for a Maxime that by the examples of Christ and his Aposties Math. 11 Act. 13 Kom 10 one neyther can nor may bring men to the beleefe of the Gospell by force seeing that that appertayneth to one onely God to touch and moue the heartes causing them to beleeue to saluation Let vs adde that by a free and amiable conference that all that which shall bee found good and conformable to the word of God in the Romane Church shall bee ratified confirmed and approued What is it then that thou doest require more of a faithfull Prince towardes the christian religion If not a reprehension agreeable to such inuectiues which impudently thou doest produce agaynst his maiestie Thou giuest vs afterwardes a gradation of of heresies touching the reformation of the Church brought into Fraunce the which thou callest the heresie of Caluin more detestable then all the rest To the which is aunswered that it hath beene sufficiently maintayned and proued that the Church of Rome doeth erre in many pointes of doctrine and that it hath neede of reformation Heereupon it is come to passe that many haue renounced her errors idolatries and superstitions to follow christian Religion according to the first institution purity veritie and sinceritie You call this reformation heresie But if in deede in naming good euill All those which will open theyr eyes may see this necessitie a farre off If there were neede to giue place to thy inductions and gradations I would produce two the truth whereof thou canst not denie And the first is that at Rome hath beene made such an assemblie of idolatries 2. Thes 2 errours and superstitions that they doe iustifie the religion of Presbiter Iohn and of the Muscouite The other also should be that the Bishop of the same towne mounting from degree to degree is placed in the most abhominable scate of all Europe Euen as they are alreadie verified proued by those which thou canst not contradict Now then it remaineth after the counterbatterie of thy Ecclesiasticall Canons to repulse the application and interpretation which thou giuest to certaine imperyall lawes which condemne the heretikes in diuerse paines as by bannishment confiscation of goods and other such like From whence thou drawest then this conclusion that the king ought not onely so to bee handled but also to be put to death These are thy proper tearmes when thou sayest If ye will haue the lawes stand in force it is necessarie that the heretike should die And for want whereof the state of France is more miserable than the pollicie of theeues To all that hath beene alreadie aunswered first that the soueraigne gouernours are not to bee comprehended in the like rigor of ciuill punishments as their subiects are for the reasons that wee haue alleadged else where Secondly that such heretikes were punished some for heresies being qualified which did turne vp side down the foundation of Christian religion beeing knowen and approued such by the true Doctours of the Church And for the last so farre off is it that thou mayest saie so of the king that contrarie-wise it hath beene prooued that if there bee anie Prince in the worlde farre from heresie and from anie opinion that may anie kinde of wale approch it it is hee seeing that he followeth Christian religion in the greatest measure of reformation of the same as euer hath bene sithence the death of the Apostles Most truely therefore I conclude that in cursing the king lyke to another Semei and condemning of him to death by the examples of Caiphas 1. Sam. â—â— thou doest demerite meritoriously the condemnation of two And as for the prophesie importing that for not killing of the king the aboue sayde inconueniences woulde come to passe It may easily be answered that in killing the king giuen of GOD for the gouernment of the people of France shoulde bee committed the most great and hainous sinne of the second table of the Lawe by the which notable wickednesse the wrath and vengeance of God should be prouoked And to conclude it is necessarie to shew thee a notable errour vpon the ending of the two Articles within the which thou doest inwarp all thy speech and this it is that thou doest alwaies inferre in thy Arguments that heresie is a greater sinne than all other infidelitie such as are Paganisme Atheisme Idolatrie and generally all other defection from God and his religion The contrarie appeareth by these argumentes Hee that denieth the greatest quantitie of truth is a greater lyar than hee which denyeth the lesse Such therefore bee the Pagans which doe denie altogether all the truth of Christian religion wherefore it followeth that they are greater liers and more to bee condemned chan the heretikes which denie lesse And agayne Euerie man such as is the Atheist which denyeth the essence of GOD and his effects is more abhominable than he which coÌ„fesseth the one the other from whence it proceedeth that Atheists are worse than heretiks To the like effect or end I thus argue Those which doo generally abiure from the true God and his religion are worse than those which doe but in parte from whence yet it followeth that such destroyers are worse than heretikes As in deede such Infidelles are altogether straungers from the common weale of Israel Ephe. 2 the which cannot bee said of the heretike which shall beleeue in one God the contentes of his worde and the truth of his promises failing onely in this point that hee doth vnderstand some Articles and texts of holy Scripture amisse If thou doest obiect that many heretikes haue malicioussie and against their consciences striuen against the truth I answere that in such a case mans iudgement ceaseth seeing that God alone can examine and sound the heartes of men Iere. 20. otherwise to saie the truth if they come to that point they ought not to be called heretikes but Apostatates and arch-enemies of God the which by consequence according to the example of one Iulian should sinne against the holy spirit Possibly Arrius did the like That beeing taken awaie it is necessarie to obserue all such distinctions for feare of enwrapping them in the same condemnation which doe erre by simple ignorance What shoulde become of the most part of the ancient doctors if they were admitted We doe not onely then saie that there is a difference betweene Apostasie and heresie but also between heresie and heresie and moreouer all errour is not heresie Furthermore if it be demaunded into what predicament simple heretikes may or ought to bee put and what iudgement is to bee giuen of them I aunswere that they ought to be handled more fauourablie than those which are excommunicated the reason wherof amongst others is this that because they are not bannished nor reiected of the Church and because they haue neuer done any acts of rebellion or contempts as the aforesaid excommunicated haue Concerning the which neuertheles it is saide 1. Cor. 5. that
they are deliuered to Satan for the destructioÌ„ of the flesh to the ende that their soules may bee saued in the daye of the Lord. Seeing then that excommunication doth not seclude these heere from the hope of saluation much lesse then the heretikes seeing they are lesse withdrawing from the way of repentance than the excommunicates Nowe to shew that all those which do erre in some poynt of heresie are not so foule as this leaguer doth make them wee will produce two examples drawne from the worde of God The Corinthians did erre in one of the most principall articles of the christian fayth in denying the resurrection of the body a quallified heresie if there were euer any seing that it did abolish as S. Paule prooueth the whole benefite of the death and passion of Christ 1. Cor. 15. Let vs come to S. Peter who beeing better instructed than the faythfull Corinthians mistaking an Article of the Christian liberty and beeing vnknowne fell into a poynt of heresie because that after the death of Christ Act. 10. he thought it to bee a pollution of the soule and conscience to eat of all sorts of meat as if in such an abstinence did consist in a part of saluation for mankind quite contrary to that which S. 1. Tim. 4. Paule dooth teach when he sayth that God had created meates to the end that the faithfull which haue knowne the truth maye vse them with giuing of thanks Behold then heere a body of the Church and an Apostle heretikes euery one of them in a point of heresie Neuerthelesse they were not reiected of the church nor deposed froÌ„ their charges for the same Yea such opinions were not imputed vnto them for heresie because there was no obstinacie in them nor a wicked purpose to resist circumstances requisite for a formall heresie Euen as the auncient Doctors haue noted aswell as the Schoolmen affirming that he is no heretike that doth simply erre if there commeth not a wicked purpose betweene and an obstinacie to striue and stand against the trueth To the which promise is alleadged that which S. Augustine sayth I may erre but I will not be an heretike If these considerations doe purge as well the Church of Corinth as an Apostle why not then also a king when as he doth but onely say that the Romane Church doth erre in certaine points A proposition which hath lesse cause to be charged with heresie than the former Notwithstanding let vs graunt such a proposition the Romane church hath neede of reformation be erroneous we may aunswer as before That for not beeing set forwarde with willing purpose of the heart to the end to stand against the trueth it ought not to be imputed heresie If thou doest replye that it is vppon mallice and obstinacie that the king doth maintaine suche a proposition I will aunswere thee as I haue doone elsewhere returning thither Who will bee so wicked to say that the king doth intermeddle or hath intermedled and with a malitious will against his conscience in the cause of religion What profit could come vnto him by the same Leauing then this frenzines vnwoorthy any aunswere I will passe to the thirde Article vppon the which wee neede no more to insist than in the others going before forasmuch as the generall and necessary anweres to this subiect haue beene already produced which will helpe the solution of the Articles following The third Article THe third Article commeth to this poynte that the Catholickes which doe accompany the king doe breake the naturall law in the acte of religion that which the barbarous nations neuer did For this confirmation and commendation of which Article this author alleadgeth diuers examples drawne out of the Pagans shop from whence hee conoludeth that such Catholickes are worse than they because they accompany a king that is not of their religion Therein is contayned two poyntes The first resteth in the knowledge and propertie of the law of nature in the which is the question The second in the nature and force of the examples Therfore we ought first to know what it is to say the naturall law in matter of religion To this purpose therfore S. Paule sayth 1 Câ—â— 2. that the naturall man doth not comprehend the things of the spirite of God because they are vnto him as foolishnes he cannot vnderstand them Wherupon it followeth that for the vnderstanding of them he ought to be otherwise than naturall that is to say Ephe. 5 that he ought to haue some thing from aboue beyond the gifts of the humane soul That which in other places the same Apostle calleth the spirit of reuelation and the eye of the vnderstanding being inlightned Much more then the naturall man will affecte his naturall religion which is not but of the world therfore the further from the true ordinance of God considering that it is foolishnes vnto him so consequently can neuer comprehend it if the supernaturall gifts of the holy spirite doe not come between From whence it coÌ„meth to passe that to imbrace the true religion being supernatural he ought rather to go against the law of nature than to followe the course and conduction of the same It appeareth then that thou doest very badly apply thy naturall lawe in the case of religion But if thou doest reply that by the lawe of nature thou doest vnderstand an inseperation and inclination to be borne nourished together with man tending to the good and preseruation of mans life Vppon such an interpretation thou doest shew thy selfe without comparison to be a greater transgresser of this lawe than those vpon whom thou doest falsely impose such a crime Behold the law of nature requireth that one should be gentle and tractable towards his countriman Which doth demonstrate amiably that the difference in religion dooth desire examination and conference The same lawe abhorreth ciuill warres and dooth lament and detest the effusion of mans bloud it desireth also the good and quiet of her neighbor following the ancient prouerb which saith that man is God to man To be short the law of nature wisheth generally a peaceable estate to the end that all men ought to liue in concord amitie equitie iustice and blessednes Cicero called these things Lib. de scien Sequi naturaÌ„ ducem the following nature as a guide from whence it proceedeth that thou and thy like leagued companions in writing councelling and pursuing the contrary declare your selues to bee enemies to nature and violaters of the lawe And as for the other point touching the example of the Pagans and their zeale concerning their religioÌ„ I dare say that if thou with pride of heart haddest vndertooke to reason in the behalfe of Satan to the ende to commend all the wicked religious which hee hath brought into the worlde thou couldest not haue better proceeded to haue pleased him then in exhorting euerie Countrie to follow the religion which it hath found in
the world without anie other knowing of the cause Tell me where hast thou learned this fashion of arguing It commeth not from the Apostles who in stead of commending the Ethnike religions by such examples did combat with and beate them downe by the authoritie of the word of God Ier. 2. True it is that in Ieremie God reasoning saith that his people are lesse constant in his truth than the idolaters are in their errours But the Prophet did not endeuor to the end to commend the perseuerance nor the obstinacie of the idolaters to the which in the meane time thou doest intend Thou takest then this fashion of arguing from the oracle of Apollo the which wicked creature did counsell the pagans in times past alwayes to reteine the religions receiued into theyr countrie from all antiquity without chaunging any thing Xenoph in his Com. Cicero dâ—â—egibus lib. 2. Knowest thou not that amongst the Pagans such examples are not concluded and much lesse amongst Diuines which do argue altogether by the worde of God Finally doest thou not knowe that the Gentiles did forsake theyr false religions by the preaching of the Gospell Thou hast done very fairely then in alleadging the Persians Greeks and Romanes in their paganisme to the ende that by their example a man should not inquire after the certaintie and assurance of the true religion Iohn 5. On our side wee see agayne the disciples of Christ with the contentes of his will written within his booke which is the worde of God which doth alwayes remaine But the religions of the Pagans Isay 40. are perished with theyr authors where it appeareth that thou shewest thy religion to bee more wicked than the Pagans did theirs for they neither would nor durst serue so much wickednes and crueltie as thou doest serue thy selfe with in that which thou callest the Romish Catholicke religion Let vs see now whether thou canst profit thy selfe any better in thy fourth Article or not But it will sooner bee found out that through a hotte disease thou wilt fall from the water into the fire The fourth Article THe summe of this may be drawn to this poynt that the Catholicks which do mayntaine the kings parte doe breake the statutes and fund mentall lawe of Fraunce For the proofe of which rupture this Doctor like vnto a mouse that hath but one wretched hoale neyther knoweth how nor can alleadge any other text or reason but a violent and bloudy statute or rather the default of a statute which the last Duke of Guize did wreste by constraint against the last king imitating beggers which doe begge almes with a two handed sworde My leaguerer then the better to fill his paper layeth foorth vnto vs here at large the vnderstanding of his pretended statute which hee calleth the fundamentall lawe of the Realme and the statute of vnyon solempnly sworne vnto by all the estates of the Towne of Bloys in the yeare of our Lorde God 1588. contayning these poyntes that is to saye that the king woulde holde sayth hee for an inuiolable lawe First that hee would lyue and dye in his Catholike Romish Religion Secondly that hee woulde imploye himselfe in good earnest by all the meanes that hee could to race our the heretikes Thirdly that all his subiectes shoulde sweare and binde themselues vnto the same condition And comming to the fourth that the king dying without children no heretike should be receyued to be either king or prince Beholde nowe the substance of the Article And first of all for aunswere It is demaunded who threwe the last king downe headlong into his last troubles The house of the Guize Who caused him shamefully and in daunger of his lyfe to come out of Paris The house of Guyze Who did afterwardes chase him from his other Towne of Chartres The Guyze Who seized himselfe of the most part of his Townes The house of Lorrayne Who mooued the Frenchmen to treason rebellion and reuolting agaynst the same king The same house Finally who constrayned the poore passengers to giue that by by force which they durst not refuse to Robbers which tooke them within Bloys Euen hee himselfe beeing guiltie of high treason a traiterous and wicked vsurper of the estate of the Lord. This was in the same time and state when the last Duke of Guyze demaunded of the last king suche an infamous and detestable raunsome The which this leagued Moonke calleth the Parliament and Statutes of Bloys and the fundamentall lawe of the Realme Patience I pray you Is there any thing more impudent more falsely named and more ridiculous than to call this rauening extortion and constraynte A Statute and a solemne and a fundamentall Lawe of a Realme Doest thou not know that in the making of a Lawe the free will of the lawgiuer is requisite And for want whereof the ordinaunce which shall bee made agaynst his will shall bee rather accounted rebellion and felonye than any iust and true Lawe If thou doest heere obiecte that the swearing of the King passed betweene in suche a Statute thou shalt bee aunswered in lyke sorte That is to saye that the swearing wherein GOD is taken to witnesse in things Deut. 2â— which in theyr owne nature ought to bee holye and iust requyreth likewise a free will that it maye bee thereby able wholesomely to foresee that it promiseth nothing vnto God but that which the conscience telleth vs must bee iustly promised and perfourmed For want whereof the swearing is not onely a nullitie but also ought to bee retracted as beeing made contrary to the institution and ordinaunce of God Whereupon it ensueth that hee which hath sworne rashly redoubleth his faulte if hee continueth and effecteth the same wicked swearing Then wilt thou replye that the King in suche a case ought not to sweare at all wherein I agree with thee but so that thou oughtest to consider that I detest and reprooue it in so much as the feare thereof dooth bring manie kinges to this passe for to sweare rather politikely in Greece than religiously in Iuda when matters doe concerne theyr estates and especially if they fall into anie apparaunt daunger of theyr liues But in such lamentable default why doest thou rather take an occasioÌ„ against the last king who was constrained through the feare of death than the Guyze who without any occasion did first shewe himselfe to bee periured towardes the king by his treason and rebellion And wherefore doest thou so narrowly search this faulte amongst kinges and Princes rather than amongst Popes which cal themselues the vicars of Christ Iesus which doe but sport or ieast at such oathes as this worthie saying doth testifie Heretico non est seruanda fides By and by hee will present a newe occasion to speake of an oath wherefore then wee saye for conclusion of the Article that euen as money beeing taken away by force by robbers theeues cannot bee called a gifte a present or an almes giuen
worlde knoweth that the king is accused of heresie by this Monke and his like forasmuch as hee sayth and holdeth for certaine that the Romish church hath need of reformation vpon the which proposition is demaunded wherefore the king raigning shall bee sooner accused of heresie than infinite others of his like others as wel in Europe Asia or Affrica Besides that which hath beene sayde else where wee faie that in our region the last King constrayned but too late to knowe this truth had giuen charge to a learned personage to set foorth certayne Articles concerning the necessitie of reforming the Church The last Duke of Sauoy sayd to an Italian named Castro Caro professing the reformed religion Thou doest wel to maintaine thy faith Afterwards he placed him as gouernor ouer the vallyes of Angrongne Apol for Herod A Duke of Florence with like purpose answered the Ambassadour of the souldan of Egypt that in Christendome the fooles were shut vp in Monasteries The Venetians haue of long time detested the persecutions of the Popes The best part of Christian kings doe confirme this truth and the noble men in deede as much for it is proued that there are a great many Gentlemen throughout Europe which do euen grone and breath after this reformation If we come to the Ecclesiasticall persons the quantitie of them swarming out of the Couents and monasteries doeth likewise preach on high the same thing vnto vs. The like also is found by the Popes being constrained to produce such a like kinde of cōsent when as one of thē vpon the abuse of the Romane Church which was obiected and proued to him sayde to the protestant Princes of Germanie that his intention was to vnderstand it Sleidan and remedie it To whom it was answered that that did not appertaine to one Bishop alone As for philosophers councellers of lawe-rights and people of the third estate knowing the same truth and necessitie will be found euerie where such a great number that they will be innumerable In Asia an infinite number of Iewes doe deferre their conuersion to the Christian religion for the great abuses and idolatries which they see in the Romish church Let vs passe into Affrica then Presbiter Iohn great gouernour ouer the Ethiopians making profession of Christianitie verifieth the same by the generall permission of holy matrimonie instituted by God by the intire distribution which the Bishops doe make of the sacred signes of the holy supper following the ordinance of Iesus Christ What will then this malecontent saie when as for this cause onely hee accuseth his king of heresie seeing that so many Monarchies Princes Lordes Prelates of the Church Councellors Philosophers and other great godly and learned personages throughout all Europe haue holden sayd reproued confessed the same truth the which hath beene confirmed by so many Doctors and so many arguments that it is impossible for the gainsaiers to answere them The which doctors and arguments durst and dare maintaine and proue that if there be anie Prince in the world clere and purged from the crime of heresie it is our king for following the greatest reformation of Christian religion as euer hath beene sithence the death of the Apostles That it is so thou shalt finde by reading and considering the profession of faith which he hath shewed towards the two last kings which is come to light a long time sithence Therefore take a little paines with patience to conferre it with the holy Scriptures Now let vs come to the examination of the first Article conteining as we haue sayde seuen texts of the Scripture with the which this ligall Monke woulde helpe himselfe for his better reiecting the king if he could The first therefore is taken out of the seuententh Chapter of Deutronomie Deut. 17.17 where it is commanded to the people of Israel to constitute ouer them the king whome the Lorde their God should chuse comprised in the couenant which he had contracted with him from the which place the aaforesayd Monke doth drawe his conclusion as aforesaid that is to saie that the king for being an heretike ought not to be admitted to the crowne of France no more then in oldettme a Pagan might to that of the Iewes Therefore saith he the lawe of Moses concerning the election of the kings of Israel is morall and by consequence doth binde all Christians to the obseruation of the same The answere to this is that seeing Phisicke must be applied to the bodie that is diseased let vs put the case whether the question was concerning a king being an Infidell or an heretike For the regard namely of such a soueraigne I denie the proposition the which I maintain to be false for foure resons to be considered in the examination and circumstance of the text Deut. 17 where Moses saith thus Thou shalt make him king ouer thee whome the Lord thy God shall choose from amongst thy brethren thou shalt not set a stranger ouer thee which is not thy brother Where first of all is to bee vnderstoode that the king which the Lorde woulde giue vnto his people called in the Scripture the annointed of the Lord should be chosen after another fashion and to another end than others were Therefore Moses sayd that God himselfe woulde choose this king differing from them of other nations for that hee woulde haue him represent and figure the Messias his sonne beeing king euerlasting and redeemer of the world and that he would haue him to raigne ouer an holy nation which priuiledge giueth vs to vnderstand that these sacred kings were holy and separated from others Wherefore Moses in this text 1. Sam. 10 and the historie of the Kings doe witnesse that theyr election proceeded from God not from the people for which respects there was a separation and a difference put betweene them and others So as is seene in the election of Saul 1. Chron 28. Iug. 9 Dauid and Salomon The cause why Abimelech being before appointed king of Sichem indured but a while was for that that hee was not so called of God the time of the kings being not yet come Where it appeareth that such proceedinges are not conuenient at this daie for other nations If thou doest replie that christian kings haue one and the selfe same holines as those of the Iewes had proceeding from one common God I answere that it sufficeth to proue that the Christian nations neuer had this particular commandement nor this speciall promise to haue power alwayes to constitute ouer thē a king of their owne religion so giuen of GOD this is a priuiledge onely which the Iewes had for the Christians haue ben and are bound by the generall commandement of God to abide subiect to their Princes which hee hath giuen them of what religion soeuer they haue ben or be as shall be more at large discussed in his place To that which remaineth thou oughtest to proue that this realme is a
chosen kingdome and that the Ecclesiasticall Romanes ioyned with some number of ignorant people seduced by them haue this right of election whereof thou speakest such proues are not in the strength of all your Sorbonne Beholde then the first reason sufficing to declare the falsehood of thy Commentarie And so I come forward to the second drawen from the nature of the people ouer whome the aforesayd king ought to bee appointed where Moses saith thus Thou shalt not set ouer them c. Inferring by this Pronoune that amongst these priuiledges and speciall graces which God woulde giue vnto his people he would giue them a king hauing the quality of a brother and making profession of the same religion which they did for the better distinguishing and separating them from other nations the which should carrie the same common markes of alliance and adoption Gen. 17. and also for want whereof it was sayd in Genesis that euerie man childe not circumcised should be cut off This was not then neither hath beene sithence common to anie other nation for all men knowe that God by the preaching of his Gospell hath neuer called at once whole nations to the knowledge of him and that for the most part he hath rather and first of all conuerted the subiects yea the meanest sort from amongst the sayd subiects as the Apostle witnesseth to the Corinthians where it appeareth 1. Cor. 1. that the faithfull had neither right nor power to appoint a king ouer themselues of theyr religion It behoueth vs then to holde this resolution for a maxime in diuinitie that God onely calleth whome he pleaseth to the knowledge of his truth and giueth the kingdomes of the earth to whom it seemeth him good sometimes to a beleeuing Prince and sometimes to an Infidel The soueraigne God sayth Dauid hath power ouer the kingdomes and there placeth whome he will therefore after Nabuch◠donosor hee placed Balsasar Darius Cyrus all Pagans As also sithence the death of Iesus Christ of long continuance he hath rather called Pagan Princes to gouerne the Empire than Christians the which succeeded one another by the ordinance and pleasure of him euen as Saint Paul taught the christiās Rom. 13 saying that there is no power but of God that those which doe resist resist the ordinance of God From thence it insueth that if anie one opposeth himselfe against God when for the cause of religion hee would depose the soueraigne princes which hee hath placed and hath not called to the knowledge of him Examine then this reason whiles that Ipasse to the third point which goeth altoge ther against thee so good an aduocate art thou Beholde how thou wouldest inferre that because it was forbidden to the Israelites to admit anie heretike for their king that the same ought to be sayd and vnderstood of all Christian people To the which I aunswere denying the proposition and the illation together beginning at the first thou canst not denie but the most parte of the kings of Iuda and of Israel haue beene heretikes as theyr idolatries and abhominable sacrifices doe witnesse recited in theyr actes the which kinges for all that were not deposed from theyr crownes On the other side therefore thou shalt bee constrayned to confesse that the Christians much lesse then ought to depose theyr kinges for causes of heresie Luk. 20. Rom. 13. Tit. 3 seeing that the commaundement of Christ and his Apostles doe forbidde the same as hath beene and shall bee seene And for the fourth reason I silie that the king being a Christian man baptised and nourished in the Christian Church if hee doeth fall into some errour or defaulte deseruing a grieuous censure ought not for the same cause to bee reputed as a stranger whiles that hee maketh some profession of the same religion or whiles that hee witnesseth his loue towardes the same for the which cause Saint Paule speaking of Excommunication which hee calleth 2. Thes 9 marked by the Letter sayeth Conuerse not with him to the end that hee may be ashmed neuerthelesse hold him not as a common enemie but rather admonish him as a brother If thou oughtest to doe this to the meanest in a realme much more then to the soueraigne in neglecting whereof thou shewest thy selfe such a one as thou art Finally this lawe is quite contrarie to that of thine when as thou doest hinder the waie which doeth establish kings at this daie as well approued of God as the ancient lawe of the Iewes the difference beeing onely in the aforesayde circumstances and not in the substaunce of the matter From whence it proceedeth that thou doest resist the ordinance of God when thou doest reiect him which hath right and calling to raigne ouer Fraunce beeing approued and receiued by the naturall and lawfull officers of the Crowne hauing right and commaundement so to doe To conclude from the aforesayd reasons then it followeth that this lawe of Moses is not generall but of old time particular to the Iewes As in deede thou canst not produce anie one example out from the primitiue church thereby to saie that that hath interpreted and vnderstood this text so seeing that that hath taught and practised altogether contrarilie And as for that that thou addest that the king hath bene condemned by the iudgement of the Church it is answered that one Bishop of Italy assisted with his Romish Consistorie neither is neither can represent the vniuersall Church dispearsed throughout the whole world And furthermore that hee of Rome can haue power no where but in his owne diocesse as the auncient Doctours doo witnesse Chap. 23 amongst whom Basile in his booke intituled The solitarie Life sayth That all Bishoppes doo binde and absolue equally as well as Peter The ninth Canon of the councell of Antioch Can. 9 carrieth as much where it is likewise said that euerie Bishop hath power and authoritie ouer his owne diocesse The Romane Bishop ought therefore to content himselfe with his owne at Rome and not to vsurpe ouer all those of France where he hath nothing to doo as hereafter more at large shall be discoursed and proued Now I come to the other text by the which thou dost alleadge that it is lawfull for thee to kill thy king if thy credite could doo the same It is expressed in the fiue and twentith of Numbers Num. 25. that the Lord commanded Moses to take all the heades of the people and hang them vp before the Lord agaynst the Sunne which had committed fornication and idolatrie with the Moabitish women wherof thou dost conclude that the king ought to be hanged as culpable of such a crime This is a leagued hangman that sayth so and I answere that this example is nothing to the matter or to the purpose Beholde therefore the supreame magistrate is not therby to be punished and much lesse to be reiected Secondarily as well the diuines as the politicians do affirme that it is
neither iust nor reasonable to vse the same rigour forme and fashion to a soueraigne Prince beeing the lieuetenant of God as is vsed to his subiects amongst others the example of Dauid sufficeth as a witnesse And in the third place for to speake the truth such principals of the people haue not bene punished for the cause of heresie but rather and principally for the cause of their fornication being qualified euen as Saint Paul declareth to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10. where alledging this historie he onely maketh mention of the aforesayde fornication the which idolatrie hath not beene accounted but as accessarie seeing that the intention of these back-sliders was not to commit idolatrie but onelie to commit fornication Beholde then the allegation of this text is altogether from the matter and verie foolishly and falsely applyed Of the selfe same nature is the interpretation which thou giuest of that which followeth out of S. Math. 18 Matthew where our sauiour Christ would haue him holden for an heathen man which will not obey the church and also out of the which text thou drawest the like conclusion The answere is that there he speaketh of particulars and not of soueraigne magistrates Secondly of an ecclesiasticall censure and not of a politike Thirdly the being taken for a pagan did not nor yet doth take a waie the politike rightes of this world which the Lorde giueth as well to princes as to their subiectes The interpretation then which thou giuest to this text is altogether repugnant to the intent of the spirite of God Chro. 21 To this may bee applyed sayest thou the example of the towne of Libna belonging to the Leuites which reuolted from king Ioram because of his idolatrie Wherefore the holy historie sayth that he had forsaken the Lorde God of his fathers To proue then that such an example is nothing at all to the matter but rather tending to mutinie and rebellion the reasons are these The king hath not forsaken the God of his fathers and to proue that this is true the holy Scripture doth describe and propose the same God vnto vs to be creator of all the world Gen. 1. the redeemer of them which beleeue in him and obey him according as hee hath commanded in his worde Eph. 1. they then which doo so acknowledge this onely God of our fathers Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ Matth. 11 by whom onely he hath reconciled the world to himself following all the mysteries of our redemption 1. Cor. 5 which they ought to perfite and accomplish in him the onely Christ Act. 4.12 Forasmuch as there is no other name vnder heauen by the which men may be saued This father of Iesus Christ and of all faithfull Christians is the God of our fathers as the heauenly oracles doe witnes vnto vs. Now the king beleeueth in him as such a God approueth him as such a one wherevppon it followeth that hee hath not forsaken the God of our fathers Secondly thou oughtest to know that the contract of alliance betweene God and the Iewes did more concern diuine religion than humane policie Wherfore there was such a reciprocate subiection required betweene the kings of Iuda and theyr subiectes as a thing that was not else where And for the last poynt Ioram pretended to cause the people to commit idolatrie against God the which our king would neuer do nor practise Thou turnest awaie then from this example as also from the two following 1. King 15. 2 King 11. of Maacah and Athalia which thou doest associate with him And as for the first let it be considered that she was a subiect deposed for idolatrie and not a soueraigne and that in the Country of Iuda And as for the other she was a traitor and an vniust vsurper of the crowne which had massacred the two inheritours of the realme and therefore was forsaken of those which did belong vnto her hauing the gouernment of the yong king Ioas. This was then the vniust vsurpation of a kingdome that was the occasion of this wicked womans death and not heresie Heere ought I to speake one worde and one for all of the pretended eloquence but I will leaue it vnto the young Orators and those wicked wretches who desire to shew vnto the world Howsoeuer it bee they care not the smoakie stinking exhalations of the same the which thou doest euaporate at all times as well in this thy first Article as also in those that followe thereby to discharge thy Prince Thou makest the qualitie of the vessel to be knowen by the stinking smell that commeth forth of it The names signifie the things I will content my self to vse simplicitie and sinceritie according to the property of the truth aduertising thee that verba voces non leniunt dolorem Wordes and voices do not asswage griefe And by thy maiesticall iniurious speeches thou doestaccuse the king to haue vsed many and diuers actes of hostilitie in the warres which hee hath had heretofore Vppon the which thou canst not denie these two tryed truthes the one that he hath had a iust calling and necessarie occasion to defende himselfe against the forces of Guyfe his enemie and the other that hee hath by diuerse sufferances and alterations in comparison playd the part of an Angell whilest that they playd with him the part of a Deuill vntill that time that by such proceedinges you haue obiected against him that hee hath vsed subtletie to get aswell the good opinion of one as of another But goe in one accorde your floutes and let vs see the last poynt of of this Article which is contained in the first to the Cor. where the Apostle doth reprehend the faithful Christians 1. Cor. 6 which hauing matters of controuersies amongst them go to plead them before Iudges being Infidels not among themselues showing them that it was euil done to submit themselues to the iudgment of Infidels that they rather ought to take the least amongst them appoint them for their Iudges Wherupon this Ligall Doctor saith that it is a very reprochfull thing to Catholickes to receiue him for king which is now in the kingdome the which he calleth more outragiously than before one that is falne a relapse an Apostata frō the Christian religion concluding that the Catholickes ought rather to chuse the least amongst themselues to bee theinking than to submitte themselues vnder the yoke tyrannical gouernment of an Heretike Thou saiest all this But if the heauens should fall what a noise would there be Neuertheles yet let vs examine the fame The agreement of the personages as thou comparestable in one with another doth prooue that the thing of it selfe i◠nothing at all alike nor to the matter for to compare the particular scandale which the Corinthians did giue in going to pleade their matters before heathen Iudges with the generall right due to Infidell Princes that doth nothing at all
anihilate the obedience or dutie which Christians doo owe them as it appeareth by the same text where Saint Paul doeth not permit the Corinthians to digresse from their obedience for that cause so farre off is he then from that that he commandeth in other places 1. Tim. 2. Kom 13. that praiers shoulde bee ordinarily made for them and to honor them and paie them tribute And furthermore that because the Apostle in this place doeth indeuour to take awaie the scandale which the Corinthians had giuen it should followe by the counsell of this venerable leaguer that in stead of one shoulde spring mo then one hundred But this is a knowen thing that the deciding of a particular wrong hath no communitie with the generall administration of a whole realme for wee may well for our owne right or wrong in giuing place to our selues proceede without scandale or sedition but the putting a king frō his kingdom can neuer be so done and to be short the one is permitted the other is forbidden the one is in our power the other not Consider then this sottish fashion of arguing It is lawfull for mee in respecte of my businesse to choose him that I would then is it lawfull for subiectes in renouncing theyr king to choose such a one as they thinke good because the other is not of theyr religion This is well à simili I praie you what incongruities are there What diuine or polititian woulde reason thus Doest thou not see that besides this thy wickednes intaking a waie the seepter from him to whome the Lord hath giuen it that it is not so easie a thing as thou doest make it to rauine vp the pray from the lyon Oh how thou wouldest bite and rend in peeces if they counsell coulde attayne so much Thou sellest mans bloud good cheape Also what Paradoxe is it when as thou saiest that it were better to chuse one of the moste contemptiblest amongst the Catholickes and make him king Doest thou not perceyue that heere wee ought to reason of the naturall Frenchman beeing valiant which will neuer practise the prouerbe Ab equis ad asinos Out of the hall into the kitchin Furthermore that such a little king shoulde bee a poore vnaduised Icarus Virg. the which the heate of the sunne in a moment woulde cause to fall into the sea And not beeing therewith contente to haue called the king an Ethnicke and Hereticke but moreouer thou namest him one that is fallen a relapse and an Apostata To the which thou hast beene already sufficientlye aunswered else where besides that which by and by shall be added It behooueth thee to proue sound and examine the trueth of matters and not falsly to deface the Magistrates giuen of God by odious wordes beeing inuented at pleasure against thy conscience Behold the answere to thy first Article the which declareth thee to be a seditious slaunderer and dooth cause thee to checke thy selfe of the faulte the which thou doest falsly impute vnto thy king for that that it is heresie to wrest the holy scriptures so as thou doest in causing subiects to turne from the obedience which they owe vnto their soueraignes And as for those which do obiect that the last kinges were not admitted to the crowne of France but by the administration of the Romish ceremonies the which doe require as some say that the king that now raigneth might enter in by the same gate wee aunswere that such ceremonyes ought not anyething at all to preiudice the diuine right because the necessitie doth present it selfe to reforme the Church This beeing heere admitted of all true diuines it shall also bee admitted that it is not reasonable so bring kings in subiection to superstitions beeing forbidden of God and much lesse to take away their politike administration which God hath giuen them ouer kingdoms for not obseruing the same The second Article NOw I come to the second Article of this leagued Doctor containing the Statutes Canons of the Councels to the which to be of the same nature and dependencie I will adde the seauenth comprehending the decrees of the Pope For these two Articles by a common consent do take in hand to excommunicate the king as an heretike with the nobles others that follow him in quality of fautors adherents of the heresie Therfore it is necessary to see whether such lightnings doe fall from heauen as sent from God or whether they came out of the depth as proceeded from Satan to knowe whether the children of light ought to feare them or not Let vs also be holde from the entraunce whether this tempester throwing his tempestes against the king doth shield himselfe as in former time with the pretence of heresie which if he doth we may annswere him in like sort as before how he ought to addresse himselfe to a sicke body moreouer that the remedie which he pretēdeth to giue to thē which might be holden of such a malady is pestiferous mortall and by consequence not to be receiued wherfore he shal answere to the names of such spirituall maladies not maintaine the heresie far off is it but to shewe that the Bishop of Rome nor any other in the manner of spirituall Phisitions haue neither calling right mandate or warrant to depose infidell Princes frō their kingdoms scepters Luk. 22. crownes which God hath giuen them seeing the ecclesiastical censures ought to do nothing but in spiritual punishments concerning religion not in politike causes of the world To the which ends we wil thus argue against such abuses tyrannies All that which is done in the church for the cause right vsage of christian religiō ought to haue the worde of God for obiect foundation 1. Cor. 3. for the authority of the same is altogether argued of in diuinity But the Canons of such Bishops the decrees of such Popes haue nothing for obiecte nor foundation but only the corruptible wil inuentions of corruptible men therfore it followeth that such Canons decrees do no carrye themselues to the right vsage of christian religion The Maior is proued by this generall maxime A Bishop can neither adde nor diminish to or from the holye scripture Deut. 4 1. Cor. 3. for that it pronounceth a curse against all men that shal take in hand to doe it forbiddeth to laye any other foundation but him which is already laide that is to saye Iesus Christ And like wise it shal be said to them that do otherwise who hath required these thinges at our handes Esa 1 they are an abhomination vnto me The Minor is thus proued God commandeth to approue Rom 13. 1. Tim. ◠acknowledge and respect all kings which he giueth to people of what religion soeuer they bee From whence it followeth that such decrees Canons doe oppose themselues against his commandements to the truth wherof these texts are witnesse And it shall come to passe
princes of the earth This is no meruaile then seeing the Pope challengeth power also ouer the Angelles Let vs continue the examination of this Article The Author addeth by exclamation and parenthesis that for the cause of heresie such canons doe disgrade euen to the Pope desiring to affirme notwithstanding that hee is erected aboue all Monarkes of the earth What greate admiration is this as if it were not knowne that all men receyuing a charge of the Bishop receyueth it with condition to bee deposed If hee becommeth an heretike the word of God doth declare it manifestly and the euill is that in thy place the practise doth oppose it selfe Admit this yet it is denied that hee may take in like manner frō the kings of the earth Tit. 3. because that amongst other thinges their charge is different from the ecclesiastical because they haue receiued their politike administration without such condition But if it doth fall out that a prince should be censured touching the depriuing him of the goods honors of this world it belōgeth to a politike conuocation of estates not to ecclesiastical persons And proceeding the Monke addeth that these Canons do absolue release all subiectes from the obedience that they owe to their Lordes or kinges being heretikes Now for the answer It hath been said proued against such iniustice that God raigneth ouer kingdoms establisheth those whom he pleaseth be they faithful or infidels I haue called thee saith the lord to Cirus Isay 45. although thou hast not knowne me and I haue named thee by this name to the ende to make the nations subiect vnto thee This is here saide of Pagan princes Now let vs enter into the cōmon-welth of Israel where the church of God was and where all the kings ought to haue made profession of the true religion There were found many heretikes before and after their comming to the kingdom neuertheles not one of them was euer deposed for heresie To bee shorte neither the Prophets Iesus Christ nor his Apostles haue euer taken away Ier. 27. Luk. 20. Rom. 13. or abolished the dignities and pollicies of the world for such respects but rather haue maintained and confirmed such magistrates in commaunding to giue to Pagan Princes the things which God hath ordained assigned for them Heere thou doest reply that seeing that we ought rather to obey the creator than the creature if it commeth to passe that the seruice of the king doth detract vs from the seruice of God wee ought to leaue the lesse to obey the greater The answere is that this maxime is verefied in it selfe but very badly applyed to that which is the question beeing considered that they doe obey the creator which do obey his commaundements as concerning their dueties which they owe vnto their soueraigne Magistrate And if for the cause of religion he would draw thee from the seruice of God then the Prophets Iesus Christ and his Apostles commaund thee not to digresse from it so farre off is it that thou shouldst roote him out that contrariwise thou oughtest to pray to God for him because hee hath the hearts of Princes in his handes and otherwise Prou. 21. Math. 10. they commaund thee to endure persecution or to flie and go some where else If these be not thy proceedings thou art no disciple of Christ Let vs see how thou doest borrow the examples following The first is of the bande of wiues towardes their husbandes The second is of children towardes their fathers The third is of seruantes towardes their maisters Where thou saiest that in the case of heresie such bands do cease and from thence thou dost inferre that for the same cause the band of the subiectes towardes their Princes ought to cease Now for aunswere I say that the antecedent is false and that the consequence is not true Beginning at the first example thou doest alleadge and apply falsly for the text sayth word for word That if any woman hath married an infidell and if hee is content to dwell with her let her not depart from him 2. Cor. 7. Where it is added what knowest thou woman whether thou shalt saue thy husband or not that is to say by praiers instructions and good conuersations It is well sayd in the text that if the infidell or vnbeleeuer will departe let him departe But such a seperation commeth not from the beleeuer but from the vnbeleeuing Behold how thou doest falsly alleadge the worde of God And in respect of the second example all men know that amongst the dueties of the worlde the obedience of children towards their fathers be they beleeuers or vnbeleeuers is so generally and profoundly imprinted in the brest of mankinde that aswell the lawes diuine as humane doe commaund it alwayes without exception so clearely that to dilate these thinges by examples and textes is to sowe nothing else but wordes of wisedome in vaine Terent. A Pagan would aunswere that nature could not breake this duetie If some of your Canons haue giuen him such great authoriti◠as thou talkest of it may bee aunswered that the anthors of them were worse than infidelles And as for the third example taken from slaues Mat. 5. which may in case of heresie saiest thou in like sorte abandon theyr maisters To aunswere that Saint Paule the Doctor of the Gentils doth tell thee that thou doest lye when hee commaunded seruantes in his time to obey theyr Maisters which were for the most part infidels saying Seruants Ephes 6. Gen. 14. obey them which are your Maisters according to the flesh for so Ioseph was obedient vnto Pharao and also to his first Maister and Abdias to Achab his Lorde which was an heretike 1. King 28. and moreouer an hypocrite and a persecutour of the Church If then because of religion priuate men maye not leese their right which they haue ouer their seruants much lesse then shoulde Monarkes leese the obedience and acknowledgement which is due vnto them from those whom the Lorde hath subiected vnto them by diuine and humane right otherwise I pray you what maner of arguing wold this be if a prince disobeyeth God in a pointe of religion then it is permitted to take his scepter from him Now I must enter into the great denth of the Romish excommunication by the Ministerie whereof this leaguer doth pretend to curse and roote out aswell the king as the nobles and other subiects which do take his part He saith then that if a prince be excommunicated the Canons doe forbid that any obedience should be giuen vnto him And comming from these to Hypothese he produceth the sentence of excommunication of Pope Sixtus the fifth of that name denounced against the king in the yeare 1585. the ninth of September beginning thus we do establish in the full power which the king of kinges hath giuen vs c. in the which are comprised the nobles and other Catholicks which do
and wickednes of the same and of the way how to hinder that course Now the fourth parte of the diuision remaineth yet to be looked into which is as much to saie whether by the ministrie of the excommunications the Bishops of Rome may depriue Monarches of the benefites and rightes of this present life or not for proofe to the contrarie Luk. 20. Rom. 13 it hath bene already sayd and proued that God hauing giuen the Empires and kingdomes of the world to those whom he hath chosen from amongst men doth forbid all Bishoppes Cardinalles Monkes and Priests to disturbe or depriue them of the same If the Princes be wise they haue tallans good inough to defend themselues from such iniuries if they doo not make them their owne hurt This iniquitie of the Bishopps of Rome which vnder the pretence of ecclesiastical iurisdiction do transpose kingdomes to whō they wil shal better appeare by the conferring of the ecclesiasticall gouernment with the politike which we will also handle First of all the power of the Church is spirituall and that of the Magistrates is corporall Secondly the Church iudgeth according to the diuine lawes of the word of God and the Magistrate politikely according to the course of the worlde Thirdly the Church doth punish the rebellious spiritually in the soules with ecclesiasticall paines and the Magistrates corporally in the flesh with politike pains ouer the which the Church hath nothing to do Frō whence it foloweth that if it should be such a maner of excommunication then the ecclesiasticall persons haue nothing to do with the worldly goods of priuate men much lesse with realmes kingdomes and Empires By this conference the most blockish amongst the Antipodes may easily indge of such abuses much more then the French men If for wilfulnesse of heart they doe not picke out their eyes so that they maye not see at noone time when as the Sunne is in the highest assure your selues then my maisters that all excommunications Iohn 16. beeing abused cannot shut the gates of paradise agaynst you seeing that God doeth keepe them open for all louers of godlynesse and truth in despight of him which sayth that hee hath power to shutte them against you for which cause it is sayde in the Prouerbes that the cursing without cause will neuer come to passe Prou. 26. To conclude the Apostles did not care for the excommunications of the Scribes and Pharesies much lesse then ought the French men to care for the Italian or Romish estate because they haue lesse to doe with them than the aforesayde Scribes and Pharesies had to doo with the Disciples of our sauiour Christ Heere must not bee forgotten the titles and qualities which the Bishop of Rome doth attribute to himselfe 2. Thess 2. when as he nameth him selfe chiefe and soueraigne pastor of the Church established sayth hee in the full power of the king of kings and of Saint Peter and Saint Paule and of his owne together with his Cardinalles And I praie you what to doe Onely to root out and excommunicate if he could Henrie of Bourbon at this daie our king of France in despight of his sentence In the which wee finde a description of a pride more than deuillish for the holy scriptures doe witnesse that these diuine titles Chiefe soueraigne and soueraigne pastor of the Church doe appertayne vnto Christ God bee blessed for euer who onely is called chiefe of the Church by Saint Paule Ephe. 1.4 Col. 1.2 writing to the Ephesians in the first and fourth Chapters and vnto the Colossians in the first and second Chapters This is also hee alone which is called by Saint Peter 1. Pet 5 in his first Epistle and fifth Chapter the chiefe shepheard of our soules and in the Epistle to the Hebrewes and eighth Chapter Heb. 8 is called the soueraigne sacrificer These two Apostles whose successours the Bishoppes of Rome doe call themselues they haue great regard not to attribute to themselues such titles of diuinitie knowing that they doe belong to none but onely to Christ being onely iust thereby to distinguish him from the vniust therefore they speake simply of themselues in this sort I desire the Elders saith S. 1. Pet. 5. 1. Cor. 4. Peter which am also an Elder with them And S. Paule sayth let men esteeme of vs as of the Ministers of Christ 2. Thes 2 Hee saith in the second epistle written to the Thessalonians that it belongeth to the sonne of perdition to attribute vnto himselfe such diuine titles The primitiue church doth also giue the lie to the ambitious priest of Rome In witnes whereof amongst other the Canon of the third Councell of Carthage sayth Cap. 1 sed dist 99. that the Bishoppe of the first sea was not called prince of priests nor soueraign priest Tom. 7. homil 43. in Mat. ad Eulog li 7. c. 30 or such like and that hee cannot call himselfe vniuersall Chrisostome speaking of all Bishoppes sayth thus Whosoeuer shall desire the primacie on earth shall not be numbred amongst the disciples of Christ Finally all men knowe that Gregory hath beene a capitall enemie to this title of vniuersall Bishop so farre foorth that by the same hee sayth that hee did perceyue the nigh comming of Antichrist Wherefore hee concludeth that suche a title is prophane and that suche tytles doe declare vnto vs the insupportable pride of such a Bishop so doeth the vantage of hauing full power as Sathan saith of himselfe ouer the kingdomes of the earth giuing the lie to the prophet Daniel which attributeth it to one onely God Mat. 4. Dan. 5 Neuerthelesse I doo agree most willingly to this truth that the Pope is also established in the full power as wel of him selfe as of his Cardinals Let vs nowe ende the rest of this Article This leagall Proctor willing to let nothing passe that might serue him towards the excōmunication of his king hath shewed foorth yet another certaine Canon of Lutheran ordeining that kings shal neuer come to be sacred vntill they haue first sworne to defend the Romane Catholike religion It hath bin answered vpon the generalitie of their Canons that the ecclesiasticall persons bee it in their councels or bee it in their consistories or else where haue no cōmandement right nor calling to driue kings from their kingdomes and Lordships which it hath pleased God to giue them seeing that he will rather serue himselfe with the ministerie of them in such administration than of others Moreouer we saie that the intention of the king is to maintaine the puritie and truth of the Catholike Apostolicall and Christian religion with as good an affection as anie other king that euer raigned in France He hath vowed it and the experience will followe God helping to the contentment of al true religious Christians And as for the Romane his intention is nothing else but to let euery one loose to his owne libertie Holding it
or receiued much lesse such rapine ought to bee called a statute and for lesse cause a fundamentall law of the realme Vnder the colour of which speech thou doest heere suppresse the truth which bindeth al the gentlemen of France to this duetie which is here spoken of forasmuch as they haue receyued theyr noble possessions of the first kinges beeing founders of this Crowne to the intent and vppon this condition that they should maintayne the kingdome in the state of the Monarchie and in the line of the bloud royall and for the want of such obedience they should be accounted rebels and felons This is therefore the true fundamentall lawe iust and approued of all estates not thy last false pretended statute which some varlet hath wrested by subtletie treason and violence from the handes of his Maister Euen as the last king beeing sette at libertie did reuoke it incontinently after the death of him that had committed suche violence agaynst him thereby to shewe that such a wicked accident neyther could nor ought to preiudice the trueth nor the right vsage of any thing And thus lette vs passe further The fifth Article THe fifth Article containeth two points The first is that the Catholieks which doe helpe the king doe burie in the dust the honour and glorie of Fraunce which hath receiued this priuiledge aboue al other countries of Christendome that from the time of the first christian king vnto the last king that is now dead it hath neuer receiued anie as king that hath bin anie kinde of waie spotted with heresie Heerevpon this malecontent doeth knocke and torment himselfe more than euer hee did before falling from phrensie into a rage For he commeth to this point that he calleth the king the first borne of satan Afterwards he saith that the myracle of healing the goule granted onely to the kings of France shall be lost in a king being an heretike Now to the first We answere thus that the honour and glorie of a realme Iohn 17 consisteth in the true knowledge of the true God and in the celebration and right vsage of his pure seruice contained declared in his word the kingdomes and countries hauing kings which doe acknowledge and practise these two Articles are declared honorable before God Whereupon it followeth that in busines of religion the glorie and interest of this realme is nothing at all diminished or hindered because of the king seeing that he is such a one and therfore consequently he is to be accounted faithfull and the sonne of the Church of God But to the end that thou shalt not obiect that I reason absurdly I will come to thy intention Thou wouldest summarily infer and say that in affaires of religion the glorie of a kingdom lieth in this point in that that it hath alwaies had kings which haue acknowledged the Bishop of Rome decked with all these qualities first to be Gods lieuetenant the vicar of Christ 2. Thess 2. successor of the Apostles vniuersall Bishop chiefe soueraigne pastor of the Church hauing also this authoritie to change augment and diminish yea euen to the condemning and sauing whome he pleaseth Thou callest this the honor and glorie of a kingdome But it hath bin else where answered and proued vnto thee that such a doctrine and beleefe being examined by the word of God being the onely touch stone will be found to be ignominious and dishonorable so farre off is it from all honor and glorie And as concerning that which remaineth wee ought to obserue the circumstances of the times in the which the kings of France haue beene conuerted to the Christian religion from the yeere of our Lord God 472. vntill this time which was about the space of 1118. yeeres within which diuers ages many Bishoppes of Rome being ambitious ignorant and superstitious haue often times and diuersly altered corrupted the pure seruice of God And for my witnes herein I take the introduction of this which followeth The marriage which the Lord instituted Gen. 2. was heere alreadie forbidden to ecclesiasticall persons as a thing prophane vnto the which was vrged the vowe of perpetuall continencie and excommunication to them that shoulde bee found in falt through ouer-sight and indiscretion The seruice as well of Idols as of superstitious relikes was receyued into vse as a thing necessarie to saluation Hermitages and dedications of feastes and temples had as much attributed vnto them in as much as a great portion of iustification to saluation was sought for in them The adoration of the Crosse also is a parte of it an abhominable errour to saie and beleeue that in a peece of woode that may be burned should consist a peece of the diuine worshippe The Prayers and Offerings for the dead doo sing the same song The adoration of a sacramentall signe brought in sithence doeth iustifie the sacrifices of the Pagans the pride of the Popes and that of the Demons which doo attribute more vnto themselues than euer the sonne of God did as hee was in the qualitie of a redeemer All which traditions idolatries and superstitions are nothing else but pure heresies Serm. 67. ad Eug. for the which cause Saint Bernard calleth the bringers in of these things the ministers of Antichrist and such Prelates Pilates These things will constrayne thee to confesse that the greater parte of the kings of France beeing instructed in the same sorte were fedde with a poore foode Neuerthelesse I doe agree that such false beleefes cannot bee imputed to heresie but simplie to errour because they did not erre with delight of hart and much lesse through mallice but only thought to doe well Besides that following the intention I will alleadge the example of two kings of Fraunce which doe shew that thou hast not seene all thinges The first is of Phillip the fourth called the fayre which was not onely accounted and holden as an heretike but also excommunicated of Pope Boniface the eighth of that name because hee would not take in hand the voyage into the holy land and moreouer because hee did not beleeue that the Pope had right to transpose kingdomes The second example concerning Chilperie the ninth king of Fraunce which helde a damnable opinion touching the article of the Trinitie and commaunded the Bishops to preach it Notwithstanding all which Fraunce beeing better taught by the Bishops that were then woulde neuer enterprise to cast off or forsake neither the one nor the other And now for the second point of the Article which concerneth the healing of the Goule a notable myracle sayest thou which will haue no force in a king beeing an heretike To the which ptetended myracle I will aunswere these thinges Those which returned awaie with theyr Goules incurable with conditions to serue and cherish them all theyr life time doe shew that thou takest the coles of Saint Laurence in the stead of the Angell Gabriels feather or quill Secondly that of the phisitions which
healed them which were curable should retourne they shoulde proue that theyr naturall remedies were of more force than the word and touching Thirdly thou canst not proue neither by text nor by example that the myracles haue bene hereditarie or tied to one house onely Fourthly it is an absurd thing to infer that God in giuing some miracles to a king dome hath distributed but one kinde Fiftly wee saie that God hath neuer giuen or graunted these miracles but for some great mysteries which come not in the vse of one onely and simple healing of corporall diseases as such as that is of the Goule If notwithstanding thou doest reply that some haue been healed so as thou doest suppose I wil answere that it should be in like sort as if one amongest a thousand of them which go to Saint Claudius or other such like places should he healed Thou in the meane time because thou wouldest not bee charged with a lie by thy neighbours doest runne into Spaine to search our witnesses saying that there hath beene founde in one onely Bishopricke moe than thirtie thousand men which haue bin miraculously healed of the Goule Thou knowest that a man dare not tell them that come from farre that they lie for which cause maister Paul Venetus returning from the Isles of the East durst saie that he found a bird of such an excessiue bignes and power that she tooke vp and carried an Elephant in the aire Behold heere a great bird many Spaniards healed of the Goule Thou shouldest do better to praie God for prosperitie of thy king Tit. 3. to the end that he may heale the realme of maladies which are of greate importance such as are Atheisme Epicurisme Wars Extortions Cruelties Iniustice and other iniquities which range vp and downe in Fraunce by the ministrie of the league to the desolation of the mother and ruine of the childen And thus let vs passe to the Article following The sixt Article THis is the sixt Article wherin this leaguerly monke saith that the Catholikes of whom he speaketh do declare themselues fautors of heretikes to the destruction of the Catholik Romane religion from whence he taketh occasion to compare the heresie to the adamāt which doth not torment it selfe but with the yron Then he sayth that all those of that religion ought to bee extinguished and raced out by the same instrument Hee sayth also that there is no obligation towards the Prince which holdeth when hee setteth himselfe against the seruice of God who commandeth to put all those to death which do turne awaie the people frō the true religion the which he proueth by two texts of Moses and in the end hee chargeth the nobles with auarice because saith he they folow the king to the end to haue some recompēce therupon he concludeth that they do leese their souls These be the whol contents of the sixt article The answere to the same The noble men of France being called by the fundamentallawe of the realme to the handfast keeping of the monarchie of France as hath bin before sayd they are and do feele themselues bound to the performance of such a dutie and for want whereof they shew themselues vnworthy such honors and priuiledges and as for the purpose of religion thou oughtest to knowe that they are not ordayned to ecclesiasticall charges and functions to resolue vpon it It is inough for them to send such disputations to a louing conference of diuines folowing the promise of the king This being here admitted to bee necessarie and according to equitie what hast thou to do to bay or barke against Gentlemen exercising their duetie Whilest that thou doest inforce thy selfe lyke a member of Satan to diuert them The rest is proued vnto thee that not to commit idolatry is no heresie nor to acknowledge the Bishop of Rome for such a one as thou doest That maketh thee say that the heresie ought to be roted out by fire sword that is to saie that your Saint Bartolwes daie must needes be celebrated from daie to daie in stead of amiable conferences euen so as the Iewes did when they cried crucify crucify by such procedings worthy such as ye are ye shew your selues as honourable and commendable as your calling but the children of God doe abhorre these thinges Forasmuch as it is written that murderers shal not inherit the kingdome of heauen Gal. 5. Christ taketh occasion to proue that the Iewes which would kill were the children of the deuill Iohn 8. And now to the two pointes which thou wouldest haue to serue for their wickednesse The first is in the thirteenth Chapter of Deutronomie Deut. 13. where it is sayd that the false Prophets and others which shoulde cause the people to turne from their seruice of God or that shoulde themselues be turned awaie from the true religion for to serue strange Gods ought to be put to death Heere a little before hath beene answered vnto such a like text for the speciall regard of which we doe heere adde that Moses doth meane by his speech the subiects and not the kings being soueraigne magistrates Secondly of a defection reuolting from God and his religion Finally such rigorous punishment in this deede ought not to haue bene done but in Israel for the reasons described in the first Article It appeareth then thou dost falsefie this text as also that which followeth out of Exodus Exo. 32. the two and thirtith Chapter where it is said that Aaron hauing forged the golden calf builded an altar before the which the people did commit idolatrie for the which Idolatrie the Lord tooke such rigorous vegeaunce that he slew three thousand men thou deceiuest thy selfe in writing of thirtie thousand This is a meruailous thing that the vehemencie and violent affection towards the hurting of his king shoulde so blind this leaged monke therby to cause him to take the aduersaries part euen to the iustifying and maintaining of his cause Behold how he doth it If there bee anie thing in the substance of religion which the king doth abhorre they are these idolatries As contrariwise this which maintaineth the fatkitchin of this slanderous deceuer is no other thing but the abuse which he imputeth to another imitating the wolfe who troubled the water himselfe and yet imputed it to the sheepe Doest thou not see that thou giuest thy enimies thy weapons to beate thy selfe with Thou hast found out the idolatrie verie wel but this is not worthy of my answere As also the reproching of the Gentlemen for following the king to the ende to gette some great rewardes These valiant hearts will answere thee that they haue not their soules infected as thine is considering that they follow and accompanie their king Tit. 3. Rom 13. according to the commandement of God and not in the qualitie or maner of mercenaries but as noble Lords who respect their duties and the charge imposed vpon them and in doing this
the Lord will blesse their labours with a double blessing and instead of loosing their souls as thou saiest they shall saue them seeing that it is written of those which are instrumentes of iustice Dan. 12 that they shal shine as the stars in the firmament The eight Article NOw let vs come to the eighth Article there hath bin answere alreadie made to the seuenth to that which the monkish Leaguer saith heere that the Catholikes which doe helpe the king doe make a double schisme the one in regard of the Pope the other in regard of the generalitie of the realme And for the qualifieng of the first he turneth himselfe to call the Pope as aforesaid the chiefe vniuersall soueraigne pastor of the church to the which saith he that obedience is commanded vppon paine of death Deuteronomie the seuenteeth Chapter Now the answere to this is as hath bene before saide that all Christian Catholikes are bound to maintain their kings and Countrie And also that belongeth to Princes of the earth to beare rule and authoritie and not to Bishops and as for the point of religion hee of Rome hath nothing to doe no not halfe a league out of his diocesse so farre off is he from hauing anie thing to do ouer all France Deu. 17 Num. 16 Wherevpon it foloweth that the example of Corath Dathan and Abirom with the text of Deutronomie which thou alledgest make nothing to the matter First beeing considered that the charge of a soueraigne high Priest whereof Moses speaketh Heb. 8 was giuen by diuine institution and particularly vnto the Iewes figuring theyr Messias our Lord Iesus Christ the which was ended at his death This is then an errour yea heresie it selfe to call a Bishoppe at this daie by that name and to constitute him in the same degree The which shoulde bee to bring Christe backe againe from heauen Rom 10 as if hee had not ended the figures of the lawe Secondly the example of Corath touching the other schisme doth playnly shew forth those which doe reuolt from theyr soueraigne magistrates and those also which will not acknowledge them as Magistrates such a one was Corath and his accomplices Num. 16 when as they woulde not acknowledge Moses anie more to bee theyr head Seeing therefore that thou and thy companions do the like vnto your king it followeth that ye are culpable of the schisme which falsely yee impose vppon others In dooing thus you imitate Achab when as hee asked the Prophet Eliah 1. Kin. 17.18 saying Art not thou hee which troublest all Israel Vppon the which like occurrence wee may also aunswere with the Prophet That it is thou thy selfe and the house of thy Romish Father It appeareth thhrefore agayne and alwayes wyll that thou doest falsefie these textes and examples in applying them for an ambitious wretch which hath nothing at all to doe in Fraunce Thou hast then fairely tormented thy selfe in calling thē rebels heretiks which will not admit of the primacie of Rome for an Article of the faith France hath the iurisdiction aswell of ecclesiasticall as politike matters in it selfe and wherewith the inhabitants of Rome haue nothing to doe Also know this that there are in this realme as learned Bishoppes iust and wise as there bee anie in Italie Finally it hath beene prooued that thy Romish preheminence is altogether contrary to the cōmandement of the sonne of God 2. Thess 2. Luk. 22. which hath expressely forbidden such dominations to Bishops when he sayth that the kinges of the nations beare rule ouer them but it shall not be so with you Thou att afraide that the abolishing of some ecclesiasticall abuse shoulde doe some wrong vnto thy belly but ieast not at it Cast thy selfe and thyne affaires vppon the Lorde and so thou shalt haue rest in thy soule And as for the rest of thy infectious smokie slaunders which thou doest continually blast out of thy mouth against thy king I leaue them vnto the disposition of the windes And yet in the meane time remember with thy selfe what iudgements the Lord threw vpon the heade of Semei for the like offence 1. Sam. 16 The ninth Article IT followeth in this ninth article to shew how this Criminate Monke doth accuse the Catholickes with periurie which will not reuolt nor carry Spanish heartes but for proofe wherof he neyther knoweth how nor can alleadge any other text but the forenamed pretended statute contained in the fourth Article wrested as before Thou doest heere inuite mee to these repetitions yet aunswere mee once againe I pray thee Letting that passe seeing that the best and greatest part aswell of the Nobles as of the thirde estate of Fraunce haue neyther promised nor sworne as thou wouldest make them beleeue wherefore wee ought to obserue that which followeth If a man be bound by an oath to some iust and necessary duety towardes his countrey hee ought not to falsefie it by any preiudiciall promise which shall bee contrarie to the same being first made Now let vs applye this thing The Gentlemen of Fraunce by the abouesaide fundamentall lawe haue plighted their faith and homage vnto their king in promising to defend him together with the estate of his kingdome whereupon it followeth that neyther at the instigation of the Guize the Spaniards nor the Popes they ought to breake theyr first oath Math. 21. Thou sayest that Religion beeing of greatest importaunce dooth absolue them in such a case But thou mayest bee aunswered beyond that which hath already been spoken that it doth rather ratifie and confirme suche dueties than otherwise And as for the great importaunce thereof the which is spoken for other respectes touching the seruice of God beeing spirituall and heauenly which dooth nothing abolish the priuiledges and rightes of the gouernours of the worlde Where doest thou finde that Guyze or that a Bishoppe of Rome haue any right or reason to dispence with the subiectes for breaking theyr oathes which they haue made vnto theyr kinges The Pagan Priestes neuer produced suche a detestable and horrible Maxiome Remember thy selfe of the oath whiche Herode made Mat. 14. which cost the Church the death of Iohn Baptist Wherefore I demaund of thee was this tyraunt bounde to effecte his promise yes as much as if hee had beene bound to haue made two deuils of one And if a man bee bounde to kill his children hauing promised and sworne it to God Doest thou not knowe Isay 45. that it is neuer lawfull to sweare to doe euill Let vs nowe applye this physically Thou and thy lyke haue induced some Frenchmen beeing euill aduised and worse infourmed to the supporting of the Spanyard and Lorrayne towardes the thrusting out of the King and for the bringing in of an inquisition and a straunge gouernement From thence is it come to passe that many of the Gentlemens consciences of Fraunce hauing knowne and considered the iniquitie of the enterprise are readuised and
Signifiyng thereby that euerie one ought to contente himselfe and to follow his vocation vnto the which the Lorde hath called him without busying himselfe in anye other mens for feare least some greeuons punishment shoulde fall vpon him according to the example of Ozias king of Iuda 2. Chro. 20. who was striken with leprosie when as hee woulde haue vsurped the office of the high Priest which did altogeather belonge and appertayne vnto the children of Aaron Euen so then the Bishoppe ought to contente hymselfe with his Ecclesiasticall administration and the Nobleman onely with the handling of his sworde So then when euerie tree shall contente it selfe with the qualitie of his owne fruite shall all thinges goe well This beeing heere graunted as necessary rightfull and reasonable what will this Leaguerer saye when as hee tormenteth hymselfe so diuerslye agaynst the Noblemen which doe not take vppon them at his will and pleasure the affayres of the Romish Religion for to defende it without anye further knowledge the passions of his prelates to the vtter ruine and ouerthrowe of theyr king of themselues and of theyr countrey The which they haue taken vppon them to defende leauing the disputations of Religion vnto Diuines And thus much for the first aunswere And nowe to the seconde where I hope to contente the Reader with reasons of some force taken from the holie Scriptures and not from lyes and false suppositions according to thy fashion And that wee maye the better doe this lette vs knowe what this worde Catholicke Church dooth meane and what are the markes and who are the true members of the same This knowledge is heere most necessarie forasmuch as in the steade of the Christian Church instituted by Iesus Christ this Leaguerer dooth alwayes propose vnto vs a Romish Church containing the idolatries and superstitions of the Bishop of the same In thy opinion if Rome should be lost what would become of all Christendome Leauing then this abhominable errour to thinke anye further that the vniuersall Church hangeth on the Romane we wil speake of the thing that followeth the description which the holy Scripture maketh Ephe. 4. Rom. 8. Iohn 6. 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 5 calling the Christian Church an assembly of Saints being called according to the ordinance of God in Iesus Christ and gathered from all the nations of the worlde by the preaching of the Gospell to the ende that they maye obtaine life euerlasting Also the Apostles haue spoken in the same sorte of the Christian Church They haue called it the house of God the body of Christ the edification of the same body For the building and entertainement of the which Saynt Paule sayth that God hath giuen fiue sortes of men Eph 4. which are the Prophets Apostles Euangelistes Doctors and Pastors The same Apostles doe alwayes witnesse that Iesus Christ hath receyued this honour of his Father to bee the onely head and soueraigne Pastor of his Church Furthermore Ephe. 1. hearken what Saint Paule sayth God saith he hath set Iesus Christ at his right hande in the heauenly places and hath subiected all things vnder him that he might be the heade of the Church where wee ought to note this that the Apostle wrote this after that Iesus Christ was ascended into heauen To the ende that the Pope which hath inuested himselfe into the Empyre of this diuine tytle Col. 2. might not saye that after his ascension the Church shoulde neede an other heade The which if it had beene a thing that were necessary the Apostle woulde neuer haue omitted and let passe such an Article of so great importance This is then a monstrous thing 1. Pet. 5. to giue to the Church two heads and soueraigne pastors It is to bee seene also then that concerning the gouernment and conduction of the same the holy Scripture maketh no mention of the primacie of Rome when as otherwise it nameth it a reuolt and an Apostate 2. Thes 2 thereby to describe and make it seeme odious to all good and well disposed people To be briefe the holy Scripture doth represent the holy Catholike christian church as one entire bodie hauing the mēbers therof dispersed throughout the whole world of the which bodie Christ is the onely head and the Churches dispearsed heere and there are members of the same Ephe. 1 Seeing then that there is but one Catholike Church it followeth that the Church of Rome cannot be it but onely a parte as a member of the bodie These reasons and authorities doe maintaine that the abouesayd Catholikes are nothing at all traiterous to the Christian Church when as they defend themselues their king and their Countrie as well agaynst the Spaniard Italian Lorraine as also finally against the Leaguers of the Countrie be they ecclesiastical or others Besides that the Catholikes which are enimies to the leaguers will answere that it is sufficient for them to auouch and acknowledge for their spirituall mother Hierusalem Gal. 4 which is on high which is free and called in the holy scriptures the mother of vs all they haue nothing then to doe with the terrestriall which is below 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 4. and which ingendereth her children vnto bondage declared by Saint Paul to be enimies to the Church and not the others It is sufficient for Christians to be of the Christian church described by the Apostles in the which we consider three principall markes Rom. ◠The first consisteth in the doctrine as well of the lawe as of the Gospel being well applied and vnderstood The second in the right vsage of the Sacramentes The third in the obedience to the doctrine and ministrie therof when thou canst not denie but that by the wicked office and tyrannie of the Popes the essentiall markes of all things most necessarie to Christian religion are wanting for the most parte as hath beene amplie shewed vnto you in the discourse dedicated to the Nobilitie where hath beene prooued that yee haue lefte none of the Articles of the faith pure nor intire and that if there bee anie heretikes in the worlde thou and thy companions are they namely 1. Cor. 1. who by your traditions haue buried the benefites of the passion death resurrection and ascention of Iesus Christ which God onely hath made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Thus leauing this fountaine yee send your schollers to the Italian parchments bulles and traditions of Rome and yet notwithstanding thou giuest the allarum and causest fyre to come forth from the brambles Iudg. 9. to burne those that will not augment and defend thy cookerie together with thy tyrannie and Spanish inquisition and doest call the refusers of such treasons and cruelties heretikes and vnbeleeuers agaynst the Church sayth the pilgrime But thou oughtest to knowe that these good people are appointed to defend the veritie and puritie of christianitie and not the abuse of the Romish Church This beeing
considered applie that which thou doest adde vnto thy selfe and to thy fellowes that is that this heresie is the cause of all these present euilles remembring with thy selfe that for the massacres treasons and rebellions vengeaunce doth manifest it selfe from heauen agaynst the authours and executers thereof and not agaynst those which desire the reformation of the Church Gal. 5 Heere thou doest complaine that the vse of your Churches are diuerted and chaunged This is great pittie if it bee thus that they are not nowe prophaned as when the praises of the creatures were sung 1. Cor. 1. the which yee dyd there worshippe in the steade of the creator and as when hee preached the Romish tyrannie 2. Cor. 6 in stead of Christ crucified If one ought so to torment himselfe for the beating downe of the Churches alasse then how many of the faithfull haue yee massacred beeing the true temples of God I perceiue alwayes that thou fearest more some ecclesiasticall reformation than anie other thing causeth thee so to insist vppon the examples of the Emperours and kings which after theyr example haue induced the people to the chaunge of religion But remember thy selfe that in the eight Article I haue counselled thee to commit thy selfe and thine affayres vnto the Lorde and thou shalt finde reste in thy soule And as for the second remember thy selfe of the counsell which Gamaliel did giue vnto the chiefe Priests of Ierusalem saying If thy counsell bee of men it shall quickly fayle but if it be of God it will not moue Act 5. Now for the third it will bee proued that thy maxime is not alwayes true as the Christians of the primitiue Church doe witnesse and the faythfull of our time which doe loue better to die than to imitate the idolatrie of theyr forrayne Princes Finallie thou saiest that the plaintes contayned in this Article are sufficicient to draw downe the starres from heauen In deede you haue done that by the ministerie of your persecutions when as yee haue ouerthrowen and caused so many thousands of the faythfull to fall which are compared to the starres in the heauen Therefore thou doest falsely impute such slanders vppon those which doe defend theyr king and their Countrie Apoc. 6 as also thou doest declare thy selfe a traitor to Iesus Christ when in steade of defending the puritie veritie of his christian Church thou doest defende the abuses of the Romaine which is resistance and violence offerep vnto him The twelfth Article LOoking into the contents of the twelfth article wee shall finde that this leaguall aduocate saith that the Catholikes to whom he speaketh doe betray theyr kingdom and procure the desolation ruine of the same for proofe whereof first he saith that about thirtie yeres sithence this heresie made some woundes which do bleede yet Secondly that within these fifteene yeeres the king of Nauarre hath spoyled the realmes by strangers and hath vsed verie many barbarous actes of hostilitie and cruelties against the orders of the same Thirdly that he is a Nero in maliciousnesse and crueltie Fourthly from whence it followeth that it is verie badly done to giue the swoord of S. Paul into his hand and the key of Saint Peter And heerevpon this leaguer tormenteth himself cryeth help help my friends for these Catholikes are traitours vnto the Romish Catholike Church the which they would chase out of this Countrie of France contrarie to the prophesie of Saint Remye and such like as followeth And now for answere first I desire thee that seeing thou hast tooke paines to haue beene deliuered of these lying affirmations to bee patient to heare the denialles which are most true beginning then at the most generall pointes We answere in the first place that the aforesayd arguments haue beene sufficiently declared and verified that the Catholikes whereof thou speakest are not anie kinde of waie traiterous to Christian religion seeing that they are obedient vnto the commandements of the same inasmuch as they doe acknowledge the soueraigne magistrates Which it approoueth and commendeth in the behalfe of God their father Secondly we haue proued that the christian religion being folowed in the reformation of the same containeth no poynt of heresie Thirdly wee haue produced the diuersities of estates and difference of charges where it hath beene already shewed that the Noblemen and all other men of warre ought to suffice themselues with the corselet and sworde leauing the disputations of religion vnto the ecclesiasticall assemblies Fourthly heere must bee recited againe the fundamentall lawe which bindeth the Nobilitie to the establishing of the French Monarchie within the line of the bloud royall what loosenes woulde it bee accounted in the Noblemen if they should not imploye themselues with care against the enemies of the kingdome and aboue all against the Spanyardes which would at this daye not onely thrust out but also exterminate the king for euer if they could For the which cause I will alleadge a forceable saying of a Doctor being a late writer to this purpose speaking thus And as for this kind of people which do no seruice in the worlde but to shedde innocent bloud couering theyr cruelties with a cloake of religion I esteeme them worthie no other aunswere but that which is to be giuen to theeues which should pleade agaynst those which are impannelled for the country because they shoulde not carry the sworde for their defence And it maketh mee to remember this execrable Romaine Fimbria sayth hee the which hauing fayled to kill Sceuola threatned not to delay it because hee should not be left vnslaine Consider and apply this aunswere whilest that I doe visite the other arguments of thy Article Thou sayest that within these thirty yeares this heresie hath made some wounde that bleedeth yet vnto the which thou hast beene already aunswered that the abuses behauiours and conspiracies of the Guyze haue caused this mischiefe and not the reformation of the Church Thou addest also that within these fifteene yeares last past the king hath wasted Fraunce in exercising diuerse and moste cruell actions of hostilitie And to aunswere the same it hath beene sayde that by his meeknesse tollerations sufferances weet and gentle be hauiours his enemies haue obiected the contrary against him 1. Cor. 11. saying that hee vsed subtletie thereby to get the good will both of the one and the other Read and see and thou shalt finde that it was the Guize that playde the part of Nero and not the king But hee is an heretike saiest thou To this song hauing beene a thousand times repeated thou hast beene aunswered a hundred times pertinently and sufficiently and so much for this In the ende thou concludest that it is very ill doone to giue the sword of Saint Paule and the keyes of Saint Peter into his hande that is to saye to constitute him king The which poynt also hath beene amply and diuersly answered in the Articles going before where hath been proued
that no matter or occasion doth offer it selfe whereby the king ought eyther to be reiected or refused who hath both from God and man a lawfull calling to gouerne and conduct the Realme of Fraunce This Maxime is confessed of all men not being preuented or lead with a fore iudgement And as for the allusion which thou makest vnto the sworde of Saint Paule and the keyes of Saint Peter thy maisters haue drawne this prophanation and trumperie from the false interpretation which they haue giuen vnto a text in the two and twentith chapter of Saint Luke where Iesus fore-telling the Apostles of the persecutions which they shoulde suffer after his death Luk. 22. admonished them to make prouision offoure thinges that is to saye of purses scribbes coates and swordes signifiyng by suche Metaphors that they ought to prepare themselues to suffer many thinges But they were yet so ignoraunt that in shewing two swordes they thought themselues able to resiste by the same wherefore Iesus mocking them sayde It is enough Heere is great matter wherewith to drawe your two offices of Magistracie such mockeries are therfore vnworthy of any aunswere as also the prophesies which thou callest Saint Remyes the which hath neyther right nor power to treade downe those of the spirite of God foretelling that the Cittie with seuen mountaines Apoc. 17. which hath had great gouernement and rule ouer the earth shall bee razed out And as for the examples of the Gothes and other enemies of the Church which thou doest heere vnderstande such persecutors haue no communitie with the Princes which loue and do procure the aduauncement of the kingdome of Christ Also in regard of any other thing touching the kings of Fraunce it hath beene aunswered in the first Article And also passing further thou doest obiect against the Noblemen beeing enemies to the league the desolation and confusion of the Realme But I see that thou hastread Esops fabules seeing that thou playest the parte of a Woolfe troubling the water before the sheepe Who aduaunce such mischiefes more than yee by the traiterous ministerie of your rebellions and reuolts Yea saiest thou but the kinges of Fraunce in theyr sacring doe take the sworde at the hands of the Bishop for to beate downe heretikes And I aunswere thee agayne that the king did take it at the hands of God to do this if need should so require being not bound to receyue it at the hands of a man of the Church who hath nothing to do with the materiall sworde Thou doest also further assume that the king of Nauarre dooth promise to intertayne two religions into this kingdome but what reason dyd hinder him from receyuing foure or eyght Nowe I maye aunswere that in this place thy memorie fayleth thee for thou hast alwayes sayde that hee woulde abolish the Romish Religion and nowe thou accusest him that hee would maintayne it But hee may admit mo saiest thou The which I answere doth not conclude for such a soueraigne would tollerate a thing which hee esteemeth necessary for the maintenance of his estate and the which will haue greate respect vnto other thinges which shoulde bee preiudiciall vnto him And as for the profession of Atheisme whereof thou speakest heere with Saint Barnard and Petrarke wee exile this Epicure into the Towne of Rome for it shall be lodged and accepted better of there than elsewhere Thou makest mention also of the massacres and martirdomes come to passe in England and in Bearne which if it bee true then is it passiuely and not actiuely for those which make profession of the reformed religion haue not learned Christ Iesus so they leauing suche more than barbarous cruelties of murdering the faintes Apoc. 18. vnto those of whome S. Iohn speaketh in the Apocalyps And to that which remayneth I dare very well say that a subtletie of thine own put into the vttermost cabinet of thy conscience causeth thee heere to speake so figuratiuely and as one may say by the figure Antiphrasis seeing that thou callest the moste pernitious wicked seditious men in all Europe martirs which had as martirs of Satan vowed to their maister the ruine aswell of their soueraigne prince as of their country For what man is there of our time which knoweth anie thing of the affaires thereof which dooth not knowe verie well that there hath neuer beene any persecution styrred vp either in Bearne or in England against the Romish religion And who knoweth not certainly that those whom thou speakest of were punished only because of their treasons rebellions and coniurations Also who seeth not that thou wouldest make of euill good and good euill And that thou dost iustifie the wicked that by their examples thou mightest produce others like vnto them into Fraunce and also incite and incourage them to the lyke crime But that which God doth keepe is well garded The thirteenth Article NOw onely remaineth the last of thy Articles to be spoken of the contentes whereof I maye rightly compare to a towne ditch or sinke into the which is powred all manner of vncleannes and filthines for thou hast distilled heereinto the quintessence or very substance of thy wicked spirits to maintaine therby if it were possible that white is blacke the good euill the light darknes and the truth a lye as shall be better seene and proued in the examination of the same Thou hast inserted the same poynt into the third Article but heere thou giuest a more ample exposition of it And the summe of it is this that the aforesaid Catholicks are worse than the Iewes Turks Pagans and Heretikes yea than beastes themselues The which pretended Maxime thou dost defend in three principall heads and from the beginning of the first thou callest the Catholickes which are enemies to the League accursed because they followe a king which is of an other religion than theirs yea and that which those Infidelles would not do which thou hast already named For the beginning of my answere I must be constrained once againe to say that thy suppositions which are nothing but falsehoods and lyes haue beene by thee so often said and recited that they doe declare thee to be vnworthy of any aunswere by writing It hath beene sufficiently prooued vnto thee that the king is not found in any thing to be an Heretike Secondly that the false vnderstanding or beleefe in the case of religion dooth not take awaye the power of rule and gouernement from kinges and princes of the world And in the third place that not only the Iewes Pagans and heretikes but the Christians are oftentimes submitted and put in subiection to the gouernement of many kings being iefidels and heretikes the which proofes haue declared thee and now of new againe doe declare thee to be a deceiuer and a lyar euen as the slaunders doe importe which thou imposest vpon those of the reformed religion in saying that they neuer woulde nor will haue anye other kings but of their owne
beholde thy second chiefe point discouered and now let vs laie open thy thirde wherewith thou doest so greatly charge thy aduersaries with brutishnes where thou saiest that the Catholiks which defend theyr king and their Countrie are more void of reason than beasts and takest the cranes eagles the hony bee to witnes which wil neuer admit anie to their king but one of the same kinde To this I saie that the example of the Crane beeing a verie dull and hurtfull bird may bee verie well applyed vnto thy selfe First because thou doest exhorte the foolish amongst the French men to be like cranes and so change their condition which is now most free into one that is most seruile and miserable imitating the asse which desireth to serue the Tanner rather than anie other maister Secondly the Cranes doo eate vp the seede from the earth and thou wouldest haue the French men to be eaten vp of the Spaniardes The examples of the Eagles is agreeable vnto the same for they are great gourmandisers of the flesh of beasts and foules which doe not liue vppon anie praie in this thy drift is shewed to bee nothing else but to haue the good people to be deuoured Furthermore the Fagles flic verie farre and so wouldest thou haue the Frenchmens libertie and the Pirence mountaines flie into Spaine Alasse then what should become of our citizens parents wiues and children From whence commeth this that in stead of imitating Bees which are profitable thou doest imitate those droue Bees or rather dragons which doe wound verie sore And if the question bee in this that thou wouldest applie the thing to the imitating of creatures that is altogether agaynst thee because the French men are more bound to follow the Prince of their owne nature and nation than a Spaniard which is their enimie of a contrarie humor to theirs But because here thou wouldest walke more warily with thy treason sale of thy Countrie thou doest heere agayne imploie the difference of religion Whereunto I aunswere that murders and massacres are not the next waies to decide and auoyde the controuersies remember that which is aforesayde and let the promise be mutually discharged without comming anie kinde of way to this madde extremitie in putting vs into the handes of the Spaniardes euen as thy councell doeth aduise beeing drawen from the dungeons of hell But beholde the mischiefe which stoppeth the passage to this ordinarie waie for you euen you doe mocke and scorne maliciouslie and against your conscience because the king doeth offer himselfe to come to that in saying that it is but fayned and altogether contrarie seeing that hee hath promised neuer to chaunge his religion and thou doest adde moreouer that there needeth not anie councell seeing that wee neede neuer call the Catholike Romish religion into anie doubt Finally thou doest conclude that there is no need to attende eppon anie councell because the king doeth nothing else but deceiue the Catholikes with such vaine attentions But because thou shouldest not go vnanswered wee saie that laying aside your lyes excuses and craftie shiftes which tend to no other purpose but to turne backwardes and flie from the listes that the Christian kinges ought to bee carefull for the wholesome religion and to procure conuocations of Synodes and Councels when as they are duely aduertised that there is anie abuse error or superstition brought into the Church Deut. 17. 1. Cor. 14. seeing that God commaundeth them to keepe the whole wordes of his lawe as beeing disposers of the same This duetie was inioyned to Dauid to distribute and giue vnto the successours of Aaron theyr right places and ordinaunces which were before refused in their charges By this same commaundement also 2. Kin. 22. Iosias commaunded Helkiah the high Priest to repayre the temple and to praie vnto the Lorde as well for the king as for the people and to the same ende hee assembled the Prophettes and the high Priestes with the aforesayde people to reade before them all the booke of the Lawe Hee also caused the Passe-ouer to bee celebrated and destroyed the idolatrie amongst the Romane Emperours Theodose the great assembled the Councell of Constantinople agaynste the heresie of the Macedonians In many other places it is apparaunt that diuerse Councells haue bene assembled for such like errour But at this daie it is a question of greate corruption beeing brought into the Church by the pride and couetousnesse of the Bishoppes of Rome in so much as one onely may nowe refuse a synodale conuocation agaynst those that can proue that the infinite nesse of errours in the same haue corrupted and falsefied the true seruice of God Oh what tyrannie and mallice is this but to feare least that your turpitude and filthinesse should be further discouered is the cause of the refusall thereof onely doe but prepare your selues to enter into conference if there bee anie neede and then shall yee finde whether there shall bee anie faining on our partes or not But yee care nothing at all to haue it following the Italian prouerbe which saith Chista ben non si inuoua He that is well let him keepe him so Yee liue at your ease in all delightes and idlenes rather making those beleeue which search out your abuses Quod sunt infideles dubii in fide That they are vnfaithfull and weake of beleefe As thou sayest whilest that in the meane time you doublie cloake your selues with crafte and subtilties for the which cause yee neither require Synode nor councell so fearefull art thou that the king will goe to masse saying that hee ought not to bee trusted although hee woulde saie so Thy English pretended Catholike companion feared likewise the same but thou hast the aunâ—were vnto it looke therein what hath beene sayd vnto him and for the rest thou shalt finde in Saint Iohn that life euerlasting consisteth in the knowledge of the onely true God and of him which hee hath sent Christ Iesus and the king most Christian-like hath protested to continue in the same profession Thou hast therefore these thirtie times shewed thy selfe to bee an impudent slanderer when as thou doest compare him vnto prophane kinges which haue abused religion in seeking vnder the coulour of the same to instal and bring in their tyrannies Now lette vs see wherefore thou doest accuse the king of periurie After that he had sworne sayest thou that hee woulde not innouate anie thing for the space of sixe moneths incontinentlie hee made a statute at Tours by the which hee dooth dispence with the regulars as concerning their obedience which they owe vnto their superiors if they will aduertise him of those things which they should vndertake against him dooth inioyne the confessors to declare the confessions of the Catholickes in the same behalfe What Diuine or Logitian I praye you is this A king commaundeth his subiectes to declare vnto him those which conspire agaynst his person or against his
estate of gouernement Ergo hee is periured if he inquireth of traitors who haue sworne to do it But in despite of the rage which causeth these furious to bee so madde I demaunde who is the chiefe in a kingdome if the soueraigne Magistrate be not Next vnto God who ought a man to sweare faith and fidelitie vnto but onely vnto the soueraigne Magistrate Are not the lawes in this case cleare and formable enough that is to say that the subiect is culpable of the crime or treason if he doth not reueale vnto him the conspiracies which are practised against him But one hath promised and sworn not to say any thing I answere that it hath beene proued that it is not lawfull to sweare to doe euill and if it be that any hath so sworne that then he ought presently to cal it back agayne and repent least that the second sinne bee woorse than the first Moreouer true it is that that which presseth thee without comparison is the feare of hanging of some Monke or Priest Wherupon thou oughtest to vnderstand that the crime of treason against his soueraigne is worthy to be made hanging aswell towards the Ecclesiasticall as toward the Nobilitie and aswel towards the councellors as the Merchants Now let vs heare thy prophesie If the king of Nauarre were head ouer the French Church that of these two faire heades should Antichrist be borne for hee would sayest thou take away religion from the Frenchmen bring in a most cruell French inquisition To the which also I aunswere that the Church neither ought nor can haue but one heade Ephe. 1 1. Thes 2 which is Christ Iesus Secondly that Antichrist is borne long time since Thirdly that the king had rather die a hundred and a hundred times than to take away the Christian religion from France not hauing any thing at all determined in his mind to bring in any inquisition whatsoeuer so far off is it from being like to that of Spayne the which thou callest iuste but thou hast omitted amongst the deuils in hell seeing that his vnspeakable crueltie and tyranny is not exercised but amongst those who are most religious according to the will of God and most iuste amongst men the which is knowne of all noble hartes louing the truth and vertue And because ye hate such people ye doe the more commend such a kind of Inquisition forasmuch as it hurteth none but them for the maintenance of your ambition auarice superstition cookry idlenes and tyranny Beholde how the treatie of religion is in Spayne the Soueraigne is altogether robbed and spoyled of the knowledge that a Magistrate ought to haue ouer his subiectes when as there is any capitall crime committed or any other corporall punishments to be vsed vppon what occasion soeuer it be for all men knowe that king Philip through a pretended deuotion hath giuen transported this right whereof we speake vnto his Ecclesiasticall Romish Spanyardes which haue desired and wrested it from him by all the most subtill coosenages and deceits that any kinde of way they could deuise to bring the same to passe that therby they might the more subtilly vse their deuelish cruel actions agaynst those which do but once open their eyes against theyr errors trumperies and falsehoods And all this husbandrying intituleth it selfe the Inquisition of Spayne the which giueth such authoritie boldnes vnto his Clergie that they dare quarrell with the princes of the bloud and challenge them euen so farre foorth as to the razing of them out so as is already come to passe Where is to be vnderstood that the Soueraigne prince did neuer rule more imperiously ouer Spaine than these ecclesiasticall Lord gouernors doe by the ministerie of this Inquisition which maketh them to liue like kinges and princes and in assurance being most assured that theyr filthines and deceits shall neuer fall into any examination or censure but amongst themselues Now this is the cause that this Leaguerer and his companions finding all this to be so good according to their mind why they would willingly eat a part of it And for the attaining vnto the which sayest thou that it is better to take a king of a straunge nation that is to say a Spanyard daring to assure thy selfe that by the office and seruice of his Inquisition this Metamorphosis would worke well for thee and thy mates so that of simple priestes and prelates ye might become little kings like vnto your vsurping Spanyards Thou hast a natutall pretended reason indeede and goe on with it seeing that Satan hath no more expedient meanes to maintayne your ambition couetousnes tyranny and idlenes by But for feare of beeing accused of accusing a king of Spayne with such like ignorance and vndiscreetnes being reputed wise amongst all the monarchies of the earth it behoueth me to eschue such a blame in discouering his intention and to what ende he proposeth himselfe when as hee giueth the iurisdiction and power which euery Soueraigne ought to keepe himselfe when hee should minister the criminall punishment which belongeth vnto his subiects vpon what occasion soeuer to his ecclesiasticall persons For there is no cause why we should esteem or think that one onely and superstitious indiscretion doth induce this great prince to such wicked proceedinges wee shall finde and conclude then that in making this present Inquisition actiuelye vnto hys Cleargie hee hath imitated the subtill proceedinges of Mahomet the which beeing not able to install his tyranny amongst the Arabians imployed himselfe vnder the colour of religion by the ministerie of the which hee executed his wickednesse more easily But had not such a subtletie beene the estates of Spayne had hindred their king well enough from biting and kicking so furiously as he doth now and as the codition and lesson of those of Arragon do witnesse beginning thus We which can doe more than yee wee chuse you for king with such conditions c. By the meanes whereof they had expulsed from them this tyranny had it not been for the subtleties and villainous aide of their wretched ecclesiasticall priestes What preachers are these which by their exhortations preachings and authorities doe helpe to maintaine this deuilish inquisition with the which office these venerable personages doe acquite themselues the more willingly because that in steade of feeling theyr part of the tyranny they make it serue to their greatnesse immunities honours pleasures commodities and other such like benefites comming and issuing from the aforesaid inquisition Behold also now the motiue and efficient cause of the same where it appeareth that aswel the king as the Clergie of Spayne do complot sucke and gripe the people ouer whom God hath constituted them as fathers and guides What religious people be these which sporte themselues thus with poore Christians sending them frō Caiphas to Pilate For which cause two euident examples will witnesse that the zeale of religion hath nothing at all induced neither the king of Spayne
to shew himselfe chiefe of the Leaguerers nor the Leaguerers which are amongst the seditious Frenchmen to rebell agaynst theyr king The first example heereof is taken from the sodayne death of the two last Popes beeing dispatched by a letter of exchange hauing adioyned vnto it the Schisme which the same Spaniard had brought into the towne of Rome where I demand that if the king of Spaine be so affectioned vnto his religion wherefore doth hee not respect him whome hee holdeth and acknowledgeth as the lieuetenant of God and to be a spirituall Father One may see then that by such workmanships he would haue vs to vnderstand that whosoeuer shall not bee in the nature of a Spaniard shal neuer be accounted a good Romish Catholike Lastly the other example commeth from the towne of Soissons the Leaguers of the which by the ordinaunce of their superiours as they call them haue chased out the ladie Abbesse from the aforesoid Soissons being the kings Aunt where she hath alwaies beene preserued both from the one and the other notwithstanding that they knowe that she is the most ancient princesse of the bloud and reputed of all for the most zealous affectionate vnto the Catholike Romane religion which is in the world An euident token that a spirit which is the author of confusion and sedition doth vrge the furies of such Leaguers not the zeale of religion Poore Catholiks vnaduised which do affect so much that tyrannicall Spanish gouernment consider here the intention and purpose of your ecclesiasticall leaguers which do so much prise and praise the Inquisition of such a climate yea euen as of brideled calues if there bee anie perseuerance in such blindnesse Assure your selues most miserable French men that the most noble the most valiant the most vertuous the most aduised the most wise the most learned the most iust and the most rich amongst you shall euermore vnder such a schoolmaster be accounted and holden as heretikes if it commeth to passe that ye bee not found in all things agreeable vnto maister Inquisitor Then ye shall vnderstand by them that the masse shall not saue you To this purpose two examples among a thousand which came vnto my knowledge a few daies sithence shall open this text It came to passe that two marchants of Gascoigne being in Spain and going by the high waie did contemplate and beholde an Image being much polished and verie faire and shining as bright as anie of their Countrie whereuppon they tooke occasion betweene themselues to demaund whether that matter whereof it was made was either of stone or wood This was inough to be sayd in Spaine they were heard by one of the Inquisitors and presently lead vnto a miserable prison wherein they remained the space of three whole yeres after notwithstanding any protestations or prooues they could make or bring for the triall of theyr being Catholiks And the other example is this A man of Poictou a great Catholike being at Lisborne seeing a great Priest beeing graue fayre and in good habite and marching accordingly this man began to saie thinking to haue praysed the Priest Beholde a Priest saith hee and not one of the durtie Priests of Poictou This being but once spoken which was inough immediatly this Poicteuni is heard vnderstood and therevpon lead presently in dome Petri into the popes prison where he was kept safe for the space of sixe moneths without knowing wherefore about the end of which tearme he was commaunded that he should not cal Priests Durtie any more There may be a whole booke composed of these tyrannies and vniust dealings These effects of the Inquisition will be found proued true and not thy conceit of anie Catholikes to bee punished by the magistrates of that religiō either in England or in Bearne as hath beene els where said Those to whome it appertayneth knowe that such offenders were punished in the quality of the seditious not as being religious From thence thou turnest for this seuententh time to leape vpon the authoritie of the Popes saying that the king is not the son of the church because he wold not kisse his pantable To the which I say againe that it hath beene proued vnto thee that it is enough for him that the Christian church is his mother that the Romish church cannot take frō him this liberty priuilege And for that thou doestalwaies feare some ecclesiasticall reformation neuer desiring any other religion than that which feedeth the belly thou threatenest the noblemen with their going to hell if they do not helpe to maintaine thy cause Hereupon harken I pray ye to the preacher I should loue it better saiest thou that ye were Huguenits so to see you fight for vs Catholiks Marke I pray ye he holdeth that the Huguenits are damned whereupon it followeth that hee should haue nothing to do with condemning of those Catholikes of whome he speaketh seeing that they should defend the kitchin his mother Behold also how he calleth the Huguenits to the same defence Thou art in thy triumph but goe to with thy Lyntill broth to the which thou doest allude To be short thou art greeued diuersly because the Noblemen which are the principall force of the realme will not vnderstand all this Thou hast bin told that they are indifferently bound aswel to defend their king as their cuntry together with their honors liberties piuiledges yea the more because they are bearded with the Spanyard an ancient enemy vnto whom ye would willingly sell htem Therefore remember thy selfe of the answer that was giuē to the robbers which pleaded against the merchantes for carrying weapons to defend themselues Thou doest heere repeat for the 70. time the difference hapned in France for religion The which here againe I say haue been moued by your clergie els where hath beene answered in so many sortes and so often that it is more than enough And now turne again thy leafe Thou dost heap vp afterwards proud maiesticall words of thine owne deuising thinking thereby the better to gette the Noblemen on thy side but thou oughtest to serue thy selfe with concluding reasons and not with affecting wordes throwne into the aire to the abandoning of all that which might happen to come after And how doest thou torment thy selfe in vaine on this side also it is to no purpose that thou doest propose vnto the aforesaide noble men the examples of the most excellent Romane knights as that of Sceuola amongst others Thou malitious blind doest thou not see that it was for the same cause of defence that Sceuola burnt his hand and that the others imploied themselues in the defence of their Countrie It is true that thou makest great account of the Iacobin that kild the last king the which thou doest produce againe as in a triumph vsing these great wordes One that was religious hath flaine the king of France hauing giuen testimonie of his zeale vnto all France O miserable
religion the which they haue debated on this thirtie yeeres as thou saiest For aunswere whereunto I woulde call thy conscience to witnesse if it were not hardened in such sorte as Saint Iude speaketh of Wherefore leauing it to glut it selfe with sleepe I will summon those before God which waken betimes in the morning to testifie before his diuine Maiestie whether all these effectes and euentes passed haue not verefied that wee haue alwayes acknowledged approoued and respected all our kinges which went before vs as men sent from God our often prayers for their prosperitie and the reste of our actions do giue the lye vnto all those which do accuse vs of the contrarie But your detestable murders Apoc. 18. and massacres may be dedicated to the children of the slaughter house of Rome If thou doest obiect vnto vs any of our defences the house of Guize hath vrged and constrained vs necessarily iustlie thereunto Thou knowest it well enough but that ought to bee accounted amongst the enterprises which yee haue done and do against the king and the estate of the realme The ende dooth crowne the worke Thou hast nothing to do heere then to call M. Caluin as a witnesse reproaching him Dan. 6 in that thou saiest he hath written vpon Daniel that the earthly princes doe depose themselues of their power when as they presume against God yea that then it is better to spitte in their faces than to obey them Let a man of conscience reade throughout his whole Commentarie and there he shall find thee to be a malitious lyar seeing that there is no mention made of anie suche thinge as thou doest obiect For he sayth that Princes ought to bee disobeyed onely when as they woulde constraine men to offend God But that hath no communitie with thy reuolt Thou doest replie that therfore Maister Caluin Maister Bezado condemne an heretike to death We answer that that maketh thee to agree with vs secundum quid that is to say by the means that fiue necessary concurrences do there meet together which are First the ordinance of a soueraigne Magistrate The second a certaine knowledge of heresie The third the louing and free conference betweene him which is in errour and those which do accuse him The fourth a manifest hardening and malitious stiffe-neckednes in continuing in his false beleefe The fifth where wee doe adde as aforesaid that Princes ought not in this case nor in suche lyke to bee handled with the same forme and rigour as theyr subiectes are and that this censure ought to bee applyed to the crime To the purpose of which application if the libertie of conference might bee graunted to Diuines I dare assure thee they would finde sufficient matter to obiecte against thee that which was obiected against Sophistus who woulde haue proued that Diogines was neuer any man to whom it was aunswered Conclude that of thy selfe which thou wouldest saye of an other and then thou shalte saye true Let vs now discouer thy second head or chiefe poynte importing the third repetitiō of the oath made at the parliament of Bloys For answere hereunto I say that I would haue thee to remember thy selfe for the third reiteration that the first generalloath which the Noblemem haue made to their king and countrey ought not to be violated by an incidentall cause of the vnfaithfulnes and treason of the Guize when as he rebelled against his king Nowe to the purpose of thy repetition Thou doest still repe at heere the zeale of the Pagans the which thou doest alwayes commend and approoue as if it were not knowne that the wisest amongst them would mocke at thy pretended maxime seeing that they woulde chuse that which Cicero speaketh of in his book De Amicitia Cice lib. de Amic to be more profitable and of more assurance which saith that all things that are profitable for the common-wealth are the best diuinations that may bee found out and done amongst the which in the mean time consisted the chiefest part of the Pagans religion Cato also came to that pointe when as hee gaue councell to appease God with the incense and to let the calfe grow for the plough To be short this was a subtletie wherwith the wisest amongst the Gentils did serue themselues with their religions And thou doest the like in turning thy selfe to accuse Noblemen with indeuouring to bring in heresie into France the which thou callest Caluinisme It it keth mee to repeate one thing so often it hath beene already answered that the Noblemen are bound to maintaine the estate of the kings of the countrey and that in many thinges your Church hath neede of reformation These two propositions in steade of maintaining heresie do incounter with it beat it down To the which speech thou dost adde that the furie of heretikes ioined with the soueraigne power beeōmeth so bloudy that it neuer leaueth the Catholicks at rest and doest take examples from some Infidels being persecuters of the Church to witnes which they bring against the barbarousnes of Caluin beeing worse than that of the Arrians Thus thou saiest But in the mean time search the holy scriptures thou shalt find that this is done by the murderer of Rome Apoc. 18. to maintayne his pride his tyranny his apostacie by the horrible murders which hee hath committed throughout all Christendome since that his filthines hath been discouered And as touching Caluin his life deeds writings do abhor such deuilish cruelties as amongst other things that which he faith vpon this text of the Romanes doth witnesse which saith Rom 12. Blesse them that persecute you whe upon he writeth thus forasmuch as it is most harde to obserue and retayne such a mildnes and sweetnes so much more we ought to labour to attaine it For our sauiour would that we should be different from the wicked as also that no man canne name himselfe the child of God if he bee not clothed with such a courage and afterward he addeth that we ought to be carefull of the saluation of those which doe drawe damnation vppon themselues Beholde now the speeches of Caluin declaring the wrong which thou doest to his renowmednesse and to his writings And now to come vnto thy examples I saie that the aforesayd testimonie doth a great deale better resemble you to Achab Iezabel Valens Iulian and others of the same race than those to whome thou doest compare it as in deede thou canst not obiect anie one massacre to be auouched by the reformed Church but wee may iustly truely and entirely obiect against you all those that haue bene done in Christendome anie time within this fiftie yeeres because of religion from whence it followeth that this text of the Prophet hath beene accomplished amongst you the which thou doest alledge to this purpose against vs Superbia corum qui te oderunt ascendit sēper The pride of those which hate thee doth alwaies manifest it selfe Also