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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05382	The historie of the defendors of the catholique faith Discoursing the state of religion in England, and the care of the politique state for religion during the reignes of King Henrry 8. Edward. 6. Queene Marie. Elizabeth. And our late souereigne, King Iames. ... With all, declaring by what means these kings & queenes haue obtained this title, defendor of the faith, and wherein they haue deserued it ... By Christopher Lever.	Lever, Christopher, fl. 1627.; Hulsius, Friedrich van, b. 1580, engraver.	1627 (1627)	STC 15537; ESTC S108541	141,977	384

Enemies Eighthly And though the Pope challenge to be able to giue that dispensation which Iehu had giuen him of God yet is that onely presumption in the Pope for neither is he God to giue any such warrant neither is he Gods Prophet whose authority we may trust neither doth God reueale his will immediately to the Pope as he did to his Prophet Elisha neither haue his Iehues euer had that fortune and prosperous successe as had this God confounding many thousands of their damned and Rebellious practises to the honour of his name and to the shame of all such euill Ministers for this is an vnanswerable argument that the Popes power to dispence in this kinde is not from God because many of their practises succeed not which if they were from God they must of necessity prosper And therefore neither Prince Priest or Pope can giue dispensation in this kinde God onely being able to make that lawfull which without his speciall direction is most damnable CHAP. XXII A Comparison betweene Queene Mary of England and the Queene-Mother of France Katherine de Medices THESE two Ladies of all whom the Histories of our times record are nearest sutable to a paralell hauing beene both of them honourable in place of dignity both of them admirable in endowments of Nature and both of them transported by ill counsell too much effusion of Christian blood by persecution of the Protestant Religion in the seuerall precincts of their gouernement I desire not to disparrage the memorie of noble personages Historie will speake vnpartially and the Christian hearts which reade or heare of their persecutions will compassionate the troubles which holy men haue endured and though the sense of sorrowes bee past and not sensible to them who indured them yet will the knowledge of them beget a kinde of sense of those sorrowes which other men haue formerly sustained and according to our affections as wee loue or hate the cause it selfe so shall wee giue our censure of the Authors of the persecutions I forbeare therefore to prosecute the comparison in particulars the more because I pittie the frailty of their Sexe which hauing but weake iudgement is the lesse able to make resistance against stronge temptations I onely deplore their ill hap to sucke the milke of so venimous a breast as the Church of Rome which is indeed the Circe of the world transforming men by her enchanted potions into beasts and metamorphosing euen the innocent disposition of gentle Ladies and Princesses into a Leonine and Tiger like sauagenesse that Lupa Romana which as shee first fostered Romulus with the teats of a shee-Woolfe so nurseth now all others with the like milke and propoundeth the highest rewards of heauen to them that will most play the hell-hounds vpon earth shee which puts Princes vpon persecution of the Church vnder colour of zeale for the Church and stirres vp Subiects to rebellion by pretense of piety and giues the lawrell of Martyrdome vnto Treason to her we are to impute the miscarriages of these and many other worthyes whose better nature was empoysoned by bad principles instilled into them especially we may commiserate her of France because her persecution there feasted Saint Bartholmew with more Christian soules at one Supper then perished by Queene Mary the whole time of her life pray we almighty God that the bloud sucking tyranny of that Romish strumpet may haue an end that shee may bee no longer drunken with the bloud of the Saints nor the Princes of the earth no more intoxicated with her cups of abominations and so passe we from this sorrowfull and sad theme to the ioyfull times of blessed Queene ELIZABETH OF THE NEXT DEFENDRES OF THE Faith Queene ELIZABETH and by what difficulties she attained the Kingdome CHAP. XXIII FIRST I am now againe to change my Argument the gouernement being thus happily changed and to report a time of mercie and not misery of preseruation and not persecution and how the Catholike Faith was defended not offended of Queene Elizabeth and not Queene Marie Sisters indeed by the bond of Nature but most disagreeing in the gifts of Grace and holy ornaments The one defacing the other restoring the one wounding the other saluing the one offending the other defending the most Catholike Faith Queene Marie in blood Queene Elizabeth in peace in peace with God in peace with his Saints in peace with all men saue the enemie of God and Man the Idolatrous and false worship of Antichrist the which with most zealous resolution shee hath most victoriously opposed to the eternall honour of her name on earth and to her euerlasting happinesse in heauen where now shee hath most honourable place among the fellowship of those holy ones who haue best fought the Lords quarrell and best defended the profession of Faith and as it is said the daie and night diuide the yeare like indifferent partners so we may say that these two Sisters Queene Elizabeth and Queene Marie haue diuided the Renowne of the world Queene Elizabeth like the day hauing got the better part of fame honourable and holy remembrance and Queene Marie her Sister like the night the worse part a name of blood which being vttered reduceth to memorie the stories of blood and how the Saints of God were slaughtered whereby shee her selfe is made more blacke than night in giuing her name so blacke and so bad a remembrance Secondly This difference of good and bad is indeed very common in the generations of mankinde and not common to any other kinde of creature saue Man For inuegitable things we see that from one roote doe proceede many branches yet all of them of one and the same Nature and all bearing one and the same fruit but in the generations of Man it is otherwise for from on Father commonly proceedeth children of disagreeing quallities as from one Adam was deriued both righteous Habel and a wicked Caine and from one Isaac a Iacob and an Esau and so from one Henrie an Elizabeth and a Marie a day and a night a mercie and a miserie a blessed protector and a most bloodie persecutor of the Christian Faith And therefore was King Henrie much in Gods sauour and to vs was hee fauourable in making the greater part of the Kings Children the better part which seldome to any one man liuing happeneth God in his anger gaue our Nation but one Marie but in his loue he gaue vs both an Edward and an Elizabeth for so is God double as much in mercie as in iudgement neither will he that hath care ouer all his creatures suffer the cause hee so deerely loueth to want protection but if he giue his Church a Marie to trie it in the fire of persecution he will also giue it an Elizabeth to restore and refresh it Such was our noble Defendresse whose care did medicine the bodie of Religion and State which her Sister had grieuously

would appeare most glorious Sixthly Againe the variable change of mans life whereby he is violently carried to many disagreeing ends sometime to the better sometime to the worse according to the seuerall power of occasions insomuch as in this respect a man is like a vessell at Sea driuen with many contrarie windes too and fro alwaies in the extremities of storme and wearie passage neither can any man ariue his peacefull port before death bring him to his graue his life being nothing but a breath of contrarie windes bearing him to indure the misery of many hard and variable fortunes And this euill is most sensible to those vnto whom Fortune hath bene most gratious who enioying the pleasures of life with full appetite and by the change of fortune forced to change that state wherin they thought themselues most happie For then is aduersity in full strength being in him whose former life hath bene most prosperous for the common induring of bitternes and misery dulleth the edge thereof and maketh it by much lesse sensible to him whome Custome hath made familiar with griefe neither are mens natures so inclineable to the good as to the bad alteration it being generall in all men to moue themselues to their owne destruction the motion to perfection not being our owne but the worke of Grace which onely hath the glorie of euery good worke Seuenthly It were needlesse to giue particular instance of this mutability of fortune euery particular man hauing instance in himselfe to witnesse it and for those of extraordinary glory and greatnesse we may remember that Romane Conquerour who passing the streets of Rome in the glorie of his Triumph had his braines beaten forth with a Tyle which by casualty fell vpon him or that of better memorie the Duke of Somerset the occasion of this discourse who from the highest degree of a Subiect fell into the ignominie of Treason and vntimely timely death And therefore the antient Romanes vnderstanding ●he miserie of variable fortune ordained that when any of their worthy Captaines should ride in triumph a slaue should ride with him in his triumphall Chariot holding fast with his slauish hand the lawrell Crowne vpon the Conquerours head who then did triumph both to moderate the vaine glory of the Conquerour and also to remember him to what condition he himselfe was subiect and therefore in respect of mutability of fortune is mans life most miserable no man being able to secure himselfe in any reasonable condition of life Eighthly But that which of all other is most burdensome is Discontent the disease of the soule and that which of all other infirmities is most dangerous and hard to cure especially in spirits of best apprehension and in them who haue aspired the reputation of high place For the spirits of great men are not moued to impatience without dangerous euents because their anger maketh them willing and their greatnes maketh them able to reuenge And therfore such men are neuer discōntent but it prouoketh either their owne or other mens destruction neither is this euill tied to particular men onely but like a generall Plague it spreads it selfe ouer all degrees of men though not in like vehemencie For the best and the worst the basest and the most noble haue at some time their discontents whereby they are offended in themselues and wish to die and that which is more admirable those men renowned for holinesse of life haue had this loathing to liue and desired to die as Iob Elias and many other holy men which may well conclude the misery of a discontented minde and how insupportable it is in his extremity for as the soule exceedeth the body in the excellencie of their Natures So the grieuances of the soule are much more sensible to our faculties then those of our bodies because griefe is properly belonging to the soule and to the body onely by consequence or participation And if I were to define the greatest miserie on earth next to that of hell sin and damnation I should call it discontent in his extremitie because next the sorrow of sinne the liuing part of man his soule hath not any thing of like torment and affliction and as all other miseries are the seed from whence doth proceed this Monster Discontent So from discontent can be expected no better then destruction and death Ninthly The last misery of our life is Death the which at one stroake doth reuenge all the euill of mans life and this howsoeuer in it selfe it be not euill yet in mens generall vnderstanding it is thought the worst of all euills and the most fearefull of all other miseries And therefore the very name of death hath oftentimes stroake astonishment and terror in the hearts of tyrants and euill men knowing that death was an enemy against whom there was no resistāce hauing preuailed against them of the first age though they liued many hundreds of yeares For if the honours and pleasures of this life were infinite and the enioyers of them eternall then were not the life of man so miserable a condition but hauing death to controule the most glorious among men and to depriue them of their prosperity and honours in this respect the best of mans life is no better then misery and griefe because he foreseeth the end of all his prosperity the remembrance of death sowring the greatest part of the pleasures of life euerie man hauing griefe to loose that wherein he so much delighteth Tenthly Yet Death though his power be geuerall ouer all flesh is not therefore a misery to all men but to many an end most happie and desired For though it be a curse for sin to be mortall die yet is Death most happie to them that die well God by the death of his Sonne hauing reconsiled himselfe to his seruant Man which by no other meanes could be made immortall But this condition of happinesse is not in the Nature of Man but in the fauour and grace of God And therfore is death that which good men hope and bad men feare the poore mans comfort and the rich mans terror and that which maketh the King and the Subiect the rich and the poore equall making of euery mans flesh but earth and putrifaction And therefore the life of man euen from the wombe to the Graue is nothing but misery and vexation of Sipirit no naturall man hauing the pleasures thereof but with such limitation as maketh pleasure it selfe burdensome Eleuenthly The holy and good men of the world not otherwise regarding life then as a time wherein to exercise their Christian offices and to such there is no miserie neither in life nor death happie are such to whom God shall giue Grace to dispise the vaine glorie of earth and that vse the creatures of God with christian moderation not

affecting them more then the Lord of them nor applying them to any other end then holines for which all things were created most happie are they who for the honour of their God and for the testimonie of his truth haue forsaken the pleasures of this transitory life and haue giuen themselues a sacrifice to God for so to die is to enioy immortality and perpetuall rest CHAP. XVI Of King Edwards Death and how hee left the State to the next Successor FIRST it were foolish and vaine for any man to desire to know the secrets of Gods will because no man can vnderstand more of Gods secret than he himselfe shall please to reueale and therefore is mans knowledge limited being able onely to iudg● by reason and consequence whereas Gods diuine workes exceed the iudgement of sence being not contrary but aboue the reach of reason And from this cause is it that men commonly offend in their false constructions iudging of Gods worke grosly according to humane vnderstanding and not considering his wisedome and power by whose prouidence all things are directed For in Gods matters Christians must beleeue when they cannot iudge and it is sufficient argument to conclude the goodnesse of any worke when wee know that God is the Author for those things which to a naturall man seeme strange to a reformed iudgement appeare much otherwise and there is nothing be it neuer so euill in mans iudgement but God can make it serue for the worke of his glory he being able to make the euills of men respect an end beyond their expectations and in that wherein we iudge our selues most miserable can he make vs most happie Secondly And for particular instance we may consider K. Edward whom God elected from among many thousands for the work of his glory hauing defended the Catholike Faith with a resolution most zealous constant yet notwithstanding in the growth of his prosperity did God take him from the world and depriue the Children of faith of their Patron and princely Defendor whereby in common iudgement God may seeme to be offended with his owne and to leaue his Saints vndefended to the stroake of persecution from which this holy King had defended them But thus to iudge of God were wicked and false because we see the Gospell by that interruption did spread it self with much more generall acceptation the blood of holy Martyrs being a holy seed whereby the Church spread into a large generation and who knoweth but God to manifest to all the world the faith and obedience of his holy Saints in the Church of England suffered this persecution for the glory of their memorie for a demonstration to all men what numbers of true Catholike Christians had flourished vnder the protection of King Edward their Patrone and princely Defendor The Saints hereby exchanging their mortall variable life for eternity perpetuall rest their deaths begetting the liues of many holy men like them whereby the number of Gods seruants was much augmented to the glory of God and prosperity of his Church And therefore let no man condemne the worke of Gods prouidence but yeeld his obedience to the good pleasure of God and let him know that God is mercifull euen in his iudgements and that hee can make that which doth seeme to threaten vs most to be the Ladder whereby we may ascend the highest of all preferments the fauour of God and the fellowship of his holy Saints Thirdly King Edward being dead the state grew verie stormie and full of greate businesse the cause being who should succeed the King in which controuersie the kingdome was deuided the greatest part of the Counsell and the Nobility proclaiming Lady Iane Daughter to the Duke of Suffolke whose Mother was Daughter to Mary King Henries Sister first married to the French King and after to Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke But the greatest part of the Commons and some of the Nobility adhering to Lady Mary eldest Daughter to King Henrie the Eighth by his first wife Queene Katherine of Spaine and this occasion was the trouble and death of many honourable and worthy personages For whether King Edward of his owne election or wrought by the perswasion of others I know not had by his last Will and Testament interested the Ladie Iane to the inheritance of his kingdomes for this cause as was pretended that the State might still continue the profession of the Protestant Religion which could not be hoped in the gouernement of Queene Mary But howsoeuer the King did thus bequeath his kingdomes it is very likely hee was drawne thereto by perswasion of his nobles especially of the two Dukes Northumberland and Suffolke because hereby the inheritance was conueyghed to their issue to whom in right it did not belong neither is it likely the King of his owne motion would haue disinherited his owne Legitimate sisters to interest one further off And if Religion was the cause why was not choise rather made of Queene Elizabe●h then Lady Iane Shee being by much neerer in the degrees of blood and altogether as assured in the Protestant Religion And therefore certainely the King was moued by others to offer this iniurie to his neerest blood Fourthly And if the question be demanded whether in this case it was lawfull for the King to translate the inheritance of his kingdomes I answer that howsoeuer the pretence is faire and good yet was the practise euill because wrong was offered and those ends are neuer good the which are compassed by euill meanes and to translate inheritance where it ought not is to contradict Gods prouidence by whose wisedome all things are ordered And therfore no doubt this offence of those Dukes and their confederates conspiring with them this vnlawfull end was the cause that God did suffer the power of their enemies to preuaile to their destruction For God is the Father of Truth and the God of Iustice neither would he that men should attempt to alter the course of his prouidence or by any violent and euill meanes pursue an end be it neuer so Religious and holy For good men must vse onely good meanes to reach good ends And therefore this practise of these Dukes in the iudgement of Religion was not good notwithstanding in state practise it hath example and may seeme allowable Obseruations Diuine Pollitique Morall FIRST there is no pretence how faire soeuer can giue authority and strength to vnlawfull actions For God who is all-sufficient and who hath decreed all good things hath likewise deuised all good meanes to compasse them therefore euery good worke doth consist of lawfull matter and forme for no euill thing can bee well done neither can any good thing bee done euilly Secondly When God by death doth preuent the hopes that are had of a vertuous Prince it doth not argue against the worthinesse of the Prince