this therefore from henceforth thou shalt haue warres Thus we may sée that King Asas peace and quietnesse was turned into warres and trouble bicause he slidde from the Lorde and hearkned not to his voyce euen so if your Idolatrous Masse shoulde be planted and vsed here as you desire then our prosperitie and peace would be turned into aduersitie and warres And then King Asa to mend the matter withall did imprison the Prophet for telling him so and did not repent and turne to the Lorde as King Dauid did when the Prophet Nathan reproued him which encreased the Lordes displeasure the more against him Here it is manifest as before and as it is throughe the whole Scriptures that God doth blesse his people with victorie quietnesse and peace so long as they stay vpon him and obey his worde and no longer Marke how God did blesse that good and vertuous King Iehosaphat the sonne of King Asa with victories peace and great riches bycause he walked rightly in the sight of God and abolished Idolatry which godly vertuous King in the third yéere of his raigne sent his Princes and Rulers and learned men with them to set forth Gods lawe and to teach it in the Cities of Iudah And they did teache it in Iudah and had the Booke of the lawe of the Lord with them and went about throughout al the cities of Iudah his kingdome and taught the people And the feare of the Lorde fell vpon all the kingdomes of the landes that were rounde about Iudah And they fought not against Iehosaphat Nowe weigh the comparison and consider the like or more Hath not the Lorde likewyse blessed our gratious Quéene Elizabeth with an vnfoughten victorie without any bloudshed against hir rebellious subiects the Papists and hath not he besides blessed hir with such a plenty quietnesse and peace al the rest of hir raigne as before was neuer séene in England bicause she hath hearkned to the voice of y e Lord as Iehoshaphat did who staid not vntill the third yéere of hir raigne but in the first yéere and in the beginning therof abolished Idolatrie and did set forth the worde of God the holy Bible in the Englishe tongue throughout all England not onely in Cities but also in all townes villages and other places and commaunded and gaue commission to all hir Bishops Doctours Preachers Curates and Ministers to preache teache and vse the same purelye and rightly and all other hir Magistrates to defende it And accordingly al the time of hir worthy raigne it hath béene and is dayly preached and taught throughout all England And as the feare of the Lord fell vpon al the kingdomes of the landes that were round about Iudah and they fought not against King Iehoshaphat euen so the Lorde our God hath feared all the Countries and Kingdomes round about Englande and therefore they haue not fought against our Quéene Elizabeth Thus you cannot choose but graūt that if Iehoshaphat was blessed and prospered of God then our Quéene Elizabeth is blessed and prospered of God if Iehoshaphat was a good King and did please God then our Elizabeth is a good Quéene and pleaseth God and if that were Idolatrie that Iehoshaphat did abolish out of Iudah then papistrie was Idolatrous that our Quéene hath abolished out of England and if that were y e law of God that Iehoshaphat proclaymed published and caused to be taught throughout Iudah then this is the very lawe and word of God that our Quéene Elizabeth hath set forth throughout al hir Realme of Englande If this and all the rest that I haue written can not persuade you that this our religion is the verye true religion and that God doth both like and allowe it then I thinke you are determined not to be persuaded But yet to winne you if it wil be marke what followed of wicked Iehoram thoughe he was the sonne of godlye King Iehoshaphat This king Iehoram when he was placed in the kingdome of Iudah after his father slew and killed his brethren and y e princes of Israel he walked not according as Iehoshaphat his father did but wrought euil in gods sight And he caused the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to commit spiritual fornication that is Idolatry and compelled his people of Iudah thereto whervpon the Prophet Eliah spake to him by writing saying Thus sayth the Lord God of Dauid thy father bycause thou haste not walked in the wayes of Iehoshaphat thy father nor in the ways of Asa king of Iudah but haste walked in the wayes of the Kings of Israel and haste made Iudah and the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to go a whoring as the house of Ahab wente a whoring and haste also slaine thy brethren of thy fathers house which were better than thou Beholde with a great plague wil the Lord smite thy people and thy children and thy wyues and all thy substaunce And thou shalt be in great diseases in the disease of thy bowels vntil thy bowels fall out for the disease daye by day Then the Lord stirred vp against Iehoram the Philistines and the Arabians and they came vp into Iudah and brake into it and carryed away al the substance that was in the Kings house and his sons also and his wiues so that there was not a son left him saue Iehoahaz the yōgest of his sons And after al this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an vncurable disease and in processe of time euen after the end of two yeares his guts fel out with his disease so he died of sore diseases c. And againe you may sée vnlesse you do wilfully winke that the abolishing of Idolatrie setting forth of the lawe of God was the cause that God did blesse and prosper good King Iehoshaphat and contrary the committing of Idolatrie and the compelling of the people of Iudah to sin therein and the forsaking of the law of God was the cause that God did thus plague and punish wicked Iehoram his son with wars with the taking awaye of his sons and wiues and spoyling his house and with y e falling out of his guts wherof he dyed Here you may easily perceiue that God spared not wicked Iehoram though he were the sonne of godlye Kyng Iehoshaphat whom God loued so wel for it is not the person or place but the truth and the godlinesse of the person whatsoeuer he be and whersoeuer he be that God doeth respect Therfore as God doeth nowe blesse vs and thys realme with prosperitie quietnesse plentie and peace aboue all other kingdomes that are rounde aboute vs as he did Iehoshaphat for abolishing Idolatrous Papistrie for setting forth obeying and preaching his holy worde Euen so assure your selues and loke for none other but that God wil cursse vs and plague this Realm of England with troubles warres with comming in of straungers spoyling of vs and our goods with the losse of wiues and childrē and with vncurable diseases or such like as he did Iehoram and
submitted hymselfe vnder the Popes table Christe neuer taught the Pope that lesson to make the Citie of Venice frée and to bryng the Venetians from bondage to lybertie But you woulde fayne submitte your selues to the Pope and kisse hys foote to bryng this your famous Countrey from libertie to thraldome and your Countreymen from fréedome to be bondslaues King Alured once a worthye King in this Realme for the safegarde of his people and Countrey chaunged hymselfe from a King to a Minstrel and endaungered himselfe to goe among the Danes his enemies and played before them in their Campes whereby he perceyuing their negligence and weakenesse returned priuily to his armie then with a chosen company sodainely in the night he did set vpon the Danes and so slew a great number of them And will you then contrarie being subiectes liuing here in your own Countrey at pleasure safetie quiet wish or deuise wayes or meanes to bring in our enemies to spoyle your Prince hir louing people and Countrey Marke wel weigh aduisedly I beséeche you that when King Alured did thus daungerously hazard his life for hys Countrey then thys Realme was vexed and scourged with thrée maruellous plagues that is with their enemies the Danes wyth great mortalitie of men and with murraine of beasts but now when you séeke or wish for y e spoile and confusion of your Countrey God hath blessed vs with thrée special blessings that is with the pure preaching of y e Gospell with a great plentie of al things and a wonderfull peace such as this Realme had neuer so long before Consider therefore the good case that now we are in and y e euil case our auncesters haue bin in for this our Realme was gouerned once vnder diuerse Kings at one time but by the great policie worthinesse of our former Rulers as Mulmutius Dunwallo Aluredus K. Adelstane or rather by Gods power and prouidence this Realme was brought from the rule gouernment of seauen Kings at one time to one Monarch vnder the gouernment of one Prince but you if you myght haue your will or wishe would haue vs to loose our one most quiet and mercifull gouernour to bée ruled gouerned and to bée in bondage and slauerie vnder many tyrants Therefore I may iustly compare you to Uipers for as they are conceiued by the deuouring of their fathers and brought forth by the destruction of their mothers and at laste are destroyed themselues euen so you goe about as much as in you lyeth to deuoure your fathers that begot you to murther your mothers that did beare you to destroy your wiues that do loue you to bring your childrē to thraldome that obey you to burne your brethren that benefite you to suppresse your Prince that defendeth you to consume your Countreymen that should ayde you to spoyle your whole Countrey that doth nourish you which if you should bring to passe as God forbid then looke to haue the rewarde of Uipers your selues which is short life and destruction If you cannot sée the good case you are in I feare you shal féele the euill case you shall be in for you are like to a foolishe seruant that dwelleth with a good Maistresse who being gently reproued not sharply corrected for hir fault and therefore weary of hir welfare gets hir a shrewd husbande in al the hast who doth not only then lead a sorrowful life but also would be right wel content with the scrappes she was wonte with hir Maistresse to throw away and would be glad of simple clothes that before she disdayned so you being gouerned vnder a merciful Quéene and louing Mistresse not séeing your great plentie quietnesse and peace you haue by hir would faine chaunge hir for a cruel champion of the Popes whose traine woulde make you their slaues spoyle you of your substance rauish your wiues deflower your daughters and cause you to fight against your own friends murther you and treade you vnder their féet for if their maister the Pope hath trode vppon an Emperours necke do you thinke that his seruaunts wil sticke to trample on your backes and bellies And thus you are far worse to youre selues thoughe I haue proued you euil ynough to vs than the fonde mayde is to hir selfe for she for a good mystresse gets but an euil husband who may by law be compelled to vse hyr better but you for one moste milde and mercifull Maistresse woulde haue a thousande euill and cruell Maisters of whom you shal haue no redresse Now to auoyde all these mischiefes before mentioned cleaue vnto GOD and his worde cast off the Pope and his Lawes feare to haue Gods curses care not for the Popes curses for euer since the Pope hath curste vs the Lorde God hath blest vs with quietnesse plentie and peace and they that the Pope hath blessed it séemes that God hath cursed them with troubles wars scarcitie and many other euils for so the Prophet said I wil curse your blessings If our forefathers that estéemed the Popes blessings so greatly and dreaded his curses so much had thought that they should haue bin so happy and fared so wel as we haue with his curses and to be so troubled and molested haue such mischiefes as other haue daylye with his blessings they wold neuer haue obeyed him nor feared him so much they did Therefore séeing God doth blesse where the Pope doth cursse and also cursse where the Pope doeth blesse it is a very manifest thing that Gods lawe and the Popes lawe are contrarie and are not all one but contrary the one to the other and so if the one be true the other muste néedes be false But I trust you wil not say that the law or worde of God is false then you must néedes be compelled to say that the Popes lawe is false Now séeing it is so manifestly proued that the Popes lawe is false I hope you wil not be so wilfull and witlesse to forsake the true word of God follow still the false law wicked Religion of the Pope Consider I beséeche you how Christ became curssed to make you blessed and will you to be blessed of the Pope bée curssed of God and séeing Christe was curssed for our sakes to leade vs to heauen will you be curssed of God for the Popes sake that would bring vs to Hell Truely whosoeuer beléeueth that Iesus Christ by his death hath performed the whole law for vs as well as though we had kept it perfectly our selues and that our saluation is by and through him whosoeuer I say beléeue this faithfully and repent their sinnes vnfainedly without all doubt they are sure to be saued But whosoeuer thinke that they may merite heauen by their owne workes or hope to bée saued by some other meanes than by Christ as by Masses Trentals Dirges Popes pardons such trumperie which the Popes doctrine dooth teach you let all such be assured that they shall
was created or made and hath bene allowed approued and vsed by many great Emperoures Kings yea and Popes Cardinals and Byshops and many other too long to be put in daying in these daies at the latter ende of the world But whereas the murther of Caine the Idolatrie of the Heathen and the pryde of the Diuell began long before Christe yet the Pope and his Religion began long and many a day after Christ as plainly appeares Therefore seing the murther of Caine the Idolatrie of the Heathen and the pryde of the Diuell that are so ancient and so long before Christ may be put to daying then the Popes authoritie his new Romishe religion that began so long after Christ wherein murther Idolatrie pride beares such a sway may aswel be put to daying be brought to accōpt Therfore regard not the church of Rome for hir anciētnes who though you beléeued she was so old so ancient yet in cōparison of y e gospel she is very yōg but sticke to the worde of God and the Gospell which is both auncient and true wherevpon the right true Churche is buylded and be not angrie with vs for forsaking that false late vpstart Church of Rome and in following Christ and his Gospell which makes vs the true Churche neyther say that we boast our selues to much in saying so which is no proude boasting but a godly reioysing For if it be a proude parte to followe Christe in religion and liuing who is the best patterne to followe of all that euer dwelled on the earth what is the Pope then that claymeth Christes authoritie to him selfe and to be as Christ For one saluted the Pope in this maner as followeth Touching prymacie thou arte Abel Touching gouernment thou arte Noe touching the Patriarkeship thou art Abraham touching order thou arte Melchisedech touching dignitie thou art Aaron touching Authoritie thou art Moses touching Iudgement thou art Samuel touching power thou arte Peter touching annoynting thou art Christe All this I trowe is sufficient for a Pope and I may say further touching thy takyng of all this vppon thée thou art Antichrist That Churche that hath such a head and chiefe Captaine as claymes and takes all these Titles and yet for all that is a very limme of the Diuell muste néedes be a true and holy Churche such a Churche is that Churche of Rome that you haue so much estéemed therefore if you meane to be of the Churche of Christe then flie away with spéede from this Churche of Antichrist For how can that be the Churche of Christ that will not suffer the Gospell which is the Statutes and Lawes of Christ to be red and taught in it As all earthly Emperours Kinges haue their statutes lawes for the obeying of them the maintenance of the countrey Cōmonwealth so hath Christ the sonne of God his statutes lawes for them that be his people the Christians thereby to obey their Captaine Christe to do these things that may conserue them all togither here in a holye congregation and that maye leade them the waye to the kingdome where their head King Captaine in Christ is But as they that wil not suffer the lawes of their Kings or Emperours to be read published to their people but will hyde them destroy them and burne them bycause they should not obey their Emperours and kings and that they should not do their things that should be for the prosperitie concord and continuaunce of their Countrey and common wealth are no true subiectes of those Kings or Emperours but rather rebels and traytors Euen so the Pope and the Churche of Rome are not the true children nor Churche of Christe but rebels and Traytors to him that hydes destroyes and burnes the Scripture Gospell Gods worde bycause we shoulde not knowe our duetie to oure Christe and that we shoulde not kéepe his commaundements Perhappes some of you wil saye if the Popes be so wicked their doctrine so detestable and the Churche of Rome so contrary to Christe as is here alleadged then why doth the Emperour and diuers Kings and so manye Rulers in Christendome followe him and do not espie his diuelish doings Mary I wil tel you why they do not forsooth bicause they looke not in the worde of God whych is the only Candle that woulde make them to sée and so without it they are blinde therefore the Pope doth suppresse it burnes it and hydes it and falsely expoundes it and makes them beléeue it is Heresie to be in their vulgare and knowne tongue and all bycause he woulde not haue them to sée that he maye leade them by the noses whiche waye he liste for the Pope is assured that if the Kings and Rulers that are the defenders of his religion did once know the Scriptures and had them in their vulgare tongue as oure gracious Quéene of England the King of Denmarke the King of Scots and other Dukes and Rulers of Germany and of diuers other Countries haue then they woulde spye his iugling and forsake him as hir Grace and the other Kings Rulers haue done The Lion or wilde Bull saieth M. Iewell bee they neueruer so cruell or great of courage yet if you may once closely couer their eyes ye may easily leade them whether you lyst without resisting Euen so doth the Pope hoodwinke and blindfolde the Princes of the worlde and holde them in ignoraunce for want of looking in Gods worde which done he maketh them to holde his Styrrop to leade his horse to kneele downe and to kysse his shoe and to attende and wayte vppon him at his pleasure but if they eyther knewe him or them selues they woulde not doe it which they will neuer knowe well before they know Gods word better than they doe And thus the blynde Popes leade the blinde Kyngs Princes and Rulers whereby they are all lyke to fall in the ditche and the Pope learnes the blinde Kings and Princes méekenesse and humilitie and the Diuell teaches him to bée presumptuous and proude for humilitie it can not wel be called vnlesse the Pope hath one humilitie and Christ an other For Christ sayth learne of me for I am méeke lowly in hart Nowe if Christ which is the chiefe teacher of humilitie and méekenesse had thought it had bene a point of humilitie to haue troden in the Emperours necke that an Emperour with his wife and childe shoulde haue come in the colde frost and to stande thrée dayes without at his gate for his absolution and pardon that an Emperour shoulde holde his Styrrop whiles he got vp on his horse y e Kings shoulde holde his horse leade his horse by the brydle and go on foote whyles he did ride to set the Emperours Crowne on his head with his foote and to strik it off againe with his foote to suffer a Duke to lie in chaynes vnder his Table whiles he was at dinner and that Kings and Emperours shoulde
A Persuasion from Papistrie VVrytten chiefely to the obstinate determined and dysobedient English Papists who are herein named proued English enimies and extreme Enimies to Englande ¶ Which persuasion all the Queenes Maiesties Subiectes fauoring the Pope or his religion will reade or heare aduisedlye and throughly especially such as woulde be counted friendes to ENGLANDE that wishe oure Princes prosperitie the safegarde of the Nobilitie the concorde of our Comunalty and the continuance of this our happy state and tranquillitie AT LONDON Imprinted by Henrie Bynneman dwelling in Thamis Streete neare Baynards Castel ANNO. 1581. Cum priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis To the most merciful and prudent Princesse Elyzabeth by the grace of God of Englande Fraunce and Ireland Queene Defender of the faith c. AS heretofore my moste gratious Soueraigne I troubled your Highnesse not without some trauell to my selfe in a thing that was necessarie reasonable and commodious to many and hurte to none Euen so I haue now not troublingly but louingly framed an earnest persuasion to suche of your subiects as feare not God as they ought regarde not hys worde as they shoulde nor obey your Highnesse as they are bounde naming them Englishe enimies as I maye verye well for Englishe friendes I am sure they are not whych persuasion is necessarie reasonable and very profitable for thē not hurtfull to any And as that which beefore I made to your Maiestie was by your Grace onely to be aucthorized for the greate releefe and succour of youre subiectes So this that I haue nowe written to your subiectes is to bee allowed and practised by them to the great comfort and ioy I hope of your Highnesse And though I haue penned it for them to performe yet I haue dedicated it to your Grace to peruse Beseeching youre Maiestie therein to pardon my boldenesse or rather presumption for thoughe it bee not so learnedly so cunningly and so finely framed as is requisite for your excellēcie yet it is so plainly so truly and so zealously done as is meete for your subiects Not doubting but stedfastlye trusting though al thereby be not allured from their errour that many will be wonne to the truth though it make not thē see that wincke for the nonce it wil cause thē to see that wil open their eyes And though it procure not the obstinate and determined Papistes from being Englishe Enimies yet it will enforce thousandes I hope of the simple seduced sorte to become Englishe friendes or rather friendes to England And thoughe there might seeme in mee too muche boldenesse to craue of your Maiestie to reade this presently yet I beseech your Highnesse to view and peruse it at your leysure conueniently For as the reading thereof I truste wil much profite them to whom I haue written it so your Graces reading of it woulde not a little reioyce mee to whome I dedicate it And whereas I firmely beleeue that God thereby wil be better honoured the Gospel more embraced Papistrie more contemned your Maiestie better obeyed your Highnesse of manye more loued your power more augmented treason lesse practised forraine foes more discouraged your louing subiects more comforted Englishe enimies more diminished Englishe friendes more encreased and this youre Realme of England the better strengthned yet the onely thing that I craue therefore of your Grace is well to accept it and in good parte to take it Beseeching your Maiestie not to respect the meane estate of the person but the meaning of the partie not the cunning of the contriuer but the intent of the writer neither howe it is couched but to what ende it is framed And if there be any thing therein that shall mislike your Maiestie I most humbly beseech you therefore to pardon me protesting to God and your Grace that I wrote the same not purposely but negligently and not willingly but ignorantly Hoping besides that the godly and wise will construe all things therein to the beste and not wreast them to the worst And as for other that haue an ouerweening in their owne wittes and that are rather curious carpers than profitable doers whereof there are not a few I doe not muche weigh for it is impossible to write so circumspectly to satisfie or please euery precise head And therefore I haue chosen rather to write truth and goodnesse for fooles to mislike than toyes and tryfles for the wise to deride not ignoraunte that there are moe finde-faultes than mende-faultes and moe that are ready to detract other mens doings than able to make the like of their owne whereof some thinke they deserue more to be commended so much they fancie their follie for discommending of that in a minute of an houre whyche the Writer with great study and paine for their greate profite and the continuall commoditie of many thousandes hath beene a framing and finishing twoo or three yeares And as a greate sorte for this will fauour me and not hate mee Euen so I am sure that some therefore will hate me moste spitefully that rather oughte to loue me earnestly Whose malice the better to withstande I haue chosen your Maiestie as one that is beste able vnder God to defende me Vnder whose protection this may the more safely passe abroade and thereby be the better accepted the more desired the gladlyer receyued the more willingly perused the more aduisedly scanned the lesse detracted and the better credited And thus omitting any further to trouble your Highnesse I as one of your most true and faithful subiects vnfainedly and from the bottome of my heart do beseeche God to preserue you from perils to shielde you from sorrow to confound al your foes to defend you from Traytours to reueale their conspyracies to frustrate theyr attemptes and to protecte you in peace Your Graces moste dutifull and obedient subiecte THOMAS LVPTON A persuasion from Papistrie IF this our famous realme of Englād hath manye Englishe enimies if it bréede and nourish such as lokes and hopes for y e subuersion of the good peaceable estate therof And if many that are carefully defēded therin by our most gracious merciful Princes are apparaunte enimies to hir grace and to this our countrey Then no maruel though it should haue a great sort of forraine foes Then it is vnlike that strangers borne and bredde out of it do wishe that it should prosper and thē how may it be thought that strangers not defēded by hir maiestie shold be faithful friends to hir to hir realme for if one hate his natural mother y t nourished brought him vp Thē it is not like y t one shold loue his stepmother that neuer did any thing for him And now for that it is wel known by tryal not surmised by heare say that ther are such mētioned english enimies as wel dwelling among vs as also rainging abrode in other Countreys which is no lesse griefe to hir grace than sorrow to hir louing subiects I for the zeale I owe to my prince
to England And thus I trow I haue proued that you are English enimies Mark again Christ sayth who is to be beléeued No maÌ„ can serue two masters for either he shal hate the one loue the other or else leane to the one and despise the other By these words of Christ who caÌ„not ly though the Pope may erre al English persons that loue the Pope and his religion must néeds hate the Quéen hir religioÌ„ or if they leane to the Pope and his religion then they despise the Quéene and hir religion Therfore if it be construed to the best all you that are Papists for that you do leane to the Pope and his religion do dispise the Quéene and hir religion And I thinke you owe no great loue where yée dispise And so if you hate or despise the Quéen whose life as I saide is the prosperitie of England then you caÌ„ not be friends to EnglaÌ„d but enimies to England And thus by Christs own words you must néeds whether you wil or no be english enimies I grant there are many other English enimies yet al that may properly be called English enimies are not enimies to England for al they that are born in England that hate the diuell wickednes sin that are enimies to them that are enimies to England may in a right sense be called English enimies of whom I neither mean neither haue I any iust cause to write for though they may be called English Enimies yet they are friends to England But I meane y t they are English enimies y t are hurtful to England wherof there are many besides you but not such as you Our théeues are English Enimies whereof many steale for necessitie Unthrifts are english enimies both to themselues to other for that they spend wastefully on theÌ„selues that other haue néede of Drunkards are english enimies but are most of al their owne foes vnlesse they kil or hurte anye in theyr drunkennesse besides many other such like enimies yet al these with many other are not suche english enimies vnlesse they be Papists withall but y t they loue their Prince obey and followe hir godly procéedings wish hir a prosperous raigne and would fight if néede were for hir grace and helpe to defend this their countrey from hir foes which may be counted as friendes in comparison of you that are such papisticall enimies For though there are many Englishe enimies as théeues murtherers pyrates coyners clyppers of mony and counterfayters of the Quéens seale with diuers other yet you that are obstinate disobedient and determined Papists are the most earnest enimies to England of al other for if the Quéenes Maiestie shoulde enrich set in authoritie or promote the said théeues murtherers pyrats coyners clippers of mony counterfaiters of hir highnesse seale vnlesse they be Papistes withall they would thanke hir loue hir obey hir obserue hir lawes so of English enimies become English friends whiche you that are peruerse and determined Papistes woulde neuer do though hir Grace should do so to you For as Harlots that loue other better thaÌ„ they loue their husbaÌ„ds though their husbands loue them neuer so well set al their whole mind deuises and studies how to be rid of their husbaÌ„ds Euen so you that are obstinate and determined Papistes that are spirituall fornicators though the Quéenes Maiestie should giue you great liuings set you in aucthoritie or highly promote you yet for all that youre chiefe minde and studie would be how to be rid of hir Grace howe to displace hir and how to haue a Papist to rule in hir roome whereby you might at your owne libertie commit spiritual whordom with Idols Images the Masse which you loue better than youre owne louing husbande Christe the sonne of God And thus let the Quéenes Maiestie doe for you neuer so much yet you wil not be Englishe friendes but vtter enimies to hir Grace and to England youre â—wne natiue country vntil of peruerse Papists you become perfect Protestants whiche is altogither my drifte Yet I beséeche you marke this and consider it well thoughe verye néed compel the aforesaid for the most part to be théeues murtherers pyrats coyners of money and such like to bée English enimies which may and do dayly become english friends yet there are such lawes for them as therfore they are put to death But for you that are obstinate disobedieÌ„t papists that are so great enimies to England without néed and that nothing can reclame to be friends to England our most milde and merciful Quéene as yet hath made no such law to put you to deth nor gréeuosly to punish you though you deserue deth a gret deale more al things wel weighed considered than any of the other english enimies do For if one that clippeth or diminisheth y e Quéenes coyne wheron hir Image or picture is but printed or stampte is worthily called a Traytor by law therfore is hanged drawn quartred Then are not you worthy to be called Traytors deserue death which procure wish or desire by any meane the displacing of your Prince the destruction of hir person the alteration of our most quiet happy state the calamitie of your countrey men the confusion of the common wealth and the ruine of this oure worthy reaime of England If he that counterfeteth the Quéenes Maiesties seale for some priuate profit breaking thereby but one parte of hir laws is a traytor is therefore put to death then are not you that are obstinate and disobedient Papists traytors deserue death that hate your Prince without any cause that withstand disobey al hir godâ—y laws procéedings in the louing and obeying of whom the kéeping obseruing of whose laws orders hir Graces safetie the preseruation of hir person the conseruation of the common wealth and the prosperous state of this realme doth chiefly depend If hereby you wil not willingly sée what you are I feare againste youre willes you will féele hereafter what you are Open youre eyes therefore and sée what a mercifull Quéene you haue that euer since she began to raigne hath rather mercifully without law sought to winne you than cruellie by law to enforce or wound you Thinke not bycause she suffereth you that therfore she cannot punish nor execute you which if some of you sticke not to say openly many of you I beléeue thinke the same priuily Thinke not bycause she hath made no lawe for you that therefore she can make no law for you for the Quéens Maiestie hath as great power to punishe the Idolatrous Papistes in hir Realme as King Iosia had to burne the Priests of Baal in his realme King Asa and his people made a couenant and swore not onely to séeke the Lorde to cleaue vnto hym and to hearken vnto his voice but also that who soeuer didde not so shoulde be slaine whether he were small or great man or woman which couenant
rebels in Ireland or not And whether you were sorie that the Quéenes Maiestie and hir subiects did vanquishe them or not And if you be suche English enimies then why shoulde England harbour hir enimies why should Englande foster hir foes why should England maintain them that mean hir mischiefe And why should our Quéene defend them that desire hir destruction Nay rather why doth she not cutte them off that woulde be a confusion to hir and to hir countrey The fewer such were in England the happyer were Englande the sooner they were rid out of Englande the better it would be for England And if there were none suche in England then God would be wel pleased with England Therefore they that wil not be true to the Quéenes Maiestie and to England God send them short life or soone out of England for England were better haue their roume than their throÌ„g their absence than their presence their death thaÌ„ their life Therfore to you I chiefly write that the diuel hath bewitched with Papistry that fond and ridiculous Romish religion whose blindnes I bewaile and whose follie I lament Consider I beséeche you if you be suche as before I haue described are you not then English Enimies your practises haue proued it your murmurings do manifest it youre disobediencie declares it youre obstinacie doth open it and some of your treasons haue tryed it Therfore how can you thinke wel of your selues that enuy the prosperous raigne of so peaceable a Prince that wishe the sorrowe of youre Soueraigne your selues and of al hir subiects that to haue your péeuish pleasure performed would haue the quiet state of your couÌ„try subuerted and that would prefer plant papistrie and displace the pure worde of God But if you be so wilful which is incideÌ„t to your religion y t you wil not yéeld y t you are English enimies yet I trust you will not deny y t you are English Romanists which is y t you haue English bodies and Romish harts wishing rather you had Romish bodies English harts so that it appéers though youre bodies be in EnglaÌ„d your harts are at Rome Therfore we shold be in good case to trust to such fellows to fight againste oure foes if néed were that haue their harts bodies so far asunder for if a souldior be in the field his hart at home he wil fight but faintly so I thinke we should find but faint-harted souldiors of such of you if it came to fighting nay I pray God you change not then your cowardly harts into couragious stomacks become furious fighters on our enimies sides against thys your owne country Wel thoughe oure Quéenes quiet gouerning of you hir merciful vsing of you hir longsuffring of you can not allure you to loue hir yet I thinke you would like hir a great deale the better vppon condition that she woulde giue you leaue to vse the Romish religion and to haue your Masses Trentalles Dyrges and Pylgrimages and suche trumperie without controllment Yea but that were as though Pyrates and théeues should say vnto their King or Prince if your grace wil giue vs leaue to spoyle whome we wyl to xoaue where we list and to steale what we can we wyll loue you and obey you or else we wil not or as thoughe schollers shoulde say to their scholemaister sir if you wyll giue vs leaue to play when we liste then we wil take you for our scholemaister or else we wil not do you not thinke that these are reasonable conditions for Pyrats and Théeues to make to their Prince or for schollers to make to their scholemaister of trueth as reasonable and more reasonable than yours that you would in this case require of thée Quéene and more méete to be graunted For if men did know that Pyrates and théeues had such a plackard of their prince then merchauntes would purposely prepare themselues to withstand them with strong ships wel furnished with men and munition and woulde goe in greate fléetes togither And also true men would make theÌ„ strong houses hauing guns and crossebowes to withstande the théeues whereby the Pyrates and théeues might come to there cost and be killed and the most harme that Pyrates and théeues could do were but to take their worldly goods and perhaps their liues from them hauing no power to hurt their soules And the schollers that should haue suche a license of their scholemaster should themselues haue the worst which when they were men woulde bewayle that for vain vnprofitable play that lasted but a while they had lost most profitable learning which they mighte haue had all their liues But if the Quéenes maiestie should graunt your condition that is to vse Papistâ—ie and Idolatrie at your pleasure that were such a commission for the Diuell against you hir subiectes that thereby he woulde destroy you both body and soule for euer Whose guns Ingins and dartes you were neuer able to resist and all for wante of Gods word which is our chiefest armor and defence against him And so of hir grace you woâ—lde demaunde your owne destruction If hir maiestie had graunted that condition in the first beginning of hir raigne to all that would haue required it I am sure that thousandes at this day had bin blind and ignorant Papists that ar now perfit protestaÌ„ts profâ—ssors of the Gospell and hir most faithfull and louing subiects for though hir godly orders and restraint hath not brought all from Papistry yet I am certaine that of them it hath diminished a great sort For as some of you are altogither wilful and obstinate and wil not heare the word of God so some againe are more tractable and come to the Church wher they hearing the word of God are brought from their blindnesse And further if the Quéene shoulde grant you this libertie and suffer you not to haue or heare the word of God according to your desires then hir grant would be the cause that you should be vnhappy for Christe sayeth Blessed are they that heare the worde of God and keepe it nowe if all they that heare the worde of God are not happye but they that kéepe it then all they that heare not the word of God must néedes be vnhappy and so your desire of your Prince is to be vnhappye and they that are vnhappy are not the children of God then they must néeds be the children of the Diuel and thus you woulde loue or like wel of your Quéene so that she would giue you leaue to be the children of the Diuel But perhaps you wil saye that you doe not despise the word of God nor disdaine to heare it but you would heare it of such as you like of and not of our Prechers is that al you can saye verye well I am sure that our Preachers appointed by the Quéens maiestie do preach saluation only by the death of Iesus Christ to such as do beleue in him they teach that good workes are
be of their religion If this be true as you cannot deny it then doe you thinke that the Popes cruell souldiors that shoulde come to destroy your Prince and hir louing subiects though you be of their religion woulde sticke to spoile you whereby they may haue your lands and goods and be Maisters and Rulers ouer you no I warrant you And many a souldiour and rascall of the Popes souldiors the Quéenes foes and ours woulde not be very religious nor woulde bée so spiste-conscienced in Papistrie as you thinke but would prowle about for their pray not sparing either Protestant or Papist raking rather aboute for riches than regarding religion I pray God it happen not to you for your vncontented mindes as it did to the Grecians not consideryng their happy estate after they hadde expulsed the Persians who falling at discorde among themselues didde loose at last all their greate liberties and were brought into maruellous bondage and thraldome of thyrtie tyrants Consider I pray you what happened to the Citizens of Rhegium in Cicilie being at cōtention amōg themselues the one parte of them sent for aide to Himera which strangers of Himera after they were come to Rhegium did bothe kil them againste whome they came and also most cruelly murthered them they came to aide although they were of their religion for they were all heathen and Idolators And so the strangers that they sent for had their Citie and the Citizens goodes to themselues as the Quéenes foes y t you procure or wish to come against our louing Quéene to helpe you vp with your Masse and Idolatrie would vse you Marke I beséeche you howe the cruell Danes did oppresse oure auncestoures in the tyme of King Ethelwolfe though they sent for them to helpe them as some of you haue procured and desyred the Popes Souldioures to helpe you vppe with youre Masse and to fight agaynste your gratious Prince and your Country when they were come into England they cruelly murthered oure Nobles wickedly opprest the Commons impiously persecuted the innocent Christians iniuriously possessed the lande and their habitation chasing the inhabitantes out of house and Country c. These miseries troubles and thraldomes then and at many other times didde oure auncestoures féele in this lande by the comming in of their foes whiche blessed bée God therefore neither you nor we do féele And I beséech God that we neuer do feele which both you and we should féele if so many of the Popes souldiors were here as some of you wishe to helpe and aide you against our Quéene to sette vppe youre Masse and Papistrie though you thinke they would be friendly to you for your religion For consider this wel I beséeche you what battayles what murthers what bloudshead what burning of Towns what spoyling of Countreys and what dolefull destructions haue there bin throughout al Europe at one time or other no Realme nor Countrey excepted in the space of foure or fiue hundreth yeares when euery one professed and followed the Popes religion and almost fewe or none in respect knewe any other religion And who were they that didde thus murther one an other spoile one an other and burne and consume one anothers Country were they not al of the Popes law and of his religion yes truely Now if Papistes made battailes with Papistes if Papistes murthered Papists if Papists spoyled Papists if Papists burned the Countries of Papists if Papists did winne realms and kingdoms from Papists if Papists made themselues Lordes ouer Papistes and if Papistes made bond-slaues of Papistes hauing no colour to suspecte them but that they were Papistes and of their owne religion Then doe you thinke that the Popes papisticall Souldiours that you woulde procure or wishe to fight againste our Quéene and hir louing subiectes wil spare you though you are Papists and of their religion hauing a great colour to take you for Protestants whome they vtterly enuy and hate beléeue it not Therefore neither procure nor wish for the comming in of the Romaine Souldioures against our Quéene to sette vppe your Masse and other the Popes paltrie But be true rather and louing Subiectes to hir grace and ayde and helpe hir if néede be to kepe both them and it out of the realme We in England haue bin so long broughte vp in the teaching and preaching of the gospell that these Papists that are oure forraine foes thinke we are almost al Protestants whome they call Heretikes for whiche they abhorre vs more than if we were notorious murtherers drunkardes aduouterers or fornicators for lette anye of our Papistes trauaile beyonde the Seas among them if they know once that he is an Englishe manne straightwaye they saye or iudge hym at the leaste to bée a Protestant thoughe hée bée as déepe or a déeper Papiste than themselues vnlesse they knowe him verye well to be a Papiste And thus though they thinke there are many Papists in diuers other countreys yet they thinke there are fewe or none in Englande Therfore séeing now these our forraine foes such as you wish to come and fight against our Prince and Countrey wil not be persuaded that you are Papists when they can lose nothing by trusting you thinke you then if they were here y t you could persuade them y t you are Papistes when they maye haue al your landes and goodes by mystrusting you No I warrant you Therefore you may then tel them long ynoughe that you are of their religion ere they will beléeue you or at the leaste fauour you The Angels of Heauen were and are all of one religion and hadde the verye right religion I thinke for if there were anye one religion better than an other it is very like they haue it in Heauen yet throughe Pryde Lucifer and a greate number of his fellowes were not content with their estate but meant not onelye to be aboue their fellowes but also to be equall with God Perhappes some of you will saye thoughe the Aungelles are of a pure religion they are no Protestantes wel whatsoeuer they are I am sure they loue and obey God and hys worde And therefore I dare boldelye affyrme that they are no Papistes vnlesse those Aungels that became Diuels and fel out of Heauen are Papists which is very like for both the Pope and the Diuels are quite contrarye to God Nowe if the holy Aungelles of Heauen that were of the purest religion béeyng all vnder one King the beste King of al other and in one kingdome woulde haue exalted themselues aboue their fellowe Angells though they were al of one religion disdeining y t their fellows should be equall with them Then do you thinke that the earthlye Papists y t you procure or wish to come fight against our Prince country that are of a false and wicked religion in whom there is neyther humilitie truth nor mercie for the more proude cruel false they are the perfecter and righter Papistes they are that are of a
why do you wish and are content that we shoulde be spoyled burned or killed for our religioÌ„ Therfore you that are of the Popes religion are not of Christs religion bycause you haue rackt vs spoyled vs tormented vs burned vs and murthred vs which you would not haue vs do vnto you Now if your religion be not Christes religion as these words and your workes haue sufficiently proued then I know not whose religion it is vnlesse it be the diuels religion whose religion must néedes be wicked and euil for that Christes religion is most holy and good And thus I haue sufficiently proued vnto you that the Gospel that we haue is the true law of Christ And the Pops law that you followe is the false law of the Diuell or Antichrist But if your harts be so obdurate that no trueth can enter into the same Then mark this that followeth and deny it if you can or confute it if you are able If god bestowed these his blessings before mentioned onely vppon that people that hearken to his voyce and obey his worde as he hath promised and if our gracious Quéene we hir subiectes and hir realme haue had these gods blessings moste plentifully poured vpoÌ„ vs euer since she hath set forth this our religion the worde of God put away the Masse and Idolatrie then it is most euident that this our religion is the true religion of Christ and lawe of God bycause of the wonderfull blessings that we haue enioyed withall And if God send these plagues and curses before rehearsed only vpon that people that doth not harken to his voice but disobeyes his lawes and commandementes commit Idolatrie as he hath promysed if these Kings and Princes their people that obey the Pope and his lawes that are enimies and suppressors of the word of God haue dayly these plagues curses light vppon them then it is most apparant that the Popes religion is false abhominable and wicked and that God therewith is highly displeased bicause of the manifolde plagues and curses that he dayly sendes among them And thus for that God doth blesse vs with his foresayde blessings and that with such a plentie quietnesse peace and prosperitie as Englande neuer tasted before And bycause diuerse Countreys that obey the Pope and embrace Papistrie haue bene and are yet still compassed and enuironed with the saide plagues and curses of God that is warres troubles scarcitie and such like both we striuing and taking our selues for Christians as did the Israelites and the people of Iuda that were all Iewes and called the people of God whereof the Kings of Iuda and their people for cleauing to Gods lawe were blessed and prospered of God and the Kings of Israel and their people bycause they committed Idolatrie and disobeyed the lawe of God were plagued and cursed of God Therefore it cannot be denyed by any vnlesse they be as senselesse as brute beastes but that this that we haue is the true Religion of Christ whereby wée haue our name of Christians and that Papisticall doctrine which you haue is a most false and erroneous religion the professors whereof cannot iustly be called Christians but rather Antichristians Yet perhaps al this wil not persuade some of you though it be neuer so plaine and true But if this and the rest will not allure you to â—lye from Papistrie and to sticke to Gods word Surely surely you are then fully bent to resist the open manifest truth And though therby you willingly cast of God and his word yet I beséech God that he do not cast you of for euer It may be that some of you wil graunt that Gods word is true but that we do mistake it and that we haue not the true meaning and vnderstanding thereof so that we misuse it certainely this I will saye to you if we do misuse it and mistake it then God takes his markes amisse and is maruellously ouerséene that blesses vs so aboundantly that mistake and misuse his word and sendes his plagues and curses on those Countries and people that vse it well take it rightly and so by this it should séeme that God doth directly against his promise But assure your selues thoughe your presumptuous Pope and his obedient Prelates may be deceiued ouerséene as no doubt they are God and his déere sonne Christ can neyther be deceyued nor yet ouerséene marrye God ouersées them all looke they neuer so high Therefore turne to the Lord and to his holy worde that therefore will blesse and prosper you and forsake the Pope and his doctrine whereby God doth plague and cursse you and loue obey and thinke well of your most louing naturall and mercifull Quéene that mercifully and myldely doth protect you If you would marke but hir Maiesties power and knew what she may do weighe your owne doyngs what you ought to do truely you would say then that she is the most myldest and mercyfullest Quéene one of them that euer raigned You thinke not amisse in hir grace and count hir not vnmercifull though she put Théeues to death for stealing which God hath not commaunded to bée punished wyth death and can not you sée that hir maiestie is maruellous mercifull in that she suffers you to liue for disobeyng of Gods word and committing of Idolatrie which God by his law hath commaunded to be punished with death King Iosias burned the Idolatrous Priests vpon the Altars that committed Idolatrie and yet he is reckned for a godly King but our mercifull Quéene Elizabeth hath not burned the Popish Priests on the Altars where they committed Idolatry in saying of masse and worshipped a piece of bread for the body of Christ which she might haue done if she would and yet you count not hir for a godly and mercifull Quéene You prayse and extoll Quéene Mary to the Heauens for vsing crueltie and for burning hir humble and faultlesse subiects but if our Quéene Elizabeth should vse lawful seueritie on hir stubborne and disobedient people Gods foes and hir enemies that desire hir death and destruction the confusion of their countrie and the ruine of this Realme you would dispraise and slaunder hir and saie she were a cruell tirant Nay for all hir highnesse hath vsed you so mildely mercifully as she hath done yet some of you would darken hir deserts if you could in saying most spitefully falsely that this is the time of Tirannie these are the daies of persecution this I grauÌ„t but not in England though you meane in England truly such as do say so must néeds I thinke speake against their coÌ„science their knowledge vnlesse they take mercie for crueltie crueltie for mercie then I may say vnto them as Esay saide to the Iewes Wo be to you that call euill good and good euill c. If this be the time of tirannie and persecution when you that are manifest enimies to your Quéene and Countrey before wel proued are
suffred to liue peaceably to enioy your goods quietly to go at your libertie or imprisoned to fare daintilie and there to liue merily or to be releast vpon suerty then what was Quéene Maries time when hir simple humble and faultelesse subiectes were cruelly imprisoned in stockes and chaynes and other Engines tormented most tyrannously racked their friendes to come to them not suffered on the bare boordes and ground lodged to haue pen and Inke and Candle light not permitted for want of meate to be famished in prisons priuily to be murthered and abrode in euerie mans eyes to be burned That time of Quéene Mary to all wise men may rather séeme to be the time of crueltie tyrannie and persecution than this milde mercifull time of our Quéene Elizabeth You that thus drownde the mercifull doings of our most mercifull Mistresse call it the time of persecution I pray God for your vnthankefulnesse and peruersnesse that hereafter you féele not a time of confusion I beséeche God to open your eyes to sée howe hir Grace doth persecute you for if you did sée yet I feare some are blind for the nonce you would then say that she persecutes you none otherwise than the louing father doth his childe and as the good Scholemaister doth persecute his Scholler that he would faine haue to learne Therefore your peruerse detracting of this most blessed time of the Quéenes happie and merciful gouernment doth shew that you doe not reioyce therin but wishe the contrarie And as Donald once king of Scots did neuer laugh but when he heard of the discord and slaughter of his nobles so I feare you that are Englishe enimies before mentioned are most sorrowfull at this most blessed and happie state of our Quéene and this our Countrey Wherefore consider what I of verye zeale before haue written and bée no longer English enimyes to haue Gods plagues and curses but become English friends to obtaine thereby Gods blessings and fauour But if the trueth of Gods word can not moue you the prosperitie of our godly Princes can procure you nor all that is sayd before by forreine foes can persuade you then learne at the heathen that knewe not God to loue your Prince and to be friendes to your Countrey Zopirus an Heathen that knew not God did cutte off his owne nose eares and lippes disfiguring himself to come in credite with the Babilonians whereby he deliuered the Citie of Babilon to Darius his Lorde and maister but you as it séemes that néedes will be Christians doe wish and goe about to deliuer the whole Realme of England your natiue Countrey into your enimies hands to y e confusion of your louing and mercifull Prince and the cutting off the heades of thousands of your Countrey men Mutius Sceuola an Heathen and a Senator of Rome for the loue and friendship he bare to his Citie and Countrey went into the Campe of King Porcenna purposely to slaye the King but missing his purpose of the King he was apprehended and threatned therefore to be put to death who then looking aside espying a great fire most couragiously therein he put his arme and there did hold it stil vntill it was burned saying then verie stoutlye to feare the King withall that thrée hundreth in Rome had likewise sworne to slay the King whereby the said King Porcenna made peace with the Romaynes But you that take your selues to bée the chiefest Christians and of the best Religion of all other are suche enimies to this your Countrey that you woulde haue our forraine foes enimies to come into this realme whom you woulde ayde and helpe to make warres vppon vs to displace your Prince to get our Countrey from vs not onely to spoyle vs but also to burne our armes bodies and all Marcus Curtius a worthy Knight of Rome an Heathen was such a speciall friende to his Countreymen and the Citizens of Rome that whereas there was a pit or gulfe in Rome out of which came such a stinking and horrible smell that a great sort died daily by y e infectiō therof which could be ceased by no meanes vnlesse the best Iewell or thing in Rome were cast into it which Curtius whē nothing could be found to cease it thoughe many Iewels pretious things was thrown into it taking himself to be the chiefest thing that the Romaines estéemed armed himselfe at al points and riding on a goodly courser richly trapped leapt into y e gulfe for the safegarde of the people then incontinent the earth closed which place was called Curtius lake but you that are obstinate and determined Papistes taking your selues for pure Christians woulde haue straunge Romanistes the Popes souldiors and our Princes enemies to come into hir Cities with great horses and coursers to make most stinking fumes smokes and smels where there is none to displace hir and to destroy vs and smulder vs that are your Countreymen and Citizens Zeleucus that famous Duke of the Locrenses an Heathen made a lawe that whosoeuer did commit whordome fornication or adultrie if he were known should therefore haue both his eyes put out the first offender wherof after the said law was made was his owne Sonne which worthie Prince by no meanes woulde bée entreated but the same lawe shoulde be kept and the offender to bée executed accordingly whereby his subiects might well thinke that if his owne Sonne coulde not be pardoned it was not for them then to looke for any pardon if they shoulde offende and so by the seuere execution thereof he was assured that the same necessarie law would be kept yet the sayde Duke at length by earnest motion and perswasion mitigated the rigour of the Lawe towardes his sonne but in such sorte that the same lawe shoulde not bée broken so that he commaunded that one of his sonnes eyes should be put out and an other of his owne but you that are the sayde Englishe enemyes inferiour Papistes not superiour Princes that take your selues to bée good Christians yea and woulde be angry with them that shoulde call you otherwise desire and wishe the Popes souldiors our foes to enter here into Englande to fight against our Prince and not onely to put out our eyes but also to plucke out our hartes and to destroy and abolish our good lawes the lawe of God which is against whoredome and fornication and thereby to bring in the Popes Lawe that maintaineth and allowes fornication and whordome Now séeing these Heathen with diuers others such that knew not God were such faithfull friendes to their Cities and Countries that for the safegard and commoditie therof did cutte off their noses eares lyppes dyd burne their owne arme dyd loose their liues and pluck out their eyes will you then that count your selues Christians wyshe or séeke the sorrow of your soueraigne the annoyance of your neighbours and the confusion of your Countrie Duke Dandalus was content to be tyed in Iron chaines and
impossible Therfore as the Iewes were worthily plagued for going from the word of the Lorde in committing suche wicked Idolatrie to a golden Calfe euen so assure your selues for your contemning and refusing the Gospell and for committing this moste detestable Idolatrie to a Cake of bread making it your Christe that you shal receiue the gréeuous plagues before rehearsed or greater in this world and after your deaths euerlasting torments in hel fire suche as no tong can expresse or hart can thinke vnlesse you repent vnfainedly flye from your Romish doctrine moste spéedily and embrace Christes Gospel right thankfully whiche is the pure doctrine of Christ and law of God thoughe many of you moste blasphemously call it Heresie Therefore right earnestly I desire you and most humbly beséeche you to cease from worshipping a Cake on earth and fall to the honoring of Christ in heauen Thus you maye sée if you wil sée that youre Popishe Masse and your Transubstantiation or turning or chaunging of the bread into the body of Christe by Gods worde is confounded by the Doctors confuted and by naturall reason cleane ouerwhelmed which you counted y e most truest and holyest parte of the Romish religion besides that it is a most diuelish detestable and damnable doctrine which robbes God of his glorie Christe of his merites and you of youre saluation Hitherto you may perceiue that the Popes and their doctrine doe not muche differ for as the Popes were moste wicked and diuelish so their religion is most erronious and pernitious So that howe can you thinke well of your selues and how can you take your selues to be méete members of Englande that for to haue this abhominable Idolatrous and monstrous Masse againe planted here you seeke or wish the supplanting of our prince the ouerthrow of our Nobilitie the sorrowe of our Communaltie the confusion of our Country and the ruine of the whole realme of England wherefore with all spéede of English enimies becom English friends to be defeÌ„ded by the power of England and to be nourished in England And séeing that I haue proued vnto you that your Masse is a gugaw not a Iewell a poyson not a preseruatiue a confusion not a consolation and a guyder to Hel not a leader to Heauen Nowe you shall heare what proper things the Popes pardons are to please you withall as your yong children are pleased with Babies but I would to God his pardons did hurte you no more than the Babies doe the children for the Babies doe stil them when they crye and make them mery hurte them not but the Popes pardons please you here for a while to displease you euer after I may compare the Popes pardons to a counterfaite Priuiledge as if a false suttle fellowe to get mony withal should write a large Priuiledge from the Prince counterfayting the Kings seale wherein he sheweth that the King hath giuen hym licence and whome hée shall allowe to steale without daunger of any lawe and to haue no harme therefore thoughe they be taken with the manner where vppon many giue him money to be priuiledged thereby to steale and think it to be no counterfaite but a true priuilege from the Kyng whereby they steale boldelye but are hanged therefore sodainely and though they alleage for themselues at the gallowes and shewe their aucthoritie to steale from hym that had the counterfaite Priuiledge and say that hée had money of them for it yet al that wil not serue but they are hanged for their stealing Euen so the Pope maketh you beléeue that he by his power and auctoritie from God may pardon whom he list for whatsoeuer offence they commit but whatsoeuer he say he hath no such Priuilege from God therfore his is but a counterfaite Commission which he like a false harlot hathe inuented onelye to get money whose wordes you so credite that you beléeue that God himselfe solde his Commission wherevppon you thinke that Commission from God is so cocke sure that you gyue hym mony for his pardons whereby you thinke you are not onely pardoned of all your sinnes and as cleane as when you were newe borne but also that you maye fréely commit what sins you wil assuring your selues for money therfore at anye time to be pardoned at the Popes handes yet we must not say but that your religion doth restraine men from sin and our religion of the Gospell doeth giue libertie to sin but how true it is herein you may sée if you be not blinde but when you are deade if before you haue not a better pardon of God without money than you haue of the Pope for money you are like to be hanged in hell with the Popes pardons about your necke And then the Pope bringeth you into a worse case than they that were hanged for stealing by a counterfaite Priuiledge But marke the mischieuous crafte of the Pope all the wares that he selleth you as his Masse Trentalles Dirges and pardons and al other his trumperie are such that by iust tryall in this life you cannot comptroll them or say they haue not pleasured you excepte you looke in Gods worde whyche hée kéepeth safe ynoughe from you for the tryall of hys wares whether they do you good or not is after your death whereby he is sure you can not come backe agayne to chyde or checke him for selling to you such deceitfull wares He promiseth and selleth you great and woÌ„derfull things that are to be tryed after your death but he doeth not promise and sell you things of smaller force and waight that maye be tryed duryng youre life I warrant you he wil not sell you any Pardons or Priuiledges that steale as ofte as you wil you shall neuer bée hanged or putte to death therefore that eate as muche as you will you shall neuer surffet or be sicke of it drinke as much as you wil you shal neuer be drunk and spend what you list you shal haue neuer the lesse mony in your puâ—â—e and yet these are easier things for him to promise and perform than to giue vs the kingdom of heauen y t deserue the kingdom of hel thaÌ„ to saue vs from our spirituall hanging in Hel though we neuer so much robbe God of his glorie and though we offend neuer so much yet still to be pardoned and cleane clensed from sinne Wherfore you may wel suspecte nay firmely beléeue that his pardons and other wares that he so boldly sels you are naught bycause they are such as you can not reproue before you be dead and for that he neuer offers to sel you any thing that you may trie whiles you are aliue For he knowes full well that if hée should sell you a priuiledge that though you eate neuer so much or what meate soeuer you eate you shoulde neyther be sicke or surfet thereby yet when you were sicke or did surfet by eating of it wherof you should be sure then you would say that his priuiledges were naught not