Flaunders with the soonest God knoweth what they send thether and with what reciprocation they requite suche newes againe how they had newes of the late horrible murder ere it were done as if they had ben accessaries before the fact how they write letters at home directed to them selues how with these prety letters while they be fresh bléeding that is so scarcely drie that the ink blotteth with their great countenaunces with their taking vpon them wonderous intelligence and great insightes in secretes of Princes as if they were Kinges cousines and with their offringes of wagers and such other braggeries they deface as men say all that can be brought or reported neuer so truly of any good successe to the Queene or her frendes And other sort there is like kestrelles or troutes they euer flye agaynst the wynde or swimme agaynst the streame in quéene Maryes time great Gospellers now great Papistes men that would euer séeme wyser than the present world and wold faine be noted to sée some singular thing when for the most part themselues are the most vayne and singular fooles that liue No gouernement pleaseth them as they be content with no world so are they mete to liue in none But let them beware the sinne against the holy ghost it is a perilous thing God graunt them to see the horror of it so farre as it may auayle to their tymely repentance before that mere apostasie bring them into it There is feared to be an other suttle sort that are in déede of no religion and yet at sundry tymes and places to some secretly to some openly to some one where to some an other much like the deuided counselles in Edwarde the fifthes tyme would séeme of all religions These be most enclined to papistry eyther because God will not vouchsafe that such dissemblers féele true religion or that they be rancke papistes in déede howsoeuer they abuse men wyth other shew for purposes or which I rathest thinke for that they are persuaded that the Popish faction eyther for multitude for welth for foreine alliances or for hatred to the Quéene and her gouernement which they perhaps would wishe to be ouerthrowen as all perfect papistes would or for other respectes is more commodious for their desire and ambition or for the toyes in their heades to rise to vātage in an other world Such belike haue a good mynde to the aduise that Lentulus wrote to Catiline Auxilium petas ab omnibus etiam ab infimis séeke helpe of all sortes yea euen of the meanest they make much of al sides Such can I compare to notable pyrates that wil euer haue within boorde men of all nations and flagges of all Princes and countryes If he méete with Englishmen stronger than himselfe out goeth a flagge of England and Englishmen aboue hatches that he may passe in peace likewise he doth with the Frenchman Scot Flemming Spanyarde or other and many tymes he doth this not to much to passe peaceably himselfe as that he may the more vnprouidedly set vpon hym whom he desireth to spoyle So happeneth it sometymes that such a counterfait papist as my Lorde of Westmerland and other finding the plain shew of papistry not so commodious profitable or safe for hym by reason of many occurrentes that may happe to haue ouertaken hym till he were ready for his purpose hangeth out a flagge of Christianitie dealeth with the Bible other good bookes as the decayed knight did to whom Bishop Cranmer vpō a good hope gaue fifty pound yearely pension to cherishe his towardnesse he setteth hys men of that nation aboue hatches he deceaueth good men that be not filij huius seculi no children of this world those he abuseth with protestations and God wote with the same fayth that teacheth to kéepe no faith while in the meane tyme for all this of their certayne purpose of pyracie of their prouision preparation and furniture of their former deuises nothing is chaunged their other company though vnder hatches yet still be ready till the opportunitie of mischiefe biddes them start vp sodenly like the children of the earth that rose by miracle of the serpentes téeth that Cadmus had sowen These be watchers and reach euer to an other world they prouide for succeding of tymes to come imagining what day shall follow the dreadfull night They woulde be looked vnto by the present day light before the night come These to speake plainly be they if any such be as of such mind al perfect papistes be that are weary of her maiesties gouernment fal to deuising by planting a hope of strange titels to vndermyne her maiesties estate such as hang vpon the hope of Rome after her decesse which hope they know can not haue effect while her highnesse lyueth and reigneth to whome almighty God graunt to lyue reigne while the world lasteth in person or in succession of her owne most royall body Of this sort was Gardiner that abused K. Henry with a false flagge of religion when he made hys booke of true obedience Of this sort was Boner when he fauned vpon the L. Cromwell made a notable preface to Gardiners booke Of this sort was Tonstall and the rest that wrote against the Pope Pole and all papistry Of this sort are all those Catilines companions Papistes that beare a glosing shew of obedience and waite for a tyme to vtter their malice till they droppe away into Manlius campe or tary with Lentulus Cethegus Ceparius and the rest to murder the Consul Cicero or set the Citie I meane the Realme on fire An other leud sort eyther depraue whatsoeuer the Quéenes Maiestie and her most honorable Counsell doth for the safegarde and commoditie of the realme or of things which they can not deface they transferre the praise to other being desirous as it were by false flattery to créepe into ambitions bosome to raise vp a faction against her highnesse as if her Maiestie do any popular or beneficiall act to the commonaltie by and by they imagine some one or other whom they would make an Absolon whether he will or no to embesell the peoples loue seyng full well but not caring at all how they burden with great suspicious those whom they lode with false praises perhaps draw into vniust harmes those whom they claw with vntrue flatterie Howbeit I trust all men of credit and greatnesse haue taken héede and will beware that wrongfull praises and imputations raise not their mynde to a wrong way of climing for surely such popularities and hanginges by the vayne ayre are not auancementes but precipitations But such is the corne pouder of treason wherewith these popish rumor spreaders hartes be double charged that it must nedes breake forth and commonly to his destruction or great danger of singeing that ministreth the fire An other sort exercise their rayling tonges which by great vse at tables and other places they haue made very slippery voluble
England he must haue Ius excommunicandi lawfull power and authoritie to excommunicate in England without which the ecclesiasticall power can not stand Which power if he iustly haue and hath excommunicate and accursed the Quéene either by speciall name or generally vnder title of heretikes of which sort he estemeth her then hath he therin done pro suo iure as he lawfully myght do And this beyng so supposed true then is it good to consider what is taken for Gods law and the law ecclesiasticall De vitandis excommunicatis for shonnyng of excommunicate and accursed persones which yeld not to any repentance submission or reconciliation to that church forsothe that euery Christian in peyne of excommunication de iure wherein to dye is thought to dye in state of damnation is bound to withdrawe from such accursed persons not repentyng all frendly or louyng company and countenance all ayde and relefe all seruice and obedience Which doyng for these good subiectes of England to put in execution toward the Quéene were a very meritorious act But what doth it merite the iust peynes of treason for breakyng theyr due allegeance and eternall damnation if they repent not for resistyng Gods lawfull ordinance This géere goeth sore it is very euident and playne that by necessary consequence to this confession of traitorousnesse they must be driuen if they will continue Papistes that is will affirme the Popes sentences not to erre or will geue the Pope any spirituall iurisdiction in England Wherfore these refusalles to acknowledge her maiesties lawfull power by othe would be well looked vnto and the pretenses colors and causes of such refusalles would be well examined namely in such as shall haue to do with iustice and gouernyng the contrye but specially with those that shall haue accesse into her hyghnesse houshold and presence And well it would be sought what defense of dispensation or toleration they haue for theyr dissemblyng theyr purposes in not yet executyng the Popes sentence agaynst her and what deuises they haue for warrantyng of theyr consciences in suspendyng such treasons till stronger opportunities what absolutions or instructions Popishe Apostles haue brought at theyr secret steppyng into England agayne For such salues are not vnlikely to come out of hys shoppe that dispenseth with breach of fayth yea that openly proclaymeth that there is no fayth to be kept with Christes frendes hys aduersaries hys shop I say that can geue grace to haue consecrated altarstones or superaltares for hys traitorous frendes in enterdited landes to haue masse without peril his shop that can send out badges with leaue to sweare and vnsweare with so liberal permissioÌ„ as to say Geue me thy hart and it suffiseth And well may it suffice for the hart will cary the hand too when opportunitie serueth when theyr Golden day approcheth of which they make so great accompt Such good fellowes would be well looked vpon And for as much as Papistes accompt theyr Popes decrées the voyce of Gods spirite frée from error it is to be weyed how farre we must nedes thinke they suppose the Popes curse to haue extended agaynst our most noble Quéene realme with whoes publike seruice and prayer yea where nothyng is vsed but the vndouted word of God and agreable with it they can not finde in theyr hartes to communicate but abhorre it as schismaticall They would be opposed with a few interrogatories It would be enquired whether they thynke our Quéene lawfully Quéene of thys realme before God notwithstandyng the Popes sentence And whether they thinke the Popes sentence to reache any nerer vnto her hyghnesse then if it had béen the sentence of the Byshop of Toledo or the Byshop of Paris and not geuen by the Byshop of Rome or vnder hys authoritie And if it reach nearer then how farre it reacheth And if it extend to cases touchyng her hyghnesses crowne and dignitie or the seruice and obedience of her subiectes or so farre as it were treason for any English subiect to put it in execution in England then whether the Pope in so presumyng and publishyng that he doth but as he lawfully may do haue iudicially erred in matter both of fact doctrine passed hys boundes or no But to come somewhat nerer to Papistes alway supposing such Papistes as I haue before specially described I shall in one thyng moue myne owne conceite for a question in law referring it yet to the correction iudgement of such as be learned in law of which sort I trust there be none that haue not already by theyr othes acknowledged the Quéenes maiesties full authoritie and so haue declared that them selues be not giltie The statute made in the first yeare of the Quéenes maiesties reigne the vj. Chap. sayth thus And be it c. that if any person or persones at anie tyme after the sayd first day of May next to come by any writing printyng ouert dede or act maliciously aduisedly and directly do affirme that the Quenes maiestie that now is ought not to haue and enioy the stile honor and kingly name of this realme c. shalbe demed and adiudged hye traitors I take it by the same Statute that such an affirmation that the Quéenes maiestie ought not to haue and enioy the crowne of Ireland is hye treason for that the kingdome of Ireland is of ryght perteinyng to the crowne of England and the title therof is belongyng to and parcell of the stile honor and kingly name of this realme and is in the Quenes maiesties vsuall stile so plainly expressed And so thynke I so much as is conteyned in the Quéenes maiesties royall stile or as the law doth in anie wise say to be parcell of the stile honor or kingly name of this realme But the Quéenes iurisdiction ouer ecclesiasticall persones in ecclesiasticall causes within this realme is parcell of the ancient right of the crowne and so part of the stile kingly name or honor of this realme and so it is acknowledged in the first statute of the same Parliament where it is sayd May it c. for the restoryng of the rightes iurisdictions and preeminences apperteinyng to the imperiall crowne of this your realme c. Item for the restoryng and vnityng to the imperial crowne of this realme the auncient iurisdictions authoritie superiorities and preeminences to the same of right belongyng and apperteinyng Also the authoritie of Rome is in sundry places of the same first statute recognised to be vsurped which can not be if the Quenes supremacie do not of right perteine to her croune Which act is also intitled An act for restoryng to the croune the auncient iurisdiction ouer the state eccâ—esiasticall c. Moreouer the same her maiesties right is playnty expressed to be parcell of the stile honor and kingly name of this realme in the vsuall stile as it is set out at large in her maiesties Iniunctions and also conteyned in the commonly written stile
gouernance we know to be true and haue felt to be good I wish it destroyed and put out of hope least it hope to sone to fast to much to hye and ioyne with to many Record I pray you the anathemaes of the conspiracie of Trent theyr cruell and dangerous practises agaynst this realme and agaynst all other of Christian profession the Popes sentences agaynst our Quéene and Countrey and all this well liked of and holden for holy by our owne vnhappy Papistes Remember the deuises to put the same sentences and conspiracies in execution in Fraunce and Flanders all at one tyme. Consider the concurrence and euennesse of tyme of this rebellious enterprise in England and that late murderous and haynous attempt in Scotlande But to pyke a litle more good out of the late ill déede of horrible murder What say the Quéenes good subiectes to be the cause why after our rebelles vanquished the Regent was slayne that should haue bene done before to serue our rebelles and their conspiraters turne For sooth their traitors there and some conspiraters here Englishe or Scottish saw full well the sincere frendship of the Regent to the Quéene that notwithstandyng all the practises from hense to the contrarie he mynded to deliuer our rebelles whereby the counselles and complices both here and there must haue bene disclosed they politikely prouided by assent to murder that noble gentleman betimes whose bloud added to other bloudes so crye to God as it is perilous to draw to much into societie and partnershyp of those agaynst whom such bloud so crieth This is the common feare of good subiectes and to feare to much rather then to little may be more folly but it is lesse fault It may haue lesse cause but it hath more truth honestie and fayth Wey well if these be the meanes that my lordes of Northumberland and Westmerland and their company haue sought to bryng the vnityng of realmes and crownes and to worke the effect of theyr proclamations both for state and religion which doyng such men brag to be so beneficiall sith the same and the titles thereof reach not so farre as by any these meanes to make such vnityng in the person of our most noble Quene nor such attemptes for religion and other effectes can be atcheued with her likyng then what successe is to be looked for of theyr deuises and what marke is it to be feared they shoote at They and such other Papistes and ambitious practisers may perhaps iustly and truly say protest sweare that they entended not the effect of such purposes while her Maiestie liueth for it may be that they meane peraduenture that her hyghnesse should not lyue so long God preserue her to outlyue all them that haue lyued to long This example is terrible and would be profitably vsed You can not forget how the Pope claimeth and our Papistes do graunt him the superioritie ouer Ecclesiasticall persons Theyr obedience is thereby withdrawen from theyr Prince and from the seruice of theyr Countrey they exempted from theyr duties to the Prince and realme Like is the referryng of all ecclesiasticall causes to the Pope as to the supreme iudge and ruler Great wrong therby is done to the Realme great withdrawyng of the bodyes of subiectes from presence to serue and defende the Realme and great transportation of the treasure the foule examples whereof in pilfring and scrapyng within the Realme to serue the vnsatiable couetise of Rome appeareth by the many lamentable complaints in theyr owne histories with which enormities and oppressions as most burdenous and perilous to the Realme our Parlamentes and specially Conuocations haue before tyme found them selues meruelously agreued And yet this heuie ouerchargeable yoke must be reduced agayne by our Papistes yea and our new angeles of Louaine with whom the euil sprites at home do accord can terme these intollerable exactions but a small pitance or trifle to acknowledge our good will to our mother church and can call the reasonable mislyking or iust gronyng thereat as a niggardly grudgyng Liberall men I assure you and no maruell for they be of hys faction that sometyme bragged that the aduauncyng of hym selfe to the throne of Rome should cost hym all England So small a thyng these Papistes accompt it to venture all England at a cast And good reason haue they for they venture it at the perill of other mens losses for whosoeuer reigne here by their treason they are lyke to kéepe or increase theyr wealthes and dignities Let it be thought vpon how much these fellowes esteme the common knot of fidelitie to the Prince whereby the peace of the land is holden together and eche mans due propertie is preserued which beleue that the same faith is dissoluble at the will of a foreine priest Let also this descendyng gradation be considered concernyng Papistes and their hope how true they will be to their Countrey that are not true to God how true they will be to their good Prince that are not true to their Countrey how true they will be to any subiect that are not true to their Prince and thereby let theyr confedrates beware that they be not made bottels first filled then emptied afterward hanged vp by the walles Let the Duke of Buckingham in king Richardes tyme and infinite other beate this wisdome into theyr head to know how ill a tyrant or one that atteyneth a crowne by mischiefe and wrong can beare to liue detbounden to those that aduaunced hym or subiect to their reproche being once fleshed in mischiefes by theyr helpe how litle conscience he maketh to procede further and specially vpon them whom he knoweth in hys conscience in ioynyng with hym to haue well deserued it Let them well digest the vicont of Melunes admonition on hys death bed to the English barons in the beginning of the reigne of king Iohns heire And let them neuer say that they the late rebels and theyr complices had no such intētion to ouerthrow her Maiesties estate sith the thinges expressed in their first proclamation can not be done while her Maiesties estate continueth who hath so honorably oft protested to preferre Gods truth aboue her crowne and lyfe which God long preserue Let all Englishmen thinke of this and beleue it as experience hath taught it that where Monkes and religious persons changed their surnames and had many other solemne ceremonies at their professions which they sayd dyd signifie their vertuous renouncing of worldly and carnall fansies the same pretense of signifiyng was vtterly false like the pretense of refusing the othe to the Quéene and the very true meaning such as is proued by the consequence of their déedes was no other but that euery perfect Papist doth take vpon him a zeale for defense of their God the Pope and his heresie to throwe away all due and naturall beneuolence and fayth to Prince Countrey parentes frendes and all those iust and
due respectes whereunto God by the law of nature hath bounde them in this world and this must so be for the other true vowe of renouncing was made before in Baptisme and remayned still in force To all these inconueniences and traitorous absurdities they must nedes be subiect which hold that the Church of Rome is the true Catholike Church of Christ and that the Catholike Church of Christ can not erre The horror of their cruelties to the people of their country of whom their country consisteth whose liues they haue regarded no more then shéepe yea no more then fleaes and that with such delite of torment as if they still cryed out as the heathen tyrant did fac vt sentiat se mori let him fele that he is dying as the Pope himself did that caused some of his Cardinales to be tormented in such maner by speciall cōmandement that he being in a garden vnderneth saying hys deuotions might heare them cry all this I referre to the large faithfull and learned explication of that good diligent and vertuous man Master Foxe in his Booke of Actes and Monumentes of the Church where as in a glasse doth euidently appeare what nature or any kinde respect to kinne reuerence pitie loue or countrey reigned or rather remayned in the furious hartes of Papistes how smothly soeuer the hypocrites wyth Crocodiles teares or wild Irish laughter do faine flatter and abuse those in whose power they be till they haue their time of auantage Though the remembrance of these thinges be bitter yet is it holsome And therefore let it not out of their hartes that haue harty care and specially charge of their countrey That clemencie and gentlenesse can not reclaime them from traitorous minds while they continue in Papistrie is as plaine and as true a forme of speach as if a man sholde say they must nedes be traytors so long as they be full of treason for treason and Papistrie are vnseparable while they be kept vnder euen as crueltie and Papistrie are vnseperable when they are gotten aboue Yet for some more ample opening of the truth of this conclusion let vs somewhat more wey their qualities with reasonable consideration and conference of their doinges If clemencie and benefites should be hable to reclaime them it must be for some regard that they must haue of the dutie of thankefulnesse for benefites receaued of those persons from whose sincerely louing minde toward them and not from any foreine enforcing cause they accompt the benefites to procede Wherein is to be searched how much they are likely to esteme such dutie by their weying other nere duties and agayne how well they acknowledge from whence this clemencie and benefites haue proceded For if the hiest and greatest duties of kindnesse moue them not then is small accompt to be made of their thankfulnesse for temporall commodities or at the least for bare suffering them to liue vnpunished And againe if the same impunitie and other beneficiall doinges be thought to come enforced from other or craftily wonne by their owne policie or so to come from your selfe as you could not chose then is your thanke fo far lost as there is no hope that euer any such meane can reclaime a Papist Surely he that regardeth not the hyest dutie will neuer regarde the meanest The dutie of the loue or feare of God can not hold a Papist from blasphemie against God The dutie of faith allegeance to his Prince can not kéepe a Papist from treason to his Prince The dutie of deare loue to his natural countrey can not withdraw a Papist from assenting to yea and procuring the spoyle destruction bondage and alienation of his countrey as I haue alredy proued The dutie of kinde and naturall pitie can not stay a Papist from murdering the feble sexe nor the silly tender infancie nor reuerend eldest age The dutie of familiaritie in youth of frendship in grauer yeares of continuall societie during all the life passed with heapes of mutuall commodities can not pull backe a Papist from immanitie of sacrificing his derest frendes The dutie of honor of Children to parentes or loue of parentes to children remoueth not a Papist from vnnaturall crueltie The dutie of entier loue and felowship betwene man and wife holdeth no place in the hart of a Papist No dutie of kinred no estimation of learning vertue no good respect that moueth good men to loue compassion once toucheth a stubburne Papist Al these duties we haue sene broken yea neglected and throwen away by Papistes And is there hope that clemencie can so farre winne them as to hold them in truth to the Prince from whom they receiue it if opportunitie serue to bring them out of her danger or her highnesse into their danger which God forbid Whensoeuer which God graunt neuer be her Maiestie person should stand in theyr curtesie it is euident that then the gate were open to their desires to theyr florishing to theyr conquest to theyr abilities of reuengyng and to their perfect triumphyng And will they trow you omit all these that they so earnestly gape for will they let passe any occasion that may bryng these and all in respect of her gracious clemencie and benefites no no that will not be It greueth me to thinke and I abhorre to write what opportunities they are lykely to séeke and vse hauyng now pressed so farre as they haue alreadie done with theyr enterprises shadowed with such hopes as theyr proclamation hath vttered But admit kyndenesse were in them for benefites where they impute them It is as well knowen as a common prouerb that where her Maiestie of her singular goodnesse of nature which yet were farre greater goodnesse if it be directed to the onely preseruation of good men and not further stretched and abused to the cherishyng of euill and dangerous men hath forborne and restrayned execution of law agaynst them which yet are the lawes made expressely for her Maiesties safetie theyr ordinarie saying is you can haue no law agaynst vs God so prouideth for vs hys chosen anointed that you can haue no law or if you haue you can not execute it god so preserueth theyr side forsoth so bridleth her Maiesties power by hyw own instinct or by theyr owne meanes of policie Sée the examples of theyr thankefulnesse Did euer those Papists whose liues were saued by good Byshop Cranmers meanes who were brought vp who were defended who were aduanced who were shelded from harme perill by hym ones requite hym with one drop of kyndnesse And yet they spake hym faire in hys prosperitie Auayled the great liberalitie of kyng Henry the viij to rayse vp any kinde remembrance in Papistes that were great in Quéene Maryes dayes to stay them from assentyng to the captiuitie and danger and sekyng the bloud of hys most noble daughter our most gracious soueraygne Ladie And yet duryng kyng Henryes reigne they shewed a seruiceable face as if they would