doctrine and demeamour where is that now here you demaunde a safe conduct before you will come into your Princes power and presence A token of an euill conscience What haue you done man that you are so afraide of her Maiestie that you dare not come home into your natiue Countrey to your naturall Prince and Mother as yee pretende in speech without good warrant for your safetie This is a strange and vnwonted kinde of dealing of good and honest subiectes with their Soueraignes and Princes Her Maiestie is vpright shee will doe you no wrong shee is compassionable and mercifull also you confesse it why doe you not put your selfe into her gracious 〈◊〉 handes Is this a louing and dutifull childes dealing with his naturall Mother Is this your Catholike obedience in deede towards our Queene and Prince when shee commandeth you to come home who when you list your selues can not by any prohibition bee keept hence Here here M. Howlet commeth in fitly the tryall of conscience you talked of afore Here commeth in the place of scripture for you to cōsider of y t I take you cited out of S. Iohn before Yf our hearte condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things Here in summe commeth in the doctrine of Obedience to Princes for conscience sake as to God himselfe c. That you before said your Mother the Catholike Church together with the Apostle teacheth her children If you bee a naturall child and not a bastarde shewe your selfe nowe and heare when you are called For a childe honoureth Father and Mother where is this honour reuerence loue duetie c. All is to seeke you minde not to come before her Maiestie but vpon sure grounde once You can prouide for one I perceiue to keepe your selfe out of gunne shot you will bee a right Thraso and set your selfe behinde rather then bee in the front or forewarde when there is any danger to your person you will abide no brunt by your will you loue to talke of the matter but it shall bee a loofe and with condition What I say Be not too cowardely and too fearefull doe somewhat like to that yee talke Some deale answere your hie wordes else all the worlde will crye shame on you that so instantly craue disputation as a Suter for it and then will not vouchsafe to come to it but vppon further warraunt from your Prince Her Maiestie hath pardoned as great faultes as you haue committed Bee sorie in deede for former offence and put your selfe at least into her mercifull handes to whom you so smoothely write I pray God I spend not woordes vpon you in vain I am in doubt it is no parte of your meaning openly to come home except you may haue proclamation or letters patēts or some such stay for your safetie This is y e testimony terrour of an euil conscience you must for your safety haue her maiesties safe conduct in as ample manner as it was offered to those of our side by the councel of Trent A high point wherein there is great reason and wisdome sure that the Pope and Popish Bishops beeing strangers and our mortall enemies who not themselues only breake all faith and promise but teach and persuade princes and all other to doe the like with those of contrary religion whō they call heretikes that these men I say should haue as great credit with englishmen in her maiesties dominions as her selfe who is our naturall and most honorable louing Princesse and Queene shal haue with her english subiects wher at can you blush M. Howlet y t dare thus impudently write to our dread soueraigne Me thinketh it should haue made penne ynck paper and al to haue blushed if there had been any blushing in them we refused to accept that offer frō the Pope his councell of Trent Great reason M. Howlet answered why a good while since But you will not refuse her maiesties warrant for your saftie I am ashamed though you be not of your ouergrosse cōparison Is the case alike you say you would haue her maiesties onely worde set downe vnto you in no ampler maner then the Councell of Trent made the safe conduct to your aduersaries Those that you call your aduersaries to whome your Popes bull or safe conduct as you call it was directed by name or with whom it had principally to deale were protestant or Gospelling Kinges Princes states or publike persons commonly if any of that profession rather then priuate and obscure persons such as you and we are who without leaue of superiours coulde not go thither namely out of England It is sayde your Popes safe conducte was that the libertie of comming to that councell pertained but to them onely of our men that would repent and return to the boosome of your churche whereof hee that in english list to see more let him reade the Defence of the Apologie wil you now accept her maiesties offer in like maner on this churches behalfe ye say you desire it in no ampler maner than the counsel of Trent made the safe conduct to your aduersaries Whether it were the councels safe conduct the Popes Legates or the Pope of Romes himself who summoned the councell or which of the 3. Popes it was vnder whom that councell was Al is one Hee was and needes must be the iudge in the Councell who is the aduersarie parte and hath himselfe to answeare and yet the Lawe is that he that is cheefe in iurisdiction ought not to geue iudgement to or for himselfe Lastly sir vppon whose safe conduct soeuer our side had come to Trent Councell they had beene required either to haue yelded when they had come and conformed themselues or to haue been excom municated accursed and condemned for their labour Tell vs whether you list to come hether on like condition Thus writeth Harding your owne man of going to the Councel of Trent In deede sayth he had ye gon thither your heresies had beene confuted your selues required to yeeld and to conforme you to the Catholik church or else you had beene Anathematized accursed condemned For that was the foundation and condition of the safe conduct which was neuer willingly graunted as seemeth but extorted by the Germanes importunitie the fathers of 〈◊〉 Councell hoping as they pretended their recouerie and returne to their Catholike religion wherein they were deceiued And this safe conduct was first graunted not by the Councell vnder Pope Paule the third but vnder Iulius the third his successour after many sessions and yeeres passed too as seemeth and repeated by the Councel vnder Pius the fourth many yeeres after againe Now that the foundation and purport and meaning of this safe conduct that M. Howlet here mencioneth may appeare and be the better knowne to the Reader I set downe these words following as they were propounded in the first session vnder Pius the fourth immediatly before the safe conduct graunted to the
Pope in his wicked Bulls hath at this day most wickedlie published and set abroade contayning a most diuelish Doctrine of Disobedience and a lyke practise what euer you nowe tel in faire wordes to flatter withall in opinion you agree with these woordes of D. Thom. and apply all to and against our noble Queene and this State as your practises too much prooue The wise man saieth Hee that hateth wil counterfaict with his lippes but in his heart he layeth vppe deceite Though hee speake fauourably beleeue him not for there are seuen abhominations in his heart Hatred may bee couered by deceit but the malice thereof shalbee discouered in the Congregation And that this that I tell you of is true among you hot Catholikes as you wil be called I wil at this tyme wade no farther in your S. Thomases summe nor in your Popes Decrees and other wryters of your side in former times But let me be bold as you doe obiect vnto vs the doctrine of one or two of our men so for all to set you downe y e words at least of one of your cōpaniōs or great pillers doctors rather of your present Popishe church that is fled from his Countrey Prince vs here to Rome and abroade there thence like a Popish Priest by practises wrytings seeking to stirre vp among other seditious rebellions and treasons against her Maiestie and this State which partly by wryting partly by posting betweene is according to Commission and trust performed by him so farre as hee may to the vttermost Saunders trauaile more laborious and 〈◊〉 then sounde Godly or wise in his huge peece of woorke of the visible Monarchy of the Church is against the present state of this Churche and Realme of Englande there needeth no other applier of the whole then himselfe I suppose all you hot Romaine Catholikes agree and bee all of one minde in this behalfe in the name of you all he speaketh for the rest especially seing their voices being asked they disagree not any I know for but 〈◊〉 y e same rather in their wryting In Saunders Epistle therefore To the most vnreuerend Cardinals Iohn Moron and twoo other before his visible Monarchie not only Iyingly and slaunderously chargeth he the godly lawes of this Realme with impietie tyrannie and that this I 〈◊〉 almost alone at this day in all Christendome plentifully yeeldeth foorth Martyrs so hee calleth the Traytours that haue been and a litle before the wryting heere of were executed heere for their trayterous attempts and other English Romaine Catholikes whereof in 〈◊〉 beaderoll hee reckeneth vs vp a rable But furthermore also 〈◊〉 stirreth vp the saide Cardinals as though it were very earnestly from hence sued for vnto them to trauaile by such meanes as they can to deliuer the people heere hee meaneth such as himselfe is from this so great and cruel tyrannie so hee calleth the most moderate and peaceable gouernement of her Maiestie whereunto also after congratulation and commendation for his former late dealing with this Realme her Maiestie and the State hee exciteth the vnholinesse of the Pope in his Epistle Dedicatory to him cōforting himself feeding other and namely his Pope with vaine hope this was about ten yeeres since that very shortly after the runnegate Catholikes and their fellowes shoulde bee restored to their Religion and places heere againe hee dreamed of a drie sommer Wee may easily gather howe and whence all the stirres here since arise and growe and what the drifte of al is If this bee not seditious doctrine and demeneanor rebellious and trayterous what is I pray you God lōg blesse and keepe her Maiestie among vs. Proceeding furder in his visible Monarchie thus mryteth he amōg other things It belongeth vetily to the Bishoppes especially both to pronounce the king himselfe an Heretike or an Apostata and also to declare that his subiects are afterward free from geuing him any obedience and that they ought to doe their endeuour that another bee out of hande put in his place Nowe if the subiects doe not looke to their office in this behalfe it longeth to the Pastors to prouide by any meanes they can that he that sitteth in the chaire of Pestilence raigne not in the Church of God this is the true obedience your Catholike Churche teacheth her children to yeelde to their Princes for conscience sake Is not saith Saunders the matter so c do not the Pastors watche for the soules as wel of kings as of those which obay kings It is their duetie therefore to omit nothing that they shall knowe to bee expedient for the soules health who seeth not that it is cleane contrarie to the soules health that hee should bee suffered to raigne ouer the Faithfull which is himself vnfaythful c Shal he then be worthie the name of a man that shal affirme that a wicked king ought not to be compelled to cleere and put himselfe out of his publique charge If at al surely hee must bee put out for Heresie How shal that controuersie be iudged without the resolution of the Doctors of the church c. Now Pastors Teachers of the churche can bee no Iudges of a king except the king be in that thing lesse and inferior vnto thē For neither hath an equal power ouer an equal nor an inferior ouer his superior We affirme therfore iustly that al Christian kings in matters appertayning to Fayth are so subiect to Bishops Priests that obstinately continuing in offending against Christian religion after one or two admonitions for the same cause they may ought by the sentence of the Bishops to be put from other tēporal gouernement which they haue ouer Christiās And yet againe after in the same chapter out of a great many I take but a fewe sentences Since therfore the wisedome of God hath not left his churche which is a Citie very well built defensed without a medicine for such a disease ne yet can any other medicine helpe than that may take away so euil a king from among the people and giue his kingdome to a better man Wee must beleeue that such power at least was graūted to the supreme pastour of the church hee commeth nowe from meaner Bishops to the Pope of Rome whome hee meaneth by that tytle in these words Feede my sheepe whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon earth shalbe bounde also in Heauen To foule and shamelesse 〈◊〉 of the holy woorde of God That the supreme Pastour may not onely excommunicate a wicked king but also free and set his subiectes at libertie frō all obedience vnto him For if so bee whatsoeuer Peter or Peters successour vppon earth loose bee also loosed in heauen then truely when rightly and orderly hee setteth faythful subiects at libertie from the obedience of a wicked king vppon earth the same subiects also are freed in heauen from the obedience of the same king Againe if whatsoeuer
tender young children to be come Nouices in Monkeries Nunneries Before they knowe what the matter meaneth to vowe obedience single life wilfull pouertie c. to the vnspeakeable danger of their soules as they finde in processe of time when moe yeeres growe Doe you not knowe Syr that in our religion there is catechising and instruction in the principall pointes of christian religion both in Churches and houses for the auoiding of this danger of ignorance and superstition will the Pope of Rome or your Popish religion take vp that exercise of catechising and instructing publikely and priuately now vpon your admonition thinke you I hardly beleeue it There is much a doe here to persuade any of your side that it is necessary for their children seruants and so foorth and if they cannot themselues doe it to send them to the Pastours of the church to haue the same there for all her Maiesties and the States godly care and prouision in that behalfe and the continuall enquirie and calling vpon by those to whom that charge is committed Can you for your heart denie her Maiestie her due commendation for this her godly care ouer her people c. You content not your selfe with this first kinde of scandale because this hardly serueth you and yet herein is contained you confesse the proper signification of scandale Ye come to the seconde point of scandale in a thing of it selfe lawful Looke how much the scriptures which ye cite teaches vs so much we receiue your addition and application wee receiue not you giue vs an example of a Priestes haunting dishonest and suspected houses meaning honestly This is your addition though you giue much to your Priestes and more libertie then to laye people in these cases yet I tel you I thinke it an vnlawfull thing for a Priest to vse and haunt dishonest houses and not so lawfull as you vnder honest meaning doe here cloke it to bee you giue your Priests too large a scope to walke in or else yee thinke too well of them that they can hardely take hurt of any thing The scriptures you cite in the first Reason with many other make against this doyng of priestes in respect of God the matter and themselues and not of Scandale to other only as you here pretende hauing the licentious libertie you giue them they might easily washe away this blot of Scandale if there were no more yea they may lawfully by your doctrine doe more than this vpon their Ecclesiasticall Immunitie In the sayd second parte of your golden Decree Is it not noted set out furder in y e margin that a clarke embracing or taking a woman in his armes is presumed to doe well and that men should not be offended thereat but iudge the best Is it not sayd in your 〈◊〉 there If a clarke embrace or cull a woman it shall bee interpreted that hee doeth this to blesse her withall Is it not in an other place said by one of your men Although groping and kissing be occasions of naughtie behauiour in lay men yet in Clarkes it is otherwise for a Clarke is presumed to doe these thinges of charitie and good zeale c. Heere is expressed your honest meaning sir and shewed that many 〈◊〉 are lawfull for your priestes which caused that case to be noted vs in your glose and set out in the margin of your decrees in an other place also Wantonnes sumetime hath more right then chastitie and againe yet furder they say now that no priest is to bee deposed for fornication except he continue in it and that because our bodies are nowe frailer then they were in times past These such be now the Immunities of your Clergy men Of your third point of Scandale in respect of the enemie I saye you take so much as you thinke will serue your turne But you leaue out that which if it had beene added woulde haue answered the whole in this case for there is a Scandale in deede taken and not giuen whereby too many are offended at Iesus Christ his seruants their doctrine and well doing And so be there that bee offended at godlye sermons and at the going therto now a dayes c. But wee may not for the auoiding of this Scandale leaue so necessarie a point of our saluation as is the one and other Nowe as I haue elswhere noted our Sauiour Christ wee see regarded not the offence of the Pharisees in a matter as 〈◊〉 of lesse importance and wee 〈◊〉 not haue A better example to follow than his So he that 〈◊〉 by example exhortation c. wife children freendes seruan s and other to haunt Church exercises here vsed is so farre of from 〈◊〉 his soule or theirs as by abstaining or not doing hereof he incurreth that danger and by doing the same doth a seruice agreeable to God and but his duetie so answer I you for y e third also which falleth in 〈◊〉 y e first point Taking away your respect of worldly policie for which if any man haunt our church assemblies and not for religion and conscience sake he greatly offendeth God and his prince our Soueraigne vnder God abuseth himselfe and the Lawes is disliked of al the godly And herein you and we agree I trow for the general end of cōming to church assemblies For the seconde pointe of Scandale 〈◊〉 you 〈◊〉 comming to our Seruice or Prayers to bee first we gather and must suppose that if your Catholike offende that way by your owne doctrine his comming to our seruice is a thing of it selfe lawfull and of the owne nature not vncleane before God but in respect of the lookers on Otherwise hardly will your comparison and application proceed out of the 14. to the Romans and the 8. Chapter of the 1. to the Corinthians and how agreeth this with your whole discourse Againe where you say They that knowe him in wardly to be a Catholike will thinke him to sinne against his owne conscience c. We aske how any should knowe a man inwardely or his heart and conscience which is proper to God to knowe What man knoweth the thinges of a man but the spirite of man that is in him If you reply and say you knowe him by his owne wordes I answere that where his deedes be contrary that is no knowledge to iudge his religion by In hypocritical Catholike religion An hypocrite and double man doyng actes of contrary religion may bee and 〈◊〉 a Catholike in religion by his fayre speech and wordes contrary to that he doth and his example doe much with them that take him to bee of their religion still for his wordes sake yea and knowe him inwardly to bee a Catholike as you speake which is more In Christian and true religion contrary deedes waie downe wordes for all the fayre shew with true Christians So as but that you speake of your Catholikes and Catholike religion that is