not with armes and to iustifie first our accusation against Romish religion then against the pope the Spaniard the Iesuites Cardinall Allen the recusantes and all enemies traytors and malcontentes whatsoeuer And forasmuch as vnder colour of religion our aduersary would slily defend all attemptes and practises against this state I haue with my answere vnto this Noddy conioyned a breife discourse and in certaine new encounters drawing him foorth into a new combat prooued that popish religion whereon he so much standeth as if it were catholike and the old religion of Christs church Is neither catholike nor ancient nor true religion and finally that neither the church of Rome is the true church of Christ nor the popes agents and adherents that haue beene executed for traytors true subiectes or martyrs Which treatise if it profit not obstinate papists yet shall it greatly strengthen the hands of good subiects and of all men well affected and stay others that they be not easily carried either into opinions sauoring of heresie or else tending to disloyalty and treachery I shall not neede to tell you what manner of man this N.D. is against whome we deale He declareth himselfe so plainely that I cannot more euidently prooue him either a malicious enemy or a disloyall traytor then he doth himselfe For what greater signe of an enemy then to pleade the cause of publike enemies and to enuy that any commendation should be giuen or any blessing happen to this state What more plaine conuiction of his trecherous intentions then that he extolleth the prayses of traytors and is very sory that forreine enemies and wicked rebells haue not preuailed against vs It is an old saying that eagles loue eagles and beares well sort with beares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as saith Theocritus There cannot be deuised any thing more malicious then the pope and Spaniard to the English nation neither can any speake more spitefully of his country of this state and of religion then this rinegued English and Hispaniolized fugitiue And doe wee maruell if they be friendes and ioyne together Onely this is much to be maruelled that any sober minded papist should allow such a proctor to speake for him or that this Noddy would be so presumptuous as to present his fooleries to the councell or so foolish to thinke that such notorious enemies and traytors can grace the cause of papists or procure them fauour whom his patronage maketh much more suspect then before This we may boldly conclude that whatsoeuer such enemies perswade or offer that it cannot be for the good of our state It is an old b Sophocles in Aâ—ace mastig saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The gifts of enemies tend not to our good The Greekes as is said in time past would present Minerua of Troy with a horse but in the bellie there lurked treason So this Sinon N. D. if such a Noddie may be compared to Sinon would perswade vs to receiue the horse-religion of papistes and horse-friendship of Spaniards But if he should preuaile then might we say of him as the olde man in c Plautus in Pseudolo Plautus said of Pseudolus Superauit dolum Troianum atque vicit Pseudolus But I hope I haue discouered all the trecherie of this Sinon or Pseudolus or false traitor or whatsoeuer his malice deserueth to be called It may be some will mislike that I should so roughly handle our countrie papistes and their religion But they must consider what rebellions haue beene raised arâ— what practises haue beene attempted against her Maiestie this state and all true Christians by this faction I doe not meddle with olde men that are abused with ancient errours and liue quietly but with factious papistes and such as aide them and receiue them and either haue correspondence with forreine enemies or receiue their agents Now what termes can be too bitter against these that seeke to bring in strangers to oppresse all honest men to ruinate their countrie to murder their prince and all that shall adhere to her As for the religion of papists whereby I vnderstand all those corruptions which vnder the popes authoritie they haue brought into the church of God and which the church of England refuseth it is nothing but a packe of nouelties superstitious vanities and heresies as we both haue and alwaies shall be readie to maintaine either against Parsons or the cardinall Iesuite Bellarmine or the proudest of that sect and faction This religion of poperie therefore being not that seede which Christ did sowe in his field the church but the cockle and weedes sowne and set by the malitious man while the gouernours of the church were asleepe what termes could I vse more gentle then I haue done This I may boldly say that I haue not followed the aduersaries veine in scurrilous scoffing nor his vanitie in ruffianlike bragging nor his sharpnesse in plaine rayling But why should I goe about to excuse my selfe before the faultes be prooued Percase it is no fault to write as I haue done And were it a fault yet I trust thou wilt beare with my weakenesse seeing as the d Iacob 3. apostle saith All of vs offend in many things This I speake in the presence of God that my intention was not to wrong any but onely to lay downe the truth plainly that we may knowe not onely who be friends who be traitors but also who they be that contend for religion and iustice and who not Reade with indifferencie and weigh my allegations and compare diligently my defence with the Noddies challenge and then vse thy libertie in iudgement and respect not me but the cause and the proofes CHAP. I. That God by meanes of her Maiesties gouernment hath bestowed many benefits vpon the realme of England as well in establishing true religion as otherwise and that our aduersarie in his first encounter sheweth himselfe both shamelesse in denying it and vngratefull in refusing and not acknowledging the same ALbeit the malice of papists is great in defacing her Maiesties actions and slandering her gouernment yet who so listeth to consider the same with indifferencie cannot choose but acknowledge her to bée an excellent and singular woman to bée parangoned with the famous women of ancient time if not preferred before them Osorius albeit for his religion opposite to her yet could not choose but highly commend her both for her manly constancy mature wisedome and singular modestie Quid admirabilius a In prafat ante lib. 3. de religione saith he quà m in foemina virilem constantiam in virgine senilem prudentiam in summa opum affluentia summam modestiae laudem eminere Hée praiseth also her witte her learning and her clemencie Es singulari ingenio praedita b Ibidem saith he magnarum artium disciplinis erudita laudibus mansuetudinis lenitatis quae cum istius formae venustate consentiunt excellis nec eas laudes quae ex
vniuersall church Saint c Lib. 4. de Symbol c. 10. Augustine saith that Euery congregation that is gathered in one corner is a concubine and not the spouse of Christ How then canne the papistes be catholikes that are gathered out of the society of the vniuersall church into the communion of the church of Rome Writing to Vincentius the Donatist he d Epist 48. concludeth that the Donatistes and Rogatians were not the catholike church for that they tooke their names of others then of the christian church Thirdly the faith of catholikes is e Ephes 2. built Vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ beeing the chiefe corner stone And this foundation is no where to be found but in the writings of the apostles and prophets which shew vnto vs the doctrine of Christ Iesus The apostle saint f Rom. 10. Paul doth teach vs That faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Which we may not séeke in decretales nor legendes but in the most holy scriptures endited by the holy ghost And so the fathers teach vs. g Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Irenaeus doth say that the apostles First preached and afterward deliuered the gospell in Scriptures that they might be a foundation and piller of our faith Per apostolos euangelium peruenit ad nos saith he Quod quidem tunc praeconiauerunt postea verò per Dei voluntatem in scripturis tradiderunt fundamentum columnam fidei nostrae futurum Athanasius in Synopsi doth call The canonicall Scriptures the anchor and staie of our faith Hée woulde not haue any thing spoken or heard of christians in matters of faith and religion beside the holy Scriptures Si diuersa à scripturis fabulari vultis h De incarr â—t verb. saith he cur nobiscum concertatis qui nec loqui nec andire sustineâ—â—s quod extraneum sit ab illis The church saith a Homil. 6. in Matthaeum Chrysâ—stome is Hierusalem whose foundations are placed vpon the mountaines of the Scriptures Hierome calleth the Scriptures the limites or bounds of the catholike church Non est egressa de finâ—l us suis saith b In Mich. â—â— he id est de Scriptuâ—â— fancâ—â— Finallie the c â—rir Aquin. 2. 2 q. 1. art â— papists theÌ„selues confesse that the obiect or grounde of faith is The fâ—â—st truth or God himselfe And we doubt not but that al certaine knowledge of God is to bee found in his written word which therefore is called the rule of our faith But the papists speake euill of scriptures and either will not haue them to be the proper foundation of our faith or sorge to themselues diuers other foundations whereupon they builde their church and their faith in the d In c. 3. epist 2. ad Corinth annotations vpon the Rhemish testament they call them A killing letter as if God had deliuered his will in writing to the end to kill the Readers They write e Annot. Rh. in c. 5. Ioan. also That they are hard to be vnderstood and would bring them in disgrace by f Ibid. in c. 4. Matth. saying That the diuell and heretickes alleadge scriptures Some call them A nose of waxe without any certeine sence as the Iesuites of Collen in their censure others call them Inken diuinity and account them no better then Matter of strife and contention Generally they g Censur Colon f. esteeme the canon of scripture to be a rule vnperfect and a maymed and lame péece of doctrine and condemne the reeding of scriptures As pernitious and hurtfull Stapleton h In praefat ante relect princip doct plainely denieth the scriptures to be the foundation of religion Aliud hodie saith he Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus and afterward Ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud The same man speaking of diuers principles and groundes of Christian religion i In analysi ante râ—lect p incip doct doth leaue the scriptures quite out of the reckoning Others also make small reckoning of scriptures but where they canne by forced interpretations draw them to their purpose and such as deny not the scriptures to be a foundation of religion do notwithstanding adioyne diuers other foundations to the scriptures and build their faith vpon them as well as vpon the Scriptures Vnto the canon of the scriptures of the ould testament consisting of two and twentie books l they adde first the bookes of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus k Synod Trideniâ—sâ—ss 4. and the story of the Machabees and secondly certaine additions found in the latine translation ouer and aboue the originall bookes and this contrary to the iudgement of most ancient and catholike fathers Neither is it materiall that saint a Lib. 2. doct Christ c. 8. Augustine and a certaine councell of Carthage and two or thrée more following them do number these bookes among canonicall Scriptures For they by Canonicall vnderstande such bookes as by order of the church were read publikely and commonly bound togither and were rather a rule for manners then for faith Legi voluerunt in ecclesijs saith b In exposit Symbol Ruffin non tamen proferri ad authoritatem fidei ex his confirmandam The same is also the iudgement of c In Synopsi Athanasius d In prolog galeato Hierome e De ponder mensur Epiphanius and of the most sound and ancient fathers of the church And if wée shoulde otherwise interpret the wordes of those that reckon these bookes among canonicall Scriptures wée should also put the 3. and 4. of Esdras among the bookes canonicall For they are also by saint Augustine and f Sixtus Senensis biblioth sanct lib. 1. others after a sort iudged canonicall and Athanasius in Synopsi doth attribute no lesse authoritie to the thirde booke of Esdras then to the bookes of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees The Gréekes also place the thirde booke of Esdras first although the assemblie at Trent excluded the thirde and fourth booke of Esdras out of the canon and Sixtus quintus in his new edition of the Latine Bible hath excluded them out of their ancient place They adde also vnwritten traditions to the Scriptures and builde their faith equally on them two giuing vnto them both equall authoritie Libros veteris noui testamenti saith g Sess 4. the assemblie at Trent nec non traditiones ipsas c. pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia suscipit ac veneratur synodus ista h Lib. 3. de verbo dei Bellarmine accounteth of these traditions as of the most certaine worde of God and calleth them The worde of God not written i De fid Symb. q. 22. op Catech. Canisius woulde haue vs to beléeue these traditions Most firmely as reuealed by the holy Ghost The which is not onely derogatory to the sufficiencie of Scriptures but also vtterly ouerthroweth the
certaintie of faith For if traditions bée not certainly knowne of the aduersaries and if diuers ancient traditions be now growne out of vse how can the faith that is built on traditions be certaine Further the ancient fathers do not onely testifie the Scriptures to bée sufficient but also condemne vnwritten and vncertaine traditions Electa sunt quae scriberentur saith Saint a Tractat. 49. in Ioan. Augustine quae saluti credentium sufficere vide bantur b Aduer gentes Athanasius saith That the holy and diuine Scriptures are sufficient to instruct vs in al truth And diuers others testifie the same What saith c Regul 80. Basill is the propertie of a faithfull man Forsooth to beleeue with certaine fulnesse of minde whatsoeuer is conteined in Scripture and neither to reiect any part thereof nor to adde any newe thing vnto them Saint d Lib. de parad c. 12. Ambrose saith Wee may no more adde to Gods commandements then take from them And although the fathers talke ofttimes in commendation of traditions yet either they meane such things as are now conteined in Scriptures and from them to bée deriued and deduced by firme conclusions or else such matters as concerne order and decencie and yet do they not account of these as of diuine precepts Si aut in euangelio praecipitur aut in apostolorum epistolis saith e In Epist. ad Pompeâ—um Cyprian aut in actibus continetur obseruetur diuina haec sancta traditio Whereby it appéereth that other traditions which were not written were not had in like reuence and that the faith of papists that resteth on these vncertainties is most vncertaine Further the papists do builde their faith vpon most fabulâ—us martyrologies and lying legendes For vpon these narrations doth stande the holinesse of those saints whom they canonize and worship In these legends wee read of the moouing yea and speaking of stockes stones of restoring not onely dead men but also dead beastes to life of apparitions of Christ of the blessed virgine and of saints and infinite more miracles and prophecies then are conteined in holie Scriptures All which notwithstanding any absurditie ensuing our masters of Romish traditions must néedes receiue if they beléeue either traditions to bée the worde of God or else giue credence to f C. Sancta dist 15. Gelasius for hée saith That the histories of martyrs and their suffrings are to be receiued Gesta sanctorum martyrum saith Gelasius recipimus Let it therefore bée considered whether this faith can bée catholike that is builte vpon such fabulous vanities which not onely the strangenesse maketh suspected of vs but also euen of papists themselues g Ibid. Gelasius condemneth the legend of George of Cyricus and Iulitta of Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse and of Saint Iohn Baptistes head a Contra donat Constant Laurentius Valla laugheth at the follie of these legendes b Canto 29. Dante calleth them fooleries and vaine fables c In his historie to Clement the 7. Machiauel saith That these new myracles are repugnant to old christian religion The Germaines among other gréeuances account the vanitie of these fabulous legendes They do also take themselues bound to beléeue the doctrine of the church of Rome For this to d In praefat analys ante relect princip doctrin Thomas Stapleton séemeth a very firme foundation of his popish faith And as he supposeâ—h the voyce and testimony of this church is most certaine and infallible This sure we find by experience that they e C. ad abolendam de haereticis condemne for heretickes and most cruellie murder all that dissent from the church of Rome in matter of sacraments Nay they do ground their religion vpon the popes decretalles Decretales epistolae saith f C. Sancta dist 15. Gelasius quas beatissimi papae diuersis temporibus ab vrbe Romana pro diuersorum patrum consultatione dederunt venerabiliter recipiendae sunt The popes they honor as their supreme iudges and say they cannot erre Vnto them they haue recourse in all difficulties as vnto a rocke immooueable Stapleton doth g Princip doctrin lib. 6. teach That the pope is the principall subiect of ecclesiasticall authority and is not ashamed to write that his authority is the foundation of religion In hac docentis hominis authoritate saith h In praefat ante relâ—ct princip doctâ— he in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentum necessariò poni cernimus O noble religion that is founded vpon so firme and holy a foundation as is the popes holy authority But sure catholike it cannot be For neither the ancient church in times past nor the easterne and Africane churches did euer acknowledge any such foundation Neither do they account the popes authority onely to be the foundation of their faith but also for Christ the corner stone substitute the pope and make him the rocke of the church and of their faith For at his handes they receiue the scriptures and all the principles and pointes of their faith and account his determination more certaine then the letter of Scriptures Bellarmine calleth the pope The foundation and corner stone of the church i In praes ante lib. de Pontif. Rom. and commonly by the rocke Matth. 16. they vnderstand not Peter onely but the popes of Rome which they imagine to be his successors Matters strange new absurd and most contrary to catholike faith To the vulgar latin translation they giue more authority then to the originall bookes of the ould testament in Hebrew and of the new testament in Greeke For that translation they make authenticall and do not giue like authority to the originall bookes That translation they will not haue any to reiect but the originall bookes themselues calumniate and reiect Which course is neither catholike nor reasonable Saint a In epist ad Sâ—niam Fretel ad Damasum Hierome saith That in the old testament in matters of doubt concerning the translation we must haue recourse to the Hebrew as to the fountein in the new to the Greeke Ad exemplaria Hebraea Graeca à latinis recurratur b Lib. 2. de doctr Christ c. 10. saith Augustin Hilary writing vpon the 118. psalme confâ—sseth That the latin translation cannot satiâ—fie the reader They holde also The doctrine and determination of priestes and Iesuites and others sent by the pope to be no lesse the foundation of Christian religion then Christ and his doctrine For so doth c In praef ante relect princip doctr Stapleton in expresse termes determine and generally they d C. ad abolendam de haeret condemne such for heretickes As the prelates and bishops do adiudge to be such Which is nothing else but to make the determination of popish prelates the foundation of the popish church But Christ sending foorth his disciples to preach commaunded them to teach all nations and withall
exeuntes quia ipsi sunt scurriles leues volatiles rodentes sacras literas virides paganicae philosophiae sequaces quasi equi currentes sic illi in vanam disputationem 22. True catholikes haue alwaies shewed themselues obedient to their princes and performed their othes of allegiance They neither sought to murder them nor to depriue them of their crownes Dauid albeit he was gréeuously and vniustly persecuted by Saule yet did he not lay his hands vpon his prince albeit God had taken away the kingdome from Saul and giuen it to him The Israelites rebelled not against their kinges although they were wicked But papistes rebell against princes and neglect all promises and othes made to them as oft as the pope shall excommunicate them Nay the pope and his adherents excommunicate lawfull princes and pronounce sentence of deposition against them their associates make warres vpon them popish subiects are encouraged to rebell and are promised great rewardes and eternall blessednesse if they can kill the Lordes annointed as hath béene sufficiently alreadie declared by diuers examples In the rules or a Apud Ioseph Vestan de oscul ped pontif dictates of Gregorie the seuenth the twelft is That the pope hath power to depose the emperor The eight That hee may lawfully vse the ensignes of the emperour The 27. That hee hath power to absolue subiectes from their alleageance And this diuers late popes haue attempted and practised The which as it sheweth them to bée no catholikes so it prooueth them to be woorse then Turkes and Infidels which alwaies haue had a reuerend regard of their princes and superiors 23. True catholikes beléeued onely to haue remission of sinnes from Christ Iesus and neither trusted in indulgences nor Iubilies nor in pilgrimages to Rome or to other places But the Romanists without the popes pardons thinke themselues in no securitie and presuming of his fauour commit murthers and marie incestuously and do many outrages and villanies 24. True catholikes embrace all that doctrine which our Sauiour Christ commanded his apostles to preach to all nations throughout the worlde and refuse to heare those that preach otherwise and teach another kinde of doctrine But the papists haue not onely embraced diuers nouelties of which Christes apostles knew nothing but false heresiâ—s contrary to the doctrine of Christ and his apostles Which for that it is a principall argument to conuince them to bée no catholikes shall particularly God willing be demonstrated in the two chapters following Héeretofore wee haue shewed them to bée no catholikes for that their doctrine was neither generally taught nor receiued of al true catholikes now they shall bée prooued to bée no catholikes for that diuers points of their religion are either new deuises and fantasies not taught by the apostles nor receiued of the apostolicall and catholike church or else olde heresies condemned for such by the catholike church of ancient time CHAP. II. That diuers positions and principles of popish religion are meere nouelties and new deuises vnknowne to the most ancient and true catholike church of Christ IT may percase séeme strange especially to such papists as are but yoonglings and nouices in the Iesuites schoole that the religion of popes which is commonly called The olde religion shoulde now bée charged with noueltie and condemned by testimony of antiquitie Yet if wee please not onely to consider these later ages but also to looke backe to the apostles times and the ages next succeeding we shall assuredly finde by enumeration of many particulars that popish religion as it differeth from the religion now generally receiued and professed in the church of England is a new vpstart religion and full of nouelties and late receiued fancies For in religion that is onely to bée accounted ancient that is deriued from Christ and from his apostles Antiquitas mea saith a In epist. ad Philadelph Ignatius Christus est That is Christ is the originall from whence wée fetch our antiquitie b Lib. 4. contr Marcion Tertullian saith that the religion taught by the apostles is most ancient and from the beginning and most true Id vertus quod prius saith hée id prius quod ab initio id ab initio quod ab apostolis Saint c Epist 65. ad Pammach Ocean Hierome reiecteth all for newe that was not taught by the apostles Cur profers in medium saith hée quod Petrus Paulus edere noluerunt d Contra haeres c. 25. Vincentius Lirinensis calleth him a true catholike That doth onely beleeue and holde whatsoeuer the ancient catholike church did vniuersally beleeue Qui quicquid vniuersaliter antiquitùs ecclesiam catholicam tenuisse cognouerit id solum sibi tenendum credendumque decernit But the ancient church is not this late Romish church within this fiue or sixe hundred yeeres but the apostolike and primitiue church Now whatsoeuer commeth from late popes albeit the same hath had some hundreds of yéeres coÌ„tinuance yet is the same new and no part of the ancient catholike religion for that it hath no beginning from Christ nor from the apostles nor was vniuersally receiued of the most ancient church of Christ That corruption I say of poperie is new which the church of England refuseth as appéereth by diuers particular points First the very chéefe groundes and principles of popish religion and the lawes whereby they stande haue no greater antiquitie then from Iohn the 22. Clement the fift Boniface the eight Gregorie the ninth or to go to the highest from Hildebrand otherwise called Gregory the seuenth for from him doth a Bullarium hée that made a collection of all the popes buls and lawes fetch their first originall Before that it may be diuers bishops and popes wrote decretall epistles but vntill this time they had no force of law Nay before this time all histories do teach vs that the church was gouerned partly by the lawes of Emperors and partly by the canons of councels Now that the decretals of the popes being receiued and authorized for lawes are the foundation of popish religion it is apparent For therein all the nouelties of the Romish church are confirmed and established And b In praefat ante relect princip doctr Stapleton doth in plaine termes affirme so much In hac docentis hominis authoritate saith hée in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentum necessariò poni credimus And generally all papists confesse that the pope is the souereigne iudge in matters of religion Whereupon it followeth that his determinations and decretals are the chéefe groundes of popish religion Secondly the apocryphall Scriptures of Toby Iudith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus the two bookes of the Machabees and the additions extant in the Latine translation and not in the original bookes which are as second grounds of popery were not declared of equall authoritie with other canonicall scriptures before the councell of Trent At that time also was the Latin vulgar translation made
as seeke her destruction and the desolation of this countrey for our selues that professe true religion and abhorre Romish idolatry superstition and heresie With Sir Francis you haue no reason to be offended if you be as you pretend a friend to her maiestie and the countrey Hee speaketh against the Spaniard and why should he not the Spanish king without all iust cause professing himselfe our enimie He weigheth little the popes authoritie And hath he not reason the pope in his tyrannie shewing himselfe not onely to be our enimie but also the enimie of Christian religion of Christs church He toucheth also the practises and treasons of g Gifford Worthington c. priestes and h Parsons oâ— Delman Hâ—it Walpooiâ— c. Iesuites and their adherents but not without iust cause seeing they haue shewed themselues not catholikes as you terme them for catholikes neuer held either any such religion as theirs is nor sought by violence to murder lawfull Princes and ruinate their natiue countrey but dangerous traytors and most malicious i Testified by Sixtus Qâ—intus declaratorie sentence against the Queene enimies of their countrey Likewise he commendeth her Maiesties clemencie and you haue no cause to dislike the same least percase it may please God to turne her hart through your vngratefulnesse and hatefull practises from her entended course of clemencie which is not well fitting for your sharpe humors into a course of iustice which your treacherous and most wicked practises doe drawe vpon you This is his course against enimies this is his dealing with his soueraigne He neither iniustly chargeth his enimies nor doth he basely or seruilely flatter his friends and superiors But admit your aduersarie had not vsed either that moderation in his stile or sinceritie in his dealing which might passe the iust censure of seuere iudges yet no man hath lesse cause to finde fault with these courses then your selfe and your consorts For in railing and calumniation no man may compare with you It is not one only biting libell and iniurious pamphlet which you haue set out but very many and diuers I will deale plainly with you for that I am well acquainted with your stile and know your lewde packing and practising and can conuince you if you haue your steele vizor on and shame not to denie so plaine matters I say then that you Robert Parsons falsly abusing the name of Iesus to ouerthowe the truth of Iesus haue published first certaine chartels against your friends in Oxford secondly one famous or rather infamous libell against the Earle of k Leicesters coÌ„mon-wealth Leicester thirdly another single l Entitled a confutation of pretended feares libell against the late Lord Treasurer fourthly another infamous m The words by no loyall subiect may be spoken libel against her Maiestie against all her chiefe counsellers vnder the name of Andreas Philopater Neither can you excuse your selfe that n A Iesuite residing in the court of Spaine and Parsons disciple and Agent Creswell was the man that made the Latine which you cannot doe when as you either made it first in English or else gaue him all his argument Fiftly you holpe Allen in his libell against the Queene and state anno 1588. and published diuers copies Sixtly you set out Dolmans treacherous discourse to shew your selfe not onely a libeller but a notorious traitor and sworne enemie to your countrie Albeit o The discouery of a countersect conference one of your friends doth only terme it a chartell or libell This wardword shal make vp the seuenth libell and the patched relation of the conference betwixt M. Plessis and Eureux sent vs lately from Rome the eight Beside these you haue published diuers base and paltrie pamphlets not woorthie to be mentioned and these be the flowers or rather furies of your writings and the fruites of your inuectiâ—e veine Neuer did any vse more lying forging false dealing scornfull gibing odious bragging then your selfe in all your writings Your owne p The priestes banded in England against the Iesuites friends accuse you of Machiuilian and Turkish practises and well doe your writings and doings deserue these titles The like also may be verified of Sanders Rishton Ribadineira Allen that hungrie cardinall other your friends Tisiphone and the furies of hell spoke with their toongs wrote with their pennes and wrought in their malicious harts It is your selfe therefore and your treacherous consorts vpon whom all the reproofes wherewith you load your aduersarie do light fitly and lye heauily And that you shall perceiue by this discourse ensuing Wherein if I reforme your error in many things whereof before you were ignorant you are to thanke me If you fee the hostile dealings of your friends the pope and Spaniard declared and auowed and your owne and your consorts treasons and a great masse of your hidden villenies discouered take it grieuously you may thank your selfe that gaue the occasion If any Papist finde himselfe agrieued with my plainenesse let him impute the fault to you also that first began to stir these coales and to the mysteries of popish religion that contain such deepe matters of rebellion and treason and not to me that being thus prouoked haue so plainely reuealed them Because vpon small aduantages you haue made great triumphes and called your aduersary forth to answere you as it were in eight encounters vanting and facing as if you were to play your maisters prises I haue taken vpon me to ioyne with you vpon your owne ground and to try with you at your owne weapons hoping to prooue you ignorant both of state matters wherein you pretend to know such secrets and also of sound diuinitie and other learning of which your friends and your selfe make such vants For matters concerning Sir Francis Hastings his owne person I refer you to his owne answere that may sufficiently satisfie you For the rest I thought it not amisse to discourse with you more at large And because you goe about to carie away matters with faire pretenses as if you papists the popes children were the only catholikes and did professe the ancient faith of the catholike church and as if all others were heretikes and wrong beleeuers I doe also vpon your lend glosses draw you out into fiue new encounters wherein if you ward not the better it shall be prooued First that you are no catholikes nor hold the catholike faith secondly that your religion is a new deuise and not the auncient religion of Christs church Thirdly that you are heretikes Fourthly that the Romish Church is the harlot of Babylon and not the true church of Christ And lastly that your consorts haue beene executed for treason most iustly and not for religion Which being prooued I trust your selfe will confesse that wee haue iust cause to maintaine that religion that we professe and to withstand antichrist the Spaniard and all their adherents that goe about both by force and treason to
worke the destruction of her maiestie and this state and all because wee doe publikely maintaine this truth And although you will not confesse it that shut your eies against the light of truth yet I hope all the world shall perceiue both the wrongs of the pope and Spaniard and of your selfe and other rinegued English that adhere vnto them and also the iustice of our defence that are forced sometimes to take armes and vse our best meanes for the sauegard of our countrey our Prince our wiues our children our libertie our lawes our friends most violently and wickedly oppugned vnder the pretence of restoring Romish religion This discourse it may please you to accept as proceeding from him that is desirous to enforme you of a truth And well can you not refuse it seeing it is an answere to your challenge and containeth a reply to your eight trecherous encounters and your bold and shamelesse petitions Seeing you are come into the fielde you may not refuse to defend your selfe Seeing you present vnto vs your petitions and are become an humble sutor at the court you cannot refuse your answere and dispatch I doe also desire answere in my new encounters and protest that if you come not forth you shall be baffuld for a coward vnwoorthie to beare armes in this kinde of warfare If you be not at leysure by reason of your treasonable negotiations against your countrey let Creswell or some other trecherous babling Iesuite stand foorth and try his skill It standeth you much vpon If you cannot without rayling and calumniation make an answere then I hope that all such as you haue abused will forsake you as rayling heretikes false teachers and false traytors to your countrey and that they will also abandon the new deuises wicked heresies and strange religion which the popes and papists most wrongfully called catholikes vnder the colour and false maske of catholike religion and the catholike church haue defended and maintayned At the least they will take heed how they either runne wilfully into dangerous treasons and rebellions or ignorantly admit into their countrey forrein enimies vpon the popes warrant or vpon pretense of religion which they are neuer able to maintaine to be either ancient or catholike or true And this I thinke will sufficiently cleare Sir Francis Hastings both of adulation and of calumniation and all other odious imputations which you haue layde to his charge if not in your eies nor iudgement yet certes in the eies of all indifferent men As for others we neither force their might nor weigh their malice Let the ire of forrein princes be neuer so implacable and course of home traytors neuer so desperate as you do threaten vs we shall by the grace of God haue meanes to withstand their force proceeding from notorious iniustice and I hope that our superiours according to lawes will encounter with the desperate courses of traytors Doe you leaue your threats and your facing and forging and calumniations and raylings and in a moderate course prepare your selfe to iustifie your chalenge and with substance of matter to answere that which we haue obiected against you or else you will plainely declare your selfe a wrangling traytor that haue nothing to accuse vs of but that we loue true religion our Prince and countrey nor to hate vs for but that we hate your abominable faction and false religion and meane manfully to encounter both Italians and Spaniards and English traytors and all the world that shall beare armes against vs. If you shall happen to keepe silence we cannot chuse but proclayme your disgrace as abandoning that quarrel which your selfe began In the meane time while you are buckling on your armes I haue some words to speake to the by standers or readers Be not offended I pray you It shall not be long before I come into the steccato and buckle with you againe THE PREFACE TO the Reader WHat singular clemencie hath been shewed towards the papistes in this land I thinke no man of meane knowledge and iudgement can be ignorant a Lib. histor Genuens 23. Petrus Bizarus an Italian writing the historie of Genua and vpon occasion mentioning her Maiestie doth compare her to Alexander Seuerus a most famous prince for his clemencie and other vertues and testifieth that for twenty yeeres she gouerned her kingdome without blood not suffering any to be punished but by lawfull triall and sentence of iudges The which is testified by as many as then knewe her gouernment and by euidence of things then passed For so long as papists did content themselues with their popish conceites and opinions although many of them were false absurd and blasphemous yet neither did she seeke to ensnare them by new lawes nor execute the rigour of olde lawes against heretikes yet in force against them In the meane while Thomas Harding b Anno 1567. obtained a bull from the pope to exercise episcopall iurisdiction in England to dispense with irregularities and to receiue all that would be reconciled to the pope Which was nothing else but the beginning of a rebellion which broke foorth two yeeres after For all that were reconciled to the pope renounced their obedience to the prince as their actions did declare In the yeere 1569. Nicholas Morton was sent into England to stirre the earles of Westmerland and Northumberland and as many as he could to an open rebellion which c By Sanders his confâ—ssion it appeereth that popish priestes come into England to stir vp rebellion Sanders in his booke de visibili monarchia plainly telleth that we should not be ignorant why fugitiue priestes come ouer into England These seditious firebrands did make no small flame in the north partes and laide plots to stirre other partes of England to discontentment had not God crossed their desseines All this notwithstanding albeit popish religion and the proper marks of it began now to be made marks of faction and that her Maiestie saw by diuers practises in England and Ireland that papistes did seeke her life and the destruction of her kingdome and that the Iesuites and priestes that were sent from Rome came for no other purpose then to practise against her life and the state yet did she giue life to diuers rebels and traitors refusing mercie to none but such as refused to accept her fauour and mercie At Rishtons apâ—ndix to Saners one time she caused twenty of this faction to be sent away and at another time two and twenty and at another thirtie most of them condemned the rest guiltie of treason or other capitall crimes And now she keepeth diuers aliue that if they had either her Maiestie in their power or others whom they finde contrarie to their purposes would not spare their liues one hower nor content themselues with ordinarie reuenge As for obstinate recusants which no doubt for the most part This appeath by diuers â—tters of popish iests ready to shewed are secretly reconciled to the pope
and adhere to her enemies yet doe they enioy their landes and goodes and countrie and in effect their libertie and are onely subiect to pecuniarie punishments which either they escape not being endited through fauour or by sleightes auoyding the enditement or by conueyance of their landes frustrating the lawe or compounding for their punishment Compare her Maiesties actions with the cruell proceedings of papists and you shall soone see an exceeding great difference She This is prooâ—d in the end â—f our newe â—allenge executeth none for meere matter of religion vnlesse vnder colour of religion they be taken practising for her enemies authoritie and against her state and person they spare none She spareth notorious teachers of popish heresies and inflicteth only pecuniarie mulctes vpon malcontent recusants that plainly disallow her gouernment g The massacre of France and Flanders witnes this they kill man woman and childe that shall professe true religion She onely defendeth her selfe against those that are sent to perturbe the peace of her gouernment they by tormentes and rackes seeke out peacible persons and execute them to death most cruelly She proceedeth according to law these contrarie to all lawes h Hist. Natalis Comit. massacre men women and children whom they suspect to be contrarie to themselues in opinion Which clemencie of her Maiestie if it had either beene well accepted of forreine nations abroad or else had mollified the harts of disloyall papists at home all men would haue well liked and magnified But seeing this extraordinarie fauour or rather remissenesse of lawes and iustice towards them hath caused diuers rebellions both in England and Ireland and made them bold to attempt against her Maiesties life and gouernment and giuen some of them courage to conspire with forreine enemies and hardened the harts of our enemies against vs and weakened the hands of such as otherwise would haue beene forward inough to attempt against them and finally dissolued the sinewes of gouernment in suffering malcontents to practise and not maintaining the present state and executing lawes against offenders many doe thinke that against such persons that are so euill disposed and so firmly linked to forreine enemies good iustice is most necessarie and that it is farre more profitable and expedient to execute lawes then to pardon such offenders For while such vipers are suffered to gnawe the entrailes of their mother and yet are not punished and malcontents suffered to degorge their poyson against religion lawes gouernment magistrates ministers of the church and all honest men it is no maruell though the number of disloyall subiects encrease and though well affected and honest men withdrawe themselues and rest discouraged Now of late they i Aâ— appeareth by the multiplicitie of their libels diuersly mentioned in this treatise haue taken to themselues a presumptuous and audacious libertie not onely to speake their pleasure of her Maiestie and her lawes and good friends but also to aduance the cause of the publike enemies of the state Edward Rishton a Seminarie priest was no sooner by her Maiesties fauour k He set out Sanders booke De schismate and augmented it with infinite lies and reproches deliuered out of prison and from the danger of death which he had well deserued but he published against her and her Maiesties noble father and brother a most odious and railing libell deuoide of all truth and honestie and for more credit to it set it out vnder Nicholas Sanders his name and authoritie after his death This course was also taken by Nicholas Harpesfield who enioying libertie to doe what him listed abused his libertie to raile on his prince and countrie These are the men that goe about to make their nation and this gouernment infamous and odious to all posteritie And thus we giue life and libertie to those that seeke nothing more then to depriue vs of life and good name Nay they are lately growne so insolent that they dare not onely taxe and raile at religion and gouernment but also reuell at all those that once beginne to open their mouth in defence of the truth of her Maiestie of iustice and of their countrie and not onely that but also presume to offer their paltrie pamphlets to the view and consideration of the Lordes of her Maiesties counsell which are the chiefe maintainers of religion and iustice And that this is most true we neede no further proofe then a certaine treatise entituled a Wardeword and written in outward shew against Sir Francis Hastings but in very truth against religion and this gouernment This good Knight of a right zealous minde toward religion and a loyall and louing affection towardes her Maiestie and the state giueth the word to his countreymen and stirreth vp such as sleepe in too much securitie to consider the malice of the Pope the preparations of the Spanyards and the trecherie of Spaniolized papistes that either at home or abroade entertaine intelligence with them and seeing forreine enemies seeke by force to take the crowne from her Maiestie and to subuert the state and to plant not onely false religion but also an absolute tyrannie in this land he exhorteth all loyall subiects and true English willingly to aduenture their liues and to spend their goodes in defence of their religion prince and countrie He aduiseth also all true Christians diligently to watch and to beware of the trecherous practises of priestes Iesuites rinegued English and their consortes as meaning nothing else but the subuersion of religion and state In all which discourse what one sentence can be noted vnwoorthie either a true Christian or a loyall subiect or a woorthie knight Is it not lawfull to oppose himselfe against publike enemies and traitors and to shew his affection toward his prince and countrie Sure this our counterfeit N.D. whose name Parsons the Iesuite doth borrow as he doth the name of Dolman otherwhere is very much offended that either our knight should open his mouth in defence of the state or offer himselfe readie to resist the publike enemies thereof Nay further he aduanceth the Pope and Spaniard and maintaineth the cause of knowne traitors and raileth at all that dare speake any thing against them Wherein I neede not note vnto you either his notorious follie that shewing himselfe a professed enemie of his prince and countrie yet thinketh to obtaine fauour for his clientes the papistes at the princes handes or their boldnes that vaunt of this champion when no man can like him but must needes shew a dislike of his prince and countrie and bewray himselfe to be an enemie to the state But I doe the rather report vnto you the summe of this mans pleading that you may the better vnderstand the boldnesse and impudencie of this generation and how through our owne remissenesse wee haue suffered them to grow to this height of insolencie He appealeth to the Lordes of her Maiesties counsell and I hope they will censure such a rayling libeller
among themselues Nay the contention betwéene Caluin and Luther is not so great but that popish doctors haue greater As for our selues all of vs professe the doctrine of Christ Iesus according to that rule that was established by common consent of the church of England from which if any digresse he is no more to be accounted of our societie then the papists that are of the popes retinue Lastly where he calleth our religion Parliament religion hée speaketh like himselfe that is falsely and slanderously For albeit the same be receiued by authoritie of the prince and state yet is it Christs religion and not the princes The a Lâ—unctos Cod. de summ Trin. sid Cath. emperors Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius decréed That all people of their gouernment should hold the doctrine of Peter the apostle taught by Damasus bishop of Rome and Peter bishop of Alexandria and that they should beleeue one God three persons and yet I hope this Noddie will not call the faith of the Trinitie An imperiall faith And thus much in answere of his obiection of parliameÌ„t faith and of supposed diuisions amongst vs. But if hée had considered how that all the authoritie of their Romish faith as it differeth from ours standeth vpon the authoritie of late popes and of the late conuenticle of Trent and that both the grounds and positions of it are either nouelties or old condemned heresies and was in Quéene Maries times established more by parliament then by authoritie of the apostles and how many and diuers sectes they haue among their monkes and friers and b About the matter of the sacrament of the Lords supper they haue not so few as 200. diuers opinions diuers opinions among their schoolemen and how their late writers dissent both from fathers and schoolemen and among themselues I thinke hée woulde haue spared either to haue obiected vnto vs our dissensions or to haue talked of the authoritie of our religion To discredite the report of spirituall blessings bestowed on vs he a P. 5.6 saith further That before this change we beleeued the catholike faith of Christendome deliuered by the vniuersal church grounded vpon that rocke that cannot faile now beleeue onely either other mens opinioÌ„s or our owne fancies which choice is properly called heresie and héere hée thinketh to haue argued like a great doctor But first as his doctrine is strange so his stile is new and fantasticall For although hée sweate hard in séeking yet shall hee not finde that any one doctor saith That the vniuersall church doth deliuer to euerie priuate man the catholike faith for as schoolemen might teach him Actiones sunt suppositorum and it is not the whole kind but some one or other that doth this or that action Secondly most vntrue it is That either poperie is the catholike faith of Christendome or that the apostles or their catholike successors taught those errors of poperie which wee condemne Thirdly he doth vs wrong where he saith That our doctrine is diuers from the catholike faith of Christendome For whatsoeuer Christ or his apostles taught or is deliuered in the confessions of faith or créedes generally receiued of Christs Catholike church that wée beléeue and receiue refusing no point of catholike doctrine and all priuate fancies opinions heresies whether of popes or other heretikes and false teachers we renounce condemne and anathematize Héereof it followeth that the doctrine and faith of the church of England is most catholike and certaine being grounded vpon the apostles and prophets Christ Iesus being the corner stone which is a firme rocke against which the gates of hell cannot preuaile Grounded it is I say vpon the writings of the apostles and prophets endited by Gods holie spirite and thereunto not onely Councels and fathers but also the aduersaries themselues for the most part giue testimonie But the blinde papists haue deuised and receiued both new grounds of their religion and new doctrine which standeth onely vpon the authoritie of this pope and that pope whose fancie and opinion is all the certeintie they haue This is that rocke or rather banke of sand whereon the miserable papists faith is built For what the pope determineth that they hold to be the determination of the vniuersal church vpon his credite they receiue the scriptures Nay without his determination a Stapletonde author eccles they denie the scriptures to be authenticall b Princip doct lib. 9. c. 12. Stapleton teacheth that the church that is the pope at all times hath power to approue and taxe and consigne the bookes of holy scriptures In another place he c Ibidem lib. 11. c. 4. holdeth that vniuersall tradition is the most certaine interpreter of scriptures Generallie they hold that the pope is supreme iudge in all controuersies of faith and manners and that he is the iudge that cannot erre Hereof that followeth which this noddie obiecteth to vs That the faith of papists is built vpon the popes fancie and opinion which altering from time to time the faith of the Romish church is variable like the moone and vnstable as the sea Trusting to the popes determination from the Angelickes they haue receiued the worship of angels from the Collyridians the worship of the holy virgin Marie from the Carpocratians and Simon Magus and their disciples the worship of images from the Manichées and other heretikes prohibition of meates and dislike of mariage of priests and from other heretikes other damnable opinions So that their faith is not the catholike faith of Christendome but méere heresie grounded vpon the fancie and opinion of most wicked and vnlearned popes But d P. 6. saith this Noddie Why should you beleeue more your owne opinions then Caluin concerning the Queenes supremacie Luther concerning the reall presence and Beza in the church gouernment I answere first that these mens priuate opinions concerne not fundamentall points of faith And therefore that they are not to bée brought foorth for instance in this cause where we talke of the foundations reasons of Christian faith Secondly I deny that Caluin did deny the Quéenes supremacie in ecclesiasticall matters as we hold it For neither did he subiect princes to popes or priests in matter of their royall gouernment nor did hee denie princes power to establish ecclesiasticall lawes nor to command for Gods truth or to prouide for the setting foorth of true religion or redressing of disorders in churches or priests which are the principall points of supreme gouernment of princes in their realmes and dominions Neither do I thinke that any ancient father of the church did euer denie this power to princes Sure I am that many haue allowed it The reason why Caluin did once mislike the title of king Henry the eight was because hée was perswaded that hee had challenged all that power which the pope arrogateth to himselfe as head of the church wherein after that he was better informed he changed his stile and
sparing their holy God of the altar Deteriores sunt Iuda saith Christ in Saint a Onus ecclesiae c. 23. Brigits reuelations qui pro solis denarijsme vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio She speaketh of priests that trucke and barter masses for all manner of commodities yea to whoores for a nights lodging With the Angelicks they worship angels with the Staurolatrians they worship the crosse crucifixe giuing to the same diuine worship With the Collyridians they worship the virgin Marie With the Manichees they bring in halfe communions or communion in one kinde With the Carpocratians and Simonians and heathen idolaters they fall downe and offer incense and worship dumbe images With the Pelagians they beléeue merits and iustification by workes And almost out of euery heresie haue taken a peece as hath béene lately they say iustified against Giffords treatise intituled Caluinoturcismus Well therefore may it be saide that popish doctrine is full of poison and vnaduised was our aduersarie to charge vs with heresie or to mention any such matter séeing the blame must needes redounde vpon himselfe and vpon his consorts of the Romish synagogue Secondly he telleth vs That ecclesiasticall supremacy ouer all Christian nations is proper and essentiall to the popes office and that to his apostolicall authority is annexed the office of preaching But that should more properly and substantially haue béene prooued This beeing graunted doth shew that the pope doth faile in his apostolicall or rather apostaticall office For if preaching and féeding Christes flocke belong to the popes office why doth he not preach Why doth he not féede Nay why doth he famish Christes flocke by murdering all true preachers that come within his danger He answereth that The pope is obliged to preach by himselfe or by others But Saint Peter a farre greater apostle and greater man in apostolicall gouernment then the pope preached by himselfe and put not ouer his charge as the pope doth to Iesuites and Friers that preach more heresie and sedition then true doctrine The old bishops of Rome also which were honester men then these late popes put not ouer their charge but preached themselues and in their owne person executed all bishoplie functions Yea and saint Paule telleth vs that the office of a bishop is a good worke and not as the popish bishops make it a naked bare title To conclude this is also the iudgement of a In 1. Tim. 3. Ambrose Chrysostome Theodoret and all that write on the third of the first to Timothie from whence our authoritie is drawne He procéedeth notwithstanding further and professeth openly That when the pope leaueth his supremacy and embraceth that religion that is preached in England he ceaseth to be pope Which I do in part also confesse to be most true For antichrist shall in the church of God exalt himselfe and clayme not onely supreme but also diuine power He shall also defend manifold heresies and abhorre all true doctrine that may concerne his supreme title And if he should not so do he should not shew himselfe to be antichrist Herein therefore the Iesuites and he may be conioyned and march together hand in hand For all of them haue shut their eies and hardened their hartes against Christes true doctrine although it be to their shame in this life among all godly Christians and if they repent not shall be to their euerlasting confusion in the life to come Yet this hard faced Sycophant sticketh not to glory in his shame and to reioice that the pope and his children the Iesuites are matched togither At the length our aduersarie hauing highly extolled the father of heretikes and traitors the pope he descendeth to discourse of the popes darlinges begotten by him now in his declining state and decrepit age the Iesuites and saith They haue many enimies A matter true and by vs confessed and by them well deserued being a sect new vpstart and openly professing obedience to antichrist and enmitie to Apostolike and true catholike religion a societie conspiring mischiefe against al such as they hate practising diuision in priuate houses sedition and trouble in common-wealthes treason against godly princes and leauing the markes of their abominations and wicked actions behinde them wheresoeuer they come A generation stirred vp by Sathan to disturbe the peace of Christendome and to scourge all those that are not thankefull for the reformation of Gods church nor studious in seaâ—ching the truth nor zealous in rooting out of heresies and planting true religion What maruell then if they haue many enimies among those especially that beare good mindes either to true religion or to the state where they liue As for the example of Christian religion and of the first Christians and Christes disciples the holy apostles which were euery where spoken against and persecuted which the discourser our party pretendeth and alleageth to iustifie the generall opposition of al sorts of men against the Iesuits it fitteth his purpose nothing The example likewise of godly men that are often put to their trials is excéedingly euil applied to this sect of vngodly fellowes most absurdly doth he compare these Antijesuites to Christ Iesus that was as it were a marke set vp to be contradicted and was hated and persecuted of those that were of most eminent authoritie among his nation borrowing as it shoulde séeme a péece of some olde declamation vttered in the college of Iesuites or else where in praise of this sect and thrusting it in héere His defence I say is absurd and his comparisons most odious First Christ Iesus that I may beginne with him that is the beginning and fountaine of all spirituall graces and whom these Antijesuites do seeme in some things to counterfait and yet in most things oppugne came from God and did teach no doctrine but which he had receiued from his father humane traditions and pharisaicall boasting of workes of the law he disallowed and condemned These Antijesuites that I say no worse of them come from the pope and teach his decretalles and doctrine grounding themselues vpon mens traditions and vainely bragging of their owne merits and workes Christ Iesus loued his owne and was beloued of his owne These vsurpers of the name of Iesus loue none but theÌ„selues and were charged by their owne friends and were accused of heresie schisme and many grieuous crimes as witnesseth Ribadineira that wrote the legend of his father Ignatius Our sauiour â—or determining controuersies and finding out the truth sent vs to the law and the prophets these destroyers of soules send vs to the pope and his tribunall and most vaine decretalles Iesus Christ though Lord of heauen and earth taught obedience to Caesar and earthly princes these fellowes albeit neither lordes nor princes yet teach disobedience to princes and dissolue the bond of obedience that tyeth subiectes to their superiors Christ Iesus was the true shepheard and sought the saluation of his flocke and albeit iniuriously apprehended and
ecclesiasticall gouernment he meane power to direct cōmand in externall matters and to cause euery ecclesiastical person to do his function and to sée the church euery part thereof well ordred and abuses reformed it is most apparent that such gouernment appertaineth to princes and euer did both before Christs time and after and that no pope of Rome did euer meddle with any such matters before Gregorie the seuenth or Gregorie the ninth his time as before hath béene declared and shall against stronger aduersaries then this séely Noddy bée iustified Lastly they were no heretikes that giue to the prince this authoritie but those rather that giue power to popes to depose princes and discharge their subiects from their othes of allegiance as Sigebertus Gemblacensis speaking of the trecherous dealing of Gregorie the seuenth against Henry the fourth in expresse terms affirmeth and the Synode at Brixina assembled against Gregorie the seuenth determineth And thus wée see that this Noddy contrary to his intention hath intricated himselfe and his clients the Recusants in this cause Before this many men woulde haue thought that hee and his friendes the Recusants had béene of a better mind to her Maiestie and this state But now all the worlde may sée their whole purpose and intention verified by their owne masters doctrine and authoritie They serue the prince but not with hartie affection nor in all causes nor against euerie enimie They yéeld her no authoritie in ecclesiasticall causes nay they giue it cléere away to the pope Finally they make her subiect not onely to the popes excommunication but also to his sentence concerning her crowne and kingdome So it appéereth by their owne confession that they are but sory subiects and when the pope hath once gotten a side héere apparent enimies The same doth also appéere by their rebellions and practises against her Maiestie and the state and by their infamous libels set out by the pope by Sanders Allen Ribaldineira Rishton and diuers traytors which the Recusantes either approoue or do not disallow and lastly by the generall hatred that papists beare both against true religion and also against all that maintaine it or professe it Wherefore albeit I do not wish the punishments of papists aggrauated yet I say it is great weaknesse in vs either to suffer their insolency or not to secure our selues against their hatred and tyrannie But I need not vse many words to stir vp the magistrates to vigilancie They see these things and I doubt not will take a course not still to suffer their right to bée disputed or their actions disgraced and slandered and euery true patriot I hope I will concurre with their prince and not suffer the bowels of their countrey any longer by these vipers to bée gnawed The trecherous intention of this our aduersarie I haue opened so that I hope the quieter sort of Recusantes will not much trust him his malice against true religion is euery where apparent so that I trust honest men will héereafter learne to detest him and to prouide more carefullie against him and his consorts And so I dismisse him for this turne as a false traytor you may looke to his procéedings if you please as a false teacher CHAP. VII Of the pope of Rome and his vsurped authoritie and of N. D. his seuenth encountre IN the beginning of this seuenth encountre our aduersarie swelleth verie bigge and degorgeth very great words against sir Francis charging him With immodest rayling and calumniation and saying that he hath ouerlauished to the iniurie and slander of forreine potentates and nations abroad vsed opprobrious speeches against the sacred honors of annointed princes and the greatest monarkes of Christendome A man that readeth his loftie praeludium woulde haue imagined that some great matter had béene out of ioint that made him leape into this rage But when I saw that all this furie grew vpon some wordes vttred partly against the pope of Rome that is neither lawfull prince nor potentate nor honest man but onely a greasie priest or frier if so much and partly against the Spaniard who to serue the popes pleasure without desert of ours is become our enimie then I perceiued it was nothing else but a loftie tricke of iacke an apes that for feare of the whip leaped out of his little patience To storme against vs for defending our selues against the publike enimies of religion of the state of her Maiestie of our nation hée had no reason but that hée woulde shew himselfe enimie of religion the state Quéene and countrey Certes if hée had not declared himselfe an open enimie hée woulde neuer haue pleaded for publike enimies nor béene so much offended with those that speake in defence of his prince and countrey But let vs heare what slander it is that our accuser laieth to our charge First it gréeueth him excéedingly to heare that the pope should be called The man of sinne and that Antichrist of whom the apostle 2. Thes 2 speaketh And some reason he hath in regard of his owne particular to be offended For if the pope be Antichrist then is our aduersary a marked slaue of Antichrist a false prophet and an instrument of satan But how heinously the matter is taken it is not greatly materiall that the pope is very Antichrist we make no question neither should any doubt if they would well consider his procéedings For first the name of Antichrist importeth that taking the authority and place of Christ he should notwithstanding set him selfe against Christ Secondly the office of Antichrist is to set himselfe against Christ his kingdome Thirdly he shall excell in pride and arrogancy and take to himselfe diuine honors Fourthly notwithstanding his pretence of holinesse yet shall he excell in all impiety and wickednesse Fiftly he shall haue a face of brasse and pretend vnderstanding of all doubtes of religion Sixtly he shall appeare vpon the decay of the Romayne empire Seuenthly he shall rise out of the ruines of that state 8. Hée shall cause a great apostacie from the Christian faith and in his raigne there shall bee a generall corruption of mens manners 9. Although his kingdome shall be opposite to Christes kingdome yet shall he sit in Gods church and take on him the authority of the church 10. The seate of his empire shal be in Rome 11. His kingdome is represented by the purple whoore Apocalip 17. and by Babylon Apocalip 18. 12. Antichrist his impietie shall bée hidden and mysticall 13. Hée shall most gréeuously afflicte Christ his church 14. He shall rule in mens consciences 15. He shall make merchandise of mens soules 16. Hée shall bee like a lambe and yet speake like the Dragon 17. Hée shall take to himselfe the power of the Romayne Empire 18. Hée shall bring in a newe forme of Religion 19. Hée shall bée an authour and cause of many impieties and great corruption in manners 20. Hée shall in effect denie Christ Iesus 21. Hée shall pretend
pity but he made him a sacrifice for the good of the Romish clergie and pope Pius did highly extoll this fact comparing king Philip most impiously and blasphemously to God almighty that gaue his sonne to be sacrificed for the redemption of mankind But to forbeare now to speake of the popes blasphemy and to speake of the Spanyards malice it is very apparent that king Philip while he liued professed himselfe an enimie vnto all that professed true and catholicke religion and especially to her Maiestie that hath alwaies according to her stile declared her selfe to be a defender of the faith and a principall maintainer of the professors of true religion and all true catholickes He hath also shewed himselfe an enimy to our whole nation entending with force to subdue vs and by all meanes to trouble vs. He hath taken many a In the embarguo anno 1586. honest men of our nation prisoners and confiscated their ships and goods without anie lawfull proclamation of warres Hée hath suffred diuers of Her Maiesties subiectes to bée murdred by the bloody Inquisitors contrary to all iustice Neither haue the rebels attempted any thing against the state either in England or b Iacobo Geraldino Cantabrorum ac Gallecorum manum concessit Andreas Philopater p. 134. Ireland but by his knowledge abettement and procurement The whole Spanish nation also hath drunke very déepe of that cup of hatred which the pope hath filled to their king Don Iuan de Austria while he was gouernor of the low countries did neuer cease to c This was a part of Escouedoes negotiation at his going into Spaine perswade his brother to transport an army into England here to make wars The duke of Alua before that was likewise desirous that his sonne might passe with forces into England for the aide of the northren rebells And that of long time hath béene a common argument for priests and friers to handle in their sermons They haue also d These pardons were found vpon diuers Spaniards ann 1588. preached indulgences and remission of sinnes and offred the same to all that would fight against vs accompting it percase meritorious to kill any of our nation If their iourney 1588. had succéeded either they had killed our people or made slaues of them to worke in their Indian mines or to rowe in their gallies or else to do other base and seruile worke our goods they had already swallowed in their hope and meant to haue deuided the land amongst them and to haue raigned here like great conquerors And albeit at that time they had no good successe yet haue they not giuen ouer their hope nor ceased to take all opportunities to worke vs either dishonor or domage I omit to speak of the wrongs they haue done to particulers albeit many gréeuous for that our dispute is about the disposition of the Spaniardes to our whole nation And yet many particular wrongs and actes of iniustice crueltie doe argue a great hatred to the English in generall But to forbeare to speake of particular actions and of generall attempts formerly passed it appéereth they meane not thus to giue vs ouer For out of Spaine there come priestes and others daily to practise treason against her Maiestie and the state It is not long since Squire was executed for a most horrible treason plotted in Seuile Neither can the shamelesse impudent denials and cauils of Iesuites and priests which they make at the processe against him either make that vndoone which is done or qualifie so foule a fact Nay admit the poore fellow shoulde erre in some circumstance yet no reason can be alleaged why hée shoulde accuse and charge himselfe in a matter that concerned his life wrongfully And to the entent there may bée a succession of traytors and conspirators which may make the way more readie for their intended inuasions and conquestes at common costes they maintaine two Seminaries of English fugitiues and traytors I know they pretend planting of popish religion but if that were their onelie marke they aime at why doth a Testified against him by priests in their memorials Parsons cause euerie one of them that come for England to take an oath that they shall to their vttermost power prefer the Infantaes of Spaines title to the crowne of England Is this no point of treason And doth not this flowe from some purpose of the Spaniard against our countrey and nation To make our nation hatefull Ribadineira a certaine ribaldly frier hath published a most odious discourse of schisme in Spanish wherein hée omitteth nothing that may procure vs dishonor or hinderance And yet these are the men whom our aduersarie commendeth and defendeth and vnto whom Cardinall Allen Robert Parsons and other Iesuites and priests that lurke among vs haue vowed their seruice Great reason therefore hath our nation where so violent enimies séeke to hurt vs and so malicious traytors endeuour to ensnare vs to watch and looke about Our aduersary crieth peace peace but war is in his hart hée may tell vs as long as hée listeth that the Spaniards are our good friends and meane vs no hurt at all But if wée list to arme our selues and preuent their malice wée may assure our selues if God be pleased that they neither dare fight with vs nor can bée able to hurt vs. These double toonged traytors pretend good dealing and vse many kinde wordes as if they loued their countrey but who can trust them that are so néere linked by oath friendship and opinion to publike enimies Finally now the Spaniardes and other publike enimies séeme to haue laide aside their armes but yet it is not safe to trust them After great calmes oft-times arise great stormes We must remember that king Philip the second was alwaies ready to execute the popes command and was still set on by the Iesuites Acosta in his booke of the new world calleth it Praeclarum Zelum in expugnandis debellandis fidei Romanae hostibus in praefa ad Philip. and commended for his zeale in oppugning the enimies of the Romish faith The whole Spanish nation is also much deuoted to popish religion and very ready to execute the popes commandements Wée must also consider that it is no argument of a disposition to peace that such great forces of men are continually leuied throughout most of the parts of Spaine and Portugall and that such numbers of ships of warre are either made of late or in making as wée haue not heard of manie yéeres before and that such care is had of prouisions of corne wine munitions and other things necessary for the wars as is not vsual I confesse that by reason of the kings large dominions and great occasions and affaires these prouisions are necessarie yet vnlesse hée had some extraordinarie purpose neither woulde his prouisions be so great nor should his men march toward Lisbone and Coronna nor his Magazins bée dressed in those parts that looke hitherward
is rich in mony Lastly as princes and states that haue great store of treasure haue meanes by their hired souldiers to make warres abrode and hardly canne be ouercome that way so are they weak and vnable to resiste if they be strongly affronted and set vpon at home where their treasure lyeth and their hired souldiers cannot be found Which appeared by the example of the Carthaginians and may appeare by the Spanyardes if wee please Now our cause is farre more iust and honest then the Spaniards b In primis spectat vt pacatè tantum suauiter viuat Andreas Philopater p. 14. Her Maiesty her people neuer desired any thing more then peace they desire nothing more then wars We if the Spaniard shall come against vs shall fight for our country our liberty our lawes our religion and conscience they come to spoile vs of al these and fight for the popes pleasure and for that religion of which they haue no a Stapleton praefat in princip doctrin relect further assurance then the popes word Her Maiestie neuer wronged the Spaniard nay she hath not taken that which lawes of warre and all nations did giue her When the shippes that carried mony to pay the souldiers in the low countries that were prepared against her and her country were brought into her ports and gaue her good meanes to helpe her selfe against her enimy yet was she content to restore the mony to the king When the Ilandes of Azores were offered into her handes yet did she refuse them Nay she would not accept of Antwerp and a great part of the low countries that offered to submit themselues vnto her béeing alwaies vnwilling to intricate herselfe with vnnecessary warres Yet was she assured that this was most lawfull and would be a certaine meanes both to bring the Spaniard to any conditions and to make the warres far from home and vpon other mens charges Nor in assisting them of Holland and Zeland hath she doone any thing but after she had attempted all other meanes and was forced to take this course by necessity for her owne safety But the Spaniards haue sought matter of quarrell against her and offered her and her people infinite wronges First king Philip hauing intricated our nation with the French about his quarrell lost Caleis and abandoned the English in his treatie of peace Anno 1567. when we thought he had continued our friend at the solicitation of the pope he b Girol Catena in vita Pij 5. It may also bee gathered out of the aduersaries discourse in Andreas Philopater determined to make warre vpon vs. Afterward he encouraged and holpe the rebels of the North and determined to aide the earle of Desmond in Ireland Anno 1588. he made open warres vpon vs and neuer since hath ceased to molest vs. Nay when he could do her Maiestie and her people no other harme he hath suffered Sanders booke of schisme and diuers other most rayling libells to be published by Ribadineira and others to the dishonor of our nation our princes and gouernours Finally Lopez that was executed for attempting to poyson her Maiestie c See his confession and the actes of the processe against him confessed that he was hired by Ibarra the Count of Fuentes and diuers of the kings agentes not without the kings priuity as was prooued by the deposition of Manoel Lois and Stephen Ferreira and diuers other circumstances Séeing then we haue such meanes to make warres and so iust a cause to vndertake them why should any eyther doubt or feare to encounter the Spanyardes especiallie if they will néedes be quarrelling But to surcease to discourse of the valour of the Spaniard in the warres and of his puissance or rather weakenesse both by sea and land let vs a litle consider him in his other parts and qualities and sée whether he deserueth such extrauagant commendations as N. D doth heap vpon him and what reason he hath to aduance the Spanyard so highly and to debase his owne nation Our aduersary a P. 106. commendeth the Spaniardes For their religion their labour in preaching and winning soules in the Indies their learning their morall vertues and forgetteth not to praise them for their country which he calleth Rich fertile and potent But if these be the points that he meaneth to stand vpon he will hardly perswade his Reader to affoord him any assent or credit For the religion of the Spaniard is not catholike as we shall easily prooue when we come to speake of catholike religion Nay few of that nation know any religion but are ledde by the noses by the pope and his priestes and friers receiuing for truth whatsoeuer they teach though neuer so false not knowing the very grounds of Christian faith though neuer so true Our aduersary knoweth that the Spaniard is saide to account it but a Peccadillo or little fault not to beléeue in Christ and euery man may sée they haue no right faith that receiue all the popes decretalles for true religion In the Indies their disorders haue béene so great that the barbarous people do beléeue rather any religion then that of the Spanyard Bartholomew à Casas a fryer and Hierome Benzo shew that where in Hispaniola there were thrée millions of people at the first arriuall of the Spanyardes there they shortly by their pious and vertuous gouernement brought them to the number of 300. So great was their slaughter and cruelty b Histor Indiar Hierome Benzo saith that all the religion the Indians haue is to make the signe of the crosse and to heare a latin masse which they vnderstand not and to performe such like ceremonies And if hée will not beléeue me yet hée may not with anie reason refuse the testimonie of Ioseph à Costa a Iesuite who of purpose writeth a storie of the new worlde and declareth how the Indians haue profited in religiō He sheweth that the Indians are so vnwilling to be baptized a De procuranda Indorum salute lib. 6. c. 3. That the Spaniards haue baptized many against theit wils whereby baptisme Is made a mocke among them Speaking of Christian religion in the Indies hée saith their knowledge is small and so offred to them that it is either refused easily or easily lost b Ibid. lib. 1. c. 2. Notitia quaedam vel ten uis offertur vel ita offertur vt facilè repudietur vel ita recipitur vt mox perniciosiùs deseratur He c Lib. 1. c. 14. saith They are like the Samaritanes that worship god idoles both togither And againe d Ibidem Simulatoriam Christianitatis speciem praeferunt non colunt deum seriò nec credunt ad iustitiam e A costa lib. 4. c. 15. Their priests and teachers hée chargeth to be giuen to couetousnesse dicing hunting concubinage and luxuriousnesse And this is that goodly conuersion of millions of soules of which this personate N. D. so much braggeth
Lucian and Rabelays but also all his owne companions of the societie of his firie father Ignatius As for his aduersarie hée hath not spoken any thing that in equall iudgement can be thought to sauour of immodestie For albeit hée seemeth to charge the Spaniards with Oppression and tyrannie and saith that they are Proud ambitious bloudie rauening and cursed of God yet his intention was not to touch the whole nation in which no doubt there are many ciuill religious and honest men and of great woorth especially when they come to the knowledge of the truth but diuers of them indefinitely and such especially as came in the popes seruice to execute his wrath and displeasure against innocent Christians For against these doth hée direct his discourse and against them doth hée animate his countreymen to fight séeing their purpose is to destroy our countrey and with crueltie to establish both a false religion and an absolute tyrannie Neither coulde hée vse more gentle termes considering the insolencies of the Spanish forces in these cases and the tyrannie of their gouernment The ambassadors of the citie of Siena a Natal Comes â—istor lib. 6. say That the gouernment of the Spaniard in the kingdome of Naples and other places of Italy is so rigorous that the countrey people desire to liue rather vnder the Turke then vnder the Spaniard And this by infinite insolencies and actes full of iniustice and crueltie for manie yéeres exercised by the Spaniards in the b Bartholomeus casas Indies in the c Belgica hist. Meterani Low countries and lately in the countries of Iuliers Wesell Monsterland and places adioyning may be verified Our ancestors were woont to say they were crabbe faced and woorse natured Vultu despicabiles moribus detestabiles as Matth. Parts testifieth And if antichrist and these that receiue his marke and worship him be cursed and miserable then are the Spaniards that are so willing to execute the popes most irreligious and vniust commandes most miserable and haue a great curse hanging ouer their heads But faith our fencing warder and bickerer The Spaniards are hated for their catholike religion especially and next for their virtue and valor He saith also that the like happened to the English when they were Lords of France for the most part and to the Romaines when they ruled a great part of the world But why should he seeke for new supposed causes when the true causes and reasons are so well knowne and so violent and all sufficient Beside that it is well knowne that the Neapolitanes Milaneses and Portingals do not hate the Spaniards for their religion but for the causes formerly declared Neither do we maligne the Spaniards for their catholike religion for we know that their religion is not catholike nay we do not hate them in regard of their false religion which they hould but rather pray for them and pittie theÌ„ but we haue great reason to suspect their encrochements and to detest their ambition iniustice rapines and tyranny How they may be called Fortes or valiant I report me séeing as Philosophers hould a Fortitudo est virtus pugnans pro iustitia Fortitude is a vertue striuing for iustice Lastly he offereth great wrong not onely to the Romaines but also to the ancient English to compare the Castilians vnto them For neuer was the Romaine or English gouernement like to the Spanish nor canne these two famous nations well bee compared to the inhabitantes of Casttle Granada Valentia and Arragon that vntill of late were a poore b Matth. Paris in Henr. base people and for the most part nowe consisteth of Gothes Vandales Mores Maranes and Iewes which haue surmounted and deuoured the auncient inhabitantes of Spaine He telleth vs also That it is no reason albeit some Spaniardes be found to haue those vices which Sir Francis imputeth to them that all the nation should be charged with them As if either he or any other did suppose all Spaniards to be of like vitious humor No Sir Francis doth onely charge Spaniardes indefinitely and those principally that are the popes vassals and agentes and are so willingly emploied in his seruice And in effect saith no more then our aduersary willingly confesseth He a P. 105. saith further That no nation in Europe hath more cause to glory and giue God thankes for his giftes aboundantly powred on them both natural morall and diuine then the Spanish who haue a country potent rich and fertile praised in scripture 1. Machab. 8. a people able in wit and body as appeared by Traian and Theodosius emperors by Seneca Lucan Martial Poetes by Hosius Damasus Leander Isidorus Orosius renowmed Christians by famous martyrs Christian kinges famous souldiers that haue conquered great countries by the sword and finally by excellent preachers that haue gayned many millions of soules to Christ by preaching And thus with bigge wordes and many great bragges he thinketh to put his aduersary downe But he is confident without cause and triumpheth before the victorie nay before he séeth his enimie To answere him in his owne tearmes I thinke there is no nation in Europe more behoulding to this base lying companion then the Spanish For renouncing all loue to his country and duty to his prince he hath sould himselfe to publike enemies to flatter them and to set out their praises Beside that he forgetteth all plaine and honest dealing and delighteth himselfe with vaine reportes and lyes The world knoweth that Spaine for the most part is a bare and barreine country and that the common sort is poore and miserable Portingall that is accompted the more fruitefull notwithstanding is but barreine Ieiuna miserae b Buchanan saith one tesqua Lusitaniae Valete longùm vosque glebae tantùm Fertiles penuriae How potent the country is it may appeare by this that it hath béene so often conquered by the Cathaginians Romaines Gothes and Vandales and lastly by the Mores of Barbary Theodosius and Traian albeit borne in Spaine were of Romaine bloud brought vp in Italy and Rome Seneca also and Lucan and Martiall had their learning and skill at Rome albeit Martiall for his filthy and obscene writing sauoureth of the humor of some Spaniards It is also a matter of méere impudency to compare the battels and conquestes of Spaniardes in the Indiaes where they had to do onely with naked men and people vnskilfull in feats of armes to the actions of the Romaines that haue subdued the most warlike people of the worlde Neither can wée account of his relation of winning of soules to Christ in the Indies by friers otherwise then as of a lying legend and vaine bragge that hath no ground For a Hierom. Benzo Barth Cas diuers report that they haue destroied millions of soules and speake sparely of winning of soules But were all this true that is héere reported yet maketh the same nothing so much for the Spaniard as the Noddie imagineth For what auaileth it
that this should cost the Queene many a bitter teare Let the quarels be specified witnesses produced to prooue the Quéenes tendernesse more to Spaniards then her owne people Fiftly hée telleth a very pitifull case viz. That no Spaniard coulde walke in the night without danger of his life nor at other times without iniurious wordes and that they paide deere for all things especially if they were taken talking with a mans wife daughter or seruant and as a certaine Viceroy tolde him that some English would send their wiues daughters of purpose into the fieldes where Spaniards walked to allure them to talke with them and thereby to entrappe them and get money from them and that diuers of the Spaniardes had their purses taken from them that the Count Fuensalida was robbed as he was at supper with diuers of his countrymen All which long discourse is as farre from the purpose as Spaine from England For what doth this concerne king Philips vertues or the state of England which are the points which héere he taketh on him to handle Must the state of England consist now in the brabbles betwixt the scum of the kings traine and a fewe bandes and base fellowes about their Sen̄oras Further the same doth rather shewe the insolency of the Spaniards then deserue any commiseration for the losses or knockes they priuily receiued For why shoulde they be suffred to abuse honest women or to attempt maidens chastitie Will N. D. our Warder play the baud to make matches betwixt knaues and whoores and mislike that there was not a guard set while such lend fellowes went about their base affaires Againe it may be that it was not a Viceroy for what hath such a Noddy or vice as this to do with Viceroies or viceroies to do with such petite matters but some vice that purposed to delude him that tolde him the tale of these walking womē or walking knaues For how could he know that they were mens wiues or daughters if he were a stranger or else that they were sent for that purpose that he speaketh into the fields how knew he but that it was a quarrell betwixt knaues bauds how knew he that the Spaniards did not willingly bestow their mony vpon baggages being men that frequent the bordell as oft as the church As for the robbery of the Count Fuensalida if any such thing were it no more concerneth the honor of our nation then the robberies by Fuorusciti in Italy Naples the honor of the king of Spaine Robberies disorders wil euery where be committed but we praise them not we allow thē not Neither did Quéene Marie then allow this foresaid robberie And rather then the old Count should wéepe for his plate he shall haue a collection in part of recōpence for his losses All this great matter therefore being well considered is nothing neither hath our aduersarie any reason to exclaime and say That these were the fine fruites of our new Gospell then freshly planted among vs. For those that did these feates were papists and not men of our religion and these disorders were committed in Quéene Maries time when popery was publikely professed in England and not in the time of the Gospell Againe the Spaniards and not any of our profession vsed to haunt bordels and to make these baudy matches And if in states that professe the Gospell there be diuers outrages committed they cannot bée imputed to our profession but to the leudnesse of those that will not bée reformed and that liue among vs and are not of vs. Which kinde of people are both reprooued by their teachers and punished by the magistrates Hauing thus for his pleasure ranged farre from the matter in an idle discourse cōcerning certaine brabbles betwixt the English and Spanish in Quéene Maries daies he commeth to his purpose concerning king Philip and gladly would he purge him from all suspicion of euill meaning towards our nation contrary to a letter mentioned by Sir Francis and written out of Spaine when king Philip was yet in England The letter purported that notwithstanding the kings faire pretenses his purpose was to winne the fauour of the nobility and so to make himselfe absolute king and possessing the principall places with his owne souldiers to alter the lawes and to impose taxes and rule the country at his pleasure And this the warder by all meanes séeketh to shift off and to discredite and that first Because these plots and practises were neuer heard of before as he saith But he must néedes be deafe that liued in Quéene Maries daies in any eminent place in the state that heard not often of these practises and very dull and sencelesse if he suspected them not Neither is it likely that such a prince would desire to come hither if he should still be tied with conditions Secondly he saith That the name of the writer and receiuer of the letter would haue beene set downe But that might haue bred daunger the letter béeing written against Spaniardes that then ruled in England Neither is it the fashion for intelligencers to declare either their owne names or the names of such as they write vnto Thirdly he would auoide it by this shift That it was some flying report without ground and taken vp in some port-towne or tauerne by some factor or other wandring companion But the probability of the plot and procéeding of the Spanyard and the euent of thinges did shewe the contrarie Fourthly he would beare vs in hand That it was some deuise to make the Spaniards odious and perhaps to vphould the faction of the earle of Deuonshire that missing the mariage of Queene Mary began to practise But the ambition and malicious purpose of the Spaniardes against all that professed the truth and his procéedings in the gouernement did plainely declare that it was a truth and no fiction As for the earle of Deuonshire he neuer desired to marry the Quéene For if he had he might Such was her affection towards him Neither did he euer take any gréefe for not marrying her for his affection was no way enclined that way Neither could he poore gentleman entertaine any practise béeing destitute of friends and meanes watched by his enemies of no subtill reache to compasse any such matter I wonder the Noddy was not ashamed once to name this yong earle who albeit innocent and harmelesse yet was poysoned at Padua to content some mens humors But our aduersarie as if he were a smith and of Vulcans generation as his supposed father was canne forge twentie such deuises and shift off wicked practises with a number of loose wordes He saith It is a grieuous and heinous slander against a mightie munificent and bountifull monarke to say that he meant to make himselfe king As if mighty and munificent monarkes do not in their ambitious humors séeke to enlarge their dominions That this was no fiction it may appeare by the drift of Charles the fift entending this mariage
Shall she yéeld her crowne to her enemies And is this the swéetenesse that the papistes séeke Secondly admit her Maiesty should spare traytors and factious persons this I confesse to priests and Iesuites would be a ioyfull day but there cannot be a greater calamity that can happen to good subiects Nay it would be a dissolution of lawes and confusion of the kingdome Séeing that the former examples fitted not his purpose he bringeth in the example of Henry the eight Who as Gardiner said was desirous in his latter daies to returne to the vnion of the Romish church Likewise he is still harping vpon the French kinges submission to the pope But that king Henry did euer purpose such a matter or that such a magnanimous prince could endure to debase himselfe so low as to come vnder a paltry frier or a proude pope is incredible Nay the last negotiation with the French kings ambassadour the king then lying at Hampton court was to draw him likewise from the popes obedience As for Gardiner he was neither so néere nor so déere to the king as to know any such secret purpose béeing long before the kings sicknesse forbidden to come at the king and his practise about the pope had cost him his life if hée had not submitted himselfe to the kings mercie Neither is it certaine whether Gardiner euer vttred any such matter or not If hée did yet we are not bound to beléeue him Nay wée are to beléeue that hée spoke so much rather to please the popes legat then of any truth But if her Maiestie do consider how her noble father was dishonored by this generation shée cannot choose but detest them and follow his steps that abolished this tyrannie and not of those that establish it Further if examples may preuaile then is shée rather to follow the steps of godly Emperors that stopped the mouthes of heretikes and woulde not suffer them to practise their false religion and of the godly kings of Iudah that abolished all monuments of idolatrie and burnt the idolatrous priestes bones vpon their altars then of idolaters As for the French king that for a crowne altered his religion wée haue little to say We will rather praie for him then dispute of his dooings Her Maiesties case is farre vnlike his being with content of all quiet and honest subiects possessed of her crowne and able by Gods assistance to defend it and all her rightes maugre all enimies and traitors that iointly conspire against her Hée appealeth to your Lordships considerations what a comfort it would be to her Maiestie and your selues to see all sortes of people laugh and sing togither and praie to God most hartily for her Maiesties health wealth and prosperous long continuance All which I do beléeue her Maiestie béeing so gracious a prince and your selues being so studious of the good of your countrey and her Maiesties safetie But they that desirâ—â—is must take a farre contrarie course to this which our aduersary desireth Her Maiesty must as she doth resolutely defend Gods religion iustice must be executed seuerely wicked members must be rooted out vtterly good men must be cherished louingly and employed respectiuely But if we should once admitte a packe of factious traytors within the bowels of this kingdome and harken to Parsons that traytorous and infamous Iesuite all our singing would be turned into mourning and our laughing into lamenting as it is in Ireland The prayers as well as the practises of papistes would be little for her Maiesties safety or continuance as former experience teacheth vs. all this ioyfull state which these traytors dreame of would be nothing but a state deuided by warres and sedition a time of darkenesse and desolation and extreme misery finally he blusheth not to propose vnt vs the example of such as first professed true religion after the first establishment of reformation that desired that their conscience might not bée forced which doth quite ouerthrow his cause For as in Italy and Spaine and such places as were subiect to popish princes our brethren coulde obtaine no toleration for the exercise of true religion so they cannot with any reason desire the establishment of their masse where vnder Christian princes it is vtterly abolished Wherefore if nothing be more impious then to erect idolatry and to suffer notorious superstition and heresie to be preached if nothing be more dangerous and dissolute then to receiue rebels traytors and enemies within the entrals of our country if no composition can be made with the pope of Rome the whoore of Babylon if nothing be more dishonorable then to listen to enemies and traytors threatnings and promises I doubt not but all men of religion and iudgement and well affected to their country sée that our aduersaries motion is impious dangerous dishonorable and not to bée yéelded vnto nor granted without the destruction of the present gouernment and desolation of this kingdome All which I referre to your Lordships consideration and beséech God to reueale the truth to the ignorant and to establish the weake and to confound all that are enimes either to his truth or to their most gracious Prince and déere countrey A NEW CHALLENGE MADE TO N.D. VVherein O. E. offereth to iustifie that popish religion is not catholike or apostolike secondly that it is compounded of diuers nouelties and haeresies thirdly that the church of Rome is not the true church of Christ Iesus Lastly that such as haue died in the popes quarrell were rather false traitors then Christian martyrs Reuelat. c. 3. They call themselues Iewes and are not but do lie Matt. 10. There is nothing couered that shall not be disclosed nor hidden that shall not be knowne Jmprinted at London by Arn. Hatfield 1600. The Praeface to the discourse ensuing directed especially to euery moderate and sober minded papist ALthough sufficient hath bin saide alreadie not onely to rembarre the malice of N. D. his encounters but also to content euerie man that is but meanely affected either to the state or religion nowe publikely professed among vs yet coulde I not satisfie my selfe vnlesse I tooke a course to satisfie thee also whose instruction and saluation I do earnestly affect and thirst after beseeching God to touch thy hart and reueale the truth vnto thee and open thy eies that are now heauie and oppressed with a slumber and grosse darkenesse of poperie The principall piller and almost sole foundation of al our aduersaries discourse is the pretence which he maketh of ancient apostolike catholike religion the vaine shew of the catholike church vpoÌ„ this he buildeth his inuectiues against vs his defence of publike enimies notorious traitors and priuie malcontentes and presumeth to presse into her Maiesties presence to present his petitions to the Lords of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Councell as by that which hath beene spoken may easily be perceiued Take away this colour it must needes appeere that he is a fauorer of publike enimies a
obedience to parents and subiects from obedience to princes a Lib. 2. regest f. 109. apud Ioseph Vestan de oscul pâ—d pontif Gregory the seuenth in his dictates began first to broch these fancies and to declare Quod papa â fidelitate subiectos possit absoluere The canonistes continued and increased this wicked doctrine And now the Iesuites defend it and themselues drawe children to forsake their godly and Christian parents to créepe into a Sodomiticall cloister of monkes 12 Wée do now lately learne that vnder the commandement of sanctifying the Sabaoth is conteined the obseruation of all the feasts of saints canonized by the popes of Rome For so doth b Op. catech de 3. praeâ—â—p c. 11. Canisius teach and that is now a common doctrine but certes very new 13. The precepts of the Romish church as they are called are but new deuises For if wée seeke all antiquitie wée shall not finde where the church of Christ hath coÌ„manded vs to kéepe this popes day and that popes day and to abstaine from worke on saint Francis and saint Dominikes and other canonized friers daies or where the same hath enioined Christians to heare masse or to faste Lent and imber daies and vigiles of saints and other tides according to the fashion of the church of Rome or to confesse our sinnes to Romish friers and priests or not to solemnise mariage on daies forbidden which now the c Short Catechisme and Canisius church of Rome doth kéepe more deuoutly then the lawes of God For these are those humane doctrines and voluntary worships deuised by mens owne fancies which our d Matth. 15. Sauiour Christ and the e Coloss 2. apostle condemneth The f Dâ—ut 4. law of God also forbiddeth any such additions 14. It is not long since the Franciscane friers began to dispute That the virgin Mary was conceiued without original sinne which if they had affirmed of other saints they had runne into flat Pelagianisme Lately also haue papists begun to diminish the guilt of originall sinne In the councell of Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth they first determined albeit couertly that it deserued not Poenam sensus but onely Poenam damni and that is now their common opinion 15. They haue of late deuised a multitude of new sinnes as appéereth by the enchiridion of Nauarrus which are nothing but transgressions of their newe lawes And yet they doubt not to affirme that the regenerate may liue without sinne albeit contrary to all antiquitie Nay they make it sinne ofttimes to obey the lawes of God condemning those that will not worship saints stockes and stones and rotten bones and rags and which obey lawfull princes vnlawfully excommunicate by the pope 16. It is but a late fantasie that all men are to satisfie for the guilt of actuall sinnes for which they haue not satisfied in this life in purgatorie For Gregory the Dialogist albeit hée allow purgatorie for veniall sinnes yet hée hath not one word of these satisfactions Neither were the same determined before the councell of Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth 17. The rules of monkes and friers whereby they pretend that they follow euangelical counsels are also very new Hée that first brought in the orders of monkes into the westerne church was Benet of Nursia The friers were founded by Francis and Dominike The Iesuites had their patron Ignatius his rule allowed first by Paul the third And he is their founder and the ground of their antiquitie 18. The scholasticall diuinitie which is a mixture of fathers authorities philosophicall subtilties and papall decretals began from Peter Lombard some eleuen hundred yéeres after Christ The canon law began from the time of Gregory the ninth and this is the originall of their late diuinitie and lawe 19. a De verbo Dei Lib. 1. c. 3. Bellarmine saith That the new testament is nothing else but the loue of God shed in our harts by the holy ghost Which sheweth that the gospell and new testament of papistes is a new gospell differing from that of Christ Iesus For Christes testament was b Matth. 26. established by his bloud and is a couenant concerning remission of sinnes most especially but charity is wrought by the holy ghost in those that are already reconciled by the blood of the testament Chrysostome Theodoret and others writing vpon the second to the Corinthians chap. 3 Say That the spirite quickning is the grace of God that remitteth our sinnes And if charity were the new testament then Christ died in vaine For charity might then haue satisfied for all and established this new testament albeit Christ had not died which is most vntrue and blasphemous The perfection of the gospell they place In c Bellar. de monach c. 7. 8. 9. voluntarie pouerty abstinence from mariage and obedience to monasticall rules But this is a new perfection and a new gospell For Christes gospell neither commaundeth nor counselleth any to liue vnder monasticall vowes nor wilfully to make himselfe poore nor to forsweare mariage Neither did Christ euer account widowers or vnmaried men or wastefull giuers of their goods to monasteries or monkes more perfect then his apostles or other Christians 20. The holy apostle doth a Rom. 3. teach vs that we are iustified by grace and faith in Christ without workes and this he b Rom. 4. prooueth by the example of Abraham who albeit he was faithfull and the father of the faithfull yet was he not iustified by workes But the Iesuites and papistes speake of philosophicall iustice and say that none is iustified nor obteineth eternall life but by his workes and by charity 21. The distinction and doctrine of our First iustice and Second iustice and of Explicit and Implicit faith and likewise of Faith formed and Informed is all new and borowed rather from Philosophers then diuines Nay a great part of their faith standing vpon new decretals and the determinations of their Romish church is new and scarce yet setled séeing they are bounde to beléeue the future determinations of the church as well as those that are alreadie passed c Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 12. Bellarmine saith It is a matter of faith to beleeue that the pope hath succeeded Peter in the gouernment of the vniuersall church The which the church neuer receiued albeit the popes flatterers haue gone much about to perswade it 22. That by congruitie a man may deserue grace and that men vnregenerate may dispose themselues to receiue grace by force of their frée will is both new and false if wée looke backe to Christes true religion The apostle saith that Without faith it is impossible to please God And Saint d De vocat gent. lib. 1. c. 3. Ambrose saith That without true religion that which seemeth to be vertue is sinne Saint e De vera innocentia c. 56. Augustine saith That the whole life of Infidels is sinne And the councell of f Can. 6.
concerneth the popish faction that pretendeth thereby to be greatly wronged Our a In his first encounter aduersarie saith That manie honorable and worshipfull gentlemen haue endured continuall and intolerable affliction for perseuering in their fathers faith and that aboue a 100. priests haue bin tortured hanged and quartered for the same cause These men he cléereth b In the conclusion of his encounters from treason celebrateth their martyrdome Likewise Cardinall c Ad persequutores Anglos Allen in his treatise against the execution done vpon popish priests and their consorts doth greatly complaine of Persecution iniustice tyrannie and extreme crueltie and beareth the worlde in hande That they were very innocents and without iust cause died for matters of their conscience onely and not as the sentence of their condemnation ran for their treasons and wicked practises against the state and finally That they are to be esteemed as holy martyrs and not as leude traytors And because few of late time haue opposed themselues against these fellowes exclamations and accusations not onely diuers abroad haue had a heard conceite of our dooings but also some euen among vs haue doubted of the matter and of late time either staied or moderated the execution of lawes against them I haue therefore thought it a very necessary point to resolue you that the popes agents and adherents that haue within this realme béene executed about his quarrels haue died for treason and not religion and are to bée estéemed as traytors and not as martyrs and that the rest of their consorts are to praise God for her Maiesties great clemencie and moderation that suffereth them to enioy their ease and pleasures whom neither religion nor lawes nor rules of state nor reason will suffer to liue among vs beléeuing speaking and practising as they do First the law of God is very direct against false prophets and teachers that shall go about to drawe vs to serue other gods Propheta ille saith a Deut. 13. Moyses aut fictor somniorum interficietur Afterward hée saith That if our brother or sonne or friend yea or wife that lieth in our bosome shall go about to induce vs to idolatrie our eie must not spare them nor haue mercie on them to hide them Neque parcat ei oculus tuus vt miserearis occultes eum sed statim interficies Neither is it to bée doubted but that popish priestes are within the compasse of false prophets and teachers that woulde drawe vs to worship the idole of the masse angels and saints departed the images of the Trinitie and crosse and stocks and stones and ashes and bones we know not of whom nay to worship our owne fancies and opinions which is a grosse point of idolatrie The b Apocal. 2. Bishop of Pergamus is sharpely reprooued for that he suffered certaine false teachers that spred and held the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans The prophet Helias caused Baals priests to be slaine The c Tit. 2. apostle commaundeth vs To reiect and auoide heretikes And saint Iohn d Iohn 2. forbiddeth vs either to receiue them into our houses or to salute them You that are the children of light saith e Epist ad Philadelph Ignatius fly the diuision of vnity and the euill doctrine of heretikes f Homil. 2. in genes Chrysostome exhorteth Christians To flie from an heretike as from a madde man The emperors Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius g Cod. de haeret Manich. l. omnes haereses decréed That all heresies forbidden either by Gods lawes or imperiall constitutions should for euer be silenced Omnes vetitae legibus diuinis imperialibus constitutionibus haereses say they perpetuò quiescant They forbid also hereticall prelates to teach or to ordeine inferior ministers The emperors h Ibidem l. cuncti haeretici Arcadius and Honorius tooke from heretikes all places of méeting and forbad the exercise of their religion vnder a gréeuous penalty They also confiscated all their goods and depriued them of ability to buy or sell or to make a testament or last will Finally g Ariani Theodosius and Valentinian adiudged certeine heretikes woorthy of death To conclude this point saint Augustine albeit sometime he taught that heretikes were not to be forced with penalties and punishments to embrace religion yet retracted his opinion and highly commended these imperiall lawes against heretikes In hoc saith h Epist 48. he seruiunt reges Christo ferendo leges pro Christo And againe Quis meÌ„tis sobrius regibus dicat nolite curare in regno vestro à quo defendatur aut oppugnetur ecclesia domini vestri Non ad vos pertineat in regno vestro quis velit esse religiosus quis sacrilegus Neither néede we vse many wordes in this case séeing our aduersaries not onely yéelde but also contend that all extremity is to be vsed against false prophets and false heretikes and their practise is not onely to confiscate their goods and to banish such but also to kill them and torture them with all rigour But no man can doubt whether papists be heretikes and their teachers false prophets and seducers but such as either are not resolued in religion or are vtter enimies of true religion First then we are to vnderstand that religion cannot bée maintained vnlesse heresies be suppressed Secondly religion doth require at the handes of magistrates that they defende themselues their state and people against all rebâ—ls and traytors and practisers against the state For the magistrate i Rom. 13. Carieth not the sword in vaine is gods minister for our good a reuenger of wickednes The principall end scope of princes is to protect their subiects against all violence and seditious practises k 1. Tim. 2. Obsecro saith the apostle primum omnium fieri obsecrationes orationes postulationes gratiarum actiones pro omnibus hominibus pro regibus omnibus qui in sublimitate sunt vt quietam tranquillam vitam agamus in omni pietate castitate l Isai 49. Kinges they are foster fathers and Quéenes foster mothers of the church and therefore may not such suffer the church either by force or practise of Iebusites and Cananites to bee oppressed How do Kinges better serue the Lord saith Saint m Epist 50. Augustine then by forbidding thinges contrary to Gods commandements and punishing seuerely such as offend Quomodo reges domino seruimus in timore nisi ea quae contra iussa Domini fiunt religiosa seueritate prohibendo atque plectendo And the n Rom. 13. apostle signifieth That we pay tribute for that they are gods ministers and do him in this point seruice And subiectes as the p Tit. 3. apostle teacheth are to Yeeld obedience to princes viz. that all may concurre to this end that the state may bée preserued in tranquillitie If then our Iebusites and priestes and their consorts the recusants and Cananites
now there is but one faith as there is but one baptisme and one God as the c Ephes 4. apostle teacheth vs. And this is the faith which the apostles and prophets haue taught and which wée in the church of England do professe Remember I say that true faith is Christes faith and apostolike faith It is not the popes faith nor his determinations nor vncertaine traditions It hath no other foundation but the doctrine of Christ and his apostles and holy prophets Beware therefore of the pretended cacolike Romish faith that hath no grounde but in the popes determinations nor support but lies fraude and violence If the doctrine and traditions of popish priests come not from Christ Iesus which is the foundation of our religion but is drawne out of vncertaine legendes and resteth on the popes determination remember what the apostle teacheth in this point If any man saith a Galat. 1. hée preach vnto you otherwise then that you haue receiued let him bee accursed Beléeue not euery spirite For many deceiuers are gone out into the worlde If any bring any doctrine not deduced out of holy Scripture suspect him and examine him and thou shalt finde him faultie And aboue all thinges beware of new doctrines For wée haue but one faith which hath his originall from Christ the fountaine of truth life Profanas vocum nouitates saith the b 1. Tim. 6. apostle deuita And if wée may not vse new termes or words in matters of faith then may we not receiue any newe articles of religion It is the part of true catholikes to adhere to holy fathers and to auoide nouelties as saith c Aduers haeres c. 36. Vincentius Lirinensis Nowe what fathers more holy then the prophets and apostles that are the fathers of fathers and the foundation of the church If the doctrine of poperie be for the most part a packe of old and newe heresies as hath bin shewed thée why shouldst thou bée abused by false teachers Why shouldst thou bée desirous as distempered stomackes are to feed vpon vnholesome doctrine Graues sunt haereticorum morsus saith Saint d In Euangel Luc. lib. 7. c. 10. Ambrose qui ipsis grauiores rapaciores bestijs nullum abaritiae finem impietatÃsque nouerunt They looke faire vpon thée but bite déepely They promise true religion and catholike faith but teach heresies and damnable opinions They come vnto thée with shéepes clothing and pretend sauing of soules but inwardly they are rauening woolues and séeke to destroie both thy body soule They giue thée honie but it is deliuered thée vpon a swordes point that when thou thinkest to licke honie thy hart may bée pearced with a sharpe pointed sword If the synagogue of Romanistes bée not the true church why takest thou delight to heare her teachers or to embrace her erronious doctrine Why doest thou not come out of Babylon Wilt thou remaine in her confusion and be partaker of her plagues Why shouldest thou go vp to Bethauen or delight in the congregation of wicked idolaters e Hoseae 4. Go not vp I say to Bethauen f 1. Cor. 10. flie Idolatrie g Apocal. 18. Come out of Babylon It is not I onely but Christ Iesus that calleth thée out of this confusion If thou wilt not heare him nor know him bée assured hée will not knowe thée nor heare thée It is not the pope that can saue thée nor his decretals that can warrant thee Leaue therefore the synagogue of satan and resort to Gods true church Forsake antichrist and adhere to Christ Quisquis saith Saint h Epist 152. Augustine ab ecclesia catholica abfuerit quantumuis laudabiliter se viuere existimet hoc solo scelere quòd à Christi vnitate disiunctus est non habebit vitam sed ira Dei manet super eum As without Noes arke in time past all flesh was drowned so there is no safetie out of Christes church And bée not lightly deceiued with the name of the church For antichrist as the i 2. Thes 2. apostle telleth vs shall sit in Christes church And with his followers as Saint Augustine teacheth vs shall bée accounted to bée the true church viz. by such as are abused The synagogue of satan in time past did take on them the name of Iewes and falshood is often set out with a faire lustre and shew of truth All Christians haue an interest in true religion Why then shoulde any suffer the damnable doctrine of poperie that is so full of heresies and erronious opinions Why shoulde any suffer the Scriptures to bée taken from the people of God so that they shall no more bée suffered to read them and in lieu thereof receiue the popes determinations and the synagogues of Romes traditions Can any true Christian indure the abominable idole of the masse where the bread and cup is adored for God or the idolatrous worship of Romish Babylon Those that honour God those hée will honour and such as are luke-warme and care not what religion they haue those God will cast out of his mouth as a lothsome race of atheistes and wicked men If religion mooue not euerie man yet if hée remember the slauerie of popish gouernment and how preiudiciall it is to princes to the nobilitie to the commons and all sortes of people hée will not much bée enamored of it The magistrate may not suffer either his authoritie to bée disputed of or doubted of or denied And yet the Iesuites and priestes and their adherents are suffred to teach and to do all this as appéereth by their answeres to the sixe Interrogatories by their cases of conscience and by their doctrine and actions Nay most boldly albeit secretly they practise against the life and state of her Maiestie as many particulars do shewe Happie are they that they haue encountred with such a prince and yet let them beware they abuse not her clemencie too farre For no state can stande where such contumacious and rebellious mates liue in open contempt of authoritie and lawes It behooueth also all them that carrie the sworde to looke that not onely Christ his shéepe bée defended from woolues but also that the state bée defended and maintained against professed traytors and rebels that lurke in all corners They haue not a sworde committed to them for naught But to the ende they may defende the quiet and peaceable subiect and roote out the wicked rebellious traytor Treason and notorious coÌ„tumacie against lawes cannot long be endured in any common-wealth Neither can magistrates in this case bée too watchfull God hath detected many secret conspiracies and attempts against her Maiestie and the state yet let vs not presume too farre vpon his goodnesse The way to settle peace to confirme the state to preuent all such trecherous attempts is to stop the head of rebellion and treason and to roote out all seditious priestes and Iebusites from whence all our troubles for this 43. yéeres