a carnall fellow and a méere politicke Hée kept certaine women and his bastardes in his time bore no small swaie in Rome One of them made loue to a mans wife of the house of Glorieri Of whom receiuing some indignitie he brought the Glorieri into hatred with his father Who picking a quarrell to them fined Caesar Glorieri him that set his hand to the sentence of excommunication against the Quéene 100000. ducates and another Glorieri that was clarke of the popes checker chamber he put out of his office and solde it for diuers thousands of duckats So you sée much money made of a baudie matter and you woulde woonder whether all this money went and I beléeue hardly coulde you gesse it I will therefore assure you that all this money went to the Iesuites and was most of it imploied in the building of their colledge at Rome O holie societie and thrise holy colledge erected for the most part by baudrie and maintained as pope Sixtus said by vsurie This may serue for a taste to shew that the best founders that Iesuites haue are carnall and sensuall men that rather then they will frie in purgatorie will giue the Iesuites most of that they haue The second fault of this enumeration is this that it is defectiue For not so many atheistes carnall worldlings and heretickes as christian and catholicke princes zelous and godly bishops and pastors and honest and religious Christians do detest and abhor this wicked generation Princes for the hazard that they haue incurred of their liues and states haue eyther expulsed them and banished them their countries as the French king the Transyluanian and those that professe true religion or had them in iealousie as the king of Poland and diuers papisticall princes Godly Christians haue reason to suspect them and detest them for their abominable doctrine and treacherous and murderous practises Fathers feare them in regard of their children whom they inueigle and steale away The Venetians dissolued a colledge in Padua where gentlemens sonnes were wont to be brought vp for that the Iesuites taking vpon them to teach there corrupted their youth with their vnnaturall lasciuiousnes and restrained them from teaching others then such as were of their own society Husbandes haue them in iealousie for their wiues wiues for their husbands For it is no rare matter for these subuerters of all humanity to draw wiues from husbandes and husbandes from wiues yea sometimes through too much familiarity with women they spoile the men A certaine Magnifico in Venice perceiuing his wiues iewels to be wanting in the end learned that the Iesuites had gotten them To conclude this point I thinke the Iesuites will not deny but that the Carmelites and Franciscanes and Dominicans and othe orders of fryers are as honest men as themselues yet all these do inwardly hate them At Vienna they thrust out the Carmelites at Mentz the Dominicans at Trier and Bransberg the Franciscās out of their houses which maketh these orders to hate them In Bauier the priests béeing brought to pouerty and shame by the Iesuites haue no reason to loue them And thus we sée that many honest men do eyther suspect or hate the Iesuites and some also which they themselues cannot take iust exception against Let vs therefore now consider whether the causes that haue mooued and occasioned this hatred against the Iesuites be iust or no. The discourser saith They are had in hatred and emulation eyther for their rule and profession or for their learning and doctrine or for their life and conuersation But first the parts of this diuision are imperfect next the same conteineth diuers vntruthes and more are added in the declaration of it Lastly the whole defence parted in this diuision is not sufficient to iustifie the course and actions of the Iesuites the imperfection may be prooued by diuers particulars For they are not onely hated for these thrée causes but for diuers others As namely for that they do many things both contrary to their owne rule and contrary to the rule of Gods law and Christian religion They professe obedience but they practise sedition and rebellion Claudius Matthew a Iesuite and king Henry the third of France his confessor was the most principall author and agent in the league of papists against him and the peace established a litle before Parsons and Campian were sent into England to make a faction for the papistes which appeared in this that they procured a faculty to suspend the bull of Pius as farre as it concerned papists no further then Rebus sic stantibus These fellowes are the principall agents and stirrers of the rebellion in Ireland Iames Gordon Creichton and Hayes Iesuites laide a plot not onely for a rebellion in Scotland but for an inuasion in England Neither hath any warre or tumult béene raysed of late in any part of Christendome wherein the Iesuites haue not borne a principall part They professe chastitie and the law of God forbiddeth all vncleannes but how these obserue this profession and law I report me to their owne consciences to the Iesuites of Rome and Padua and to their practise in allowing and now and then frequenting bordelles They talke much of voluntary pouerty and Christ saith all should be left for his sake But these good fellowes leaue Christ for the wealth and ease they find in the order of Iesuites They dwell in costly pallaces their dyet apparrell is more dainty and braue then ordinary The furniture of their houses and churches is gorgious and princely Their armes are placed aboue the armes of princes most couetously they scratch and scrape from the orphane widow and poore and put out their mony to interest their rule and outward profession is to gaine soules but their practise is to kill soules They promise to teach without reward but if a great man will giue them a million they take all Nay they pretend to begge for banished English but take most themselues and by all practises séeke to enrich themselues by bribes and rewardes They professe religion and the name of Iesus but they are the slaues of the pope and oppugne the faith of Iesus preferring the decretals before scriptures in certainty and make a scoffe at religion In Venice they painted the virgine Mary like a Lady in the city whome they loued as a Vita Pij Quinti Pius Quintus cast an Agnus dei into the riuer so these vse the same practise in their coniurations Nay they administer the sacrament to those that go about to murder princes as Walpoole did to Squire First then they are hated for dooing against Gods law and their owne written rules Secondly for their ignorance in true religion Thirdly for that they peruert others by their leud perswasions and euill example Fourthly for that they peruert youth and teach them euill manners Fiftly for that they are not ashamed to defend any old condemned heresie or grosse new error holden by the pope Lastly
the Iesuites good liking For he is much offended that any should speake either for truth or state against publike enemies and traytors and would most earnestly pray you that you would be pleased to suffer him and his consortes to vndermine the state and to stirre vp rebellion and cut honest mens throtes without any noise or question made about the matter And because Sir Francis hath exhorted his countrymen couragiously to withstand the Spaniards and other publike enimies and speaketh plainely what we are to thinke of him and his consortes he calleth him A troublesome stickler and saith He is transported with violent rage against potent and annointed princes and in diuers places chargeth him with railing and slandering heere imputeth to him Base detractions and contumelious fictions and giueth him many other verie bigge words degorged out of his wicked and impotent malice against good men As if it were not lawful for vs to defend our selues or touch our enemies but in such manner and forme as this criticall Aristarchus and new teacher of formes of spéech shall like So ridiculous and absurd a Noddy we do encounter such vnreasonable requests we are to answere as may further appeare by the sequell of his discourse My first petition a P. 120. saith he Should be Note I pray you that he saith Should be and not Is. Whereby we may vnderstand that this proud companion disdeineth to make petition to your Lordships Signifying onely that if he might abase himselfe so low as to make petition to such as he accounteth heretickes That then his petition should be to restraine such turbulent spirits as those are which more of a madde and malicious kind of wantonnesse then of witte do loose their tongues with ouermuch liberty against the honor of mighty catholicke princes abrode So his complaint is that we loose our tongues to speake without witte thinking percase because he and his consortes do raile against Christian princes wittily or rather saucily that they may do it fréely and lawfully His desire is That turbulent spirites may be restrained But he doth not consider that this concerneth him and his consortes the Iesuites and popish faction very néere For they are the turbulent spirits stirred vp by satan to trouble kingdomes and enflame warres throughout the world as before hath béene in part declared b Discouery of William Critons errors Criton was taken with diuers plats for the inuasion of England He holpe to stirre warres in Scotland They are therefore Turbulent spirits and condemned by their owne consorts and all the world for such As for vs it toucheth vs nothing And therefore we willingly subscribe this petition and would wish that all Christian princes would take a course with such as publish libels and slanderous calumniations to the disgrace of princes and states For none haue more cause to complaine then we Paule the third published a slanderous bull or libell against Henry the eight Which was seconded with a bitter inuectiue written by cardinall Poole Pius 5. and Sixtus 5. a In bulla Pij 5. Sixti 5. haue d spoken their pleasure against her Maiesty b Sanders Ribad de schism and this kingdome Sanders Ribadineira and Rishton haue e written bookes full of most impudent calumniations against diuers catholicke princes f Cardinall Allen hath passed all that went before him in bitternesse and malice c In his letters to the nobility and people of England and Ireland The like course haue they taken against Henry the third and fourth of France and diuers noble princes of that kingdome Parsons the Iesuite himselfe alone hath published cart lodes of libelles Time therefore it is to stoppe the mouthes of such barking curres and to tye them vp for barking But why would he haue such turbulent Spirits restreined He saith That the furious hatred of Sylla and Marius of Pompey and Caesar was kindled by certaine opprobrious speeches vttered by some of their followers But he should do well to shew his author and prooue his words true least he be taken for a false forger of examples I could yet neuer vnderstand any such matter And therefore let him take héed least for want of good handling he marre the fashion of his first petition His second petition is That your honors would resolue to be mediators vnto her Maiestie for some more gentle mild and mercifull course to be taken with papistes Wherein First he doth greatly wrong her Maiestie charging her with rough vnmercifull and cruell dealing against papistes who hath so much spared them that to many it is thought that she hath neither had sufficient regard of her owne safety nor of the peace and security of her subiectes Secondly he doth couertly charge your Lordships That you haue borne a hard hand ouer them and assisted her Maiestie in her vnmercifull dealing Thirdly he is so saucy as to make you his factors and mediators in a cause most irreligious and impious most dangerous to her Maiestie and the state most odious to her most loyall subiectes and most vnreasonable in regard of the petitioner and his consortes and this I will briefely shew leauing the consideration and prouision for the rest to your honors Most impious it is to perswade a toleration of popish religion béeing a doctrine full of heresies and not cléere of Idolatry as is notorious to all that know it and shall God willing be fully prooued héereafter And if it be impious to perswade it we must thinke that piety will not suffer vs to yéelde it Our a Matth 4. Sauiour saith It is written we must worship the Lord our God and serue him onely and that is the briefe of the first b Exod. 20. commaundement Thou shalt haue no other Gods but me Now how is God onely serued where the idole of the altar and euery crucifixe is worshipped with diuine honor How do they serue God alone that make angels and saintes their mediators and communicate gods honor to them Besides that it is nothing but idolatry and Worshipping of strange Gods as saith c Aduers haeres Vincentius Lirinensis to embrace and stifly to maintaine heresies For heretickes no lesse reuerence their opinions then the Gentiles their gods Nay Saint d De vera relig c. 38. Augustine saith That it is the vilest kinde of idolatrie for men to worship their owne fancies and obserue that for a religion which their deceiued and swelling mindes imagine The apostle forbiddeth the Corinthians to haue any societie with them that e 1. Cor. 5. worship and serue idols And sheweth that there is no fellowship betwixt light and darkenesse nor company to bée kept with Infidels Nolite saith hée f 2. Cor. 6. iugum ducere cum infidelibus quae enim participatio iustitiae cum iniquitate Aut quae societas luci ad tenebras Quae autem conuentio Christi ad Belial Aut quae pars fideli cum infideli Qui autem consensus templo
the murderers and massacrers of Gods saints these are they which haue occasioned the ruine of diuers noble houses personages In England the erles of Westmerland and Northumberland harkening to the seditious motions of the pope ruined themselues their houses By the same occasion the house of Desmond and other houses in Ireland were ouerthrowne Why the ruine of these houses and men should be imputed to religion there is not any colour In Scotland the houses and linages of the Hamiltons Douglasses and Stuardes do yet stand and if any of these houses haue runne headlong into their owne destruction it is no fault of ours The Quéene Douager of Scotland that was sister to the Duke of Guise died of sicknesse How the last Quéene came to her end I report me to publike actes and histories Her husband was not slaine by men of our side but of theirs not for matter of religion but for other causes Our aduersary therefore dealeth absurdly and like himselfe that imputeth the faults of Popish religion that teacheth murder of christians deposing of princes subuersion of states and kingdomes and all manner of perfidious and cruell dealing to vs. But suppose some error had béene committed in France and the lowe countries why is the same mentioned here where we dispute about matters in England can he not content himselfe to vtter vntruthes but he must also speake impertinently and so far from the purpose To amend the matter he deuideth all blessings into spirituall and temporall and denyeth that by change of religion we haue receiued either the one or the other For before this alteration saith he one God was adored not onely in England but also throughout all Christendome and after one manner He saith further That there was one faith one beleefe one forme of seruice one number of sacraments one tongue in celebration one sacrifice one head of the church one obedience one iudgement in time past and that now all is altered the people of England being diuided not onely from the rest of catholikes but also from Lutherans Zuinglians Caluinists abroad and among themselues at home But dealing with an aduersarie and in matter so controuersious if hée had beene wise hée woulde haue brought either better proofes or more modestie To lie notoriously must néedes worke discredite to his cause First most vntrue it is that before this alteration one God was worshipped throughout all Christendome and after one manner For to speake truely the most part of those that called themselues Christians liued without all knowledge of God or of Christ Iesus hauing nothing of Christianitie but the very name and the outwarde Sacrament of Baptisme The rest some fewe onely excepted whom God enlightened with more knowledge for God worshipped angels and saints and the blessed virgine Nay they worshipped crosses and crucifixes with diuine worship and fell down before stockes and stones and rotten reliques some worshipped the pope as God and by him hoped to haue plenarie indulgence of their sinnes Their manner of worship was so diuers that euery parish almost had their peculiar saintes seruices festiuall daies and ceremonies Secondly ridiculously hée doth distinguish faith from beléefe and most vntruely surmiseth That there was in time past but one faith and beleefe and that euery Christian held that faith For in some ages before Luthers time the common people knew not what to beléeue nor vnderstood any one article of the faith And as for the doctors of schooles they differed in infinite points one from another and all of them from the Gréeke churches but especially from the true faith of Christendome taught by Christ and his apostles Thirdly it is a palpable vntruth to say That before this alteration there was one forme of seruice one number of Sacraments one toong one sacrifice one head of the church throughout all Christendome wherein so many vaine vntruthes are conteined that it is not possible to vtter them redilie with one toong For not onely the Gréeke liturgie doth much differ from the Latin but also the Latin liturgies doe much differ from themselues and were so full of abuses that the Councell of Trent abolishing a number of old missals and portuises was constrained to make new and yet all naught being nothing like the liturgies of the apostolike church described by Iustin martyr Dionyse of Athens and diuers other fathers For those of S. Iames S. Basill and Chrysostome are plainly counterfeited The number of 7. sacramēts was not certainly established nor receiued before the late councell of Trent In the a C. firmiter de sum trin side cath Councell of Lateran vnder pope Innocent there is mention made onely of two Sacraments which we reteine In no ancient father that treateth of Sacraments can this number of seuen be found The apostles deliuered vs but onely two Sacraments that is of Baptisme and the Lords supper In ancient time it was neuer thought vnlawfull to celebrate diuine seruice in any toong vnderstoode of the people The Greekes euen to this day reteine the Gréeke toong The b 1. Cor. 14. apostle doth directly condemne toongs vsed in diuine praiers or praises if they be not vnderstood of the people The popish sacrifice of the masse and all that abomination was not knowne of the ancient fathers nor instituted by Christ Then all Christians did communicate and receiue both kindes and were otherwise taught then now they are The Gréeke churches also much differ from the church of Rome and diuers formes of sacrifices haue beene vsed in this church vntil of late the Councell of Trent went about to establish an vniformitie or rather difformitie of religion Finally as the popes headship is now denied of the easterne churches and so was for many ages so was the ancient church vtterly ignorant of the matter If this Noddy will persist in his error and mainteine the contrarie let him shew if he can that in ancient time the bishops of Rome made lawes to binde the whole church and were supreme iudges and not iudged of others and made bishops throughout the world and had that authoritie to dispense and pardon which now the pope craueth Fourthly where he saith Wee are diuided not onely from the generall body of catholikes in Christendome but also from our selues hée telleth vs his owne dreames and fancies fléeting in his idle braine without any grounde of truth First it shall not bée prooued that we haue diuided our selues from the catholike church or any catholike societie Nay wée offer to prooue that the papists haue by their nouelties and heresies deuided themselues from the catholike church and say that therefore wée haue left them that wée may returne to the ancient apostolike and catholike church and catholike faith of Christ Secondly the churches of Zuizzerland Germanie France and England do neither holde of Zuinglius Caluin nor Luther nor pope of Rome as do the blind papists but of Christ Iesus and of the apostles and prophets Neither do they disagrée
and therefore most woorthie to bée abolished and anathematized It is false also That the pope was by vs made a matter of scorne or that this proposition viz. That the pope is antichrist and such like are matters ridiculous For such propositions we take to be most true and dare alwaies maintaine them against more valiant disputers then this Noddy euer will be And therefore we do not thinke the pope a man to bée scorned but a tyrant to bée seriously shunned and abhorred of all christians Let this then make the eight lie This is also a lie most palpable and grosse That other princes fearing harme that might ensue of the alteration of religion in England complained heereof to the pope and that hee proceeded against the Queene vpon their complaints and instance Let him if hée can shew these pretended complaints If hée cannot shewe them let him at the least prooue them by some witnesse or record If not then do I not doubt but hée will prooue himselfe a vaine iangler Which appéereth also by this that Sanders a Lib. 3. de schism saith The pope proceeded at the instance of English prelates that referred the matter to him Beside that the pope is not so dull in working mischiefe that hée néedeth the solicitation of others to stirre him Nay it is cléere that pope Pius b Vita di Pio quinto stirred vp both Philip of Spaine and the French men against vs. And the like industrie did Paul the third vse in stirring vp warres and rebellions against Henrie the eight king of England and drawing troubles vpon the princes of Germanie No man therefore hencefoorth can iustly doubt but that all those practises which haue béene lately made against her Maiestie haue procéeded principally from the popes malice and rancor against true religion and the professors thereof and next from the malcontentment and trecherie of papists and their agents These are the two fountaines from whence all our warres rebellions treasons attempts to murder and poison princes and other great persons and other such like vilanous practises against the state haue flowed Now least any scruple might remaine in mens mindes hée endeuoureth to shewe how farre the excommunication of Pius quintus toucheth the papists in England and saith that They are not to discusse the question betwixt the Queene and the pope but to loue the one and the other But this resolutiō is so vnsufficient that it doth rather encrease then diminish our doubt For how can any good subiect loue him that seeketh the destruction of his prince How can a man serue not two masters but two masters so contrarie and adhere to a religious Quéene if hée bée a vassall to antichrist Beside this séeing papists make the pope the souereigne iudge of these matters what a ridiculous conceit is it to thinke that a papist can iudge otherwise then the pope iudgeth or sentenceth His reasons also are such as can satisfie none of any meane vnderstanding First saith hée This excommunication is an act of iurisdiction betwixt two superiors As if it were not méere foolerie to say that iurisdiction can bée exercised betwixt superiors or betwéene equals And if papists grant that the pope is superior to the Quéene then must they adhere to him and forsake her Which no doubt they will do and must doe if order bée not taken with them Besides wée deny that this excommunication is an act of iurisdiction or iustice Nay the worlde séeth it is a méere act of vilany and presumptuous tyrannie for a ribald like companion and a lousie frier to attempt to depose a prince and a most notorious foolerie to imagine that the popes of Rome who haue no right in that which they iniuriously possesse haue power to take away the right which belongeth to others Secondly hée saith That vpon the popes excommunication against a prince the subiects consent was neuer asked nor admitted Why then doth the pope excommunicate all those that after his excommunication adhere to her Maiestie Are not his a In bulla Pij ◠aduers Eliz. wordes plaine Howbeit I confesse that if rightly we will estéeme of matters the popes excommunication is no excommunication he being an vsurper and no iudge in this case And therefore all true subiects are to account of his excommunication as of a denuntiation of his malice and an argument of his shamefull dealing against Christian princes contrarie to all precedents of antiquitie and to estéeme them all not onely slaues of Antichrist but enimies of the estate that shall not plainly condemne it as wicked and vnlawfull But if the excommunication shoulde bée lawfull yet are Christians to know it and allow it for that it bindeth not before it bée published and allowed Thirdly he saith It is no new thing for popes to excommunicate princes And that the subiect is not to be troubled for his old receiued beleefe about the popes authoritie But hée is much deceiued in things new or old In faith and beléefe all is new that is not taught by Christ and his apostles Wherefore vnlesse hée can shewe this authoritie to be giuen from Christ hée must néedes confesse the Romish faith therein to be new Nay hée cannot shew that the popes either claimed or practised any such power as to excommunicate and depose princes before Gregory the seuenth that was therefore rightly called Hell-brand or the firebrand of the diuell to set discord betwixt Christian princes to the weakening and vtter ouerthrow of Christendome and enlarging of the Turkish empire Otho Frisingensis and Trithemius and hée that wrote the life of Henry the fourth emperour do all testifie that hee was the first that attempted to excommunicate princes and that at the first his excommunications were little regarded Fourthly hée telleth vs that The subiect is not to discusse whether the pope had iust cause to excommunicate the prince which altogither ouerthroweth his clients the papists cause declareth them to be vtter enimies to the prince excommunicate For if they may not discusse the popes procéeding but to beléeue that in his iudicial sentences hée cannot erre especially in matters of faith then must they of force beléeue that the pope hath done well to excommunicate their Queene and must aide him to execute it without further enquirie which teacheth vs without further enquirie also that all papists that allow the popes authoritie in excommunicating the Quéene are enimies if they bée forreiners and traitors if they be subiects Lastly he referreth his clients the papists of England to consider what the papists of France did of late when their kings were excommunicate and to English that liued in king Iohns time Which plainly argueth that though hée woulde haue them looke smoothly for the time yet when occasion serueth hée closely signifieth that they ought to rebell against their princes For so did they of the league in France and so did the subiects héere in England against king Iohn And generally all papists are bound
Fourthly after the decay of the Romaine empire for a while Christian religion began to flourish in Rome and that citie of a wicked citie became the church of God But after the desolation of Babylon or new Rome it shall be made The habitation of diuels and the hold of all foule spirits and a cage of vncleane and hatefull birdes Which must néedes be vnderstoode of the destruction of Rome vnder the pope Diuers other reasons also are alleaged in a late treatise a Lib. 5. de pontif Rom. siue eius apost c. 11. De apostasia Pontificis Rom. that most apparently shewe that Rome as it is the seate of the pope is that Babylon and that beast with seauen heades of which Saint Iohn speaketh in his Reuelation Hauing talked his pleasure of Rome and Babylon b P. 94. the Warder with many idle wordes returneth backe to talke of his déere father the pope which sheweth that Babylon and antichrist are of néere affinitie and cannot well bée sundred But what hath hée to say of the pope Forsooth it gréeueth him much that hée shoulde bée called The proud priest and arch-prelate of Rome And yet sir Francis hath therein done him great fauour For if wée will rightly estéeme hée neither deserueth the name of priest nor arch-prelate nor bishop hauing giuen ouer all priestly and bishoplike function and occupying himselfe about worldly affaires and his terrestriall kingdome which to erect hée ouerthrew the empire the whole strength of Christendome and gaue leisure to the Turke to rauage so many christian prouinces and to maintaine it hée hath caused the destruction of infinite Christian people And calling him Proud and Ambitious yet he doth him no wrong For hee taketh to himselfe diuine power and authoritie in his commandements and iudgements and aduanceth himselfe aboue all that is called God Hée taketh on him also power to canonize saints and to giue diuine honors to others and beareth himselfe as lord of the Calendar of saints Hée is borne high on mens shoulders and maketh great princes to attende on him like squires or pages giuing his toe to kisse for a speciall fauour Neither doth hee content himselfe to bée called lord of lordes and Christes Vicar but will néedes bée called c C. satis dist 96. God at the least honored as God on the earth Hée aduanceth himselfe high aboue all earthly princes and presumeth to depose them and take away their kingdomes at his pleasure Oh that Christian princes woulde open their eies and consider how by his pride he hath abused the honor of kinges and troden the maiestie of the emperor and other christian magistrates vnder féete Hée is also greatly offended that the pope is called Bloody monster and in great sadnesse telleth vs That wee must not speake euill of the prince of the people and alleageth the law that condemneth him to death that spoke euill of his father But the â—eely fellow shoulde haue remembred that wée haue shewed him to bee neither the prince of Gods people nor a friend of Gods people And hee himselfe hath declared howe vnwoorthie hée is of the name of father that seeketh to murder and ruinate his children Nay hée is the father of lies heresies wicked practises and of all that either by wicked doctrine or trecherous practise seeke the destruction either of the church or of this state When William the conquerour came against England the pope a Matth. Paris in Wâ—llelm conquest blessed his banners Another pope sent his blessing to the French that in king Iohns time inuaded this countrey Paule the third by all meanes hée could sought the ouerthrow of our nation in king Henrie the eights daies stirring vp forreine enimies abroad and wicked rebels at home to hurt vs and to destroy our countrey Of late time Pius Quintus Gregorie the thirtéenth and Sixtus Quintus haue not onely brought the Spaniards vpon vs but also wrought diuers rebellions in England séeking if they could vtterly to ruinate this state And as they haue done in England so haue they procéeded in France and in the Lowe countries and by their rebellions and practises haue brought to destruction diuers millions of Christians In summe if wée please to read histories we shall finde that the popes are the onely firebrands and enflamers of all the warres of Christendome which Machiauel in his b Lib. 1. Florentine historie doth in plaine termes confesse And haue not wée then reason to call the pope bloodie monster c In Gregorio 6. Platina calleth thrée popes for their cruelties shewed one to another and for their wickednesse Tria teterrima monstra And shall not wée that haue farre greater cause to doe so call them by their names But saith hée More bloud hath beene shedde in London for religion in one yeere then in all the popes territories this twentie It is also maruell that hée saith not that lambes are more cruell then woolues For hée is ashamed of nothing This which hée héere writeth is a most shamelesse and impudent slander For hée cannot shew that for popish religion any at all hath béene executed to death Papists I confesse to the number of some fiftie or thréescore haue béene executed but they were such as either practised treasons at home or came from forreine enimies abroad to the entent to worke mischiefe against the state Who albeit they were woorthily put to death for their offences yet the pope that sent them and set them on is to answere for their blood Compare then the number of those that haue béene massacred in France and executed in Flaunders and that haue by the crueltie of Inquisitors béene done to death in diuers places of Christendome and you shall sée that the pope and papacie is that bloodie purple whoore whose vestures are redde with the blood of saints and whose cruelties haue farre surmounted all other tyrants Now least he should séeme to speake without booke he layeth on his aduersary with textes of scriptures and saith That euery soule should be subiect to higher powers and that there is no power but of God and how he that resisteth power resisteth Gods ordinance And of this he would inferre that those stand in bad tearmes That resist and reuile the pope But all this maketh much against the pope that hath shaken off his princes yoke and stirreth vp rebelles to resist lawfull princes promising them his blessing for their wicked and cursed treasons For the pope this allegation is most fond and sencelesse For it canne neuer be prooued that the popes tyrannicall gouernement both in church and common wealth is of God Let any learned papist for our aduersary is but a séely Noddy shew that the popes gouernement and fulnesse of power which he claimeth ouer all churches is of God Let him also prooue that God hath giuen him an earthly kingdome and authority to depose princes to translate kingdoms to raise warres and rebellions and to cut the throte of Christians
to beléeue that the popes excommunications are to bée executed and this is their common doctrine But suppose our aduersarie shoulde teach papists to contemne the popes authoritie which hée is not like to do yet would not his exhortation worke any effect For alwaies vpon the popes excommunication haue wars and rebellions ensued where the pope hath had any authoritie This was the beginning and motiue of the bloody warres of the popes against Henry the fourth and fift and the two Fridericks and against Otho Philip and Lewis of Bauier emperours of Germanie And no other cause can be assigned of the insurrections against king Henry the eight other excommunicate princes In vaine therfore doth this Noddy go about to reconcile the subiects obedience with the excoÌ„munications of the pope They neuer did nor euer coulde agrée hitherto Fire and water may percase bée reconciled but these two cannot Neither do I thinke that hée meaneth to reconcile them Onely hée desireth some respite vntill by our negligence either the papists may get a head or forreine enimies haue made their prouisions ready For how little affection hée beareth to the prince and state it appéereth throughout all his defence In this place hée goeth about to smooth and as farre as hée dare with the safetie of the cause in hand to defende the insurrection in the north of England anno 1569. the rebellions in Ireland the practises of Charles Paget and Francis Throgmorton and diuers other attempts against her Maiestie and the state Whereas the earles of Northumberland and Westmerland rose in armes in the north and spoiled all that quarter and purposed not onely the destruction of the prince but also the subuersion of the state and the bringing in of strangers as appéereth by the negotiation of Ridolpho as it is set downe in pope Pius the fift his life hée saith They onely gathered â—heir tenants togither and without battaile or bloudshed retired As if they had ment nothing but to méete at an ale-stake or May-game Doctor Sanders raised a rebellion in Ireland Francis Throgmorton not onely reuealed the secrets of the state to Bernardin Mendoça and practised with him how to draw in forreine enimies but also had his finger in other treasons Charles Paget began a practise about the coast of Sussex was the ouerthrow of Henry earle of Northumberland and afterward continued practising what mischéefe he could against his countrey The late earle of Northumberlandes actions were openly declared in the Starre-chamber to be dangerous The last earle of Arundell was taken as hée was passing ouer to the enimies And yet all these treasonable and dangerous practises are by him either lightly passed or else coloured Hée saith that Francis Throgmorton died for hauing a description of some portes in his chamber But his owne confession testifieth that hée was touched for far greater matters and I haue partly pointed at the same Hée saith The earle of Arundell was condemned onely for hearing of a masse and that he had cause to reioice that he was condemned for such a treason As if it were so spirituall and glorious a matter to heare a masse Assuredly in times past masses were no such glorious matters when they were solde to all commers for thrée-halfe-pence a péece and vnder As for the earle hée had great cause to commend the clemencie of this gouernment or else hée had well vnderstoode that hee had committed greater faultes then hearing of a masse all which I forbeare to relate for the respect I beare to his house The iustice that hath béene doone vpon papists that haue béene conuicted eyther of rebellion or secrete practises with forraine enemies or other kindes of treason and felony he calleth Pressures vexations dishonors rapines slaughters and afflictions Dishonoring her Maiestie and the state and calumniating the iudges And yet were more true catholickes and religious christians executed within one yéere in Queene Maries time then trayterous papists since her Maiestie came to the crowne a Histor Genuens lib. 23. Bizarus and other strangers do greatly commend her Maiesties clemency her very enemies could neuer appeach her of cruelty The papists most cruelly murder those that are of a diuers religion albeit they yéelde obedience to their prince and desire to liue quietly Her Maiestie executeth none to death for popish religion nay least she should séeme to touch any for religion she doth oftentimes spare offendors guiltie of dangerous practises and treasons Likewise in drawing the obstinate to the church there is great moderation vsed Many offend few are punished and that very gently The papistes haue the greatest part of the wealth of the land in their handes Diuers rayling companions are still publishing libels to the dishonor of her Maiestie and the whole gouernment neither can this Noddy represse his malitious affection but he must néedes allow their dooings And yet the papistes are spared although neuer the more for his wise pleading Finally he commendeth the papistes for their patience But I thinke he meaneth the patience rather of Lombardes then of christians For they neuer had yet patience but when they were vnable to resist In king Henry the eightes dayes they made diuers insurrections in England The trumpets of sedition were monkes and friers In king Edward the sixt his daies they stirred in Deuonshire and Cornewall and all for want of their masse and holywater and such like trinckets The chéefe moouers thereof were likewise priests in Quéene Elizabeths time they made head first in the north parts and afterward in Ireland by the seditious practises of priestes and Iesuites either most or a great part of that country is in combustion Neither haue they omitted any opportunity to mooue new rebellions in England In Fraunce they conspired together against their lawfull kings Henry the third and fourth and neuer gaue ouer vntill they were ouercome by famine sword and other calamities and this is the patience of papists nay they say that if the first christians had had power they would haue deposed Nero Dioclesian and other persecutors a Lib. 5. de pontif Rom. c. 7. Quod si Christiani olim saith Bellarm. non deposuerunt Neronem Dioclesianum Iulianum apostatam ac Valentem Arianum similes id fuit quia decrant vires temporales Christianis So when papistes are too weake to resist then they are content to obey but giue them head and then beware Compare now the dooings and procéedings of our side with our aduersaries I hope there shal be no such wickednes found in our hands Diligently doth this fellow search matter against vs but findeth none To iustifie his consorts he telleth vs of Goodman but we do not allow his priuate opinion Beside that he doth not like rebellion but misliketh womens gouernment which opinion since himselfe hath retracted Secondly he obiecteth against vs Wyats rebellion But that was not for religion but for matter of state not against Quéene Marie but against strangers whose tyrannie hée
woulde accuse her What likelyhood is there then if he sought witnesses against the lady and that most gréedily that he should conceale an euidence béeing happily found especially such a one as might reueale hidden mysteries Thus our aduersary groundeth his defence vpon vntruthes Besides that he rayseth his building vpon thinges very impertinent and which make little for Gardiners credite He saith He entreated for the life of the Lord Sturton the Lady Smith and the Duke of Northumberland As if Phalaris and Dionysius and the most bloudy and cruell tyrantes that euer yet liued did not spare some offenders to whome they bore affection euen wolues agrée with wolues and serpents do not sting one another If then Gardiner fauoured malefactors whoores and rebels and such like and without remission prosecuted true Christians it is apparent that he was extreamely cruell and that his cruelty was extended against the best men Sure if this discourser had béene wise he would not haue mentioned the Lord Sturton or the Lady Smith séeing no man béeing such as Gardiner was could with any honour speake for them the one hauing committed a most execrable murder vpon Harguil the other hauing killed her owne husband No doubt she was an honest woman that Winchester would speake for He saith that The Lady Elizabeth was then an obiect of loue and compashion rather then of enuy and hatred The which doth argue Gardiners extreame cruelty that had no remorse of conscience to shed so innocent a Ladies bloud forgetting all naturall pitty and compassion that was due to a woman of her yeeres and quality and in that case Where sir Francis saith That recusants cānot professe more loyaltie and loue to Queene Elizabeth and to the state then Gardiner did to king Henry and his sonne king Edward to the state then and yet in the daies of Queene Marie betraied the Queene and realme into the popes and Spaniards hands pulling off his vizor of loue and loyaltie and shewing himselfe in his naturall likenesse and qualities The wise N. D. taketh exceptions to his sayings and telleth him that either hée is ignorant of matters then passed or else willingly telleth vntruthes and so hée entreth into a long discourse concerning Gardiners fall as he calleth it and the matching of Quéene Mary with king Philip the comming in of the Spaniards excusing Gardiner for writing against the pope and flatly denying that hée consented to match the Quéene with the prince of Spaine but first this talke of Recusants is impertinent in this place and argueth nothing else but that this point charged vpon Recusants is a bone too hard for him to gnaw and a matter which had bin better concealed then mentioned in this place declaring plainly what we are to expect at their hands if time serue Secondly it is most false that either Gardiner did then fal or commit a fault when hée stoode for the princes supremacie against the pope or else that hée condemned his dooing therein during king Henries daies Nay when his Secretary Germaine Gardiner was executed he had like himselfe to haue passed the same way had he not confessed his fault to the king and desired pardon with promise of amendement Likewise in king Edwards daies being examined first Whether hee did not beleeue that the king was iustly and ought to bee the head of the church of England and of the synode or conuocation and secondly Whether hee had not authority to make ecclesiasticall lawes for church gouernment hée answered to both affirmatiuely Which sheweth that this Noddy was ignorant of matters of those times and not his aduersarie But if i◠writing against the pope he did euill sure in nothing did he well For this was the onely act for which he deserued commendation To write for the pope or to acknowledge the popes authoritie is nothing else but vnnaturally to subiect this countrey to a stranger and to acknowledge the vsurped power of a tyrant that is vndoubtedlie Antichrist In this place also the Noddy heapeth vp other lyes vpon the backe of the first adding lies to lies Hée saith That Gardiner was one of the chiefe of sixteene Counsellers that were appointed by king Henries testament and earnest charge of mouth at his last howre to gouerne his sonne and realme and that the king earnestly gaue charge that no alteration of religion shoulde be made during his sonnes minoritie But neither was hée one of the chiefe nor any gouernour at all For the king long before his death had dashed him out of his will as a turbulent fellow and not woorthy to haue such a charge committed vnto him Neither would he be induced at sir Anthony Brownes request to admit him againe to that place Secondly this Gardener was neither present when the king died nor many daies before being commanded out of his sight Thirdly it is most notorious that the king dealt most earnestly with Annibault the French kings ambassadour a little before his death to perswade his king to establish a reformation of religion in France And therefore this tale of forbidding alteration is a méere fiction Whatsoeuer the king commanded that certes was to Gardener vnknowne being forbidden the kings presence Fourthly how absurd is it to thinke that Gardiner durst plead the popes right to the king when for this onely suspition that he enclined to the pope hée had no doubt béene called in question had hée not submitted himselfe to the kings mercy That hée did so is a most shamelesse lie as also that hée denied the Kings supremacie in his sermon preached before king Edward which this Noddy affirmeth contrary to all truth And therefore doth farre better deserue the title of Steelebrow then his aduersary sure if he had not béene both stéelebrowed and béetilbrowed yea and béetilheaded hée woulde neuer haue béene so bolde in affirming so many vntruthes without grounde or witnesse nay contrarie to all record of storie and testification of witnesses Thirdly it is most true That Gardiner was a principall actor in matching Queene Mary with Philip of Spaine which our aduersarie denieth and most false that the Counsell was deuided about this matter some fauoring the earle of Deuonshire others the prince of Spaine which he affirmeth That is prooued for that hée wrote and receiued letters from Charles the emperour to this purpose and also in that he was a chiefe dealer about the articles agréed vpon at the time of the mariage and last of all for that the prince of Spaine came first to Winchester and was maried by the bishop as a man specially fauoring that match The second point is prooued first by the testimonie of a Lib. 2. de schism Sanders that saith that all the counsel liked this match in regard of bringing back the church of England to the church of Rome And secondly for that the Quéene made choice of the earle of Deuonshire herselfe and such was her affection that shée had maried him but that all her Counsell resisted it
Pannes confession But what reason had hée to confesse it if the matter were not true These fellowes haue reason to denie it for their owne credite Hée denieth also That the Iesuites had any seruant called Melchior du Val. But that is not materiall séeing there are fewe Iesuites but they haue two or thrée names and it may bée that this Melchior also going about so wicked a purpose changed his name Further hée saith That there was neuer any speech had with Peter Pannes wife in Ipres about this matter and denieth that euer shee had any acquaintance with any Iesuite But hée must bée very well acquainted with her that knew both what shée did and what shée saide and what not This Noddy if hée had béene wise woulde haue alleaged some reason of his saying His companion a Sica tragica Costerus for proofe alleageth her examination But how shoulde wée beleeue that euer shee was duely examined or that shée saide as is alleaged Againe if béeing induced by Iesuites shée shoulde speake any such thing yet who woulde not rather beléeue her husband vttring matter against himselfe then such a light huswife speaking vntruth without danger or controlement and percase béeing hired Lastly whereas Peter Panne cōfessed That in the rogation weeke next before he talked with the prouinciall others of the colledge of Iesuites at Doway and told that they promised him reward in earth blisse in heauen for executing that act this discourser telleth vs That the Prouinciall that weeke was 60. miles from Doway and that there passed no such conference with Peter Panne And this hée saith Is prooued by witnesses and certified by cacolike magistrates But hée shoulde haue vnderstood that witnesses examined in the absence of parties and percase neither sworne nor duely examined prooue nothing Beside that wée haue good cause to except against such iudges and such witnesses as our professed enimies do choose and produce But suppose all their relation were true yet such certificates prooue nothing but that Peter Panne either mistooke the names or qualities of some persons named in his examinations and it may be that the Iesuites made him beléeue he was brought to the prouinciall and chéefe of the colledge when hée was onely before some other base companion of that societie That hée shoulde charge the Iesuites wrongfully being to die presently it cannot bée presumed Neither is it strange for Iesuites to worke cunningly and vnderhand in these cases that whē they come to light may prooue so odious This Noddie therefore was not wise to say What hath beene found against the Iesuites or to wish that it may bee laide open to the worlde which wordes a Apologet. c. 8. Tertullian vsed in the defence of Christians in his time For wée haue founde matter sufficient against them and little hath hée alleaged in their defence which wée haue not auoided Moreouer wée doe not read that Christians in Tertullians time taught this omnipotent power of the pope which the Iesuites defende nor beléeued that all that woulde not submit themselues to his iurisdiction shoulde bée slaine Among them certes there were no assassinors and murderers of kings nor practisers against princes states nor such proude and cruell sectaries as are the Iesuites And albeit Iesuites eate no children which crime was imputed to ancient Christians yet they haue occasioned the death of millions of men women and children that in the stirres and tumults raised by them haue perished and daily more and more matter we finde against them Further hée woulde haue such As haue abandoned the societie of Iesuites to be examined what they haue heard and seene during the time when they abode among them Which to gratifie him wée haue done and in one b Histor Iesuit Hazenmyller and Paule Floren c Colloq Iesuit and Simon Lith we find that they are the corrupters of religion the firebrands of sedition perturbers of Christian common-wealthes and the ruine of Christendome In outward semblant they are shéepe but inwardly they are goates or rather woolues They professe pouertie and chastitie but abound in wealth and liue licenciously and wantonly They take to themselues the name of Iesuites but are the onely vpholders of antichrists kingdome And if they will not beléeue them which haue left them and their societie let them listen a little what some of their owne friends report of them One Iohn Cecil a popish priest in his Discouerie of errors committed by William Criton Iesuite a Fol. 14. saith That his practises made many widowes and orphans in Scotland b Fol. 16. and that hee was taken with plats for the inuasion of England Hée chargeth him with c Fol. 10. Machiuilian practises d Fol. 4. making satirs and pasquinadoes e Fol. 27. and irreligious and vnconscionable calumnies And finally hée calleth the Iesuites f Fol. 18. turbulent spirits and saith they hinder the popes cause with their Libels schismes sedition and plots of inuasion Another priest In his discouerie of Dolmans conference g P. 6. chargeth Parsons directly with A practise and confederacie against the bloud royall and saith h P. 12. That his drift is to disinherite true heires to alter the common lawes and to bring in strangers into England i P. 19. yea to bring in mischiefes on mischiefes and k P. 33. ciuill warre Finally he l P. 70. chargeth him with monstrous absurdities and blasphemies against kings and m P. 43. saith That he calleth her Maiesties title in question and that the Iesuites haue made diuers practises against her Thus while traitors fall out true men come to vnderstande the truth This discourser telleth vs That the chastitie of Iesuites must imitate the puritie of angels But vnlesse by angels hée vnderstand wicked angels and diuels the Iesuites will come farre short of their example which they propose to themselues to imitate The angels of God certes neither burne in lust nor abandon themselues to the delites of the worlde He saith further That they shoulde abhorre all those things which the world doth loue and esteeme But that is nothing else but a sentence of condemnation against the whole societie of Iesuites that so much loueth the worlde and delighteth in honors pleasures large pallaces goodly gardens pleasant fountaines good furniture of housholde aboundance of daintie viandes rich clothes and such like worldly vanities After this hée runneth into a large discourse of the martyrdomes and voluntarie suffringes of the Iesuites in the Indies purposing percase if any entend to trace him in his lying to make him trauell a great iorney But suppose they shoulde suffer death tortures yet that is a matter common to them and to rebels traitors malefactors yea to such as fall into the hand of barbarous people that respect not whom they massacre Ghineard in France and Campian and other Iesuites in England haue suffred but a See the conclusion of the 4. encounters
and all that professe the same And Secondly by their affection toward forreine enimies and cold deuotion to her Maiestie and the present gouernment Their hatred against religion is so extreme that they will not suffer any to liue that professe the same Their affection to the pope is excéeding when for his sake they forget their loue to their countrie and duty to their prince as appéereth euidently by many examples and as they hate true religion the present gouernment so they séeke the establishment of idolatrie and other points of poperie and the whole alteration of the present state Of which the first cannot bée done without the subuersion of the church nor the later without the desolation of this countrey Two points so materiall that no true Christian can endure the first nor true Englishman the latter Our aduersarie supposeth that the masse and the popes gouernment may well stande with her Maiesties securitie But popish religion hath many tricks beside the masse and the popes gouernment if it were receiued as the Iesuites teach it admitteth no other soueraigntie either in ecclesiasticall or politicall affaires beside the popes Neither masse nor pope can come into England either with the safetie of her Maiestie or the state And this wée do not speake by guesses at the wishes of papists as our aduersarie supposeth but by experience of former practises and reasons deduced out of the grounds of Romish religion and the practise of Romish procéedings Of which wée haue spoken héeretofore and shall also haue occasion to speake more at large héereafter The thirde point to be considered is Whether the Recusants do not dissemble deepely and in hart stand euill affected to her Maiestie their countrey and all that professe the Gospell In handling whereof our aduersarie passeth a little the limits of patience and giueth sir Francis euill language and P. 80. chargeth him That he hath no care nor conscience in accusing so many cacolike men of England and that of such heinous crimes But high treasons are not answered with high wordes Neither can heinous crimes bée dashed out with flat and bold denials We find by experience that all the troubles that since the beginning of her Maiesties reigne vnto this time haue happened to this state haue procéeded wholie from the malice of papists The rebellion in the north parts of this realme was raised by Nicholas Morton and other priests when as yet there was almost neither act nor lawe made against papists When they coulde not preuaile in England they raised great broiles in Ireland Beside domesticall rebellions they haue stirred vp forreine enimies and warres against this state Philip of Spaine at the instance of English traitors determined both by sea and land to make warre vpon vs. By procurement and practise of this faction the Duke of Alua the Duke of Guise and Don Iuan d'Austria became our enimies Likewise if wée looke into secret practises either against her Maiesties life or against the state wée shall finde that all the plots were contriued and determined to bée executed by papists William Parry Somerfield Arden Babington Ballard Patrick Ocollen and all those murderers and empoisoners that of late time haue practised against her Maiestie were papists and set on by papists Onely Lopez as is said was a Iew. So papists and Iewes conspire iointly against this state Of their hatred against religion and the true professors thereof there is no question to be made Darkenesse cannot stand with light nor canne the sonnes of Beliall abide Christs true disciples No papist will endure to be excommunicate by the pope but if hée shoulde not persecute Christians vpon his commandement he shoulde bée excommunicate and accursed Nay albeit they woulde be content to liue in peace yet will not the Iesuites and seditious priestes suffer them to rest These raised the league or rather the rebellion against the French king and warres against the professors of true religion These are the agents of antichrist to mooue princes to warre against the lambe and those that follow him Neither is it to bée presupposed that they can continue in their allegiance to her Maiestie when they acknowledge the popes authoritie Praecipimus saith a In bulla Pij 5. aduers Elizabeth Pius Quintus interdicimus vniuersis singulis proceribus subditis populis alijs ne illi eiusue monitis mandatis legibus audeant obedire How then dare they obey her Maiestie when hée commandeth them not to obey The traytor b In his letters to the nobilitie and people of England and Ireland Allen hée doth not onely exhort her subiects to forsake her but to take armes against her If you should either sit stil saith he or refuse to help the Spaniard c. or any of you seeke to vphold which God forbid the vsurper or her complices being thus cursed you shall first encurre the angels curse c. and bee as deepely excommunicated as shee is Séeing then that papists of our times bée like to their predecessors and séeing they cannot choose but obey the popes command what is to bée looked for at their handes but sedition rebellion and cruell execution of the popes commands They may now temporize So do also all rebels vntill their matters grow ripe They may likewise professe and protest déepely For so did Parry Lopez and the earles of Westmerland and Northumberland But why shoulde any thinke our papists to be of other nature then the papists of France and other countries that neuer cared for promise nor oath so they might attaine their purpose Shall not wée while wee haue meanes prouide for our safety and the safetie of the state Our aduersarie a P. 78. 80. talketh much of the Conscience of papists and setteth them foorth as Examples of good life and modest behauiour and diuers other vertues and no maruell seeing apes séeme faire to apes and serpents to serpents and affection maketh foule thinges séeme faire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Eclog. 6. Theocritus But hée that nourisheth vp woolues must looke well to his shéepe Wee are well acquainted with their conscience and knowe they make no conscience to obey the popes commands though neuer so cruell Their behauior is such that wée finde no men more backewarde in publike seruice Wherefore as one saide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So wée may say the Spaniards are dangerous enimies the pope and his agents more the Recusant and domesticall malcontent is most dangerous Neither are they hard harted men and without piety and conscience that so thinke of them but these rather that oppugne true pietie and religion maintaine idolatrie and superstition and preferre strangers before their owne countreymen hazarding the destruction of their owne nation and countrey that is like to ensue if the popes purposes which they do fauour and vnder paine of his curse must fauour take effect And that they are not so honest men as is pretended appéereth
obey the magistrate commanding them to go to church And so gladly woulde hée finde a knot in a rush and as if hée had founde out great matters hée despiseth his aduersarie and calleth him Seely man and simple soule and bible-clerke knight and guilt-spurre doctor rayling at his pleasure and according to his fashion yea and without iust cause For first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is better translated Humane ordinance then Humane creature For properly men neither create nor are created by men Moreouer if wee shoulde translate humane creature then shoulde this subiection be not to magistrates ordeined by man but generally to all men And therefore the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying both creature and ordinance or election wée are to choose the fittest signification Secondly it is no part of sir Francis his meaning to teach an absolute obedience to bée due to temporall princes Nay hée thinketh it neither due to temporall nor ecclesiastical magistrates saue onely in things lawfull But this the papists denie to princes in ecclesiasticall externall gouernment simplie and in temporall causes too if the pope do excommunicate them or depose them Thirdly sir Francis did not alleage this place to prooue that papists were to go to church vpon the princes commandement but rather to shewe that they ought not to rebell against princes vpon the popes warrant as they do very often And thus all this matter about which the Noddy maketh so great exclamations is easily cléered and all his calumniations and cauillations at his aduersaries person and writings answered It resteth therefore nowe that we consider a little of his braue speake made in the latter end of this chapter to the Recusants Perhaps he is better able to teach them what they are to do héereafter then to defend that is done already First hée telleth vs That hee can say no more to cacolike Recusants then that which followeth Which sheweth that hée hath little to say in their defence and lesse for their instruction Then hée pronounceth in his graue voice That the course which they haue taken is most honorable and pious before God and man and that forsooth in three points first in shewing their dutie towards God by standing constantly and suffering for their conscience Secondly in offring all loyal obedience in temporall causes to their liege prince and lastly in edifying their neighbors by their good life and behauiour But what if they haue neither shewed their dutie to God nor suffered for their conscience nor offered loyall obedience to their prince nor haue so taken her nor haue either by their beléefe or life edified their neighbors May we not then conclude that their course is neither pious nor honorable and that albeit they escape the censures of men yet assuredly they shall answere before God Nay what if for religion they maintaine superstition for loyaltie nourish in their bosomes trecherie and disloialtie and ruinate their neighbours by their euill example doth it not hence follow that their course is impious and disloiall and odious both in the sight of God and of man and that not in thrée points but in many points resulting partly of their impieties and errors in religion and partly of their malcontent humours in ciuill actions It is most apparent For this Warder their good friend hath laide those grounds whereof this conclusion ariseth First then I say that no papist since her Maiesties raigne hath suffred death or losse of landes or liberty méerely for his conscience vnlesse he make it conscience not to commit treason Let the recordes be sought and their causes be examined and this will easily appeare And albeit some haue béene imprisoned yet was the same not directly for not comming to church but for refusing to pay the mulct Secondly compare their penalties and sufferinges with the sufferings of true Christians whome they imprison spoile torture and murder and that onely for matters of faith and then they will appeare nothing in comparison But were they much greater then they are yet it is the cause and not the suffering that maketh their patience commendable Haue they a See the conclusion of the 4. encountres following thâ—â— treatise suffered for their impieties idolatries treasons and felonies and for adhering to Antichrist Then is their shame great and their reward nothing Thirdly I deny that they haue shewed their duty towards God Nay in refusing to heare his word and to receiue the sacraments ordeined and instituted by Christ Iesus and administred according to his holy institution and embracing a fond and false religion standing partly on traditions and popish decretalles and partly vpon leud customes and lying legendes and partly vpon wicked heresies and false positions they haue declared themselues impious towardes God and aliens from Christ his church And that they shall well perceiue by a speciall encounter concerning that point Fourthly it is méere impudence to affirme that the recusantes haue offered to her Maiestie all loyall obedience in temporall causes or that they haue acknowledged her to be their liege prince For who knoweth not that the rebellions both in the north parts of England and also in Ireland were raysed by recusants and papists The same men haue diuers times attempted the destruction of her Maiestie and the alteration of gouernment as appeareth by the practises of Parry Somerfield Throgmorton Ch. Paget and others These are the men that Cardinall Allen hoped would ioyne with the Spanyard and helpe to depose her Maiestie And although now they stir not yet it appeareth that their a Those be the words of Campians facultie obedience must onely continue Rebus sic stantibus And call you this yéelding of loyall obedience Beside that the b Bulla Pij Quinti pope curseth all that will obey her or repute her as lawfull Quéene Whether is it then more likely that they will obey the popes sentences whom they take to be their soueraigne iudge in these cases or her Maiesties commaund which they respect not But suppose they would yéelde loyall obedience in temporall causes yet that is not sufficient to make the recusantes seeme loyall subiectes For the princes authority in commaunding for true faith and abolishing errors and abuses for establishing externall orders remoouing disorders both in the time of the law and in the auncient Christian church hath alwayes béene estéemed great Lastly I would aduise these cacolike malecontentes or recusantes or what you will haue them called not to bragge too much of their good works least they giue others iust occasion to make their vncharitable dealing and dishonest liuing knowne Now I will onely say this that he that fauoureth forraine enemies and entertaineth eyther practise or intelligence with them or receiueth markes of faction from them whatsoeuer his pretenses are cannot séeme much to edifie his neighbors Surely he leaueth for himselfe no place in the state that loueth not the state Let them therefore if they will néedes boast of their workes giue
and murder Christes lambes Our aduersary he passeth this ouer without touch and onely telleth vs That the popes power hath beene acknowledged in all Christendome for many yeeres and ages But he lyeth and forgeth in this also For the easterne churches neuer acknowledged this power nor could the pope euer sell his commodities in those countries for any mony The churches of Africke likewise resisted the popes vsurpations and forbad their people to runne to Rome eyther for fauour or iustice The Frenchmen neuer would receiue the sixt booke of decretalles His prouisions the kinges of England would neuer admitte his pilling legates were odious generally to all Christendome Finally albeit his tyranny preuailed much in latter times yet haue a Petr. de Alliac de refor eccl Conciâ— Basil grauam Gâ—â—man honest men declared the discontentement which they haue receiued by his burdensome lawes iniurious excommunications and most shameful exactions and pillages He telleth vs moreouer How Christ said to his Apostles Luk. 10. He that heareth you heareth me and he that contemneth you contemneth me But first he is mistaken in the persons to whome these wordes were spoken For these wordes were deliuered to the seuentie disciples and not to the twelue Beside were these wordes to be vnderstood of the apostles and their successors yet they concerne the pope nothing For he is no apostle béeing neither called immediately of God nor sent into al the world nor ledde into all truth nor being able to make his decretals of authenticall credite Hée is not the apostles successor for hée féedeth not nor preacheth nor doth anie part of apostolicall function Nay hee doth contrary to the apostles fashion murder Gods saints trouble Christian people and resist Christes doctrine The apostles taught such things as Christ gaue theÌ„ in instructions The popes publish nothing but fond decretals and strange doctrine not onely diuers but also in manie points contrarie to Christes Gospell and holy Scriptures But saith N. D. The bishops of Rome be successors in the apostle Saint Peters seat Which I do not altogether deny if he meane the first bishops of Rome which were indéede true bishops and succéeded Peter and other apostles teaching apostolicall doctrine So all other true and godly bishops also were successors of Peter albeit they claymed not this vniuersality and fulnesse of power which the pope pretendeth to belong to him But whatsoeuer the first bishops of Rome were yet this concerneth the pope nothing for he is no bishop nor teacher nor successor in Peters chaire but rather Simon Magus his successor buing and selling not onely sacraments and benefices but also mens soules He succéedeth also the Angelicks in worshipping angels the Carpocratians in dissolutenesse and worshipping images the Collyridians in worshipping the virgin Mary the Manichées in his halfe communions and forbidding of mariage to priests the Pelagians in extolling the force of nature and merit of works and infinite other heretickes in seuerall points of leud doctrine He succéedeth also Nero in the Empire of Rome rather then Peter that was subiect to Neroes gouernement He alleadgeth also the example of the scribes and pharisées and saith That Christ commaunded his disciples to obserue and do whatsoeuer the scribes and pharisees that sate in Moses chayre said to them And to speake truth he hath more reason to compare the pope to scribes and pharisers corrupters of the law then to the successors of Christes Apostles But yet will not this serue his purpose for our Sauiors meaning was to shew that such as sate in Moses seat and taught his law were to be heard albeit otherwise bad men But the popes do not sit in Peters seat nor in Moses chaire nor teach apostolicall or true doctrine Hée telleth vs further That railers shall not inherite Christes kingdome especially such as raile against Magistrates All which wee admitte For it is a sentence condemnatorie against the pope of Rome and his faction that of late time haue taken to themselues infinite libertie in all their writings to raile against christiaÌ„ princes and others not sparing any that is contrarie to their procéedings For witnesse proofe héereof I referre my selfe to the railing buls of Paule the third against Henrie the 8. of Pius quintus and Sixtus 5. against Elizabeth his daughter of Sixtus 5. and Gregorie the 14. against Henrie the third and fourth of France and of Sixtus 5. against the prince of Condey To Sanders Ribadineiraes Rishtons Anniball Scotus the author of the commentarie of the popes late constitutions and other most slanderous and railing libels against Quéene Elizabeth The wise fellow doth also condemne his owne scurrilous railing against sir Francis Hastings Against vs it maketh nothing that onely in plaine termes declare our aduersaries leud dealings sparing all euill termes as much as we can Neither doth this concerne the pope that is neither Magistrate nor good Christian For that which this Noddy writeth How the pope is a spirituall Magistrate and hath a higher degree of authoritie then temporall magistrates and that he doth represent immediately the person of Christ Iesus is nothing but a péece of his frierlike folly and ignorance in spirituall and temporall matters For if such high authoritie had béene giuen him no doubt but wée shoulde long ere this haue séene authenticall writings of this donation and haue heard of the particulars Now wée must take these words as procéeding from a writer of antichristes marke that for Christ woulde commend vnto vs antichrist He telleth vs That all ancient diuines and doctors for aboue a thousand yeeres togither haue taught that it is blasphemie to raile at the bishop of Rome appointed by Christ to gouerne in his place and damnation not to acknowledge his authoritie And yet he is not able to shew either one sound diuine or doctor that hath so taught Nay he is not able to name many canonistes no nor schoolemen that haue so written or spoken Thomas Aquinas a 2.2 q. 13. teacheth him That blasphemie is against God Syluester Prierius b Summa in verb. blasphemia saith Blasphemy is a sinne against God properly which he prooueth by the authoritie of Saint Ambrose and improperly against saints But the pope is neither God nor saint Nay if it bée blasphemy to attribute to man that which is proper to God as the foresaide schoolemen teach then do the papists blaspheme that giue to the pope Christs power to remit sins sticke not to call him a god on earth All ancient fathers of the church had the bishop of Rome in no other estéeme then they had other godlie bishops neither did euer any one suppose that it was damnation not to acknowledge his authoritie Nay his vniuersall authoritie ouer all the church and infinite power in deposing princes not Caluin and Luther but all ancient writers doe gainsay and denie So that vnlesse the Reader haue great patience in this place hée will hardly endure to read so shamelesse and
Peter descended to the pope of Rome Fourthly the aduersaries themselues cannot prooue this succession by any such infallible and certaine deduction as is pretended Wherefore vnlesse this Noddy can shew first that the pope hath succéeded Peter in the generall charge of apostolicall gouernment and teaching throughout the worlde and secondly that the pope is a true bishop pastor and successor of Peter and thirdly that neither the bishops of Antioch nor Caesarea nor Ioppe nor Lydda where Peter taught nor any saue the bishops of Rome succéeded in Peters seate and fourthly that the popes authoritie in giuing lawes in censures exactions dispensations iudgements was generally allowed and neuer contradicted and finally that he still holdeth the apostolike doctrine and faith intirely and admitteth no heresies nor false opinions in religion vnlesse I say he prooue all this he is at the end of his reckoning for the popes authoritie and sheweth himselfe to bée but a vaine babler and a foolish challenger that euen in the midst of danger conueieth himselfe out of the steccato And I do much woonder that all true Christians do not suspect this manner of procéeding and detest the pride and vanitie of this discourser that leaueth his miserable disciples more perplexed then before For he teacheth that vpon paine of damnation they must subiect themselues to the popes authoritie and yet when it commeth to the iumpe he is neither able to iustifie the popes authoritie in making and dissoluing lawes nor in ordering bishops throughout the worlde nor in iudging of controuersies nor authorizing the scriptures nor in dispensing in cases reserued nor in deposing princes nor in raising warres and handling both the swords and such like matters Nay he is not able to prooue that he is Peters true successour or a lawfull bishop He teacheth subiects to rebell and setteth princes to murder Christians and blinde papists blindely obey and yet no warrant can the popes proctor bring to iustifie the popes strange desseines and dooings Onely he endeuoureth in the last end of his pleading for the pope to shew That this land ought especially to respect the sea of Rome for beeing twise conuerted from paganisme to Christian religion and that first by Eleutherius then by Gregory the first which were both bishops of Rome And here he triumpeth and thinking that he hath satisfied his reader with an exquisite and delicate dish at the ending of his papall banquet he taketh away the table and biddeth all his guests Proface and à dieu But if his readers be not more wary while they thinke to be fed with holesome meat they are like to be gulled which googeons This gull certes in this his catastrophe séemeth to haue no other purpose For first it is a méere fable to say that this land was conuerted from paganisme either by the one or by the other of these two For Christianity was in England long before Eleutherius time and stories say he did onely and that by his deputies christen king Lucius And when Augustine the monke came to the Saxons the Britons long before that were Christians Secondly neither did Eleutherius nor Gregory preach the faith here nor giue much aide to the conuersion of the people of this land Onely Eleutherius sent Eluanus and Meduinus two Britons otherwise called Fugatius and Damianus to king Lucius and Gregory sent Austin the monke hither But the Saxons were conuerted by certaine Britons and French that could speake the Saxon language and not by Austin that could do nothing but hould the crosse like a crosier-clerke whiles others preached Thirdly albeit this land had béene conuerted by Eleutherius and Gregory yet this is but a personall fauour rather making vs beholding to those two then to those that succéeded them To prooue that we owe any obedience to the sea of Rome for that cause this argument is all too weake For the church of Rome was first conuerted by those that came from Ierusalem yet doth not Rome yéelde any obedience to the bishops of Ierusalem Nay they haue forgotten Saint Paul whome we are assured preached at Rome and do all depend of Peter Likewise the Phrysons and Germanes were conuerted by Saxons out of England yet do they not subiect themselues to the church of England Fourthly the late popes of Rome haue béene alwayes beholding to the kings and people of this country One king gaue the tribute of peter pence others gaue them great priuiledges and authority by which meanes they drew out infinite treasure out of England Bonner a In praefat in lib. de ver obed saith that the reuenues of the pope out of England were equall to the kings reuenues In requitall whereof the popes haue b Matth. Paris sent to our princes either glasses or feathers or rotten bones or paper lead and such like toies Adrian the fourth gaue to our princes a title to Ireland which he had no power to giue Innocent the fourth to king Henry the thirdes sonne gaue a bare title to the kingdome of Naples which cost infinite treasure in the end prooued a méere mockerie Other popes haue shewed theÌ„selues alwaies opposite to the English nation to the kings of this realme No sooner had the pope intelligence that William of Normandie was purposed to come with a puissant armie to conquer this lande which coulde not be done without great waste wracke and slaughter but hée c Matth. Paris caused his standard and ensignes to bée halowed and blessed So much did it please him to heare of an inuasion of our countrey and so holy a thing did warre and waste of this kingdome séeme vnto him Another pope did vpholde Thomas Becket and his rebellious consorts against king Henry the second fauored his professed enimies and in the end forced him to a most shamefull penance d Matth. Paris in Ioanne Innocent the thirde thundred out his excommunications against king Iohn and stirred vp forreine enimies against him Neither did he euer cease to pursue him vntill such time as he had made both the king himselfe and as much as in him lay all his people tributarie to forreiners At which when the Nobilitie and people of England repined the furious pope in great choler e Ibidem sent out his interdictions excommunications and curses against them and neuer ceased to pursue them as long as he had meanes to hurt them In the warres which the kings of England made in France for the obteining of their right in that kingdome the popes crossed them by all meanes possible and declared themselues vtter enimies to our nation being glad of any calamitie that hapned to vs and sorrowfull for our good successe But neuer did anie declare more malice against any of our kinges then Paule the third against king Henry the eight the Quéenes most noble father as appéereth by his most execrable a D. Sanders de schâ—sm lib. 1. bull which he published against him For therein hée doth not onely curse
the king and stirreth vp both his subiects and forreine enimies against him but also curseth and banneth all his friends subiectes and partakers Their goods hée giueth away for a spoile their persons hée will haue solde for slaues and the waste of the whole lande hée woulde haue remaine as a monument of his holinesses great displeasure Neither did it content him to prosecute the liuing onely vnlesse the dead also were throwne out into the fieldes as vnwoorthy of christian buriall Such is the charitie of his holinesse towards christians and his louing affection toward the English nation Neither was Paule the thirdes fact singular For in our times Pius quintus and Sixtus quintus haue published no lesse odious and scandalous excommunications against her most gracious Maiestie most bitterly cursing her and all her louing subiects then their predecessor did against Henry the eight and his people Further they haue not onely gone about to trouble this state by rebellions but also to subuert it by forreine b The plots were taken vpon Criton a Iesuite Throgmorton and others inuasions Haue wee not then great cause to honor and loue the popes holinesse that hath shewed himselfe so friendly to our princes and nation Wée may do well also to entertaine such priestes and friers as come from him séeing they wish vs no more harme then the destruction of the prince the ouerthrow of religion and the state the slaughter of our people Neither haue they any thing in their vowes but that all our throtes were cut by the Spaniard Nay when neither by open hostilitie nor secret treasons and practise they could preuaile against vs they haue encouraged certaine railing and scurrilous companions by infamous libels to defame her Maiestie to raile on her chéefe Counsellors and to dishonor all our nation and those especially that haue shewed themselues most forward in dooing God and their countrey seruice This prating companion sheweth himselfe verie spitefull albeit hée woulde dissemble it Sanders Rishton Allen Ribadineira and others haue published cart-lodes of slanders and lies against the Prince the Nobilitie and diuers other honest men Finally beside these wrongs and disgraces which concerne matters temporall the popes of Rome haue gone about to wrong vs in matters spirituall which concerne the saluation of our soules For they haue not onely sought to depriue vs of the worde of God in our mothers language of true faith and doctrine of the sincere administration of the Sacraments and of a true ministerie according to Christ his institution but also in lieu thereof to establish the idolatrous worship to stocke and stones of angels of saints departed and to bring into the church the abomination of the masse togither with manifold superstitions impieties and heresies And for this cause they haue secretly sent into this lande diuers a It is thought that aboue 400. of them are dispersed in diuers corners in England troopes of massing priestes and friers all marked with antichristes brand to seduce simple people and to draw them to superstition idolatrie and heresie Wherefore let all true christians and true harted Englishmen open their eies and beware that they be not oppressed both with spirituall and temporall bondage and slauerie This is it which the popes of Rome entend and haue by so many practises laboured this is also the drift of this glauering parasites discourse This the merchants of Babylon and slaues of antichrist which secretly lurke in diuers corners of this lande watching their oportunitie do wholie purpose But remember that you haue faire warning CHAP. VIII Of the Spanish nation and king Philip the second and his practises against England wherein also the eight encountre of our aduersarie N. D. is examined LOth I am and very vnwilling where the different betwixt vs and the Spaniard hath béene so long in deciding by blowes to begin any long contention about words termes It is a cōmon saying words are light as winde and men of action in wordes commonly vse least ostentation Beside that I holde it no good course to set out inuectiues against princes and especially such as are now departed this life and haue receiued their guerdon whether they haue done good or euill The popes and their parasites take to themselues libertie in infinite slanderous pamphlets to disgrace all men opposite to their faction neither sparing prince nor priuate person liuing nor dead but all honest men detest this frierlike fashion I thinke it also a vaine thing to recount matters formerly past that concerne vs little or nothing But yet seeing this pratling and busie felow our aduersarie will néedes haue the Spanyards and their late king the subiect of this encounter and like a fugitiue traytor sticketh not to aduance them aboue his owne nation and to pleade their cause against his owne prince and country I am content thus farre to reason of them as that men may learne how farre to trust them and vnderstand that we haue no reason either to feare their force or to yéelde them any superiority or to thinke better of the Spanyard then of our owne nation Lastly least any might suppose our aduersary to haue spoken wisely and learnedly I will briefely runne ouer his discourse and note the leudnesse and vnsufficiency of his pleading His vnnaturall and vnkind dealing against his prince and nation before which he taketh on him to preferre the Spaniard I néede not to note for it is too too apparent and sufficientlie knowne to any that will take paines to read ouer his idle discourse The time hath béene when the English and Spaniardes did well agrée as appeared not onely by mutuall trade and conuersation of both nations one with another but also by diuers publike contractes and leagues made betwixt them Sometime the kinges of England matched with the house of Spaine and sometime the Spanish kings haue had their wiues out of England and both of them estéemed much of the amity eache of other albeit the Spaniard hath béene more happy to receiue more profit of this coniunction with England then our nation by our matches and linking with the house of Spaine For by the aide of our archery the Spaniardes diuers times haue obteined victory against the Mores and Don Pedro king of Castile béeing expulsed by his subiects by the blacke prince and the English forces was restored to his kingdome Neither could Ferdinand king of Spaine so easily haue possessed the kingdome of Nauarre had not the forces of English sent for his aide by king Henry the seuenth distracted the French so that they could not come in time to succor their friends distressed Contrarywise king Edward the first matching with the house of Castile receiued smal aduancement as is declared in the chronicle of a In Henric. 3. Matthew of Paris and king Henry the seuenth matching with Catherine of Spaine presently lost his sonne and heire The same woman also béeing maried afterward to king Henry the eight was like to
haue caused great trouble both to the king and this realme vpon the dissolution of that vnlawfull contract if the kings vigilancie and magnanimitie had not surmounted the same Great friendship likewise hath béene betwéene our kings and the dukes of Burgundy of whome the late kings of Spaine are lineally descended betwixt the English nation the people of the low countries depending on the house of Burgundie The nations by mutuall trade reaped great profit each of other The princes by the aide and countenance each of other were much strengthened against their common enemies Charles the fift in his time much estéemed for his wisedome did make so great accompt of our nation that he chose Mary Quéene of England as a fit match for his sonne Philip to whome he left all his dominions and dying gaue his sonne this speciall charge that he should neuer breake with England nor loose the fauour of our nation He did wisely consider our strength by sea and what aide we were able to afford him béeing friend and what hurt we might do vnto him if we conioyned our forces with his enimies Much it were to be wished that the frendship of the Spaniard had béene as profitable to the English nation as the friendship of the English was to the Spanyard But then we should not haue lost Guines and Caleis by this coniunction nor béene spoiled of the remainder of the ancient conquest of our ancestors in France by his meanes neither then should the English for his pleasure haue béene intricated with the warres with France Howsoeuer the same ought to haue béene profitable vnto vs yet for our goodwill a man would neuer haue thought that we should haue reaped displeasure and wrong Yet we sée what is come to passe This league of friendship is broken and all ancient good offices doone by our nation to the Spaniard quite forgotten King Philip when her Maiestie came first to the crowne forgot not onely the bond of allyance with her sister but also his fathers charge In the treaty of peace betwéene France and Spaine he a Guicciardin de paesi bassi forsooke his sister and left her to shift for her selfe and that also in a war which himselfe had begun Not long after at the solicitation of pope Pius the fift he became our professed enimie and sought the destruction of her Maiestie b Girol Catenae in vita Pij Quinti one saith that to secure his dominions in the low countries he determined to aide the rebelles in the north and to ouerthrow the Quéene c This record of Pius his negotiation with king Philip doth ouerthrow all Philopaters calumniation Non potendo assicurare i suoi stati di Fiandra con miglior mezzo che con l'abbatimento de quella reina Both Pius the fift and he conioyned their forces and counsels together to do vs hurt determining vnder the conduct of Chiapin Vitelli to send ouer aid to the rebells in England Hauendo commandato saith d Ibidem Catena Il re catholico che dalla parte di Fiandra si mandasse in Inghilterra vna quantita di gente armata sotto la scorta di Chiapin Vitelli Pio quinto rimessa grossa prouisione di denari c. When the Duke of Alua made some stay of the execution of the kinges commaundement the king againe sent him expresse word that notwithstanding any difficulties or considerations whatsoeuer he should e Ibidem aide the rebelles of England which he termed His friends Nuouamente il rè gli comandò che non ostante qual si volesse difficultà ò consideratione seguisse l'impresa d'aiutar gli amici d'Inghilterra gli mandò appresso la persona di Ridolphi denari per l'esse quutione Yea and with such affection did he prosequute this matter that when he saw his purpose tooke no effect he wept for sorrow E'lre Catholico saith f Ibidem Catena ne pianse alla presenza del Cardinal Alessandrino By this therefore it appeareth that all loue of that king to her Maiestie which this philippicall parasite so much pretendeth was altogether extinguished and al bondes of alliance and friendship vtterly broken and that by king Philips g Andreas Philopater his slanderous report to the contrarie is refuted by Pius Quintus his letters default first When secret practises of rebelles preuailed not the king prouided a nauy which his flatterers called inuincible and a great force and army of land souldiors determining with fire and sword to inuade this realme by fine force to dispossesse her Maiestie of her crowne What successe his enterprise had the world knoweth and therefore we néede not here report His inuincible nauy was well beaten and scattered his souldiors and mariners for the most part either were slaine or taken or dyed of want and misery and the mightie monarke of whose Potent force our aduersary maketh such crakes was ouercome by a woman But whatsoeuer the succsse was it appeareth that this was no brotherly part thus to inuade her Maiesty nor any point of a catholicke and Christian king to oppugne peacible Christians for the profession of true catholicke religion Nay albeit this great losse and shame might haue forced him to acknowledge Gods iustice and powerfull working against him and caused him to surcease his cruell persecution against Christians yet did the same worke nothing in his hard hart nor coulde hée be induced to giue ouer his former desseignements so long as breath lasted anno 1594. being verie weake and for some daies spéechlesse the a This was written out of Spaine first wordes which he vttered after he came to himselfe were these Is the adelantado gone for England So much was his head troubled about that voyage His friends also report that he should say that hée woulde sell his siluer candlestickes and the rest of the furniture of his chappell before hée woulde giue ouer the warres against England And I beléeue it to bée true séeing notwithstanding diuers repulses and infinite losses anno 1588. 1594. 1595. and 1599. hée neuer gaue ouer vntill such time as hée gaue vp his spirite and yéelded to nature The papistes do excéedingly commend his zeale in popish religion or rather his great hatred against the professors of true religion So earnest he was in this cause that he spared not his owne onely déere sonne for that he was thought to fauor that truth which we professe E cosa molto notabile saith b In vita Pij 5. Gierome Catena Ch' el re facesse sacrificio della sua carne del suo sangue à dio Et Pio publicamente commendò la Christiana catholica mente religione di lui dicendo quia proprio filio non pepercit Albeit his sonne Charles was a prince for his yéeres of great excellency and then the onely sonne of his father and the hope of his succession yet did not that mooue the fathers hard hart to
pity but he made him a sacrifice for the good of the Romish clergie and pope Pius did highly extoll this fact comparing king Philip most impiously and blasphemously to God almighty that gaue his sonne to be sacrificed for the redemption of mankind But to forbeare now to speake of the popes blasphemy and to speake of the Spanyards malice it is very apparent that king Philip while he liued professed himselfe an enimie vnto all that professed true and catholicke religion and especially to her Maiestie that hath alwaies according to her stile declared her selfe to be a defender of the faith and a principall maintainer of the professors of true religion and all true catholickes He hath also shewed himselfe an enimy to our whole nation entending with force to subdue vs and by all meanes to trouble vs. He hath taken many a In the embarguo anno 1586. honest men of our nation prisoners and confiscated their ships and goods without anie lawfull proclamation of warres Hée hath suffred diuers of Her Maiesties subiectes to bée murdred by the bloody Inquisitors contrary to all iustice Neither haue the rebels attempted any thing against the state either in England or b Iacobo Geraldino Cantabrorum ac Gallecorum manum concessit Andreas Philopater p. 134. Ireland but by his knowledge abettement and procurement The whole Spanish nation also hath drunke very déepe of that cup of hatred which the pope hath filled to their king Don Iuan de Austria while he was gouernor of the low countries did neuer cease to c This was a part of Escouedoes negotiation at his going into Spaine perswade his brother to transport an army into England here to make wars The duke of Alua before that was likewise desirous that his sonne might passe with forces into England for the aide of the northren rebells And that of long time hath béene a common argument for priests and friers to handle in their sermons They haue also d These pardons were found vpon diuers Spaniards ann 1588. preached indulgences and remission of sinnes and offred the same to all that would fight against vs accompting it percase meritorious to kill any of our nation If their iourney 1588. had succéeded either they had killed our people or made slaues of them to worke in their Indian mines or to rowe in their gallies or else to do other base and seruile worke our goods they had already swallowed in their hope and meant to haue deuided the land amongst them and to haue raigned here like great conquerors And albeit at that time they had no good successe yet haue they not giuen ouer their hope nor ceased to take all opportunities to worke vs either dishonor or domage I omit to speak of the wrongs they haue done to particulers albeit many gréeuous for that our dispute is about the disposition of the Spaniardes to our whole nation And yet many particular wrongs and actes of iniustice crueltie doe argue a great hatred to the English in generall But to forbeare to speake of particular actions and of generall attempts formerly passed it appéereth they meane not thus to giue vs ouer For out of Spaine there come priestes and others daily to practise treason against her Maiestie and the state It is not long since Squire was executed for a most horrible treason plotted in Seuile Neither can the shamelesse impudent denials and cauils of Iesuites and priests which they make at the processe against him either make that vndoone which is done or qualifie so foule a fact Nay admit the poore fellow shoulde erre in some circumstance yet no reason can be alleaged why hée shoulde accuse and charge himselfe in a matter that concerned his life wrongfully And to the entent there may bée a succession of traytors and conspirators which may make the way more readie for their intended inuasions and conquestes at common costes they maintaine two Seminaries of English fugitiues and traytors I know they pretend planting of popish religion but if that were their onelie marke they aime at why doth a Testified against him by priests in their memorials Parsons cause euerie one of them that come for England to take an oath that they shall to their vttermost power prefer the Infantaes of Spaines title to the crowne of England Is this no point of treason And doth not this flowe from some purpose of the Spaniard against our countrey and nation To make our nation hatefull Ribadineira a certaine ribaldly frier hath published a most odious discourse of schisme in Spanish wherein hée omitteth nothing that may procure vs dishonor or hinderance And yet these are the men whom our aduersarie commendeth and defendeth and vnto whom Cardinall Allen Robert Parsons and other Iesuites and priests that lurke among vs haue vowed their seruice Great reason therefore hath our nation where so violent enimies séeke to hurt vs and so malicious traytors endeuour to ensnare vs to watch and looke about Our aduersary crieth peace peace but war is in his hart hée may tell vs as long as hée listeth that the Spaniards are our good friends and meane vs no hurt at all But if wée list to arme our selues and preuent their malice wée may assure our selues if God be pleased that they neither dare fight with vs nor can bée able to hurt vs. These double toonged traytors pretend good dealing and vse many kinde wordes as if they loued their countrey but who can trust them that are so néere linked by oath friendship and opinion to publike enimies Finally now the Spaniardes and other publike enimies séeme to haue laide aside their armes but yet it is not safe to trust them After great calmes oft-times arise great stormes We must remember that king Philip the second was alwaies ready to execute the popes command and was still set on by the Iesuites Acosta in his booke of the new world calleth it Praeclarum Zelum in expugnandis debellandis fidei Romanae hostibus in praefa ad Philip. and commended for his zeale in oppugning the enimies of the Romish faith The whole Spanish nation is also much deuoted to popish religion and very ready to execute the popes commandements Wée must also consider that it is no argument of a disposition to peace that such great forces of men are continually leuied throughout most of the parts of Spaine and Portugall and that such numbers of ships of warre are either made of late or in making as wée haue not heard of manie yéeres before and that such care is had of prouisions of corne wine munitions and other things necessary for the wars as is not vsual I confesse that by reason of the kings large dominions and great occasions and affaires these prouisions are necessarie yet vnlesse hée had some extraordinarie purpose neither woulde his prouisions be so great nor should his men march toward Lisbone and Coronna nor his Magazins bée dressed in those parts that looke hitherward
then the king taking vpon him to be the Popes champion persecuted poore Christians with great iniustice and cruelty And vsing the pretence of popish religion sought both by force of armes and fraudulent practise to vsurpe the dominions of other princes and to establish a tyranny among such people as by armes he had oppressed Hereupon let the world iudge whether Sir Francis had not reason to exhort all true English to oppose themselues against such ambition pride vsurpation treacherous practise iniustice cruelty and tyranny and whether any man in such a case could haue said lesse But if he had said more yet the kinges strange procéedinges against his sonne Charles testyfied by pope a Vita Pij 5. Girol Cat. Pius himselfe against his wiues complained of by the French against the prince of Orenge and the people of the low countries recorded in the actes of the Duke of Alua and testyfied by diuers apologies of the prince of Orenge and the states and knowne to many yet liuing against his subiectes of Naples and Milan reported in Natalis Comes and diuers histories against the Portingals witnessed by the historie of the conquest of Portugal by Don Antonio the king wrongfully dispossessed of his country and best knowne to the Portingals against the Quéene of England knowne to the world and recorded in the processe against Lopez the physicion and partly testyfied by Gierome Catena in the life of Pius Quintus against the secretarie Escouedo and Antonio Perez and the state of Arragon published to the world in a treatise for that purpose these procéedings I say and his whole life recorded in histories would sufficiently iustifie the same Against which recordes and testifications the idle talke of this addleheaded Noddy Concerning his catholike maiesties opposite vertues of his sweete nature and cōdition of his princely behauiour pious gouernement deserueth neither credite nor consideration He was of so swéete a nature that for certaine monthes before his death neither his physitions nor surgeōs nor others without good preseruatiues could endure to come néere him albeit his clothes and lodging were neuer so swéetely perfumed So excellent a thing it is to bée swéete natured Hée saith also That by the witnesse of enuy king Philip is cleered Percase hée himselfe in this frierlike declamation degorged in the kings praise taketh on him the person of enuie and so cléereth him Otherwise all the water in the baie of Alcasson woulde neither wash him nor cléere him Where sir Francis doth obiect to king Philip certaine dangerous practises héere in England during his mariage with Quéene Marie this idle discourser not remembring his title of Warde-word leaueth his garde and runneth into a néedlesse discourse Of the state of things in Queene Maries time while the Spaniards were in England As if it were in questiō what was then done in England and not how king Philip caried himselfe in Spaine and all other places or else as if the state of thinges in England concerned king Philips humors and qualities any thing at all Well let vs notwithstanding see what this idle iangler hath to say for the state of matters in England Hée saith first That king Philip paide the expences and for the furniture of the mariage with Queene Marie and how the two Spanish and English nauies that accompanied the king when hee came into England were at his cost vntill they came to Portesmouth and the whole traine from thence to Winchester and that the mariage was celebrated at his charges But what is this to the discharge of his promise concerning the relation of the state of England Besides that this narration is full of vanitie and falshoode For what is more vaine then to bragge that the king defraid the charges of his seruants and attendants or that hée paid the charges of his owne mariage What more consonant then that the husband and goodman of the house shoulde bee at the charge of his wife and houshold What a ridiculous thing is it to vaunt that the king paide all charges betwéene Portesmouth and Winchester when either little or nothing was spent in the iourney The falshood of his narration may be controlled by the accounts that are yet to bée seene in the auditor generals office and in the Eschequer For thereby it is apparent that the Queene not onely defraied the charge of her owne fléete but also spent infinitlie about the furniture and preparations for her mariage Money certes euill bestowed For neuer was mariage more vnhappie either to the prince her selfe or her state Secondly hée telleth That the Spanish nobles and gentlemen came furnished with necessities and money It is maruell he setteth not downe also how they came furnished with Moriscoes and Negroes and horseboies and such Canalliary All which pertaine as much to the purpose as that which hée setteth downe of the nobles and gentlemen But bée it they came well furnished yet that deserueth no great commendation As for their expences they could not be great séeing most did eate vpon the Quéenes charge and the rest ate bread by the ounce and drunke water by the quart and yet all of them coulde not auoide to come in merchants bookes Thirdly hée saith That the priuie councell was not altered by the king As if that were not a point following vpon the conditions of the mariage Beside that albeit he altered nothing yet through the subtiltie of Winchester the Councell was at his deuotion and shoulde no doubt haue béene altered but that he was preuented by the Quéenes death Fourthly he vaunteth much That he honored the English Nobilitie and gaue many of them great pensions But hée shoulde do well to name those that were so honored and enriched by king Philip. For it is more then I can learne Howbeit it is no strange matter if for to effect his purposes he was at some expence For fishers when they angle for fish must bée at the charge of the baite and fowlers that séeke to catch birdes must draw them to their nets by casting them meate Like vanitie he vseth where hée sheweth That the king honored highly English captaines and soldiers and made them equall in all points of seruice with the Spaniard As if it were a high point of honor for English to bée made equall with Spaniards Beside that all the honor the king did them was to suffer their throtes to bée cut in the sacke of Saint Quintin and the seruice ended to send them home poore bare and naked Hée affirmeth also That the king made our merchants free to enioy all priuiledges throughout all his kingdome Which is a plaine and most notorious vntruth For neither were they suffered to trade into the Indies nor had any more priuiledge in Spaine the Low countries then méere strangers as is euident by the merchants bookes now to be shewed if néede bée It is also a méere fable That the king in all quarrels betwixt English and Spaniards shoulde fauor the English
that this should cost the Queene many a bitter teare Let the quarels be specified witnesses produced to prooue the Quéenes tendernesse more to Spaniards then her owne people Fiftly hée telleth a very pitifull case viz. That no Spaniard coulde walke in the night without danger of his life nor at other times without iniurious wordes and that they paide deere for all things especially if they were taken talking with a mans wife daughter or seruant and as a certaine Viceroy tolde him that some English would send their wiues daughters of purpose into the fieldes where Spaniards walked to allure them to talke with them and thereby to entrappe them and get money from them and that diuers of the Spaniardes had their purses taken from them that the Count Fuensalida was robbed as he was at supper with diuers of his countrymen All which long discourse is as farre from the purpose as Spaine from England For what doth this concerne king Philips vertues or the state of England which are the points which héere he taketh on him to handle Must the state of England consist now in the brabbles betwixt the scum of the kings traine and a fewe bandes and base fellowes about their Sen̄oras Further the same doth rather shewe the insolency of the Spaniards then deserue any commiseration for the losses or knockes they priuily receiued For why shoulde they be suffred to abuse honest women or to attempt maidens chastitie Will N. D. our Warder play the baud to make matches betwixt knaues and whoores and mislike that there was not a guard set while such lend fellowes went about their base affaires Againe it may be that it was not a Viceroy for what hath such a Noddy or vice as this to do with Viceroies or viceroies to do with such petite matters but some vice that purposed to delude him that tolde him the tale of these walking womē or walking knaues For how could he know that they were mens wiues or daughters if he were a stranger or else that they were sent for that purpose that he speaketh into the fields how knew he but that it was a quarrell betwixt knaues bauds how knew he that the Spaniards did not willingly bestow their mony vpon baggages being men that frequent the bordell as oft as the church As for the robbery of the Count Fuensalida if any such thing were it no more concerneth the honor of our nation then the robberies by Fuorusciti in Italy Naples the honor of the king of Spaine Robberies disorders wil euery where be committed but we praise them not we allow thē not Neither did Quéene Marie then allow this foresaid robberie And rather then the old Count should wéepe for his plate he shall haue a collection in part of recōpence for his losses All this great matter therefore being well considered is nothing neither hath our aduersarie any reason to exclaime and say That these were the fine fruites of our new Gospell then freshly planted among vs. For those that did these feates were papists and not men of our religion and these disorders were committed in Quéene Maries time when popery was publikely professed in England and not in the time of the Gospell Againe the Spaniards and not any of our profession vsed to haunt bordels and to make these baudy matches And if in states that professe the Gospell there be diuers outrages committed they cannot bée imputed to our profession but to the leudnesse of those that will not bée reformed and that liue among vs and are not of vs. Which kinde of people are both reprooued by their teachers and punished by the magistrates Hauing thus for his pleasure ranged farre from the matter in an idle discourse cōcerning certaine brabbles betwixt the English and Spanish in Quéene Maries daies he commeth to his purpose concerning king Philip and gladly would he purge him from all suspicion of euill meaning towards our nation contrary to a letter mentioned by Sir Francis and written out of Spaine when king Philip was yet in England The letter purported that notwithstanding the kings faire pretenses his purpose was to winne the fauour of the nobility and so to make himselfe absolute king and possessing the principall places with his owne souldiers to alter the lawes and to impose taxes and rule the country at his pleasure And this the warder by all meanes séeketh to shift off and to discredite and that first Because these plots and practises were neuer heard of before as he saith But he must néedes be deafe that liued in Quéene Maries daies in any eminent place in the state that heard not often of these practises and very dull and sencelesse if he suspected them not Neither is it likely that such a prince would desire to come hither if he should still be tied with conditions Secondly he saith That the name of the writer and receiuer of the letter would haue beene set downe But that might haue bred daunger the letter béeing written against Spaniardes that then ruled in England Neither is it the fashion for intelligencers to declare either their owne names or the names of such as they write vnto Thirdly he would auoide it by this shift That it was some flying report without ground and taken vp in some port-towne or tauerne by some factor or other wandring companion But the probability of the plot and procéeding of the Spanyard and the euent of thinges did shewe the contrarie Fourthly he would beare vs in hand That it was some deuise to make the Spaniards odious and perhaps to vphould the faction of the earle of Deuonshire that missing the mariage of Queene Mary began to practise But the ambition and malicious purpose of the Spaniardes against all that professed the truth and his procéedings in the gouernement did plainely declare that it was a truth and no fiction As for the earle of Deuonshire he neuer desired to marry the Quéene For if he had he might Such was her affection towards him Neither did he euer take any gréefe for not marrying her for his affection was no way enclined that way Neither could he poore gentleman entertaine any practise béeing destitute of friends and meanes watched by his enemies of no subtill reache to compasse any such matter I wonder the Noddy was not ashamed once to name this yong earle who albeit innocent and harmelesse yet was poysoned at Padua to content some mens humors But our aduersarie as if he were a smith and of Vulcans generation as his supposed father was canne forge twentie such deuises and shift off wicked practises with a number of loose wordes He saith It is a grieuous and heinous slander against a mightie munificent and bountifull monarke to say that he meant to make himselfe king As if mighty and munificent monarkes do not in their ambitious humors séeke to enlarge their dominions That this was no fiction it may appeare by the drift of Charles the fift entending this mariage
of saint Iohn His whoorish allurements to idolatrie and heresie wée value not And if this bée meanes of peace and no other then welcome warres nay welcome rather death For who had not rather endure ten thousand deathes then die the second death and kill his owne soule Our aduersarie saith that her Maiestie hath béene inuited curteously to come to the pope But we thinke it strange curtesie to stirre vp rebels against her to curse her to hire desperate cutthrotes to murder her and empoison her But were shée inuited curteously yet simple are the birdes that suffer themselues to be taken at the foulers call Vlysses heard the Sirenes songs but hée would not come néere them As for the French kinges example it is not to purpose Hée to winne a kingdome might do as it pleased him but if her Maiestie shoulde so do shée shoulde hazard that kingdome which shée possesseth already quietly rather then winne one poore towne or hamlet Nay shée shoulde hazard her soule Beside that her Maiestie is rather to follow the examples of godly kinges that abolished idolatrie of godly emperours that woulde not admit heresies in their states of her noble father that ouerthrew the popes vsurped tyrannie in this land her owne former noble actions then others Of the French kings act wée dispute not Onely wée desire God to open his eies that hée may sée how he standeth Secondly hée telleth vs of the qualities of Clement the eight and the king of Spaine reporteth him to be A meeke milde sweete and holy man and calleth king Philip Salomon the peacible And certes euill shoulde hée deserue his hire if he did not set out these his two old masters with extrauagant praises But as in the fairest monuments and most glorious sepulchres there is ofttimes nothing but rotten bones so I thinke while men thinke in these two to finde treasure they shall finde nothing but rotten bones and corruption Clement the eight is a seuere persecutor of Christians and not very gentle to cacolykes as appéereth by the excommunication of Don Cesare Duke of Ferrara against whom hée thundred with fire and sworde and manie foule words Outwardly hée pretendeth to bée a shéepe but inwardly hée is a rauening woolfe a saint in shewe but indéede of a filthie and a When he was in Minoribus he was knowne to be a great hanter of bordels vncleane life A bishop in name but indéed antichrist King Philip is now dead and loth I am to rake into his ashes further then I néedes must especially hauing saide much of him alreadie But the name of Salomon no man can deserue woorse then hée being neither extraordinarily wise nor very studious of peace of which two his best friendes do testifie the first and the latter is prooued by his troublesome reigne that neuer was without warres either with French Dutch Italians Portugals or English But were the first neuer so milde yet his office is wicked his doctrine heretical his practises detestable and were hée not so yet what peace can bée honorable that bringeth with it slauerie or composition firme with him that kéepeth no faith nor promise Neither can wée looke either for honorable or sound dealing with the Spaniard so long as hée dependeth on the pope Hée may percase desire fauour for his faction but will yéelde no exemption from inquisitors to true Christians Hée will desire to trade with vs wée shall not I thinke trade into the Indies Finally hée will not yéelde vs and our associates either reasonable and equall conditions or firme assurance If hée please to doe it and can do it I knowe none but is most desirous of peace Thirdly hée saith There is no cause of doubt of dutifull behauiour of English cacolykes at home and abroad But his saying sheweth that he hath neither shame nor honestie in auouching thinges so false What Is there no cause for vs to doubt when wée sée how they are linked to the greatest enimies this kingdome hath and take themselues neither bounde by oath nor affection further then the pope giueth them leaue Do wée looke for more loialtie at their handes then wée haue already founde at the handes of their predecessors and consorts Do wée thinke that sodainly these serpents will cast off their skins or loose their stinges Do we not sée how vndutifully the papists haue behaued themselues in Ireland and how they haue reuolted from their liege soueraigne and that these warres were stirred by priestes and Iesuites Haue we not heard what massacres they haue committed in France and how they haue leagued and confederated themselues against their kinges Do wee not knowe howe in England they haue rebelled against their Souereigne Ladie and sought to murder her and empoison her and betray her and her countrey into the handes of Spaniards and forreine enimies What impudencie then or rather furie doth possesse this Noddy that he shoulde say that There is no feare of their dutifull behauiour He answereth that Their first and highest desire is that her Maiestie woulde returne to the sea of Rome and that by this act all difficulties and iealousies woulde be ended and taken away But hée may as well say that by yéelding to the Spaniards all controuersies woulde be ended Certes as well may the one be done as the other and yet neither without manifest impietie against religion without perpetuall dishonour to our nation and vtter destruction of the countrey This is the woorst that can happen to a nation shamed spoiled beaten vanquished and yet with these execrable rinegates it is the first and highest point that they desire as themselues confesse seeking nothing more then our hurt dishonor and destruction They studie to ruinate religion to bring her Maiestie their countrey into slauerie Nay and when they haue their desire they are nothing néerer For they may not thinke that all English men are so base that euer they will endure either the idolatrous masse or the tyrannie of the pope or the cōmand of strangers Neither can any true English endure to receiue conditions either from pope or Spaniard much lesse that they shall haue power to dispose of this crowne and gouernment If then this be their desire we are come to a full stoppe this as long as wée liue neither will nor can with honor or safetie or conscience be yéelded Their second desire is as their proctor telleth vs That they may haue the same libertie for their consciences in England that our brethren haue in France and Germany But wee haue answered alreadie that it were impious dishonorable dangerous and vnprofitable to grant any such matter Neither is the case of France and Germanie like to this countrey There religion was alwaies openly professed and that by grant of princes and consent of the people Héere poperie since her Maiesties gouernment was neuer permitted But if our aduersarie coulde assure vs that our brethren in Spaine and Italy might without danger professe the Gospell and that
they beléeue as deliuered by the Romish church Yet are their traditions most false their legends most fabulous If frier Parsons will maintaine the contrary let him prooue to vs the ceremonies and parts of the masse to haue come from Christ Iesus that the legends of Dominike and Francis are true That b Legenda de Catharina di Siena Italic Catharine of Siena had her face transformed like to Christes face and that she was lifted vp into the aire and maried to Christ that Saint Francis was likewise made conformable to Christ and had his fiue woundes printed in his bodie and that all those miracles reported in the legendes are true Likewise hée must prooue that all the shamelesse writings which the popes and their agents haue published of late time are true or else all the world will condemne them for false teachers and wicked heretikes Thirdly their whole course of life and all their actions haue sufficiently declared them to be a faction opposite both to true religion now professed in England and also to her Maiestie and the estate And that they are opposite to our religion themselues professe albeit they deny it true which notwithstanding in diuers treatises wée haue iustified and shall alwaies bée ready to iustifie the same both in publike disputation and writing as oft as occasion shall serue The rest wée shall now declare I haue héeretofore brought proofes that the papists opposed themselues to her Maiestie both since and before her entrance into the kingdome This moreouer you shall vnderstand of Sanders or Rishton or both men hired to speake villany of their prince coūtry Saepe conata est Maria say c Sanders de schism lib. 3. they illam nempe Elizabetham ab omni successionis sorte c. excludere And no doubt whatsoeuer Quéene Maries meaning was it is certaine the popish faction had that intention And when it pleased God to frustrate their purposes and intentions yet woulde they not yeelde her any hartie obedience The popish prelates refused to consecrate her and hardly coulde one bée got amongst many to accomplish that ceremonie but rather they incited the French king Henry the second to proclaime Marie Quéene of Scots Quéene An impudent companion a L. Innocence de la Roine d'escoss doth I confesse impudently denie it But Sanders his owne consort doth conuince him of lying Mortua Maria b Lib. 3. de schism saith hée Henricus Galliarum rex c. nurum suam Scotorum reginam Henrici octaui proneptim Parisijs pro concione Angliae Hiberniae Reginam declarandam curauit Neither did this claime cease vntill the French by force being cōstrained to depart Scotland in the capitulation betwixt them and vs at Léeth it was agréed that the Scottish Quéene shoulde no more entitle herselfe Quéene of England nor beare the armes of England That this trouble was procured by papists it is no question They also c Ibidem determined to excommunicate the Quéene and when that séemed daungerous they complained to the pope and stirred vp forreine princes against the Quéene and state all which bée pointes of high treason for which if they had béene called in question law woulde haue adiudged them traytors That they were not so cléere as is pretended it appéereth for that their conscience accusing them some fledde beyond the seas others began to plot a rebellion which afterwarde broke out anno 1569. And to make the side the stronger Thomas Harding about the yéere 1567 was sent with faculties into England to reconcile the people to the pope and to draw them from the prince Not long after pope Pius the fift at the solicitation of diuers of them published his excommunication against her Maiestie depriuing her of her kingdome assoiling her subiectes from their obedience and by the meanes of Nicholas Morton a factious priest causing the earles of Northumberland and Westmerland and diuers other papists to take armes against her Being ouerthrowne in that rebellion and considering that all was for want of number and force they erect one Seminarie at Doway ann 1569. and another at Rome ann 1579. which by the yéere 1584. did f Sanders de schism lib. 3. sende some 300. priestes into England anno 1579. they sent Sanders and diuers priestes into Ireland where finding the people readie they presently enflamed a rebellion the which though suppressed for a time yet by the perswasions of Archer and other Iesuites and Owen Mac Teag and other seditious priests hath since flamed very bright brought all that countrey into trouble combustion Anno 1580. Parsons and Campian and their consorts came into England with large authoritie to make way for the execution of the popes bull Of which company Campian refused directly to acknowledge her Maiestie to bée his lawfull Quéene and woulde not disallow the trecherous writings of Sanders and Bristow as appéereth vnder his owne hande writing The rest applied their businesse in working discontentment in the common sort and setting on Somerfield Parry and diuers others to kill the Quéene Ballard a seditious priest was set on to drawe Babington Tichborne and their consorts to attempt that which other coulde not performe And that hath béene the continuall labour of Parsons Holt Creswell Walpoole Worthington Gifford and other Iebusites and priests Anno 1588. they brought vpon their countrey the Spanish nauy Neither haue they ceased at any time either to attempt against her Maiesties life or by rebellion or warres to oppugne the state But it cannot bée denied but such attempts by all lawes are treason And if they say they were neither priuy nor consenting vnto them they declare themselues to bée verie shamelesse For it is notorious to the world that Nicholas Morton Woodhouse and Plumtree and diuers other priestes were actors in the Northren rebellion So likewise Sanders diuers other priests were actors in the Irish rebellions Cardinall Allen diuers English priests came in person with the Spanish forces intended against their countrey Parsons and diuers other his consorts were also ready to come with the Spanish forces anno 1588. and to loose no time while matters were in preparing he holpe to make and print a trecherous and damnable libell against the Quéene and state Ballard was the principall in Babingtons conspiracie Againe those that were not actors either in the execution of the popes bull or in the rebellions and conspiracies dressed by their consorts in England and Ireland did notwithstanding allow them None of them dare open their mouthes once to mislike pope Pius his bull that vtterly disableth her Maiestie and depriueth her of her crowne They all do well like of Morton Sanders Allen Bristow and such like trumpets of sedition and allowe their writings and that to go no further appéereth by the seditious Ward-word Nay albeit diuers of thē might haue had fauor if they woulde haue condemned them and their writings yet coulde they not be induced thereunto as appéereth
what might be done if the chiefe teachers of our side were vpon good conditions to dispute before indifferent iudges auditors All this by Gods grace we meane to iustifie in this briefe discourse ensuing Therein also for thy further satisfaction we purpose both to examine his relation and to answer his obseruations and petitions and to remoue this reproch as a 1. Reg. c. 17. Dauid offering to go against the Philistim said from Gods people For what is this incircumcised Philistim that he should dare to speake euill of the army of the liuing God or of his Church If Parsons meane to reply let him pul off his visor and come barefaced into the field and he shall not want those that will encounter him This small Treatise together with the rest that go before I commend to thy reading to let thee vnderstand the great pouertie of the aduersarie a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch lib. de auscultando that vpon so small causes maketh so great brags and triumphs and with braue words b setteth out his musty mustard pots The principal points haue beene sufficiently handled both in French English before yet shall it not be amisse to remoue all their cauils and to encounter such winding serpents in al their turning deuises If the matter answere not thy expectation thou must impute it to the basenesse of the subiect and the vanitie of the relators narration The discourse will not bee long and therefore much labour it cannot cost thee to reade it Reade therefore and iudge who they are that are to be charged with false and fraudulent allegations which is now the different betwixt Parsons and vs. A briefe refutation of a certaine calumnious relation of the triall betwixt the Lord PLESSIS MARLI and the pretended bishop of Eureux the 4. of May last with an answere to the relators obseruations and petitions CHAP. I. That the popish faction hath no reason to charge others with falsification IT is an old custome among our aduersaries when they cannot answere directly to our arguments to cauill at our allegations as if all were vntrue or defectiue bicause some errors are pretended in some authorities or quotations This course did Harding and his consortes take against bishop Iewell of reuerend memorie others against that painfull and zealous seruant of God master Iohn Foxe and diuers others eluding with scorne that which in earnest they are not able to answere Now Iames Peron calling himselfe the bishop of Eureux in France and this relator by his scornefull letters sent into England attempt the same waie against the painfull labours of the Lorde of Plessis in his most learned treatise against the idolatrous masse most ridiculously supposing if hée haue mistaken Scotus or Durandus or Bernard or some homily of Chrysostome or some other author that all his other allegations and arguments wherein no error can be founde or iustly pretended are weake and of no moment But while they charge others they séeme vtterly to forget themselues and their owne notorious corruptions and falsifications They put them all into that part of Aesops wallet that hangeth at their backes and remooue both faultes and wallet out of their sight a Catull. in Scazonte Non vident manticae quod in tergo est They as the hypocrites of whom our b Matth. 7. Sauiour speaketh Espie a mote in their brothers eie and see not the beame in their owne eies Nay being blinde themselues they are much offended and exclaime at euerie blemish which they espie in other mens eies For neuer did any sect either of heretikes or philosophers vse such fraude and falsification in maintaining their errors as the papists haue done to make good their most abominable doctrine and practise To relate all were a matter of great time and labour Wée will therefore onely touch so much as may serue to prooue them to be most culpable in that whereof they accuse others First then wée say and against Parsons and the whole route of Iebusites and Cananites God willing shall prooue that they haue falsified and corrupted the most holie worde of God and his holy Testament For if those which haue hidden or kept away the Testament or last will of a mortall man or haue taken away the same by force or abolished it or torne it or made a newe or written a false Testament or vsed it signed it or procured it to bée done then much more the papists that haue falsified Gods eternall worde are to bée condemned as guiltie of falshood But that is confirmed by the words of the lawe Committitur falsum saith the c ff de falsis Hostiens de crim fals §. qualiter committatur ad l. Cor. de fals law si quis testamentum celauerit amouerit rapuerit deleuerit interleuerit subiecerit vel falsum testamentum scripserit signauerit recitauerit dolóue malo ea fieri procurauerit The consequent is prooued by the practise of the papists For first they haue of a long time hidden Gods worde as it were a candle vnder a bushell and couered it ouer with the plaster of their traditions and popish interpretations Secondly they haue remooued the scriptures from the eies of the multitude and kept the same from them in a toong vnknowne not suffring any to read them but such as they are assured will not profite by them Thirdly such as by any meanes haue gotten them they haue taken and punished seuerely taking the testament of God violently out of their handes Fourthly they haue d Index librorum prohibit abolished not onely all vulgar but also all Latine translations except such as they made themselues Fiftly they haue burnt and torne and abused Gods holy Testament Sixtly for Gods worde they haue giuen vnto vs a most corrupt translation and made that more authenticall then the originall Seuenthly they haue made a false testament conteined in their vnwritten traditions Eightly they will haue no other testament exhibited or vsed or alleaged in schooles but their old Latine vulgar translation Lastly they haue taken away that Sacrament from the people wherein the newe testament is established and made frustrate Christ his institution and last will omitting no meanes that coulde bée deuised for the corrupting falsifying and abolishing of Gods eternall testament and the seales thereof Nay certaine f Matth. Paris Carmelites about 300. yéeres agone hauing made a testament of their owne deuise were not afeard to teach that Christes Gospell shoulde cease and that their Gospell shoulde for euer after be receiued Bonauenture likewise falsifying the Psalmes of Dauid turned the praises of God to the praises of our Ladie Secondly they haue falsified the canons of the Apostles g In epistola ad Siculos Zepherinus alloweth 60. h Contra epist. Nicet Abbatis Leo the ninth receiueth onely fiftie others 85. i C. Sancta c. canones dist 15. others condemne them as apocryphall writings forged by heretikes They haue also
falsified and that himselfe found so many more as might double the foresaide number and doth offer to prooue them one by one to anie friend of master Foxes and so falling to multiplication he saith that if 60. be multiplied by a thousand and more according to the number of leaues of the booke there will fall out the number of 30000. falshoods and that master Foxes booke will exceede Iohn Sleidans in number of lyes But all this amounteth to nothing but vaine words When he commeth to his tryall he shall finde that neither the scholler nor the Rector is able to conuince master Foxe of falshood Which also may appéere by view of those leaues which he quoteth For therein master Foxe scarce quoteth any allegations but onely briefely noteth certaine absurd opinions held by papistes in which when Parsons shall come forth and speake de tracta persona he shall finde that master Foxe hath said truely and that those absurdities which he noteth follow indeed of popish doctrine If then those leaues where our aduersarie supposeth most falshood will be iustified against the calumniations of the rector of the English seminarie of traytors and all his disciples I beléeue his reckonings and accounts of falshoodes wiâ—l fall short at the time of the audit and that there will be twise so many found in Caesar Baronius and infinit more in the lying legends the stinke whereof is odious to al men of sound iudgement He taketh also exception against master Foxes calender as if he meant to canonize all there mentioned and chargeth him with other trickes and shifts But the calender was onely placed there to note the day of euerie mans triall and suffring and so far was he from shifting tricking that no man coulde deale more plainely as shall bee iustified against this Bragadoccio and his consorts come he foorth when he dare Nay the trickings and delusions of the whore of Babylon together with her bloodie cruelties which master Foxe hath layde open to the world shall yet be made more manifest if once they begin to quarrell Likewise we will bring forth so many lyes out of papisticall writers as shall make our aduersaries wearie of this argument Of Sleidan I néede not say much séeing he hath answered sufficiently for himselfe and ouerturned the cart loaded with lyes by his accusers against him Against master D. Fulke our accuser obiecteth nothing so that by rules of law this accuser is to be condemned of calumniation and D. Fulke to be discharged from further molestation And thus much may serue to shew the vanitie of our aduersaries crackes and bragges of the great mischiefe he meaneth to vs in conuincing vs as he hopeth of falsification For what should many words néede to answere so vaine a babler that albeit he accuse many and layeth to their charge a most heinous crime yet neither noteth nor prooueth any one point against them Beside that noting certaine places in master Foxe most ridiculously he would haue vs to answere before he obiect any thing or shew the points of falshood Which is a more abiurd course then that of Eureux against M. Plessis who of many places noted some and laide downe his reasons But this relator hath not his arguments yet framed So busie hée is about plotting some mischieuous deuise or treason CHAP. V. A briefe examination of the relators calumnious and vaine narration THe foundation of our answere béeing thus layd and the maine point of the aduersaries accusation concerning falsifications being cleared made firme against him I thought it not amisse to ioyne with him yet more closely and to examine the particulars of his narration For albeit the iustice of our cause and the vaine brags false dealing ridiculous cauillations of papists may sufficiently be discouered by that which already hath béene answered yet shal the same more exactly be prooued and discerned if we doe but lightly touch euery point of his pamphlet in order as it lyeth and as our lying aduersary hath couched it in his letters from Rome In the beginning of his aduertisements he yéeldeth two reasons that moued him to send the report of the conference passed in Fraunce so farre as from Rome into England The first was for that euery man vnderstood not the French tongue and few durst translate and diuulge such matters in English The second is that men might vnderstand the manner of the combate and true issue thereof and such things as passed therein from authenticall parties But these pretended reasons séeme to be full of ridiculous vanitie and voide of reason For albeit euerie man vnderstood not French yet might he either learne of others or himselfe reade the treatises published in English concerning that matter some time before the comming of this relation Againe it is a very ridiculous point to think that French matters are better vnderstood at Rome then in France or that we are like to haue better intelligence from Rome that as Petrarch called her is Fucina d'inganni e schola d'errori that is a forge of lyes and trecherous frauds and a schoole of errors and heresies and falshood then out of the place where these matters were executed which are héere reported Finally nothing can be deuised more absurd then to account Iames Peron his letters in his owne cause or the Popes Nuntioes letters in a matter that so néere touched the Pope to be authenticall or of any credit It is a common rule that no man is a sufficient witnesse in his owne cause And iust exceptions may be taken to al partial witnesses Wherefore to write froÌ„ Rome into England of French matters was a trick of foolerie to send the parties letters for authenticall testimonies was a ridiculous absurditie No it was no part of the relators intention either to haue truth knowne or authenticall narrations diuulged but rather with vaine reports lies sent from Rome that is now become a mistresse of lies to crosse and blemish truth and those that professe the same For which cause I haue also thought conuenient to entertaine the relator with this answer which I doubt not but Blackwel the archpresbyter or archtraitor and Walley the prouinciall of Iebusites in this countrey will send him a Fol. 2. 3. Afterward he goeth about to declare the qualities of the actors in this conference But it néeded not greatly For wée know the men farre better then he and that as the Lord of Plessis is a man of great worth and learning so Eureux is an apostate from religion and a vainglorious man He wrote once a booke of the insufficiency of the scriptures by which his learning was sufficientlie tryed and his ambitious humours discouered If he would write a litle thrée halfe peny pamphlet of the sufficiencie of the popes decretals he should highly deserue the popes fauor As for the relator he séemeth not well to know either of the parties where he saith that M. Plessis did write more cunningly and coueâ—tly then
pleade vnsufficiently But wée charge them with leud opinions held by all the papists and most wicked and abominable actions allowed by publike authoritie Further the papistes alleage the testimonies of Lindanus Staphylus Cochleus Rescius Reynoldes and their owne consorts fellowes to bée receiued as witnesses before no indifferent iudge for their basenesse leudnesse and partialitie But wée are able to conuince them by their owne recordes and by witnesses authenticall to be such as they woulde haue vs to bée and farre woorse too And if Parsons maintaine the contrary hée shall soone receiue his answere and perceiue his owne inabilitie and the weakenesse of his owne cause Further he obserueth in Luther That at the first hee contemned the fathers and that afterward when wee began to shew how the fathers did witnesse for our cause that we alleaged them falsly But neither did euer Luther contemne all the fathers but where they spoke contrary to the prophets and apostles nor shall this counterfeit relator shew that wée haue alleaged the fathers vntruly as I will bée alwaies readie to iustifie against him Hée noteth also That we make plaine demonstrations of distrust in maintaining our cause And that hée prooueth first For that diuers bookes written in English by papists were forbidden by proclamation Secondly For that by a statute it was made death to reconcile men or perswade them to the Romish faith Thirdly for that Streite orders were set downe to restraine the resort of people to the papistes that are prisoners in Wisbich But if these be arguments of distrust then are the papists most distrustfull and fearefull to haue their matters come in scanning For they forbid all our bookes to be solde among them And if any disswade from poperie or talk against it it is present death Neither may any talke with prisoners in the inquisition As for our selues we are but too confident in these causes For there is no bald lousie friers book commeth forth but it is commonly sold in Paules church yard and any learned man may buy any of their bookes publikely Yea diuers simple soules not being able to iudge are often times deceiued by them So that it were fitting more care were had in this point But the true reason why our superiours haue forbidden English bookes popish perswasions and common repaire to popish prisoners is for that diuers simple soules not being so well able to iudge haue by such meanes béene drawne not only into leud opinions but also dangerous practises of which we should not offend if we did take more care then we do Finally he noteth that we cannot abide confession satisfaction restitution or the like which is true if by confession he meane auricular coÌ„fession made in a priests eare and by satisfaction scourging a mans selfe or walking in pilgrimage with hope thereby to satisfie God for his sinnes and such like satisfactions and by restitution such summes of money as papists are enioyned in lieu of true restitution to parties offended to bestow vpon priests Iebusites and notorious traitors It is not long since these companions drew from a drie fellow a little before his death two thousand pounds with the which the Iebusites their consorts now make merrie But if order be not taken for such deuises to draw mony out of the subiects purses and to take away these means from traitorous practisers the same in the end will make this state very sorrowfull And therefore I doubt not but the magistrates and iudges will looke to that verie diligently In the meane while I hope I haue taken order with this Relators lying obseruations CHAP. VII An answere to our aduersaries two petitions annexed to his former relation WHat successe our aduersarie is to hope for in his petition annexed to the Ward-word I hope may in part appeere by our answere And yet not expecting an answere he hath presumed to come to her maiestie with a new petition and to vs with another So copious and fluent he is in his libels and petitions a Homer Iliad ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is like a flye or rather because he speaketh so much for Spaniards a Spanish mosqueta that albeit she be beaten off from a mans bodie yet is bold to come againe and bite And b Non missura cutem nisi plena cruoris hirudo Horat. leaue as it séemeth he will not vntill like the horseleach he hath filled himselfe with some mans blood First he desireth that her Maiestie would be pleased to admit such a tryall heere as passed in Fraunce of late assuring vs that the same would be pleasant to her Maiestie and all other assistants and verie briefe and easie As if Parsons the Iebusite and rector of the English seminarie of traytors were now verie carefull to yéeld satisfaction and contentment to her Maiestie and subiects that not long c Anno. 1588. since ioyned himselfe to the Spanish armie that came against vs and in the interim that the Spanish fléete was expected and while our commissioners were treating of peace holpe to make print and diuulge the most infamous d Aâ—lens letters to the nobilitie and people of England and Ireland libell against her Maiestie and her faithfull subiects that could be deuised or euer was set out in this kinde Furthermore euer since he hath béene busie either in stirring vp forrein enimies against vs or broching some treasonable practise against the state or writing seditious libels against one or other as appéereth by former proofes Nay when a certaine gentleman and one of the Spanish agents séeming more moderate then the rest disliked all practises for the murther of the Prince by the direction of Parsons others of his faction he had a cuchillada and dangerous blow with a falchion ouer the face as he was going to the church to heare masse An vnhappie masse might he call it if the blow had hit right He doth also much abuse his reader where he saith that the tryall will be briefe and easie and maketh a vaine brag offering himselfe to be the champion that must performe the challenge The first is euident for that they pretend so many falsificatious against vs and we haue so many false allegations and forgeries to charge our aduersaries withall and that most iustly that the examination cannot chuse but prooue long and difficult especially if they yéeld to vs that which they demaund themselues The second I thinke we shall finde true by experience For it is not Parsons I thinke that can performe all that is offered Nay little doth he vnderstand the galles of his owne cause that once dare obiect forgerie or falsification to others Beside that he is fitter to make a clerke to make libels and exhibit petitions then to make a good disputer to iustifie the popes broken cause In that he hath some prettie facultie in this we doubt of his abilitie His other petition is that some one or other would come forth against him and defend bishop Iewel Peter Martyr and M. Foxe whom hee purposeth as he pretendeth to loade with many and grieuous falsifications the points whereof we haue already e Chap. 4 noted and this I thinke is but a copie of his grimme countenance also and a Thrasonicall bragge For I do not thinke that he wil or dare put his cause vpon this trial Neither do I thinke that his consortes will come to an equall examination of all falsifications and coruptions passed on both sides for the causes that I haue f Chap. 1. alleaged Vnto both his petitions vntill further order be taken let him receiue this answere from me First that we very well like of such a triall here as passed lately in France For as the papists found themselues wronged or at least pretended to be wronged in M. Plessis his bookes so we doe say and offer to prooue that we are wronged nay that the whole world is wronged and abused by millions of forgeries and falsifications committed by Bellarmine Caesar Baronius Greg. de Valentia Suarez and their consorts yea by the popes of Rome whose sentences they hold to be infallible If then this pratling or rather scribling relator or any of his consorts do find himselfe agrieued with this assertion and offer as M. Plessis did in France being charged publikely with falsifying and corrupting authours by him alleaged I shall God willing either in publike schooles or els which is farre better in publike writing iustifie as much as I haue sayd and I take this to be the case of papists in England if they will obtaine that which M. Plessis desired in France Secondly I do offer my selfe partie do accept of Parsons his challenge do offer my self to proue that those men whom he challengeth haue dealt more iustly theÌ„ Bellarmine and Caesar Baronius and the rest of that side Nay I dare simply defend them against any crimination which this frapling frier hath to lay to their charge Let him begin when he dare In the meane while he may do well to answere the points deduced in the first chapter of this treatise wherein I haue charged not only priuate men but the whole synagogue of Rome with plaine forging and falsification and laid downe the particulars and not as the relator doth who hauing made a great bragge of falsifications shutteth vp his relation and iustifieth nothing Somewhat I had more to say to Parsons and to his associates the whole combination of them But I reserue it to some other time By this which alreadie is sayd I hope it will appeare that neither Iames Peron hath gained any thing against the Lord of Plessis nor Parsons hath reason to hope that he shall haue better successe against the Church of England God which is light truth grant all christians the light of his grace that they may not only sée the truth but also truly iudge what is truth and falshood And then I doubt not but it will appeare to them all that we are cleare of that crime which the aduersary imputeth vnto vs and that our aduersaries through the operation of errours beleeue lies and haue by all fraud and false dealing sought to oppresse the truth Laus Deo
was in the end excommunicated vexed with rebellions most shamefully murdred by a Dominican frier Don Caesare d'este duke of Ferrara was not I trow of our religion yet did the pope excommunicate him and most wrongfully take his state from him Lastly if religion now professed were the immediate cause and originall of any trouble like to ensue then should not the papistes haue béene the principall meanes to mooue warres and rebellions against the state nor the onely practisers against her Maiesties person and safetie as we haue found them to haue béene Wherefore if we will rightly estéeme we shall finde that as true religion is the cause of all those blessings we enioy so poperie and the faction that maintaineth it is the cause of all practises against her Maiestie and the state and of all rebellions and warres and mischiefes entended against vs. Againe as we were without danger as long as God was truely worshipped and idolatrie repressed and Iesuites and priests and their abettors diligently sought out and punished according to lawes and all concurred resolutely to maintaine true religion and the state so since Recusants began of some to finde fauour and masse-priests and Iesuites haue béene suffered to practise without punishment and idolatrie is begun to be priuily erected and some mens mindes grow colde in maintaining true religion and the present gouernment it is no maruell if some inconuenience be feared But remooue this there is no cause why any shoulde either doubt or feare For the pope hath businesse inough to maintaine his owne state no meanes to worke vs trouble but by English traitors In times past he was Stupor mundi the woonderment of the world now he is Fabula mundi that is a matter for idle priests and friers to prate of but not to be feared vnlesse wée liste The Spaniard hath more reason to feare vs and our associates of the low Countries that may be lordes of the sea if we please and may take what part of the Indies we list then we to feare him Sure if his force had béene such as is pretended neuer would he haue suffred such scorne nor descended to such dishonorable courses as he hath done Both the pope and Spaniard depend vpon the aide of English fugitiues and malcontents Draw from them this hope then haue you the end of these supposed feares and a full answere to this traitors painted tales and fables Thus you see this noddy hath neither reason nor truth in his discourse And yet that is not all the fault it hath For it is also impertinēt to the purpose For what if there were some cause of feare or doubt doth it therefore follow that we haue receiued no benefits nor blessings by her Maiesties most happie gouernment the abolishment of idolatrie and restoring of true and catholike religion If then there be no iust cause of feare and onely certaine pusillanimous companions quake at the popes thundring and Spanish bragging or else pretend to do it bicause they looke backe to the fleshpots of Egypt and glory of Babylon then are we to acknowledge Gods fauour that hath not onely giuen vs many graces by her Maiesties meanes but also meanes to maintaine them and to secure our selues And for such cowards as feare forreine enimies we are to put them into the next ranke to English traitors alreadie conspired with the enimie Hée telleth vs further That by alteration of religion in England Scotland Ireland Flanders and France haue tasted of many miseries tumults calamities and desolations Hée should haue said of many blessings and friendly fauors For kindnesses and fauours all our neighbors haue receiued from vs but those calamities and desolations that he speaketh of haue procéeded from the popes furie and malice and from his adherents persecuting quiet people for the profession of true Christian religion But let vs heare the rest of his wise tale Beside battels murders destructions of countries prouinces townes cities houses and particular men saith hée three Princes two Queenes and one King haue beene all brought to their bane by this occasion He saith further That the noble houses and linages of Hamiltons Douglasses Stuardes in Scotland of Desmondes and other peeres in Ireland haue been thereby ruinated and finally That in France and Flanders there is no end of the accompt of those that haue beene destroied by this change of religion as if we had procured all these battels murders destructions or as if wée or our religion were the occasion of the destruction of princes or kings or as if the massacres of France and those bloodie executions had béene committed by vs. What a shamelesse fellow is this to impute the cause of warres and troubles to vs that euer auoided warres as much as we could and offered force to no man nor euer stirred but as defendants for sauegard of our liues Are lambes the causes of the crueltie of wolues or were Christians the authors of the bloodie persecutions of heathen Emperors all these bigge wordes therefore are nothing else but arguments of the Noddies distracted mind and furious hatred against truth that exclameth and crieth out vpon religion and imputeth al calamities vnto it whereas in truth all the cause of this wracke and destruction both of states and priuate families proceeded wholy from want of conscience and hatred of true religion For if wee will looke backe and search the histories of our times wée shall finde that all those tragicall stirres and hurly-burlies that haue brought not onely millions of christians but also a great part of Christendome to destruction haue taken their beginning from the implacable hatred of popes and papists against Christian religion Paule the third enflamed the warres against the princes of Germanie which consumed a great part of that countrey himselfe sent thither great forces both of horse and foote fearing not a little least Charles the fift should make any composition with the Germans In the low Countries the people liued in peace and obedience to their gouernours vntill such time as the popish faction fearing the ruine of their Babylon beganne not onely to make cruell edicts and decrées against the professors of true religion but also by force of armes sought to establish both the Spanish inquisition and an absolute tyrannie a Vita de Pio. quinto Pius the fift when the kings of France and Spaine grew wery of troubles sent his messengers to negotiate with king Philip and the Cardinall of Alexandria to set forward the French king against his subiects He sent also money and soldiers to aide the king to destroy his subiects In king Henrie the eightes daies Paul the third in this Quéenes daies Pius the fift and Gregorie the thirtéenth and other popes a Sanders de Schism stirred vp diuers rebellions in England and Ireland against lawfull princes By the solicitation of the popes agents many thousands of innocent people were massacred in France contrarie to faith and promise These therefore are
cruelly doone to death yet like a lambe did he suffer albeit he had power to execute vengeance vpon his persecutors But the Antijesuites are like wolues in shéepes clothing that practise nothing more then murder of good men and subuersion of states and albeit no man touch them or wrong them yet are they vpon euery excommunication or commaundement of the pope ready to assassinate and murder princes and whosoeuer else shall stand in their way Christ Iesus was without sinne and a perfect patterne of righteousnesse these Antijesuites are slaues of their affections and wheresoeuer they come they a Hazenmiller Simon Lithus Arnoldus Doleus in actione aduers Iesuit leaue behinde them a filthie odour of their couetousnesse rapines pride vaine-glory lecherie and all vilenie and beastlinesse of which they are perfect precedents Secondly the godly christians of ancient time receiued no doctrine but of Christ Iesus and his apostles but these antichristian sectaries haue all their rules from the pope of Rome and his agents and not from Christ nor his disciples Their doctrine although it séemed new yet was it indéed very ancient but the rules of the Iesuites are all confirmed within these thréescore yéeres and all that filth and corruption of poperie which they with their barking and bauling defende is but a packe of nouelties or rather newe heresies inuented by diuers false apostles and teachers raised vp by sathan and commended by the authoritie of antichrist the pope The first christian were men of peace and estranged themselues from princes courtes and seldome medled with publike affaires these sectaries are like the frogs of Egypt that leapt into all Pharohes chambers and closets They insinuate themselues into princes courts and enter into their secrets they swarme euery where like lice they stirre vp warres and preach slaughter of true Christians wheresoeuer they come The apostles and first Christians neuer taught rebellion nor murder and empoisonment of princes nor slaughter of séâ—ly foules that woulde not beléeue their doctrine though most true neither did they publish Christs Gospell with fire and sworde But these apostles of satan preach sedition and rebellion and perswade desperate and lost companions to murder and empoison innocent princes and promise them for their wickednesse rewardes in earth and eternall blessednesse in heauen They murder such as will not hearken to the popes lawes and as Mahomet did in times past so do these plant their sect with fire and sword and all manner of violence Finally all the godly both of ancient and late times by their godly life and fruites issuing of their Christian faith shewed themselues to be the true members of Christs church and true Catholikes and by their meekenesse humilitie and patience wanne to themselues a good name and opinion euen among their enimies But the rustling and antichristian Iesuites through their impieties heresies pride couetousnesse crueltie filthie life and rebellious practises are suspected of a Ribadineira in vita Loiolae friends abhorred of enimies and generally hated of one and other those onely excepted that either know them not or know what gaine they get by their desperate teaching and aduentures There is no truth in their doctrine no humilitie in their conuersation no honestie in their forced chastitie no Christian charitie or vertue among the companions of that sect or societie And that shall well appéere by diuers particulars notwithstanding all the faire glosses of this discourser Gladly woulde he perswade his Reader That those that oppose themselues against the Iesuites are either Iewes Turks and Infidels and such like or those that make diuision saying I am of Caluin I am of Luther or those that haue made shipwracke of faith or false brethren such as loue preeminence as did Diotrephes or else worldlings that follow the world as did Demas But in this diuision or at least enumeration there are two grosse â—ults committed by the Noddy First manie things therein are confidently auouched without proofe that are either very false or very doubtfull For first the Iesuites haue good correspondence with Iewes Turkes and Infidels and neither do the Iesuites persecute the Iewes that are maintained publikely at Rome nor the Turkes or Infidels that bende their forces to roote out Christian religion and extinguish the name and memory of Christ and Christians nor do Turks and Iewes hurt the Iesuites Nay with the Iewes they haue good dealings deliuering theÌ„ their money to put out to interest And so haue Iewes with the Iesuites When the Iesuites of Rome made petition to Sixtus Quintus for some helpe to finish that sumptuous colledge which they had begun for the vse of their societie hée bad them content themselues with the interest of their stockes of money that were in the handes of banquers and vsurers Likewise the Iesuites suffring the Turkes to enter into Transiluania Hungaria and frontiers of christendome do not onely not oppose themselues against them but also séeke to set Christians at variance and to murder and empoison princes that should withstand them Neither do the Iewes or Turkes maligne or speake euill or hurt of Iesuites The Iewes trade with them The Turkes suffer them quietly amongst them Secondly he doth ridiculously and falsely suppose that some among vs say they are of Caluin others that they are of Luther Hée shoulde do vs a pleasure to shewe who they bée For wée neither holde of Caluin nor of Luther no nor of pope Clement nor any other saue Christ Iesus If hée cannot produce the parties that are guiltie wée must tell him that hee is a ridiculous accuser that obiecteth that to vs wherein wée are cléere and wherein hée and his consorts are most guiltie and criminous For the papists are diuided and some hold of Ignatius Loiola some of Francis some of Dominicke some of Brigit some of Clare and all of the pope and such holding pulling there is among them that they haue pulled Christs cote a sunder and diuided themselues from his church holding of antichrist and such rules as they haue receiued from him Thirdly hée doth but speake his pleasure where hée saith that Such especially as haue made shipwracke of faith and ambitious and carnall worldlings do oppugne this sect of Iesuites For they haue no better friendes then the ambitious and luciferian popes the carnall Cardinals the fleshly friers and priests and popish atheists that haue no God but the pope and their bellie men in condition swinish and brutish and in their religion hellish The first author of their sect was a cruel proud and impious hypocrite Paule the third that first confirmed the rule and order of Iesuites was a carnall and bloodie man His sensualitie appéered in the number of his whoores bastardes His crueltie in the persecuting of innocent Christians in his warres in Germanie and rebellious practises in England Of later popes Gregorie the thirtéenth was their best friend and gaue them diuers priuiledges and built them an house Yet was hée