stand no longer in neede will not in the meane tyme dye either through melancholy or choller so speedely quit them his roume they knowe in their Italian League Articifers enough to sende him into Abrahams bosome whereby they shall for so many good and commendable seruices done to our France bee thought more worthy to be crowned then now notwithstanding at this present they cause ouer loude to bee song their pretended merites by all the Spanish pentioners and feede Spyes in the Court at whose mouthes they set out their woundes receiued in the wasting of this Crowne after the maner of the auncient Romaines who exhibited themselues naked to the people in beggiug the Suffrages of dignities and offices Thus when through their wisedome they shal haue killed the King and the King of Nauarre who are y ◠two thornes that trouble their feete for the one they will procure the singing of a Deprofundis and for the other Te Deum laudamus whereby together with an absolution sealed in leade in the Cource of Roome they shall bee whiter then Swannes For of the rest of the Princes of the bloud they make no accoumpt neither doe thincke them subiect sufficient to put thē in any chafe about the rooting of them out so greate is the furie of Sathan in these daies This is the whole story which those that loue them are forced to confesse Neuerthelesse it seemeth that we sleepe our our mishap or ratherthat we make hast to this fire euen with our backe burdens of woode to kindle it in stead of water to quench it withall 29 Hereafter I pray you what dignitie or Maiestie may restraine from vice those that are so cruell to their King as to take armes against his person against the peace of his estate whose subiects they are and against the establishment of his Realme Neither Equitie Iustice Custome Lawes respect of land loue of their fellowe Citizens or reuerence to the Magistrate can permit those men that contemne the soueraign authoritie of the Maiestie royall and such as without respect to Iustice or publick honestie doe shew them selues more cruell and barbarous in procuring vnder pretence of reformation and zeale to Catholicke Religion the engendring in France of an immortall warre the mother of all impietie wrong reuenge ruine deformation and vtter subuertion of most mightie Kingdomes and florishing Empires to blush for shame What eminencie is the Church to looke for among the execrable blasphemies and infinite sacriledges that will be committed in the warres What power what authoritie what light may wee attend of Iustice when she is snared mastered become prisoner and ouerruled by the weapons of the most vicious and corrupt persons of this Realme What honour what degree what respect may the Nobilitie hope for beeing in perpetuall hazarde to loose life children wealth peace and free cōmandement ouer their vassals and subiects What ease what profite or what encrease may the ouertoyled laborer the venterous Marchant the quiet Burgesse or any other whosoeuer in this poore Realm buyld vpon Euery one must prouide for famine pestilence fire bloud and spoyle to be briefe for all the scourges that spring of the disorder barbarousnesse ambition and insatiable desire of those who if they maye finde assistance among the French will neuer lay downe weapons but either by an establishment of a perfect tyrannie proceeding out of their affections more grieuous and inspportable to those that shall remaine then warre it selfe or els by the selfe ruine and vtter extirpation of their wretched followers together with most of the good men that shal haue withstoode them Let vs not O Frenchmen perswade our selues that this mischiefe will be a matter of three or fower moneths onely For if it be Religion for the which they seme to bring you into the fielde your selues doe knowe that our Kinges haue not spared life state meanes or friendes for the remedying thereof within these fiue and twentie yeeres which notwithstanding what effect haue so many murders such plentie of battailes and such store of bloud spilt wrought Weene you that these who so long haue found meanes to defend themselues cannot withstand you but must so easely yeeld vnto you See you not the straunger that looke vppon you and doe prepare to hasten our destruction if we bee so foolish as to beate our selues The authors of this cōspiracie being now alone are no strōger then when they fought so sharply vnder the authoritie of King Charles the 9. and the King now raigning and were vpholden by the same meanes that now they assure them selues of out of Spayne Italy and other places You know they were chiefe of their Maiesties Counsaile Leaders of their Armyes or rather authors of all passed mischiefes enterteyning the King in that will and opinion wherein he then was namely that weapons were y e instruments to appease Gods wrath and to reunite vs in one onely Religion vntill his Maiestie vpon better aduice confessed the fruites and effects of the contrary and by the exāples of his neighbours did very wisely cōsider that the disease of Religion is so rooted in mans mynd that he were farre better to tollerate it sith we all agree in one belief and Creede of the Apostles then to hazarde his whole Estate by weening to heale vp a wounde which God willing maye by daylie conuersation bee suppled for vndoubtedly some diseases are of such a nature that it is more expedient for the Patient to beare the griefe thereof then for his cure to vse ouer daungerous and doubtfull remedies whose tryall is more sharpe and intollerable thē the disease it selfe With which counsaile truely royall fatherly and worthy a Christian and peaceable Prince these zelators of their own wealth rather then of Christianitie being offended doe now euidently shewe their bad mindes and do buyld their pretēces vpon the diuersitie of Religions vpon the oppressions of the people vpon the deformations of Iustice and vpon the distribution of Dignities notwithstanding all men knowe that in respect of the last they are better prouided and haue greater cause to praise the parting then to complaine of that honor that the King hath done them As for the rest themselues are the onely cause of all mischiefe engendred by ciuill warres which euer since the resolution vpon their forecast thei haue nourished in this Estate because it is certaine that peace is the mother of pietie establishment of Iustice and the true spring of mans ease Neither can we denie the good holy and commendable affection wherwith our most Christian and peaceable Prince set hand to the worke so long as it pleased God to let vs enioy peace whether in the example that he set vs in his Religion desire that hee shewed in reformation of Iustice or in the ease that so much as he might he procured to his good subiects What is there more to doe then fellowe countrymen but againe to sheath vp our weapons and deuoutly to pray to God to
Greece Also among other the Ecclesiastical aunswers of the Patâ—iarkes of Constantinople is to bee seene this of Germanus to the Bishop of Ara who enquired how he was to proceed against a maiden that had bene blessed and corrupted before her ripe age also against the Priest that had ministred these ceremonies Whereto aunswer was made that the maid should be seperate and the Priest put from his charge 5 As in trueth in all well ordered Commonwealthes there haue euermore bene established a certaine age for the conioyning and mariage of the Citizens of the same because as saith Fulâ—entius the lawe of mariage is by the will of God ordeined fâ—r hauing of issue it is meete that it be contracted at lawfull age So as by the pollicie of some Citties it was considered that the tyme of generation doth for the most part by nature ende in the man at the 70. and in the woman at the fiftie yeere Aristotle is of opinioÌ„ that after that age mariage is not to be permitted Whereto seemeth to agree that which is found in the establishment of the Romaines Among whom those Citizens were not iudged to haue satisfied the lawe Iulia which was made for mariages who to the ende not to be subiect to the penalties limitted in detestation of vowed chastitie did contract matrimonie the man after sixtie yeres or the woman after fiftie For Iustinian also writeth that some accompted it almost a wonder in nature to see a woman with childe after she were fiftie yeres of age And it seemed such marriages were contracted not so much in hope of begetting children into the CommoÌ„-wealth as in respect of some wealth or other perticuler commoditie that the one hoped for of the other by which reazon wee reade that Antigonus perswaded his sonne Demetrius to marrie an old woman named Philla vsing the authoritie of Euripides which he altered to his purpose and in liew that the verse said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he sayd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the ende the sence might importe that for some benefite hee should not differ the mariage of a wife though of a contrary age As on the other side also ouermuch youth was neuer accoumpted meete for the coniunction of mariage because therein generation cannot bee but lame and vtterly vnperfect the mother in greater daunger at her childbirth the father more vndiscreete in the coniunction and so the more hindered from atteining to that perfection and force which Nature reserueth to their bodies wherevpon the auncients imagined that the Idoll of Apollo gaue the Trezenians warning when he had them beware of casting their seede ouer hastely vpon the fieldes of their countrey 6 Finally concerning this present argument although the sayd Lady Iane of Albret had offended in marying with the late Antonie of Bourbon Duke of Vendosme because she had beene afore married to the Duke of Cleue yet were that no let why the King of Nauarre now raigning should not bee borne of the lawfull mariage of the sayd Antony of Bourbon his father who doing amisse that vpon simplicitie vnder the authoritie and in the face of the Church with publicke credite did solemnize the said mariage in which cace there is no doubt but the ChildreÌ„ of a putatiue mariage as say the Canonistes are legitimate because in a doubtfull cace senteÌ„ce must passe in fauour of the marriage and of the children borne in the same the question depeÌ„ding vpoÌ„ the simple meaning conscience of him that meaneth to marrie a wife for by the lawes and decrees of the Church opinion hath the vpperhand of trueth so as by the common resolution it is enough for the legitimation of children that either the one or the other of the coÌ„tracters ment good faith in that coniunction beleeuing it to be a thing lawful for him Thus doe you briefly see how children borne of such mariages are legitimate In our cace wee haue moreouer aduowed that the pretended marriage of Lady Iane of Albret mother to the now raigning King of Nauarre was voyd and of no effect and for such by all reason iustly broken and disanulled by the iudgement of the Church with whose authoritie the sayd Lady Iane was permitted to marie where she pleased which was not done without president For wee reade in the auncient Chronickles that for the like cause the Emperour Ottho the fourth was diuorsed from Margaret Daughter to the Duke of Brabant Lewes Daulphin of Viennois sonne to King Charles y e sixt a litle before he dyed vsed as some say the like pretence to returne Catherin daughter to y e Duke of Bourgondy home again In later tyme King Charles the eight of Fraunce in the yeere 1480. was by his father Lewes the eleuenth before hee was foreteene yeeres old affianced by words present and so by indissoluble marriage vnto Margaret of Austrich daughter to the Emperour Maximilian who being then but two yeeres olde was conueyed into Fraunce and there brought vp for the space of ten whole yeeres after the which they were neuerthelesse diuorced by a dispensation from Pope Innocent the eight who also for the like reason dispensed with Lady Anne of Brittaine and gaue her leaue to marrie where she pleased notwithstaÌ„ding during her minoritie her father Francis Duke of Brittaine had matched her with the Emperour Maximilian by proxye had celebrated the sayd mariage Nicholas Duke of Lorrain while his father Duke Iohn liued did in the yeere 1460. by present words affiance Lady Iane of France daughter to King Lewes the eleuenth and yet comming to the age of foreteene yeeres he did through the Popes dispensatioÌ„ betroth Lady Mary of Bourgondy Daughter to Charles the last Duke of Bourgondy whom he was going to marrie when death euen during the preparatiues of the solemnitie of the mariage preuented him So the manifolde decrees and iudgements passed in like matters doe manifest vnto vs the exceeding malice of the enemies of the sayd Lord King of Nauarre 7 Their seconde obiection importeth that the sayd Lorde King of Nauarre is an Hereticke and therefore vnworthy to succeede in the Realme of Fraunce whose Kings are intituled most Christian in respect of the oath that they take at their sacring in the hands of the Archbishop of Rheimes which is that to their powers they shall defende the Catholicke Religion and faith which the sayd Lord King of Nauarre cannot doe as professing an opinion already condemned by the Church and so consequently can not pretend aught in the sayd Crowne neither may the subiects thereof obeye him according to the decree of the generall Counsaile holden at Roome vnder Innocent the third about the yeere 1215. repeated out of the auncient constitutions of Theodosius the yonger Valentinian the 3. and Martian all most Catholicke Princes vpon the confirmation of the general Counsailes of Ephesus and Chalcedon and afterward recited by Iustinian the first in the fifth Counsaile of
of the same were led by the will of God or whether therein they enterprised any thing repugnant thereto especially sith the question concerneth the maintenance of the peace liues and soules of so many millions of parsons who either might or are already lost vpon this quarell And this I will say more that sith the fault hath proceeded of our Prelates who haue fallen a sleepe and haue not mainteined the fare that they ought for the nourishment of their Flockes who being ignorant in the most part of the principles of their religion haue gone out of their ranck and doe perticulerly require the reasons thereof it is most necessary gently to giue them a taste of the same without sword or fire vntil the condemned bee at large heard in their defences and lawfully conuict 14 Moreouer I dare aduowe that in Realmes and Empires natural Succession receiued by the estates is of such force that the best and most Catholicke Parsons neuer enterprized against y ◠progresse of the same as occasions haue bene ministred no not for Heresie although it were condemned and with all solemnitie accursed by the Church of GOD Notwithstanding vndoubtedly by other dealing they might haue hoped for better and that they were in maner assured of manifold afflictions at hand Had not certein Bishops Arriens infected Constantius whē he succeeded his father although he were very yong What was the cause that Zeno being an heritick was neuerthelesse made Emperour after his father in lawe Leo but that the Empire was atteyned for his wife AriadNe and little Leo sonne to the said Zeno whom his Grandfather had instituted to bée his heire in consideration whereof the Christians were content to beare that affliction Constantine the third and the fifth whē they were called to the Empire were heretickes but yet in asmuch as they were lawfull successors to the last deceased the Church would not meddle with them When Anastaze the first was chosen no other cause moued y e Patriarke of Constantinople and the people to force a promise from him that afterward hee should be a Catholicke or at the least that he should not make any alteration or stirre vp any broyle in the Church of God but onely because he was then an Eutichian who was condemned by the Counsaile of Chalcedon and the same is the onely caution that you may exact or require of your King in cace he were other then a Catholicke sith the Christian Church neuer desired greater assurance of the aforenamed then their faith and royall promise I might bee tedious if I should rehearse vnto you an infinite number of other examples whereby euery one may manifestly perceiue that the holy Primitiue Church neuer accoumpted it so smal a matter to violate the lawes of the Estate or to habandon that obligation that wee owe to such a Prince as is either lawfull successor to the deceased or els solemnly elected Who is he that wil not thinke the Bishoppes of those former tymes that I speake of to haue bene farre more zealous in their charge and better liuers thē the most parte of ours in respect whereof they might euen with their credite only haue sooner perswaded the people that thei gouerned for Religion and godlinesse sake to haue expelled deposed and banished those hereticall Emperours aswel as to haue admitted them into that succession that by the politick order of the Empire was vnto them due either to obey or yeeld them al fidelitie was it want of power all the world being Christian euen in the Prime of the Church about one hundred yeeres after that the Temples of the Greeke Idols had bene shut vp whereby not so much as the memorie of them remained among the subiects of this great Monarchie I will by the way rehearse vnto you a Decree of the Church made for y e posteritie of Kings least you shuld thinck me either to be led by affection or to haue told you fables Heare therfore the wordes of the Fathers assembled in a Counsaile Like as the Insolencie of wicked Kings haue euermore bene odious and abominable to the subiects so haue the people alwaies liked wel of the prouident foresight of the good who therefore could suffer or beholde a Christian offending in that poinct or that were desirous to expell the posteritie or ligne Royall from such rights and dignities as thereto doe apperteyne Such dealing doe we therefore expressely forbid in fauour of the posteritie of the most excellent Prince Chintillus we doe renew and cōfirme the decree that was made the last yere at the Synode houlden in this Church concerning the loue and good will that euery one is bound to beare to the Kings ligne and to the defence and preseruation which all subiectes of the Estate doe owe thereto to the ende the successors be not maliciously defrauded of the merites of their predecessors in the augmentation of their Crowne or their great liberalitie toward their subiects Also that none doe enterprize to hurt them because it is meete that by the authoritie of a Counsaile we do graūt peace to the succession and posteritie of those by whose meanes and vnder whose protection wee haue aforetyme bene preserued Admit therfore that the Church made this Decree in respect of that obligation that she deemed the subiectes ought to the posteritie of their Kings either for the loue and reuerence of those that had well gouerned their Commonwealths euen as GOD who is the author and holder vp of Monarchies would neuer take the Scepter wholy from Iuda for his seruaunt Dauids sake yet if our selues would but call to mind so many good Kings of this race especially the father of the house of Bourbon the Lorde S. Lewes whō for his good life the Church hath canonized and whose memorie ought to be vnto vs holy honorable we should shewe our selues most wicked periurde vnthankful and disloyall persons if wee should seeke or but make any countenaunce to thinke vpon innouating any thing against this posteritie 15 Good men are not ignorant of the pretences that these great bucklers of the faith doe take hold of which are first that the King of Nauarre being King would polute subuert abolish Catholick Religiō in France and force his subiects to become huguenots But to say the trueth this vizard is lesse then nothing for his former behauiours will presently force vs to confesse the cōtrary because our selues haue seene with what importunacie he hath besought our Kinges as beeing their subiect and perswaded them to suffer him and his partakers to liue vnder their obedience in all libertie of conscience Wherefore then should we thinke that when he were soueraign he would practize against his people any enterprize repugnant to that lawe which himselfe being in their race sought to enioye vnder the Kings his Lords Shal we presume that such a Christiā wise Prince instructed in the feare of God would become a Tyrant torment the soules of his subiects against
graunt vs peace and by meanes thereof to reunite vs in the Faith and Religion of the Catholicke Church so to serue him faithfully with our good King to set to our shoulders to helpe to support the burthen of commaunding in this Realme layd vpon him in heauen yeelding our selues pliant simple and obedient to his commaundements to the end altogether we may serue and praise the deuine Maiestie holily and peaceably euery one according to his duetie the Prince in peaceable and wise gouernmēt of vs as hetherto through the grace of che holy Ghost he hath done our selues in louing reuerencing obeying and faithfully seruing his Maiestie as wee are bound vnder payne of eternall damnation For so long as we are in this world if we doe otherwise we shall resemble the Marriners that in the Ship quarrelling with their Pilot oppressed with the tempest and enuironed with the enemie doe in the ende finde themselues forced to saile away with some mercenary straungers who will no longer haue any care of their safetie then the commoditie and sweetnesse of their wages shall continue Surch surely will bee the life that we shal leade in case we become so detestable as to disunite our selues frō our King and the sacred bloud of his Crowne abroade standing in feare of the enemie at home not onely of our fellowe Citizens but also of our domesticall seruaunts our allies our cossens our brethren our parents our wiues and our children wherby we shal haue warre with the straunger sedition in the Citie and mistrust in the householde alwaies in in feare miserable needy and stil past hope of better for the good will habandon vs as vnworthy their succour and the bad will deuour vs. What blesse then what pleasure what contentation may we hope for so long as vppon earth wee leade this life and bee led by those y t bely the forme countenance gesture speech and behauiour of the man that they beare no lesse thē Satires Apes or Beares as also we may rightly terme them Wolues and monsters borne in this Commonwealth for the nourishing and bringing vp of whom I feare wee may bee called enemies to God and our owne nature which by companying with these wilde beastes we doe corrupt But to returne to our purpose Concerning the heresie falsly pretended against the King of Nauarre although the reasons aforesayd bee most true waightie and such as can haue no contrary aunswere vailable yet as a Catholicke I do most humbly beseech the said King of Nauarre diligently to thinck vpon his affayres yea although in his minde hee could conceiue no other consideration then the preseruation and peace of so much people in that he by whom the offence commeth is accursed of God whether he shal not more grieuously offende God and his owne conscience in being a cloake and pretēce of so many miseries to his Countrey and the French nation for whose defence he is borne then with his fathers and common custome of old receiued in erring if there be any error therein Let him also iudge whether he bee not bound to aunswer before God for the liues of so many persons who through his occasion shal perish also for the blasphemies that consequently will be committed Let him aduise himselfe whether hee were not better to doe as the good and gentle Householder who sometimes omitteth the seueritie of his age to play with his children and with clemencie giueth them space to measure the force of his amitie excusing their insolent youth and bolde rashnesse ioyning and going close with them after the example of the wise and well aduised Athenian when his people were most obstinatly resolued to oppose thē selues directly against his meaning For my parte Sir I beseech your Maiestie to giue mee leaue to tell you that all good Frenchmen true Catholickes and faithfull subiects to you this Crowne doe euen in humaine reason greatly bewayle the state of our poore Fraunce in seeing that your enemies are so well at ease or doe peraduenture nourish about your Maiestie some such persons as keepe their vizarde from bee plucked off For in truth Sir it lyeth in you through the grace of the holy Ghost to yeeld more fruite to the Church of GOD for the aduauncement whereof you haue hetherto thought to fight and more ouer to procure your selfe to bee esteemed more profitable commodious and honorable to all by planting peace in time in this Realm and giuing an example to the rest of Christiandom with assurance to the King that raigneth ouer you and his subiects who looke vpon you by your good life and gentle common conuersation which in all other actions your aduersaries them selues doe seeme to confesse then by any other worldly meanes that you cā choose Besides that it is an vndoubted and political maxime mislike it who will that it is not for Kings who haue authoritie and gouernment ouer so many seuerall braynes which GOD may reserue vnto you if it so please him or he be so determined in his priuate counsaile notwithstanding all the Deuilles do rage to set other where then in their Closets vpon any of these extremities because it would bee vnpossible to toyne and compose these together especially in the world wherin you are borne wherein also your selfe doe well knowe and haue by domesticall examples learned that it behoueth you and all other the Princes in this world to bow to make your selues to be obeyed to preserue your estates by meanes more then artificial and ful of humaine wisedome in respect of the frowarnesse peeuishnesse and bad nature of subiects But more perticulerly in this case wherein our common enemies haue for these 25. yeeres accustomed the French nation to the vse of weapons and the veryest fooles of whom there are ouer many to contemne the Maiestie of their King lawe and Iustice and to the contrary haue suborned flattered and stolne away the most of their hearts vnder a false pretence and zeale of Religion which your seruants do wish you to winne again as it were an easie matter to doe being desirous of your quiet honor and to the aduancement of Gods glorie the peace of this Realme and the encrease of the Crowne of France fearing least all Christiandome should swarme to the tearing of it in an hundred peeces or the mutinous Rebelles that are within the Realme should rent and dismember this goodly Kidney of Europe which without doubt is the goodliest and most perfect Kingdome vpon earth At the least sir sith these great Dukes of fained Catholichisine who in a iolitie haue declared themselues your aduersaries doe beare for their deuise the destruction bloud of the innocent Frenchmen which by their often murders they haue shed and are not yet satisfied as their Bugbearlike terrors that they propound vnto vs doe shew I doe most humbly desire you to the contrary to bee the Pelican and to beare the same deuise that the Great Alphonsus the 10. of that name King of Spayne
doe now sufficiently lay open the trueth when vnder pretence of withstanding the King of Nauarre and hindering him from so much as the very shadowe of any vayne hope of succession they dare presently take armes against our Kings Maiestie and shake his Estate so to make themselues Lordes vnder the couerture of a sacke dipped in a fewe Imaginary rights as perniciously as lightly inuented For good men will euer confesse that it is not propter Iesum that now they runne to armes but rather for the satisfying of their insatiable ambition whereof how bad soeuer the intent be yet will the effects be more detestable except God take pittie vpon vs and the people with the Kings good seruants doe open their eyes to see clerely into this matter and to acknowledge it to be the catastrophe or last act of that Tragedie which these wicked people haue long played in this Realm vnder the shadow of zeale to Catholick ReligioÌ„ with the cloke whereof they goe about to shroude the most foolish in an irreconciliable diuorce from the King their soueraigne Lord and the naturall French Princes and perticulerly against the sayde Lorde King of Nauarre the neerest in bloud to his Maiestie whose destruction lieth them more vpon then all the rest 2 In his respect I will onely say that the crime of Treazon whereof falsly they accuse him ought not to be iudged by the sole occasion sayth Modestin for the reuerence of the Princes Maiestie but for the trueth Plinie writing in commendation of Traian sayth The crime of treazon was wont to bee singuler and almost peculier to him that could not bee charged of any other matter wherefore Traian abolished the same as one that contented himself with the force of other accusations this Prince holding opinion that sueh Monarkes as were so ieloux of their Maiestie had none at all And for the same cause was this kinde of accusation likewise abolished in the tyme of Claudius Adrian Pertinax Alexander Seuerus and other good Princes who deemed other publick accusations to be sufficient for punishment of euill liuers how farre soeur they should forget themselues Howesoeuer the case standeth coÌ„cerning the King of Nauarre he may yet more boldly speake in the presence and face of his enemies then might Cruentius Cordus beeing vnder Tyberius accused for saying that Cassius was the last Romaine when he shewed the Senat that they would punish him for his wordes because his deedes were irreprehensible For this Prince thankes be to God neuer offended his King in worde nor deede neither can his sclaunderers either generally or perticulerly taxe him of any action nere to rebellion or disobedience yea the whole pretence that these trouble some persons do take of his Religion is suppressed beaten downe by their owne ordinary and publick confession by the Princes Edicts and declarations and by infinite other writinges approâ—ued in all the Courts of Parliament of this Realme And in deede the whole rebellion fellonie wherwith they may charge him is that he would not suffer the knife to cut his throate but did quietly withdrawe himselfe out of the prease when he see that his enemies would force him to beare infinite iniuries vnworthy his greatnesse Otherwise who can say that euer he refused the duetie faith obedience and subiection which hee is bound to yeeld to the King his soueraigne Lord much lesse then that he hath coÌ„spired against his person that he hath sought to make himselfe King or enterprized any thing preiudiciall to the aduauncement and peace of the French Commonwealth Shewed hee euer any token of desire to bee named his Maiesties heire or successor Hath he chaunged his garment or augmented his Estate for his approach to the King through the euill hap and misfortune of this Realme growne vpon the losse of the late Mounsier the Kings onely brother Hath he called together his friends or craued the counsaile of Atturneyes to learne whether himselfe bee now the neerest of the bloud Royall Who can shew that euer he vsed any confederacies which iustly he might haue made as King of Nauarre and soueraigne Lord of Bearne or did euer employ any other then to the seruice of the King and wealth of this Crowne who will bee so malicious vnnaturall and sencelesse as to impute to fellonie y e withdrawing and cherishing of his fellowe Citizens the professors of the same Religion wherein hee was borne bred and brought vp euen from his cradle when he found them in like misfortune as himselfe and oppressed with the force of their aduersaries who vnder the cloake of the Kings authoritie haue often endeuoured to roote them out either the withstanding of the stripes and fortefying of himselfe for the safegarde of his life Sith so soone as it hath pleased his Maiestie to stretch forth his arme to them and to offer them such conditions of peace as himself liked of with libertie of conscience he hath not onely together with them vnarmed himselfe and yeelded his Houldes into the handes and power of his Maiestie and fallen downe at his feete but which is more haue returned their whole power together against those that haue come to his and their succour witnesse the siege of Newhauen and haue disunited themselues from all confederaties and Leagues which in respect thereof they were entered into with straungers and all this to the ende to submit them selues to the Kings good will who hath liked thereof and so confessed in all his Edictes of Pacification with other the perticuler good deedes and fauours which the sayde King of Nauarre confesseth to haue receiued of the hand and good will of his Maiestie who hath freely and liberally for the wealth of his Estate permitted to those of the sayd Religion the free exercize thereof notwithstanding the coÌ„spired enemies to this Crowne and to the Princes of the bloud haue often gone about to bring into suspition the actions not onely of the sayd Lord King of Nauarre but also of all other the Princes of Bourbon who onely of the Royall famelie doe remaine Besides I assure my selfe if any man would endeuour as it were necessary and meete by effectual reazoÌ„s debated in a lawful assembly of Gods Church to enforme the sayde Lorde King of Nauarre that hetherto hee hath bene deceiued and that his bringing vp in his Religion hath bene very bad hee is not obstinate but easely may be reduced and brought to submit himselfe to sentence giuen by force of Gods worde In the meane tyme we cannot blame him whoÌ„ his mother hath noursed brought vp in a certaine Religion publickly permitted by his Maiesties Edicts and ordenances for standing firme in the same and desiring to continue in that which he beleueth to belong to his saluation O Frenchmen is it meete the Kings Edicts should stand the wicked in stead of a bayt to roote out with the sword or guile more then barbarous to destroye the hearts liues of the Princes whoÌ„ God hath graunted
A CATHOLICKE APOLOGIE AGAINST THE LIBELS DECLARATIONS ADVICES AND CONSVLTATIONS MADE WRITTEN and published by those of the League perturbers of the quiet Estate of the Realme of France Who are risen since the decease of the late Monsier the Kings onely brother By E. D. L. I. C. Answere a foole according to his folly least he should thincke him selfe wise Prouerb 26. ⧠Imprinted at London for Edward Aggas THE PREFACE to the Reader O Christian and Catholick Frenchman neuer was there offered better meanes then at this time to discouer and smel out the subtelties of our enemies with what money Sathan vsually paieth his seruants whē we see some of thē so blinded that beeing vppon the poynt of their destruction they promise to themselues all assuraunce still coueting to conceale their abhominable wickednesse with sleights shiftes and lyes Neuerthelesse when they do most hide themselues they are foonest spied For to say the trueth what goodlier or more apparant pretēce could the perturbers of the quiet of our Fraunce take holde of then Religion and the reliefe of the people but as the enemie of trueth hath allured thē vnto him by lyes so hath hee for their repaste left them no other foode vpon his Table and yet doth that also faile them when they make it an vsuall messe and trueth remaineth Mistresse According hereto the lyes and horrible slaūders that to this day haue bene spued foorth against the King of Nauarre the Lord Prince of Condie by certaine straungers enemies to this Crowne the Royall Progenie vnder the pretence of zeale of Religion doth ouerthrowe them because cōtinually they haue sought to perswade our souraigne Lord the King and all the French Nation that these Princes were his euill seruaunts Rebels and disobedient persons enemies to his Estate in the preseruation and encrease whereof they haue greater interest then any other worldly person next vnto his Maiestie vnto whom they haue the honor very nerely to appertaine As also in truth we are hartely to giue GOD thankes especially in that after so many false and slaunderous inductions made vnto the most Christian Maiestie against these two Princes his good kinsmen and most faithfull subiects and seruants by whose reliefe this feeble weake and pale Realme hath oftentimes escaped falling it hath pleased him to open the Kings eyes to let him perceiue that all the illusions vnto him presented tended only to the ouerthrow of himself his Crowne and Estate in offering hetherto to his viewe one thing in liewe of an other For herevpon his Maiestie smelling out the causes of passed mischiefe hath finally in earnest done as the good Phisitiō who whē he seeth his Patient pale weake faint and grieuously sicke beginneth his cure with bringing him to his bed discharging him frō all painfull toyle causing him to take some rest euen so our King casting his eyes vpō his poore realm afflicted with ciuill warres which so long haue bene kindled vnder a false and slaunderous pretence to the end to begin the cure hath first sought to set it in peace that after some time of rest he might haue better opportunitie to heale the rest of the causes of the disease to put from about him those who vnder his authoritie had by their false wicked perswasiōs so hardly entreated it Which when his euill Councellors perceiued seeing that they could no longer goe forward in the same path they haue sought with open play to compasse that which so lōg they had craftely practised now haue plainly shewed that it was the State Crowne that they leueled at procuring the writing of diuers Libels aduices and consultations of their suffragās to the end not only to diminish and blemish the King of Nauarres vndoubted lawfull succession if it should please God to worke his will of the Kings Maiestie without leauing any issue Male but also to aduaūce their own false slaunderous and supposed titles and pretēces Howbeit although the said Lord King of Nauarre neede not yet to pleade his cause or presently to aunswere all these sleights and counsailes of the wicked in respect of the sufficient terme small likelihood of occasion euer to put the same in executiō cōsidering the King is thāks be to God yong in health in good disposition together with the small interest that in my opinion the sayd Lord King of Nauarre pretendeth to any such successiō as being a Prince both wise circumspect such a one as hath not so smal forecast but that he knoweth vndoubtedly that the greatest wealth reliefe good hap contentation that may redound to him cōsisteth in the prosperitie health long and happie life of the King his Lord to the ende perpetually to be vnder him the same that he is to liue vnder his liking in his protection wherby vnder the fauour wherof he shalbe not only preserued from the cōspiraties which his enemies worke against him but also which is more if it please God to encrease him he shal alwaies be by the King fauoured aduanced vnto whō he hath the honor to be the first Prince of his bloud Neuerthelesse how euer it be I do not thinke that any man at this day cā with reason and iudgement conceiue any bad or sinister opinion of the sayde Lorde King of Nauarre though he lay open his iust causes sith those that haue no right and for whō there can be no likelihood at all are so impudent rash vndiscreete as to bring to the barre a matter wherevpon euen their most affectionate seruāts durst not before haue thought which to saye the trueth is one of the cōsideratiōs that moued me to set hand to the pen to the aunswering of such diffamatorie Lybelles discourses aduices cōsultatiōs as within this yeere haue come to my hands and I protest that I haue done it without either cōmaundemēt or commission of the sayd Lord King of Nauarre vnto whom I neuer had the honor to approach neither is it of any affectiō or desire to aduaunce the Religiō that he professeth sith my self am and all my life time haue bene a Catholick and liued vnder the authoritie of the Apostolicke Romish Church But the onely cause hath bene that being borne a Frenchman I haue thought it my duetie to vphold the rightful cause of the French Princes vnto whome after his soueraigne Maiestie for whose seruice we are naturally bounde and holden to procure all honor wealth prosperitie to maintain and defend them from slaūders and such deceipts as Sathan would stirre vp against their excellēcie greatnesse besides that euery mā may perceiue that these Tragedies are kindled to the vtter ruine losse fubuertion of this miserable Realm so as the loue of my Countrey Christian piety and that compassiō that I take in beholding my fellow Citizens and my self with them in daunger to consume our selues in that fire that by those ciuill warres which vnder this
retourne to the line of Francis the Elder who maried Lady Mary of Luxembourg daughter to Sir Lewes Constable of France who brought great goods to that Famely in Picardy Artoys Flanders and other places Of these two issued diuers children namely Charles Frances Lewes Antoinet Loyse of Bourbon Charles the Eldest succeded in the Countie of Vendosme and procured it to be erected into a Dutchy and Pairry Francis had the Countie of Saint Paule and maried Lady Adriane of Touteuille daughter and heire of a great famely They had issue a daughter Lewes was a Cardinall Anthoinet was maried to the Lord of Guyze of whoÌ„ is discended the house of Guise now liuing Loise was abbesse of Fronteuault Now the said Charlâ—s the eldest maried Lady Francis of Alencon sister to the deceased sir Charles Duke of Alencon last deceased without children in the yere 1524. of this mariage issued Antonie Francis Charles Lewes Iohn Antony the Eldest and Heire of this family maried Iane of Albret Queene of Nauarre of whom came Henry of Bourbon now king of Nauarre who hath married Margaret of France Sister to the most Christian King Francis was named Lord of Anguien who gat the victory at the iorney of Serizoles died without issue Charles the third is Cardinal of Baurbon and Archbishop of Rouen Lewes was Lord Prince Conde who when he died left fower sonnes Henry Prince of Conde Francis Prince of Contie Charles Cardinall of Vendosme and Charles Countie of Soissons Iohn who after the decease of Francis was entituled Lord of Anguyen died also without Issue There were also some daughters of whom here we haue nothing to say as hauing in this argument to treate onely of the Succession of the house of FraÌ„ce which can not discend but to y â— Males of this famely The onely controuersie therefore and different that might through the Counsaile of the mischiuous be mooued resteth betweene Henry of Bourbon King of Nauarre sonne of Anthony the eldest of that famely and Charles Cardinall of Bourbon and Archbishop of Rouen his vncle by the father The end of the first part ⧠THE CONTENTS OF THE SEcond part of this Booke 1. Obiections moued against the King of Nauarre 2. The mariage betweene Lady Iane of Albret Princesse of Nauarre with the Duke of Cleue dissolued by the Ecclesiastical sentence the Popes dispensation auctorized in Parliament Also the marriage of the sayd Lady with Anthony Duke of Vendosme the eldest of the house of Bourbon from whom is discended the King of Nauarre 3. Marriage is by the Ciuill lawe voyde being contracted before age 4. The holy decrees haue inhibited the blessing of mariage of maidens before twelue yeeres of age of men before foretene the East Church haue proroged the Matrimonie of the man to fifteene and of the woman to thirteene 5. The honestie of Ciuill pollice forbiddeth mariage before age 6. Examples of mariages disanulled by reason of the noneage of the contracted 7 The explication of humaine pollicie wherefore hereticks are vncapable of successions 8. The right of Realmes is houlden immediatly of God by the continuation of the successiue lawes of the same Neither can the Estates depose a King vncapable or otherwise disabled Or the people transferre the right of their Lord vnto the person of any other to whom it ought not to be giuen 9. The office and duetie of the Clergie towarde Kings and Princes King Henry the second protested against the Counsell of Trent 10. Why those of the League would not take the Catholicke Princes of the blood therinto Those of the league haue sought to suborne those of the pretended reformed Religion 11. Kings are Stewardes of the Church goods The Church is in the Commonwealth not repugnant thereto Pollicie Iurisdiction and collation of Ecclesiasticall functions apperteineth to soueraigne Princes The Kings of Fraunce haue euermore preserued the state of the persons and goodes of the Clergie in their Crowne The Clergie were in olde tyme not capable to distribute Church goodes 12. The King neuer dyeth in France because of the successiue law thereof To what ende the Coronation of Kings was instituted The auncient maner of the Coronations of heathen Kings How long it is since anoynting was instituted and wherfore It is not necessary to annoynt or crowne Kings in one only place 13. Antiquitie is no necessary argument to auctorize common custome 14. The Church neuer disturbed the succession of Kings no not for heresie 15. Whether it be likely the K. of Na. wil force the conscience of his subiect 16. The estate of Bearne and Nauarre 17. The cause of the protestatioÌ„ that the King of Nauarre made the last yere at Montauban 18. The King cannot infringe the successiue law of the Realme The successor commeth not to the Crowne in the qualitie of heire to the deceased 19. The Popes reasons whereby he pretendeth aucthoritie to transferre Kingdomes The Popes haue euer exempted France out of their wonderfull power Gods lawe without polliticke confirmation is no sanction vpon earth Priestes haue no imperiall Iurisdiction Bishops and Popes haue acknowledged Kings and Emperors for their Lords The punishment of heretickes is executed by the seculer Magistrate 20. The opening of sundry places of Scripture concerning Ecclesiastical iurisdictioÌ„ Wicked Emperors were neuer deposed The Pope cannot excommunicate any body politick or Towne subiect to the King of France Appeales in cause of abuse from the Pope and other Clergie men obserued in France 21. The Church cannot excommunicate a Prince that is an euill liuer Subiects after the excommunication of their Lorde are not discharged of their dueties toward him 22. The sentence of the excommunication of a Prince cannot conteine any clause of depriuation from his Lordly rights 23. A Prince may lawfully arme himselfe against the Popes wrongful excommunication and appeale therefore as in abuse 24. The K. of Nauarres reason to proue him no Hereticke 25. The vsurpations of the Counsell of Trent ouer the Crowne of France 26. Most dauÌ„gerous drifts of y â— Leagued in the reformation of the Realme 27. The wicked entent of the Leagued Also what enuy they beare to the Duke of Espernon and others 28. The remembrances of Aduocate Dauid now put in execution by the Leagued The Kings duetie in matter of Religion 29. Forraine rule and gouernement is wretched FINIS THE SECOND PART OF the Cath. Apologie 1 SVch as mislike the king of Nauarres cause doe obiect against hym in this libell fonre principall points wherof three doe perticularly touche the qualitie of his owne personâ— the fourth concerneth the auncient controuersie betweene the Vncle and the sonne of the elder brother But we will endeâ—our to shewe that in all and throughout all they haue but a weake foundation Concerning the first they aleadge that the said Lorde King of Nauarre is not borne in lawfull matrimony of Anthony of Bourbon eldest sonne of the house of Bourbon because Ladie Iane of Albret mother to
Constantinople about the the tyme whereof he thereupon declared his will as is to bee gathered by the dates of the sayde Counsaile and the Emperours decree inserted into his last Code and afterwarde confirmed by sundry the nouell constitutions of the sayd Prince whereby hereticks are debarred all right of â—uccession Assuredly this obiection at the first blush beareth a great shewe but we must therein of necessitie resolue two poyntes the one of the lawe the other of the deede In the first wee are to dispute whether an heretick may be depriued of that Realme that falleth to him by succession as this doth to the King of Nauarre In the other whether in this present action the King of Nauarre may bee termed an Hereticke and as such a one bee depriued of his succession 8 For the first I saye and maintaine that those Ordenances of Emperors and Canonicall decrees which doe depriue hereticks of successions are written and speake onely of particuler Christians whose goodes and successions are subiect to the politicke lawes of the Magistrates of the land but it is otherwise in cace of Empires and Realmes which may not bee wrested out of their handes that are the true Lordes of the same either for heresie or other cause whatsoeuer because they be holden immediatly of the hand of almightie God and not of meÌ„ as it was argued and concluded in the Counsaile of Paris holden vnder Lewes the meeke Lothair his sonne Kings of France and Emperours about the yeere 829. which was ratefied vpon the saying of the Wise man Counsaile equitie wisedome knowledge are myne by me do Kings raigne and Counsailors publish their decrees in righteousnesse of me are Empires holden The like is to be read in the prophesie of Daniell The sentence is according to the decree of the watch men and according to the worde of the holy one to the ende the liuing may knowe that the most high hath power ouer the kingdome of men and giueth it to whomsoeuer he will and appointeth ouer it the most abiect among men The same Prophet soone after saith as much to Balthazar King of Babylon in representing to him the force of Nabuchodonozer the Monarke of Assiria The Prophet Ieremie in his speech of the King of Kings teacheth vs also I haue made the earth and man and beast vppon the face of the earth through my force and with my outstretched arme haue giuen it to whom it hath pleased me So that â—ubiects are not to search into their Kings neither are borne but to obey and serue whatsoeuer their Princes be without any further enquirie of their righteousnesse Feare the King and knowe that his election is of God saith the Apostle And when any of them doe commaunde or wield the Scepter royall it commeth of the fauour goodnesse and grace that God purposeth to extende to his people in graunting them a good King endued with pietie iustice and Christian Religion the others also are the scourges and roddes of his wrath and iustice whereof the Prophet Ozee saith In my wrath wil I giue thee a King And Iob Who maketh the hypocrite to raigne for the sinnes of the people for Gods wrath being kindled against vs he will sende vs a King such a one as our offences shall deserue because as it is written in the same booke of Iob If wee haue a wicked King wee are yet worse then he The place of Isidore is very fit to this purpose It is saith he a hard matter to make the Prince amend if he be giuen to vice for the people stand in awe of the Magistrate but Kings if they be not withholden by the onely feare of God and dred of the torments of hell doe abandon themselues to all libertie and runne headlong into the bottomlesse pit of sinne I say therefore that it is not for the people otherwise then with humilitie and obedience to controule the actions and qualities of their King but their duetie is onely to cast vp their eyes to heauen and to consider with themselues that by the wil of God the Scepter is fallen into his handes and power that beareth the Crowne whether he bee good or bad especially being there to called by lawful succession such as is in our France wherein by the Monarchiall lawe the people haue not onely referred al their power into the Kings hand and might but which is more haue also tyed their owne hands so as they can haue no redresse so long as any male of the bloud royall doe remaine according to the lawe of the Realme being the neerest male in agnation to the deceased after the generall custome of France yea notwithstanding he bee vnable vncapable and do want discretion to gouerne the Estate in all which causes they may only appoynt him a tutor and administrator of the publicke affayres the order wherof haue bene practized in our Fraunce vpon Charles the Simple and Charles the sixt For notwithstanding the Realme especially ours be not properly hereditary patrimoniall or fâ—udall yet it is successiue and falleth to the neerest not in qualitie of heire to the deceased but as to the next in bloud in masculin ligne so that consequeÌ„tly what euer he be he is called and whatsoeuer default be in his person either of age iudgement or what els soeuer yet may the Estates and Peeres of the Crowne do no more but appoint a tutor to gouerne him and by counsaile to supply whatsoeuer his imperfections because he was elected in heauen so soone as he came into the world All such also as shal resist him who by succession is lawfull King shall encurre the wrath and displeasure of almightie God because we are not to staÌ„d in argument or murmure against the deuine wisedome who for the afflicting of his chosen people and the house of SioÌ„ did many times suffer them to be gouerned by yong wicked franticke and vnfaithfull Kings yea meere Tyrants such as in Iuda were Roboam Ioram Ochozias Amasias Achas Ozias and others who were either Idolaters or misbeleeuers in the true God of Abraham Likewise in Israell Nadab Baaza Achab with his wife Iezabell Manasses and the most part of the rest of their Kings who raigned with more Idolatrie and tyrannie against the fauoured of God then in mans opinion was requisite With the like scourges also God hath visited his Church since y â— time of grace wherin it pleased him to send his deare sonne into the world with his most precious bloud to redeeme vs from our sinnes permitting to sit therein not onely many vnfaithful Emperours and Kings conspired enemies to our faith and heretickes but also particuler Pastors ordeyned for the feeding of the soules of Christians euill liuers and of pernicious example Constantine sonne to great Constantine Valens brother to Valentinian the first and Zeno sonne in lawe to Leo the first Emperours were Arriens Anastase and Iustinian the first of that name were
infected with the error of Eutiches Heraclius was a Monothelite The stories are ful of many Popes of Rome heretickes adulterers Magicians Scismatickes and men confect in a filthie quagmire of vice who all neuerthelesse did peaceably by Gods will sit in Moses chaire to the ende to punish and afflict his flock as he hath thought good by such Tirants whom with his owne hand he chose to be the executioners of his iustice and against whom the people neither ought nor might conspire for saith Panormitan sith they are not free but subiect they haue no power to transferre the iurisdiction or conferre the title neither is he accoumpted to haue giuen that hath no right to giue In an other place the same Canon Doctor writeth that the vassall cannot consent in the person of any other then his Lorde no not by prorogation of power to that purpose alleadging many other skilfull persons opinions Howbeit all good Catholickes doe to their great griefe knowe that most of the Ecclesiasticall persons and Clergie of Fraunce doe seeme to bee parties in the Conspiracie that long since haue bene deuised against the state of this Crowne which neuerthelesse I can hardly beleeue notwithstanding I heare our ordinary Preachers openly in the chaire of trueth and humilitie preach warre bloud weapons rebellion and contempt of y e King and the Princes of his bloud a matter detestable and abhominable before God 9 My Maisters ye Bishops Priestes and Doctors what weene ye to doe Is this the commaundemeÌ„t of God Is this the doctrine that ye are bounde to plant in the Christian Church Is this the light that you shewe to the flocke which God hath committed vnto you Is this y â— peace that you ought to teach and for the which the Church poureth foorth her daylie supplications What correction may the people look for at your haÌ„ds whiles your selues are the authors of euill Wil you doe or say as Lucifer I wil ascend into heauen and become like vnto the most high God Will you iustly haue the name to be the very enemies of God who commaundeth obedience onely to the Kings and powers that he hath established and who taketh no delight in any thing more then in peace hating all shedding of bloud Doth the way to cure the rage of poore mortall creatures consist in vnclothing them of all humanitie in thrusting into their fist the sword wherewith to make away them selues by the authorising of their furie with your decrees nay which is more by stirring them thereto through your Sermons May wee not reproach vnto you that which Ieremie prophesied in his tyme The Prophetes haue prophesied lyes the Priests haue approued theÌ„ and the people haue embraced them Must we needes say of you as Ezechiel writeth of your like I will stretch foorth my arme ouer their Prophetes that see lyes and those that tell fables or do not serue for discipline to my people whom they haue seduced saying The peace of God bee with you and yet it is not peace that they seeke My Maisters this is not the fruit of the spirituall doctrine that you haue in custodie beware it be not sayd of you that an euill tree cannot bring foorth good fruite you preach warre rebellion disobedieÌ„ce you contribute to Conspirators against your King and the Princes of his bloud you deliuer the Townes to them and doe put your flockes into their hands you seeke out straungers to rule ouer you and doe set them against your King where will you become Is this the Catholicke and Apostolick doctrine that you doe sowe Knowe you not that Iesus Christ is the foundation of the Church so that whosoeuer will lay any other shall destroye himselfe and whatsoeuer he dare vndertake Is not the doctrine of Iesus Christ peace humilitie obedience and clemeÌ„cie Is it not written of you Bee yee wise as Serpents and simple as Doues Are not you termed the sault of the earth which beeing shed abroade where may wee gather it againe I wote what you will say There be say you a number of heretickes which must bee rooted out with the sword because their life is repugnaÌ„t to Gods honor No no my Maisters you are yet deceiued for you must first shewe how they bee heretickes and for such cause then to be lawfully condemned which as yet you haue not done because in â—rueth your pretended CouÌ„saile of Trent whereby you haue condemned them was not lawful as the King of France confessed euen while it was assembled and therefore did not onely forbid the Bishops of his Realme your predecessors to go thereto but also by his Embassadour did protest that he could not accept it for a lawfull and generall Counsaile but onely for a particuler assembly gathered together for the profite and authoritie of the Pope and King of Spayne vnto whom they went about to giue the presedence aboue the most Christian Maiestie furthermore declaring that he ment not that he or his subiects should any way be bound to the decrees thereof but that contrariwise he was determined if neede were to employ all remedies necessarie which his predecessors had in like cace vsed to procure the disanulling of the same Besides I saye vnto you that weapoÌ„s are not the meanes to cure this mischiefe Know you not that the doctrine of Religion either the error thereof is a disease of the Soule and minde seeke therefore for your partes the spirituall Medicines wherewith to heale the same as admonitions prayer fasting amendment of your liues which are the true and onely Weapons of Gods Church But what are you not content with the extreeme diligence and care of our most Christian and Catholike Kings for the revnion of their people into one only Apostolick Romish Religion what haue wee gotten by so many fyers so much blood such battailes and destructions within this Realme for the same Those that nowe would rule you are they not the same persons that led the armies and practized y â— occasions of the passed wars haue they not sufficiently proued that neither ster nor sword are meete remedies for this euill that in one day of such troubles Gods Church is more hurt and offended through the disorder of one lewde Souldier then in a whole yeere of pacient tolleration whereby God may be deuoutly serued the King honored the Clergie assured the Lawe feared the gentry cherished and the people eased to bee briefe euery one by little and litle reduced into the waye of good life which to bee briefe are the effectes and glorie of the militant Church and of the good Shepherdes of the the same Wee haue burned them quick they haue quenched the fiers with their blood wee haue drowned them they haue Spawned in the concauities of the water we haue murdered them al in their sleepes within few daies they haue reuiued againe We haue fought with them and beaten them but haue not cast them downe To be brief if we consider how we haue
behaued our selues toward them we shall surely find that we haue left no more to doe but either to destroy our selues and perish all togither whereby the one shall not scorne the other either els to let them liue among vs one with an other in peace and libertie of conscience and neuer be so desirous to driue them into heauen with the edge of the Sword But will you haue me tell you the trueth your pompe your pride your ambition and the ignorance of yours is cause of al this mischiefe Notwithstanding you see the the Church on a flame who is there among you I will except some small number that endeuoureth to amend his life and to distribute y â— Church goods in such sort as he ought See wee not still the Kinges Courtes the Townes and Country full of superfluitie of our Bishops and other Clergie men such a number of Abbots called Commendatories who are of no professed order of Religion but doe neuerthelesse deuour the reuenues that belong to the poore so many beneficed persons with diuers Bishoprickes Abbayes Priories and Cures some in title others in commendam of the which they neuer see so much as one vnlesse it were to the ende to farme the same foorth You may see their Churches fall in decay and the Priestes whoÌ„ themselues haue annoynted begge their foode the rest of the poore dye for hunger at their gates And in one word to say all these Maisters haue no money to doe their dueties w tall no not so much as to procure preaching which themselues can not doe or for performing the deuine seruice either to instruct the youth For euery one doth sufficiently know that the late King Charles the nineth whom God pardon and King Henry the third now raigning visiting and comming to those Townes wherein the principal Vniuersities of their Realme are planted did ordeine that the Clergie of certaine Dioceses should contribute some small portion toward the salaries of the Doctors and RegeÌ„ts of the same yet was it neuer possible for these poore people who are the seedes of iustice and vertue to reape any one penny Our Maisters haue nowe money enough to helpe to maintaine warre against the King vnder an imaginary and false preteÌ„ce of defending the Catholicke Religion You deceiue your selues if you hope to conuert others before ye make cleane your selues no neuer looke for it for it will still be obiected vnto you that you can see a mote in other mens eyes but cannot take away the whole blocke that blindeth your selues Why follow you not the example of Moses who when he beheld and sawe Gods people offende the deuine Maiestie with Idolatrie did not take the sworde to put them to death but began to crye O Lorde this people haue sinned forgiue them or els blot mee out of thy booke which thou hast written Let vs liue well let vs reforme our selues and let vs not be so careful for the wealth of the world We haue so long cryed out against those of the pretended Religion concerning this poynt that now they can say of vs The Doctor is to blame who reproaueth other for the fault that himself hath Yea they will saye worse for still they stand vpon the defensiue you are the assailants They haue euermore acknowledged the Kings Maiestie for their soueraigne Lord and neuer contemned the Princes of his bloud as the King himselfe in his Edicts hath not sticked to confesse but you endeuour to enstale Straungers against the estate and dignitie of his Maiestie who both before he was King and since hath prodigally ventred his life and hazarded his Crowne for the glutting of your desires and putting of your ouer rude counsailes in executioÌ„ What reason therefore haue you now to match your selues with the meere enemies to the peace of the Church enemies to your Common-wealth enemies to your King and the Princes of his bloud I saye to your most Christian and Catholicke King one that feareth God and one who hath peraduenture done more then he ought for the getting by armes that contention which you do wish for I am moued so to say because in trueth I beleeue and experience hath taught vs that the more we stirre vp this euill the more it encreaseth wherefore herein the best counsaile that wise men haue left vs were to resolue our selues that if this pretended reformed Religion bee not by the decree and establishment of Gods worde it will without any warres perish and vanish of it self as haue done so many former heresies but contrariwise if it be according to the wil of the holy Ghost we may crye out at our pleasures but it will fulfill his worke 10 But my Maisters if you be not led by malice are you so blinde as to thinke that the authors of this conspiracie which they terme a holy League bee ledde by any zeale of Catholicke Religion If that were their drift wherefore haue not they also called into the same such Lords Princes of the bloud as stil continuing Catholickes and liuing according to the Romish Church were neuer so much as suspected to bee of the pretended reformed Religion We know very well that the Lord Cardinal of Bourbon whose yeres they haue seduced and whom vnder a vaine hope of smoke they make to weare the knife wherewith to embrue his hands in his owne bloud hauing wrested from him the fayrest and most of his Benefices whereof by their suggestion hee hath depriued his owne Nenewes before he altogether became vnnaturall when they bounde him to this peeuishnesse offering vnto him their fayned League to signe requested that his Neuewes the Lordes Cardinall of Vandosme Prince of Conty and Earle of Soissons might bee included in y â— same wherto these our Maisters could not intend Whereof doe they suspect the Lord Duke of MontpeÌ„sier and the Lord Prince of DoÌ„bes his sonne both being most Catholicke Princes onely that they bee of the house of Bourbon which they seeke to roote out and so doe make accoumpt to transferre the Crowne into their owne handes trying themselues onely vpon the sayd Lord Cardinall a man worne and of small continuance so contenting themselues to make him the standerd whereby to establish their armes neither would they auctorize the rest amoÌ„g their troupes fearing least they should haue better eyes then the sayd Lorde Cardinall to discouer their wicked entents besides that if it shoulde so fall out that they shoulde come to the drawing of lâ—ttes for the beane in the cake the people would rather haue recourse to these Princes as to the braunches and sprigges of their Kings and those who onely in their degrees and order are capable of the Crowne of France either els least the FreÌ„ch Nobilitie should blush for shame at the preferring of the tirannous dominion of straÌ„gers before their French Princes and lawfull Lordes This is not the first day that the house of Bourbon haue bene subiect to the enuie and malice of these Espaniolized
conspirators for it appeared more euidently wheÌ„ the Duke of Vendosme father to the now raigning King of Nauarre maried the heire of Nauarre whom one of their predecessors was very desirous to match withall The said Lord of Montpensier should be very blinde if he could not by the welcome that the parrisans gaue him lately at Orleans with Cannon shot perceiue that it is not Catholicke Religion that they fight for but the rooting out of the royall famelie As also before wheÌ„ in his absence while he was gone to accompanie the late Monsier the Duke brother to the King into Brabant they procured the taking away of the gouernement of Brittaine froÌ„ him which now they clayme to be theirs some in the right of their mother and other of their wife But I hope the King shall be able notwithstaÌ„ding they endeuour to dispossesse him to make himselfe whole to y e and after to heare them in their petitions if hee finde the same reasonable Moreouer to returne to you my Maisters of the Clergie I will set you downe most pertineÌ„t demonstrations of their zeale to the Catholicke Church and will tell you that after they had fayled of their enterprise against the Towne of Straus borowe by the spoyle whereof they hoped for meane sufficient to demaunde Mets Thoul Verdun and therewithall together with other the Townes vpon the shore of Rhine which easily they would haue forced to haue prosecuted their purpose for the rest of the Realme of Fraunce they endeuoured to winne those of the pretended reformed Religion vnto whom they promised not only such free exercize of their religioÌ„ as y â— King now raigning had permitted them but also if neede were with greater libertie and assurance and to the same ende offered to send their male children and young Cousens for hostages into Germany vnder the pretence of learning the Dutch tongue perswading the French of the sayd Religion that they should neuer liue assured vnder the King that by that which was passed they might beleeue that he would enfringe his Edicts of Pacification vpon his first oportunitie that neither y â— King of Nauarre neither the Prince of Condy had authoritie sufficient to defend them to be brief that it was their best to offer themselues into their protection who had both the men of warre the Clergie and the gouernors of the Prouinces at their deuotion To the same effect they also sent the late Lorde of May to Duke Casemire to winne hym into this League and also to practize the same with those of the pretended reformed Religion offering to commit their forces into his hands besides setting before him that he was discended of the race of Charlemagne as well as they that they might make the one a great Emperour the other a great King that the Capetiâ—s had ouer long enioyed their inheritance and that they were resolued no loÌ„ger to suffer it As in deede about the time of the siege of Fere the sayd May practized all that he perceiued discontented to signe the sayde conspiracie vntill he was wouÌ„ded at the said siege whereof when the chief of this drift had notice he posted from Paris vnto him to get from him the Articles of the League as also after the decease of the sayd May hee sent to his house to make search amoÌ„g al the papers remeÌ„brances of the sayd deceased Beleeue not therefore my Maisters that it is the loue of God that leadeth them either piety of Catholicke Religion but say boldly that it is no other but ambition a wicked and abhominable entent to lose and alter this Estate and to get it into their handes and so to make you bondmen to their passions or executioners of their tyrannie Wherefore I beseech you to call to minde the saying of Ioel. Awake my Maisters you that are dronken with your Wine weepe and lament for all your ioye and mirth is gone farre from you Put on your mourning weedes ye Priestes that serue at the Aulter for our land is become miserable and our fieldes doe now weepe sith they are become barren our Wines withered our Oyle diminished and our labourers brought into necessitie And againe weepe ye Clergie that serue God and in liew of other weapons say Lorde forgiue this people and forsake not thy enheritance As for your liues direct them after the example of the Apostle who sayth Wee are as young children among you or as the nurse preserueth her little ones euen so we doe merueilously loue you and doe couet not onely to teach you but to offer our liues for your preseruation Put awaye all hatred mallice guile emulation enuie and backbyting feede vpon milke that we growe therein to our saluation for almightie God is mercifull My Maisters I pray you pardon me I knowe I might haue spoken more gently vnto you but to what purpose is it only with the fingers to touch the wound or to annoynt onely the outside thereof with too easie an oyntment when you see it is tyme to crush it throughly to expell all corruption that marreth the whole body What had I bene the better to haue ministred a tent of lint when it wanted a sharpe corosiue Take therefore in good parte this that I say vnto you for it is the doctrine y â— I haue learned in the Schoole of the Catholicke Apostolicke and Romish Church the greatest Doctors whereof without humaine passions will graunt that al the Sermons and Preachings wherewith you stirre vp the people to take armes and shed bloud are no other then the deuilles TroÌ„pets and Drommes as also surely if you seeke any other weapons then clemencie and Christian pietie doe teach and that with Tertullian you say not you had rather be killed theÌ„ kil I do foreshew vnto you the wrath of God vpon you and that vndoubtedly the prophesie of Malachie will bee verefied in you in these wordes My wrath is kindled against the Shepeheards whom I will visite among the flockes 11 Much lesse are we also to care for the complaint that some of the vnwisest of your men doe lay vpon the King for exacting some of your tenths and vsing sometimes as the necessitie of his Estate requireth the temporalties of his Churches wherein they are much to blame and do ouergreatly abuse the libertie that the conniuence of Princes haue tollerated in your predecessors in respect of their pietie and endeuours in the distribution of their meanes possessions and almoses giuen to the poore vnto whoÌ„ the Church goods doe appertaine and not to you Besides that I will by the way tell you that the wealth of the Church is the onely poyson thereof for that the greatnesse thereof consisteth not in temporall goodes and worldly pompe as the deuill hath perswaded most of our Clergie but in the holy and commendable life of our Pastors and in that heauenly foode that they giue to their flockes ouer y â— which they watch night day And as Chrisostome doth well
shewe you the welth of the Church bringeth you into suspition among both rich poore Theeues and Slaunderers that seeke your spoyle besides that you are therby filled with cares lyings in waight braules strifes hatered feare couetousnesse and perpetuall sorrowe such as the miserie of our worlde can teach vs wherein it is true that the most part of the Clergie haue no other minde neither doe moue warre for any other cause but onely for feare of losing so great rents and reuenues which wrongfully they deuour out of the goodes of the poore Whereby wee may perceiue that in such men we haue no more left but the shadow remembrance and be wailing of the Christian Church springing and florishing in pietie for whose sake the Apostles would neuer possesse any thing and before Gods people nourished the Leuites widowes and Orphans For when the Church thought it good to haue reteine any thing for the reliefe of the poore and of the Pastors thereof it committed the distribution and ordering thereof to such among them as by the Church were thereto elected because the people but especially the Princes were either sworne enemies to the faith and persecutors of the Spouse of Iesus Christ either at the least weake of small zeale or but meanly grounded therein wherevpon the treasure and common Storehouse was vsually committed to the custody of the Bishop as vnto hym that was accompted most glorious in pietie and duetie in the holy distribution that he made whereof he reserued onely sufficient for the necessitie of his owne liuing Like as Socrates writeth that Chrisantus daily reserued onely two Loues for his owne sustenance Of this common store committed to the handes of the Bishop is it come to passe that when hee began to serue him selfe and badly to employ to his priuat commoditie like a thiefe that thing which to hym in the qualitie of a steward onely subiect to render accompt was committed he found him selfe farre richer more mightie and better at ease then the rest of the Clergie and therevpon by the sligtes of the Deuill who had thrust into his hands so much wealth to corrupt the holines example and eminencie of the Church of the sonne of GOD through the euill housbandry of the heads thereof began to bragge aboue all other But so soone as Princes began to taste of and auctorize Catholick Religion they sought also to become Stewards and housbanders of Church goods as making a part of their common wealthes because as Oâ—tatus Mileuitanus did verie wisely say It is certaine that the common wealth is not in the Church but contrariwise the Church is in the common wealth vnder the aucthritie whereof she displaieth the Sunne Beames of her fayre face Herevpon doe wee reade that the Emperour Constantine the great was the kéeper and disposer of the treasure and goods of the Church after the example of the auncient kings of Iuda of whome among other it is found of Ioas the he by the counsaile Ioiadas the Priest fearing lest the Priestes should bestow that money which the people had contributed towarde the reparations of the Temple amisse commaunded it to be put in a Cofer and distributed in the presence of one of his men And in deede at the beginning the Church was vnder the authoritie of Christian Princes not only in respect of the temporall goods thereof but also as concerning the institution of the charge Iurisdiction gouernment and correction of the maners of the Cleargie by the sayd reason of the aforenamed Bishop of Africke whereof I will seeke no better Testimony then that which saint Augustine writeth who teacheth vs that the notice of Ecclesiasticall causes was coÌ„mitted to the Emperour Constantin saint Hierom also aleadgeth very good reasons in his Commentary vppon Hieremy whose opinion is confirmed by Gratian in his Decrees For in troth kings by this care and diligence doe testifie their zeale and pietie to Religion In consideration whereof Gregory reporteth that the first Emperours and Christian Kinges did giue and conferre the Churches in which power the Cannon Doctors Bald. Archid. Panorm and some others are forced to graunt that by reason of their Crowne they are grounded vpon common Lawe And before them Saint Ambrose in his Discourse De tradendis Basilicis did maintaine the same Neuerthelesse such asdoe reade Histories are not ignorant what Tragedies the Popes within these sixe hundreth yeres haue for this article raised against the Emperours of Germany whome in the end they haue driuen to giue ouer the game so as there remaineth but little of that former aucehoritie Royall in Christendome sauing in the Maiestie of the Flowerdeluce which God bee praysed hath hitherto kept it selfe hole and a Virgin and so wil stil keepe it selfe if the good and naturall Frenchmen would put to their helping hand as by y â— oath of Nature that they owe to the Dignitie of this Crowne they are bound For they must vnderstand that it is one of y e greatest points wherevpon the Pope is so importunate to publish his pretended Counsaile of Trent in Fraunce through the assistance of the Spaniard by the ministerie of his Proctors the vnthankfull Nourse children of this Realme for the abasing and deminishing of the dignitie of our Crowne which euermore thankes be to God hath had soueraigne power institution iurisdiction and police ouer the Clergie and the Officers and Magistrates vnder the Kings aucthoritie in his Parliaments greate Counsaile euen since the planting thereof haue power and aucthoritie by appeale of abuse fallen before them by his Maiesties Subiecs to breake disanulle and cut of whatsoeuer shall bee found to haue bene made pronounced decreed adiudged established and ordeined by the Pope the Bishops or other Delegates of the Ecclesiasticall de audience against the holy Decrees Lawes Edicts and Ordenaunces of his sayd Maiestie or arestes of y â— sayd soueraigne Courts because in trueth the Prince is the guardian reuenger and reformer of Ecclesiasticall discipline as the auncient Bishops and Popes more honest and not so ambicious as the most parte of ours haue often openly confessed Yea it so appeareth in the Epistle of Pope Iohn the eleuenth which beginneth Inter claras C. de Tri. written to the Emperour Iustinian at such tyme as no doubt the Church was vnder the dominion of the Emperour as all men may perceiue by the first booke of IustiniaÌ„s Code by his nouell constitutions 3. 5. 6. 16. 37. 56. 57. 58. 59. 67. 83. 117. 123. 133. 146. Also since by the edict of Tiberius the seconde Basil Leo the Philosopher Alexis and sundry other Emperours of the East In our France the Pope and Clergie cannot deny the ordinary collations euermore made by our Kings as testefieth Gregorie of Tours Aimonius with the rest of the auncient Historographers of our NatioÌ„ neither the goodly orders reformatioÌ„s of y e Church made by Clouis in the Synode that he called at Orleans
an example to all other to the ende no straunger doe presume to violate and taint the Maiestie of the Realme of France 12 To all the premisses to the discourse of the duetie and respect that subiects owe in our cace to their Kings and Princes the disturbers of the peace lawes of this Realme doe aunswer perticulerly against the King of Nauarre y ◠he shal neuer be King of France before he bee after the auncient maner obserued as they weene euer since Clouis the first Christian King consecrated annoynted and crowned and that nature onely cannot make him King without the ordinary Ceremonies obserued at the comming in of a new Prince And so cōsequently they dare inferre that notwithstanding al our former discourse be true yet can it not bee applyed to the sayd Lord King of Nauarre to whom the French men cannot be boūd without his annointing and coronation which the Catholickes will neuer permit vnlesse he abiure the pretended reformed Religion Also that in cace they shoulde withstande him yet should they not thereby withstand their King but a pretender to the Realm But in trueth herein lyeth the difficultie of the matter wherwith they seeke to deceiue the ignoraunt For this they must know that in Realmes successiue as is ours the King liueth perpetually and leaueth the Realme to his neerest by vertue of the law successiue By reason whereof he is true and perfect Lord before he bee crowned neither doth his coronation serue but for a declaratiō and publication of the honor of the marke of his calling which was obteyned to him before both by nature and by the lawe of succession which needeth no further declaration of the successor in that it is not simply hereditarie to the deceased but custumary and legitimate at the very instant of the former Kings decease which seazeth not the natural successor of the Lordship and royall power onely but also of the possession and effectuall enioying of the same Wherevpon all our Interpretors doe maintaine that in feudall causes and matters the successor is in a maner seazed in his predecessors life tyme vnder whom he is halfe possessioner without any further inuestiture especially in our France where it is obserued without contradiction For that concerning the Realme the coronation ensuing is but the habite and royall ensigne and therefore al good men will graunt that the King is annoynted and crowned because he is King but contrariwise that he is not king because he is crowned for so theeues and Tyrants beeing the stronger might become lawfull Kings and with ouer much facilitie alter the cause of their possession through that ceremonie So was the Emperour of the Romaines lawfull after he had beene elected and saluted in testimonie and for a proofe of which election only he set a Crowne vpon his head a Scepter of Iuorie in his hand and beeing apparelled in a Purple robe did alwaies walke forth with fower and twentie Huissiers euery one bearing a Torch and an Axe It was was moreouer a custome to carie fire before the Emperour after the auncient maner of the Kings of Persia who went to Pasargades that the Priestes might there consecrate them in a Temple dedicated to one of the Goddesses of warres where the Prince putting of his own Robes did put on the same that the auncient Cirus vsed to weare before he was King he also did eate of a Cake made with Figges and Turpentine and drancke a potion made of Vineger and Milke The auncient Kings of Greece in liewe of a Diadem were wont to cary a Speare or a Staffe which the Grecians termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Romaines sent to him to whom they gaue the royal dignitie a Crowne of Golde a Cuppe and an Iuorie staffe and afterward added the seate or chaire fashioned like a Chariot Afterwarde when Christianitie was planted in the hearts of the people hauing proceeded to the election of the Emperour and being agreed of his person the maner was to cause him to sweare yea sometymes by his handwriting to subscribe that he would stay himselfe vpon the doctrine confirmed by the Catholick Church and the oecumenical Counsailes of the same and that he should not raise any trouble in the Church of God after which protestation the Patriarke of Constantinople in the peoples sight set a Crowne vpō his head girt a sword about him presented him a Scepter and put a gold Ring vpon his finger The tokens of the Germaine Emperours are by the decree of Charles the Great a Scepter a Sword a Speare a Cloake a Chaine a Crowne a Crosse like a Spheare a Buckler an Eagle with 2. heads a purple Ensigne all which are deliuered to him by the Archbishoppes of Cologne Mentz and Treues Like as the Archbishop of Toledo doth the office at the coronation of the King of Spayne the Archbishop of Canterbury at the King of Englands the Archbishop of Mentz at the Bohemians the Archbishop of Strigon at the Hūgarians the Archbishop of Guesne at the Polonians the Archbishop of Vpsale at the Danes the Archbishop of Tours at the auncient Kings of Armorica which we cal Brittaine the Bishop of Pampelune at the King of Nauarres euen as in our France it is the Archbishop of Rheimes that crowneth and annoynteth our King although sometymes it is done in other places As we reade of S. Lewes who was sacred at Soissons others at Orleance whom before the tyme of Christianitie they vsed to proclaime by lifting thē vp and shewing them vpon a buckler But it hath since beene thought more expedient to minister these ceremonies in the assembly of the Church there to call God to witnesse of that faith which the subiects vowed to their Prince and of that duetie wherein the King bound himselfe to his Estate to the ende also that afterward the people might knowe that from a priuat and perticuler man that he was wont to be he was now promoted to the Empire to the end to commaund Thus did Atatolius first deale with the Emperor Leo the first in the yere of Iesus Christ 461. and Euphemius with the Emperour Anastaze in the yeere 494. of whom hee exacted a perticuler promesse in writing because both before and at the tyme that he was proclaimed Emperour he had bene and still was an Eutichean hereticke whose errors had bene condemned by the decrees of the Counsaile of Chalcedō holden in the presence of the Emperor Martian in the yeere of Iesus Christ 455. Of later daies immediatly vpon the decease of Iustinian the first they added that the Patriark of Constantinople should after the example and imitation of the Kings of Iuda consecrate annoynt and crowne the Emperours with a Crowne of Golde in the assembly of the Church which was first obserued in the Emperour Iustin the second and afterward by Pope Leo the 3. translated into the West to the behalfe of Charles the Great before whom or
not long before we doe not finde in any Historie that the Kings of France were euer annointed or consecrated but onely simply crowned as Gregorie of Tours maketh mention in his historie whereby it appeareth that none of our Kings of the first famely did euer obserue this ceremonie The first then that vsed it was Pepin father to Charlemaigne whome Boniface Archbishoppe of Mentz did consecrate annoint and crowne by the commaundement of Pope Zachary of Rome that in my opinion because he was the first of his race who of a priuate and perticuler person was established King against the Merouingiens After his decease Pope Stephen the second did the like to Charles sonne to the sayd Pepin when he was King of France whom also Pope Adrian againe consecrated annoynted and crowned when he was declared King of the Lombards and finally Pope Leo the third did the like to him with the Imperiall Diadem And this ceremonie haue euer since bene obserued by our Kings of France not that thereby they bee Kings but to the ende it may seeme as a testimonie that they are Christians and Catholickes and of priuate persons are become Kings to commaund the people So that in consideration hereof the first French Emperours Lewes the Meeke Lothaire Lewes the second and the rest who being by natural succession Kings were promoted to the Empire did not vse to take the title of Emperor at the day of their consecration or coronation but at such time as their father or former predecessor thought good to nominate them for their successors from which they began to number the yeeres of their Empire nothing respecting the ceremonie or solēnitie of their Coronation as appeareth by many the auncient Charters and documents of their daies Yea the Histories doe note that Charles the Fat yongest sonne to Lewes the Meek was the first that in his yeeres made mention of the day of his Coronation and tooke not vpō him the title of Augustus vntill the 8. Calendes of Ianuary ensuing in the yere 866. on which day Pope Iohn the 8. anointed and crowned him which in subteltie he thought good to note as one that obteyned not the Empire by succession for Lewes the second his neuewe last deceased had not named nor instituted hym his heire much lesse had any chosen him but the histories doe affirme that hee for a great summe of money bought the Imperial dignitie of the Pope because there were other more fitter for it then he that layd clayme thereto as his elder brother Lewes and his children Kings of Germany so that Charles fearing least as reason and iustice required they should be preferred before him thought good to aduance himselfe and to get the Pope to consecrate him To conclude therfore it is most certaine that this ceremonie doth make nothing to the right of the Kings lawful succession neither is any more then a simple token of honor in his behalfe whom nature and vsuall order hath caused to be borne or suffered to bee elected to rule and gouerne the Estate so that to weene to perswade that he that is borne to be your lawful King by the Lawes of the Realme hath no authoritie ouer you before he be consecrated annointed and crowned is a meere fallation 13 It followeth sith I haue proued vnto you that in this cace the sayde King of Nauarre whom the deepe dissemblers dare not openly in their Libelles denye to be the nearest of the bloud should be your natural true and lawfull King let vs agree together that it were meere wrong for you to withstand or resist him I say further that in this Realme there is neither lawe nor order that debarreth him from lawfull raigne and the Crowne notwithstāding he would remaine in his now professed Religion But contrariwise that such as are of and doe professe the same are declared meete and capable of all kindes of succession by infinite the Edicts Decrees and declarations of our Kings published enrouled and dayly put in execution by the Arrestes of the soueraigne Courtes and other Magistrates who vnder his Maiesties authoritie doe minister Iustice in this Estate whose common crye tendeth to obliuion and perpetuall forgetting of the passed miseries and troubles As also in trueth it is more then a Catholicke passion to compare the Huguenot with a Iewe or Turke For besides that our Kings doe auctorize and permit the one and not the other in trueth and without affection for my selfe am a Catholick and in the same faith doe wish to dye we all doe agree in our faith so as there remaineth no more but to decide for the most part of controuersie the institution of outwarde ceremonies which either the tyme or the necessitie of the peoples instruction haue procured to bee brought into y e Church be not conteined or authorized in the holy Scripture Sith therfore wee doe agree that in the first times the Christians did liue and serue GOD without them we can not now lesse doe then heare the reasons of those that craue abolition before we condemne or pronounce them Heretikes least the condemnation goe before the proofe and so they haue greater cause to complaine as already they doe that wee haue iudged them vnheard and haue ended their Proces vpon defaultes and contumacie Wherefore the◠protest they are ready to pourge themselues if we would graunt them free accesse into the assembly of the church and not stand vpon the pointes of not receiuing them groūded vpon the long time that wee haue bene in possession of the obseruing of these traditiōs from hand to hand receiued by the cōsent and common agreement of the Church because if we had no other argument wee should not be able to deny but that our fathers whē they brought them in were men and therefore subiect to humaine frailtie as in many other things experience may teach vs. I will content my selfe with one onely example to our purpose Virgill Bishop of Saltzbourg in a Sermon about the yeere of our Lorde 755. saying that there were Antipodes in y e world was for the same by Boniface Archbishop of Ments accused of Heresie because by inducing the Antipodes it seemed he would also bring in an other Christ This matter was debated before Vtilo King of Bauiere who at the commaundement of Zachary denounced the sayd Virgilius to bee one of the most abhominable Heretikes that euer was So great was the obstinacie of the knowledge conceaued in this age of the Antipodes or Arteques and yet since it hath bene verefied for trueth This neuerthelesse I doe not alledge to the ende to reproue the institution of the ceremonies of the Church with which I doe dayly serue GOD especially knowing that in alteration of Lawes aud Orders necessity must be very apparent in the correction of matters long before allowed but onely to admonish all men that in as much as they are men it is no meruaile though some will be inquisitiue whether the authors
that Religion which with vniforme consent haue so many hundred yeres bene receiued in the Church especially considering that himself could not abide to haue his owne brought into bondage Moreouer with you ye trompets of sedition I doe agrée that then he should be no more able then now that such as would perswade him that the third part of the French are Huguenots are no good Arithmeticians also that for our preseruation in that estate wherein we now liue we neede no more but to set against him our walles I would therefore aske you what cause you should haue to feare that he would endeuour to force you to liue in any other Religion thē the same wherein he find you and your selues doe desire when in so doing he may happen to haue but euill successe and therewithall lose the loue of the whole worlde were not this as much as according to the Prouerbe to goe about to shaue an Egge 16 As also the obiection that they make namely that in the lands of Bearne and low Nauarre where he is soueraigne the Catholick Apostolick Romish Religion is not permitted is in trueth full of subteltie slaunder and enuie for hereunto he doth pertinently in my opinion aunswere that in respect of the land of Bearne it was not he that forbad it neither are his aduersaries able to proue any inhibition thereof in his name or frō him but contrariwise he assureth himselfe that it will appeare that immediatly or soone after the decease of the late Queene of Nauarre his mother his Maiestie by the Lord of Grāmont dispatched his Letters into the country of Bearne importing that his will was to restore and therein to set vp againe the exercize of the sayd Religion Vpon which commandement the States being assembled they denyed to put the same in executiō fearing such troubles and seditions as might ensue the people beeing haughtie mutinous and difficult enough to bee contented together with such small store of Catholickes in the sayde Countrey to prosecute the execution thereof if need should require What would you then haue him to doe more He did not the harme but wēt about to cure it there was none that desired to take his medicine What more can the Phisition doe to his Patient but prepare him the potion which may bee to his health and for want of the which if he lose himself is he not rather to blame his owne obstinacie then him that could not make him take his appointmēt For since that time the Estates beeing diuers tymes assembled in the sayde Countrey did nener require his Maiestie to restore the sayd Catholick Romish Religion which alwaies hee offered to doe and still so long as he liue wil if they doe require it As for lowe Nauarre the exercize of Catholicke Religion is there most free yea which is more throughout that Countrey there is no assembly of the pretended reformed Religiō but onely in two places as is most euidently knowne neither hath his Maiestie innouated any thing at his cōming throughout the sayd lands of Bearne or Nauarre But what is it meete for these feares and friuolous doubtes of a matter that neuer can come to passe to destroye this poore Realme with immortall warres and so make vs miserable before the tyme crye out before we be touched and to hasten and aduaunce the sorowes of our pretended mischiefes will you begin to crucifie and tye vs to a Caucasus for our whole life tyme or will you force vs here to begin our hell Is not the King thankes bee to God yong enough in good health and of sufficient dispositiō to see the raking both of the King of Nauarre and of the rest of the Princes of his age why thē should we mistrust the grace of God 17 As for the Protestation that the sayde Lord King of Nauarre made the yere 1584. in a Synode by the Ministers of his Religiō holden in the Towne of Montauban wherby he protested and declared that he would liue and dye therein and defend the same I wot not well why wee are so slye as for that cause to blame him or bee more vehement against him then before as in deede a number of persons too much ouerruled with vnreasonable passions haue misliked it and haue thervpon gathered some sinister iudgement of the affection of the sayd Lord King of Nauarre to the Catholickes whome most hartely I beseech with me to consider First that his protestation imported not the rooting of vs out neither together with vs the Religion of the Romish Church as the League doth him and his partakers so that his protestation is simply defensiue and could not therefore be more gentle for the which wee are rather to commend then to reproue him sith our selues are bound daily to make the like profession in the Catholicke Apostolicke Romish Church also that euery faithfull Christian is likewise bound by the Sacrament of Baptisme to make the like declaration especially Kings and Princes who ought to be mirors spectakles to their subiects yea the confession of their faith should serue for a publick example in the assemblies made for the Estate of the Church such as are y e Counsailes Sinodes and other like wherein it hath euermore bene noted that Emperours Kings and Princes thereat assistant did make profession of their faithes with protestation to defend the same Hereof wee haue for testimonie Constantine the Great in the Counsaile of Nice Theodose the Yonger in the Counsaile of Ephesus Martian in the Counsaile of Calcedon Iustinian the first in the Counsaile of Constantinople Charlemaigne in the Counsaile of Francfort with infinite other Christian and Catholicke Princes Sith therefore the King of Nauarre hath bene brought vp in that Religion which he holdeth and that the King by his Edicts permitteth the free exercize thereof throughout his Realme why should wee mislike that hee assisting at an assembly thereof protesteth to liue and dye in the defence of the same especially seing that it is no let but that when by a lawfull Counsaile either generall or nationall which the King and his Counsaile shall thincke most sufficient for that purpose we shall haue perswaded him not to bee caried awaye without reason hee may immediatly returne and protest that hee hath bene misled and that hee weareth not the sworde but for the defence of the Romish Church as now hee voweth the vpholding of his owne Moreouer I would that such as are offended at the sayd Protestation should know that the occasion that moued the sayd Lorde King of Nauarre to bee present at the sayd assembly at Montauban was not small neither of small importance to the reputation of him and his Estate for it is not vnknowne to all that his enemies had raised a speech aswell among al forraine Nations and throughout Europe as also perticulerly in this Realme that the sayde Lorde King of Nauarre had put from about his person the Ministers of his Religion that hee went to Masse to be
briefe that to the ende by the death of the late Mounsier the Duke to insinuate himselfe further in his Maiesties fauour and to bee neerer vnto him he had determined to alâ—er his Religion Which was a subtile â—llicie both to bring him into suspition with his owne partakers and into contempt among the Catholickes so as by that meanes both parts might haue forsaken and despised him and so he might become a pray to their fayned League as a man light vnconstant and of small stedfastnesse which is one of the chiefest things that euery ChristiaÌ„ Prince ought to abhorre especially in causes of ReligioÌ„ which we may not lightly chaÌ„ge neither without great notice of the cause and the discourse thereof publickly argued in the Church of God but especially in our awne consciences Wherefore good men neither ought ne caÌ„ mislike that the sayd Lord King of Nauarre doth protest to liue and dye in his Religion permitted vnder the Kings authoritie by his Maiesties Edicts published euen by y e decree of the States of the Realm neither are wee to terme him an hereticke or obstinate person vntill wee haue lawfully by a free vniuersall or nationall Counsaile whether shall seeme most expedient condemned that opinion which he holdeth Will ye likewise that I shewe you what mistrust the Catholickes may conceiue of his goodnesse and singuler clemencie Then would I pray the most passionate to consider and looke vpon his famelie They shall finde the same to consist for the most part of Catholicke Officers But of what sorte Euen such as are neerest about his person who haue him in their haÌ„ds vpon their honors and consciences to whom he committeth himselfe and vpon whom of himself he doth depend as vpon his keepers Maisters of his Guardrobe Stewardes and many others who before his face with his liking and contentation being in his trayne do ordinarely go to the Masse assist at the deuine Seruice ministred after the maner of the Catholick Romish Church To be brief euen with this qualitie he acknowledgeth theÌ„ for his good faithfull and loyall seruants This could they not assure themselues of neither yet serue him with good hearts beeing such men of honor as they are if in his behauiours they could perceiue any mistrust which is the nource of hatred and mallice against the professors of their Religion or if they could finde which were easie to doe that he did euill entreate or forbid them to serue God after their maner and so sought to bee the tormentor of their consciences To conclude al these coÌ„siderations alledged against the King of Nauarre which are neither true neither of any outwarde apparence cannot in y e coÌ„sciences of good men truely FreÌ„ch debarre him from beeing sufficient and capable of the Crowne of France yea further I say that the same notwithstanding he is your true and lawfull King to whome onely you are bound to obeye in cace during his life the sayde occasion of substitution should fall out which God forbid and which also neither he ne wee ought or should desire if either wee were Christians either els did beare any iot of hartie good will or affection to our King 18 To proceede let vs see whether a king houlding the Scepter or raigning ouer any estate especially ouer ours may appoint and nominate any other successor then him whom nature and the Lawe of the Realme haue giuen him This question I do not moue without cause for in trueth the perturbers of the peace of this Crowne and such as iniustly do pretend to set thereinto a foote haue made a League which they entitle Holy but al good med doe truely name Bloody with the Pope the Spanierd and the Sauoyan the conspired enemies to France and the Royall blood thereof through whose helpe they hope to leauy an Army wherwith to come into the hart of the Realme onely say they simply to sommon the most Christian King to name a successor at their deuotions Oh what an execrable mischiefe to seeke to force vs to enfringe the successiue lawe of this Realme whereof we haue so many worldes enioyed the blessed good hap What impudency those that haue not almost whereof to liue in their owne houses to goe about to preuent and ouerthrowe the order and Estate of so great an Empire This is a wonderfull bouldnesse to endeuour to compell so mightie a Monarcke as the French King and their owne lorde being yong healthy and such a one as it if please God hee may graunt him the blessing of the posteritie of Abraham to choose him a man to be his Heir But the French men doe assure them selues that they haue a King that is of better bringing vp then so one that is valeant feareth God and is ielous of his honour yea such a-one as would not for the getting of the whole worlde make such a breache in his conscience reputation vertue and memory that our Children should haue cause atro carbone illum notare saying that he had so farre hated himselfe and his owne blood as to haue corrupted the Lawes whereby after his predecessors he doth raigne euen since the originall of the Monarchie and to haue transferred the Crowne out of his owne famely for the satisfying of the rashnesse of those who finding them selues in Armes might hasten his time to the end to cause him the sooner to leaue them his roume For what dareth not Ambition and desire to Raigne vndertake Moreouer I doe most humbly beseech his Maiestie to pardon me though I boldly shew him that it is a thing that hee may not doe Also that the Lawe of the Realme whereby him selfe is King forbiddeth hym to meddle therewith because the same taken order therin vnto whom it is commendable in the Maiestie of a Monarke to acknowledge him selfe bounden And thus was it iudged declared and put in execution by the Parliament of the Peeres of France for Charles the seauenth against the treaty which king Charles the sixt in the yere 1420. made in y e towne of Troye in Champagne at the Mariage of his daughter Lady Katherin vnto King Henrie the fifth of Englande which imported the graunt and minde of the sayd King Charles the sixt to be that the sayd King of England or his issue male comming of the sayd mariage shonld be called to y e Crowne of France the said Charles the seueuth be thereof debarred and disinherited for euer This is not now say our Maisters the first time that it hath bene and perpetually shall be obserued by y e Salick law of this florishing Crowne which the King that houldeth the Scepter cannot alter because he is but a tutor protector collector and administrator thereof salua eius substantia itaque nec donare nec perdere poterit neither otherwise dispose of the proximitie of his bloud then the law of the Realm will beare neither yet transferre it into any other hand then that whereto it apperteineth although hee
Raoul Duke of Sueue he desired the Bishoppes to gather together at Bresse where in their Sinode they excommunicated and deposed the Pope and elected Clement Bishop of Rauenna to bee his successor for whose establishment the Emperour tooke Armes and entered Italie Henry the fifth was forced to Warre against Pascall who had mooued the Romaines to mutiny against him to the ende to haue slaine him because he endeuored to mainteine the auncient rightes of the Empire concerning the collations of Bishoprickes Frederick the first vnderstanding the arrogant presumption and obstinate resolution of the Popes Adrian Alexander the third and Victor importing that it lay in them to giue the Empire to whome they pleased did seauen tymes enter Italie with an army where he fought a blooddy battell in the which dyed 12000. of Pope Alexanders partakers who therewith prouoked caused the liuely Picture of the â—ame Emperour to be drawen and sent the Table to the Soudan of Egipt against whome the saide Emperor was gone withal aduertising him y t vnlesse he procured his death by treason or otherwise he should neuer haue peace wherevpon the Emperor recreating himselfe a litle from his Armye was taken and brought before this heathen who shewed him the Popes Letter togither with his Picture and yet neuerthelesse put him to his Raunsome and so sent hym home honestly as abhorring the treason of the great Priest of the Christians against this Prince who ventured his life for the maintenaÌ„ce of his Religion Hereat was the Emperour so offended y t at his returne he entered Italy againe forced y e Pope to flee in counterfaite apparell after y t the Bishops had in a Synode condemned him as a traitor to the Empire yea which is more as a conspired enemie to Christian faith Phillip this mans sonne being by Innocent the 3. sclaundered amoÌ„g the Princes of the Empire was counsailed by the Bishoppes of Germany to haue his reuenge by armes Ottho the 4. being in Rome was so sâ—arred by the driftes of the same InnoceÌ„t that he was driuen to haue recourse to force in which conflict perished a number of the Citizeâ—s of Rome Frederick the 2. in whose time Innocent the 4. Honore and Gregory the 9. did in Italy begin y â— quarell of y e Guelphes against the Gibelins who mainteyned them selues vnder the auncient obedience of the Empire was by the aduice of al his Princes and Prelates compelled to oppose himselfe against the practizes conspiracies which these high Priestes wrought against him The Emperour Albert King Phillip of France doubted not to bend them selues against the oppression of Boniface the eight to contemne his excommunications vntill King Phillip assembled the Prelates of Fraunce by whose sentence he was declared a Scismaticke Hereticke inuader of the holy Sea and a perturber of the peace of the Church as hauing molested all Italy with the factions of the Whites and the Blackes Henry the 7. of the house of Luxembourg to the ende to withstand Clement the third the mainteyner of Robert King of Sicill a rebellious vassall to the Empire was driuen to come to handy strokes with him and his partakers the like did Lewes of Bauier against Iohn the 23. and other y e Popes of his tyme who without either cause or reason had declared him an Hereticke because hee would not yeeld to them the Imperiall authoritie in Italy neither put the Empire into the subiection of the Bishop of Romes Sea In our tyme Lewes the 12. King of France and the Emperour Charles the fifth how dealt they most iustly with the Popes that would haue dispensed with and exceeded the boundes of their duetie To bee briefe in other the Prouinces of the Empire infinite are the examples of Kings and Princes who with the aduice of the Prelates and Nobilitie of their Dominions haue with armes withstood the ambitious and passionate practizes of the Popes in whom it had bene more seemely to haue gouerned the Church and spiritual Hierarchy and not to haue thrust their Sythes into other mens haruest whereof is without doubt proceeded the destruction and deformitie of the West Catholick Church together with the full fall of the East Church into the which by those meanes is entered the Wolfe that hath deuoured Gods flocke whereof they shall assuredly aunswere 24 Now haue wee yet the second question to enquire of for our better instructioÌ„s in this matter That is whether the King of Nauarre bee an Hereticke His aduersaries doe say that his opinion of Religion was lately condemned in the late oecumenicall Counsaile holden at Trent Hereto he aunswereth that the same pretended Counsaile was not lawfully assembled because therein the Pope executed the roume of both Iudge and party also that such as prosecuted reformatioÌ„ in the Church were not heard To bee briefe there may be debating and many nullities may be alleadged aswell in the forme as in the decrees of the sayde Counsaile whereto neede no more respect â—ee had then to the counsaile of the wicked of which the Psalmist doth speak or vnto those that the Prophet termeth Counsailes of vanitie yea and Sainct Iohn writeth Beleeue not euery spirite but prooue whether they be of God Saiuct Hierome also teacheth vs that the doctrine of the holy Ghost is the same which is set downe in the Canonicall Scriptures against which if the Counsailes determine any thing it shall be wicked Also when the Emperor Martian in the Counsaile of Chalcedon forbad to dispute or call into question such thinges as had bene well decreed in the same holy assembly he thereby ment not to grauÌ„t free libertie to Counsailes against Gods worde but he speaketh onely of such thinges as were well and lawfully ordeined according to y e rule of the holy Scriptures by the which those that vphold the same opinion with the King of Nauarre doe pretend to shewe that the Cleargy who were assembled in the Counsaile of Trent alone haue greatly erred which their inquisition and search beeing by Gods owne mouth permitted to the Church may not well be refused Trye all sayth the Apostle and hold that which is good And in deede if the Counsayle of Trent bee aunswerable to the doctrine of Iesus Christ If the trueth hath appeared therein then neede it not to feare the tryall at the fire thereof which is the true touchstone of humaine traditions The worde of GOD is pure and feareth not the fiery tryall for it is a true saying The lawe that will not bee tryed may iustly be suspected After then that in a generall and free Counsayle all parties haue bene heard that by the onely worde of God and without affection they haue debated their cause so that finally the opinion which the sayd Lord King of Nauarre holdeth bee adiudged hereticall he is so Catholick and zealous a Prince and one that so feareth God that he wil not stick publickly in the Church to confesse he hath
their owne and if they may to seaze vpon this Crowne which they haue leueled at euer since the decease of the late Henry the second without employing themselues in any other affaires then seeking the meanes to atteyne thereto yea euen partly they giue out that it were better to conquer the Realme of France then to goe to Hierusalem to seeke for the succession of Godfrey of Buillon I doe therefore most humbly beseech the Queene the Kings mother whom our Espaniolized Frenchmen doe call vpon for their succour to be ware of being deceiued in the faire pretences of these conspirators but to assure her selfe that notwithstanding whatsoeuer their flattering sweete tongue they will neuer bee satisfied but with the life and Scepter of her sonne her selfe Moreouer I beseech God to graunt the King the wisedome of SalomoÌ„ wheÌ„ his mother Bethsabe came to desire him to like of the mariage of Adonias with Abisag the Sunamite who had bene King Dauids Concubine in his latter daies vnder the pretence whereof he had vndertaken with the helpe of Abiathar the Priest Ioab and Semei to haue depriued the King of life and kingdome which this fountaine of wisedome speedely perceiuing after he had heard the petition of the Queene his mother in liew of graunting it and considering how this traytor vnder a false proposition had abused her commaunded to put him to death together with Ioab and Semei and depriued Abiathar of his Priestly office and function 28 Know we not the occasions of Dauid the Aduocates one of the wickedest men that euer liued iourney to the Pope and Court of Rome whose instructions these good Schollers doe from point to point ensue and those men that haue sene the same can tell whether their beginning and the course that still they take be not at large therein conteyned Who is he that perceiueth not the importaÌ„ce of the disputation holden at Sorbonne about three or foure yere since by a poore bachelâ—r draweÌ„ in who had dedicated his Theses to the Abbot of Cluny the late Card. of Lorrains Bastard Wherein hee did what in hym laye to prooue that it was lawfull for the people to depose driue out kill and murder tyrannous wicked euill liuing and Hereticall Kinges whereat the King beeing moued as at a most daungerous and detestable proposition this poore instrument of Satan was at the barre of the sayde Colledge of Sorbonne slaine by one who of late dayes haue withdrawen hym selfe loaden with Spanish Pistolets and Iewels and then cloked this goodly deede least the author of this so vnchristian learning and knowledge should by his mouth haue bene disclosed Might not we haue noted what seruants were procured to be placed abont Monsier the Kings brother and to what end amoÌ„g whom the forwardest had bene trayned vp in the Schole of these perturbers of our peace as being their creature witnesse that nowe he is with them and then vsed all his endeuour to plonge that yong Prince in all voluptuousnesse lechery and heate of youth yea hee did better his businesse for hee betrayed him to the King of Spaine sould the Spaniard to the States and the Huguenotes to all others Whereby hee made money of all with the price of the honor reputation and life of his Maiestie or rather of all France The like did also three or foure other bad parsons who all had bene brought vp and were giuen to his highnesse by one selfe hand to the ende to habandon hym for a praye to the first mischaunce that might happen among a greate number that night and day they deuised for the atteining to their entents yea they went so farre as to set him at debate with the King his brother and by meanes of some of theirs that were neere to either of them to cause nature and bloud to liue in mistrust of it selfe so to procure the ruine and losse of one or the other or of both togither and with them of this miserable Realme During which their sleightes they did neuerthelesse perticulerly thinck vpon the king whom when they found to be merueylous zealous in Catholike religion they began to practise some Spanish workemen to drawe vnto him and vnder the vaile of Religion to bewitch him and so wholy endeuoured themselues if they could to haue cast him headlong into some mishap as great as the same wherein they ê“longed poore King Sebastian of Portugall who by such meanes serued for a warme breakefast to the Spanish King and got hym a faire corner of lande through the subtelties of the Spanish Iesuites concurring with the Portingal Iesuites or peraduenture both coÌ„spired against the estate of that poore yong King so to cause hym desperatly to venture hym selfe whether he dyed with him the Scepter of Portugall which vndoubtedly God had long vsed to the great benefite blesse of all Christiandome These were the driftes of the good seruants of our Kings who thanked bee God was more circumspect and wary to put from about him such wicked spirites Certainly it is most necessary and expedient for a King to be Christian deuout zealous of Catholicke faith and to feare God but withall it is most daungerous for his person and Estate if hee become supersticious and an hypocrite First he thereby loseth all iudgement to discerne the enuious friends or enemies to his Scepter then he forgetteth the principall cause for the which he is a King which is the care and gouernement of his people for the exercize whereof onely he is bound chosen and bound to serue God in that ministerie lastly in the world that we liue in amoÌ„g the most corrupt soules that euer were the whole worlde doth mistrust and wonderfully suspect him whom they see make so great a shewe whether for enuy that euery one beareth to his more then common zeale either els for that in trueth it often falleth out that things of greatest apparance conteyne least trueth Now then these malicious persons haue but one onely subtile entent left which also it is meete for the people to knowe For yet they goe reasonably gently about their matters and doe giue out that they require onely abolition of the Edicts of pacification and to procure the exercize of one onely Religion in France to the ende vnder that pretence to embarke the King and almost to force him as aforetyme fearing least the ouer long peace of this Realme should close vp the passed vlcers they had done to breake off that amitie and good wil which it pleased him to shewe to the King of Nauarre and those of the pretended reformed Religion so that by such meanes they will cause him with the sworde that he should holde in one of his hands to cut off the other wherof must ensue the losse and sworne death of the sayde Lorde King of Nauarre against whose person perticulerly as beeing their principall mark they are determined to arme themselues After whose end also if the King of whom they shall then
strayed and hether to bene misâ—ed In the meane tyme and wayting for the sayd lawfull Counsaile neither y e French King neither his Courtes of Parliament would euer in this Realm publish the decrées of the assembly of Trent neither doe any other receiue them then the Cleargie who are the suppostes of the Popes Monarchy But contrariwise the late King Henry the second sent Embassadours expressely to withstande the sayd pretended Counsaile also to declare that he ment not in any wise to allowe thereof as in â—rueth it cannot be admitted without infringing the rightes and authorities of the King of France the auncient decrees ordeyned in the generall Estates of the Realme vnder the forme of a pragmaticall sanction and the most holie liberties of the French Church whereby the Maiestie of this florishing Crowne is preserued 25 Neither is it any newe matter to say in Fraunce that the King and his French Church will not receiue the same Counsaile because our Kings haue euermore vpholden and preserued aboue al other the libertie and franchize of their Church and neuer bound themselues to the Popes coÌ„stitutions or late Counsayles no further then the same were conformable to the decrees of the vniuersall Church nothing derogatorie to the rightes of their Crowne For proof therof we know that the generall Counsaile of Vienna was neuer wholy receiued in this Realm In that of Constance the libertie franchizes and priuiledges of the French Church were admitted according to the declaration exhibited by the Embassadours of the most ChristiaÌ„ Maiestie As for that of Bâ—sill King Charles the seuenth would not permit his subiects to appeare at the conclusion of the same after the which at Bourges he asseÌ„bled al his Church by whom the decrees of the same Counsaile were perused and onely parte of them accepted with such qualifications as were thought meete to that effect whereupon was formed the Pragmaticall sanction soone after published in the Parliament wherein these words are often repeated Item our Synode accepteth the decree following thereby to shewe that in France we are not bound to the Popes ordenances constitutions or decrees neither to the assembly summoned by his authoritie which he calleth a Counsaile And now may we truely say that neuer was there any holdeÌ„ that was more preiudiciall or of greater misprision against the dignitie of this Crowne for if we search narrowly into it we shal finde that a great parte of the decrees thereof doe dyametrally oppose them selues against the libertie of our Churches and the Maiestie of the most Christian King against whom they were deuised 1. First concerning the doubt in this assembly made for the place and first degree of honor which haue belonged to him aboue all Christian Kings for these 1000. yeeres so that his Maiestie allowing of this pretended Counsaile should confesse a matter very preiudicial vnto him because as saith Balde he weareth y â— Crowne of libertie and glory Secondly as for reformation of the maners pollicie and Ecclesiasticall discipline which euermore hath bene one of the fayrest flowers of his Crowne who so shall reade the sessions of the sayde Counsayle of Trent shall finde that thereby the same is quite lost extinguished and transferred to the Pope of Rome for the fourth and seuenth decree of the seuenth session doe import that in the election and making of Bishoppes and Priestes the consent of the people and authoritie of y e Magistrate are not necessary which is quite contrary to Gods lawe the obseruation of the Primitiue Church the auncient Canons the ordinances of Charlemaign and Lewes the Meeke and more perticulerly to the determination of the three Estates of this Realme holden at Orleans in the yere 1360 and confirmed in the Court of Parliament where it was decréed that together with those of the Cleargie there should bee 12. Gentlemen for the Nobilitie and 12. Burgeses who should be chosen out of the towne house and should represent the third Estate Also in the second part of the same session the sayd Counsayle attributeth to the Prelates the notice of the reuenues and buildings of the Churches contrary to the auncient Edicts of our Kings namely against the ordenance of King Charles the 6. who in the yere 1385 ordeyned that the Iurisdiction of the buildings should apperteyne to the Iudges royall In the same session the Counsaile permitteth the Bishops to cut off parte of the reuenues of the Hospitalles whereby to make themselues fatter then they are thereby manifestly encroching vpon the authoritie of the King and his high Amner and against many decrees both old and newe of King Frances the first and Charles the nineth An other abuse and notorious enterprize against this Crowne consisteth in that the said Counsaile permitteth and decreeth monitions and excommunications not onely to the ende of reuelation but also for the recouerie of things lost against an infinite number of arestes of the soueraigne Court of this Realme whereby the same haue bene condemned and declared to be abusiue It permitteth them to condemne the Lay fee in fines of money in seazure apprehension and execution of their bodies and goodes aswell by the Bishops officers as their officialles notwithstanding in France thei neuer had that authoritie no not ouer the Cleargie and therefore it is meere encrochment vpon the seculer power It inhibiteth the Magistrate to forbid the Ecclesiasticall Iudge to excommunicate any person either to commaunde him to reuoke his excommunication although the Clergie doe but ouermuch abuse the same It reuoketh the decree of Phillip the Faire concerning combats receiued and enrowled in the Parliament and thereof depriueth Kings Princes Dukes Marquizes and all other of their Iurisdictions which is an intollerable abuse as wee haue aforesayd It admitteth promotion to the order of Priesthoode to Curates other Ecclesiasticall functions at 25. yeres although in y â— decree of the States of France before published the age of 30. yeeres was required It permitteth profession at 16. yeeres accomplished and therein correcteth the decree of the sayd States which limited the man at 25. and the woman at 20. It returneth the prouision of Bishops Prelates to the Pope contrary to the auncient ordenances of Charlemaigne and his children and contrary to whatsoeuer is conteyned in the Pragmatical sanction of Sainct Lewes inserted into the stile of Parliament yea and contrary to the defence made at the sayde Estates of Orleans It permitteth Bishops and Archbishoppes by their Viccars to visite their Dioces contrary to that is conteined in the arrest of the sayd Estates It permitteth the Pope to vnite simple Benefices to the Bishopricks contrary to that which was decreed in the Counsailes of Constance Basill and contrary to many the arrestes of the Courts of Parliament of this Realme wherby the same vnions ought to bee made vpon the selfe place By the same Counsaile y e tollerations at the Kings request graunted to y â— Court of ParliameÌ„t to some
Colledges and Vniuersities of this Realmes are abrogated as are also the conseruators Ecclesiasticall of the Vniuersities together with the priuiledged of this Crowne It forbiddeth such as haue made vowe of Religion in any wise to dispose of their gotten goodes whether moueable or immoueable contrary to the ordinance of the States of Orleans conformably with the decree of the Counsaile of Mogonce holden in y e time of Charlemaign It permitteth the begging Fryers to enioye and possesse rents landes reuenues and immoueable goodes contrary to the Counsaile of Vienna holden in the yeere of 1310. and infinite auncient arrestes of the Court It taketh from the King the nomination in Couents and Monasteries reguler which to him apperteyneth also the Triennalitie of Abbesses and Prioresses appointed by the sayde Estates It permitteth Munckes to meete and hold congregations and Chapters generall which in an Estate is perilous and daungerous and a matter whereby they bee accustomed to withdrawe themselues from vnder the authoritie and power of the King and all other temporall Magistrates in respect whereof also such assemblies haue by the arrest of the Court bene many tymes declared abusiue It giueth the Bishop authoritie to institute newe Feastes which haue bene reproued by many arrestes of Parliament namely by the prouinciall Counsayle holden at Sens in the yeere 1527. It encrocheth Lay patronages if the patrones by authenticall writings proue not the presentations continued and hauing taken effect 50. yeeres together and reiecteth al other kinde of proofe It giueth to the Ecclesiasticall Iudge notice of the right and possession of the sayd patronages obteyned by foundation donation or construction within these fortie yeeres which is a great intrusion vpon the King and his Magistrates It erecteth a newe kind of Iudges delegate whom it calleth Apostolick and authorizeth the Bishops to choose them euery one in his owne Dioces without the Kings knowledge or authoritie which are so many creatures not subiect to that Maiestie where-vnder they liue It declareth the Pope to be aboue him and forbiddeth Bishops to humble and submit themselues to Kings and Lordes It commaundeth all Clergie hauing of right and custome voyce in the prouincial Counsaile to receiue this preteÌ„ded Counsaile to sweare obedience to the Pope and thereof to make publicke profession It enioyneth Vniuersities not to teach any thing but what shalbe conformable to the decrees of the sayde Counsaile and to take solemne and yeerely oathes to his holinesse It commaundeth all Lordes Princes to keepe the sayd Canons renewing the auncient vsurpatorie Decretals of Boniface the eight and others heretofore abrogated in Fraunce as well by Edicts and ordenances Royall as by the arrestes of the Courtes of Parliament and great Counsaile By the sayd Counsaile the causes of our French Bishops are drawne to the Court of Rome and Popes Consistorie contrary to the dignitie of the royall Maiestie and the auncient Canons of the vniuersall Church whereby the criminall causes of Bishops yea in cace the same concerned their depriuation or discharging did belong to the Bishops of the Countrey or Synodes prouinciall and not to the Pope as by many the arrestes of the Court concurring with the generall Counsailes of Constantinople and Carthage it doth appeare besides that herein the sayd Counsaile greatly derogateth froÌ„ the Kings soueraigntie and Iurisdiction that euermore he hath had ouer the Bishops of his Realm witnesse the examples of Giles Bishop of Rheims of Pretextatus Bishop of RoaÌ„ of Didier Archbishop of Vienna and many others of whom Gregory of Tours Aimoinus Ado Vincent the Historiall doe make mention In brief to vse few words this pretended Counsaile taketh away the most auncient liberties of our Church so to make a Proppe to the Popes abuâ—ions It also dissolueth reuoketh and maketh voyde Mariages not contracted in the face of the Romish Church wherein consisteth the Seede of a million of troubles Ouarels Processes and strifes in infinite families of this realme which vnder the authoritie of the King with his good liking and vnder the protection of his Edicts of pacification haue contracted Matrimony and begotten Children who thereby should be declared illegitimate depriued of their Parents Successions and their â—Wues denounced Concubines Harlots to their true Housbands contrarie to all equitie which in summe is as much as to bend themselues against God to erect in other mens Realmes assemblies of people not subiect to the same to bring into the Church a greater deformation and to make the King of Fraunce his Serieant or executioner of his commaundements yea such a one as should haue no authoritie to order his Realme So that those which now so earnestly doe prosecute that publication of the sayd Counsaile shall neuer perswade mee that they are French men but rather that they shewe them selues Solliciters of the Popes affayres and dignitie rather his Seruants theÌ„ their Kings and soueraigne lords Thus doe you seee howe by the aduice and iudgement of the honestest greatest French Catholikes liuing vnder the traditions of the Romish Church this Counsaile of Trent may not be accompted other then a notorious conspiracie and coniuration against the authoritie and dignitie of this Crowne aud of the Subiectes thereof of whatsoeuer calling that shall find them selues offended and therfore we should greatly iniury any one of ours of whatsoeuer estate in calling him Heretick for not obeying submitting him selfe or consenting against his Countrey to the malicious conspiracies of the Pope and straungers that doe enuie the greatnesse of this Estate Especially the King of Nauarre whome the matter chiefliest doth concerne should haue greatest cause to be agrieued in respect that at this day he hath the Honor to be the principall branch of the Royall tree of France and so consequently more neerely bound then any other to preserue and mainteyne the rightes liberties and dignities of this glorious and redoubtable Monarchie 56 Moreouer the sayd Lord King of Nauarre demaundeth of you by vertue of what doe you esteeme hym an Heretick and obstinat parson For it is certaine that he onely may be tearmed an Heretick who vpholdeth a false doctrine contrary to the holy Scriptures of the ould and newe Testament beleeuing amisse in any one of the Articles of our faith as did y e Manicheans Nestorians Sabellians Arrians and their like Now to say trueth they would perswade vs that the opinion houlden by the saide Lorde King of Nauarre was monstrous we haue bene hallowed after them like Dogges wee haue bene forbidden their company as of infidels and miscreants I beseech you therefore let vs carefully looke into the confession of their faith and we shall find them Christians such as agree with vs in the articles of our belief doe worship the same God seeking saluation in the same Iesus Christ Chrildren of the same father beleeuing the same Bible assuring them selues in the same Gospell as in the same Buckler of their faith requiring part in the same inheritance and in vertue of