ye passed nothing on it but as the Iewes being downed in sinne mocked scorned and murthred the prophetes of God which long before prophecied vnto them their captiuities and vtter destruction so ye laughed and iested at your preachers wordes nothing regarding the threattes of God but contēnyng thē yea increaceīg in your wickednesse ādnowat leyn ght murthering most cruelly the ministers of God And seing wordes of warnyng toke no place with you God for his louing mercie hathe warned you also by monstrous maruailes on the earthe and horrible wonders in thelement to put you beside all maner of excuses What wonderfull monstres haue ther now lately ben borne in Englande What celestial signes most horrible A childe borne besides Oxforde in the yeare M. D. LII with two heades and two partes of two euil shaped bodyes ioyned in one A childe borne at Couentree in the yeare M. D. LV without armes or legges A childe borne at Fulhā by Londō euen now this yeare with a great head euil shaped the armes with bagges hanging out at the Elbowes and heles and fete lame A childe newe borne at Lōdō furthewith speaking as a prophet and mes sager of God An horrible Comete this year besides diuerse eclipses whiche folowe But what were these only bare signes No certaynly they doo and must signifie the great wrathe and indignacion of God Not long after the passion of our saueour Christ whan the Britaines our cōtreymen went about to re couer their libertie and to be despeched of the most cruel seruitude and miserie which the Romaines kept thē in wherein no Britayn was certayn of wife childrē goodes no not of their liues all thigs were so in bōd◅ ge of the cruel Romaynes pleasur ther were of our coūtreymē slayne at one tyme three score ād ten thousaūt mē ād at an other tyme thrittie thousaūt Before which slaughters ther were many wōders sene in Eng lād Thimage of the Idole which the Romaines hade in their tēple called Victorie was turned backe as though she gaue place to thenenies The sea was like blood ymages of mēnes bodyes founde on the sea syde And womē were out of their wittes ād cried destructiō at hāde destructiō at hāde so that the Britaynes were in great hope ād the Romaynes in great feare Before Britayn now called Englād came in to the full power of the Danes kīg Edmūde the sōne of Ethelberte beīg slayne ther were diuerse straūge thinges wherby all men gessed that an alteration of the Realme was towarde but chiefly they gessed the great calamitie by the sodain swelling of the sea without any euidēt cause which so brake in to the lande that it destroyed many townes and people Before that great slaughter of Englishe men and Normādes which was by reason of the warres that were in Normandie betwene king Hēri the furst king of Englāde and Robert Duke of Normandie his brother at which tyme Normandie was ioyned to Englande the ryuer of Trent did not runne one hole daye together but was so emptie that men passed ouer on fote and at that tyme a sowe brought furthe a monstre with the face of a man and a henne a foure foted monstre So that by that that is past ye maye the boldlier diuine of that that is to come The childe by Oxforde what did it betoken but that our one swete head king Edwarde should be taken awaye as he was in dede and that ther should be in his place two headdes diuerse gouernours and a towarde diuision of the people but not all together which so manyfestly folowed that no man can denye it or two people should be knytte together but not in god proporcion nor agrement The childe of Couentrie without the principal membres to helpe and defende the bodye must nedes signifie that the natural body that is the people of Englande shalbe helpeles ready to be troden vnder the fote of euery creature and non to releue or succour it The childe of Fulham what can it signifie but that the natural body of England shalbe weake the chief membres tharmes and legges which is the nobilitie so clogged with chaynes of golde and bagges of money that the hande shall not be hable to drawe out the sweorde nor the heles to spurre the horse to helpe and defende the body that is the commones And as the head of it is the greatest part and greater than it ought to be with to muche superfluitie of that it should not haue wherfore it must pull from the other membres to confort it and lacke of that good proporcion it ought to haue so shall the gouernours and headdes of Englande sucke out the wealth and substaunce of the people the politike body and kepe it bare so that it shall not be hable to helpe it self yet shall the head neuer come to that nature requireth What is to be gathered of the yōg chil de I doo not saie it is true bicause the father was forced onles he wold haue lost his life to r◅cant it but might it not be true Is ther not as muche to be saied for it as for the popes trāsubstāciacion Dothe not Eusebius Pamphili a man of as good credite as Thomas Aquinas Scotus Gratianus and suche other the inuētours and mainteners of transubstanciacion write that a lambe contrary to nature and possibilitie did in plaine wordes before declare the nature and disposicion of Bochorus king of Egipt They that write the cronicles of the Romaines saie that a dogge a serpent and oxen did speake But scripture plainly saieth that Baalams asse a creature vnreasonable without possibilitie to speake did saie to his maister why beatest thou me And Iohn the baptist contrary to the common course of nature lept and reioiced in his mothers wombe whan Christes mother being with childe came to see Elizabeth his mother If men that beleued not the miracles which the gogle ◅ied Roode of Boxley the Idole of walsinghā the bawde of willesdō which euery foole might see to be deceates and open illusions were condemned and burned for heretikes how should they be taken that doo not beleue the manifest workes of God The horible Comete and blasing starre that was sene this yeare greater in Englande than elles wher what elles dothe it betoken but the great displeasure of God and therfore famin pestilēce warres sediciō deathe of princes inuasion of forain naciones destruction of som or many cities and countreies and the alteracion and chaungeing of the state and gouernement For if it be laufull for man to diuine of Goddes wonderfull workes and by the like thinges past coniecture those that be to come why should we not affirme that these plages will folowe Before the great warres made by Xerses against the Grecianes and the ouerthrowing of the hole state of Grece ther was a blasing starre sene of the shape of an hor◅e and an eclipse of the sunne Before the last and vtter destruction of the citie of Ierusalem ther was sene hanging in thelement ouer
the kyng and haue the greatest offices Thus were our countreymen the Britaynes remoued from their king straungers placed in all offices and holdes and at leynght the lande was ouerrunne and possessed of Straungers And the mane of Britayne put awaye and the realme called Englande The Danes after vnderstanding how fertile and pleyntifull England was sought meanes by litle and litle to place themselues in Englande and after a king of DeÌ„marke in his owne persone inuaded EnglaÌ„d in the Northe aÌ„d made woÌ„derfull cruell warres they spared none they burned and wasted Yorkeshire Northumberlande and all places so that the enhabitauntes were forced to sue for peace at the Danes han des Then built they the towne of Dancastre that is the Castle of the Danes and whiles they had peace sent for moo Danes and whan they thought their for ce and power bigge ynough they passed not vpon promyses and leagues that they had made but renued the warres killed burned aÌ„d spoiled in euery place til thei came to Excestre the people and realme was most miserably tormented and made tributarie to them Diuerse of the nobilitie of England vpon light yea no occasiones but only bicause they were thought not to fauour the Danes were taken their nose trilles most villanously slytted their handes cut of â–ª Ah good God who can remembre these thinges without weping Who that feareth thy wrathe lorde will not amâ—…de his life aÌ„d call to thee for mercie What naugh tie nobilitie were that that wolde oppresse the commo nes and afterward be vsed and oppressed them selues by straungers as their predecessours haue ben before tyme What deuillis he CoÌ„mones might that be called that wolde repyne or rebelle against the nobilitie and gentilmen and than to be ouerrunne them selues with priestes and forayners and to be pyned with suche miserie as ye heare that our auncettours were and all bicause the gentilmen and coÌ„mones agred not among them selues Who is a natural Englishe man that will not in tyme forsee and considre the miserie towarde his countreye and him selfe aÌ„d by all meanes seke to let it who is it that caÌ„ hope for quietnesse pea ce healthe pleyntie and such like giftes of God without Goddes fauour and mercie And how is it possible that God should vse mercie with them that beare inwarde hatred and grudge one to an other aÌ„d will vse no merci with others If ye forgeue other meÌ„ their offenses that thei coÌ„mitte agaiÌ„st you saieth Christ your heauenly father will forgeue thoffenses that ye haue coÌ„mitted against him But if ye doo not forgeue other meÌ„ their faultes neither will your father forgeue you your faultes No whilest ye saye the lordes praier aÌ„d be full of raÌ„cour malice hatred aÌ„d eÌ„uie towarde your neighbour ye coÌ„demne your selues and desire Goddes plages and vengeaunce to fall on your selues for ye meane veÌ„geauÌ„ce to your neighbours aÌ„d wishe all euill to fall on them And so it dothe fall on you as ye see by experieÌ„ce of the playes aÌ„d miseries that are aÌ„d shall come to you But from inwarde sedicion and ciuile discorde that briedeth so muche mischief let vs come to outwarde warres and inuasiones made by strauÌ„gers But ye will saye ye haue no warres with any forain prince It is true but shall ye haue none yes yes the tyme is not yet come all is not hatched that is vnder the henne Your winges must be dubbed your fethers must be pulled your coÌ„bes must be cut you must be cleane piked your substaunce shalbe gotten by littel and littell out of your handes by taxes and subsidies by beneuolences and loanes and so froÌ„ a litell to more and froÌ„ more to more and at leynght all the marchauntes goodes to be confiscate in Flaunders by an inquisitioÌ„ and others in England by an opeÌ„ excoÌ„municatioÌ„ And whan ye be ones cleane stripped of your stoare and thus weakened out of courage aÌ„d your harte in your hose as they saie than shall your king returne to his welbeloued wife England with great poÌ„pe aÌ„d power and shall coÌ„pell you in despight of your hartes to reÌ„ dre and deliuer her holly in to his handes Than shall the easter linges vpon hope to recouer their olde and greater priuileges aide him with meÌ„ money and ship pes as allready they haue offred and promised as diuerse credible lettres haue declared ThaÌ„ shall they in uade Englande and shalbe by shiploades if no worse happeÌ„ vnto you caried in to newe Spaine aÌ„d ther not lyue at libertie but bicause ye are a stubburne and vn faithfull generacioÌ„ ye shalbe tyed in chaynes forced to rowe in the galie to digge in the mynes aÌ„d to pike vp the golde in the hotte sande And so with soro we to your soppes your three maÌ„nes song shall be Alas and Weale awaye Than shall ye knowe the pride aÌ„d lorde lynesse of the Spanyardes though for a while til they maie get the ouer hande they crepe and crouche fede men with swete wordes Baso las manos and women with confettes swete wynes pleasaunt pfumes gaye apparail and suche like vayne to yes but whâ—…n they be ones alofte ther is no nacioÌ„ vnder the cope of Christ like theÌ„ in pride crueltie vnmercifulnesse nor so farre froÌ„ all humanitie as the Spanyardes be which thig the realme of Naples the Dukedome of Milane the citie of Siena many partes of Duchelande and the lande of Iulike Cleuelande and Geldre lande can to theyr coste right well testifie And maie it not be thought that the FreÌ„che kìg whaÌ„ he seeth oportunitie wil set in a fote makìg clayme to Englande in the right of the Quene of Scottes as heire to hing HeÌ„ry theight by his eldest syster And maie it not be suspected that the pope to doo the Frenche king a pleasure shall saye the Diuorce betwene king Henry and the dowager was by the canon lawes laufull and shall excommunicate the realme onles they reuoke thacte of parliament wherby the Dyuorce of late was iudged vnlaufull RemeÌ„bre remembre good countrey men and true English hartes the miserie that folowed in our poore countrey vpon the conquest made by thambicious William Duke of NormaÌ„die vpon how small a title he entred aÌ„d how tyraÌ„nously he vsed him self His only colour was a bequest or promise made to him by king Edward brother to Cauntus and Heraldus kinges of England whaÌ„ he was a banished man in Normandie if he should dye without issue as he did At his first en trie he had a great batail with the newe choseÌ„ king of EnglaÌ„d aÌ„d slewe hì aÌ„d tweÌ„tie thousauÌ„t of our couÌ„treye meÌ„ which put suche a feare in all men the Nobilitie the cleargie the LoÌ„doners aÌ„d others the coÌ„mons that it mâ—…de theÌ„sue for peace aÌ„d to geue pledges for their â—…delitie whom he sent in to Normandie At the first he made theÌ„ many fayre promises of peace quietnesse aÌ„d iustice wherwith the folishe foÌ„de people were sone begyleâ—… They thought they had
bringing in a great power of Ammonites ād Amalekites two kinds of people in beggerly pride and filthinesse of life muche like to the common nature of Italianes and Spaniardes as well to garde his pson as to fortifie the strōg holdes ād mu niciōes that by ād by seīg himself strōg ynough with his straungers and Inborne traitours he brought the countrey and people vnder his subiection by fine force so that he continued their ordinary Prince and chief ruler xviij years long What oppressing of the poore what robbing of the riche what taking vp of corne and vitail for the king and his straūgers and no money paied for it what taxes and paimentes the people were yowked withall what rauishing of mennes wiues daughters and seruauntes what heading and hanging of the natural Israelites to make the straungers lordes and gentilmen what common miseries and continual calamities ther were during that space no doubt it is vnspeakeable But what remedy No man durst make moane to his neighbour for feare of bewraieng none durst ones whistre against the king they must bende or breake no remedy pacience perforce all were faine to serue and please king Eglon. But at leinght they sent as their yearly accustomed maner was a present to the king by a wittye messagier called Ahud who hauing accesse to the kig saied he hade to saie vnto his Maiestie secretly from God And whan the king hade commaunded all his seruauntes awaie so that Ahud and the king were alone in his somer parlour Ahud thrust his dagger so harde in to the kinges fatte paunche that ther laie king Fglon dead and Ahud fled awaie Now was this well done or euil For so the the dede is so commended in scripture that the holy goost reporteth Ahud to be a saueour of Israel But note by the waie the texte saieth not that Ahud was sent of the people to kill the king nor that he tolde them what he intended for by that meane one Iudas or other wolde haue betraied him and so should he haue ben drawen hanged and quarted for his entreprise and all his conspiratours haue lost bothe life landes and goodes for their conspiracie Only the scripture saieth that Ahud being a priuate persone was stered vp only by the spirite of God Likewise whan Sisara lieutenaunt general of king Iabins warres fleing from Barac sought succour to hide his head hauing long noied and hurt Israel with oppression and warres a woman named Iael called him in to her house and hidde him vnder a Couering He thought him selfe sure and for wearinesse dropped harde on slepe Iael taketh a great long spikig nayle and driueth it with a hāmer so harde in to his braines that Sisara troubled Israel no more nor neuer tolde who hurt hī Mattathias being by the kinges Commissionares required and commaūded to conforme him self to the kinges procedinges which was to committe Idolatrie as all his countreymen the Iewes hade done and as the like case standeth now in Englande not only refused to obey king Antiohus commaundement or to folowe his procedinges in that behalfe but also whan he sawe a Iewe committee Idolatrie before his face he ranne vpon the Iewe in a great zeale and slewe him and fell also vpon the ordinary Commissioners sent from Antiochus the ordinary king of the Realme and slewe them out of hande These examples nede no further exposicion the scripture is plaine inough But if neither the hole state nor the minister of Goddes worde wolde doo their common duetie nor any other laufull shifte before mencioned can be hade nor dare be attempted yet are not the poore people destitute all together of remedy but God hathe lefte vnto them twoo weapones hable to conquere and destroie the greatest Tirāne that euer was that is Penaunce and Praier Penaunce for their owne sinnes which prouoke the angre and displeasure of God and make him to suffre tirannes warres famine pestilence and all plages to reigne among the people And praier that he will withdrawe his wrathe and shewe his mercifull countenaunce Hereof we haue not only commaundement but also manifest examples in the scriptures For whan the Arke of God was taken awaie from the people of Israel by the Philistines in batail and the glorie of Israel brought vnder foote the people being miserably for their sinnes pressed and plagued by the Philistines twentie yeares long so that the people despering of their honour and libertie and seing no mar◅ial wepon nor helpe of man hable to redresse their state cried and continued in lamenting their thraldom and greuous condicion at leynght by the aduise and commaundement of the good Prophet Samuel the people fell to these two meanes Penaunce and praier with fasting and the lorde God not only deliuered them out of thoppression of the Philistines vnto their former libertie but also gaue them suche victories that the Philistines many yeares after durst not ones moue warre against them Thus was also the cruel tiranne Herode vainquished Thapostles ād people in the primatiue churche lamenting their sinnes and calling to God for mercie the angel of God stroke Herode sitting in his throne in his princely apparail making an Oracion to the people and they cōmending it to be the voice of God and not of man and so he was eatē vp of lice or wormes Likewise whan Iulian themperour and Apostata had long persecuted the churche at leinght wh◅ the people fell to repentaunce and common praier he going in to Persia was slaine and none of the familie of Constantine wherof he came after that was Emperour And in like maner not long sith whan that tiranne Duke George of Saxonie persecuted all suche as professed the worde of God reuiued and pulled out of purgatorie by the worthy instrument of God D. Luther and at leynght threatned that he wolde burne and destroye the vniuersitie of wittenberg which whan Luther hearde he went in to the pulpit and exhorted eueri man to put on his armour that is Penaunce and prayer And sone after God rid the worlde of that tiranne and so not only deliuered his churche but also augmented it with an other vniuersitie called Lipsia and all the hole countrey of this cruel duke was conuerted to Christes Gospell These be the wonderfull workes of almightie God whose power is as great and as ready at a pinche as euer it was and his mercie as willing to be shewed if his poore afflicted people wolde doo on their weapon that is be sory for their sinnes and desire him to with drawe his sourges and to holde his mercifull hande ouer them VVHAT CONFIDENce is to be geuen to princes and potentates WHAN the kīg of Macedonia Alexander the great hearde the philosopher Anaxagoras saye ther were many worldes the worme of ambicion so tickled and troubled his harte that the water gushed out of his eies And whan he was asked what made him to wepe haue I not iuste occasion to wepe saieth he that hearing of so many worldes I
should not obeie them Now if wher the people haue geuen their autoritie to their gouernour to make suche lawes yet can he not breake or dispēse with the positiue lawes how muche lesse maie suche gouernours kinges and princes to whō the people haue not geuen their autoritie but they with the people ād the people with thē ma ke the lawes breake them or dispēse with them If this were tolerable thā were it in vaine to make solēne as semblies of the hole state long Parliamentes c yea I beseche the what certayntie should therbe in any thyng wher all should depende on ones will and affection But it wilbe saied that albeit kinges and princes can not make lawes but with the consent of the people yet maie they dispense with any positiue lawe by reason that of long tyme they haue vsed so to doo and prescribe so to doo for long custome maketh a lawe To this it maye be answered euil customes be they neuer so olde are not to be suffred but vtterly to be abolished and non maie prescribe to doo euil be he king or subiecte If the lawes appoint thee the time of thrittye or fourtie yeares to claime a sure and a perfit interesse of that thow enioiest yet if thow knowe that either thy self or those by Whom thow claimest came wrongfully by it thow art not in dede a perfit owner of it but art bounden to restore it Although the lawes of man doo excuse and defende thee frō outwarde trouble and punishemēt yet cā they not quiet the cōsciēce but whā thy cōscience remēbreth that thow enioiest that is not thyne it will byte the that thow haste done wrong it will accuse the before the iudgement seat of God and condemnethe And if princes and gouernours wolde shew thēselues half so wise as they wolde men shoulde take them to be and by thexample of others learne What mischief might happen to them selues they wolde not if they might clayme muche lesse execute any suche absolute authoritie No neither wold their Counsailours if they loued them maintene them in it nor yet the subiectes if they did but considre their owne sauetie and felicitie in this life wolde not if they might suffre their Prince to doo what him lusted For thone purchace to them selues a perpetuall vncer◅aintie bothe of life and goodes and thother procureth the hatred of all which albeit it be coloured and dissembled for a season yet dothe it at leynght burst out and worketh the reuenge with extremitie Ther lacke no examples to verifie this It was dryven in to the head of temperour C. Caligula that he was subiecte to no power that he was aboue all lawes and that he might laufully doo what him lu sted This lesson was so swete to the fleshe that it was no soner moued than desired no soner taught than learned no soner hearde than practiced First by like that thempire should not goo out of his owne race he coupleth not with one but with all his susters like bitche and dogge He killeth his brother Tiberius and all his chiefest frendes he murdereth many of the Senatours of Rome He delited to haue honest men to be garshed scotched and cut in the faces and so to make him pleasure to haue them cast to rauenous beastes to be torne and deuoured in his sight or to be sawed asondre in the middes It was a pleasunt pastyme for him to see the parentes stande by lamenting and weping whiles their children were tormented and killed He vsed to complayne and lament that no common calamitie and notable miseries happened in his time He reioyced muche whan newes were brought him of the slaughters of hole armies of men great hongre pestilence townes burnyng and openynges of the earthe wherin many people were swalowed vp But the daye he sawe any of these him self he neded neither meat nor drinke he was so iocunde and merye And being glutted with the pastime of euery mannes deathe by him self to procure a newe appetite he deuised an other if he could haue brought it to passe But whan he could not haue it done the memorie therof was so swete that he ofte desired that is that all the he addes of the people of Rome stode on one mannes necke that he might with ones was he cut it of Many other noble actes by his absolute power he wrought and at leynght he commaunded that his ymage should be set vp in the temple at Ierusalem and ther worshipped as not vnlike Saīt Gardiners for he hathe done no smal thīges shalbe shortly by Anti cipaciō in Englād But what was thende of Caligulaes absolute power whā he had reigned three yeares and ten monethes his owne householde seruaūtes conspired against hym and the general of his own◅ Armie slewe him Nero thēperour was of nature very modest gen til and mercifull and the first fiue yeares of this reigne he behaued him self very vertuously After other counsaillours and maisters than Seneca crept into his fauour who tolde him that he might doo what him lusted He was sone persuaded therunto And to shewe som profe that he had well caried awaye their aduise he killed his mother Agrippina This cruel acte did so moue his wicked conscience that he durst not come abroade in the Senate but kept him self secrete in his priuie chābre For he feared the hatred of the people and knewe not what was best for hī to doo He lacked no flattering Counsailours Ther were pleintie that sought their owne profit and gayne and the satisfieng of their lustes more than their princes honour and sauetie and the cōmon wealthe of their coūtreie Saie they Sir whi should ye be thus amased with the deathe of this womā She was of all people abhorred ād hated the people wōderfully reioyce in your doīg and cōmēde you aboue the moone for so noble an acte They desire that ye will returne in to the citie that they maie with triumphe expresse how muche their ioie and gladnesse is and how they loue you for so noble a feate These craftie knaues seing how they might blinde their maisters eies cōmaunded in themperours behalf that all the people should come out of Rome to mete themperour The Senate in their best apparail cometh out alle other ordres likewise after their degrees folowe and finally man Woman and childe Themperour whan he sawe them thought all was done from the botome of their heart The Senate shewed suche outwarde honour the commones so great loue eueri body pretended so great ioye and gladnesse And thinke ye ther were not about him that said Dothe not your Maiestie well finde all our saienges true maye ye not credite vs in that we coun sail and aduise you What folowed Themperour embrewed with the blood of his mother and his vnnatural acte commended by his wicked Counsailours ceasseth not from his crueltie but earnestly goeth forwarde He putteth awaie his wife Octauia bicause she semed to be baren He marieth his harlot called Puppie He sendeth his wife