to the Emperours for their Confirmation And this lasted almost seuen hundreth yeeres after CHRIST witnesse Sigebert and Luitprandus with other Popish Historians And for Emperours deposing of Popes there are likewise diuers examples The Emperour Ottho deposed Pope Iohn the twelfth of that name for diuers crimes and vices especially of lecherie The Emperour Henry the third in a short time deposed three Popes Benedict the ninth Siluester the third and Gregory the sixt as well for the sinne of Auarice as for abusing their extraordinarie authoritie against Kings and Princes And as for Kings that haue denied this temporall Superioritie of Popes First we haue the vnanime testimonie of diuers famous Historiographers for the generall of many Christian Kingdomes As Walthram testifieth That the Bishops of Spaine Scotland England Hungary from ancient institution till this moderne noueltie had their Inuestiture by Kings with peaceable inioying of their temporalities wholly and entirely and whosoeuer saith hee is peaceably solicitous let him peruse the liues of the Ancients and read the Histories and hee shall vnderstand thus much And for verification of this generall assertion we will first begin at the practise of the Kings of France though not named by Walthram in this his enumeration of Kingdomes amongst whom my first witnesse shall be that vulgarly knowen Letter of Philip le Bel King of France to Pope Boniface the viij the beginning whereof after a scornefull salutation is Sciat tua maxima fatuitas nos in temporalibus nemini subesse And likewise after that Lewes the ninth surnamed Sanctus had by a publike instrument called Pragmatica Sanctio forbidden all the exactions of the Popes Court within his Realme Pope Pius the ij in the beginning of Lewes the eleuenth his time greatly misliking this Decree so long before made sent his Legate to the said King Lewes with Letters patents vrging his promise which he had made when he was Dolphin of France to repeale that Sanction if euer hee came to bee King The King referreth the Legate ouer with his Letters-patents to the Councel of Paris where the matter being propounded was impugned by Ioan. Romanus the Kings Atturney with whose opinion the Vniuersitie of Paris concurring an Appeale was made from the attempts of the Pope to the next generall Councell the Cardinall departing with indignation But that the Kings of France and Church therof haue euer stoken to their Gallican immunitie in denying the Pope any temporall power ouer them and in resisting the Popes as oft as euer they prest to meddle with their temporall power euen in the donation of Benefices the Histories are so full of them as the onely examples thereof would make vp a bigge Volume by it selfe And so farre were the Sorbonists for the Kings and French Churches priuiledge in this point as they were wont to maintain That if the Pope fell a quarrelling the King for that cause the Gallican Church might elect a Patriarch of their owne renouncing any obedience to the Pope And Gerson was so farre from giuing the Pope that temporall authoritie ouer Kings who otherwise was a deuoute Roman Catholike as hee wrote a Booke de Auferibilitate Papae not onely from the power ouer Kings but euen ouer the Church And now permitting all further examples of forraigne Kings actions I will onely content mee at this time with some of my owne Predecessors examples of this Kingdom of England that it may thereby the more clearly appeare that euen in those times when the worlde was fullest of darkened blindnesse and ignorance the Kings of England haue oftentimes not only repined but euen strongly resisted and withstoode this temporall vsurpation and encroachment of ambitious Popes And I will first begin at King Henry the first of that name after the Conquest who after he was crowned gaue the Bishopricke of Winchester to William Gifford and forthwith inuested him into all the possessions belonging to the Bishopricke contrarie to the Canons of the new Synod King Henrie also gaue the Archbishopricke of Canterburie to Radulph Bishop of London and gaue him inuestiture by a Ring and a Crosiers staffe Also Pope Calixtus held a Councell at Rhemes whither King Henry had appointed certaine Bishops of England and Normandie to goe Thurstan also elected Archbishop of Yorke got leaue of the King to goe thither giuing his faith that hee would not receiue Consecration of the Pope And comming to the Synode by his liberal gifts as the fashion is wanne the Romanes fauour and by their meanes obtained to bee Consecrate at the Popes hand Which as soone as the King of England knewe hee forbad him to come within his Dominions Moreouer King Edward the first prohibited the Abbot of Waltham and Dean of Pauls to collect a tenth of euery mans goods for a supply to the holy Land which the Pope by three Bulles had committed to their charge and the said Deane of Pauls compering before the King and his Councell promised for the reuerence he did beare vnto the King not to meddle any more in that matter without the Kings good leaue and permission Here I hope a Church-man disobeyed the Pope from obedience to his Prince euen in Church matters but this new Iesuited Diuinitie was not then knowen in the world The same Edward I. impleaded the Deane of the Chappell of Vuluerhampton because the said Deane had against the priuiledges of the Kingdome giuen a Prebend of the same Chappell to one at the Popes command whereupon the said Deane compeered and put himselfe in the Kings will for his offence The said Edward I. depriued also the Bishop of Durham of all his liberties for disobeying a prohibition of the Kings So as it appeareth the Kings in those dayes thought the Church men their SVBIECTS though now wee be taught other Seraphicall doctrine For further proofe whereof Iohn of Ibstocke was committed to the goale by the saide King for hauing a suite in the Court of Rome seauen yeares for the Rectorie of Newchurch And Edward II. following the footsteps of his Father after giuing out a Summons against the Abbot of Walden for citing the Abbot of S. Albons and others in the Court of Rome gaue out letters for his apprehension And likewise because a certaine Prebend of Banbury had drawen one Beuercoat by a Plea to Rome without the Kings Dominions therefore were Letters of Caption sent foorth against the said Prebend And Edward III. following likewise the example of his Predecessors Because a Parson of Liche had summoned the Prior of S. Oswalds before the Pope at Auinion for hauing before the Iudges in England recouered the arrerage of a pension directed a Precept for seasing vpon all the goods both spirituall and Temporall of the said Parson because hee had done this in preiudice of the King and Crowne The saide King also made one Harwoden to bee declared culpable and worthy to bee punished for procuring the Popes Bulles
vnto the said Arch-priests charge as I haue neuer done to any for cause of conscience so was Blackwels constancie neuer brangled by taking of this Oath It being a thing which he euer thought lawfull before his apprehension and whereunto hee perswaded all Catholikes to giue obedience like as after his apprehension he neuer made doubt or stop in it but at the first offering it vnto him did freely take it as a thing most lawfull neither meanes of threatning or flatterie being euer vsed vnto him as himselfe can yet beare witnesse And as for the temperature and modification of this Oath except that a reasonable and lawfull matter is there set downe in reasonable temperate words agreeing thereunto I know not what he can meane by quarelling it for that fault For no temperatnes nor modifications in words therein can iustly be called the Deuils craft when the thing it selfe is so plaine and so plainely interpreted to all them that take it as the onely troublesome thing in it all bee the words vsed in the end thereof for eschewing aequiuocation and mentall reseruation Which new Catholique doctrine may farre iustlier bee called the Deuils craft then any plaine and temperate words in so plaine and cleare a matter But what shal we say of these strange countrey clownes whom of with the Satyre we may iustly complaine that they blovv both hote and cold out of one mouth For Luther and our bolde and free speaking Writers are mightily railed vpon by them as hot brained fellovves and speakers by the Deuils instinct and novv if vve speake moderately and temperately of them it must bee tearmed the Deuils craft And therefore we may iustly complaine vvith CHRIST that when we mourne they wil not lament and when vve pipe they vvill not dance But neither Iohn Baptist his seueritie nor CHRIST his meekenesse and lenitie can please them vvho build but to their owne Monarchie vpon the ground of their ovvn Traditions and not to CHRIST vpon the ground of his Word and infallible trueth But vvhat can bee meant by alleadging that the craft of the Deuill herein is onely vsed for subuersion of the Catholique faith and euersion of S. Peters Primacie had need bee commented anevv by Bellarmine himselfe For in all this Letter of his neuer one vvord is vsed to proue that by any part of this Oath the primacy of S. Peter is any vvay medled vvith except Master Bellarmine his bare alledging which without prouing it by more cleare demonstration can neuer satisfie the conscience of any reasonable man For for ought that I know heauen and earth are no farther asunder then the professon of a temporall obedience to a temporall King is different from any thing belonging to the Catholique faith or Supremacie of S. Peter For as for the Catholique faith can there bee one word found in all that Oath tending or sounding to matter of Religion Doeth he that taketh it promise there to beleeue or not to beleeue any article of Religion Or doeth he so much as name a true or a false Church there And as for S. Peters Primacie I know no Apostles name that is therein named except the name of IAMES it being my Christen name though it please him not to deigne to name me in all the Letter albeit the contents thereof concerne me in the highest degree Neither is there any mention at all made therein either disertis verbis or by any other indirect meanes either of the Hierarchie of the Church of S. Peters succession of the Sea Apostolike or of any such matter but that the Author of our Letter doeth brauely make mention of S. Peters succession bringing it in comparison with the succession of Henry the eight Of which vnapt and vnmannerly similitude I wonder hee should not bee much ashamed For as to King Henries successour which he meaneth by mee as I I say neuer did nor will presume to create any article of fayth or to bee Iudge thereof but to submit my exemplary obedience vnto them in as great humilitie as the meanest of the land so if the Pope could bee as well able to proue his either Person all or Doctrinall Succession from S. Peter as I am able to proue my lineall descent from the Kings of England and Scotland there had neuer been so long adoe nor so much sturre kept about this question in Christendome neither had M. Bellarmine himselfe needed to haue bestowed so many sheetes of paper De summo Pontifice in his great bookes of Controuersies and when all is done to conclude with a morall certitude and a piè credēdum bringing in the Popes that are parties in this cause to bee his witnesses and yet their historicall narration must be no article of faith And I am without vantrie sure that I doe farre more neerely imitate the worthy actions of my Predecessors then the Popes in our age can be well proued to be similes Petro especially in cursing of Kings and setting free their Subiects from their Allegiance vnto them But now we come to his strongest argument which is That he would alledge vpon me a Panick terrour as if I were possessed with a needlesse feare For saith the Cardinall from the beginning of the Churches first infancie euen to this day where was it euer heard that euer a Pope either commanded to be killed or allowed the slaughter of any Prince whatsoeuer whether he were an Hereticke an Ethnike or Persecutor But first wherefore doth he here wilfully and of purpose omit the rest of the points mentioned in that Oath for deposing degrading stirring vp of arms or rebelling against them vvhich are as vvell mentioned in tha◠Oath as the killing of them as being all of one consequence against a King no Subiect being so scrupulous as that hee will attempt the one and leaue the other vnperformed if he can And yet surely I cannot blame him for passing it ouer since he could not otherwise haue eschewed the direct belying of himselfe in tearmes which hee now doeth but in substance and effect For as for the Popes deposing and degrading of Kings hee maketh so braue vaunts and bragges of it in his former bookes as he could neuer with ciuil honesty haue denied it here But to returne to the Popes allowing of killing of Kings I know not with what face hee can sent so stout a deniall vpon it against his owne knowledge How many Emperors did the Pope raise warre against in their owne bowels Who as they were ouercome in battaile were subiect to haue bene killed therein which I hope the Pope could not but haue allowed when hee was so farre inraged at Henry the fift for giuing buriall to his fathers dead corps after the Pope had stirred him vp to rebell against his father and procured his ruine But leauing these old Histories to Bellarmines owne bookes that doe most authentically cite them as I haue already said let vs turne our eyes vpon
against a Iudgment that was giuen by the Kings Iudges And likewise Because one entred vpon the Priory of Barnewell by the Popes Bull the said Intrant was committed to the Tower of London there to remaine during the Kings pleasure So as my Predecessours ye see of this Kingdome euen when the Popes triumphed in their greatnes spared not to punish any of their Subiects that would preferre the Popes obedience to theirs euen in Church matters So farre were they then from either acknowledging the Pope for their temporal Superior or yet from doubting that their owne Church-men were not their Subiects And now I will close vp all these examples with an Act of Parliament in King Richard 2. his time whereby it was prohibited That none should procure a Benefice from Rome vnder paine to be put out of the Kings protection And thus may yee see that what those Kings successiuely one to another by foure generations haue acted in priuate the same was also maintained by a publike Law By these few examples now I hope I haue sufficiently cleared my selfe from the imputation that any ambition or desire of Noueltie in mee should haue stirred me either to robbe the Pope of any thing due vnto him or to assume vnto my selfe any further authoritie then that which other Christian Emperours and Kings through the world and my owne Predecessours of England in especiall haue long agone maintained Neither is it enough to say as Parsons doeth in his answere to the Lord Cooke That farre more Kings of this Countrey haue giuen many more examples of acknowledging or not resisting the Popes vsurped Authoritie some perchance lacking the occasion and some the abilitie of resisting them for euen by the ciuill Law in the case of violent intrusion and long and wrongfull possession against mee it is enough if I proue that I haue made lawfull interruption vpon conuenient occasions But the Cardinall thinkes the Oath not onely vnlawfull for the substance thereof but also in regard of the Person whom vnto it is to bee sworne For saith he The King is not a Catholike And in two or three other places of his booke he sticketh not to call me by my name very broadly an Heretike as I haue already tolde But yet before I be publikly declared an Heretike by the Popes owne Law my people ought not to refuse their Obedience vnto me And I trust if I were but a Subiect and accused by the Pope in his Conclaue before his Cardinals he would haue hard prouing me an Heretike if he iudged mee by their owne ancient Orders For first I am no Apostate as the Cardinall would make mee not onely hauing euer been brought vp in that Religion which I presently professe but euen my Father and Grandfather on that side professing the same and so cannot be properly an Heretike by their owne doctrine since I neuer was of their Church And as for the Queene my Mother of worthie memorie although she continued in that Religion wherin she was nourished yet was shee so farre from being superstitious or Iesuited therein that at my Baptisme although I was baptized by a Popish Archbishop shee sent him word to forbeare to vse the spettle in my Baptisme which was obeyed being indeed a filthy and an apish trick rather in scorne then imitation of CHRIST And her owne very words were That shee would not haue a pockie Priest to spet in her childs mouth As also the Font wherin I was Christened was sent from the late Queene heere of famous memorie who was my Godmother and what her Religion was Pius V. was not ignorant And for further proofe that that renowmed Queene my Mother was not superstitious as in all her Letters whereof I receiued many she neuer made mention of Religion nor laboured to perswade me in it so at her last words she cōmanded her Master-houshold a Scottish Gentleman my seruant and yet aliue shee commanded him I say to tell me That although she was of another Religion then that wherein I was brought vp yet she woud not presse me to change except my owne conscience forced mee to it For so that I led a good life and were carefull to doe iustice and gouerne well she doubted not but I would be in a good case with the profession of my owne Religion Thus am I no Apostate nor yet a deborder from that Religion which one part of my Parents professed and an other part gaue me good allowance of Neither can my Baptisme in the rites of their Religion make me an Apostate or Heretike in respect of my present profession since wee all agree in the substance thereof being all baptized In the Name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost vpon which head there is no variance amongst vs. And now for the point of Heretike I will neuer bee ashamed to render an account of my profession and of that hope that is in me as the Apostle prescribeth I am such a CATHOLIKE CHRISTIAN as beleeueth the three Creeds That of the Apostles that of the Councell of Nice and that of Athanasius the two latter being Paraphrases to the former And I beleeue them in that sense as the ancient Fathers and Councels that made them did vnderstand them To which three Creedes all the Ministers of England doe subscribe at their Ordination And I also acknowledge for Orthodoxe all those other formes of Creeds that either were deuised by Councels or paticular Fathers against such particular Heresies as most reigned in their times I reuerence and admit the foure first generall Councels as Catholike and Orthodoxe And the said foure generall Councels are acknowledged by our Acts of Parliament and receiued for Orthodoxe by our Church As for the Fathers I reuerence them as much and more then the Iesuites doe and as much as themselues euer craued For what euer the Fathers for the first fiue hundreth yeeres did with an vnanime consent agree vpon to be beleeued as a necessary point of saluation I either will beleeue it also or at least will be humbly silent not taking vpon me to condemne the same But for euery priuate Fathers opinion it bindes not my conscience more then Bellarmines euery one of the Fathers vsually contradicting others I wil therefore in that case follow S. Augustines rule in iudging of their opinions as I finde them agree with the Scriptures what I find agreeable thereunto I will gladly imbrace what is otherwise I will with their reuerence reiect As for the Scriptures no man doubteth I will beleeue them But euen for the Apocrypha I hold them in the same account that the Ancients did They are still printed and bound with our Bibles and publikely read in our Churches I reuerence them as the writings of holy and good men but since they are not found in the Canon we account them to be secundae lectionis or ordinis which is Bellarmines owne distinction and therefore not sufficient whereupon alone to ground any article
curse those that worship Images that haue eyes and see not that haue eares and heare not would much more haue cursed them that worship a piece of a sticke thâ—t hath not so much as any resemblance or representation of eyes or eares As for Pugatorie and all the trash depending thereupon it is not worth the talking of Bellarmine cannot finde any ground for it in all the Scriptures Onely I would pray him to tell me If that faire greene Meadow that is in Purgatorie haue a brooke running thorow it that in case I come there I may haue hawking vpon it But as for me I am sure there is a Heauen and a Hell praemium poena for the Elect and reprobate How many other roomes there bee I am not on God his counsell Multae sunt mansiones in domo Patris mei saith CHRIST who is the true Purgatorie for our sinnes But how many chambers and anti-chambers the Deuill hath they can best tell that goe to him But in case there were more places for soules to goe to then wee know of yet let vs content vs with that which in his Word hee hath reuealed vnto vs and not inquire further into his secrets Heauen and Hell are there reuealed to be the eternall home of all mankinde let vs indeauour to winne the one and eschew the other and there is an end Now in all this discourse haue I yet left out the maine Article of the Romish faith and that is the Head of the Church or Peters Primacie for who denieth this denieth fidem Catholicam saith Bellarmine That Bishops ought to be in the Church I euer maintained it as an Apostolike institution and so the ordinance of GOD contrary to the Puritanes and likewise to Bellarmine who denies that Bishops haue their Iurisdiction immediatly from God But it is no wonder he takes the Puritanes part since Iesuits are nothing but Puritan-Papists And as I euer maintained the state of Bishops and the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie for order sake so was I euer an enemy to the confused Anarchie or paritie of the Puritanes as well appeareth in my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heauen is gouerned by order and all the good Angels there nay Hell it selfe could not subsist without some order And the very Deuils are diuided into Legions and haue their chiefetaines how can any societie then vpon earth subsist without order and degrees And therefore I cannot enough wonder with what brasen face this Answerer could say That I was a Puritane in Scotland and an enemy to Protestants I that was persecuted by Puritanes there not from my birth only but euen since foure moneths before my birth I that in the yeere of GOD 84 erected Bishops and depressed all their popular Paritie I then being not 18. yeeres of age I that in my said Booke to my Sonne doe speake tenne times more bitterly of them nor of the Papists hauing in my second Edition therof affixed a long Apologetike Preface onely in odium Puritanorum and I that for the space of sixe yeares before my comming into England laboured nothing so much as to depresse their Paritie and re-erect Bishops againe Nay if the daily Commentaries of my life and actions in Scotland were written as Iulius Caesars were there would scarcely a moneth passe in all my life since my entring into the 13. yeare of my age wherein some accident or other would not conuince the Cardinall of a lye in this point And surely I giue a faire commendation to the Puraitnes in that place of my booke where I affirme that I haue found greater honesty with the high-land and border theeues then with that sort of people But leauing him to his own impudence I returne to my purpose Of Bishops and Church Hierarchie I very well allowe as I saide before and likewise of Rancks and Degrees amongst Bishops Patriarches I know were in the time of the Primitiue Church and I likewise reuerence that institution for order sake and amongst them was a contention for the first place And for my selfe if that were yet the question I would with all my heart giue my consent that the Bishop of Rome should haue the first Seate I being a Westerne King would go with the Patriarch of the West And for his temporall Principalitie ouer the Signory of Rome I doe not quarrell it neither let him in God his Name be Primus Episcopus inter omnes Episcopos and Princeps Episcoporum so it be no other wise but as Peter was Princeps Apostolorum But as I well allow of the Hierarchie of the Church for distinction of Orders for so I vnderstand it so I vtterly denie that there is an earthly Monarch thereof whose word must be a Law and who cannot erre in his Sentence by an infallibilitie of Spirit Because earthly Kingdomes must haue earthly Monarches it doeth not follow that the Church must haue a visible Monarch too for the world hath not ONE earthly temporall Monarch CHRIST is his Churches Monarch and the holy Ghost his Deputie Reges gentium dominantur eoruÌ„ vos autem non sic CHRIST did not promise before his ascension to leaue Peter with them to direct and instruct them in all things but hee promised to send the holy Ghost vnto them for that end And as for these two before cited places wherby Bellarmine maketh the Pope to triumph ouer Kings I meane Pasce oues and Tibi dabo claues the Cardinall knowes well enough that the same words of Tibi dabo are in another place spoken by Christ in the plural number And he likewise knowes what reason the Ancients doe giue why Christ bade Peter pascere oues and also what a cloude of witnesses there is both of Ancients and euen of late Popish writers yea diuers Cardinals that do all agree that both these speeches vsed to Peter were meant to all the Apostles represented in his person Otherwise how could Paul direct the Church of Corinth to excommunicate the incestuous person cum spiritu suo whereas hee should then haue said cum spiritu Petri And how could all the Apostles haue otherwise vsed all their censures only in Christs Name and neuer a word of his Vicar Peter wee reade did in all the Apostles meetings sit amongst them as one of their number And when chosen men were sent to Antiâ—chia from that great Apostolike Councell at Ierusalem Acts 15. The text saith It seemed good to the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church to send chosen men but no mention made of the Head therof and so in their Letters no mention is made of Peter but onely of the Apostles Elders and Brethren And it is a wonder why Paul rebuketh the Church of Corinth for making exception of Persons because some followed Paul some Apollos some Cephas if Peter was their visible Head for then those that followed not Peter or Cephas renounced the Catholike faith But it appeareth well that Paul knew
no absurdities Otherwise it is an easie thing for Momus to picke quarrels in another mans tale and tell it worse himselfe it being a more easie practise to finde faults then to amend them Hauing now made this digression anent the Antichrist which I am sure I can better fasten vpon the Pope then Bellarmine can doe his pretended temporall Superioritie ouer Kings I will returne againe to speake of this Answerer who as I haue alreadie told you so fitteth his matter with his maner of answering that as his Style is nothing but a Satyre and heape full of iniurious and reprochfull speeches as well against my Person as my Booke so is his matter as full of lyes and falsities indeed as he vniustly layeth to my charge For three lyes hee maketh against the Oath of Allegiance contained and maintained in my Booke besides that ordinary repeated lye against my Book of his omitting to answere my lyes trattles iniurious speeches and blasphemies One grosse lye hee maketh euen of the Popes first Breue One lye of the Puritanes whom he would gladly haue to bee of his partie And one also of the Powder-Traitors anent the occasion that moued them to vndertake that treasonable practise Three lies he makes of that Acte of Parliament wherein this Oath of Allegiance is contained He also maketh one notable lye against his owne Catholike Writers And two of the causes for which two Iesuites haue bene put to death in England And hee either falsifies denies or wrests fiue sundry Histories and a printed Pamphlet besides that impudent lye that he maketh of my Person that I was a Puritane in Scotland which I haue alreadie refuted And for the better filling vp of his booke with such good stuffe he hath also fiue so strange and new principles of Diuinitie therein as they are either new or at least allowed by very few of his owne Religion All which lyes with diuers others and fiue strange and as I thinke erroneous points of Doctrine with sâ—n dry falsifications of Hystories are set downe in a Table by themselues in the end of this my Epistle hauing their Refutation annexed to euery one of them But as for the particular answering of his booke it is both vnnecessarie and vncomely for me to make a Reply Vnnecessarie because as I haue alreadie told you my Booke is neuer yet answered so farre as belongeth to the maine question anent the Oath of Allegiance the picking of aduantage vpon the wrong placing of the figures in the citations or such errors in the Print by casuall addition or omission of words that make nothing to the Argument being the greatest weapons wherewith hee assaults my Booke And vncomely it must needs be in my opinion for a King to fall in altercation with a Cardinall at least with one no more nobly descendâ—d then he is That Ecclesiasticall dignitie though by the sloath of Princes as I said before it bee now come to that height of vsurped honour yet being in the true originall and foundation thereof nothing else but the title of the Priestes and Deacons of the parish Churches in the towne of Rome at the first the style of Cardinals beeing generally giuen to all Priestes and Deacons of any Cathedrall Church though the multitude of such Cardinall Priests and Deacons resorting to Rome was the cause that after bred the restraining of that title of Cardinall Priests and Deacons onely to the Parish priests and Deacons of Rome And since that it is S. Gregorie who in his Epistles sixe hundreth yeares after CHRIST maketh the first mention of Cardinals and so these now Electours of the Apostolike Sea beeing long and many hundreth yeers vnknowen or vnheard of after the Apostolâ—ke age and yet doth he speake of them but in this sense as I haue now described I hope the Cardinall who calleth him the Apostle of England cannot blame me that am King thereof to acknowledge the Cardinall in no other degree of honour then our said Apostle did But how they should now become to be so strangely exalted aboue their first originall institution that from Parish-priests and Deacons Priests inferiours they should now come to be Princes and Peeres to Kings and from a degree vnder Bishops as both Bellarmine and Onuphrius confesse to be now the Popes sole Electors suâ—plying with him the place of a General Counsel whereby the conuening of generall Councels is now vtterly antiquated and abolished nay out of their number onely the Pope to be elected who claimeth the absolute Superiority ouer all Kings how this their strange vsurped exaltation I say should thus creepe in and be suffered it belongeth all them in our place and calling to look vnto it who being GOD his Lieuteâ—aÌ„ts in earth haue good reason to be iealous of such vpstart Princes meane in their originall come to that height by their owne creation and now accounting themselues Kings fellowes But the speciall harme they do vs is by their defrauding vs of our common Christian interest in generall Councels they hauing as I sayd vtterly abolished the same by rowling it vp and making as it were a Monopoly thereof in their Conclaue with the Pope Whereas if euer there were a possibilitie to bee expected of reducing all Christians to an vniformitie of Religion it must come by the meanes of a generall Councell the place of their meeting beeing chosen so indiffereÌ„t as all Christian Princes either in their owne Persons or their Deputie Commissioners and all Church men of Christian profession that beleeue and professe all the ancient grounds of the true ancient Catholike and Apostolike Faith might haue tutum accessum thereunto All the incendiaries and Nouelist fire-brands on either side beeing debarred from the same as well Iesuites as Puritanes And therefore hauing resolued not to paine my selfe with making a Reply for these reasons here specified grounded as well vpon the consideration of the matter as of the person of the Answerer I haue thought good to content my selfe with the reprinting of my Apologie hauing in a maner corrected nothing but the Copiers or Printers faults therein and prefixed this my Epistle of Dedication and Warning therunto that I may yet see if any thing will be iustly said against it Not doubting but enow of my Subiects will reply vpon these Libellers and answere them sufficiently wishing YOV deepely to consider and weigh your common interest in this Cause For neither in all my Apologie nor in his pretended Refutation thereof is there any question made anent the Popes power ouer mee in particular for the excommunicating or deposing of me For in my particular the Cardinall doeth me that grace that he saith The Pope thought it not expedient at this time to excommunicate me by name our question beeing onely generall Whether the Pope may lawefully pretend any temporall power ouer Kings or no That no Church men can by his rule be subiect to any temporall Prince I haue already shewed you And what
not suffer this incroching Babylonian Monarch to winne still ground vpon vs. And if God hath so mercifully dealt with vs that are his Lieutenants vpon earth as that he hath ioyned his cause with our interest the spirituall libertie of the Gospel with our temporall freedome with what zeale and courage may wee then imbrace this worke for our labours herein being assured to receiue at the last the eternall and inestimable reward of felicitie in the kingdome of Heauen and in the meane time to procure vnto our selues a temporall securitie in our temporall Kingdomes in this world As for so many of you as are already perswaded of that Truth which I professe though differing among your selues in some particular points I think little perswasion should moue you to this holy and wise Resolution Our Greatnes nor our number praised bee God being not so contemptible but that we may shew good example to our neighbors since almost the halfe of all Christian people and of all sorts and degrees are of our profession I meane all gone out of Babylon euen from Kings and free Princes to the meanest sort of people But aboue all my louing Brethren and Cosins keepe fast the vnity of Faith amongst your selues Reiect questions of Genealogies and Aniles fabulas as Paul saith Let not the foolish heate of your Preachers for idle Controuersies or indifferent things teare asunder that mysticall Body whereof yee are a part since the very coat of him whose members wee are was without a seame And let not our diuision breed a slander of our faith and be a word of reproch in the mouthes of our aduersaries who make Vnitie to be one of the speciall notes of the true Church And as for you my louing Brethren and Cosins whome it hath not yet pleased GOD to illuminate with the light of trueth I can but humbly pray with Elizeus that it would please GOD to open your eyes that yee might see what innumerable and inuincible armies of Angels are euer prepared and ready to defend the truth of GOD and with S. Paul I wish that ye were as I am in this case especially that yee would search the Scriptures and ground your Faith vpon your owne certaine knowledge and not vpon the report of others since euery Man must be saf◠by his owne faith But leauing this to GOD his mercifull prouidence in his due time I haue good reason to remember you to maintaine the ancient liberties of your Crownes and Common-wealthes not suffering any vnder GOD to set himselfe vp aboue you and therein to imitate your owne noble predecessors who euen in the dayes of greatest blindnes did diuers times couragiously oppose themselues to the incroaching ambition of Popes Yea some of your Kingdomes haue in all ages maintained and without any interruption enioyed your libertie against the most ambitious Popes And some haue of very late had an euident proofe of the Popes ambitious aspiring ouer your temporall power wherein ye haue constantly maintained and defended your lawfull freedome to your immortall honour And therefore I heartily wish you all to doe in this case the office of godly and iust Kings and earthly Iudges which consisteth not onely in not wronging or inuading the liberties of any other person for to that will I neuer presse to perswade you but also in defending and maintaining these lawfull liberties wherewith GOD hath indued you For ye whom GOD hath ordained to protect your people from iniuries should bee ashamed to suffer your selues to bee wronged by any And thus assuring my selfe that ye will with a setled iudgement free of preiudice weigh the reasons of this my Discourse and accept my plainnesse in good part gracing this my Apologie with your fauours and yet no longer then till it shall be iustly and worthily refuted I end with my earnest prayers to the Almightie for your prosperities and that after your happy temporall Raignes in earth yee may liue and raigne in Heauen with him for euer A CATALOGVE OF the Lyes of Tortus together with a briefe Confutation of them Tortus Edit Politan pag. 9. 1 IN the oath of Allegiance the Popes power to excommunicate euen Hereticall Kings is expresly denied Confutation The point touching the Popes power in excommunicating Kings is neither treated of nor defined in the Oath of Allegiance but was purposely declined See the wordes of the Oath and the Praemonition pag. 9. Tortus p. 10. 2 For all Catholike writers doe collect from the words of Christ Whatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon earth shall bee loosed in heauen that there appertaineth to the Popes authoritie not only a power to absolue from sinnes but also from penalties censures lawes vowes and oathes Confutation That all Roman-catholike writers do not concurre with this Libeller in thus collecting frō Christs words Mat. 16. To omit other reasons it may appeare by this that many of them do write That what Christ promised there that he did actually exhibite to his disciples Iohn 20. when he said whose sinnes yee remit they shall be remitted thereby restraining this power of loosing formerly promised vnto loosing from sinnes not mentioning any absolution from lawes vowes and oathes in this place So doe Theophylact Anselme Hugo Cardin. Ferus in Mat. 16. So doe the principall Schoolemen Alexand. Hales in Summa part 4. q. 79. memb 5. 6. art 3. Thom. in 4. dist 24. q. 3. art 2. Scotus in 4. dist 19. art 1. Pope Hadrian 6. in 4. dist q. 2. de clauib pag. 302. edit Parsien an 1530. who also alledgeth for this interpretation Augustine and the interlinear Glosse Tortus p. 18. 3 I abhorre all Parricide I detest all conspiracies yet it cannot be denied but occasions of despaire were giuen to the Powder-plotters Confutation That it was not any iust occasion of despaire giuen to the powder-Traitours as this Libeller would beare vs in hand but the instructions which they had from the Iesuites that caused them to attempt this bloody designe See the Praemonition pag. 127. and the booke intituled The proceedings against the late Traitours Tortus p. 26. 4 For not only the Catholiques but also the Caluinist-puritanes detest the taking of this Oath Confutation The Puritanes doe not decline the Oath of Supremacie but daily doe take it neither euer refused it And the same Supremacie is defended by Caluin himselfe Instit lib. 4. cap. 20. Tortus p. 28. 5 First of all the Pope writeth not that he was grieued at the calamities which the Catholiks did suffer for the keeping of the Orthodox faith in the time of the late Queene or in the beginning of King Iames his reigne in England but for the calamities which they suffer at this present time Confutation The onely recitall of the words of the Breue wil sufficiently confute this lye For thus writeth the Pope The tribulations and calamities which ye haue continually susteined for the keeping of the Catholique faith haue alway afflicted vs with
great griefe of minde But forasmuch as we vnderstand that at this time all things are more grieuous our affliction hereby is wonderfully increased Tortus p. 28. 6 In the first article of the Statute the Lawes of Queene Elizabeth are confirmed Confutation There is no mention at all made of confirming the Lawes of Q. Elizabeth in the first article of that Statute Tortus p. 29. 7 In the 10. article of the sayd Statute it is added that if the Catholikes refuse the third time to take the Oath being tendered vnto them they shall incurre the danger of loosing their liues Confutation There is no mention in this whole Statute either of offring the oath the third time or any endangering of their liues Tortus p. 30. 8 In the 12. article it is enacted that whosoeuer goeth out of the land to serue in the warres vnder forreine Princes they shall first of all take this Oath or else be accounted for Traytors Confutation It is no where said in that Statute that they which shall thus serue in the warres vnder forreine Princes before they haue taken this Oath shal be accounted for Traitors but only for felons Tortus p. 35. 9 We haue already declared that the Popes Apostolike power in binding and loosing is denyed in that Oath of Allegeance Confutation There is no assertory sentence in that Oath nor any word but onely conditionall touching the power of the Pope in binding and loosing Tortus p. 37. 10 The Popes themselues euen wil they nill they were constrained to subiect themselues to Nero and Diocletian Confutation That Christians without exception not vpon constraint but willingly and for conscience sake did subiect themselues to the Ethnicke Emperours it may appeare by our Apologie p. 23 24. and the Apologetickes of the ancient Fathers Tortus p. 47. 11 In which words of the Breues of Clement the 8. not onely Iames King of Scotland was not excluded but included rather Confutation If the Breues of Clement did not exclude mee from the Kingdome but rather did include me why did Garnet burne them why would he not reserue them that I might haue seene them that so he might haue obtained more fauour at mine hands for him and his Catholickes Tortus p. 60. 12 Of those 14. articles contained in the Oath of Allegeance eleuen of them concerne the Primacie of the Pope in matters spirituall Confutation No one article of that Oath doeth meddle with the Primacie of the Pope in matters spirituall for to what end should that haue bene since we haue an expresse Oath els-where against the Popes Primacie in matters spirituall Tortus p. 64. 13 Amongst other calumnies this is mentioned that Bellarmine was priuie to sundry conspiracies against Q Elizabeth if not the authour Confutation It is no where said in the Apologie that Bellarmine was either the Authour or priuie to any conspiracies against Queene Elizabeth but that he was their principall instructer and teacher who corrupted their iudgement with such dangerous positions principles that it was an easie matter to reduce the generals into particulars and to apply the dictates which hee gaue out of his Chaire as opportunity serued to their seuerall designes Tortus p. 64. 14 For hee Bellarmine knoweth that Campian onely conspired against Hereticall impiety Confutation That the true and proper cause of Campians execution was not for his conspiring against hereticall impiety but for conspiring against Queene Elizabeth and the State of this Kingdome it was most euident by the iudiciall proceedings against him Tortus p. 65. 15 Why was H. Garnet a man incomparable for learning in all kindes and holinesse of life put to death but because hee would not reueale that which he could not doe with a safe conscience Confutation That Garnet came to the knowledge of this horrible plot not only in confession as this Libeller would haue it but by other meanes nâ—ither by the relation of one alone but by diuers so as hee might with safe conscience haue disclosed it See the Premonition p. 125 126 c. and the Earle of Northamptons Booke Tortus p. 71. 16 Pope Sixtus 5. neither commaunded the French King to be murdered neither approued that fact as it was done by a priuate person Confutation The falsehood of this doeth easily appeare by the Oration of Sixtus 5. Tortus p. 91. 17 That which is added concerning Stanley his Treason is neither faithfully nor truely related for the Apologer as his maner is doth miserably depraue it by adding many lyes Confutation That which the Apologie relateth concerning Stanley his Treason is word for word recited out of Cardinall Allens Apologie for Stanleyâ—s treason as it is to be seene there Tortus p. 93. 18 It is very certaine that H. Garnet at his arraignment did alwayes constantly auouch that neither hee nor any Iesuite either were authors or compartners or aduisers or consenting any way to the powder-Treason And a little after The same thing he protested at his death in a large speech in the presence of innumerable people Confutation The booke of the proceedings against the late Traytors and our Premonition pag. 125 126 c. doe clearly prooue the contrary of this to be true Tortus p. 97. 19 King Iames since hee is no Catholike neither is hee a Christian Confutation Contrary I am a true Catholike a professour of the truely ancient Catholike and Apostolike faith and therefore am a true Christian See the confession of my faith in the Premonition pag. 35 36 c. Tortus p. 98. 20 And if the reports of them which knewe him most inwardly be trew When he was in Scotland he was a Puritane and an Enemie to Protestants Now in England hee professeth himselfe a Protestant and an Enemie to the Puritans Confutation Contrary and what a Puritane I was in Scotland See my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this my Premonition p. 44 45. ¶ His falsifications in his alledging of Histories together with a briefe declaration of their falshood The words of Tortus p. 70. 1 IT was certaine that hee Hnery 4. the Emperour died a naturall death Confutation It was not certaine since sundry Historians write otherwise that he dyed vpon his imprisonment by his sonne Henry 5. either with the noysomenesse and loathsomenesse of the prison or being pined to death by hunger Read Fasciculus temporum at the yeere 1094. Laziardus epitom vniuersal Histor c. 198. Paulus Langius in Chronico Citizensi at the yeere 1105. and Iacobus Wimphelingus epitome Rerum Germanic c. 28. Tortus p. 83. 2 Henry 4. the Emperour feared indeed but not any corporall death but the censure of Excommunication from the which that he might procure absolution of his owne accord he did thus demissely humble himselfe before Gregory 7. Confutation That Henry 4. thus deiected himselfe before the Pope it was neither of his owne accord neither vpon any feare of the Popes Excommunication which in this particular he esteemed of no force but vpon feare of
cunning Merchants to cease to vent such stuffe for ancient and Catholike wares in the Christian world till they haue disproued their owne Venetians who charge them with Noueltie and forgery in this poynt Triplici nodo triplex cuneus OR AN APOLOGIE FOR THE OATH of Allegiance Against the two Breues of Pope PAVLVS QVINTVS and the late Letter of Cardinall BELLARMINE to G. BLACKVVEL the Arch-priest Tunc omnes populi clamauerunt dixerunt Magna est Veritas praeualet ESDR 3. ¶ Authoritate Regiâ ¶ Imprinted at London by Robert Barker Printer to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie ANNO 1609. AN APOLOGIE FOR THE OATH of Allegiance WHat a monstrous rare nay neuer heard of Treacherous Attempt was plotted within these few yeeres heere in England for the destruction of Me my Bed-fellow and our Posterity the whole house of Parliament and a great number of good Subiects of all sorts and degrees is so famous already through the whole world by the infamy thereof as it is needlesse to be repeated or published any more the horrour of the sinne it selfe doth so lowdly proclaime it For if those crying Sinnes whereof mention is made in the Scripture haue that epithete giuen them for their publique infamie and for procuring as it were with a loud crie from heauen a iust vengeance and recompense and yet those sinnes are both old and too common neither the world nor any one Countrey being euer at any time cleane voyd of them If those sinnes I say are said in the Scripture to cry so loud What then must this sinne doe plotted without cause infinite in crueltie and singular from all examples What proceeded hereupon is likewise notorious to the whole worlde our Iustice onely taking hold vpon the Offenders and that in as honourable and publique a forme of Trial as euer was vsed in this Kingdome 2. For although the onely reason they gaue for plotting so heinous an Attempt was the zeale they carried to the Romish Religion yet were neuer any other of that profession the worse vsed for that cause as by our gracious Proclamation immediatly after the discouery of the said fact doeth plainely appeare onely at the next sitting downe againe of the Parliament there were Lawes made setting downe some such orders as were thought fit for preuenting the like mischiefe intime to come Amongst which a forme of OATH was framed to be taken by my Subiects whereby they should make a cleare profession of their resolution faithfully to persist in their obedience vnto me according to their naturall allegiance To the end that I might hereby make a separation not onely betweene all my good Subiects in generall and vnfaithfull Traitors that intended to withdraw themselues from my obedience But specially to make a separation betweene so many of my Subiects who although they were otherwise popishly affected yet retained in their hearts the print of their naturall duetie to their Soueraigne and those who being caried away with the like fanaticall zeale that the Powder-Traitors were could not conteine themselues within the bounds of their naturall Allegiance but thought diuersitie of religion a safe pretext for all kinde of treasons and rebellions against their Soueraigne Which godly and wise intent God did blesse with successe accordingly For very many of my Subiects that were popishly affected aswel priests as layicks did freely take the same Oath whereby they both gaue me occasion to thinke the better of their fidelitie and likewise freed themselues of that heauy slander that although they were fellow professors of one Religion with the powder Traitors yet were they not ioyned with them in treasonable courses against their Souereigne whereby all quietly minded Papists were put out of despaire and I gaue a good proofe that I intended no persecution against them for conscience cause but onely desired to bee secured of them for ciuill obedience which for conscience cause they were bound to performe 3. But the deuil could not haue deuised a more malicious tricke for interrupting this so calme and clement a course then fell out by the sending hither and publishing a Breue of the Popes countermaunding all them of his profession to take this Oath Thereby sowing new seedes of ielousie betweene me and my Popish Subiects by stirring them vp to disobey that lawfull commandement of their Soueraigne which was ordeined to be taken of them as a pledge of their fidelity And so by their reâ—usall of so iust a charge to giue me so great and iust a ground for punishment of them without touching any matter of consâ— throwing themselues needlesl◠〈…〉 of these desperate straites 〈…〉 losse of their liues and 〈…〉 their Allegiance to theâ—◠〈…〉 or else to procure the condemnation of their Soules by renouncing the Catholike faith as he alleadgeth 4. And on the other part although disparity of Religion the Pope being head of the contrary part can permit no intelligence nor intercourse of messengers betwerne me and the Pope yet there being no denounced warre betweene vs he hath by this action broken the rules of common ciuility and iustice betweene Christian Princes in thus condemning me vnheard both by accounting me a persecutor which can not be but implyed by exhorting the Papists to endure Martyrdome as likewise by so straitly commanding all those of his Profession in England to refuse the taking of this Oath thereby refusing to professe their naturall obedience to me their Soueraigne For if he thinke himselfe my lawfull Iudge wherefore hath he condemned me vnheard And if he haue nothing to doe with me and my gouernement as indeed he hath not why doeth hee mittere falcem in alienam messem to meddle betweene mee and my Subiects especially in matters that meerely and onely concerne ciuill obedience And yet could Pius Quintus in his greatest furie and auowed quarrell against the late Queene do no more iniury vnto her then he hath in this cause offered vnto me without so much as a pretended or an alleadged cause For what difference there is betweene the commaunding Subiects to rebell and loosing them from their Oath of Allegiance as Pius Quintus did the commanding of Subiects not to obey in making profession of their Oath of their dutiful Allegiance as this Pope hath now done no man can easily discerne 5. But to draw neere vnto his Breue wherin certainly he hath taken more paines then he needed by setting downe in the said Breue the whole body of the Oath at length whereas the only naming of the Title thereof might as wel haue serued for any answere he hath made thereunto making Vna litura that is the flat and generall condemnation of the whole Oath to serue for all his refutation Therein hauing as well in this respect as in the former dealt both vndiscreetly with me and iniuriously with his owne Catholikes With me in not refuting particularly what speciall wordes hee quarrelled in that Oath which if he had done it might haue bene that for
the naturall Allegiance and next clearely confirmed by this Oath which doeth nothing but expresse the same so as no man can now hold the faith or procure the saluation of his sould in England that must not abiure and renounce his borne and sworne Allegiance to his naturall Soueraigne And yet it is not sufficient to ratifie the last yeeres Breue by a new one come foorth this yeere but that not onely euery yeere but euery moneth may produce a new monster the great and famous Writer of the Controuersies the late vn-Iesuited Cardinall Bellarmine must adde his talent to this good worke by blowing the bellowes of sedition and sharpening the spur to rebellion by sending such a Letter of his to the Arch-priest here as it is wonder how passion and an ambitious desire of maintaining that Monarchie should charme the wits of so famously learned a man The Copie where of here followeth TO THE VERY REuerend Mr. George Blackwel Arch-priest of the English Robert Bellarmine Cardinall of the holy Church of Rome greeting REuerend Sir and Brother in CHRIST It is almost fourty yeeres since we did see one the other but yet I haue neuer bin vnmindful of our ancient acquaintance neither haue I ceased seeing I could doe you no other good to commend your labouring most painfully in the Lords vineyard in my prayers to GOD. And I doubt not but that I haue liued all this while in your memory and haue had some place in your prayers at the Lords Altar So therefore euen vnto this time wee haue abidden as S. Iohn speaketh in the mutuall loue one of the other not by word or letter but in deede and trueth But a late message which was brought vnto vs within these few dayes of your bonds and imprisonment hath inforced mee to breake off this silence which message although it seemed heauy in regard of the losse which that Church hath receiued by their beeing thus depriued of the comfort of your pastorall function among them yet withall it seemed ioyous because you drewe neere vnto the glory of Martyrdome then the which gift of God there is none more happy That you who haue fed your flocke so many yeeres with the word and doctrine should now feed it more gloriously by the example of your patience But another heauy tidings did not a litle disquiet and almost take away this ioy which immediatly followed of the aduersaries assault and peraduenture of the slip and fall of your Constancy in refusing an vnlawfull Oath Neither truely most deare Brother could that Oath therfore be lawfull because it was offered in sort tempered and modified for you know that those kinde of modifications are nothing else but sleights subtilties of Sathan that the Catholique faith touching the Primacie of the Sea Apostolique might either secretly or openly be shot at for the which faith so many worthy Martyrs euen in that very England it selfe haue resisted vnto blood For most certaine it is that in whatsoeuer wordes the Oath is conceiued by the aduersaries of the faith in that Kingdome it tends to this end that the authoritie of the head of the Church in England may be transferred from the successour of S. Peter to the Successour of K. Henry the eight For that which is pretended of the danger of the Kings life if the high Priest should haue the same power in England which hee hath in all other Christian Kingdomes it is altogether idle as all that haue any vnderstanding may easily perceiue For it was neuer heard of from the Churches infancy vntill this day that euer any Pope did command that any Prince though an Heretike though an Ethnike though a Persecutor should be murdered or did approue of the fact when it was done by any other And why I pray you doeth onely the King of England feare that which none of all other the Princes in Christendome either doeth feare or euer did feare But as I saide these vaine pretexts are but the trappes and stratagemes of Satan Of which kinde I could produce not a fâ—we out of Ancient Stories if I went about to write a bookâ— and not an Epistle One onely for example sake I will call to your memory S. Gregorius Nazianzenus in his first Oration against Iulian the Emperour reporteth That he the more easily to beguile the simple Christians did insert the Images of the false gods into the pictures of the Emperor which the Romanes did vse to bow dawne vnto with a ciuill kind of reuerence so that no man could doe reuerence to the Emperours picture but withall he must adore the Images of the false gods whereupon it came to passe that many were deceiued And if there were any that found out the Emperours craft and refused to worship his picture those were most grieuously punished as men that had contemned the Emperour in his Image Some such like thing me thinkes I see in the Oath that is offered to you which is to so craftily composed that no man can detest Treason against the King and make profession of his Ciuill subiection but he must be constrained perfidiously to denie the Primacie of the Apostolike Sea But the seruants of Christ and especially the chiefe Priests of the Lord ought to be so farre from taking an vnlawfull Oath where they may indamage the Faith that they ought to beware that they giue not the least suspicion of dissimulation that they haue taken it least they might seeme to haue left any example of preuarication to faithfull people Which thing that worthy Eleazar did most notably performe who would neither eate swines flesh nor so much as faine to haue eaten it although hee saw the great torments that did hang ouer his head least as himselfe speaketh in the second booke of the Machabees many yong men might be brought through that similation to preuaricate with the Law Neither did Basil the great by his example which is more fit for our purpose carrie himselfe lesse worthily toward Valens the Emperour For as Theodoret writeth in his Historie when the Deputy of that heretical Emperour did perswade Saint Basill that he would not resist the Emperour for a little subtiltie of a few points of doctrine that most holy and prudent man made answere That it was not to bee indured that the least syllable of Gods word should bee corrupted but rather all kind of torment was to be embraced for the maintenance of the Trueth thereof Now I suppose that there wants not amongst you who say that they are but subtilties of Opinions that are conteined in the Oath that is offred to the Catholikes and that you are not to striue against the Kings Authoritie for such a little matter But there are not wanting also amongst you holy men like vnto Basil the Great which will openly auow that the very least syllable of Gods diuine trueth is not to be corrupted though many torments were to be endured and death it selfe set before you Amongst whom it is meete
our owne time and therein remember what a Panegyrik oration was made by the Pope in praise and approbation of the Frier and his fact that murthered king Henry the third of France who was so farre from either being Heretike Ethnike or Persecutor in their account that the said Popes owne wordes in that oration are That a true Frier hath killed a counterfeit Frier And besides that vehement oration and congratulation for that fact how neere it scaped that the said Frier was not canonized for that glorious acte is better knowen to Bellarmine and his followers then to vs here But sure I am if some Cardinals had not beene more wise and circumspect in that errand then the Pope himselfe was the Popes owne Kalender of his Saints would haue sufficiently proued Bellarmine a liar in this case And to draw yet nerer vnto our selues how many practises and attempts were made against the late Queenes life which were directly enioyned to those Traitours by their Confessors and plainely authorized by the Popes allowance For verification whereof there needes no more proofe then that neuer Pope either then or since called any Church-man in question for medling in those treasonable conspiracies nay the Cardinals owne S. Sanderus mentioned in his letter could well verifie this trueth if he were aliue and who will looke his bookes will find them filled with no other doctrine then this And what difference there is betweene the killing or allowing the slaughter of Kings and the stirring vp and approbation of practises to kil them I remit to Bellarmines owne iudgement It may then very clearely appeare how strangely this Authours passion hath made him forget himselfe by implicating himselfe in so strong a contradiction against his owne knowledge and conscience against the witnesse of his former bookes and against the practise of our owne times But who can wonder at this contradiction of himselfe in this point when his owne great Volumes are so filled with contradictions which when either he or any other shall euer be able to reconcile I wil then beleeue that he may easily reconcile this impudent strong deniall of his in his letter of any Popes medling against Kings with his owne former bookes as I haue alreadie said And that I may not seeme to imitate him in affirming boldly that which I no wayes proue I will therefore send the Reader to looke for witnesses of his contradictions in such places heere mentioned in his owne booke In his booke of Iustification there he affirmeth That for the vncertaintie of our owne proper righteousnes and for auoiding of vaine glory it is most sure and safe to repose our whole confidence in the alone mercie and goodnes of God Which proposition of his is directly contrary to the discourse and current of all his fiue bookes de Iustificatione wherein the same is conteined God doeth not encline a man to euill neither naturally or morally Presently after he affirmeth the contrary That God doeth not encline to euill naturally but morally All the Fathers teach constantly That Bishops do succeede the Apostles and Priestes the seuentie disciples Elsevvhere he affirmeth the contrary That Bishops do not properly succeed the Apostles That Iudas did not beleeue Contrary That Iudas was iust and certainely good The keeping of the Law according to the substance of the worke doeth require that the Commandement be so kept that sinne be not committed and the man bee not guiltie for hauing not kept the Commandement Contrary It is to bee knowen that it is not all one to doe a good morall worke and to keepe the Commandement according to the substance of the worke For the Commandement may be kept according to the substance of the worke euen with sinne as if one should restore to his friend the thing committed to him of trust to the end that theeues might afterward take it from him Peter did not loose that faith whereby the heart beleeueth vnto iustification Contrary Peters sinne was deadly Antichrist shall bee a Magician and after the maner of other Magicians shall secretly worship the Deuill Contrary He shall not admit of idolatrie he shall hate idoles and reedifie the Temple By the words of Consecration the true and solemne oblation is made Contrary The sacrifice doeth not consist in the words but in the oblation of the thing it selfe That the ende of the world cannot bee knowen Contrary After the death of Antichrist there shall bee but fiue and fourtie daies till the ende of the world That the tenne Kings shall burne the scarlet Whoore that is Rome Contrary Antichrist shall hate Rome and fight against it and burne it The name of vniuersall Bishop may be vnderstood two wayes one way that hee which is said to be vniuersal Bishop may be thought to be the onely Bishop of all Christian cities so that all others are not indeed Bishops but only Vicars to him who is called vniuersal Bishop in which sense the Pope is not vniuersall Bishop Contrary All ordinary iurisdiction of Bishops doeth descend immediatly from the Pope and is in him and from him is deriued to others Which few places I haue onely selected amongst many the like that the discret and iudicious Reader may discerne ex vngue Leonem For when euer hee is pressed with a weightie obiection he neuer careth nor remembreth how his solution and answere to that may make him gainesay his owne doctrine in some other places so it serue him for a shift to put off the present storme withall But now to returne to our matter againe Since Popes saith hee haue neuer at any time medled against Kings wherefore I pray you should onely the King of England bee afraid of that whereof neuer Christian King is or was afraid Was neuer Chistian Emperour or King afraid of the Popes How then were these miserable Emperours tost and turmoiled and in the end vtterly ruined by the Popes for proofe whereof I haue already cited Bellarmines owne bookes Was not the Emperour afraid who waited bare-footed in the frost and snow three dayes at the Popes gate before hee could get entrie Was not the Emperour also afraide who was driuen to lie agroofe on his belly and suffer another Pope to tread vpon his necke And was not another Emperour afraide who was constrained in like manner to indure a third Pope to beat off from his head the Imperiall Crowne with his foote Was not Philip afraid being made Emperour against Pope Innocentius the thirds good liking when he brake out into these wordes Either the Pope shal take the Crowne from Philip or Philip shal take the Miter from the Pope whereupon the Pope stirred vp Ottho against him who caused him to be slaine and presently went to Rome and was crowned Emperour by the Pope though afterward the Pope deposed him too Was not the Emperour
Fredericke afraide when Innocentius the fourth excommunicated him depriued him of his crowne absolued Princes of their Oath of fidelitie to him and in Apulia corrupted one to giue him poison whereof the Emperour recouering hee hired his bastard Sonne Manfredus to poyson him wherof he died What did Alexander the third write to the Soldan That if he would liue quietly he should by some sleight murther the Emperour and to that ende sent him the Emperours picture And did not Alexander the sixt take of the Turke Baiazetes two hundred thousand crownes to kill his brother Gemen or as some call him Siâ—imus whom hee held captiue at Rome Did hee not accept of the conditions to poyson the man and had his pay Was not our Henry the second afraide after the slaughter of Thomas Becket that besides his going bare-footed in Pilgrimage was whipped vp and downe the Chapter-house like a schoole-boy and glad to escape so too Had not this French King his great Grandfather King Iohn reason to bee afraid when the Pope gaue away his kingdome of Nauarre to the King of Spaine whereof he yet possesseth the best halfe Had not this King his Successour reason to be afraid when he was forced to begge so submissiuely the relaxation of his Excommunication as hee was content likewise to suffer his Ambassadour to be whipped at Rome for penance And had not the late Queene reason to looke to herselfe when she was excommunicated by Pius Quintus her Subiects loosed from their fidelity and allegiance toward her her Kingdome of Ireland giuen to the King of Spaine and that famous fugitiue diuine honoured with the like degree of a red hat as Bellarmine is was not ashamed to publish in print an Apologie for Stanlies Treason maintaining that by reason of her excommunication and heresie it was not onely lawfull for any of her Subiects but euen they were bound in conscience to depriue her of any strength which lay in their power to doe And whether it were armies townes or fortresses of hers which they had in their hands they were obliged to put them in the King of Spaine her enemies hands shee no more being the right owner of any thing But albeit it be true that wise men are mooued by the examples of others dangers to vse prouidence and caution according to the olde prouerbe Tum tua res agitur paries cùm proximus ardet yet was I much neerlie summoned to vse this caution by the practise of it in mine owne person First by the sending forth of these Bulles whereof I made mention already for debarring me from entrie vnto this Crowne and Kingdome And next after my entry and full possession thereof by the horrible Powder-Treason which should haue bereft both me and mine both of crowne and lifâ— And howsoeuer the Pope wil seeme to cleare himselfe of any allowance of the sayd Powder-Treason yet can it not be denyed that his principall ministers here and his chiefe Mancipia the Iesuites were the plaine practisers thereof for which the principall of them hath died confessing it and other haue fled the Countrey for the crime yea some of them gone into Italy and yet neither these that fled out of this countrey for it nor yet Baldwine who though he then remained in the Lowe-countreyes was of counsell in it were euer called to account for it by the Pope much lesse punished for medling in so scandalous and enormous businesse And now what needs so great wonder and exclamation that the onely King of England feareth And what other Christian King doeth or euer did feare but he As if by the force of his rhetoricke he could make me and my good Subiects to mistrust our senses denie the Sunne to shine at midday and not with the serpent to stop our eares to his charming but to the plaine and visible veritie it selfe And yet for all this wonder hee can neuer proue me to be troubled with such a Panick terrour Haue I euer importuned the Pope with any request for my securitie Or haue I either troubled other Christian Princes my friends allies to intreat for me at the Popes hand Or yet haue I begged from them any aide or assistance for my farther securitie No. All this wondred-at feare of mine stretcheth no further then wisely to make distinction betweene the sheepe and goats in my owne pasture For since what euer the Popes part hath bene in the Powder-treason yet certaine it is that all these caitife monsters did to their death maintaine that onely zeale of Religion mooued them to that horrible attempt yea some of them at their death would not craue pardon at GOD or King for their offence exhorting other of their followers to the like constancie Had not wee then and our Parliament great reason by this Oath to set a marke of distinction betweene good Subiects and bad Yea between Papists though peraduenture zealous in their Religion yet otherwise ciuilly honest and good subiects and such terrible firebrands of hell as would maintaine the like maximes which these powder-men did Nay could there bee a more gracious part in a King suppose I say it toward subiects of a contrary Religion then by making them to take this Oath to publish their honest fidelitie in temporall things to mee their Soueraigne and thereby to wipe off that imputation and great slander which was laid vpon the whole professors of that Religion by the furious enterprise of these Powder-men And wheras for illustration of this strong argument of his hee hath brought in for a similitude the hystorie of Iulian the Apostata his dealing with the Christians when as he straited them either to commit idolatrie or to come within the compasse of treason I would wish the authour to remember that although a similitude may bee permitted claudicare vno pede yet this was a very ill chosen similitude which is lame both of feet and hands and euery member of the body For I shall in few words prooue that it agreeth in no one point saue one with our purpose which is that Iulian was an Emperour and I a King First Iulian was an Apostata one that had renounced the whole Christian faith which hee had once professed and became an Ethnike againe or rather an Atheist whereas I am a Christian who neuer changed that Religion that I dranke in with my milke nor euer I thanke God was ashamed of my profession Iulian dealt against Christians onely for the profession of Christes cause I deale in this cause with my Subiects onely to make a distinction betweene true Subiects and false hearted traitours Iulians end was the ouerthrow of the Christians my onely end is to maintaine Christianitie in a peaceable gouernement Iulians drift was to make them commit idolatrie my purpose is to make my Subiects to make open profession of their naturall Alleagiance and ciuill obedience Iulians meanes whereby hee went about it was by craft
thinke he doth not meane by his Diuina Dogmata the word of the God of heauen but onely the Canons and Lawes of his Dominus Deus Papa otherwise all his Primacie of the Apostolike Sea would not be so much sticken vpon hauing so slender ground in the word of God And for the great feare he hath that the suddennes of the apprehension the bitternes of the persecution the weaknesse of his age and other such infirmities might haue bene the cause of the Arch-priests fall in this I haue already sufficiently answered him hauing declared as the trueth is and as the said Blackwel himselfe wil yet testifie that he took this Oath freely of himselfe without any inducement therunto either Precebus or Minis But amongst all his citations he must not forget holy Sanderus and his Viâ—ibilis Monarchia whose person and actions I did already a little touch And surely who will with vnpartiall eyes read his bookes they may well thinke that he hath deserued wel of his English Roman-Church but they can neuer thinke but that he deserued very ill of his English Soueraigne and State Witnesse his owne books whereout I haue made choice to set downe here these few sentences following as flowers pickt out of so worthy a garland Elisabeth Queene of England doth exercise the Priestly act of teaching and preaching the Gospel in England with no lesse authority then Christ himself or Moses euer did The supremacy of a woman in Church matters is from no other then from the Deuill And of all things in generall thus he speaketh The King that wil not inthrall himselfe to the Popes authority he ought not to be tolerated but his Subiects ought to giue all diligence that another may be chosen in his place assoone as may be A King that is an Heretike ought to be remoued from the kingdome that he holdeth ouer Christians and the Bishops ought to endeuour to set vp another assoone as possibly they can Wee doe constantly affirme that all Christian Kings are so far vnder Bishops and Priestes in all matters appertaining to faith that if they shall continue in a falt against Christian Religion after one or two admonitions obstinately for that cause they may and ought to be deposed by the Bishops from their temporal authority they hold ouer ChristiaÌ„s Bishops are set ouer temporall kingdomes if those kingdomes do submit themselues to the faith of Christ We doe iustly affirme that all Secular power whether Regall or any other is of Men. The anoynting which is powred vpon the head of the King by the Priest doeth declare that he is inferiour to the Priest It is altogether against the will of CHRIST that Christian Kings should haue supremacie in the Church And whereas for the crowne and conclusion of all his examples he reckoneth his two English martyrs Moore and Roffensis who died for that one most weighty head of doctrine as he alleadgeth refusing the Oath of Supremacie I must tel him that he hath not bene well informed in some materiall points which doe very neerly concerne his two said martyrs For it is cleare and apparantly to be prooued by diuers Records that they were both of them committed to the Tower about a yeere before either of them was called in question vpon their liues for the Popes Supremacie And that partly for their backwardnesse in the point of the establishment of the Kings succession wherunto the whole Realme had subscribed and partly for that one of them to wit Fisher had had his hand in the matter of the holy mayd of Kent he being for his concealement of that false prophets abuse found guiltie of misprision of treason And as these were the principall causes of their imprisonment the King resting secure of his Supremacie as the Realme stood then affected but especially troubled for setling the crowne vpon the issue of his second marriage so was it easily to be conceiued that being thereupon discontented their humors were therby made apt to draw them by degrees to further opposition against the King and his authoritie as indeed it fell out For in the time of their being in prison the Kings lawfull authoritie in cases Ecclesiasticall being published and promulged as wel by a generall decree of the Clergie in their Synode as by an Act of Parliament made thereupon they behaued themselues so peeuishly therein as the old coales of the Kings anger being thereby raked vp of new they were againe brought in question as wel for this one most weighty head of doctrine of the Pope his supremacy as for the matter of the Kings marriage and succession as by the confession of one of themselues euen Thomas Moore is euident For being condemned he vsed these wordes at the barre before the Lords Non ignoro cur me morti adiudicaueritis videlicet ob id quod nunquam voluerim assentiri in negotio matrimonij Regis That is I am not ignorant why you haue adiudged me to death to wit for that I would neuer consent in the busines of the new marriage of the King By which his owne confession it is plaine that this great martyr himselfe tooke the cause of his owne death to be only for his being refractary to the King in this said matter of Marriage and succession which is but a very fleshly cause of martyrdome as I conceiue And as for Roffensis his fellow Martyr who could haue bene content to haue taken the Oath of the Kings Supremacy with a certaine modification which Moore refused as his imprisonment was neither onely nor principally for the cause of Supremacy so died he but a halting and a singular Martyr or witnes for that most waightie head of doctrine the whole Church of England going at that time in one current and streame as it were against him in that argument diuerse of them being of farre greater reputation for learning and sound iudgement then euer he was So as in this point we may wel arme our selues with the Cardinals own reason where hee giueth amongst other notes of the true Church Vniuersalitie for one we hauing the generall and Catholike conclusion of the whole Church of England on our side in this case as appeareth by their booke set out by the whole Conuocation of England called The institution of a Christian man the same matter being likewise very learnedly handled by diuers particular learned men of our Church as by Steuen Gardiner in his booke de vera obedientia with a preface of Bishop Boners adioyned to it De summo absoluto Regis Imperio published by M Bekinsaw De vera differentia Regiae Potestatis Ecclesiasticae Bishop Tonstals Sermon Bishop Longlands Sermon the letter of Tonstall to Cardinall Poole and diuers other both in English and Latine And if the bitternesse of Fishers discontentment had not bene fed with his daily ambitious expectation of the Cardinals hat which came so neere as Calis