AN ANSWERE TO THE LAST TEMPEST AND VILLANIE OF THE League vpon the slanders which were imprinted by the same against the French king INTITVLED A Declaration of the crimes whereinto the Catholikes do fall in taking the king of Nauarre his part Translated out of French into English by T.H. SIC CREDE Printed at London for Cuthbert Burby and are to bee solde at his shop vnder Saint Mildreds Church in the Poultrie 1593. ARTICLES BY diuine and humane right HENRIE of Bourbon ought to be acknowledged of all kings princes Lordes and common-wealths of Christendome especially of the naturall French-men the most christian king of Frāce and Nauarre 2 And so as he ought to be assisted by them in his defence against the Spaniard chiefe of the League who is risen vp to suppresse the libertie as well of the Church as of the French gouernment 3 All those which do discharge themselues of such a dutie do obey the commaundement giuen by the prophets Iesus Christ and his Apostles 4 All those which doo the contrarie are declared to be seditious mutinous and rebellious by the expresse word of God and by the holy Articles of the holy Catholique and Christian church 5 They also declare themselues enimies of nature and violaters of the fundamentall lawes of the realme 6 By their loosenes rebellion treason they tread downe his honour dignitie and the excellencie of his name 7 They manifest themselues fauters of heretikes murderers of their king vsurpers and destroiers of his Crowne 8 Consequently they are scismatiques diuiding in peeces the three estates of the realme the which they doo perpetually desolate and send the poore soules into euerlasting destruction 9 They are execrable periurers breaking the oath which they owe to God to their king to their Countrie 10 They cause this realme to be stinking and infamous to all the nations of the world by their vnnaturall and dishonest rebellion 11 All naturall French-men which doo studie to giue themselues to the obseruation of the three first Articles declare themselues faithfull and affectionated to the glorie of God to the defence of his religion and to the conseruation and good of their Countrie AN ANSWERE TO THE last tempest and villanie of the League vpon the slanders which were imprinted by the same against the French King intituled A Declaration of the crimes whereinto the Catholiques doo fall in taking the king of Nauarre his part IN the yeere of our Lorde God 1585. saith the League Apo 13 came forth of the depth a hideous monster which hauing vndertaken to combat with beate down the state of France tooke for material sword the mines of gold and siluer hidden within the mountaines and dens of the new world Afterwardes the yron and steele of the Pirenee and Alpe mountaines together with the most faire exquisite and most excellent worke that the superficies of the earth could produce out of the regions of Spaine Portugall Piemont Italy Scicilia and Sardaigne with a great number of other Isles and Prouinces By this the general conducter of the leagued band pretended and deliberated to vsurpe not onely the kingdomes of France England and Scotland but all other of Christendome From the which practised tyrannie is nothing else proceeded but a ridiculous dwarfe like to the teeming of the mountaines in olde time And sithence it is come to passe that the desperate children of Moab finding their naturall weapon to be short thought good to take the spirituall of Balaam thereby to tourne awaie the French-men from the obedience which they owe to their prince Num. 22. euen as the false prophet woulde haue caused the people of Israel to turne from their obedience which they did owe to God Also heere ought not to bee omitted the superlatiue craft and subtilty which they haue vsed going about to drawe the Germanes to take their part namely those of the confession of Ausbourge the which they hold for heretikes To whome Pope Sixtus caused to be tolde that if they would acknowledge the dignitie of his seate that in other things he would declare them tollerable Yea euen vnto a Councell By this meanes the League begging as well with the good as with the wicked haue practised the saying of the Poet Flectere si nequo superos Achaeronta mouebo Virg. If I cannot bend the Gods of heauen to helpe me I will prouoke the deuils of hell The demonstration of which iniquities are therefore most necessary seeing that these leaguers wold do in like sort to the noble men of France which accompanie the king as the dragons of India doe to the Elephants when as by dazeling them they cause them to fall Fearing then that some such accident should happen to anie the well affectionate towardes the king Plin. li. 8. ca. 12. wee shoulde cause in like sorte that these dragons may sall themselues beeing quashed asunder vnder the Elephants when as by these refutations and answeres which wee produce against the Articles of this traiterous seditious and leagued Monke shall bee maintained the iust vocation of those which are armed as well for the defence of their king as of their Countrie The which Articles are thirteene in number And as for the first he sayth that the Catholikes helping the king these are his tearmes doe against the commaundement and expresse word of God in confirmation whereof hee alleadgeth seuen textes out of the holy Scripture afterwardes holding it for a thing knowen and confessed that the king is an heretike he pretendeth to maintaine his consequence that is that he is vncapable and vnworthie to succeede the crowne of France Now let vs see whether this be to the matter or whether he turneth awaie from the same texts as a prophane man or not And first to proue in generall the falsehoode of these Articles which concerne all the crime of heresie from the which this slanderer of dignities doth accuse his king We saie that the vice called by the Dialecticians Petitio principij doth declare a manifest ignorance Iud. ver 8. in the arte of disputing that is when one would argue and affirme without proofe or reason And passing further we adde that there commeth a deuillish rage between when the truth is called a lie Within the which two vices this Leaguer and pretended great disputer doth throw down himselfe headlong from all speech If hee obiecteth that the king hath beene iudged and declared an heretike by the Ecclesiasticall Romanes little children will answere him that the contrarie partie cannot bee iudge also that the accused ought to be heard before he bee condemned If he replieth that all this hath beene done let him saie when But hee knoweth not Euen as the house of Lorraine and the Romane Consistorie shal testifie which hauing enterprised to put the Crowne vppon the Guise his head had neede of the false pretence of heresie thereby to take it from the king But let vs come to the point All the
neither iust nor reasonable to vse the same rigour forme and fashion to a soueraigne Prince beeing the lieuetenant of God as is vsed to his subiects amongst others the example of Dauid sufficeth as a witnesse And in the third place for to speake the truth such principals of the people haue not bene punished for the cause of heresie but rather and principally for the cause of their fornication being qualified euen as Saint Paul declareth to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10. where alledging this historie he onely maketh mention of the aforesayde fornication the which idolatrie hath not beene accounted but as accessarie seeing that the intention of these back-sliders was not to commit idolatrie but onelie to commit fornication Beholde then the allegation of this text is altogether from the matter and verie foolishly and falsely applyed Of the selfe same nature is the interpretation which thou giuest of that which followeth out of S. Math. 18 Matthew where our sauiour Christ would haue him holden for an heathen man which will not obey the church and also out of the which text thou drawest the like conclusion The answere is that there he speaketh of particulars and not of soueraigne magistrates Secondly of an ecclesiasticall censure and not of a politike Thirdly the being taken for a pagan did not nor yet doth take a waie the politike rightes of this world which the Lorde giueth as well to princes as to their subiectes The interpretation then which thou giuest to this text is altogether repugnant to the intent of the spirite of God Chro. 21 To this may bee applyed sayest thou the example of the towne of Libna belonging to the Leuites which reuolted from king Ioram because of his idolatrie Wherefore the holy historie sayth that he had forsaken the Lorde God of his fathers To proue then that such an example is nothing at all to the matter but rather tending to mutinie and rebellion the reasons are these The king hath not forsaken the God of his fathers and to proue that this is true the holy Scripture doth describe and propose the same God vnto vs to be creator of all the world Gen. 1. the redeemer of them which beleeue in him and obey him according as hee hath commanded in his worde Eph. 1. they then which doo so acknowledge this onely God of our fathers Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ Matth. 11 by whom onely he hath reconciled the world to himself following all the mysteries of our redemption 1. Cor. 5 which they ought to perfite and accomplish in him the onely Christ Act. 4.12 Forasmuch as there is no other name vnder heauen by the which men may be saued This father of Iesus Christ and of all faithfull Christians is the God of our fathers as the heauenly oracles doe witnes vnto vs. Now the king beleeueth in him as such a God approueth him as such a one wherevppon it followeth that hee hath not forsaken the God of our fathers Secondly thou oughtest to know that the contract of alliance betweene God and the Iewes did more concern diuine religion than humane policie Wherfore there was such a reciprocate subiection required betweene the kings of Iuda and theyr subiectes as a thing that was not else where And for the last poynt Ioram pretended to cause the people to commit idolatrie against God the which our king would neuer do nor practise Thou turnest awaie then from this example as also from the two following 1. King 15. 2 King 11. of Maacah and Athalia which thou doest associate with him And as for the first let it be considered that she was a subiect deposed for idolatrie and not a soueraigne and that in the Country of Iuda And as for the other she was a traitor and an vniust vsurper of the crowne which had massacred the two inheritours of the realme and therefore was forsaken of those which did belong vnto her hauing the gouernment of the yong king Ioas. This was then the vniust vsurpation of a kingdome that was the occasion of this wicked womans death and not heresie Heere ought I to speake one worde and one for all of the pretended eloquence but I will leaue it vnto the young Orators and those wicked wretches who desire to shew vnto the world Howsoeuer it bee they care not the smoakie stinking exhalations of the same the which thou doest euaporate at all times as well in this thy first Article as also in those that followe thereby to discharge thy Prince Thou makest the qualitie of the vessel to be knowen by the stinking smell that commeth forth of it The names signifie the things I will content my self to vse simplicitie and sinceritie according to the property of the truth aduertising thee that verba voces non leniunt dolorem Wordes and voices do not asswage griefe And by thy maiesticall iniurious speeches thou doestaccuse the king to haue vsed many and diuers actes of hostilitie in the warres which hee hath had heretofore Vppon the which thou canst not denie these two tryed truthes the one that he hath had a iust calling and necessarie occasion to defende himselfe against the forces of Guyfe his enemie and the other that hee hath by diuerse sufferances and alterations in comparison playd the part of an Angell whilest that they playd with him the part of a Deuill vntill that time that by such proceedinges you haue obiected against him that hee hath vsed subtletie to get aswell the good opinion of one as of another But goe in one accorde your floutes and let vs see the last poynt of of this Article which is contained in the first to the Cor. where the Apostle doth reprehend the faithful Christians 1. Cor. 6 which hauing matters of controuersies amongst them go to plead them before Iudges being Infidels not among themselues showing them that it was euil done to submit themselues to the iudgment of Infidels that they rather ought to take the least amongst them appoint them for their Iudges Wherupon this Ligall Doctor saith that it is a very reprochfull thing to Catholickes to receiue him for king which is now in the kingdome the which he calleth more outragiously than before one that is falne a relapse an Apostata frō the Christian religion concluding that the Catholickes ought rather to chuse the least amongst themselues to bee theinking than to submitte themselues vnder the yoke tyrannical gouernment of an Heretike Thou saiest all this But if the heauens should fall what a noise would there be Neuertheles yet let vs examine the fame The agreement of the personages as thou comparestable in one with another doth prooue that the thing of it selfe i◠nothing at all alike nor to the matter for to compare the particular scandale which the Corinthians did giue in going to pleade their matters before heathen Iudges with the generall right due to Infidell Princes that doth nothing at all
repentant for being wrapped within the aboue named condemnation of Chore Num. 16 who will denye that they haue not had iust occasion to doe this But because thou louest bloud thou wouldest induce it to the example of Herode to the ende that they maye bring thee a thousand heades to dedicate them vnto the same sacrifices as Busiris did when hee sacrificed his hostes to Iupiter Take heede that thou art not taken as the Dragons are Plin lib. â— cap. 12. which sucke vp so much bloud from the Elephant that they make themselues drunke and so they dye This is nowe aunswered and sayde vppon the generallitie of thy question And nowe I come to the particular poynte where thou doest alleadge two quotinges of Scripture for the vpholding and maintenaunce of thy lewd and wicked swearing the one out of the nineteenth Chapiter of Leuiticus Leuit. 19. Deut. 23. and the other out of the three and twentith of Deuteronomie In the first it is sayde You shall not sweare by my name in telling of lyes And in the second it is sayde Thou shalt performe thy vowes which thou hast vowed vnto the Lorde thy God Wherevnto I aunswere that in such preceptes and other suche lyke alwayes two thinges are to bee vnderstoode and forbidden The first is that there bee no euill kinde of swearing suche as is when any one bindeth himselfe to vndertake execute some wicked things And secondly that wee ought alwayes to rule and square our oathes to the will of God specified in his worde for if one offereth him the price of a dogge Deut 23. it will be vnto him abhomination much more then the bloud of mankind the which notwithstanding this Monke of the league desireth aboue all thinges This beeing heere admitted the third text which thou alledgest out of the fift chapter of Zacharie maketh clean against thy selfe Zacha. 5. seeing that it is a false kinde of swearing by the name of God when one sweareth otherwise than he hath commaunded and also when one sweareth to do euill Those which so prophane the name of God ought to feare the curse and iudgement which thou talkest of but those which do obey him need nothing at all to feare Thy proposition then is found altogether to bee false and wicked And to this ende praising and approuing the massacre which the Iacobine frier thy brother coÌ„mitted thou sayst thus of the last king that God hath confounded him as if God the deuill had conspired together such an abhominable facte Doest thou not drawe vpon thy selfe the vengeaunce of God in iustifiyng of such wicked crimes The weapons of iniquitie are in your habitations sayth Iacob Gen 49. Cursed be your wrath and furie for it is impudent and wicked Thou wouldest bee ignoraunt of this that the murderers shall not inherite the kingdome of God Gal. 5. Canst thou better iustifie the moste horrible massacre of the Pagans Thou wilt alleadge heere the example of Pope Sixtus thy soueraigne which hath approued the same iniquitie by an expresse booke and thus much for this The tenth Article THe malcontent saith in this Article that the Catholickes which accompany the king do fall into perpetuall infamie and cause the kingdome likewise to be accounted infamous as two or three of his Canons dâ— import being framed to his minde This obiection I saye hath beene aunswered in the fift Article and heere onely will we adde that the infamie of a kingdome consisteth in the abuse of Religion ignorance Atheisme Epicurisme schismes rebellions barbarous actions cruelties and lewd riotousnes in the trade of which iniquities the children of the league are most skilfull yea euen without comparison of any others As the proceedinges in receiuing the Spanyardes into Fraunce doe witnesse to whose credit these traitors of all men most wretched and infamous do sell theyr libertie and the libertie of their kinsfolkes wiues and children without taking any pledge of them for the same Can ther be a more infamous thing thoght of then this as so to yeeld themselues as slaues with reioicing of heart to the Spanyards To the end to be one day handled by him not onely after the manner as Pharao in olde time vsed the Israelites in Egypt But in like manner as hee himself handleth vseth the Mores aswel those of Africa as of India And thus maye the infamous of the kingdome be easily discerned which are not those which woulde defend and deliuer it from such hardshippe and slauish seruitâ—de Alas it is knowne wel enough that men naturally do loue their owne libertie from whence proceeded this ancient prouerbe which sayth that libertie is better than all the golde in the worlde Neuertheles these madde people enemies to themselues would be ridde of it as of a thinge of small value or price Wherefore this doth verefie that if there be any infamous wretch in the worlde that thou art he which by thy vnnaturall precepts dost cause the holye Christian religon so farre forth as in thee lyeth to be had in execration and holden in contempt of all barbarous people which can but reade thy prophane writinges tending altogether to the desolation and ruine of thine owne countrey The eleuenth Article LEt vs passe the reste of the Articles and come vnto the eleuenth which importeth that the aforesayde Catholickes doe betraye theyr Mother Church in suche sorte as Iudas did his maister Christ or as Sonnes that will not succour theyr mother when as one woulde strangle or choake her And afterwards comming to the application this Criminall Iudge calleth the king the capitall enemie of the Church and the Catholickes which followe him his hang-men denyers of Christianitie companyons of Nembroth and more barbarous and vnnaturall than the Scithians To beginne mine aunswere with I woulde haue thee first assure thy selfe that thou wilt bee garnished with defaulte of proofes as much as euer any man was that hath made a trade of dawbing paper Verefie thy propositions by good textes and argumentes and if it commeth to passe that thou hast any reason it shall bee graunted but if contrarywise then the lawe is agaynst thy selfe And if beeing not willing to proceede anye further then holde thy peace for thou declarest thy selfe to bee vnworthie of anye writing or aunswere For the which purpose sirst I heere aunswere thee that the diuerse charges and different callinges ought to bee distinguished to the ende that the Shoomaker maye not meddie with the Taylor nor the Blacke-smith with the Locke-smith Nowe if the Mechanicall artes doe require such an obseruation much more then those of liberall sciences and a great deale more those sciences and diuersities of estates which concerne the generall and publike administrations of the worlde Euen as the Apologie of Ioathan doth teach vs Iudg. 9. saying that the Olyue tree dooth contente her selfe with her fatnesse and the figge tree with her sweetnesse without that that either of them dooth trouble each others tree
Signifiyng thereby that euerie one ought to contente himselfe and to follow his vocation vnto the which the Lorde hath called him without busying himselfe in anye other mens for feare least some greeuons punishment shoulde fall vpon him according to the example of Ozias king of Iuda 2. Chro. 20. who was striken with leprosie when as hee woulde haue vsurped the office of the high Priest which did altogeather belonge and appertayne vnto the children of Aaron Euen so then the Bishoppe ought to contente hymselfe with his Ecclesiasticall administration and the Nobleman onely with the handling of his sworde So then when euerie tree shall contente it selfe with the qualitie of his owne fruite shall all thinges goe well This beeing heere graunted as necessary rightfull and reasonable what will this Leaguerer saye when as hee tormenteth hymselfe so diuerslye agaynst the Noblemen which doe not take vppon them at his will and pleasure the affayres of the Romish Religion for to defende it without anye further knowledge the passions of his prelates to the vtter ruine and ouerthrowe of theyr king of themselues and of theyr countrey The which they haue taken vppon them to defende leauing the disputations of Religion vnto Diuines And thus much for the first aunswere And nowe to the seconde where I hope to contente the Reader with reasons of some force taken from the holie Scriptures and not from lyes and false suppositions according to thy fashion And that wee maye the better doe this lette vs knowe what this worde Catholicke Church dooth meane and what are the markes and who are the true members of the same This knowledge is heere most necessarie forasmuch as in the steade of the Christian Church instituted by Iesus Christ this Leaguerer dooth alwayes propose vnto vs a Romish Church containing the idolatries and superstitions of the Bishop of the same In thy opinion if Rome should be lost what would become of all Christendome Leauing then this abhominable errour to thinke anye further that the vniuersall Church hangeth on the Romane we wil speake of the thing that followeth the description which the holy Scripture maketh Ephe. 4. Rom. 8. Iohn 6. 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 5 calling the Christian Church an assembly of Saints being called according to the ordinance of God in Iesus Christ and gathered from all the nations of the worlde by the preaching of the Gospell to the ende that they maye obtaine life euerlasting Also the Apostles haue spoken in the same sorte of the Christian Church They haue called it the house of God the body of Christ the edification of the same body For the building and entertainement of the which Saynt Paule sayth that God hath giuen fiue sortes of men Eph 4. which are the Prophets Apostles Euangelistes Doctors and Pastors The same Apostles doe alwayes witnesse that Iesus Christ hath receyued this honour of his Father to bee the onely head and soueraigne Pastor of his Church Furthermore Ephe. 1. hearken what Saint Paule sayth God saith he hath set Iesus Christ at his right hande in the heauenly places and hath subiected all things vnder him that he might be the heade of the Church where wee ought to note this that the Apostle wrote this after that Iesus Christ was ascended into heauen To the ende that the Pope which hath inuested himselfe into the Empyre of this diuine tytle Col. 2. might not saye that after his ascension the Church shoulde neede an other heade The which if it had beene a thing that were necessary the Apostle woulde neuer haue omitted and let passe such an Article of so great importance This is then a monstrous thing 1. Pet. 5. to giue to the Church two heads and soueraigne pastors It is to bee seene also then that concerning the gouernment and conduction of the same the holy Scripture maketh no mention of the primacie of Rome when as otherwise it nameth it a reuolt and an Apostate 2. Thes 2 thereby to describe and make it seeme odious to all good and well disposed people To be briefe the holy Scripture doth represent the holy Catholike christian church as one entire bodie hauing the mēbers therof dispersed throughout the whole world of the which bodie Christ is the onely head and the Churches dispearsed heere and there are members of the same Ephe. 1 Seeing then that there is but one Catholike Church it followeth that the Church of Rome cannot be it but onely a parte as a member of the bodie These reasons and authorities doe maintaine that the abouesayd Catholikes are nothing at all traiterous to the Christian Church when as they defend themselues their king and their Countrie as well agaynst the Spaniard Italian Lorraine as also finally against the Leaguers of the Countrie be they ecclesiastical or others Besides that the Catholikes which are enimies to the leaguers will answere that it is sufficient for them to auouch and acknowledge for their spirituall mother Hierusalem Gal. 4 which is on high which is free and called in the holy scriptures the mother of vs all they haue nothing then to doe with the terrestriall which is below 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 4. and which ingendereth her children vnto bondage declared by Saint Paul to be enimies to the Church and not the others It is sufficient for Christians to be of the Christian church described by the Apostles in the which we consider three principall markes Rom. ◠The first consisteth in the doctrine as well of the lawe as of the Gospel being well applied and vnderstood The second in the right vsage of the Sacramentes The third in the obedience to the doctrine and ministrie therof when thou canst not denie but that by the wicked office and tyrannie of the Popes the essentiall markes of all things most necessarie to Christian religion are wanting for the most parte as hath beene amplie shewed vnto you in the discourse dedicated to the Nobilitie where hath beene prooued that yee haue lefte none of the Articles of the faith pure nor intire and that if there bee anie heretikes in the worlde thou and thy companions are they namely 1. Cor. 1. who by your traditions haue buried the benefites of the passion death resurrection and ascention of Iesus Christ which God onely hath made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Thus leauing this fountaine yee send your schollers to the Italian parchments bulles and traditions of Rome and yet notwithstanding thou giuest the allarum and causest fyre to come forth from the brambles Iudg. 9. to burne those that will not augment and defend thy cookerie together with thy tyrannie and Spanish inquisition and doest call the refusers of such treasons and cruelties heretikes and vnbeleeuers agaynst the Church sayth the pilgrime But thou oughtest to knowe that these good people are appointed to defend the veritie and puritie of christianitie and not the abuse of the Romish Church This beeing