TO THE MOST HIHGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE IAMES BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF GREAT Britanie c. 1. IF saint Paul most gratious soueraigne being accused of the whole Synagogue of the Iewes by their Orator Tertullus of diuers heynous crimes both against Gods and the Princes laws found notwithstanding such equitie in the Heathen President Festus as hee answered his aduersaries that is was not the custome of the Acts 25. Romans to condemne any man before he haue his accusers present and place to make his answer and also such fauour at the Acts 26. Iewish King Agrippa as he both licensed him to speak for himselfe and afforded him fauorable audience much more cause haue your Majesties Catholick subjects being accused of Ministers by their hired spokesman Bel to expect the like yea greater fauour and equitie at your Graces hands For if Romans though heathens thought it injustice to condemn a particular man at the clamours of a whole Nation before his accusers were present and his defense were heard and if Agrippa albeit a Iew and enemie to Christians deemed it notwithstanding a Princes part to giue audience to one accused of that religion which he both hated and persecuted how much more will a Christian Prince forbear to condemn the vniuersal cause of his Catholick subjects for the slanders and outcries of Ministers and one hired Proctor before their Accusers be brought face to face and they haue time and place granted to answer for themselues Wherein wee shall account our selues more happie then Saint Paul because wee shall plead our cause not before a Heathen or Iewish Prince but before a Christian King and such a one as better knoweth the questions and customs of Christians then King Agrippa did of the Iews 2. Wherefore seing of late one Th. Bel a fugitiue once from the Protestant religion as he is now from Catholick hath not onely accused but also maliciously slandered the vniuersal Catholick cause in a booke which he hath dedicated to your Maiestie and termed it the Downfal of Poperie and withal challengeth dareth and adjureth in which case our Blessed Sauiour though Math. 26. whith manifest danger of his life made answer al Seminarie Priests al English Iesuits and as he speaketh Iesuited Papists to answer him I haue presumed vpon your gracious fauour to accept his challenge and am readie to performe it hand to hand if your Majestie grant licence and in the mean time to dedicate to your Name this my Confutation of his arguments and slanders wherein I speake not for my selfe as did Saint Paul before King Agrippa but for the religion of your own Progenitors and Predecessors for the faith of your forefathers for the cause of all Catholicks and for the good I dare say of your own Majesties person and Kingdomes For though Bel calumniate Christian Kings and Emperours with opening a window to all Antichristian tyrannie and Catholicks generally with thinking Christ to be killed a thousand times a day and such like yet especially he slandereth the Popes with vsurping power proper to God and to depose Princes and dispose of their Kingdoms at his pleasure for to alienate your minde thereby from the sea Apostolick wherein he not only abuseth your patience with telling you palpable vntruths but also greatly harmeth and endammageth your person and realm by endeauouring by his fals slanders to auert your minde from the Popes who haue been the most ancient most assured and most beneficiall freinds which the Kings and realms of great Britanie haue euer had Which thing that I may make manifest vnto your Majestie I humbly beseech you giue me leaue to set downe some particular examples of the mutuall amitie and kinde offices which haue been betwixt the Popes and the Princes of this land Wherein if I bee somewhat longer then men vse to be in Epistles I hope the varietie and profit of the mattaer will make requitall 3. Not long after the sea Apostolick S. PETER P. was setled in Rome Saint Peter the first Pope about the sixtie third year of Lippoman 29. Iunij tomo 5. CHRIST came saith a Simeon Metaphrastes a Grecian writer about 800. years ago into Britanie where hauing stayed long time and conuerted many nations vnto Christ he saw an Angel who tould him that the time of his departure was at hand and therefore he shold return to Rome where being crucified he should receaue the reward of iustice When therefore he had glorified God and giuen thanks and stayed some daies with the Britans setled Churches and ordered Bishops Priests and Deacons in the twelft year of the Emperour Nero hee returned to Metaphrast liued Ann. 859. Baron ibidem Rome Thus much Metaphrastes all which he professeth to haue taken out of ancient monuments and to haue been publickly related And withall addeth that Euseb Pamphili the ancientest Ecclesiastical Historiographer reporteth that Peter was twelue years in the East and twenty three years in Rome and in Britanie and in the cities of the West So that not onely Metaphrastes but also Eusebius testifieth that Saint Peter came into Britannie Neither hindreth it that this testimonie of Eusebius is not found in any of his books now extant For as S. Hierom. sayeth he wrote innumerable volumes which now are perished in some whereof might be this testimonie For it is no way likelie that Metaphrastes should feigne it both because he is accounted a saint and honoured of the Grecians as such and cited in the Councel of Florence as a man of great authoritie as also because there was no cause to moue him to feigne it and lastly because hee might bee justly laughed at for feiging a thing wherein hee might bee easily disprooued And that saint Peter came into Britanie not only English Catholicks as Harpesfield lib. 1. histor cap. 2. Grecians Italians French Spaniards Germans Polonians Scots English say Saint Peter vvas in Britanie Broughton lib. 1. cap. 24 and others doe affirme but also strangers as Iulianus Petri in Aduersariis § 495. Baronius Anno 46. and his Epitomizers Spondanus Bzouius Bisiola Bernardus Iunius in Chronico Morali anno 46. Biuarrus in Chronico Dextri Anno 46. Ciaconus in vita Sancti Petri Guillimannus in suis Habpurgicis lib. 2. cap. 1. Eiseingrenius Centuria 7. par 7. dis 8. Chesneus in hist Angl. l. 3. Posseuinus in apparatu tom 3. Lesleus in Paraenesi ad Scotos And also learned Protestants confesse the same For thus Cambden Protestants confesso it in his Britanie p. 52. Of the credit of Simeon Metaphrastes Cambden and the Greeks Meneologie our Ecclesiasticall writers report that Peter came hither and spread the light of the Gospel And in his Remains pag. 4. The true Christian religion was planted here by Ioseph of Arimathia Simon Zelotes Aristobulus yea by saint Peter and saint Paul as may bee proued by Dorotheus Theodoretus Sophronius Spede lib. 6. cap. 9. Speed Some ad that S. Peter
Monke and was the first that paied the Peter pence appointing that euerie householder of K. Ina gaue the Peter pence his kingdome who had thirtie pennie worth of cattle of one sort should pay yearly one pennie to Rome Which money English Seminarie in Rome 900 years since VVestmon anno 727. 764. was partly for the Popes vse partly for maintenance of an English schole or Seminarie which he then built in Rome for bringing vp of English youths there in vertue and learning 18. Not long after about the year 750 saint Richard king K. RICHARD anno 750. Surius to 1. Baronius anno 750. forsoke his kingdome and leaving his two sonnes in Germanie with saint Boniface an Englisman the Popes Legat there went himself in pilgrimage to Rome but dying in the way at Luca is there honorably buried And the year 775 king K. Offa anno 775. Malmesbur lib. 2. Reg. cap. 4. VVestmon anno 194. Polidor l. 4. Fox p. 101. Offa though a warlick Prince went to Rome and imitating the example of king Ina increased the English Seminarie begun by him and imposed the like pension of Peter pence vpon his kingdome of Mercia as Charles the great about the same time imposed vpon France the like tribute to be paied to Rome The loue and affection of king Kenulph a worthie K. KENVLPH anno 808. Malmesbur l. 1. Keg c. 4. Baronius anno 828. Prince and successor to king Offa appeareth by his redeeming the Popes Legat taken of Pirats in the year 808. and by his submissiue letter to the Pope wherein he humblie craueth his blessing as al his Predecessors had desireth to be adopted for his sonne as I saith rhe king loue you like a father and embrace you with al obedience And protested to be willing to spend his life for the Pope K. ETELVVOLPH anno 855. 19. After him king Ethelwolph in the year 857. went to Rome tooke with him his best beloued sonne Alfred to be instructed saith Westmonaster of the VVestmon anno 854. Ethelvverd lib. 3. cap. 3. Stovv anno 839. Ingulfus Bale Cent. 2 p. 113. Asserius in vita afredi Pope in manners and Religion where he aboad a whole year and procured his sonne to be crowned of the Pope and adopted of him for his sonne he also notably repaired the Englith Seminarie at Rome which had been burnt a little before confirming the guifts of king Malmesbur lib. 2. Reg. cap. 2. Stovv anno 839. Fox p. 136. Ina and Offa imposed the pension of Peter pence vpon al England which was afterward paid vntil the later end of King Henrie VIII About the same K. BVRDRED Ethelvverd lib. 4 cap. 3. Malmesbur lib. 1. cap. 4. Stovv anno 875. time king Burdred leauing his kingdome went to Rome and was there buried in the English schole Neither would King Canute though a Dane be K. CANVTE anno 1032. Florent anno 1031. Matmesbur lib. 2. c. 11. Ingulfus Huntington lib. 6. Marian. anno 1033 Stovv in Canute found vngratefull to the sea Apostolick but went to Rome in the year 1032 confirmed the payment of the Peter pence gaue great gifts of gold and silver and pretious things to saint Peter and obtained of Pope Iohn immunitie for the English Seminarie And finally King Edward Confessor last but one of the Saxon bloud would haue K. EDVVARD sonfessor Ealred in vita Edvvardi Baronius anno 1060. gone to Rome in pilgrimage had not his people vpon fear of the Danes inuasion hindred him yet sent he Embassadors to Rome with great presents and confirmed al the duties and customes belonging thereto in England And thus continued the English Kings al the time of their raign in singular affection and deuotion to the sea Apostolick 20. To whom as the Norman K VVILLIAM Conquer anno 1066. Malmesbur lib. 3. Reg. Ingulfus p. 900. Stovv in Harald p. 131. Princes succeded so they followed them in their pietie and religion For besids that they paied the Peter pence in particular Willam the Conquerour having subdued and slain king Harald in the year 1066 sent K. HENRIE I. Malmesbur lib. 1. Pontif. pag. 226. K. HENRIE II. anno 1180. Rob. Montensis Genebrard anno 1180. Sigebertus anno 1163. Neubrigens lib. 2. c. 14. Bale Cent. 2 cap. 94. Holinshed anno 1163. Baronius anno 1162. straight his standard to the Pope as to his particular freind And king Henrie I. professed by his Embassadour to Pope Paschal II. that England was a peculiar prouince of the Church of Rome and paied vnto her yearly tribute King Henrie II. about the year 1180 together with Lewis king of France led Pope Alexanders horse and with great pompe coÌ„ducted him through the citie Tociacum King Richard Coeur K. RICHARD I Polid. l. 14. Genebrard â—n Chron. Stovv â—ale Cent. 2 â— 104. Houeden â— 609. de Lion at the exhortation of the Pope went in person to the holie land with an armie of thirtie thousand foot and fiue thousand horse in which voyage he conquered the kingdome of Ciprus and citie of Ptolemais and ouerthrew the Souldan in a great battel and the like enterprise afterward tooke king Edward I. in the year 1241. King K. HENRIE III. â—tovv anno â—241 Henry III. placed the Popes Legat in the most honorable roome of the table at a publick banquet in Christmas betwixt himself and the Archbishop of Yorke and afterward with great pompe saith Stow and innumerable companie of nobles and trumpets sounding before brought him to the sea How deuout king Richard II. and Englishmen K. RICHARD II. Stovv anno 1407. in his time were to the sea of Rome appeareth by their building an hospital there for receit of English Pilgrims instead of the foresaid Seminarie which as it seemeth was destroyed in that great burning of Rome in the year 1084. in the place whereof S. Thomas of Canterburie had before built a Chappel in honour of the blessed Trinitie This Hospital was afterwards in the raigne of king Henrie VI and Henrie VII reedified and much increased and lastly in the year 1570 was much bewtified and augmented both in buildings and reuenews by Pope Gregorie XIII and by him converted to the ancient vse of a Seminarie retaining stil the obligation of an Hospital 21. The affection of King K. HENRIE IV. Stovv anno 1409. Henrie IV. appeareth by his letter to the Pope in the year 1409 which he beginneth thus Most holie Father our recommendations in humble wise premised And afterward Hauing taken with our said sonne and also with our Prelats and Nobles mature deliberation we beseech with al humilitie and require your clemencie whose state and honor vpon diuers causes as a deuout sonne of the Church so far as we might with God we haue euer embraced and doe embrace by the expresse and whole assent of the estates aforesaid c. And as for king Henrie K. HENRIE V. V he in the year 1416 sent his
Embassadours to the General Councel at Constance at whose procurement it was there ordained saith Stowe that England Stovv 1416 should obtain the name of a Nation and be one of the fiue Nations that owe their deuotion to the Church of Rome which thing vntil that time men of other Nations for enuie had Note this letted Behold what an honor king Henrie V the Alexander of England and Conquerour of France in his most flourishing and triumphant time accounted it to owe deuotion to the Church of Rome which now Ministers would account so dishonorable And for king Henrie K. HENRIE VII Bacon in Henr. 7. VII your Majesties great grandfather his affection is euident by the sword and cap of maintenance sent to him from the Pope anno 1505. 22. But none of the kings of K. HENRIE VIII the Norman blood euer shewed so great signes of loue and affection to rhe sea Apostolick as king Henrie VIII did for a long time For first in the year 1511 he wrote to the French king to desist from molesting Pope Iulius II and in the next year sent an armie of ten thousand men into Onuphr in Iulio 2. Stovv anno 1511. 1512. 1513. France for the Popes defence And in the year 1513 he went himself in person with a royal armie and conquered Turwin and Tournay And not content to defend the Pope with his sword in the year 1521 wrote an excellent booke in his defence against Luther And again in the yeare 1527 when Pope Clement was taken prisoner by the Emperors soldiers he gaue monthly 60 thousand Angels to the maintenance of an armie for the Popes deliuerie And in this singular affection towards the sea Apostolick continued he vntil the 22 year of his raigne anno 1530 when not vpon anie iniurie offered by the Pope or dislike of his religion which except the matter of supremacie he defended to his death and persecuted the Protestants but only vpon occasion of delay saith Stow made by the Stovv anno 1530. seq Pope in his controuersie of deuorcement and through displeasure of such reports as he heard had been made of him to the court of Rome and thirdly pricked forward by such Councellers to follow the example of the Germans he first forbad the procurement of anie thing from Rome and soon after prohibited al paymēts and appeals to Rome and lastly tooke vpon him that supremacie which al his Christian predecessours had acknowledged to bee in the Pope 23. Thus your Majestie seeth how long how honorably and how profitably also vnto both parties hath the mutual amitie and league of freindship betwixt the sea Apostolick and the Princes of al the foure Nations that haue swayed the Scepter of England cōtinued and flourished and how of late it was broken by one Prince vpon meer passion contrarie to the example of al his predecessors and successors also except one child a woeman What dangers troubles he and his kingdome incurred thereby and how his progenie according as Friar Paeto and House anno 1533. Elston did then foretell him is now consumed and his crown translated to an other royal line against which in his time he Hungtinton lib. 6. p. 359. made verie sharp war I need not heer declare Only I will say that himself being after more free from passion laboured to be reconciled to the sea Apostolick and employed therein Bishop Gardiner as he professed in a sermon at Pauls Cross and had easily obtained it if he would haue acknowledged his fault and done penance What remaineth for me to conclude this long Epistle but prostrat at your Majesties feet humbly to beseech you for your own good and in the name of the foresaid Christian Princes as you are the head of the 5 natiō which according Hungtinton supra to Gods prouidēce foretold by a holie man manie years ago hath attained to the rule of the land so you would continue that most ancient honorable and profitable league of freindship which was betwixt them al and the sea Apostolick Who I beseech your grace will giue you more faithful councel then your own Progenitors and forefathers Who can giue more safe and secure direction in government of your Kingdome then your own predecessors who so happily and so long time gouerned it who are so worthie to giue you example or whom can you with so much honor imitate as so manie so valiant so prudent Princes And yet they al with one voice counsel and request you to follow in this so important a matter not so much themselues as the counsel of the wisest king rhat euer was yea of God himself in these words Thine owne freind Prouerb cap 27. and thy fathers freind see thou forsake not especially such a one as hath euer been not only your own freind and particularly your blessed Mothers freind but of al your Christian forefathers who as they haue left vnto your grace their crown and kingdome so haue they also bequeathed their faith religion and freindship with the sea Apostolick as no smal portion and stay of their inheritance We esteem your publick acknowledging of Rome to be the Mother Church and your Speech in the Rarlament self to be beholding to Pope Clement VIII for his temporal cariage and kinde offices as sparks of a greater fire of loue in kindled Proclamat An 1. regni in your princelie hart towards that sea which we beseech Almightie God so to increase as it may one day burst forth to your own good and the vniuersal joy of Christendome Our Lord IESVS long preserue your Majestie with al grace health and prosperitie Your Majesties dutiful subject and dailie Orator R. S.