophilactus saith That Gods word is the candle where by the theefe is spied Nowe as theeues will put out the candle and goe in the darke for feare they shoulde bee be wrayed by the candle light so doth your holy father the Pope and his Chapleines hide or put out Gods worde least it bewray them Therefore by your hiding and suppressing Gods word you shew your selues spirituall theeues Wherfore if theeues bee true then you haue the truth So that it appeareth yea it is
death and destruction the confusion of their countrey and the ruine of this Realme you woulde dispraise and slaunder her and say shee were a cruell tyrant Nay for all her highnesse hath vsed you so mildely and mercifully as shee hath done yet some of you woulde darken her desertes if you coulde in sayinge moste spitefully and falsly that this is the time of tyrannie these are the daies of persecution this I graunt but not in Englande though you meane in Englande Truly suche as doe say so must needes I thinke speake against their conscience and knowledge vnlesse they take mercy for crueltie and crueltie for mercie and then I may say vnto them as Esay saide to the Iewes Woe bee to you that cal euill good and good euill c. If this bee the time of tyrannie and persecution when you that are manifest enemies to your Queene and countrie before well proued are suffered to liue peaceably to inioy your goods quietly to goe at your libertie or imprisoned to fare daintily and there to liue merily or to bee releast vpon suretie Then what was Queene Maries time when her simple humble and faultlesse subiectes were cruelly imprisoned in stocks and chaines other engins tormented most tyrannously racked their friendes to come to them not suffered on the bare boordes and ground lodged to haue penne and inke and candle light not permitted for want of meate to bee famished in prisons priuily to bee murthered and abrode in euery mans eyes to bee burned That time of Queene Mary to all wise men may rather seeme to bee the time of crueltie tyrannie and persecution than this milde and mercifull time of our Queene Elizabeth I beseech God to open your eyes to see howe her grace doth persecute you for if you did see yet I feare some are blinde for the nonce you would then say that shee persecuteth you none other wise than the louing father doeth his childe and as the good scholemaster doth persecute his scholler that hee would faine haue to learne Thus much concerning your now persecution I haue declared in my said booke whereby it may plainely appeare that yours is rather a pleasant pastime then a painfull persecution to that that the Protestants felt in Queene Maries time therfore you cannot 〈◊〉 say that my said booke came foorth in the middest of your persecutions but in the middest of your easie and carelesse liuing The 36. parte YOU call my saide booke a weightie worke of fortie sheetes of paper The proud and learned Scribes and Pharisees and the other common people thought the 〈◊〉 two mytes were but of a small value but in y t sight of Christe they were counted great for that it was all shee had Euen so that my saide simple booke being al y t I was able to doe may bee counted light in your iudgement but before God I am sure it is so weightie that it will weigh downe all your learned bookes that you write for the maintenance of the Pope your Romish Church And though in 〈◊〉 you name it a weightie worke yet I haue proued in good earnest that the booke wherein you deride it is but a very light worke for that this my answere hitherto hath weyed it cleane downe But though you count it a very simple and light work yet I must content my selfe there with for so the Popes learned Doctors counted and estemed the Scriptures For Ludouicus a Canon of the Church of Laterane in Rome openly in an Oration pronounced in the late Conuenticle of Trident for the mainteining of the decrees where of you are so deepely sworne saide as followeth Ecclesia est viuum pectus Christi scriptura autem est quasi mortuum Attramentum The Church is the liuely breast of Christe But the scripture is as it were dead inke The Bishop of Poiters in the same your godly counsell of Trident saide thus Scriptura est res inanimis muta sicut 〈◊〉 sunt reliquae leges politicae The scripture is a dead dumbe thing as are all other politike lawes To this ende writeth Albertus Pigghius Si dixeris haec referri oportere ad iudicium Scripturarum c. If thou say these matters must be put ouer to the iudgement of the scriptures thou shewest thy selfe to bee voide of common reason For the scriptures are dumbe iudges and cannot speake Eckius called the Scriptures Euangelium Nigrum Theologiam Attramentariam The blacke Gospell and inken diuinitie Furthermore in the discommendation of the scriptures Pigghius writeth thus Sunt scripturae vt non minus vere quam festiue dixit quidam velut Nasus cereus qui sehorsum illorsum in quācunque volueris partem trahi retrahi fingique facile permittit The scriptures as one man both truly and merily saide is like a nose of waxe that easily suffereth it selfe to be drawne backward and forward and to be moulded and fashioned this way and that way and howsoeuer yee list Thus reuerently did your Doctors of your Romish Church write of the most holy Scriptures You wrote immediately before these wordes It is a world to see what pillers of defence they haue got what graue writers in their cause what bookes they suffer to come out against vs dayly But may not I say to you and that more rightly and truly It is a most lamentable thing both to see and to heare what pernicious and pestiferous pillers your Church of Rome hath and what impudēt writers you haue in your cause and what beastly bookes your holy father and you doe suffer to bee in printe and goe abrode wherein the holy Scripture and worde of God is made a iesting and 〈◊〉 stocke The simplest the vnlearnedst the youngest writer that is or euer was amongst y t professours of the Gospell may be counted graue writers in comparison of these your nowe mentioned doctours Whatsoeuer you count of our writers you neuer founde that wee wrote so vnreuerently and so decestablie of the holy worde of God the tryar of all truth as these and other of your Romishe graue writers haue doone These your graue writers might be auncient and graue men to see to but they haue written most childishly 〈◊〉 fondly falsly and diuelishly It is not the grauitie of the person that maketh the writing graue but the graue and true writing shewes the grauitie of the person therefore if you consider well your graue pillers y t wrote as is before in y t defēce of your church you haue no great cause mockingly and restingly to call vs graue writers as though none but they of your 〈◊〉 can be graue writers And now for that your Popes pillers and your graue writers doe call the scriptures which is the holy woorde of GOD dead Inke a liuelesse letter a dumbe Iudge that cannot speake a blacke Gospell inken Diuinitie and a nose of waxe whereby they tooke the holy Bible not to bee any weightie worke
that M Nicols slandered so many as he did fol. 13. pa. 1. English ministers standered without proofe fol. 17. pag. 1. English mē that are true to the pope are false to the Queene fol. 24. pag 1. Euill ends of papists fol. 9 pag. 1. Exercise at Rome to draw lots for Saints to be their protectors fol. 38 pag. 1. English rymers no more to bee discommended than latine rymers fol. 59. pag 2. Enemie of science ignorance fol. 61. pag 2. Excellent effects of 〈◊〉 fol. 62. pag. 2. 〈◊〉 of S. Peter are worth the reading though they were written by a 〈◊〉 fol. 64. pag. 2. Eloquente refused and yeelded vp to the owner fol. 68 pag. 1. Easie thing with chopping and changing of wordes to make wisemēs writings seeme foolish fol. 72. pa. 2 Excuse for that the booke 〈◊〉 persuasion from papistrie 〈◊〉 parts fol 73. pag. 1. Englishe Doctors haue neither wit nor learing or els a Iesuite is proued a 〈◊〉 fol. 75 pag 1. Euery authority is not taken out of the Originall worke fol. 77. pa. 1. Embassadours of Cicilia saide to the pope holy father that takest away the sinnes of the worlde fol. 81 pa. 2 English enemies described fol. 88. 89. pag. 1. Earle of Wiltshires dog kissed the popes foote fol. 92. pag. 1. F FAith and following of the doctrin of Iesus is it that wil serue 〈◊〉 not the naming of Iesus fol. 8. pag 1. Fooles follow Preachers in euill living 18 pag 2. Few priestes liued without the 〈◊〉 of fornicatiō if the note of the popes decree be true fol. 22. pag 1. false meaning finely smothed fol. 31. pag. 1. Frier Ticell could pardon one if hee had gotten our Ladie with childe fol. 33. pag 2. False Simile for whoredome though it haue a 〈◊〉 shew fol. 39 pa. 2. Forbidding of marriage suffering the Stewes is no good 〈◊〉 to suppresse whoredome fol. 46 pa 1 Falt found because a persuasion frō papistrie is not deuided into parts fol. 73. pag. 1. G GOdly Pope that said he woulde make men martyres or els denye their faith fol. 21. pa 1. God beholdeth the lowly not the lerned fol. 25 pag 1. Great diuersitie betweene the Pope and Christe fol. 26 pag. 2. Good Preachers make mountaines of mowlhilles but wicsted papists make mowlhilles of mountaines fol. 27. pag. 1. God bestoweth not his blessings on heretikes fol. 3. pag. 2. God none of the Romishe mothers husband fol. 15. pag. 2. Great learning without Christe is nothing fol. 25 pag. 1. Gods word is the candle that findeth out the spirituall theefe fol. 28. pa. 2. Goliah bragged not little Dauid fol 30 pag. 2. Grauitie and state of the popes place maketh the popes preachers goe away without thanks fol. 32. pa. 2. Great difference betweene the popes Consistorie and his chaire fol. 32. pag. 2 Grounde vnder the popes table allowed for dogges and Dukes fol. 〈◊〉 pag. 1 God nor Christ doth 〈◊〉 the pope to ride on mens backes to blesse the people fol. 37. pag 2 God doth tollerate sinners therefore the pope may suffer whoredom fol 42. pag. 1 God and the pope farre vnlike in tollerating of 〈◊〉 fol. 42. pag. 2 God taketh no money for tollerating sinners as the pope voth for suffering of whoredome fol. 43. pag. 1 Gaudium latine for a barne fol. 54. pa. 2 Great ouersight in a Iesuite fol. 58. pag. 1 Good medicines are not to be despised because the herbes that make them are not gathered where they first grew fol. 77. pag. 1 God for biddeth swearing euery day but appointeth no day for fasting fol. 84. pag. 1 Gods iudgement is chaunged when the Church of Rome hath changed her iudgement fol. 85 pag. 2 Gods myracle not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fol 91. pag. 1. H HOrrible oth of the Iesuites fol. 5. pag. 2 Hard to prooue that the mother of Rome ought to haue children in England fol. 15. pag. 1 Holy pope that called for the 〈◊〉 when he qlaied at dise fol. 20 pag. 1 Hildebrand a hellish pope fol. 20. pa. 1 Happie are the sheepe that Christ doth beare but the gotes are vnhappie that beare the pope fol. 27. pag. 1 Honestie is not so scarse in England that it must be fetcht at Rome fol 29. pag 1 Hell appointed for lyars fol. 12 pa. 2 〈◊〉 of the popes that will deny that S. 〈◊〉 had two bodies fol 14 pa. 1 Hildebrand the pope threwe Christes body into the fire and burned it or els Iesuites are for sworne fol 21. pag. 1 Hildebrand being a Cardinall smote the pope with his fist fol 20 pa. 2 Holy Church it must needes be that was gouerned by 〈◊〉 cookes hostlers and boyes fol. 33. pag. 2 Hildebrand before he was pope poysoned sixe popes fol. 20. pag. 2 He that hath not a wife ought to 〈◊〉 a concubine fol. 40. pag. 2 Holy water will chase away myse fol. 61. pag. 2 How many semebreeues are a 〈◊〉 in an houre fol 63 pag. 2 Holy pope that said he sought not the health of soules but their destruction fol. 21. pag. 1 He that accuseth the pope sinneth āgainst the holy ghost fol. 82. pa. 1 heresie for any not to hold his 〈◊〉 on the pope fol 92. pag. 1 He that setteth a Ring before a priest setteth the creature before the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fol. 92. pag. 2. 〈◊〉 the Pope was angrie with the Emperour for holding the left styrop in steede of the right fol. 92 pag. 2. I IEsuites sprung vp not fifitie yeres since fol. 3 pag. 2. Iesuites swere to keepe the popes law vntil their last gaspe fo 5. pa. 2 〈◊〉 madde and bewitched fol. 6. pag. 1 Iesuites that hate the doctrine of Iesus cannot loue his name fol. 7. pag. 1 Iohn de Roma a lying witnesse by his euill end fol. 8. pag. 2 Iudas was taught by the Diuell too be a traytour not by his religion fol. 18 pag. 1 Infamous Actes of Englishe Preachers and ministers are returned to the Romish Priests fo 24. p. 1 Important learned Papists like to y t proud Pharisees fol. 25. pag. 2 Iewes bragd of Abraham but for all that the Diuell was their father fol. 28. pag. 2 〈◊〉 Layola a Spaniard the first founder of Iesuites fol. 3. pag. 2 Iesuites admit the scripture no sense nor meaning but that the Church of Rome doth allow fol. 5. pag. 2. Iesuits swere that there are fiue Sacraments mo then the Scriptures doe allow fol. 5. pag. 2 Iesuites swere that the Churche of Rome is the mother and mistres of all Churches fol. 6. pag. 1 Iesuites swere obedience to the Bishop of Rome fol. 6. pag. 1 Iesuites prooued diuelishe deceauers far worse then bare brokers fol. 11 pag. 1 Images are to be honoured and worshipped if Iesuites sweare truly fol. 6. pag. 1 Iesuites swere to maintaine 〈◊〉 and traitrie fol. 34. pag. 1 Iesuites like better of their Saints then the Heathen do on their gods fol. 38. pag. 2 Iesuites haue a deeper consideration on mens corruption then Saint
it had been as good for you to haue holden your peace and not to haue entituled our preachers and ministers with suche infamous actes as you haue done For your great gaine you looked for thereby may 〈◊〉 turne to your losse if the Popes owne decree your owne counsels and manifest actes and deedes with persons and place may bee credited before the bare worde of one 〈◊〉 without any tryall argument or proofe The II. part VVHo doth not see say you the great varietie of important learned personages whiche from time to time vpon tryall of the truth doe returne vnto vs euen from their ministerie c. If you meane that there are such a number of Apostatase come ouer to Rome or beyonde the seas then to tell you euen truely I and many thousandes besides do neither see it nor heare of it neyther doe wee misse them I will tell you my mind such as are wearie of their welfare in englande I wishe they shoulde taste of euill fare at Rome and suche as are not pleased to bee gouerned by a most mercifull prince at home I woulde they were yokt with a cruell tyrant abrode and suche as are not 〈◊〉 with their owne 〈◊〉 countrey of Englande I woulde they might suffer some penurie in a barran and forraine soyle for thoughe suche maye pleasure you yet I am sure they doe but 〈◊〉 vs. But if there be such a great nūber of thē it is a great tokē they loue not their prince so well as the Pope and therefore more meete to be with the Pope then with their prince And because they preferre the popes lawes before the Queenes proceedings therefore I thinke them more 〈◊〉 for Rome then for Englande You may say they are true to the Pope but I am sure they are false to their prince or els they would be content to bee gouerned by 〈◊〉 grace But though many returne from vs to you yet our prince doth not send them 〈◊〉 to Rome to stirre 〈◊〉 there and to seeke the 〈◊〉 of the pope as the pope hath sent some hither 〈◊〉 England of late to allure the people to rebellion for the confusion of their 〈◊〉 You make as though there were a 〈◊〉 great number of them returned from vs to you if all the important learned personages had returned to be of your 〈◊〉 that are still of ours then you might haue boasted that they had been a great number in deede Yet it seemeth by your saying as though you had almost all and weefe we or none or that shortly for that they refuse vs so fast that Englande will bee destitute of meete men for the ministerie You count our learned men that are dayly wonne from the Gospell to you but you consider not the greate number of the simple and vnlearned sort that our preachers winne dayly from you to vs. If you encrease one way I beleeue wee encrease twise as much an other way And whereas these important learned men you meane before they reuolted frō vs were able to instruct the simple and vnlearned shortly I 〈◊〉 not but that manie of the simple learned that are 〈◊〉 conuerted to vs will bee able to reprooue your sayde important learned personages And this their great returning to your religion you say is vpon the tryall of the trueth This is your owne bare 〈◊〉 for other argumentes or proofe to confirme the same you bring none But belike the tryall of your trueth hangeth 〈◊〉 mens 〈◊〉 to you which if it be so then why may not the daily returning of other to vs try as well that ours is the trueth 〈◊〉 If you meane the trueth is tried by the number of them that returne then we haue no cause to refuse you therein far whereas one doth turne from the Gospell to 〈◊〉 twentie haue and doe dayly both here and in other countreys come from papistrie to the Gospell But the turning or returning of the people is no perfect way to try the trueth For Gods worde 〈◊〉 him that turneth but hee that turneth must not trie Gods worde None of the popes preachers did euer turne so manye in a day to 〈◊〉 as Peter did turne to the Gospel for Saint Peter converted in 〈◊〉 day three thousande by preaching the Gospell Therefore if the trueth of religion depende of the nomber of them that are turned then I am sure the religion of the Gospel is true and all other religions are false For none other religion in all the worlde hath so quickly soddenly and myraculously encreast and sprung vp as the gospel And further if you will make the trueth of your religion to consist by the turning of vs to you why may wee not then as well say that the turkes religion is also true for that diuers Christians haue and doe reuolt to the same And as you say that many of our ministerie is returned frō vs to you euen so I say that many of Christs disciples went from him and walked no more with him yet I hope you wil not say that Christs religion was false because his disciples daparted from him and forsooke his religion But as Christs disciples were false disciples because they departed from Christ euen so our men of the ministerie bee they neuer so learned are false ministers and Apostatas because they are returned from vs whiche teache the same Gospell that Christ taught to his disciples And whereas you boast that they that are returned from vs to you are important learned personages yet if a christian may giue a Iesuite counsell I woulde wishe you not to leane too muche to your or their learning for great learning without Christ is nothing but small learning with Christ is much God beholdeth the lowlie not the learned The blessed virgin Marie the mother of Christ saide that GOD looked on the lowlinesse not of the learning of his handemaide The hawtie and learned Pharisees were not chosen by Christ to be his Apostles they had suche learning that they thought scorne of Christ as you with your learned important personages thinke scorne of the Gospell And as the proud learned Pharisees said to the simple and plaine Iewes that beleeued Christe in these wordes Are yee also brought into errour doe any of the rulers or of the Pha risees beleeue on him but the cōmon people which know not the law are accursed So you with your important learned personages may say to the common simple people that beleeue the gospel wil you be seduced frō our holy mother the Church of Rome will you be brought into the errour of these heretikes of a newe religion do you see any of vs that are important learned personages beleeue on their newe founde doctrine none followe them but the common and vnlearned people which vnderstande not the scriptures Take heede therefore what you doe for our most holy father the Pope hath not onely cursed them but also wee holie Jesuites that holde on the blessed name
of Jesus haue with a great othe accursed them and denounced them for heretikes Euen thus you are in all pointes like to the proude learned Pharisees that were the enemies of Christ for that you boaste of your important learned personages dispising our simple and small learning as they did And as the common people of the Jewes that beleeued in Christe whom the Rulers and Pharisees accounted accursed was in the true way though they saide they were in errour Euen so our Simple learned ministers and the common people that professe the Gospell are in the true way though you count them in errour and you in errour though you bragge of the trueth A great sorte of our ministers and of the cleargie though they be not so learned in the Latine and other tongues as some of you Jesuites are and other of your important learned personages reuolted from vs though we haue thankes bee to GOD a great sorte besides no small number of young Jmpes that are able to matche you euery way haue better knowledge and sounder iudgement in the scriptures then you haue Yea and they are sory at the verye hearte to see you so wilfull ignoraunt in the trueth whom GOD accepteth a great deale better then you with all the learning you haue you were better to haue lesse learning with truth then more learning with falshood Saint Augustine saith Multo minus malum est indoctum esse quam indocilem It is a great deale lesse harme to bee vnlearned then to bee wilfull or vnapte to learne Saint Ambrose saith Non in dialectica complacuit deo 〈◊〉 facere populum suum Regnum enim dei in simplicitate fidei est non in contentione Sermonis It pleased nor God by logique to saue his people for the kingdome of God standeth not in contention of talke but in simplicitie of faith Irenaeus writeth Melius est vtilius Idiot as parū scientos existers per charitatem proximos deo fieri quam put are semultum scire c. It is better a great deale for men to be ignorant and to knowe but litle and by loue to drawe neere to God then to thinke themselues to knowe much and to haue great experience and yet to bee founde blasphemers against God Saint Ambrose also saith Verba philosophorum excludet simplex veritas piscatorum The simple plaine trueth of Fyshers confoundeth the words of the learned Philosophers Here you may see the learned and auncient Doctours doe preferre the simple fayth and playne trueth of Jdyots and poore fyshers before wilfull deepe contentious disputers and learned Philosophers Therefore you haue no such cause to bragge or boast neither of the great number of our Ministers neyther of your important and learned personages that are returned to you But you and they haue great cause to bee sorie that you haue forsaken your obediencie of your most louing lawfull and mercifull Queene and sworne obediencie to that Antichrist of Rome through continuing in whose diuelishe doctrine vntill your last gaspe you will bee brought into perpetuall destruction both of bodie and soule in hell 〈◊〉 for euer Except you repent Therefore bee not wilfully blinde but open your eyes willingly and resist the manifest trueth no longer The 12. part YOu followe your olde song still for as you said before that M. Nicols is but base wares here you say that he in good sooth is not worth the taking vp beeing founde in the streete c. Sometimes a lewde lye dooeth lurke vnder a good sooth you that do sweare to maintein manifest 〈◊〉 you will not sticke to lie when you sweare not at all though you say in good sooth You looke that this smoth 〈◊〉 of yours shoulde procure your reader to credite you 〈◊〉 as the Foxe when he lyeth still as dead doeth hope of a pray so you by this your smothe sothing hope to winne the simple reader the rather to beleeue you Master Nicols may be glad that you limitted the place or els you woulde not haue allowed him to bee taken vp at all Well it was happie that hee was not founde in the Streete else by your doome hee was not worth the taking vp and so he shoulde haue lien in the streete and perished For who will take vp that thing that is not woorth the taking vp It seemeth that some places are luckier then other and some more vnfortunate then other The Pope hath his best lucke in his chayre for there hee can not lye saye what hee will And Master Nicols hath his cheefe misfortune in the streete for anie where but there hee is woorth the taking vp One may nowe easely gesse that you woulde not haue taken him vp if you had founde him in the streete May woulde not some of you Iesuites haue beaten him downe if you had founde him in Rome out of the streetes faire 〈◊〉 friende at neede Christe thought him woorth the taking vp as it doeth appeare for euen hee him selfe and I take him to bee as good as your Pope and the beste Iesuite of you all did not thinke scorne to take him vp and carried him on his owne shoulders as one of his loste and strayed sheepe Therefore what so euer you say Master Nicols was woorth the taking vp or els Christe the Sonne of GOD woulde not haue taken suche paines to haue carried him on his owne backe You may see here what a great 〈◊〉 there is betweene the Pope and Christe for the Pope woulde thinke scorne to carrie one on his shoulders especially M. Nicols as Christ hath done Yet the pope shoulde be the inferior of the two Christ the sonne of God 〈◊〉 carrie one hole man on his shoulders but the Pope wil carrie none but must be carried on y t shoulders of foure men at y e least Therfore y e pope may haue a sheep I perceiue lie a good while in a ditch ere he wil take him vp nay they that be y t Popes Gotes must be miuen to beare him on their backes O how happy are those sheepe y t Christ beareth on his shoulders but how 〈◊〉 are those gotes that beare the Pope on their backes The thirteene part VVHere you say that our fraude or feruor is to make mountaines of mo wlehilles I am sure that you by your Papisticall power doe make mowlehilles of mountaines Christ 〈◊〉 the kingdome of heauen to a little graine of mustarde seede Math. 13. For as out of a litle graine of mustard seede though it seeme very small springeth goodly faire braunches full of leaues Euen so of the worde of God though it seeme little or of small value in your eyes doth spring and grow y e fellowship Church of God that shall raigne in y e kingdome of heauen for euer with Christe In this respect wee make mountaines of 〈◊〉 But you cleane contrarie make mowlehilles of mountaines for whereas mountaines in diuers places of y e scriptures is taken for
care not howe among alians and strangers Nay besides y t you haue spoiled them of my liuerey couered them with your owne coat wherby they seem not mine but yours these are they that hee which is the Pope alloweth all priestes to haue harlots But when you haue thus defaced and displaced them you neither disproue them nor confute them but as you haue done with the rest you leaue them to your Reader to confute But if I had written the selfe same wordes as I haue not yet I haue prooued them before to bee true But that the indifferent reader may perceiue that my words are neither so false nor so farre out of frame as you woulde haue them thinke I will repeate mine owne wordes and a fewe words besides that immediatly go before the better to open the cause why I wrote them In that part of my booke where I disproue the Pope for forbidding of Priestes marriages and for allowing or suffering Priestes to haue concubines among the rest I haue written thus And in the Rubricke vpon the 34. distinction Is qui is thus It is lawfull for him that hath no wife in steede of her to haue a concubine heere is good stuffe and what is a concubine but an 〈◊〉 c. May you not nowe perceiue that the Popes lawe is a pure and holy lawe that alloweth Priestes to haue harlots and forbiddeth them to haue wiues Nay punisheth them and burneth them for Heretikes that haue wiues Heere it is manifest that I wrote not as you haue misreported 〈◊〉 that the Pope alloweth all Priestes to haue harlots but thus may you not perceiue that the popes lawe is a pure and holy lawe that alloweth priestes to haue Harlots Heere I haue not only proued that you wrested and displaced my wordes but also that the Popes lawe alloweth Priests to haue harlots though you haue said before that the Pope taketh not money of the Curtezans and the Harlots of the Stewes of Rome for allowance of their life but as a punishment of their offence This kinde of dealing will get you small gaine The 53. part BUT heere I espie another thing that maketh mee to muse it seemeth you are weerie of leaping forward for that on a soden you leape or skip bacward But you haue a speciall propertie that fewe leapers haue for whereas euery leaper can leape further forward then backward you excelling al other leapers can leape further backwarde then forwarde for whereas your last leape forward was not past 21. sides or pages now you haue leapt backewarde at one leape 62. pages or sides whiche is twise as much backward as you leapt forwarde I woulde hardly haue beleeued vnlesse I had seene it that a Iesuite coulde haue leapt so farre backwarde at a leape Out of which place you did take and choose certaine wordes and ioyne them to your woordes before recited which you cited as mine and there you affirme that I say That hee that is the pope giueth licence for money to keepe as many 〈◊〉 as a man will And so without any mo wordes you leaue them as you doe all the rest for your Reader to confute if he will for that either you cannot or els you haue made some vowe that you will not But what if these words you haue charged me withall be neither there nor in any other part of my booke woulde you haue then your reader iudge that a Iesuite hath dealt iustly with a Christian If there bee any wordes there to that effect I will recite them whereby the indifferent Reader may see whether your words y t you father on mee agree with mine or not But before I proceed any further I will repeat the wordes before of Cardinall Cusanus that gaue me occasion to write thē these are my very wordes Marke also what that caterpiller Cardinall Cusanus writeth for the authoritie of the Romish church aboue the scriptures I tell thee saith hee that there is nothing taken for Christs commaundemēt vnlesse it bee so allowed of the Churche meaning the churche of Rome when the Churche hath chaunged her iudgement Gods iudgement is likewise changed Oh abhominable and detestable impes of Sathan though the whorishe church of Rome may change in her iudgemēts yet God in his holy worde is infallible and vnchangeable in his iudgements What hel hounds are these that would make vs beleeue y t as the popes iudgements doe change so Gods iudgements doe change and that nothing is taken for Gods iudgements vnlesse the Pope the church of Rome allow of it But contrarie say I that the commādements of the Pope and of their church are nothing vnlesse Christ doth allow thē And after I haue vttered these wordes I discourst vpon all the ten commandements alluding them as chaunged into the popes commandements And vpon the commandement of committing adultrie I write thus And whereas God saith Thou shalt not com mit adultrie nowe the iudgement of the Pope and the church of Rome is changed and therefore Gods iugdement is changed So that this law by the iudgemét of the church of Rome must now be thus thou shalt not marry but thou maiest haue a concubine or a harlot to commit adultrie or fornication withall thou shalt haue a licence for money of the Pope to do so and so he shall allow thee to commit adultrie or to play the whoremonger or harlot but take heede thou marry not according to the lawe of God for then thou shalt loose all thy liuing and thou shalt be taken for an heretike and the Pope will not dispence with thee therefore These are my wordes but amongst them all your wordes before mentioned y t you haue fathered on me which are these that folow That he giueth licence for money to keepe as many concubines as a mā will are not to be found and therefore you lost your labour to leape so far backward for y t that was not there But whē you saw y t you could not find there a fit lie for your purpose you thought it was better to deuise a lie of your own rather then you would returne againe without a lie But though I haue not said that the pope giueth licence for money to keep as many concubines as a man will yet it appeareth plainely that he permitteth the women in his stues in Rome for money to play the whores as oft as they list men to lie with thē as oft as they will that he alloweth his prelats Priestes to play the fornicators but in any wise not to marrie as it appeareth in the Popes decrees by these wordes which are before mētioned He that hath not a wife in steed of her must or ought to haue a concubine And also by these wordes Videtur quod crimen Meretricit c. It seemeth y t the Church ought to passe ouer the crime of whoredome vnder dissimulation with diuers
other most diuelish detestable decrees for mainteining of the same as in other places I haue declared before Wherefore though you woulde haue your Reader to thinke that your wordes were mine yet you leaue them barely as you haue doone the 〈◊〉 without disprouing them leauing them to bee discredited of your Reader Which you your selfe were not able to confute and yet they were your owne wordes and not mine as before it is manifest A true Christian woulde bee 〈◊〉 to bee taken in suche a trippe 〈◊〉 I haue now taken you being a Iesuite The 54. part AFter this what sodaine toy hath taken you in the head I know 〈◊〉 but you haue iumpt forward fortie sides or pages where belike you haue spied some thinge that will serue your turne which you haue ioyned to your former falsified wordes and that are these That his fast is to cramme in as many banketting dishes as men can and there you stay and goe no further leauing them as you haue doone the rest for your Reader to confute But as according to your wont you haue written my words otherwise then I wrote them so you left out those wordes both before and after them which openeth the sense thereof neither haue you declared how I compared the Popes fast and Christes fast together but because you haue written thē both falsely and left thē nakedly to make your reader haue an euill opinion in me to discredite my booke I wil here vtter mine owne wordes that they may shewe whether they are so without order sense or good meaning as you haue gone about to make them And thus they are as followe And as this Romish Churche hath with her most wicked prayer blotted out the pure and perfect order of praying which Christe did teach in the scriptures euen so she hath with her vaine fond and superstitious fastings quite banished the true fasting required by the Gospell For Christe in the Gospel saith When yee fast be not sad as the hypocrites are c. But when thou fastest appeare not vnto men to fast but vnto thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shal reward thee opēly Heere Christ doth appoint vs that we must not let it be knowen whē we fast but the popes fast is published the dayes so commonly and openly commaunded appointed that euery one may know when they fast So that Christe hath appointed his fasting so priuily but the Church of Rome proclaimes her fastes as openly Christ hath appoynted no dayes nor times for his fasting The Church of Rome hath appointed dayes and times for her fasting The meaning of Christes fasting is to absteine from what soeuer either meates or drinkes that make vs prone to sinne The popes fast is to forbeare flesh onely but permits men to eate all kinde of fishe though it bee neuer so dayntie deliciously drest and all kinde of iunkettes and banketing dishes with delicate wines as muche as wee will cramme and powrein Christes fast is to keepe our bodies lowe to bee in subiection to the spirite But that is not performed in the popes fast but by their daintie dishes and drinkes the Spirite is brought in subiection of the body Christes fast is a willing and an vncompelled abstinence The popes fast is a constrayned abstinence and is done of many against their wills Christes fasting is to make vs vertuous and holy before god The popes fast is hypocritical and to make vs seeme holy before men This is difference enough to shewe you that the Christian fasting of Christe and the common fasting of the Pope are farre vnlike and do not agree so that the one shall haue his rewarde hereafter of God and the other hath his rewarde alredy of men c. And this is the circumstaunce cause and effect of my woordes Thus the indifferent reader may perceiue that you haue not onely altered my woordes but also through displacing them and cutting them from their 〈◊〉 which shoulde haue witnessed their true intente 〈◊〉 and meaning you haue gone about to beguile him yea and moste maliciously to discredite or defame mee But I trust by that time hee hath weyed my wordes and your wordes together hee will regarde my booke as it is and you as you are The 55. part IF I had made such bagaries in my booke as you haue done here in yours you might then haue iustly saide that I wandred without all witte or learning for whereas you pickte your last woordes though falsely out of the 171. page of my booke nowe on the sudden you haue leapt backwarde againe an 164. pages at the least which is a great deale further then before So that it seemeth you haue tryed howe farre if neede were you can leape backwarde especially at a dead lift If you had leapt but halfe a score sides or pages further you had leapt quite out of the booke and then you had not founde this snare where with you haue snarled mee Well I must gette out of it as well as I may and these are your woordes that followe affirming that I say in the 5. and 6. page of my booke That all papistes are worse and deserue 〈◊〉 death then drunkardes theeues murtherers and pyrates and so you leaue neyther disprouing nor confuting them by any other proofe or argument but refers it to your reader to confute if he list as you haue done all the rest or else perhappes you looke that eyther they shoulde disprooue or confute them selues or that these your knitting vp wordes that followe shoulde take the paynes to doe so muche for you Whiche are This is Luptons charitable doctrine with many thinges moe which I omitte You haue quoted in your margent that these my wordes are in the 5. and 6. page or side of my booke Surely if the seuer all matters that you write as mine were as sentencious as they be short and were vttered as truly as you haue writtē them falsely I am sure you woulde neuer haue cumbarde your booke with them There are but fifteene woordes of them in all 〈◊〉 that mee thinkes one side myght haue holdē them well enough especially seeing two lines of one of the sides of my booke holdeth as muche and more And I am sure it woulde haue done so as the ende of the fifte and 〈◊〉 pages fall out if you had written any one Sentence of myne as I wrote it But as you haue falsisted my wordes before so haue you done nowe and you seeme to include as you thought good the whole circumstaunce and argumentes of these two sides or pages to that ende in your aforesaide fifteene 〈◊〉 woordes whiche is too straite a roome for a Christian by way of argumente to prooue the easiest matter that is I knowe not what a Iesuite may doe But that it may appeare howe you goe about to disgrace my sayde booke and to discredite mee by deceauing your reader I