adde fiue score moe of your side conspiring in these Positions belonging to conspiracie Thirdly They speake say you of a Prince excommunicate which is not our English case at this present Good Now at this present namely when you writ and yet peraduenture whilest I replie the case is presently altered or at the Popes pleasure may be And is not this a safe case for our Soueraigne trow ye Wherof more in the next Section The most moderate Answerer His Maiestie was not excommunicate before his Election neither is he now but is both elected and setled in his throne both without any contradiction of the Pope and with his Iubet of all obedience and Prohibet of deniall thereof All the Catholikes of this Kingdome applauded it as much as Protestants and his vnion and league with Catholike Princes and people abroad is sufficient Answer that this is a malitious slaunder of holy Priesthood and proueth Catholikes innocent Protestants guiltie and this man an vniust Accuser The Reply If his Maiestie was not excommunicate by the Pope before his Election which you should rather call Succession then was he vniustly that I may so say excommuned by the Pope before his Election but your Superior Garnet confessed that he had receiued two Breues from the Pope to make vse of whensoeuer our late Queene Elizabeth should depart out of this mortalitie The content of those Breues was this that None should be acknowledged King of England but such as was a professed and resolute Catholike Nulli quantâcunque sanguinis propinquitate nitantur that is No other though neuer so nigh in bloud Which Breues he perceiuing the generall applause of people yeelding to the right of Succession according to nearenesse in bloud burnt Thus we see if the Popes power had not bene disappointed by want of force his Maiesty though nearest in bloud might not haue entred but with bloud Now therefore what a case am I in If I shall denie my fonner assertion then your superior Priest Garnet will accuse me for a liar for his Maiesties case was not different from others seeing The Pope gaue contradiction to his succession if I still defend it then your Priestship doth accuse me for a Slanderer of holy Priesthood The very moderate Answerer Because the Pope gaue a Iubet of all obedience and prohibet restraint of disobedience The Reply Yea Iubet of obedience Iubet what is that Euery child can expound it literally to signifie To commaund but by Popish Glosse may happily signifie to forbid for we must not be ignorant of your like glozing in the publike Decrees of Popes Whereas your Canon is Statuimus We decree that is saith your Expositor We abrogate or disallow Is it not as easie for you to turne Iubet to an id est prohibet Howsoeuer we perceiue your subiection stands still vpon the Popes Iubet that as it is recorded of the French If he shall commaund to kill the King you must be his subiects Lastly there is but one of these Authors aboue mentioned who speaketh expresly of the excommunicate and there is not one of them but iudgeth a publike professed Protestant in the state of an Excommunicate To conclude therefore be you admonished not to preiudice your modestie so much as to taxe any for an Vniust Accuser against whom you can shew no iust exception Yet there remaineth two other mysteries to be vnfolded the first is yours the second is your Superiors CHAP. XIIII The new deuice of our moderate Answerer TThere is at this present a great difference betweene the Emperor who is created by the Popes lawes and with his solemnities from whence he receiueth his sword and a King that is absolute and not so created or depending for power or iurisdiction such as our Soueraigne in England for the Emperor is the Popes Minister as saith Molina The Reply We might peraduenture be beholden vnto you for this distinction if we could presume you knew what you said being guiltie herein of a double falshood first to thinke That the Emperor hath no power but from the Pope the second to say you thinke That other Kings haue not any power which is not from the Pope The former is confuted hereafter the other now in this place For your Carerius making vnction by Romish Bishops in Coronation of Kings to be essentiall to royaltie without which they be no Kings saith That this is a doctrine most commonly knowne of all that the Kings of France England Scotland c. were neuer esteemed Kings before their Vnction No more saith your Parsons in the rigor of iustice before Popish Coronation then the Maior of London can be called Maior before his oath Which Vnction whosoeuer shall refuse saith Reinalds can haue no right to gouerne Christians annointed in Baptisme In briefe None is lawfull King or Queene of England saith your Cardinall without the approbation of the See Apostolike All grosly false for first In France saith your Barclay Kings who are to succeed by inheritance are iudged as consecrate and inaugurate before they be solemnely annointed And shall we thinke the French Kings to exceed our English herei◠No I haue heard Lawyers say The King of England neuer dyeth I thinke they speake not without booke otherwise Q. Mary could neuer haue iustified her act when she beheaded the Duke of Northumberland some moneths before her Coronation for high treason against her royall person I returne to your argument If the Emperor saith your Carerius who is held more eminent at least in dignitie then any King may be reiected by the Popes then much more other Kings may be punished by the Popes authoritie For he that can tame an Eagle may much more command Hawkes Here we obserue your spirits of contradiction you from comparison of disparitie betweene the Emperor and other Kings would seeme to free Kings and inthral the Emperor your Doctor Carerius from the contrarie disparitie would bring all Kings into subiection But know that howsoeuer now the Eagle be entangled whom you esteeme no better then the Popes vassall yet Non facile Accipitri rete sternitur And that neither Emperor nor King are lawfully subiect to this yoke is afterward made manifest A second new deuice His Maistie is not in the case of Excommunication as other relapsed Protestants because he was borne in that faith which he professeth The Reply And yet the now Henry 4. King of France sucking Protestants doctrine from his nurce was excluded from his birth-right of the Crowne till he was reconciled vnto the Pope And this same father Garnet had a Breue from the Pope to barre our Soueraigne from Succession except he should be found absolutely a Romish Catholike If then the Borne Protestants be free from Excommunication why did the Pope exclude the King of France or by his Breue to you except against the King of England If the case be otherwise
shall you be a Preuaricator denying that which you wold seeme before to defend If you say you wold which all yours say you may not then are you whom you would seeme not to be a damnable Equiuocator CHAP. XXIX The Discouerie in the tenth Reason WHosoeuer is possessed with these former seditious Positions that ex Officio that is as he is a Romish Priest he must professe them such an one is to be iudged a most desperate Traitor But all Romish Priests as Priests professe some and othersome all of these seditious Positions â—…go c. The Minor 1. proued 2. confirmed Proued by an argument of Relation that seeing the Authâ—… of this rebellious doctrine are the principall Rabbies of 〈…〉 Sect and publikely authorized with the ordinarie prâ—… of that Church it may not be imagined but that the 〈…〉 are infected with the leauen of their Professors Dâ—… bouenamed To wit 1. Tolet a late Cardinall whose 〈…〉 haue this speciall priuiledge by Pope Gregorâ—e 1â— a That 〈…〉 Vasques the Iesuite they may without censure or examination of any be published to the world Now the booke wherein these positions or rather poysons are contained is intituled De Instructione Sacerdotum that is The Booke of instructions for Priests 2. Cardinall Bellarmine publike Reader in Rome in his Booke intituled Of the Pope of Rome dedicated to 〈◊〉 Quintus Pope of Rome and authorized by the same Pope of Rome to no other end but as he confesseth To instruct those Scholers whom his Holinesse did send for from beyond the Alpes that is all Scotish Polish Flemmish Danish and English extrauagants 3 Cardinall Alane created of the same Pope Xistus Quintus Anno Dom. 1588. to the like end for in the same yeare when the Spanish inuasion was intended against England he published his booke intituled An Admonition to the Nobility of England 4 L. Molina Diuinitie Reader in the Vniuersitie of Ebor. 5 Gregorie of Valentia Diuinitie Reader in the Vniuersitie of Ingolstade 6 Doctor Stapleton Diuinitie Reader in Loâ—aine 7 Dominicus Bannes Diuinitie Reader in the Vniuersitie of Salmat Another much infected with the same leauen and yet priuiledged in Spaine with these commendations A worke admirable and profitable for all Diuines Dignified also of the Friars called Minors in these termes Aglorious worke which lest it want his deserued obedience this we challenge in the power of the holy Ghost vnder our formall commaund without all exceptions in the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost Amen We haue also alledged the resolution of the Iesuites Colledge of the Vniuersitie of Salamancha in Spaine Anno Dom. 1602. As likewise Creswell his Philopater printed at Rome Licentiâ Superiorum by the licence of the Superiors signifying the Iesuites there What shall I need to mention Reinolds in his Rostus a Doctor of Diuinitie and chiefest man in the English Seminarie at Rhemes Father Parsons in his Dolman a principall Rector in the Seminarie at Rome Seeing all these be Seminaries you may trie the young plants by their fruites If any desire further experience in this kind he may consult with Carolus Molinaeus and Pontus Tyardaus both Parisiens and but euen now before I can reade them to be read of all men The Confirmation It will not be denyed of any Priest but that in these Popish Seminaries he hath vowed obedience to his generall Fathers in those schooles and it is as notorious that all Generals are absolutely enthralled to their chiefe Generall the Pope all of them as hands and feet to worke and walke as that their head shall deuise Which as we haue heard in Gregorie the 7. Gregorie the 9. Pius Quint us and others haue absolued Subiects from all obedience and charged them to take armes against their Emperours Kings and Queenes excommunicate c. Shall we now imagine the old Foxes being such that their cubbes can degenerate If euer any of that kind gaue hope vnto vs it was the secular Priests who for a fit did write many things very truly against Iesuiticall rebellious Practises but after perceiuing the Recusants to withdraw their beneuolence as rather deuoted to the Iesuites and that the Pope also tooke part against them they searing their consciences wholly submitted themselues vnto the Arch-priest whose commaund vpon occasion is countermaunded by the faction Iesuiticall So that now we may aswel expect grapes from thorns or a white Aethiopian as loyall subiection from this Religion The moderate Answerer His tenth Reason is no new Reason but an Epilogus of the former But I answer that the Catholike Students neither of Englandnâ—r of any other Nation are bound to defend their Masters reading but in matters of faith and generall receiued doctrine The Reply Nay it is a different and demonstratiue Reason taken from the formall cause of conspiracie and consent in such practises because Doctors and Disciples with you are more then Relatiues for what can most of your Priests say here but as School-boyes Dictata Magistri and as Infants who receiue no more food then that which they sucke from their nurces A matter notorious and how I pray you may we better then by the doctrine of your Generals know what is your generall doctrine The moderate Answerer These Assertions are most falsely obiected for the Scholers do not vow any obedience to their Superiors and that obedience which they follow is in obseruing the Collegiall Rules The Reply Yet they acknowledge obedience as a due thing Though not in the bond of precept yet of perfection And I thinke your vowes do arrogate perfection Secondly it is requisite you should shew vs some reason why your scholers should in these points dissent from their Masters and whether we shold rather beleeue you herein liuing in cryptis or them who for their excellent learning dominantur in Cathedris your doctrine couched vnder a bushell or theirs within their publike and priuiledged bookes set as it were on the house top The moderate Answerer And yet there is not any one sentence alledged from any of them or any other Catholike which in his true sence will bring any preindice to our most holy innocent cause as I haue demonstrated The Reply In his true sence say you Why by what reason can you challenge my sence of vntruth Because the authorities be falsly applyed Why so Because this particular Reason whereupon as 〈◊〉 most certaine foundation his arguments are built is this Protestants are by vs accounted Heretikes and excommunicate which is most false O this then is the onely cause you can pretend but seeing it is confirmed by impregnable demonstrations froÌ„ Popes and all Popish Authors that Protestants by all Papists though heretically are esteemed as Heretikes it will demonstratiâ—ely follow that all the authorities I alledged are rightly applyed and all the crudities of your indigested answer sufficiently dissolued Whether therefore that doctrine whereby
detestable lying vnder the shadow of Equiuocation is authorized for truth where desperate Rebellion is aduanced in the pretence of Religion where most barbarous massacres of Christian people and monstrous murthers of Kings and Princes are magnified as glorious Stratagemes be preindiciall to the holinesse of any cause I dare call heauen earth yea and hell also to witnesse between vs. Thus I leaue you as persons conuicted of high Treason God grant you grace of repentance and now I proceed to pleade the cause of Protestants generally impeached by you as persons guiltie of the same crime The second Part containing a Iustification of Protestants against slaunderous imputations obiected vnto them by this Answerer in two points Doctrine of Rebellion And sacrilegious Aequiuocation CHAP. I. THE second kind of answer in this our moderate Answerer is by Recrimination to make Protestants as much or rather more guiltie of crimes Rebellious and Aequiuocations then the Romish sect First is the case of Rebellion 1. generally 2. more particularly 1. In generall The moderate Answerer Let the Discouerer battle himselfe against his Protestant brethren which of all the people in the world that euer were or will be are most guiltie in these proceedings All iumping together in this conclusion that Kings differing in Religion from them are not worthy to be accounted either Princes or men but must be deposed We haue read and seene many conspiracies and rebellions proceeding from the dogmaticall men of this profession and their Rebels sâ—aine in their actuall rebellions and approued of them and canonized for holy Martyrs The Reply Lowd clamour and lewd Which your generall accusation must haue a general satisfaction to shew that it is childish extrauagant and slaunderous As childish as your boy-trick when about to be conuicted for a truant you accused some other for fellowship Admit then this to be a true recrimination yet as S. Augustine reasoneth of two kind of theeues so may I of diuers kinds of rebels This theefe saith he is not therefore good because the other is worse Can the one of these be saued by the other mans halter 2. Extrauagant wandring out of the circuit of the question thus The question was whether Romish Priests can be true subiects vnto our Protestant King you would satisfie by examples of Protestants disloyaltie to Romish Gouernors Suppose it be so although we condemne all such Protestants yet here is your iniquitie those Protestants in the Romish regiments you call Rebellious traitors and yet you Romish in Protestants kingdomes will be called dutifull and faithful subiects contrary to the naturall law of all equitie Feras legem quam fers To be iudged by your owne law and acknowledge your like case with such Protestants if yet there haue bin any such worthy of the like condemnation 3. Slanderous for those whom you in this place accuse rebellious in another place by consequent you acquit as innocent Protestants you say alledge this Scripture Omnis anima potestatibus sublimioribus subdita sit Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. to proue Princes supremacie By the which also Protestants proue That the Pope of Rome saith Bellarmine ought not to ouer-rule Princes or depriue them of their regiments although otherwise they deserued to be depriued of this opinion be all Protestants Now I would demaund of any indifferent Reader whether they do suffer any to resist who chaleÌ„ge euery one â—o acknowledge obedience We may deuine now what moderation you will keepe in the rest of your accusations who haue thus plainely confuted your selfe in this first CHAP. II. The particular Recriminations are fetched from diuers Kingdomes First to begin at home England The moderate Answerer The Discouerer hath made a fond argument against the Protestant ministers in England conuinced of sedition for taking armes against their Soueraigne The Reply I would this your obiection were such whereby we might onely charge you of foâ—dnesse and not of falshood also and malice For of the Church of England your Iesuite hath giuen a contrary verdit The English Protestants saith he do acknowledge their Christian Prince supreme euen in causes Ecclesiasticall Which is true in his lawfull sence But here againe we behold the spirits of giddinesse you defame the English Christians as denying due subiection to their Soueraigne your Iesuite accuseth the same English for yeelding more then due But I leaue you both to battle together you to accuse him of impudencie and he you of stupiditie This hath bin of English onely yet in generall Next you CHAP. III. Descend vnto Indiuiduals in our English nation The moderate Answerer I must put the Discouerer in mind that he hath beheld his visage too much in the glasse of Cranmer Ridley Latimer Sands Rogers and all Protestants of all places What haue these men done It was the consent of these and the chiefest Protestant Bishops and Diuines that Queene Marie might be deposed and not onely she but her sister Queene Elizabeth a Protestant which was put in practise both with wit and weapons to the vttermost of the Protestants power by the Duke of Northumberland and Suffolke and many others of great estate and not this only against the expresse statutes of the kingdome but their owne oath to the Lady Marie in her fathers life Thus did these wth their Protestant Preachers and forces against the succession of Queene Elizabeth For England I haue spoken already more then I desire had not such wicked accusations against vs vrged me to the breach of silence Now I will onely say that the publike and dogmaticall positions and practises of rebellions by the greatest Protestant subiects of this kingdome the Dukes of Northumberland and Suffolke and so many Nobles to be passed with oblinion with the whole Cleargie against not onely God and their Queene but oathes of fidelitie to King Henrie the eight that I am bold to affirme c. The Reply No maruell though you be bold to affirme thus much concerning the knowledge of these things seeing you verifying the vulgar article are herin blind Seeke therfore into historie the light of veritie and life of antiquitie and you will easily see how much you haue bin ouerseene First your boldnesse touching historie hath presumed to affirme that K. Henrie the eight did illegitimate his two daughters M. and E. and after declared the contrary making them legitimate by statute I haue inquired into the Acts which are extant and I find three Acts whereby the aforesaid daughters were disabled as namely in annis 25. 28. 33. of King Henrie his raigne But for establishing of them in the right of succession I think you cannot shew it except it be in anno nunquam canone nusquam The case is more manifested by the answer of the whole Councell to the letters of Queene Marie wherein she now after the death of King Edward made chalenge to the right of the
the Hebrewes of old what nation could haue resisted thew force Although these glorious Martyrs of the mother Church in their death whereby they haue anouched that good and glorious profession of Christian faith haue thereby also sealed the infallible truth of Christian obedience due to earthly Potentates yet will we not be content with these two hundred yeares but challenge the currant and successiue practise of 4000. more We therefore come to CHAP. IX The same duty of Subiection proued in the next 400. yeares FIrst Tertullian in his Apologie in defence of Christian loyalty God forbid saith he that Christian professours should reuenge themselues with humane power or feare that touch of persecution whereby they are tried for if we would either seeke secret reuenge or vse open hostility can you imagine we could want sufficient force we are visibly knowen vnto you and are interested in all your affaires your Cities Iles Forts Borrowes Tents Tribes Decuries Senate Maâ—kets are all full of Christians except only your temples Now what warre are not we ready and sit for who being in power moe yet do willingly suffer death if by this profession it were not more lawfull to be killed than to kill Heerein you who boast often of yours as great multitudes in England as there were locusts in Aegypt able to do mischiefe if you would and professing also to be willing as soone as you are able Compare but your God speed with Tertullian his God forbid and then you shall see that God cannot be said to be otherwise in your Popes Buls to kings than he was in Aarons calfe for in both there is a sinne of rebellion against Gods ordinance The second is Cyprian he likewise penneth an Apology and directeth it to Demetrianus the Officer of the persecuting Emperour answering in behalfe of all the Christians of his time None of vâ—when he is apprehended doth resist or reuenge himselfe of your vniust violence although the number of our people be maruellous great for our certaine confidence we haue in him that will take vengeance of all transgressours doth confirme our patience Whereby you are taught not to glory of patience who if you had force would banish obedience The third is Athanasius writing an Apologie for himselfe to Constantius an Arian Emperor and therfore hereticall to free himselfe of a slanderous imputation which was that he had suggested some matter to the Emperour Constance a Catholicke thereby to kindle coales of dissention betwixt Brethren therefore he saith I call God to record vpon my soule and your Brother Constance could witnesse that I neuer spake word of you in euill part I was not so madde as to forget the commandement of God who saith Thou shall not speake euill of thy King no not in thy hart but did obey your command when I had charge to depart from Alexandria The summe is this When he had power to stirre the Emperour Constance a true professor against his brother Constantius an hereticke yet he made conscience not to raise rebellion but rather submitted himselfe to the violence of persecution If your Pope had beene truly catechized in this Creed of Athanasius belonging to the truth of faithfull allegeance he would not so oft haue raised King against King as your selues confessed And why then may not hee be that man prophecied of Sitting on a red horse and hauing power permissiuely giuen vnto him to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one another The fourth is Gregory Nazianzene in his Oration against the Emperour Iulian who the very hinge of this cause had beene a Christian and did after Apostate and proue an Infidell saith Against whom of you did wee euer raise any insurrection or sedition among your people though otherwise of themselues prone to rebellion or whose death did wee euer conspire But you lately whose deaths haue you not conspired The fifth is Ambrose When the Emperour infected with the heresie of Arius had sent magistrates to remoue Ambrose from his Bishopricke and the people thronged to rescew him In such power saith Ambrose that the Officers could not resist their force I quieted the people and yet could not auoid their malice Then sure he did abhorre by raising sedition among the people to prouoke magistrates to malice The same Father vpon that penitentiall dumpe of holy Dauid to thee only haue I sinned proueth that some Kings are not subiect to any penall law of man And for S. Ambrose his actiue profession in this kind it is confessed by your owne Doctor saying that Saint Ambrose when he was sufficiently armed both by power of people and souldiers strengthened with the might of Christ yet would not defend his Church with violence against the fury of the hereticall Emperor The sixth is Basill Who by reason of the strength of the forts wherein he was needed not to feare any danger yet suppliantly offered himselfe to Iulian the Apostate and caused the gates of the city to be opened vnto him thereby to appease his wrath against Christians The seuenth is S. Augustine who in his expositioÌ„s of some proposition doth concerning this point giue this instruction Whereas the Apostle saith he exhorteth that we should not resist gouernors in temporall matters he saith It is necessary that we be subiect and lest any might not performe this in loue but as from constraint and necessity he addeth Not for feare of wrath but for conscience sake that is not dissemblingly but dutifully in good conscience and loue to him God who commandeth subiection and as in another place he exhorteth Seruants Obey your hard and iniurious masters but not with ey-seruice as only pleasing men but God Therefore you must not plead Your most humble subiect aboue ground and from the concaue and vautes of the earth seeke how to humble your soueraigne Forey seruice and hart-seruice do distinguish a Christian from a Pagan according to that of Arnobius You Pagans do feare onely the outward sight of men we only the inward conscience of our mind The eight is Pope Leo writing to a true Catholicke Emperour You may not be ignorant saith he that your Princely power is giuen vnto you not only in worldly regiment but also Spirituall for the preseruation of the Church As if hee had said Not only in causes temporall but also inspirituall so far as it belongeth to outward preseruation not to the personall administration of them And this is the substance of our English oath and further neither do our Kings of England challenge nor subiects condiscend vnto We are not yet passed the lists of 500. yeares The last is Pope Gregory in his Epistle to Mauritius a right Christian Emperour To this end saith he is power ouer all persons giuen from heauen vnto my Lord that good men may be helped in the way to the kingdome of heauen And again In those gratious commands of your