Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	good_a	king_n	subject_n	3,003	5	6.4581	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19462	Polimanteia, or, The meanes lawfull and vnlawfull, to iudge of the fall of a common-wealth, against the friuolous and foolish coniectures of this age Whereunto is added, a letter from England to her three daughters, Cambridge, Oxford, Innes of Court, and to all the rest of her inhabitants: perswading them to a constant vnitie of what religion soever they are, for the defence of our dread soveraigne, and natiue cuntry: most requisite for this time wherein wee now live.	Covell, William, d. 1614?; Clerke, William, fl. 1595, attributed name.	1595 (1595)	STC 5883; ESTC S108887	87,044	236

lately in the Realme of France yet it were easie to proue out of the histories of al times that traytors seditious persons howsoeuer they haue been so bold that they durst in the field incounter the Lords annoynted yet he whom the scripture calleth the author of victorie and the God of battell shall make them to flie when no man followeth shall cause ten thousand of them to bee chased with a thousand and in the day of battell giue victorie to his owne annoynted The rebelliō that was made in Spayne against the Emperour Charles the 5. in the beginning of his raigne together with the happie successe of his Maiestie may serue as apparant proofe to confirme this seeing the seditious faction was foyled and the most of thē taken captiue It shall be needles to adde this that in the daies of Queene Mary when first she came vnto the Crowne finding the people to be mutinous and in the land nothing almost but flat rebellion in shorter time then the space of two moneths worthely she was conqueror ouer all her enemies such was the state of Flanders 1566. and three yeares after yet neuer heard of that rebellious sedition preuailed against a lawfull Soueraigne all ages afoorde multitude of examples in this kind the vnnaturall riot of Duras the wonderfull successe of the battell of Dreux in France and after of Poncenas and not to stand in particulars of that country the euent of things hath made known vnto vs that rebellion builded vpon a weake foundation cannot possibly stand if the Lord in anger do blow vpon it neither speake I this to make a Prince more seuere against his rebellious subiects to make the Scepter of a King plow vp the bowels of his owne countrie men but to shew that Loyaltie cannot brooke rebellion that sedition is odious to a good subiect that treason is intollerable in a Commō wealth if I lincked with Religion a thing hardly to bee hoped for in this bad age coulde but liue for a small time safe from treason if some of Englands subiects had continuallie remained in my fauor then durst I boldly haue compared with the proudest nation and hauing religion a crowne and loyaltie as a strong defence she might valiantly haue incountered her stoutest foes for I may confidently auouch in the reuerend securitie of an vpright minde that excepting treasons blowne into the heartes of her subiects by forraine enemies England hath been as free from danger as far from distresse in as great prosperitie as euer was Iland in so bad an age Then countriemen giue mee leaue to perswade thus much that the benefite of treason shall bee this if vnhappilie which God forbid you obtaine your purpose your countrie shall bee desolate you your selues shall bee feared and suspected of your enemies and these ample ornaments garlands of long peace shall crowne your enemies for the victories obtained in your conquest I that haue made your children dutifull in whose mindes the name of a Father did extinguish disobedience I that haue made your friendes trustie in whome the name of sacred Friendship was wont to banish all deceite I that haue made your wiues in the honorable reuerence of your loue to respect no perswasion of strangers thereby wantonly to commit adulterie I I say intreate you by these fauours that being children in duetie you bee not disobedient to so good a mother being friendes by promise and that confirmed with a sacred vow you bee not found deceitefull to so dread a Soueraigne lastly being those whom nature religion time and countrie haue matched nearlie for this 36. yeares with so gratious a Prince that you bee not seene to prostitute your bewtie to a stranger to admit Tarquin into your fauour and neuer to bee vnpunished to violate so great an oath for what the seuen Ambassadors commended in their common wealths vnto King Ptolomey that England may iustly vaunt she professeth at this day and where as they in three things compared which should excell England possessing one twentie may iustly in comparison out strip the proudest that Europe hath The Ambassadors of Rome boasted that their Temples were honoured their gouernours obeyed and their wicked punished may not England doe it more iustly if you compare it with those times And yet for honouring our Temples I cannot so much commend vs but onely that that little honor which they haue amongst some it is in true sinceritie The Ambassadors of Carthage iustly boasted that their Nobilitie was valiant to fight their Cōminaltie to take paynes and their Philosophers to teach was there euer countrie I except not Carthage in his best estate where either the Nobilitie is more valiant the Cōminaltie more laborious or the teachers more profound then in England at this day The Ambassadors of Cicely boasted that their countrie executed iustice loued trueth and commended simplicitie neuer Common wealth I dare auouch since the first societie that man had was ruled with more vpright iustice was honored with greater trueth and admired for more simplicitie then generallie is the state of England the Ambassadors of the Rhodians bragged that the old men were honest the young men shamefaste and the women peaceable and may not England iustlie boaste of all these The Ambassadors of Athens that they consented not that their rich should be partiall their people should be idle their gouernours should be ignorant and is not all this now as true in England amongst vs as euer it was in Athens amongst them The Ambassadours of Lacedemon vaunted that there was no enuie because all were equall no coueteousnes because all were common no idlenes because all did labour and are not the same banished from our land howsoeuer procured by a better cause For England wanteth enuie in her selfe not because all are equall but all friends England is not couetous not by reason of communitie but because of conscience And idlenes out of this land was banished long since with the Lorde Dane The Ambassadors of Sictonia glorified iustlie in these three wherein England is supposed to bee farre shorte that they admitted no strangers inuentors of new toyes that they wanted Phisitions to kill the sicke and aduocates to make their pleas immortall wherein I must needes confesse for trueth onely becommeth my talke that howsoeuer in the aboundance of her wealth England hath giuen strangers money for very toyes yet it was not for loue of them but to shew the world that their plentie was not debarde from euery stranger for Phisitions I may truly say thus that the Aesculapins honoring Pad●●●● in the aboundance of her skill is vnequall to make comparison with vs in England and lastly for our aduocates a slaunder I confesse common but yet most vntrew men so learnedlie wise so wiselie religious and so respectiuely learned wise and religious as if Europe would seeme to contend in this doutles shee should bee

peace at too high a rate I will sooner ioyne with France and lend him as I haue done the riches of my land thē intrapped by Syrēs songs haue my beautie so long cōmended with Aesops Crow to let fall the foode whereupon I liue And howsoeFrance by too much sweating is growne drie and by too great bloudletting is waxen pale and that for one crowne she hath spent so manie that now she is scarce able to giue her souldiers pay And howsoeuer Flanders falsely will sel their friends to buy their peace yet let vs make this a rule of estate that when the might of one kingdome extr̄a ordinarilie groweth great the lesser should vnite themselues as the smaller beasts against the enemies they feare And though Spayne may seeme constantlie prodigall a wonder prodigalitie to be constant and neuer possible without supplie of the Indian gold and France too poore and needie yet thinke that ciuill warres hauing been so long within her bowels are only the causes of all this miserie I compare not the greatnes of these two kingdomes howsoeuer there may bee matter wherein to ballance them but I am sure of this as the case stands I haue farre lesse cause to suspect the Frenchman then the Spanyard for his intent hath been as it was towards them of the Lowe Countries when Charles the fift and the Pope concluded to ouerthrow and disperse them by their owne meanes the pretence was religion the commission was granted to the Bishop of Terracina such like policies as they thought were not easily found out I cease to repeate and shame to vtter the sundrie offers that haue been made to my owne countrie men feeding them with vaine hope and vncertaine promises to sell my wealth my honour my dignitie and what I reputed excellent to the enemies hand the present times and the feare danger scarce past make me I must remember it Nor are the malicious practises against me such as zeale somtime kindled for Religions sake but in those daies when Spayne and I were both of one minde he courted me with tearmes halfe deceiuing my simplicitie he ambitiously sued to obtaine my fauour he spake me faire but ment falsely he was treacherous I suspitious and so we parted and doe those now within my bounds who tearme themselues Catholikes at this day perswade themselues that any religion were able to protect them from Spanish tyrannie Looke a little into the Low Countries these I mention often as tasting fullie of the Spanish furie how did religion warrant them from the crueltie of Landeburg Grisler Rottenburge and others and how haue they of late time bin free from inuasion for religions sake Haue they not readilie imbraced that which they call the Catholike religion are they for all this free from the enemies inuasion Haue they not yeelded their townes payd sufficientlie for their presumption and hath not Spayne maintained her straggling souldiers by their spoyle Haue they not intertained any religion nay is it not feared they are willing to forsake all to please the King of Spayne and are they for all this any more quiet Did poore America who powred foorth her bowels to content them purchase her quiet with the imbracing of their religion nay together with the intrals of her earth did she not shed the purest of her bloud to satisfie those Spanish bloud-hounds This trueth hath tolde vs out of the vntrue mouth of their owne Bishops Hath religion saued lawfull Princes that they haue not violently been expelled their owne kingdomes by the Spanish tyrannie What countrie soeuer had to deale with them as fewe there bee which are free from them haue been forced to confesse that Spayne is humble till she get footing but thē ambitiously proud that she pretends religion and promiseth largely but that she cares for no religion and performes it sparingly yet her false zeale smoothing her face ouer to the simple view hath made her vnited to some deare to many and vnsuspected to all But such practises haue been a tyrants cloake which they haue cast about thē to deuoure the Church Such pretēces haue bin masking weeds which they haue worne in policie the better to cast lottes for the Common-wealth then credulous vnwise countrie men for so I may iustly tearme you if you beleeue them if either you meane to haue me liue or see amongst you my sister the Church to remaine and florish credit no pretence whatsoeuer admit no strangers to see the secrets of my land approue none in hope to gaine your falsely pretended religion when you shal findethey slander me but of inconstancie your brethren of heresie themselues of pietie and only to this end the more easilie to spoyle mee and the more deadly to poyson the Church did not the Babylonians thus accuse Gods people of false religion the Iewes and the Romaines haue they not vnder this pretēce accused our Sauiour and his owne disciples Is not damned Mahomet a cause at this daye why the Turke hath conquered so many countries and if there be one amongst them as it may bee there are some few who are desirous of our good and wish vs the trueth as they terme it of the catholike religiō yet there are a thousand Hamans who will enterprise the ruine of the Iewish nation accuse them to the King of Persia that they haue a religion differing from his but it is by reason of the hate conceiued against iust Mardocey thus religion was made a cloake for treacherous and intollerable pride thus Absolon the patterne of these courtly politicks stoode pittying the Iewes at the courte gate as though he had desired the helping of their estate but it was nothing else but an ambitious humour to obtaine a kingdome in like manner deale the Spaniards with my catholikes so tearmed at this day they stand and court them and say with Absolon your cause is good but there is none that pitties you O if I had the gouernement of these things then should England obtaine hir auncient religion and then would followe their former plentie and thus the Iland that is now distressed euery day in feare of forraine inuasion should be able to meete the enemie in the gate the consciences that are now distracted bee quieted by obtaining of true pardon so shuld heresies be rooted out from amongst you peace should be within your walles and plentie within your gates false-deceiuing smooth-tonged heart-stealing SpanishAbsolon I deserue pardon if my weake womanish nature in feare of my state in loue to mine inhabitants in care of so good a cause should carrie mee to tearme thee by worser titles but answer treacherous and state-corrupting golde-offering Spaniard dost thou perswade thy selfe fondly deceiued to bee so perswaded that my true inhabitants can be resolued of thy good meaning Dost thou thinke that euer they hope for peace in the middest of strangers For

plentie in the middest of tirants For religion in the middest of Atheists Nay it neuer hath been nor neuer shall be therefore resolue thy selfe that howsoeuer some within my borders doe heartilie desire and earnestlie expect a freedome of their conscience yet these are neuer so foolish to thinke it possible to be obtained by your meanes nor so profanelie wicked to admit of so bad a cause And although some few and I perswade my selfe they are very fewe may be found perhaps as either being Atheists without God or Iewes without Christ or monsters without naturall affection who can bee content to pearce my bowels through my Princesse side and so let forth my peace or laie violent hands vpō mine anointed to make my children to eate themselues yet resolue thy selfe and vainelie foolish to resolue otherwise that the most estranged Englishman from naturall loue who hath lost his affection by long trauaile or the loose stchristian I harbor who hath lent his affection to all pleasure or the most desperate whom need and extremitie haue made careles or the deuoutest Catholicke whom deceiuedlie zeale and conscience haue made religious shal euer so farre estrange them selues from an English minde So much be alienated from my long bred loue And lastlie so cruellie to wish me euill That they would open my gates to strangers Prostrate my wealth to the Spaniard and exchange my peace for most cruell tirannie Nay if they were all in armes and had vowed to admit a stranger and the stranger readie as perhaps you were 1588. to accept by policy what you intended to keep by crueltie yet if I should but frowne as discontented say quid agitis And name but England the worthie loue of me deriued from their forefathers would so farre pearce into the English harts that their swordes drawne forth against mee their mother would speedilie bee sheathed in you their murtherers for if in all ages sauing onelie in this last and amongst you faith and promise hath been religiouslie obserued to their verie enemies then can you thinke they will falsifie the same to mee that bred them And as for you who haue surpassed the false punicane gaining that brand of trecherie which once was Carthage due resolue vpon this poynt that hee which punished the faith broken to the Turkes at the Popes perswasion by them of Hungarie by putting to flight Sigismund the Emperor and slaying Cardinall Iulian the Popes Legate who brought the message hee I say shall neuer suffer so great an iniurie vnpunished to me their mother Let me then in kindenes perswade you my deare countrie men that if trecherie be most odious thē that especiallie which ouerturneth a Common wealth if ingratitude bee hatefull both to God and man then that which is of children to their mother if credulitie bee a fault and argues want of experience then to trust a stranger a false dissembling and deceitfull tirant must reproue vs of great leuitie loue peace then loue my peace follow vnitie but within my walles for if neither inequalitie of condition emulation of partakers nor religion ought to disunite vs then this onely remaineth for you that you be vnited with loue amongst your selues tyed with affection towards your mother bound with a sacred reuerence towards your Soue raigne and carried with a wise suspition towards a stranger so shall prosperitie bee mine inheritance plentie the legacie bequeathed to my meanest friends and England as a citie at vnitie within it selfe thus shall the vnion of Iuda Israel make the people round about them to quake and tremble this made Rome to cōquer Africa the Greekes to preuaile against Xerxes the Princes of Europe to preuaile against the Turke at Lepantho which victorie had been farre more glorious if vntime lie discord had not fallen amongst them Thē banish this vnite your selues yeeld not to gilded colours and false pretences whether of religion or of friends or of promise and especially with them whō we know to be our enemies let vs bring against glittering hate-working gold the anciēt magnanimitie of braue Fabricius who would neuer bee moued by the offers of King Pyrrhus Thus ought you couragiously to vnite your selues if you loue the glorie of your conquests the sweetnes of your libertie the happines of your quiet the liues of your wiues and children and if none of all these can moue you yet thinke that I weepe for your sake the milke that sometime was your foode that I sweate for your feare the bloud that bred yours that I sigh for your cause the ayre that gaue you breath And as for my owne part sillie destressed as I am I haue considered the threatnings of God against my subiects liues the tokens sent me not long since the wonders that heauen shewed the lowde speech that the dumbe creatures vsed and all onely for this end that I fearing might perswade you and you perswaded might make mee to liue without feare yet I relie not so farre vpon Astrologicall reason as vpon the strange starre 1572. the Comets that haue appeared since the great thunder 1584. the terrible Earth-quake the first of March the same yeare the strange inundations not long since the fearefull mortalitie that hath hewed downe my tallest Cedars and moued as it were the lesser plants yet I take these to bee meanes to humble me least in pride of courage I ouerweiningly doe loue my selfe And now daughters seeing I grow faint I will cause two to speake in my behalfe committed to me from eternities bosome Religion and Loyaltie daughters hearken and these briefly shall speake vnto you RELIGIONS SPEECH TO ENGLANDS CHILDREN AT what time Loue brought mee from Eternities bosome and commaunded me like a Queene to dwell in earth I then easelie foresawe which I now finde that all harmes miseries wants tragedies and what else soeuer the worlde deemeth hatefull should bee falsely supposed to proceede out of my wombe and seeing I haue now liued so long till I finde it trew pardon mee to make mine apologie thus farre that since the day of my first birth since I first shined weekely in these coastes since the time I was called as I am by Religions name I neuer caused either Kingdome to be desolate Prince to bee distressed people to despaire or any priuate persō to be malecontent In deede I must needes acknowledge thus much that at what time I was sent into earth sinfull man by reason of his immortalitie desirous of a deitie and not able by the weakenes of his vnderstanding to admit of me forged vnto himselfe a false cruell irreligious vaine proud superstitious strumpet and fondly deluded tearmed her by my name then seeing her to haue such prerogatiue finding her to rule ouer so many subiects and fearing shee would banish mee to Heauen from whence I first came wee haue been still in continuall warres I found those

bowels he had no sooner giuen alarme to assault me but that multitudes flocked vnto him to bee his followers the East Church wherein I sometime gloried lost her beautie and her loue in so ample manner by this meanes that pitifully to my wrong Constantius the Emperour became an Arrian Iudge if it were not lamentable that I who sometimes was highlie fauored accounted of in their assemblies wholly relied vpon their integritie became so distressed by his meanes that openly to doe me wrong 105. Bishops became Arrians if Alexādrias Bishops religious Alexander and learned Athanasius had not encountered his forces with a matchles valour I had then vtterly perished in those countries from hence proceeded the fatall calamitie of my fortune Councels against Councels Confessions against Confessions Accusatiōs Defences Banishments and cruell Martyrdomes Doe you heare and credit me and yet for all this take me to haue offered wrong suffered none Nay when I fearfull had taken my selfe into the inner parts of Europe for feare of harme then came the Persians Arabians Syrians and Aegyptians called Sarracins vnder pretence to inlarge the honour of their Mahomet occupied all Africke passed into Spayne where they conquering from thence came to Tours in France where if they had not been discomfited of three hundred and sixtie thousand persons by Charles Martel I had then perished After this I began to growe more valiant and my worthie Godfrey with the rest of his Lordes confederate at the instance of Pope Urban drewe from France an incredible army passed by sea and land after many trauailes to the furthest partes of the westerne coast from Syria to the frontiers of Arabia and Persia whereby my Godfreys true valarous armie I wonne Ierusalem neither was there then droppe of blood shed by any Christian in my quarrell which I haue not intreated Fame to recorde to my posteritie nor was it either lesse vēturous or honorable which Englands first Richard against the Turkes attempted for my cause and howsoeuer I may bee thought to loue discord and to make dissention yet in respect of the fauour that I found then in regarde of the kindenes countrie men I receiued at your hands I haue been willing to relie vpon you and desirous to dwell amongst you that whilst other countries loosing their Religion haue lost their Peace and lacking peace their Religion hath quite perished England hath beene a Garden of Oliue branches fensed with walles against violence shadowed with a Cedar against heate watred like Paradise against barrennes and preserued with true Loyalty against rebellion And whilest Greece Lacedemon and Athens haue been at discorde Carthage and Parthia with thē of Rome the French with the Italian the Almayn with the Switzard Africa with Spayn the Turke with the Christians the Persians with the Turke the Zauolians with the Persians the Muscouit with the Polon and the Tartar with them both in the meane time England for my sake hath found a peace hath sitten at ease and had leasure to looke at their falles And I earnestlie pray as I haue good cause that peace being my childe beget not plentie and that be a meanes for to banish mee for when a countrie through Religion hath obtained peace through peace hath plentie and through plenty is growne rebellious then God by seditions and change of state by inundations of floods by famine plague and such like he bringeth them in fauor to a smaller number least in pride multitude they should growe for to scorne mee Thus haue I some times tasted of their harmes and though I haue liued safe this 36. yeares that no forraine enemie was able to roote mee from the land of mine inheritance yet I haue bin stil so vnited to your dread soueraigne so in fauour with my valiant champions that none opposed themselues against mee but first committed treason against her and though at my intreatie she was content to pardō them my fault yet Iustice and conscience both would that they all should perish that wish her euill Then howsoeuer thereby to bee dearer to false religion they make the worlde beleeue that they dye for my cause yet I cannot chuse but I must needes renownce them Martyrs I haue had that haue dyed in my quarrell yet neuer any that intangled himselfe to destroye a Prince I haue wept while tirants haue slaine my children yet I neuer saw them to be found rebellious giue mee leaue then openly to disclame those out of my fauour to cancell them out of honors booke to renounce them from being my followers who haue traitorously conspired with my sworne enemies who treacherouslie haue intended their Princes death who rebelliouslie haue taken armes against my sides who falsely haue expected to see mee fall these I pronounce not to bee my sonnes and I must tell the Worlde that they dyed not for my sake And because Rome hath lately noted those with the title of Martyrs whom rebellious malice caused to bee treacherous to their Prince I must needes bee plaine that the world may see Rebellion and not Religion Treason not Trueth was the cause of their vtter ruine Custome hath made it a thing common the communitie hath made it a thing credible that the worse things haue masked vnder good names that singularitie is tearmed zeale disobedience freedome of conscience rebellion sinceritie of profession and open treason to be pure religion Thus was the notorious rebellion in England after affecting the Irish supposed to be the signe of a Catholike trueth wherein though many suffered the iust recompence of so foule desert yet the Queene was merciful and forgaue some How can I then make an apologie in their behalfe how can I say these fauoured religion who sought to roote out the Prince land where I had dwelt of a long continuance I conceale their names as loath posteritie should remember an Englishman to be so disloyall And herein the Pope that should haue been most religious was a chief dealer to subuert me sending ouer pardons absolutions and such like to exempt the subiects of this realme from their true obedience And the better cōtinually to performe what he intended Seminaries were erected vnder pretence to doe me good which haue harboured howsoeuer some of them learned such politique subtile treacherous and disloyall people that hauing swarmed from thence as from a hiue pretending as they haue said the Catholique good of their owne countrimen haue infected them with such pernicious poyson moued them to such great treasons perswaded them to those attempts that if heauen had not withstood them with a mightie power if God had not detected them with a pearcing eye if the Lord had not confounded them with a mightie arme then had I in all likelihood been banished from this Iland then had England perished her

dayes of Theodosius the younger when the Sarracins came to helpe the Persians against whome hee fought the Angels from heauen like the starres against Sisera troubled the Sarracens that in Euphrates there was drowned a hundred thousand thus Iulian whilest he was my friende made Italie Afrike stoope to the Roman Empire but sodainely perished whē he had reuolted thus Heraclius conquered the Persians till hee became a Monothelite I could alleadge histories of these latter times but being a controuersie for the true religion howsoeuer indeede it is without controuersie I will not doe them that wrong to grounde vpon a thing that is not yet graunted the contentions for my cause and the apish pollicies of other countries hath pittifully perswaded them to become Atheists I haue encountred the Papists and tolde him he mistakes the trueth his religion is meere erronious and whilst I went about soundely to perswade this Satan raised vp the lewde faction of irreligious Brownists to tell the worlde that England was not so happie to haue a Churche that titles of honour were things impertinent to trew religion that decencie was a matter of ceremonie which was no sooner bruted in the worlds eare but the Papists began scoffingly to contemne my trueth and the Atheist prophanely to thinke there was none at all But I am loath to rake in the dead cinders of polluted Machiuell whō though Satan made an instrument to disgrace me and with his dregges dangerouslie poysoned the best states yet shall my trueth like the sunne from vnder a cloude shine clearely in the dayes of Elizabeth And men famouslie learned in all knowledge as some haue done in other places shall openly shew vnto the worlde that such pollicies are but cankers to a Common wealth such discordes weapons sheathed in the wombe of true religion and those great promises nothing but Cannon shot to vndermine if it were possible the rocke where vpon I stand And concerning the other which in a forwarde pretended zeale haue desired to cleare the mudde that hath troubled the fountaine to roote out the weedes that haue hindered the corne to trie out the drosse that hath dimd the golde haue vnawares howsoeuer some of them politickelie malicious stopped the fountaine plucked vp the corne and confounded the treasure of true religion so that if they might haue preuailed as they might haue preuailed if diligent care had not been taken in this respect the Churche must haue withered as wanting springs the people must haue famished as wanting corne and religion must haue begged as wanting treasure In deede iust faultes haue been founde for that many insufficient haue taken vpon them so great charge that the Bishops haue paultered their liuings in so base a manner that forgetting their honor they haue seemed to be familiar with meane persons that they haue suffered the patrons of their liuings to present any nay that which is most intollerable that they haue consented whilest patrons haue paused so long a thing needelesse so neere an Vniuersitie to finde one sufficient to take the charge that either a haruest must quite the cost that the patron hath had by many suters or if it can bee compasfed it shall bee plainelie temporall I feele my selfe both too feeble to complaine and too farre spent to remedie so great a mischiefe faultes will bee yet religion must bee the daies are euill but my charge is not to leaue England whilest the world endureth and if I must being her companion I will dye valiantly in her cause LOYALTIES SPEECH TO ENGLANDS CHILDREN AFter abundant triall of my many fauours giue me leaue not vpbrayding you with benefits you haue receiued only in equall comparison of other countries to shew the wealth of Englands subiects the happines of her land the increase of her honor the contentment and the euerlasting fame of her three children and of all these obtained by my meanes Now as the religious dutie to your Prince the kind affection to your countrie and the common care amongst your selues one towards another are things not onely requisite for your good but likewise commanded by the lawes of God and nature so rebellion a thing which I quake to heare of sedition a thing which I hope I shal neuer heare of are both so capitall in themselues and so detested of all ages as the people must needs be barbarous that liue to doe them and the Prince land and people lamentably miserable that liue to suffer them And if it were not that false pretences an vsuall cloak for the greatest faults did make men thinke they were lesse offensiue neuer traitor would intend his Princes death but take punishment of himselfe for so bad a thought neuer subiects would draw their swords in seditious manner but sheath them in the guiltie intrals of their owne bowels And therfore those who haue intended to alter or vsurpe the state of their superiours which we call rebellion not to bee branded with so foule a shame not to be noted with so blacke a marke not to be called by so bad a name haue indeuoured to signifie their sinisters practises by a good pretence and haue imployed such for the effecting of them as inconstancie hath made desirous of a chaunge Atheisme careles by what meanes Prodigalitie beggars and full of want and lastly want hath made them to growe desperate The trueth hereof is apparantly knowne both by ancient histories and of later time not onely within these small dominions hemmed with the narrow seas but in populous and large Italie within the walles of proud stately and commaunding Rome where the often Secessions of the cōmon people to the Mount Auentin may plainly testifie that malecontented they pretēded a reformation of the rich Nobilitie So that the horrible strange and detested practises of our time which some most irreligiously haue plotted to obtaine their purpose being nothing in trueth but an ouerflowing ambition an insatiable desire to rule haue been smoothed ouer with the fine tearmes of a common good of the freedome of the people of iustice of religion of reformation and such like things onely mentioned in name and no further intended then in a bare shewe thus delt they that sought to alter the Romane Empire by lighting the torch of ciuill dissention pretending the more easily to winne the people to free them from subsidies and oppression which then seemed by their gouernours to lye vpon them making a shew to the common sorte that they tendered their case in so great a measure that they could not longer indure to see them afflicted in so bad a manner These pretences wee reade to haue been made in France these haue been made in our countrie and there was neuer either subiect seditious in the Commō wealth or heretike hatefull to Gods Church but they desired to be accounted Euangelike and Apostolike reformers their bad conuenticles Cockatrices to hatch