TWo principall thinges in euerie Cōmon weale haue at all tymes bene especially esteemed and taken for the chief. both which now in this our age throughout al Chri­stendom the desperat boldnes of certaine most wicked persons hath disturbed: I meane, Religion, and Peace.

The question of God allmightie his true Religiō prophaned, I leaue to those men to handle, to whose custodie and cre­dite the holy Mysteries of Christian Re­ligion are, by the diuine Authoritie of Gods ordinance, committed: whose lear­ning, wit, and eloquence may further muche the defense of so weighty a mater, whose Profession, Authoritie and vertue, [Page] ought to be alwaies emploied about such Godlie affaires.

The other argument, that is, of Peace broken by Seditions, of Publike and good Order troubled, of Magistrates, vnder pretense of refourmation, contem­ned, of God and mans law offended and transgressed, y^t cause and lamētable mat­ter I had also at this time gladly omit­ted, leauing it to the handling of the elo­quente and wise, that are practysed in Publike affaires, grounded in knowlege of the lawes, and weightie Policies of Princes: had it not bene, that I was at this present first moued to take the rue­full Discours thereof in hand by the ear­nest request of such, to whome lightelie, without iust excuse, I may deny nothing: then, lead (as it were) thereto by hope and regard of your most courteouse gen­tellnes and patience (right worshipfull Audience) and finally drawen and dri­uen to speake by force of the hatred I bare to so vile and villanouse a mater, least, perhaps as by mine, so by all other mens silence so hainouse a thing should haue escaped quite vnspoken of.

[Page] For in very deed when I considered & weighed the matter w^t my self, mine opi­nion told me thus, That this right wor­thy Seat wherin I now stand, was wōt alwaies to be the place opē only to most eloquent Oratours, occupied most com­mōlie by most graue and auncient Doc­tors, whose accustomed maner hath bene to bring hither, and to poure into your most learned cares nothing but such stuf as was inuented by great wit, framed w^t much diligence, archeiued & finished with grauitie, iudgement, arte and eloquence. And as for me, were it so y^t I had al other thinges requisite to such a one that wor­thely might attempt this publike exercise and entrie of cōmendation in matters of learning: yet (to saie the verie truthe) I thought myne age scarse ripe enough for the graue rome of this so worshipfull a Place. And withal, besides these defectes, this also did put me in verie great feare, least as somtymes Demosthenes, y^t cheife Pere of al Greke eloquēce, framing hym self to speake in y^e presence of Philip king of the Macedons, happened in the very beginning of his Oration to stay, to lack [Page] vtterance & wordes, being astonied with the Royall Maiesty of so great a perso­nage: so in like sort I, addressing my selfe to talke in this so great an assēble of most learned Audiēce, shuld haue peraduēture the very same, or y^t like chaūce & fortune.

But this needelesse doubt, and feare, proceding of the fainte & bashfull shame­fastnesse of youth, was at length some­what dissolued by the comfortable exhor­tations of my frendes, and is now at last quite remoued and put away by the most chearefull sight of this your gentle pre­sence and pleasant countenances, where­with I fele sensibly my self to be mar­uelously now refreshed & prouoked, as it were, to speake boldly & with good cou­rage. For who wold be afraid to speak of Seditions in the presence of suche quiet persons? Against treasons, before moste faithful Subiects? Who would doubt in the hearing of Officers and Magistrates, to talke against tumultes, robbing, stea­ling, cōspiracies, cutting of throtes, spoi­ling of Countreis, burning of Cities, sacking of Churches, wicked sacrilege, & most impiouse contempt of thinges ap­pertaining [Page] to God, & finally against the very bane and pestilence of all commen­dable alliaunce and vnitie of Common weales, & the vtter ruine and destruction of all Ciuill Policy and good Order? For what one mā of you all (right honorable & worshipfull) wold gladly or willingly allow and beare suche & so hainous enor­mities in any Realme or Country?

I wil therfore go forward in my mat­ter & speake: yea, & now hauing gathered courage by y^e assured hope of your gentle patience, I wil say boldly, that the Pro­testantes of our time haue not done well in putting them selues in armes vnder colour of refourming Religion: y^t they haue done therein against all law, right and equitie, not without intolerable iniury, damage and wrong in euery res­pect to y^e Publike estate of Christendome. In this poynt consisteth y^e whole weight and cōtrouersy of the question y^t was ye­sterday (according to the custome of this schole) proponed to be the argumēt of my talke at this time.

I will first open and declare vnto you, y^t there was no cause or iust occasion, why [Page] these men shuld rise & make insurrection.

Then,1 that they toke weapon in hand without any authority, cōtrary to law, & in despite of al Magistrates and Rulers.

Last and finallie, [...] y^t they vsed thēselues to cruelly, & handled their swerd to blou­dily, to the greatest damage, hyndrance & losse, that euer was felt in Christendome.

With these limites and boundes I make, as it were, a trauerse and close my self within a circle, out of the cumpasse whereof the discourse and order of my talke shall not straie: that by these mea­nes both I, out of infinite matter that offreth it self in the hādling of this cause, may haue certen special pointes marked and chosen wherof I may treat, and also you, euen now before hand, may forsee & beare in mynd, in hearing what things, your learned eares are lyke to be em­ploied during myne Oration.

I deny vtterlie, y^t there was any good or reasonable cause, whie the founders & brokers of this new Gospel shuld be dri­uen or prouoked to put them selues in armes against the Catholikes. This is y^e first poynt wherof I promised to speake. [Page] Whiles in few wordes I declare & proue this vnto you, I humblie request you, w^t diligent attention to mark and geue ear.

It behoueth alwayes, y^t there be very great causes proued why, before chainge of lawes shuld be in any common weale procured: & in very deed it ought to be a maruelouse occasion & the greatest cause of all causes, whie the innouation of Re­ligion (being alway y^e very backebone of al Realmes both Christian and Heathen) shuld be attempted. But that either this or that should be don by force and armes, by warre & rebellion, by fier & swerd, by murder and bloudshed of the good and faithfull Subiectes, there can neuer any reason or sufficiente cause be alleged or brought why and wherefore.

I remēber, amōg many other notable lawes, wherwith in times past the Lo­rrenses ruled their cōmon weale, it was with great policy and wisdom ordained, y^t if any mā wold go about to procure ani thainge in the publike affaires of y^t estate, he shuld stand vp in a high place, & there hence speake his minde frely to the peo­ple, being then there assēbled about him: [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] but yet with this condition, that all the while he spake, he should haue a rope tied with a riding knot loose inough about his neck, the which rope should be so lōg, that the other end therof might lie on the ground betwene their feete that hard his discourse & deuise: to this effect, that, if in y^t end of his tale y^e people wer perswaded that it was for their cōmon cōmodity and profit, to make that chainge and innoua­tion as he had said, then he shoulde come downe without any harme, and be di­missed with muche commendation and fauor: els the Audience out of hād might pull the rope and reuenge with present death the rash attempt and seditious en­terprise of such a one as wythout good cause, bestowed his busy braine about chainges and alterations.

If it had pleased the Princes and Ru­lers of y^e world in this our time to haue established and practised this lawe, we should haue no nede now to sighe at the sight of so miserable a confusion, disorder and troublous ruffling of all things. We should not haue sene of late, and yet see this so lamētable an estate of the world. [Page] so many Warres, Tumultes, Slaugh­ters, Ruines, so many Churches sup­pressed, so many Townes ouerturned. finally we should not now rue so many wicked Sacrileges cōmitted in propha­ning of Gods Mysteries, & sacred things appertaining to his Honor and Seruice.

But alas it was free, without any feare of the rope for these authors and fo­sterers of Sectes, frankly and boldly to perswade with the people, and bestowe their wordes as they liste. And would God they had staied there, and had dis­bursed nothing but vernished woordes: they wente further from Woordes to Woundes and Blowes. They hadde the Word in their mouthes, the Sword in their handes: their Word sounded peace, theyr Sword coyned war: their peace serued for a guylful cloke to couer crafte and deceyt, their war was em­ployed to execute violence, crueltie and murder. Was there none other mea­nes to plant that bluddy Gospell, but to attēpt Reformatiō in y^e state of y^e Churche by ciuil warres, insurrections and Re­bellion? Put vp thy sword in the sheth, [Page] saied Christ to S. Peter: Oute with thy sword for the Gospell, sayeth the new Gospeller. There was a Companie of desperat & wicked personnes y^t ran lyke mad men vp and down the streates of Paris with glistering naked swordes in theyr handes,Claud. de Sain­ctes du Saccage­ment des egli­ses. fol. 57. and cried out, the Gospel, the Gospell: when they meant nothing els, but to bring a sort of cursed Sectes and wicked Heresies into the Realme.

It was not (I assure you honorable & worshipfull) it was not the Gospel they brought, except they hold it for a Gos­pel to cut in pecies, to sacke, spoile and quite to ouerthrow w^t blowes & naked sword all y^e y^e Euangelistes buylded w^e y^e Word. It was not Gods quarell at all: that bloudy bickering was neuer taken in hand for Gods sake. And in this be­half I call to wittnes euen the self same man, that was our most earnest & fierce aduersarie in this question, who was y^e occasion of al our calāmitie, and was the Author and maker of this lamentable Tragedie. In this matter, I say, I call thee, frier Luther to witnes. For out of whose mouth (I pray thee) fell y^t worthie [Page] saieng in the noble assemble of y^e learned and honorable at Lipsia:Luth. i [...] disput. Lipsic. 1519. test. D. Empser. D. [...]ck. & Legat. tum ibi praes. Neither was this matter euer begonne for Gods quarell, nother shalbe ended for Gods sake. O noble sentence, and worthie in deed to come out of his mouth, that would be called y^e heauenly Prophere, y^e third Eli­as, y^e fifth Euāgeliste. Was this matter, say you, neuer begonne for Gods sake? I beleue it wel. What was then y^e cause, I pray you good syr. y^t ye made so cruel, so long, so deadlie warre against y^e Chri­stians, y^t ye sticked not to trouble al Christendome w^t ciuil barayle, w^t insurrectiōs & vprores, w^t tumultes, seditiō, & rebel­lion? y^t ye could find in your hartes, to fight against your own parētes, & your own childrē, against your Rulers & ma­gistrates, yea & against y^e church of christ?

War ought neuer to be made without most waighty occasion. For it is y^t part of a wise mā to try all meanes & waies, ra­ther thē to lay hād on his weapon: but y^t mē shuld fight at home in their own coū ­trie against their own felows, their own neighbors, their own parēts, there is no reson nor cause y^t euer cā be foūd for it: or [Page] surely if any be, it is this, that it be don by Cōmission & lawful authority for Gods honor, for Gods sake only, & for none o­ther respect: & you, sir Luther, do flatly, (and yet most truly) deny, that these your doinges were for any suche reipect at all.

If I were able to say nothing in this matter, but this y^t thou thy self saiest for me, yet out of doubt, by y^t verdict & iuge­mēt of al honest, wise, & indifferēt men, I should preuail in this cause, and proue al your sect to be seditious, rash, cruel, wic­ked, traiterous against God & man, for y^t without any iust occasiō, ye haue so long & so cruelly troubled the whole estate of Christendō. But you say, y^• faith was wel nigh quite quēched, & out of the Church. It is a wonderous matter ye speake of. Christ praied for S. Peter, that his Faith shuld neuer faile. And wil ye say, he praid in vaine, lost his labor, and could not ob­tain his prayer? that were iniury and re­proche to the sonne of God. The holye Ghost came downe from heauen into the Church here militant on earth, to teache her al truth. Hath he not taught her? you blaspheme the holy Ghost, so to say.

[Page] But goe to: let it be graunted that, as you imagine all maner of fonde & absurd thinges, so you thought in this poynte with no lesse madnesse, that the Christian Faith was lost, or at least that Christian Religion being nigh outworne and spēt before your happy daies needed to be re­stored by such excellent, graue, godly, and wise men as you were, replenished with all maner of knowledge, vertue and hea­uenly giftes of the sprite.

To be short, your purpose was, ye say, to refourme the Christian Faith. Howe then? When you could not therin preuail, nor perswade the people, that was some­what stubburn and stiffenecked perhaps as you iudged, did you thinke it the best way by and by with gonneshot, and by­tels to beat and driue the faith into their heades?

Who euer being in his right wit did thinke, that any thing might be perswa­ded by force? Men vse to perswade the minde and not the bodye: but it is moste certaine, that the minde, as it maye be bent, led, and induced by reason, so by stripes, blowes & buffets it can neuer be [Page] compelled and constrained. But it was a carnal Religion y^t these flesshly Gos­pellers brought and taught, & therefore they dyd what they could to driue it in­to mens braynes with strokes, and to prick it into mens flessh with swordes, dags, and daggers. It may be, ye were muche offended w^t the vitiouse maners and ill liuing of men now a dayes. In good faith and so were we. there is no honest Catholike man that euer was de­lighted therwith. But yet when we saw that it was very hard fully to cleanse & purge anie one familie or how shold frō all maner of synnes & sores, we thought it a matter of far greater difficultie & importance, to amend the faultes & heale y^e wondes of al the whole corps of Chri­stēdom together. therfore of necessity, be cause we could not remedie y^t desperat case by reason of the multitude, we bore w^t y^t cōmon and vulgare Deceases and vices of al sortes of men, the cure wherof was more past hope, and did take them patientlye, but yet surely not without great greif and sorow to see them & open preaching cōtinuallie against them. But [Page] you (sowr Checkmasters & most bitter Controllers of maners) went about, lyke Iudges sent from heauen or Physitions dropte owt of the skyes, to cōdēne and cut of with sword, & burn with fire and gunpowder all at a pushe y^e faultes and folies of the whole world together.

Yf ye had bene officers hauing Com­missiō and authoritie so to doe, yet your Iudgement and processe could not be excused herein from exceding crueltie and raishnes: but where it appeareth ye were but flingbraynes & light Iackstrawes hauing no authoritie at al, y^t toke vppō you, without any examinatiō, without processe of law, without any sentence, to condemne al Christendome, to rack it, to punish it, and with most greuouse and painefull tormentes to teare and turne vpsyde down y^e whole world: what shall I call this but a bloudy Butcherie, a haynous wickednes, a dyuelish dealing, an impietie neuer to be pardoned? O but (say you) the Catholikes did lyue viti­ously, the Cleargie were out of order, the Princes and Rulers ruled not as they should: yea & there were manie ceremo­nies in y^e Churche y^t we could not brook.

[Page] I assure you these be greuous & weighty Inditementes. Who laid them in, I pray you? Who but you, the worst men, & naughtiest liuers y^• euer trode on earth? What blames the theefe Verres his mate? Quid fur accusat Verrem, homici­da Milo­nem? Or cutthrote falles with Miles at bate.

The third Elias him self did playnlye confesse, that the manners of men were far more vitious vnder his Gospel, then euer they wer before vnder y^e Popedome. He hath said it. It is not lawful to gain­say y^e same.Georg. Wicel. in retect. Luth. & Luth. in sua po­stilla su. Dō: 1. aduētus. But if any of y^e disciples dare deny that, which this theyr great master Pythagoras sayde, the beddes are yet warme wherin these gospellers lay with other mennes wiues: the Townes and Cities smoke yet of the fire, wherewith they burned houses: the earth is moiste at this houre with the bloude of manye good subiectes whome they haue slaine: theyr Purses do swel, and are yet at this present puft vp with the goods they ga­thered, and gaines they got by roberies, Simonye, and Extortion.

Shew forthe thy brasen face, Martin Luther, and saye if thou dare, that thou art an honester and better man, then the [Page] vertuous and graue Fathers and Pre­lates of the Catholike Churche:Edict Worm. Carol. 5. contr. Luth. An. 1521. Resp. Regis Ang. ad ep. Lut. ep. ad Duces Saxon. Lut. li. cont. R [...] Angl. Edict. Re. Polo con. Lu­theranos I wyll out of hād bring in against thee, the pub­like Edict that the most noble Charles the fift our late foueraigne Emperour of happy memory, made againste thee at Wormes: the witnesse of the greate and mightye Henry the eight King of Eng­land, whose sacred Royall crowne (be it spoken here with leaue) thou, like a slut­tish slaue, vauntest, thou wouldst anoynt with durt and donge of thy dronken bo­dy: The decree of the most renoumed Si­gismund king of Pole: and by these eui­dences I wil by and by conuince thee, & proue that thou art worthy to be caste, of Rebellion, Sedition, Sacrilege, Impie­ty, Heresy: Finally of all manner of wic­ked vices and hainous offences that can raigne in a man. What canst thou lay a­gainst these witnesses, who were, at that time, the noblest, the best, the worthiest of credite, of all that liued in our daies?

Theese worthy Princes Proclamati­ons and Publike Edictes sette oute a­gainste thy Wickednesse and Naughtye [Page] behauioure, are euery where in euery mans hande published in print to the vewe and sight of the whole world.

Come vp againe hither frō hell, if thou canst Ihon Caluine, & tel truth seing al y^e world knoweth, y^t thou diddest kepe y^e space of fiue yeares together a Nunne, who was a Renegate out of y^e Nūnerie called Veilmur:This is writen in a frenche boke inti­tled Pas­sauant Parisien printed at Paris in S. Ia­mes streat at the sig­ne of the Elephāt. A. 1559. y^t thou diddest paye two crownes a moneth for her borde in the towne out of y^t poore mens boxe of Ge­neua, vppon condition she should come euery day to make thy bedde and learne her lesson out of thy Gospell, & practize how to beare y^e burden of wedlocke pa­tiently: and at last, when she was great w^t childe by thee, and had now caried a­bowt y^e burden of her bealie three or fo­wer monethes, that thou didst bestow vppon an Apostate Chanon dwelling at Losanna thereby, both the cow and the calf in mariage, a Gods name, as thou calleste it, but honest mē were euer wont to call it sacrilegiouse whoordome.

Denie,See the preface of Beza his confessiō. if thou dare, Theodore Beza, y^•, according to y^• Gospell of thy Apostle & master Simō Magus, thou diddest sell twise to two diuers mē for readie monie [Page] thy spiritual liuinges, whereof thou had­deste in Fraunce many more then thou were worthy of, for the which thy lewd and duble dealing the byers that bought thy benefices, hauing now by the lawe lost them, procured thee to be denoūced excommunicate, and to be proclaimed for a notoriouse Excommunicate person by the Erier, about all the market places of Paris: Denie, if thou canste for shame, that now at this present in Losanna thou keepest, vnder the false name of pre­tensed mariage, in filthie adulterie, the wife of a poore Taylor, who, excepte he be lately dead, dwelleth yet in the Har­pestreate at Paris:Mistresse beautie. That when she (her name, as thou calleste her, is Mistres Candida) fledde to Hewlo the common Stewes at Paris from her housbande (because, hauing taken her in adulterie he had geuen her a gaishe with a knyfe in the hip, and because she had bene put in prison, for that she fetchte a friscoll, when she was merily dawn [...]ing in a wine tauerne w^t her customers, and sayd, hoighe one leape more for all Christen soules) thou cammest thither to visy [...] [Page] and comfort her, and to currie fauor, and when thou haddeste made a filthie boke of vile and bawdie verses and rimes in her prayse, at length thou tokeste her a­way the rehence, and hauinge made a greate purse of mony, by Simonie, Sa­crilege and spoilinge of Churches, thou cariedst her away with thee to Geneua, where Caluine sollennized a mariage betwen you. As for thy other most wic­ked doeinges afterward in Fraunce I say nothinge at this tyme.

What shal I here rekon vp and open to your learned eares y^e vile behauiour, the leacherous liuing, the abhominable adulteries, the filthie whoordomes, the dubblenes, the robberies, the crueltie, the Sacriledges, of other of the sam [...] stampe, who vnder colour of Religion and hypocritical name and Title of Mi­nisters and Gospellers deceaue and be­guyle the whole worlde? To make few wordes, the abiects & outcastes, the most wicked and base of all sortes of men are gon to this gospellysh Cōgregation like chaf winowed out of Gods floore, or like as vile filth & ordure doth run & flow in [Page] to a stincking gutter or sinke. But espe­cially if we cōsider y^e Patriarches of this Synagog, the chief Authors, the makers and Masters of these Sectes: we shall plainly see, as in part I haue declared of the thre forenamed Captains, y^t ther was neuer in the Church of Christ such wedes sprong vp, so lewd, so lecherous, so proud, so arrogant, so spitefull, so mali­tiouse, so wicked. For they are so clad with al manner of naughtines, that ther is nor hand, nor foote voied of vice, nor any one part of all theyr bodies vnspot­ted, nor any wicked acte absent from theyr whole synfull carcasses.

O ye vertuous Refourmors, could ye beare with all these abhominations in your owne manners, & could abyde no­thing amisse among Catholike mē? The flame of your fyrie Charitie was so hot, that ye dydde your beste to burne vp quite other mens faultes, yea, the men themselues, theyr Cities, houses, dwel­linges and all. But ye would not so muche as sweale your owne Coates with the leaste sparkle of that consu­minge fyre.

[Page] If all they that had offended most, had first suffered punishemēt proportionable to their desertes, you had gon to the potere this: it had bene your lot, who euery one of you haue moste wickedly trans­gressed God and mans law, to haue gon first to the gallowes. Would God that order of iustice had bene obserued: there had bene by this tyme not one of that your wicked packe and Conspiracie lefte aliue to punish the Catholikes so cruel­ly with warre, fire, and sword, liued they wel or yll.

But you can spare your selues well inough, & are in y^e meane time so streight laced, that ye cannot find in your canke­red consciences to pardon any offense in other men. Ye were so inflamed with the zeale of the Gospell and of Godes house, that ye cried out against the Ca­tholikes and proclaimed them Super­stitiouse, Adulterers, Tirannes, Ido­latres &c. If all be true, as you say, indeed it is a weightie mater worthie to be sharpely loked vpon that ye lay in a­gainst them. But if all these be but lyes, fables, and false surmises of your owne [Page] malitiouse stomakes, as they be in dede, then you vncharitable backbiters, you most impudēt sclaūderers, haue deserued to abide your selues the iust punishmēt due to those faultes,Poena Talionis ye falsly fathered vpon other. But ye were wily foxes, ye escaped well enough.Subscriptio in crimen. For ye did not, I warāt you, as y^• law ordaineth, put your names to the inditemētes & accusations subscribed with your owne handes to bind your selues to be readie to receaue the punishement of the faultes ye layed against other, if ye failed in your proofs. Yea, and ye behaued yourselues yet more impudently thē this, and more contrary to all order, processe, and forme of lawful proceding: for in this your monstrous iudgement of Reformation, you wer the accusers your selues, and you, the selfe same men, the witnesses, the iudges, the hangmen, and most cruell boutchers to execute your owne vnlawfull & wicked sentence. It may be, this touched you neere y^e quick and caused you to winche and strike, that because of your profession and vow of perpetual chastitie, wherein ye promised to liue chaste during your [Page] liues, ye were not suffred freely to mary, to beguile poore simple women, to bathe your filthy bodies in the stinking puddle of carnall pleasures. What then? It had bene your parte to stande to your owne promise,Fides hosti ser­uanda. though ye had made it to your mortall enemie: howe muche more had it becomme you, to haue kepte the vowe of Chastitie ye made to God almightie? But twysshe: you were werie of your vowe, it repented you that euer you made it, ye dyd sette naught by it, ye were of that mynde peraduenture, that ye had rather be damned for euer, then to treade for a shorte space the streight narowe way that leadeth to heauen.

Wel, if it were so that nedes ye would to it, and caste your Vowe on the hedge: yea needed not streight wayes to fight for the mater. For ye had the common Stewes and brothell houses open at all tymes, and euery where at your plea­sure. Lighte women maried, and vn­maried, yea and Nunnes that had pro­fessed Virginitie, as you had done, were ready by your lewd perswasions (more was the pittie) to serue your filthye [Page] lustes, to keepe you companie, to goe to the diuell arme in arme with you.

But what if perhappes some of you dwelled among good men in suche well ordered Townes, where good Rule was so narowly loked to, that by no meanes they could be suffred to haue a Mistresse Candida for a vessell of ease­ment, It is Co­uerdales Phrase. as ye call it: was that a sufficient wrong and iuste quarell for you to take Pepper in the nose, and sworde in the hande, and by and by bidde Battaile? Were ye bound to stand so stoutly to La­die Lecherie, Dame Venus, to maintain the liberties of her Kingdome and Gos­pel so streightly, that if euery one of you in euery place were not permitted free­ly and without checke to cherishe his carkasse w^t a Whore, ye shoulde for re­uenge of her quarell trouble the Gos­pell of Christe, diuide with Scismes the Churche of God, make suche a see­dition, suche a sturre, suche an vprore in all Christendome, as neuer any Bar­barous, Rude, Sauage or Wild people made the like?

Some of your side suffred for y^e Words [Page] sake, for so ye cal y^• cursed gospel of yours Yea and well worthy to, I assure you. For they neuer ceased to bark at Prelats & Princes, to worke al meanes to wring the sword out of theyr handes, to trouble and disorder y^e state of common weales: Finally they neuer had theyr ful of theyr sundrie wicked practises against God, of theyr raishe madnesse and furiouse blasphemies against the blessed Sacra­ment of the Altar.

Yea, but you saie it was the very true worde of God they preached, they were the men of God, the Martyrs of Iesus Christ, the Apostels of Christendome. These be high Titles. Will they be any higher? I wil speake for them, to set thē vp one steppe more. They were those that labored to clyme vp to the North, to place theyr seates aboue y^e cloudes of the heauens, to be like Lucifer▪ Checkmates with God himself. And what of al this? Was it meete that because they could not freely and frankely preache the worde, therefore by and by they should lay hand on the sword?

[Page] The Apostles of Iesus Christe were wōt to suffer, not to geue blowes: to take not to doe iniury. S. Paule was cōtent rather to leese his head, and paciently to suffer the sword, then to strike or cause a­ny to reuenge his quarell. S. Peter was wrongfully crucified, and yet procu­red no man to be troubled for it. Why do not the new Apostles folow the olde A­postles example?

O Master Ministers, it is a very hard Word y^t ye bring vs. for ye speake gōne­stones, your Gospel is to hot, ye preache fire and powder, your Religion is to cruell, it breedeth bloud and murder. Ie­sus Christ was contented to ride on an Asse, the Apostles thought it no skorne to goe barefoote: and we embrace gladlye, with reuerence their patience, humilitie, vertue, and mild manner in planting the Gospel. But you ride to preach on barbd horses, & put on the corselet not of faith, but of iron and steele, to set forward your strainge Religion. Al the world may see, that, as the maner and order of your pro­cedinges is contrary to Christ, so all the stuffe ye vtter, is likewise contrary to his [Page] heauenly Doctrine. What? Could ye not suffer Martyrdome gladly for the gospel? No forsoth: ye chose rather to slay thē to be slaine, & no maruell. For ye lo­ked for none other commoditie by your Gospel, but a losenesse and liberty to liue at your pleasure. And therfore such Gos­pellers for such a Gospel were very loth to leese their liues. The theefe wil neuer gladly suffer deathe and spend his life in defense of theft: for he purposeth to haue none other frute and profite by theft, but his sweete life in this world maintained at pleasure. He that loseth his life, sayeth Christ, preserueth it into life euerlasting:Io. 12. but you were loth to lose yours, for that ye had no hope to haue any euerlasting life for it. Ye held it better to be Martyr­makers, thē Martyrs: to do, then to suf­fer iniurie: How be it, to say the truthe, ye suffred no iniury whē ye suffred death for heresy, for ye deserued no lesse. But, when ye murdred other, ye did great in­iury, whether they deserued to die or no: For that ye had no authoritye so to do.

Hold stil your hands a little while, lay downe your Swordes and priuye [Page] Daggers, let your fury coole, and har­ken to reason, and ye shall plainly per­ceiue, that there is great oddes betwene the order and due Ministration of Iu­stice, that the Emperoure and Christen Princes vsed to execute againste your wicked transgressions: and your impu­dent boldnesse, Traiterous Rebellion, and Bloudy Cruelty against Christen­dome. By the authority of God allmigh­ty they beare the sword,Rom. 13. and haue power to punishe the wicked: but, as for you, who made you, I pray you, rulers and Iudges in Israel? O vnhappy dayes, O wicked manners of our daies, maye we crye at this time with more iust occasi­on, then in his age Marcus Cicero did.

Bondslaues refuse to beare the yoke vnder their Maisters: Subiectes dis­daine to obey the Commaundementes and Rule of their Magistrates, Theues would be Lordes and raigne ouer all. Who be robbers, if you be Refourmers? Yea, who then shall be called Spoilers, Ennemies, Traitors, Tyrannes, and Cruell Bouchers, if you be Giltlesse and Innocentes?

[Page] To conclude in fewe wordes, what reasonable cause doe ye alleage for your selues, why ye made warres so wicked and so abhominable, why ye prepared fire and fagot to burne the whole world? was it because ye were sometimes bur­ned for heresie? Truly ye suffred not so muche nor so often as ye deserued: but if perhaps, according to your desertes, y [...] had gon oftner to the stake, yet ye should haue suffred it patiently for the Gospels sake, if ye were Gospellers (for so were the Apostles wont to do) at least wise ye shoulde not haue resisted wyth force of armes, because ye were subiectes, and were punished by an order of law at the commaundement of the Magistrats and superiour powers. Could not the free­dome of your Gospell florishe and pur­chase you the carnall freedome and loose libertie of the fleshe by no meanes with­out warre? In good soothe ye neded not to repine for lacke of libertie. For euery where ye were wont to set the vsuall and accustomed fastes of y^• Church at naught, and fill the Panche freely, to cary a sister wife about with you, to toule Nunnes [Page] out of Cloysters, and with filthy and sa­crilegious Lechery to abuse them: yea & most commonly euery Apostate Monke had his Nunne at his taile. And so it a­greed wel, if god wold haue had it so: for,

It was the Frier Apostles pleasure, that his Lady Venus Court should be franke and free. If thy wife, saith he, wil not do it,Lutheri Ep ad Praepos. Lune­burg. let thy maide supply her place: the will of God commaundeth, and ne­cessitie bindeth as wel to haue carnal co­pulation, and as to eat and drinke. Was it your drift to redresse the vitious liuing and loose maners of these daies? It had bene your part first to amend your owne selues, who were the worst in al y^e packe, and then hardely to lay to other mennes charge what ye could. Or was this your purpose to compell men to receiue your Gospell, and to poure it into their mou­thes spite of their teethe? So did neuer Christ plant his Religion, but so Mahu­met stablished his cursed sect. Ye labored [Page] in vaine, when ye trauailed to bring the world to your Religion by Villany, rai­ling and dubble Cannons, as easily as the Apostles did win men to the Gospell of Christ, by their good liuing, preaching and miracles.Luther began his gospell for malice a­gainste the Pope, as he confes­seth. How be it in dede, it was neither Religion, nor Gospel, nor Gods quarell that ye ment to further: euen he him self, who not for Gods sake, but for­malice against the Pope begā this whole Tragedy, is a currant witnesse in this poynt,Ep. ad Argētin. impress. Hagan. 1521. and hath constantly so deposed.

Was it to restore the Christen Faithe, (being as ye thoughte well nighe worne out) that ye made so great sturre? Your labor was needlesse: for the Churche of God, the Seat and sure Piller of Truth, hath allwaies,1. Tim. 3. without force and battail, most Reuerently and charely kepte the Faith that was from the beginning cō ­mitted to her Custody. This Christ ob­tained of his Father:Io. 17. this shall the Hea­uenly Comforter the holye Ghoste per­fourm for euer.Io. 14 How thē good sirs? Was this wel done so to turmoile and tosse the quiet state and publike affaires of cōmon weales, to make a mixture and confusion of whot and cold, high and low, to trou­ble [Page] and turne vp and downe all thinges appertaining to God & man, so lightly, so rashly, so wickedly without any iust occasion, without any sufficient cause, without any good reason?

Men that professed Christianity, haue sought cruelly and outragiously a longe time against Christen men, haue sought their liues and goods, haue bereaued thē of house and home; of Church and Chap­pell: welthy and rich Cities are impoue­rished, sacked & spoiled, Church Vestries are voided, rifled & robbed: And now if a man call them to accomptes, & aske the cause of al these their tragical & cruel do­ings, he shal haue a short answer w^t mum budget, except they will peraduēture al­lege this, y^t the lofty Ambitiō, y^e gredy Auarice, the desperat boldnes of certen w [...]tō & lose friers haue ministred iust occasiō of so horrible, wicked, & hainous battel.

Now I come (most gētle Audiēce) to y^e secōd parte of this matter,2 to y^e poynt wherin I promised to make discourse of their cōspiracies and treasons: to the end ye may plainly perceiue, y^t our Aduersa­ries were not only w^tout cause offēded & rashli moued to bēd their minds to fight, [Page] but that also they toke weapon in hand, and bad battaile traiterously: and that as they attempted warre without iustice & right, so they proclaimed and pursued the same without Authoritye and Com­mission, to omit nothing that should help to fil vp the measure of their so great and execrable wickednesse.

It is great pitye,2. in verye deede it is muche to be pitied, that Christen Princes doe make warre one against another so often: yea and that, God wot, for light oc­casion, or wel nighe for none occasion at all. Desire of raigne and soueraigntie, & light displeasure taken vpon a word spo­ken, Glory, Hastinesse, Emulation of Rulers, haue bread vs many times long and cruell battaile, so that a man mighte wel now sing as the Poet Horace did.

The time shall come, Oh, I tremble when I speake it, the time shall come in deede, when it shall repent them to late, that by their lightnesse and raish panges, [Page] so much and so manie mens blood hath bene shed. Yet to say the truthe in suche warres, most commonlie, the souldiours are excused for that theyr part is rather to obey, fulfil and accomplisshe their law­ful Princes and Capitains commaunde­ment, then deliberate, dispute and reason of the equitie of the cause wherefore they fight. But in this domesticall insurrecti­on, in this mostruous Tumulte, and Sedition, that hath bene sturred vp these many yeres vnder pretense of refourma­tion in maters of Religion, wherein nor Capitaine, nor Magistrate, nor Prince, nor Emperour biddeth any man strike: Where without anie Lieutenant gene­ral, knight Martial, or deputie Captaine all the whole hoste is but an assemble of priuate men, of common souldiours, or rather of rouers, cutthrotes and moste cruell murderers, who is voide of hai­nous offense? what one is free from ma­liciouse treason? Who of all this compa­nie is able to say, that he is in his con­science giltlesse, innocent and vnspotted?

Priuate men that had no Authoritie [...]t all, bad battaill them selues of theyr [Page] owne headdes, and styckte not, with­out theyr Kynge and Soueraigne his commandement, to bringe and receaue into the Realme, forayners, straingers, hyred souldioures and enemies.

I wyll aske them nowe no more, what iuste Quarell, what reasonable Cause they had, to muster and to pro­clayme warre. Be it, that the Cause was moste iuste and sufficiente, because theyr pleasure was so: But this I aske them, what lawefull Power, what lawe, what Statute, what Right, what Cus­tome or common Example of Antiqui­tie, what Authoritie and Commission they had so to doe?

Whereas they are but mere Priuate men and Subiectes, called to no Of­fice nor Authoritie at all, nor placed in anye roome or Dignitie in the Com­mon weale: yet they dare be so bolde, as to Muster, to Campe, to pytche a Fylde, they take vppon them to my­nister Iustice, and right (right? Rather may I cal it moste vnmercifull wronge) they wyll needes be Rulers, yea and rule al Rulers and the whole roste them [Page] selues alone.

If a man might be so bold as to aske you nowe, right Honorable Gospel­linge Capytaines (as the Renoumed Prince and moste Reuerende Father my Lorde Cardinall of Lorraine a fewe yeres agoe asked the Ministers of that Deformed Churche in the Honorable Assemble at Poissie) wherehence came you? Who sent you? By what Au­thoritie doe ye all these thinges? either ye shoulde be domme without any thing to saye (as they were then A longe whyle) Or lye impudentlye,Beza th [...] after long delibera­tion answered, that his voca­tion was extraord [...] narie as your accustomed manner is: Or be driuen plainlye to confesse and graunte, that ye are but priuate Subiectes, of no Iu­risdiction, of no Place or Degree, cal­led to no Office or power to meddle with the Publyke Affaires of Christendome: Finally that (for all these your strainge, maruelouse, and monsterouse Myste­ries which ye professe and practice moste impudently and desperately, takinge vp­pon you to redresse the state of all Chri­stendome, and to Reforme matters of Religion) ye haue no Authoritye at all, [Page] neither ordinarie power in earth, nor ex­traordinarie Commission from heauen. For ye shal neuer be able to proue either this by Miracles, or that by letters Pa­tentes.

As for Martine Luther (or rather Luder,Luder in the Ger­man tonge is as much to saie as a slaue or a knaue. but that for shame he chaunged that filthie name of his) borne at Islibi­um in Saxonie,Vide Bū deriū in detect. Nugar. Luthe. and begotten of a Sprite Incubus (as the common reporte goeth) who is your chiefe Apostell and Patri­arche: We knowe him verie well, what he was, whence he came, and what au­thoritie he had. When he was a yonge man he studied the ciuill law, and after­ward when for his recreation he walked in the field nigh the Vniuersitie of Er­forde, Fonta li. 1. Histor. cō. Sleid he was strykē down to y^t grounde with a sudden thunderclap and lighting, and his companion, that walked then with him, was with y^• blow quite slaine before his face, whereat he was so asto­nied and put in such feare, that he deter­mined with him self to forsake the world, to enter into Religion: & so out of hande made him selfe an Augustine Friere. At the laste he was made Doctour in Diui­nitie [Page] with shame inough: for he came to that degree with the money that was be­quethed to an other man, whome, with the help of his Prior, he beguiled.Luther. in ser▪ de destruct. Hierus. Luth. ad ver falsò nominat stat. Eccl & li cōtr Reg. An. What other estate or degree he had in the com­mon weale, or Apostleship in the Church of God, beside this, we could neuer yet learne by any meanes. But in deede he braggeth verie often, that he is wel as­sured, that his doctrine and conclusions are from heauen, and that he was sent from heauen to the Germans to be their first Apostle that should preache them the Gospell: for before his dayes he sayed that they neuer had any true Religion or Christen doctrine. In few words he ma­keth more accompte of him selfe, then of S.Luthli­de se [...]l. potest. Augustine and all other holie and auncient Fathers of Christes Churche.

This bragginge Thraso telleth manie strainge matters of him selfe more mar­uelouse then true. This is more like to be true as he reporteth of him selfe, that he had manie times familiar conference and talke with the Diuell.Luth. in de Miss. angu. Yea and his Actes & doings during his raigne, writ­ten and faithfully regestred by Cocleus [Page] & other of his neighbours men of great learninge and credite, do most manifestly declare and proue, that from y^e diuel also his familiar frend & Prince of this world he receaued authoritie and commission to punissh all good and honest men, and to gainesay and withstand the holy Masse.

Ihon Caluine borne at Nouiodunum in Picardie,Anton. Democ. de Missae sac. c. 2. Ioā. Va­querius lib de Tentat. a man banished frō his coun­treie for his wicked behauioure, and whiles he liued in his countreie, the ve­riest vnthrifte and naughtiest verlet of al his companions, first hydde him selfe at Basile, then beganne to shew his head at Straseburge and preache to the Rene­gates and Apostles there: At last came to Geneua, and put out the Deputie of the Citie, expelled the Bisshope and all the Cleargie that were honeste and Catho­like,Vide Lindani Dialogū inscript. Dubitāt. Fol 139. with all the vertuouse and substan­tiall Citysens, and so wanne Autho­ritie and beganne to raigne there like a Conquerer by the lawe of treason and force of armes.

What neede I here againe bring you in mind of that Epicure Beza the Bur­gonion, a Licentiate in law, who taketh [Page] so muche Poeticall licence, that in his bawdie and fylthie Epigrammes he pas­seth farre the wanton Pagan Poetes Martiall, and Tibullus? What shall I speake of Bernardinus Ochinus y^• Ita­liane, who laboreth to plante the beast­ly Doctrine of Polygamie, that is, that more then one wife at once may ioyne w^t a mā in y^e state of lawful matrimony, willing therefore and perswadinge men to be Manywiuers, as the Turkes are.

What shall I tell you of Peter Mar­tyr the Renegate Moncke, or of Ber­narde Rotman an vnlearned Asse that beganne to professe learninge, and by color of only Scripture, whiche he vn­derstode not, expelled the Catholikes out of the Citie of Munster? Or of Ihon of Leid y^t tailor, y^t furiouse captaine of the mad Anabaptistes, who, within a yeare after, got y^• vpper hand of Rotman, draue out y^• Lutherans, brought in y^t Anabap­tistes begā to raigne in y^• very same Cit, hauing won & cōquered y^• field by y^• same crafte & pretēse of scripture only, as Rot­mā did before, & so gaue him a fall in his own turn & serued him w^t his own sance? [Page] or of Osiander that Holie Man com­monlye called the seconde Enoch, a Goddes name, or of Carolostadius that rude maried Archedeacon of Wittem­berge, who became afterwarde for mere foly a mad and vnskilful plowghman, to the wonder and laughinge game of all that coūtry. Or of Illyricus, Musculus, Farellus, Virettus? Or of Bucer, Mo­rot and Malot, the ringleaders and teachers of all mischefe? good God, what a rable haue we here, what a noble ranke of vertuous, graue & renoumed Fathers is here? such as I assure you, no honest and discreete householder woulde euer suffer by his good will to tarie within his doores.

Such Champions are they that pro­fesse them selues to be the Aduersaries and enemies of the Catholike Churche: these be y^e captains that stand against the Bisshopes of Christes Church, y^• kinges of Christendome and Rulers of cōmon Weales. Such are the Oratoures and Preachers that vse to declaime, to raile, to thunder againste the blood & Shrines of Martyres, against the Catholyke and [Page] vniuersal Religion of the Christians, a­gainst the mystical and holy Sacramen­tes of the Churche: Yea and sticke not, like madde dogges, to barcke and baye against y^• very blessed and pretiouse body of our Lord Iesus Christ. These, yea such fellowes as these be, are they who nowe these manie yeres, vsurpe a Lordly au­thoritie ouer vs, whome we are compel­led to take for our masters, who take vp­pon them to controlle the doinges and maners of all the whole world: And yet can we learn by no meanes wherehence came this so Imperiall a soueraigntie, or who gaue them so greate and princely Authoritie: except we say they had it of Satan, and y^• they be the very vndouted prophets and Forerunners of Antichrist.

The Bysshoppes and Prelates of Christes Church doe excommunicate thē out their flocke, and seperate them from the mystical Society, felloship and Com­munion of all Christian men. The Chri­sten Princes and Rulers of the worlde do bannissh them, do take them for out­lawes, and both by proclamations and force of armes trauaile with much care [Page] and diligence, to defende and saue them­selues and theyr louing Subiectes from them: God allmightie the Omnipotent Lord and Ruler of heauen and earth ne­uer signifyed to the worlde by any mi­racle, Signe, or seely token, that we shoulde take suche as these are for hys Commissioners or Deputies: excepte a man will saye, that this is a Miracle, y^• these fellowes oftentymes (whyles in the presence of the People, they faine that they are able, in the Vertue of the Gospel they preache, to restore the dead to lyfe) doe make the liue stark dead, [...]s a certaine Preacher did, one Mathias in Polonia, and the like is crediblie repor­ted of Ihon Caluine at Geneua.

Howe then▪ What shal we take them to be? In fewe wordes, they are thee­ues that come in by the Windowe, they are Murderers, Traytours, Heretykes, Satans Ministers. For why, theyr doeinges declare no lesse. They doe the Commons wronge, they conspire a­gainste Princes, they diuide the Churche with Sectes, they prouoke God hym selfe with horrible Blasphemie. By flat­terie, [Page] and bearinge themselues a lofte like graue bearded goates they currie fa­uor with the simple people, and studie to be in credit with y^• Cōmons & basest sort, by clawing them where they itche, and telling thē faire tales of liberty, loosenes and light burdens, such as they know the people are glad to heare. Otherwise in verie dede they haue nothing to do with such affaires as they meddle w^tal. They can neuer beare out themselues by any law of God or man, for takinge vpon thē the office and profession of Refourminge Religion, nor excuse them selues by any meanes frō hauing don to much amisse, and moste greuouse wrong, in that they toke weapon in hand and made war.

For they, being but priuate mē, yea & y^• y^• most vile, base, & worste of al men, in raging choler & furiouse madnes, did stād vp, gainsay and resiste the lawes and magistrats, did sturre thē selues & others against theyr Christiā Emperors, kings, & rulers, did seperat thēselues from the compani of al honest & faithful subiectes, did bid battail to their owne natiue coū ­try, did reioyce & triumph in their wicked and rouing theeuerie.

[Page] O God immortall, howe many, howe greate and hainouse trespaces are here couched together in this one wicked and cursed attempt? The natiue borne figh­teth against his owne countreie, one fel­low striketh at an other, the sonne smi­teth his Father, the subiecte assaulteth his Gouernour, the Souldiour turneth the edge of his sworde against his owne Captain, one Christiā pursueth an other Christian with deadlie blowes, with gunnepouder and fire: finallye mortall man prouoketh euerliuinge God with mischife, wickednes and blasphemies.

O moste mercifull and highest Lorde God of heauen, to what vnhappie dayes hast thou brought and reserued vs, that we should liue & see this miserable tyme and lamentable age? What case, what or­der, what state, what face of a Christian common weale is this? Lawes, Magis­trates, right cā bear the sway no where, y^• Royall Scepter & Mace of the Empire lieth donne on the grounde, the sacred crownes of Christen kinges are trodden vnder traitors feete: It is lawfull and right for euery desperate shakebuckler to [Page] doe what he liste, and his liste is to doe, that his bealy biddes him, that pryde pricks him, that madnes cōmandes him.

He is takē to be the ioliest fellow and to haue best profited in the libertie of the Gospell, who feareth nothing, who set­teth by no man, who thinketh him selfe bounde to obey no law at all. What can be more tediouse and troblouse, more vnrulie and outragiouse, more horrible, execrable, terrible, in that Infernal depe Pyt of Satan, amonge the vgly diuelles of hell themselues then this, that euery bodie coueteth rule & to be master ouer other, and none can abyde obedience, and to be a quiet subiect? That al things are done in a confuse tumulte, nothinge ad­uisedly and in order? That the highest and lowest without distinction are min­gled and ruffled together? that colde and heate, drowthe and moisture striue and contend with continual discord, and con­trarietie one with an other?

Pardon me, I beseche you (most gen­tel Audience) pardon me, if perhappes this quicke and egree talke seeme in your learned cares ouer bitter and loth­some. [Page] If I speake home & more freely, th [...] [...]an well agree with your milde and gen­tle natures, it may please your goodnesse to haue me excused,Lu. glos. ad Edic. Imperi. & in ad­moni. ad Germ. suos teu tonicè script. and lay the blame, as reason is, on them whose wicked demea­nure compelled me thus to speake: whose deepe and festered woundes can not be healed with lenitiues and temperate me­dicines: whose greuous sores and abho­minations cā not be declared with milde and gentle language.

For what can be or spoken to bitterly, or don to seuerely against thē,Luth. ad uers. exe crab. Antichristi Bullam. Lib. cōt. praetens. stat. Ecc. who with theyr wicked and cursed mouths do raile, rage, and cal the most renoumed & noble Christian Kinges and Princes, slaues, [...]ouchers, knaues, and the Reuerende Bi [...]shopes (Christes most holy Vicars) Antichrists, bawdes, Iolde? Who stick not to publishe in theyr writinges, that the great Turk is ten times beter, wiser, & honester mā,Lu. cont. duo mā ­dat. Ca [...]. thē our Christian Rulers & Princes? Who [...] men earnestly in hād, y^• no mā, except he wil be Satās own childe,Lu. glos. ad Edic. Imper. ought to obey y^• worthy & po [...]it [...] decree of y^• most noble Emperor Charles the fifte y^• he proclaimed at Wormes by y^• [Page] aduise & cōsent of y^• Princes & estates of Germanie for y^e app [...]asing of seditiō, & y^• quēching of dangerouse contention in maters of Religion.

These be but trifles & light maters in cōparison of y^• rest of this theyr wicked & traiterouse cōspiracie. In the very hono­rable presēce & hearing of our Late soue­raigne Charles y^• fifte, & y^• estates of the Empire at Wormes, the worthie third Elias, out of those words of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospel (I came not to send peace, but the sword) concluded,Vide di [...] secun. Dubita [...]ij. p. 27 [...] that it o [...]ght to be a thinge to be wi [...]shed for as moste acceptable to Christen men, and speciallie to him, that strife and contētion should rise and growe aboute th [...] Word of God. Yea, not longe after, he dydde set out to the sight and vew of the whole world seditious and Heretical Bookes, wherein he did the beste he coul [...]e to abolishe all due obedience, to abrogate all Policie and Ciuile gouernment, to perswade the People to rebel and forsake theyr Spirituall and Temporall Ru­lers and Masters, to prouoke them to steelinge & robbinge, to bludshed and [Page] murder,Refert Geor. Wiceli­us in ret. Luthe­ranismi. to sacking and burning of hou­ses, of Cities, of Churches.

He saied, that men should waisshe their handes in y^• bloud of y^• Romish Clergie. He affirmed in his writinges, that it was y^• very true nature & cōplexiō of y^• gospel to moue and sturre vp war and sediti­on:Epist. ad Frat. inf. Ger. That there ought to be no Magis­trate, no superiour at all amonge Christē men: That men ought to pray God ear­nestlie, that it would please him to put inli. de pot seculari. the headdes of the vplandish men of Ger­manie, not to obeie theyr Princes, nother to goe to warre with them againste the Turke:lib. cont. duo edi. Caesaris. That men should contribute no­thing towardes the charges of the warre against the Turk: That it was not law­full for Christen men to warre againste the Turke,li. de bel lo cont. Turcam. but that they should suffer and beare patiently and with a good wil all violence, wronge, and iniury that were done to them. Yea that it was so farre against the lawe of God to fight a­gainst the Turke,Luth. as­sert. ar­ticul. 24. that if anie man should be so hardie as to doe it, it might be well sayed, that he fought againste God him selfe, and seemed to repine and resiste [Page] againste his heauie hand and iuste pun­nishement: That neither man nor Angel of heauen had anie Authoritie at all toLib. de capt. B [...] ­bil. make anie law or one syllable, whereto Christen men should be bound to obey, more or longer then it pleased them. For we are, s [...]ed he, franck and free from all things. And in case anie thing were de­creed and laied on the neck of a Christen mā, wherto he should be of necessitie cō ­strained to obey againste his will and consent, that that proceded of tyrannie, & should be taken for violēce and cr [...]eltie: finally that there was no hope of redresse and refourmation,Then Luther being ch [...]if preacher of that Gospell wold ha­ue been king alone him self. except the lawes and decrees of all men were vtterlie abolis­shed, and the free Gospell of libertie cal­led home again, according to the whiche all things should be iudged, ruled and gouerned.

With these strainge opinions and sin­gular Paradoxes the fundation of the fift Gospell was laied, and hence conse­quentlie the springes and grasses of this wicked conspiracie and treason, we talke of, began to budde.

When Thomas Muntzer, this Euan­gelistes [Page] scholer,Touching this insur­rection of Muntzer reade had learned thies highe Mysteries of his master, he began to preache apace, he made manie seditiouse sermons to the people, exhorted them to diuide them selues from y^• Catholike Churche,Cocleus de act. Luth. Anno. 1525. to forsake their Magistrates & Rulers, & to shrinke away from them, sent his letters about the countreie, ga­thered a great hoste of vplandysh Pai­santes, of most wicked persones, of des­perate slaues, & out of hand biddeth bat­taille. Who biddeth it? (good God) and againste whome? will ye see who it is? forsooth it is Thomas Muntzer the A­postle of Saxonies scholer, a man that should haue bene bound in chaines, ac­cording to y^e counsel of the learned phy­sition Hypocrates, for his madnes, a monstruouse, contagiouse and pestilent beaste, framed and made of all maner of stinkinge vices and fylthie ordure, that biddeth warre againste his owne coun­treie Germanie (a noble Countrie some­time & most florisshing) againste Prin­ces & Rulers, againste y^• verie Churche of God himself.

Oh wicked villaine, oh pestilent mon­ster▪ [Page] oh cursed Rakehell. Yea and the im­pudent Caytif was not ashamed to call it also, the battaille of the lord. For so h [...] cried to his souldiours: fight good bre­thern, fight manfullie the lords battaille, sig [...] Gods field. For he saied, he had com­mission by Gods own mouth, to bid bat­taille against all Princes & Kinges. The verie same saied Luther also,Melāth. commēt. ad Coll. affirming y^• God him self did rife & stand againste the estates of Germanie & theyr tyran­nie: That it was the lyuing God of heauen his own proper battaille, and not the poore Paisantes of y^e countreie: and withall the lieng Prophete assured most constantly before hand by his false sprite of Prophecie, that the Rebelles of the countreie should suerlie haue the vpper hand, and that the Princes and Nobles should be vndone, haue y^• ouer­throw and vtter destruction.

Well nowe, Muntzer then goeth forwarde verie lustilie and desperatelie with his Vplandyshe Souldioures, of whome he had a meruelouse greate number assembled about him, and labo­reth tothe and naile what he could, to [Page] wring the sword out of the magistrates handes, to depriue them of al authoritie, power and rule, to degrade and depose them from all honor, dignitie and Prin­celie estate.

Manie a notable Castle and Palais, manie a goodlie Abbey and Churche was quite rased and ouerthrowen by his wicked meanes and doinge: yea in onlie Franconia, as somme men write, n [...] lesse then three hundred.Eras. Al­berus & Conrad. Wimp. lib. con­tra Suin­glium.

Vpon this at Franckford two noble Captaines, a tailor and a shomaker, be­ganne to strike vp alarme to a freshe re­bellion, to blow the trompet, to call their souldiours to the field. They shutte the toune gates, appointed new companies and Aldermen of the wardes, made elec­tion of new Senators and counsellers, somoned a parlemēt, and ordained new lawes, expelled thofficers & magistrats out of the toune, some they butcherlie murdred, sent their statute bookes to o­ther Cities, to stirre vp other to sediti­on, & to take weapon by theyr example.

Herevpon at Mogunce, at Rincauia, at Colen: Herevppon in all quarters of [Page] Germanie suche a tumult, suche an in­surrection, suche an vprore is sturred vp, suche a terrible and traiterouse rebellion is by and by risen, as neuer the traitor Catiline attempted the like in Rome. The whole world is sett a fire with the heate of this Gospel. manie puissant, re­noumed and notable personnes of the nobilitie are cruellie murdred, emong whome the honorable Earle of Helfen­steine was one.Erasm [...] Alber: reporte [...] it. who, as it is reported, was forced to runne vpon their pikes. All things, high and low, are turned vpsidedown, deadlie warre rageth on euerie side, horrible feare raigneth eue­rie where. For whie? the lordes and Rulers were now more afraied of their own subiectes & seruantes, then of their foraine enemies and strangers. But yet at laste by th'ayed mercy and benefite of God almightie, the victorie stode on the Nobles side: who ouercame the Paisan­tes, toke Muntzer (who repented gre­uouflie his wicked & traiterouse doings and at laste loste his head) and flew in y^• space of three monethes a hundred and thyrtie thousand of the Rebelles.

[Page] What did our worthie Col Prophet then, who before by his false Prophecie gaue y^• ouerthrow and vtter destruction to the Nobles, and gaue the conqueste and victorie to his souldiours of the countree? It is likelie, that here the se­cond Ieremi [...], (for he can quicklie beare the persone of whiche Prophete he liste) sate solitarie, weeping and lamenting the calamitie and miserable case of his countreie. Verilie and so he did. For then he caste awaye for verie anguyshe of mynd his friers cote, and betakes himself to his nunne Katherine Boore,Luthers mariage, Anno. 1525. one of those ix. whiche his bawd Leo­nard Knoppen stale out of y^• Nunnerie of Nimyke on good friday, when Chri­sten men vse to celebrate the memorie of Christes blessed and bitter passion.

This woman, after she had ben well broken & framed two yeres with wa [...] ­ton toyes and lecherouse recreations among the scholers of wittenberge, the poore seelie sorie man taketh in his ar­mes, & for verie heauinesse & griefe em­braceth her patiētlie, & kisseth her deuoutly & ful often w^t al his hart. Yea he toke [Page] it no scorne to daunce and drink Carou [...] and refuse not, though he was a Frier to marie a Nunne, which was a strainge matter and neuer hard of before, and all for verie penance & sorow to see so great murder and so muche bloudshed: where of himself was the only cause & Author.

It is without fayle a meritoryouse deed, as the Cannons saye, to take a whoore out of the stewes and marie her to make her an honest woman: and he toke an honest woman out of a Nunrie to marie her & make her a whoore. So in doing his penance he missed but a li­tle, being ouerseen in taking quid ꝓ quo one thing for an other. And withall, this Apostolick point was to be noted in this Holie Prophete, that out of hand, as the wind and flattering blast of fortune tur­ned, so he turned his saile, chainged his style, sung an other song, and wrote bit­terlie againste the poore vplandish men when he saw them ouercomme,Luth. contra cohort. Rusti [...]. yealded them to Satan, and committed them as gyltie and worthie to die to the edges of the Magistrates swordes. Yea he reuiled them & railed at them, ca [...]ling them di­ [...]elles [Page] of hell, and saied that out of dout the Nobles might easelie winne heauen by shedding the bloud of such traiterouse rebelles.

See, I pray you, the Euangelical sprite of this Apostle, how dubble it is, how experte and readie in false fayning and dissimulation. All this he wrote to make the world beleue, that he was none of that pack and wicked conspira­cie of rebelles: wheras in deed he was y^• Author and Grand captaine that did set them on, and clapte his handes and eg­ged them forward,Teste Stolsio in som­nio Luth. & in defen­sione. as long as they had anie hope to haue the vpper hand.

We maye thank this traiterouse Ca­tiline of our time, for all these blouddie tragedies. By suche practizes he came in fa [...]or with Solimam the great Turke, in whose Bokes he was highelie estee­med: & wel worthie so to be. For by oc­casion of debate about y^• Lutheran Gos­pell, and so through Luthers meanes, he conceaued Good hope to ouerrunne and conquer all Germanie,The Turkes armie was then two hun­dred and fyftie thousand as it is reported by Gaspar Hed [...] Hist. Synop. ad Sa­bell. when he came to that Keye of Christendome y^• noble Ci­tie Vienna Austriae, with suche a huge [Page] great host, y^• he made all Europe quake. Yea Soliman wrote in plaine wordes that he wished Luther long life, that he hoped the daie should come, that Lu­ther should find him his good master. And in verie deed at that time the terri­ble and mortall enemie of Christendome gaue a great puyshe, & missed but a litle to subdue al Germanie, whiles Christen men, being at debate betwen them sel­ues about the Gospell,Test [...] Ioanne Manli [...] in loc. cōmun. to. 3. Fo. 195. drew curtisie ve­rie vncourteouslie, and were in doubt whether they should go with the Empe­rour & fight againste him or no, had not God of his infinite mercie then especial­lie holpen his afflicted flocke and spared his people.

I can not w^tout great greif of harte remember, y^• by the wicked meanes and procurement of this Gospeller, one of y^• beste Christen Emperours y^• euer ruled Christendome, was brought in trouble and great danger among his own sub­iectes. Is there anie man aliue, y^• ene [...] saw, or can anie of vs all call to remem­brance, y^• we euer hard or read of such a Noble & worthy Prince for wit, vertue▪ [Page] prowesse, experience, courage, and for al other Princely graces, honorable giftes, and renoumed actes, as was our late puissante & mightie Emperoure Char­les the fifte? Ye [...] this Princelie man, this Lieutenant general, Patrone, and De­fendor of all Christendome, this moste renoumed Emperour was assaulted and entrapped by this pestilent treason and Gospelissh conspiracie. And whereas it should haue becomme Germanie espe­ciallie to obey him at a beck: certaine Germans mustered, made a great hoste & all the power they could againste him, and pursued him in open warre (whiche they call Smalcald Fielde) thoughe,Smal­cald field. (thankes be to God) they loste the field and preuailed not.

I could here tell you of the greate Sedition and insurrection in Zuitzerlād whiche was sturred vp by Zuinglius,The in­surrection of the Helueri [...]n [...] sturred vp vp Zuin­glius, An­no. 1531. Croni [...] Germa. the raging flame whereof was so fearce and great, that the bloud of manie thou­sand men was scarse able to quenche it.

I could declare vnto you, how the traiterouse Gospellers of England ga­thered a maine hoste againste their moste [Page] vertuouse ladie Queene Marie the rare treasure, [...] Rebellion y^• peerlesse Iewell y^• moste per­fecte Paterne & Example of our dai [...]. How they shotte arrowes and [...]a [...]tes againste her Courte gates, conspired her death, deuised to poison her, to kil her w^t a dagge at one time, [...]nokes [...]oke. w^t a priuie dagger at an other time, reuiled her, called [...]er bastard, boutcher, printed seditiouse bokes againste her, wherein they railed at her like Hellhoundes, and named her traiterouse Marie, mischeuouse Marie.

It were to long to rehearse, how the noble Queene of Scotlād that now [...]ai­gneth, was driuen a great while to liue like a poore priuat woman in her own realme, to obey her own subiectes, & todoe no more then they gaue her leaue: yea, and in the meane tyme was euerie daye and euery houre in greate perill & danger of her life among them.

I need not tell, that euery man kno­weth, how the Gētell men that were se­duced by thies new preachers rebelled againste their Prince in Sucuia: nor how y^• Comōs made an vprore againste their king in Denmarck.

[Page] But I can not omit, to speake of th [...] late treason and cruell conspiracie of the Hugonoes in Frāce, who could without weeping teares abyde to tell, how those naughtie, false & wicked subiectes were not ashamed, to stand in open field a­gainste their own natural Soueraigne in his own realme? To bid war and fight againste theyr lawfull King, du­ring his Nonage, to make a league and confederacie w^t y^e enemies of his croune, to sell his Cities and townes to foray­ners & straingers for mony? This ho­lie bataille (for the Gospell a Gods na­me) was fought againste France by Frenchemen themselues: that is, first by Caluin the Dictator and General of the field, then by Beza the Lieutenant, and Othomannus and Spifamius the petie Captaines. These were the cheife doers in deed, though as they toke the coloure of Religion & pretense of refourmation for cloke of their treason, so they vsed the names & seruice of certaine of y^• nobili­tie of France whome they had seduced to beare out the brunte of the Battaille, the smarte of the strokes, the enuie, the [Page] infamie, & all the outward face and po [...] of that busy mater. These were the [...]naues that lay in y^• stocke: as for other, they were but theyr trumping Cardes.

The preface of their tragedie was ve­rie calme and peaceable. They would seeme to go verie orderlie to work. They got an edict to be made forsooth for the furtherance of theyr Gospell, they got a law by force and extorsion against y^• king and Magistrats wil and pleasure.Claud. D. Sainct du Sac­cag. Fo. 58. The highe Court of Parlemēt of Paris made answer at the firste, We can not, we wil not, we ought not. But afterward they were compelled to let the bill passe, & the Edicte of Ianuarie to be made, y^• these rakchels might preach without y^• walles by permission, and as it were by vertue of a law: whiche law to all honest good men neuer seemed worthie to haue the name of a law, as the whiche was ob­tained by force, was laied vppon mens neckes by the might and violence of theeues and traitours that had taken & bound y^• Common weale hand & foote, was written and penned againste all reason and equitie. But yet a law they [Page] would needes haue, were it neuer so vnlawfull, to be a cloke to couer theyr outragiouse sedition.

And in deed at the firste they made them selues verie humble and meeke. When the King and the Honorables of France were assembled about weightie & greate affaires of y^e Realme at Poissie, thither came the twelue Apostles of that deformed Churche, of whiche number eight or nyne were Apostates, Munkes, and friers that had caste of their habites, broken their vowes, and forsaken theyr profession: suche smothe marchantes, y^• in outward talke and worde, in the presen­ce of that honorable Audience, would speake of nothing, but of peace and con­cord, of good faith and simple dealing: whereas in deed they meante, they min­ded, they wrought nothing els, but wic­ked conspiracie and treason, but sacking of [...]urches, burning of cities, murdring of Citisens, and the vtter ruine and de­struction of that Realme. Yet that they were so earnest to haue a law for theyr syde, and by publike authoritie to be suf­fred to preache after their cursed fashion, [Page] their intent and purpose therein was this: that vnder pretense of a law they might vndoe the realme, and turne the King out of his kingdom, as they did before vnder colour of the word of God, expell the Bisshops wellnighe out of the Churche.

Wold you haue a law, that refuse to liue vnder a law? Who is so blind y^• can not plainlie see, that your crafte & prac­tize is, to driue out (as it were) one naile with an other: whiles vnder the shadow of Religion and law, ye labor what ye can, to bannishe all law & Religion out of the world, to ouerthrow the Churche, to roote all ciuill order and policie of tē ­porall affaires out of all Christen Real­mes, countreis and Cities?

But I pray you,Claud. D. Sain­ctes du saccag. Fo. 55. by what law made you that wicked conspiracie, when ye a­greed together to robbe & spoile in one night all y^• Churches in France at ones, if all things had framed & fallen out ac­cording to your phansies & purpose eue­rie where, as they did in Gascoine & di­uers other places of Fraunce, where ac­cording to the appointement the matter [Page] was put in practice in deed with mo [...] desperate boldnes, and wicked Sacri­lege? By what Religion or law did a great companie of you flock together at Challon in Burgundie,The three estats of Burgun­die doe re­porte this in the se­cond part of theyr Discours vppon the Frenche Kings Edict. & there in your Conuocation house made a Synodalle decree, that euerie man should endeuor to his power to driue three Vermines out of Christendome, the Churche of Rome, the Nobilitie, the publike order of iustice? If ye denie it, your names are to be seen yet in the Recordes of the highe Court of Parlement at Paris, where manie of you were accused for it by y^• Rulers and estates of Burgundie.

When ye trauayled vnder a pretensed shew of Gods worde to dissanull and abolishe the Supremacie of the chiefe Bisshop of the Christiās, who according to y^• commission and charge geuen vnto him by Christes owne mouth, vsed euer to feed & rule bothe y^e sheep and lambes of Gods flocke: then were these wordes euer in your monthes, Honour the king, obey the king as the highest: 1. Pet 3. Tit. 3. warne them to hearken and obey Princes and Rulers. But when ye conspired and agreed to­gether [Page] at Geneua like villaines & trai­tours, to find priuie meanes, when time, place, and occasiō might serue you, to rid out of the waie and murder the late ver­tuouse and good king of France Fraun­cis the second, the Queene his wife (who now, God be thanked, hath gotten the vpper hand ouer the rebelles and raig­neth in Scotland) the Quene Mother, her children, all the nobles, and all the Catholike and good Officers of Fraunce: where was then your scripture and that accustomed sentence of yours, Honoure the Kinge?

Out of all doubt you meane nothinge els by these wordes, but to thruste your sword through the Bisshoppes body in to the Kinges harte. It was your Po­lycie first to vanquish the Bishop by the worde, that ye might the more easely af­terward kill the King with the sword.

But here perhappes some one will aske, howe I knowe all this? To him I make this answer,Defens. Reg. & Resig. Fol. 16. that this is set out in printe in Fraunce vnder the Kings pri­uilege: and therefore seing it is cōmon in euerie mans hand, knowen to al men [Page] and set out to the sight of the worlde in defense of the moste Christian King and of the Catholike Religion, it can not be vnknowē, also to me. Yea & may it please him to vnderstād, that I know this also that I read and saw with my owne eyes y^• laste yeare at Orleans, I meane a libel printed in y^e name of all y^• Hugonoes of Fraunce to theyr Souueraigne Lorde and King, wherein was nothinge ells from the beginning to the ending, but impudent boldnes, desperate threatnin­ges, and shameful treason.

The subiettes were not afrayed to write to theyr King, y^t he could not raign ouer thē, that they would suffer his yoke and obey his commaundement no lon­ger, excepte he would be contented to rule his realme in such sort, and by such lawes and ordinances, as they should appointe him. That they plaied the very fooles, when by his commaunde­mente they layed doune theyr weapons: that they woulde surely take them in hand againe, excepte he woulde looke well to hym selfe, and putte out of the Councell of Paris certaine noble and [Page] Honorable men, who as they sayed, were theeues Rouers, Butchers: and place in theyr romes certaine of theyr brethren in Christe.

What coulde be spoken or inuented more Proudelye, more Impudentely, more seditiouslie, and malitiously, then that they vttered in this malaperte, stub­borne, and traiterouse Libell? The Printer of Orleans was kepte and feas­ted a fewe dayes with the Officers of that Toune in theyr houses, in steede of a Prison, for printinge this Ora­tion: and y^• was al that was done to him then for it.

With the lyke Sprite one Goodman an Englisshe man,Good­mās boke againste y^• monstru­ous raigne of womē. an earneste and hotte Preacher of this Gospell, for a grudge and malice he bore againste his So­ueraigne Ladie and Mystresse Marye the moste hyghe and Honorable Queene of Englande, dydde sette out a mon­struouse Booke in deede a fewe yeares agoe againste the monstruouse Raygne of Women, as he sayed: yea, the impu­dente, vile, and shamelesse villaine [Page] Traitor called that moste noble and ver­tuouse woman Proserpine (whome the Poetes faine to be Quene of hel) and for her sake gathering choler and stomake against all women, he railed at them all, and reuiled them, & like a common scolde would by his wil set on a cookinge stole, all the whole flocke and generation of woman kinde.

He saied it was neither law, nor right, nor reason, that any woman should be a Ruler and syt in the Princelie Seate of any Common Weale: that it might well seeme a monstruouse rule, and contrarye to nature, if men were compelled to obey a woman: if womē were suffred to beare the sway and gouerne the publike estate of any kingdome.

If he wrote thus especially for hatred and malice he bare againste women, he swarued much from the common and ac­customed manner and fasshion of his fel­lowes, who doe atribute so much to wo­men, and are of suche a fonde and filthie opinion, that they thinke it impossible for a man to liue one daye without the com­panie of a woman. Howbeit in deed they [Page] be naughtie and lewde women, fit and ready to the game only, that these fello­wes loue so much: but as for good womē (emong whome this vertuouse Queene might be wel Quene & Princesse in dede) they can not abide, but doe vtterly detest them, and hate them as muche as they hate all good men.

Out of doubt in one thing this Gos­peller obserued iumpe y^e wonted practise and beatē path of his companions: that vnder pretense of speaking againste wo­men he endeuored to sturre the people to rebellion, and the subiectes to shrinke a­waye and forsake theyr liege and lawful Soueraigne. And thys is euen the very daily and cōmon custome of all the packe of such new Gospellers & Refourmers, who caste theyr platte and are fully set, be it right or wrong, by foraine battayle a­brode, or by rebellion at home, to trouble and disquiete the peaceable state & good order of al common weales, when it ser­ueth their turne they are so skilful, y^t they cā put in vre both these mysteries of their Gospell at ones.

When the Emperour of worthie me­morie [Page] Charles the fifte was entangled and troubled at Oeniponte with theyr tumulte and rebellinge, Soliman the Greate Turke was in the meane tyme requested in theyr behalfe to make war, for the furtherance and Defense of theyr fifte Gospell.Defens. Staphil. contr. Il. Et Sleid. notat. The greate Turke, I saye, (Oh horrible & most impious acte) was sent for, that whyles they assaul­ted the Emperour and kepte hym at a bay in Germanie, Budensis Bassa the Turkes Deputie should sette vppon his brother Ferdinande in Hungarie. The letters of that Conspiracie were taken: so that theyr crafte herein is open, theyr falshode can not be denied, theyr wic­kednes and treason can by no coloure be couered or cloked.

It were an infinite matter (gentell Audience) that might be here alleged, if I would reckon vp all these Gospellers traiterouse enterprises, and make full discours of euery particular parte of these haynouse Conspiracies. For in deede they haue lefte nothinge vndone that anie cruell Robbers, false Trai­tours, or wicked Heretikes, could euer [Page] committe, attempte or deuise, againste all good men, against Princes, against God allmightie himselfe. They haue iniured and traiterously offended the Royall maiestie of all the Kings and Princes of Christendome, they haue disturbed, im­paired, and broken all polityke order and rule of all Common Weales. They haue disquieted, vexed and disordered the high Courte of the Imperiall Cham­ber, they haue abolished y^e auncient lawes and customes of the Emperours Su­preme Consistorye, and haue appoin­ted newe of theyr owne makinge, so that Iustice and Ryghte is bannisshed from thence: in suche sorte that there re­mayneth scarse anye Signe or token of Lawe and Equytie in that renounted place,This writteth Brunus de Haero, lib. 2. and Imperall benche. for it ys theyr pleasure that all thinges be tried & decided by fyere and and sworde. Yea and what say ye by this, that many boo­kes and Lybells of theyrs haue bene cō ­monly found and seen abroade, wherein they vttered theyr studie & declared theyr attempt & trauaile to alter and chainge al y^e order of iustice & iudgementes of the [Page] Empire, to take awaye and abrogate all the Ciuill Lawes, and to make a new Policie and Order of gouernement of theyr owne phantastical deuise.

And it was not inough in theyr opiniō, nor sufficient for the absolute perfection of theyr Gospell to betraie euerie parti­cular Ruler, and to worke treson against euery king in his owne Realme: to fil vp the measure of theyr malice & wickednes they became Traitors against the Pope, the Emperour, the Bisshops al at ones, and fynallie without any respecte dydde violate and set at nought the Magestie and estate of all Spirituall and Tem­porall Rulers assembled together in the laste Generall Councell at Trent. They were not ashamed to raile at that moste highe and honorable assemble of Chri­stendome (the only name whereof should haue made them tremble, whose only becke all Christen men, euer sythens Christen Religion begonne, reueren­ced and followed) at Christes higheste Vycar in earthe, at all the Reuerend Fathers, the Bisshops and men of God, at al the moste high & excellent Christen [Page] Princes (emong whome were the re­noumed Emperours, first Charles the fifth, then Ferdinande) and at a word to call them all theeues.

At what time the Princes and tempo­rall Rulers did set their heads together to appeare and set at concord the state of Christendome, and the Bishops did pur­pose and study earnestly to expound and declare the Articles of Religion y^• were in controuersy, when that most holy and high Parlement of al Christendom was called & assembled together in one place: these new Gospellish Refourmers were warned and warranted vnder Publike assurance, to come thither, to tell their mindes, and then to departe safely with­out any harme or daunger. The general letters Patentes, the sufficient and law­full safeconduct of the Pope and the ge­nerall Councel were Wrytten, Prynted, and Proclaimed for their behalfe herein. No man appeareth, not one of them ma­keth any word or mention of Refourma­tion there: the matter touching the Re­fourmation of the Churche is disputed in the meane time, and debated amonge [Page] them in the campe, in the field, in battaile in Fraunce by force & might, by swordes & daggers, by gonnes and dubble Can­nons.

And as for the Generall Councell, which was of purpose called to redresse and refourme all that was amisse, where the lawfull place, authority, and meanes of Refourmation was to be found, they passed not for it: they were called, and re­fused to come at it. They despised and cō ­temned, they resisted and assaulted, they mocked and reuiled with moste impu­dent scolding and railing that Generall benche and Court of all the Churche of Christe, that worthiest and highest Con­sistory of Christendome. And the more to shewe their spite and desperate malice, Montanus the Germaine,Moline. Monta. Apolo. Eccl. Angl. & caet. and Molinaeus the Frenche man, and many other ac­compted no small fooles amonge them, haue set forthe openlye in Printe in the name of all these Gospellers their can­kred, malitious, wicked, and diuelishe defiance.

Whome shall we accompte for fran­tike, [Page] madde, and furious men, but suche as are so farre beside them selues, so en­raged, so Bedlemlike, that they knowe not men, they know no Law, no Magi­strate, no common Weale, no Church, no Religion, no God?

Ye haue hard (right learned audience) how these desperat and outragious cast­awaies and Rebels had no Authority at all to bid battaile, but conspired together like Theues, Cutthrotes and Traitors: may it please you now to be aduertised of that, which is by order the third and last part of my talke, that is, howe little furtherance, frute, or profit touching Re­fourmation, as they call it, they gotte by fighting, howe great and hurtfull losse, iniury, and damage they did therby to all the whole world, howe fearcely, cruelly, and Tyrannically they vsed themselues in handling their bloudy weapons.

And in this poynt I assure you in good Faith I wot not what I may, nor what I may not faye, nor where to begin, so many and so manifold losses & harmes Christendome hath had euery waye, and [Page] on euery side, by the occasion of this wic­ked and cruell dissension whiche began first wel nigh fifty yeares agoe in Saxo­nie about certaine Articles and questi­ons concerning Religion: but sithens y^• time it hath bene maruelously spred a­brode and enlarged, and is now come to this lamentable case, and tragicall state as ye see.

It grieueth the very bottome of my harte to call to remembraunce howe vn­luckely, how miserably the worlde hath gone with vs, how pitifully the estate of Christendome hath fallen to wracke, sy­thens the first beginning of these dismold and deadly discordes and battailes set a broche and stirred at the first vnder pre­tense and coloure of Religion.

I can scarse abstaine from wepinge teares, when I remember and consider so ruefull, heauy, and lamentable a case. And as for the blowes, the woundes, the smart, these Butchers bestowed on mens bodies: or the continuaunce of time may ease them, or the diligence of cunning mē may heale them, or the charitable patiēce [Page] of Christian hartes may forget them. But that they haue banished the Christi­an Faith and Religion out of so manye Realmes, that they haue with deceit and craft, with fire and Sword, beaten and driuen away all Iustice, Chastity, Deuo­cion, all good learning & good nurture, all feare of God almighty, all goodnesse and godlinesse from the hartes & mindes of so many thousandes Christen men, that they haue rooted vp the Religion of Christ, and planted in the steede thereof, the Turkish Sect of Machomet, the su­perstitious doctrine of the Iewes, or ra­ther y^• Heathennish & vnsensible blind­nesse of those y^• beleue in no God at all, in many countreis that were sometimes the moste florishing and noblest quarters of Christendome: these Isay, these vntol­lerable hurtes and dāmages are suche, as neither may be amēded easely, nor resto­red quickly, nor euer be abolished & put out of mennes remembrance hereafter.

They haue brought vs in stede of Re­ligion innumerable errors and dreames, accursed Sectes of old doting heretiks, [Page] and monstruous phansies of wicked and diuelish braines: their chiefe purpose and intent was quite to ouerthrow the Ecclesiasticall order of the Spiritualty, and to bring the temporall estate of the Empire and royall power of Princes to ruine & decay.Pomerā reporteth this of Luther in oratio ne fune. in exe­quiis Lu. They were not ashamed most im­pudently to say it. They were not afraid most desperatly to attempt it. What was he that was wont whiles he was yet a­liue to rehearse this verse, and to saye it should be the Epitaph of his graue?

Thy foe, O Pope, I was aliue, My Death thy Death shall eke contriue.Hostis eram vi­uus, mo­riens tua mors ero Papa

Who was so impudent to wryte to the king of England and say: whiles I lyue I wil be the Popes enemy, and when I die, I wilbe his dubble enemy. Do what ye can ye Hoggishe Thomistes, ye shall finde Luther a Beare in your waye,Luth. li. contr. Re. Ang. a Rampinge Lionesse in your walkinge Pathe.

And touching their doinges, who is able to expresse in wordes, what cost and charges, what paines and trauayles, what anguish and care of minde the no­ble Emperour Charles the fift was put [Page] vnto, by the occasion of these Pestilent Sectes and outragious seditions? How many Cities? How many Fortresses and Casteis? How many Abbeis? How many Hospitals for poore people? How many common Scholes and Colleges? How manye honorable Palaices and Gentle­mens houses? Howe many Religiouse places and Cloisters hathe this Gospel­lishe Rebellion quite ouertourned and sacked?

These mennes Religion is altogether Negatiue and denying: they denye in word all thinges that appertain to Chri­stian religion, to the furtherance of god­linesse and vertue.

It is allso destructiue, and euer de­stroying: their deedes are alwayes em­ployed in castynge downe and ouer­throwing. They builde nothing, they affirme nothing: the denying and mar­ring of our Religion, is the foundation and making of their Sects. The sacking and pulling downe of our Churches, is the building and setting vp of their Sy­nagoges. [Page] [...] [Page] [...]

[Page] They haue their purpose, if they deny all and pul downe all though they build nothing, though they affirme nothing in place thereof. Their Religion wer made though they taught nothing, if all Chri­stian Faith were banished. Their Tem­ples were ready builded, if all our Chur­ches were downe, though they layed ne­uer a stone.

The mortal enemy of al Christen men the Turke, by furtherance & help of these tumults, hath gotten Hungary, no smal portion of Christendome: hath killed the king there & many a thousand of his mē with him. I passe ouer with silence Alba Regia, and that noble Isle of Rhodes, which wer lost also by the same occasion: yea and now we might haue sure hope to recouer the Rhodes, Hungary, I may say Constantinople, & wel nigh al Grece again, to y^e Christian Empire, if the mater might be valiātly pursued after the great fal & foil our enimy had of late at Malta: but the rebellion & sedition of these here­tical sectes doth let vs from this so No­ble a victory, and doth as it were depriue Christendome once agayne of all these [Page] dominions and countreis.

I may boldlie saie it, y^t these domesti­call bickerings emong our selues about matters of Religion, and insurrections of seditiouse subiectes that doe pretend Refourmation, are the onlie staie, hinde­rance, and let that standeth betwene vs & conquering the Turke.

What shall I talke of Schole doores shutte vp,Luth. 75 propo. contra Loua­nien, & de abrog miss. priuat. of Vniuersities (and namelie this Noble Vniuersitie of Louain, the nurcerie of al good learning) cōtemned, despised & called, stables of asses, steewes, and Scholes of the diuelles? What shall I saye of the solitarie nakednes, bare walles, & lacke of studentes at this time in those Vniuersities, y^t before this re­fourmatiō attēpted, wer much frequēted, florishing and most notable for learning?

A man may now scarse see a hundred, students of law at Orleans, in steed of manie hundreds that were wont to be seen there in y^e quiet time of y^• Catholike Churche. Angiers, Poictiers, Bourgys, Tolouse, worthy Cities whiche hereto­fore haue bene allwayes moste Noble nurceries of law, are now so naked. [...] [Page] bare,Whie we­re the Scholes in o [...]ford suffred to go down and the ordinarie disputa­tions in Logike and Phi­losophie left of in King Edward his days? Answer. D. Cor. Vide Coclaeū de Act. Luth. 1524. A prea­cher in master Iewels diocesse sayed it openlie at a visita­tion, when he could not answer being as­ked what case was Decen­ter. y^• they haue but a Reader or two, and fewer [...]cholers to heare, then were wont to be in a Grammar schole of the co [...]ntreie, before this new Gospell was set ab [...]oche, and this grosse maner of Re­fourmation with bowes, billes, & gūnes attempted: & yet these impudent strialls are nothing a shamed thereof. It is theyr doinge, it was theyr meaning: they graūt it, they reioyce at it, theyr ful pur­pose & intent is to bannish al good lear­ning and knowledge. Yea they haue set theyr heddes together and fully a­greed among themselues, to bannish the Greeke & Latine tong quite & cleane out of the countreie.

And some of them accompted earnest setters out of the Gospell and taken among them for most eloquēt preachers, affirmed, that they were verie gladde, and thanked God highelie, that they had neuer learned that Romishe and Papi­stical Latin tong, as they called it: other, after they had done the best they could to pull vp all good learning by the roote, and hadde euerie where robbed, disturbed, and distroyed the Scholes, [Page] Pedagogies and Vniuersities, to ex­cuse the whole matter, they bore men in hand, that they hadde comprised and framed the whole corps and Treasure of al good learning and knowledge within the compasse of theyr owne mo­ther tong. They toke vppon them to bring to passe, that now a yong Scho­ler of fifteen yeares of age might easylie in three yeares space learne more,Luth. de erigend. Schol. ad Se­nat. Ger [...] come to better and surer knowledge, and proue a greater clerke and better lear­ned, then euer his forefathers coulde in times paste with al theyr paines, trauaile, and studie, daie and night, fortie yeares together.

Luther caused the Cannon law to be burned openlie in Wittenberge. Caro­lostadius the Archedeacon of y^• towne, and the very firste maried Prieste that [...]uer appeared in the face of the world in our dayes, caused all Philosophie bokes, all Historiographers and Cro­nicles, all Logike bokes, all good Authors of humanitie, Grammar and Rhetorike that could be fownd there, to be set a fyre and burned. In deed Lu­ther [Page] was not there then present, he was in his Pathmos solitarie making his fifte Gospell, or his second & new Reue­latio [...]s: & when he came home, he was verie muche offended w^t the Archedeacon for it, and saied that by suche meanes the Papistes onelie would be learned, and Protestants should haue no knowledge nor learninge, to answere and resiste them.

Would God, these harishe peoples Gedlem madnes had bene satisfied with burning of bokes only, had staied there, had gone no further. Theyr raging furie proceded yet forward, euen to the bur­ning of Christē men, to cut their throtes, to hew, to mangle, to teare & chop them in peecies. Read ouer from the begining to the ending y^e Cronicles and Histories of all the blouddie Tyrannes that euer were, weighe and consider all the most eruell & vnmercifull actes that euer anie Hereti [...]es or barbarouse people com­mitted, lay before your eies all y^• tragical fables, and horrible fictions of Poetes: & yet ye shall plainlie see, that this Gospell warre, this terrible fire and flame of con­tensiouse [Page] Sectes & Scismes, which hath worne Christendom and made it py [...]e & decay well nigh now fiftie yeares, this barbarouse Cruelty of these Gospellers, this rude, fearce, vunatural, & vnspeake­able tyrannie of the Protestantes of our time farre surmo [...]teth, passeth & excedeth them all.

There were neuer found nor hard of among anie wild & barbarouse people, among brute beastes, beares, Tygres Lions, among the diuelles of bel them­selues, suche vnmercifull, suche wonder­full examples of crueltie and bloudie butcherie, as were shewed commonlie & verie ryfe in these our vnluckie dayes, sithens the light of this Gospell was kendled firste with fire & gunpowder.

How saiest thou, Beza, I speake now to thee, that wast not onelie prosente and priuie, but a cheife do [...]r, & a moste cruel Captaine in all these late treasons and conspiracies that were deuised and at­tempted to suppresse & vndo Fraunce. Tell me,Beza [...] Audiēcie I praye thee, when thou did­dest commonlie goe vp to the pulpite in Orleans with thy sword by thy syde, and [Page] thy Pistolet (not S.At Or­leans re­ported this Gos­pell, of his to the Author. Paules Epistles, nor S. Ihons Gospel) in thy hand, did­dest commonlie goe vp to the pulpite in Orleans and exhorted the people, that they should rather shew theyr manhod & wreake theyr anger againste y^• Papistes who were the liue images of God, then againste the dead and harmelesse images of stockes and stones that stood in the Churches: When thou diddest traine in and bring vppon that Realme all maner of mischiefe: when hou diddest murder the Magistrates and Rulers, sell tounes and Cities, make hauoke of thine owne natiue countreie, and geue the spoile and sacking therof for a praye to forayners and straingers: when thou diddest pull down and ouerthrow the temples and Churches of God and all his Saincts. and all auncient Monumentes of holie men of God: What Traytor what Ty­ranne, what Lion, what Satan could then be equall matche, or be compared to thee in falsehodde, crueltie, rage and wickednes?

Christes holie will and pleasure was, that his Churche should be the [Page] place of prayer, and of his heauenlie and Diuine Mysteries,Matt. [...]1. not a den of theeues, not a brothell howse for hoores and queanes, not an arinarie for ar­tillarie and weapon, not a couer or camp for souldiours and men of warre. But thou neuer camest within Chur­che or Chappell, during all that tu­multuouse trouble, whiche thou coul­dest fynde in thye harte to leaue whole and standing, whiche thou diddest not defile and pollute with thy bawdie pleasures, with thie mischeuouse vil­lanie, with thie impiouse Sacriledge, whiche thou diddest not at last robbe rifle, spoile, rase, mangle, marre, suppresse, pull downe and quite ouer­turne.

In deed thou haddest learned that leasson long a go of thy master Iohn Caluine the Ringleader of al mischief, who when he was a yonge man and Student in law at Orleans,Verse [...]nest and substan­tia [...] men, who were then Caluin [...] being chosen, as the fasshion is there, by his contremen y^e students of Picardie, to be y^• Proctor of his nation among them, and had, according to the custome, the [Page] Chalice,Schole fellowes in law re­ported this of him to the Au­thor. the Crosse, the Vestimentes and all the Churche ornamentes that apper­tained to that worshipfull companie of his countremen, committed to his char­ge, custodie and credit, to keepe for theyr vse and for the celebration of Gods ser­uice on highe feastes, and at theyr Ordi­narie assembles, and solemne dayes of Meting: the false theefe toke his heeles and ranne away with al, offended God, robbed y^• Chur [...]he, & deceaued his own contremen that trusted him so muche: thereby euen presently to geue al Chri­stendome an euident signe and token of the great Sacriledge that he com­mitted afterward in Christes Churche, and a lesson and paterne for thee to follow.

When in Champaine, thou tokest manie honest vertuouse and learned Priestes prisonners, and diddest keepe them as captiues taken by the law of ar­mes, promising them theyr liues for theyr ransome, & ye [...] afterward because they and the people there would not a­gree & consent to thie wicked doctrine, diuelish heresies, and furiouse raging [Page] dreames, diddest syt vppon them like a Bedlem and cruel iudge, and cōdemnest some of them to prisonnes & dungeo [...]s, some to be hanged, some to be burned, other to be beheaded, pronouncing most wrongfull and vnmercifull sentence of death vppon them: when thie impudent face and wicked mouth then talking and preaching diuelishe doctrine, was in the meane time sparkled & sprinckled with y^e bloud and braine of those that were put to death and murdred at thie foote, what sprite possessed and ruled thee then? What crumme of reason? what sparkel of pitie? of mercie? of mans nature haddest thou then lefte in thy harte or bodie?

How manie vertuouse men & honest Priestes were slayen and murdred after most cruell maner in that insurrection, by thy deuise and counsel, by thy persua­sion, procuring and compulsion, by thyn own blouddie and butcherelie handes & weapons?

At Orleans a good old man, called Guiset, parson of S. Paterns Churche there, and an Abbote also, one that was somtime of the Frenche Kings councel, [Page] two Notable pillers and shining brightTheses things ar notoriou­slie kno­wen at Orleans. examples of true Christian Religion and vertue were put to death and hanged vpon a galowes, that is yet to be seen in y^e market place of that Citie.

An other old Religiouse man night foure score yeares of age of the Abbey of S. Euuerte there, when he had escaped out of Orleans, and gotten a mile or two from the Citie, was taken by the soul­diours of the Gospell in a certaine Vil­lage called Mareau, where he had recea­ued his maker that morning preparing himself to die, & out of hād they strip him starke naked, and caste a rope with a ri­ding knot about his necke, and so pulled him & drew him a long the streate. When they saw he was now at deaths doore, & geuing ouer struggling gasped for breath they toke awaye death from him leaste it should ease him to sone of his paine, they vntied and loosed y^e corde, they toke his feble and now wel nighe dead car­casse, bownd hit to a tree, and made hi [...] theyr marke to shoote at with theyr har­quebuzes and gunnes, for exercise sake and practice of theyr feates of warre. [Page] An others bealy they opened, & wounde out his guttes about a staffe softe and faire, he being yet aliue and looking on his own entrayles.

They came to an other good parson of a Village in the countree who laye sore sick in his bedde, so worne & spente with sicknes, that for very weaknes he was not able to stād on his fete. They plucke him out of his bedde by force, they hale him in his sherte bare headed, barefoote and barelegd out into the streate. & after they had sported and mocked like mad men about him a while, they pull him in to y^• Churche y^t was there hard by, they hoyse him with a rope vp to the roode that stode a highe ouer the quiere doore, and there hanged him vp vppon the cru­cifix.

I haue yet fressh in my remembrance, yea my thinke I see yet now before my eies the teares of certaine honest men in Orleans, who for weeping & snob­bing could scante abide to tell me, how miserably how cruellie, how vnmer­cifully a certaine vertuouse mā a Priest, withe whome they had been familiar [...] [Page] and acquainted in his life time) was han­deled & murdred by these cruel butchers. The poore honest man (as they told me) got on a beggers cloke, and a scripp full of crustes of old vinowed bread, & scraps of meate such as beggars haue, & being so disguysed had escaped, as he thought, out of all gunneshot and danger, when behold, sodenlie Caluines souldiours ouertake him on the waye being now weerie and nighe out of breath. And, as these kind of people are verie suspiciouse, wel practized and experte in al mischiefe, they aske and examine him verie diligēt­lie, what he was, and whence he came. When by long examination and muche threatning they vnderstood at length y^t he was a Prieste, they brought the inno­cent poore man bound like a theef into the next Village, and there in the open market they make an auction and sale of him, as if he had bene a bondman, and aske, if anie man would geue readie mo­ny for him.

The inhabitāts there flocked together & were maruelouslie amased & astonied at so strange a case, they beginne to in­treate [Page] for him, they praye them, and hol­ding vp theyr handes to heauen they beseeche them hartelye, that they would dimisse & let goe the innocent & harme­lesse man, and doe him no more harme: that they would consider, that he was a Christian man, the image of God and anoynted priest. But it had been as good they had told a tale to a tubbe, or whis­pered in a deaf mans eare. For all Here­tikes haue stonie hartes, they can not be mollified. It is the nature and propertie of men, and not of diuelles, to be moued with mercie and pitie towardes suche, as are in miserie.

To be shorte, first they pull out both his eies, then they cut of y^e toppes of his fingers whiche had been sometimes a­noynted with holie oyle, and flea with a knife the skynne of y^• crowne of his head whiche was shauen (according to the an­cient Custome & Cannons) Priestlike. After they had thus mangled hym, to the end the cruell butchers of the Gospell might haue some more pastime in moc­kinge and laughing at him, they leade him along the streat stark naked, sauing [Page] that he had a poore shurte on, to couer his black, blew and blouddie bodie, and disioynted bones that were brused and wel nigh all crusshed w^t buffets blowes and wondes. At last when euerie man had his fyll of this vnmercifull, cruell, and raging mad pastine, they binde the constant Martyr of Christe, with a rope vpright againste a tree, and with theyr gunnes shot at him so often, that they perced all his bodye throughe full of holes.

O God immortall, that thou seest these so wonderfull and strainge vil­lauies, so horrible and incredible cruel­ [...]ies, and doest not out of hand strike down & consume awaye Suche mo [...] ­struouse men with fire and lightening from heauen, or cause the earth to open and sodenlie swalowe them aliue down headlong into the bottomelesse pit of hel? O lord God most mightie and omnipotent King and Emperour of al heauen and earth, suffrest thou thy ser­uants to be thus dismembred, hewed, and mangled?

But what talke I wretched, earthlye [Page] and mortall man so foolisshlie after the maner of man with the euerlasting, im­mortall, and almightie God, my lord and maker?

It seemed beste so to thy eternall wisedom, O mercifull God, it stood so with thy heauenly will & pleasure, that the might and power of vs thy seruantes the Christians, shoulde be made perfit by weakenes and infirmitie, that such as fought manfully, as they should doe vnder thy banner, should be rewarded w^t a heauenly croune, & be ho­noured with an immortall garland of triumphe and victorie, that thou woul­dest bring vs throughe fire and water into a place of reste and comfort, that suche as would leese theyr liues for thy sake, should be reuiued and resto­red into life euerlasting. The onely euerlasting, and immortal sonne of God our Captaine lord and Emperour Iesus Christ taught vs firste of all by his own example and Passion to treade this path, Sithens the first houre that the crosse was halowed, adourned, and [...]er­ked w^t his sacred & blessed bodie as with [Page] a most pretiouse and celestiall Marga­rite. His diuine prouidence made the Crosse & all affliction in this world light and easie to true Christian men, his ex­ample and imitiation hath made al tri­bulation and aduersitie pleasante and sweete.

This was y^e cheife reward that our Master Christe gaue in this world to his deare disciples, the noble Princes and worthy Prelates of his Church, to al the most vertuouse, holy and good men in al ages, that they should take pleasure & be glad, y^• they were accompted worthie to suffer reproche & iniuries for his names sake, that they shoulde willinglye and gladlie take vp theyr Crosse on theyr shoulders and follow him theyr master & guyde that lead them the waye.

It is not therefore, O happie soules, it is not shame for you, to suffer y^• Christe suffred: nor glorie for these bloudie tray­ters,Apoc. 2. to doe that Iudas did. To him that win [...]eth, Ma [...]na is geuen and a white Stone, and a new name which no man knoweth, but he y^• receaueth it. Ye haue wo [...]ne the field, ye liue, ye raigne like [Page] Kinges and Emperours. O ye happie and moste valiant souldiours of Christe. For this wages and for such recompense we are contented gladly and pleased to suffer and abide the cruell tormentes and butchery both of the Diuel him selfe, and also at the handes of these his Garde & wayting yeomen, his membres and most wicked Ministers of hel.

O ye cruell Tyrans, Gospelspillers, and Messengers of all naughtie and wic­ked tydinges, goe on and fill vp the mea­sure of your cruelty, and impietie. Ye la­bor in vaine against y^e seruantes of God. they are yet aliue, whome ye haue slaien. They had the vpper hande ouer you, whom you thought ye had ouerthrowen, oppressed and vanquyshed.

They raigne and rule, whome you con­temned, despised, and trod vnder your fe [...]te.

The pitie & compassion of this cruell acte hath lead me further then I thought, out of my waye. But whyther was I minded to trauaile being alreadie weary? I labor in vaine if I trauaile to recken vp all the vilanouse deedes, y^e wonderful [Page] murders, y^e cruel tiranny of these naugh­ty villaines. The rehersall of all the Ty­rannicall and barbarous actes of theese new Refourmers in this last sedition in France, were able to make a good Ora­tor weary, yea to driue out of breath Fa­bius himselfe, were he neuer so well dis­posed to talke. And I perceiue (right worshipful and learned,) that it goeth a­gainst your stomakes to heare these hor­rible doinges, and in very deede it goeth against my hart also to speake such thin­ges as the Gospellers and Protestantes of our daies do put in practise gladly, & with all their heartes.

They thirst after bloud, and can neuer haue their fill of it, nor quench their thirst with it. They would faine that all good men were rid out of the way and deade. nor they thinke it sufficient to haue them all dead: they wold wish they died a hun­dred times, if it were possible for a deade man to reuiue and liue againe a hundred times. They inuent and deuise incredi­ble fashions and meanes of cruelty, suche as neuer man hard of before, they are ve­ry witty and expert in imagining newe [Page] kindes of tormentes.

There was betwene Paris and Orle­aus an honest man a Curate of a certaine village: this man the Hugono [...]es (as they call them) drew in by force & might against his will into their Inne, where they lodged. When they had him there, the most wicked butchers first cut of his priuie membrers, then they open his be­ly, he being yet then aliue and loking on, and with their bloudy hands pull out his guttes and all his bowels, and caste his entrailes about all the house.

If any man suspect that I faine, and i­magine of my owne head this wonderful cruel deede, and lie vpon them: I am able to bring for witnesse of this butchery y^t I tell you, a substantiall man both honest & worshipfull, one of the Prebendaries of the goodlye Cathedrall Churche of S. Crosse in Orleans. This man, (whome I woulde here name to his worshippe, if I coulde call his name to my remem­braunce) all the while this vile and cru­ell murder was a doing, laye hid in that house shut vp in a cheast or benche, and so eskaped these Tyrannes cruel handes, [Page] & saw this sorowfull & lamentable sight through the chinks of the benche where­in he laie.

But what neede I bringe any witnesse for the profe of such things as are notori­ouse and manifeste, as being committed in the presence and sight of al the country? Our aduersaries are not ashamed to cō ­fesse it them selues, they rubbe theyr for­headdes, caste awaie all shame and ho­nestie, and blusshe not a whit to graunt that they haue done such things in deede, yea they laugh, and ieste, & make a moc­king game of it, & do reioyce & triumph in theyr wicked crueltie. And some of thē at theyr death (and God wil) do comforte them selues especially with such deedes of mercie and workes of charitie.

There was one of these Butchers at Paris the laste yeare condemned to be hanged for murder in the market place called Place Maubert, and when the hal­ter was about his neck, he beganne to reioyce in good earneste, and to brag that sometymes he had worne about his neck a coler made of priests eares. and wisshed that other of his brethren in the Lorde [Page] would followe that notable example of his: and because that, dying in so high de­gree he had no authoritie by the lawe to make his testament, this exhortation and counsel stoode in steed of his laste will & testament.

They broke and burned the crosse,An. 1453. Vide Dubitantiū Lindani. pag. 298. and mocked at it euerie where as the Turkes did sometyme at Constantinople, neither were they satisfied with that: they toke two innocent good Priestes and hanged them vp on eche side of the Crucifix like the two theeues for contempt & reproche. Other had theyr faces and fingers fleied, theyr noses, eares, and priuie members cut of, theyr heades clouen with a sword at one stroke in two partes. Some they burned aliue, and yet moste commonly they are wonte to pull vp the dead out of theyr graues, yea and they toke marue­louse delight & pleasure to cut litle chil­dren and babes in two at one stroke with a sword. And these were the strainge and wonderfull miracles that these Postles wrought at S. Macaries.

Now what they did to a notable ver­tuose old man, a Religiouse Prieste at [Page] Mans the chiefe Citie of Cenomania in Fraunce, I am afraid, yea I tremble and quake to rehearse. That horrible Act don emong Christian men hath defamed and blemished the name, not only of all Chri­stians, but allso of Heathens, Turkes, and all mankinde.

Many excellent & graue wryters haue put in wryting manye a time and often, that there be in some partes of the world Anthropophagi, that is, suche people as do eate mannes flesh.Du sacc. fo. 72. But that any wold compell a man to eate and swalow down the priuy partes of his owne body, being cut of and broyled on a grediern, and thē would open his bealy being yet aliue to see if mannes stomake could brooke, con­cocte and digest suche strainge kinde of meat, such men hauing the face and like­nesse of men, that would attempt and cō ­mit such a dede so strange, so abhomina­ble, so diuelish wer neuer yet foūd or hard of before these our daies of Reformation. Such a detestable & brutish acte was ne­uer done or practised amōg any desperate & wild people, among barbarous & rude natiōs, amōg most fierce and cruell brute [Page] beasts before this our vnhapy time. And what was y^e cause (I pray you) of this so cruel & strainge punishment? What had this mā offēded? what was his trespasse?

In the old time he that had killed his own father shuld be sowed vp in a le [...]hern bag,Institut. de pub. iudi and a dog, an adder, a cocke, and an Ape w^tin the bag with him: and being so beset and accompanied with those vgly,§ ali [...]. dismold and deadly mates packed about him, was cast aliue into the sea, if it were nigh, els into the next riuer. So y^t being yet aliue he lost the vse and seruice of al y^• foure elements at ones, the aier, the fire, the earth, y^e water, because he had bereued that man of his life, by whose benifite he was brought to the world, and to the vse of all these.

And this strainge kind of most shame­ful & ignominious punishment & death, was executed only vpon those y^t had kil­led their parēts, for their vnnatural, vile and abhominable offense. But this mā, y^t was put to so strainge, filthy, & infamous kind of most cruel death, who was cōpel­led against nature to eat his owne flesh, which euery man spareth and cherisheth, [Page] haue bene of likelihood giltie of such, so great, so vilanouse a trespace, that excepte he had bene rydde out of the waye and put to the moste cruell death that coulde be inuented, the whole frame of all the world must nedes haue fallen downe and perysshed. And yet to this miserable man, who shalbe spoken of hereafter to y^• worldes end, and be peraduenture the rufull argument and lamentable matter of tragicall stages, this only faulte was laied, that he was a Christian man, a Ca­tholike, a Priest.

It was againste theyr will that y^• Mi­nisters of the Gospell punished him so cruelly, but yet for Reformations sake they could not chuse but of necessity do it.

For reformations sake also I doubt not (as the Reformed brethren in Christ doe fondly beleue) they sacked,The Au­thor of this oration hath seen all these ruines. spoiled & threw doune to the grounde the most Christian Kings house at Orleans, and the goodly Temple of S. Anian that stoode by it buylded with Princely worke of y^t kings charges, and al the faire and riche Chur­ches of that noble and renoumed Citie, excepte certaine litle Churches whiche [Page] they spared to put in their Harnesse, Ar­tiliary and prouision for Warre, and the chiefe Cathedrall Churche S. Crosse, which they reserued standing (but yet all to rifled, rased and mangled) to preach in and to be the place of their dailye walke for recreation.

The Englishe men, who by the lawe of armes, by manhode, princely prowesse and force of warre had conquered and wonne well nigh all Fraunce, could ne­uer ouercome and get the strong, migh­ty, and most defensed walles and rampi­ers of Orleans. But this Gospellish Re­fourmation in this last Insurrection in Fraunce, hath filled vp the Ditches with earth, stones, and rubbell, hath throwen downe to the ground, the surest towres, the strongest Bulwarkes, all the defense of the Towne, and all the stronge holdes and Fortresses round about, they haue made the Walles so flat and plaine, that in sundry places Cartes and Horses may cas [...]y passe ouer, yea they haue brought al the goodly streates, Suburbes & Vines about the Towne to a bare, barein, and naked field.

[Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] The moste Christian king Lewys the eleuenth his body was buried Honora­bly and princely, in a goodly tumbe rich­ly garnished, with his Image grauen on the outside, in our Lady Church at Cle­ry, foure leagues from Orleans. For re­formations sake they did hew the kinges Image in peeces, cut of his armes, feete and head: and when they thoughte they had sufficiently punished the Image, they open the sumptuous & honorable graue, pluck vp the kinges body out of the lead wherein it was enclosed, caste it into the fire and burne it, and at laste they spoyle the goodly Church that was trimly buil­ded with costly and faire worke, they vn­couered the toppe of it, and caste it quite downe.

For Refourmations sake the harte of good king Francis the second (who died lately poysoned,Claud. d Sainctes fol. 70. as it is thought, by the meanes of these Gospellers,) that was buried before the highe Aultare in the Churche of S. Crosse at Orleans, was digged out of the ground, broyled on a grediern, and at last burned.

For Reformatiōs sake, Orleās, Roan, [Page] Lions, and many other rich Townes in Fraunce, the whiche florished sometime with great traficke of marchaundise, are brought to extreame pouertye and mise­rable lacke and scarcitie of all things ne­cessary. And haue fewer occupiers, porer Marchauntes, and are lesse hanted, then euer they were before in any mannes re­membraunce.

How many parents bereaued of their children, how many children benummed of their Parentes, how many Widowes weping for y^e death of their husbāds, how many Burgises turned out of house and home, are nowe to be sene commonlie in Fraunce latelye reformed, and all for re­formations sake?

S. Peter had neither golde nor siluer,Act. 3. nor yet passed vpō the getting of any: he gaue to y^• pore man that asked his almes, helth in stede of money. But these newe Postles the disciples of Iudas Iscarioth and Simon Magus, who trauail toth & nail not to alter & change, but to abolishe and take quite and cleane away both law and Priesthode, haue exceadinge greate [Page] store of gold and syluer which they scra­ped and gathered together by robbinge and spoiling and sacrilegiouse [...]acking of Churches, and yet they geue neither mo­ney, nor helth to such as ask their almes: they feede them with faire wordes, and geue them sometymes stripes, blowes, wondes and most cruell death in steed of almes.

They say that the Cleargie is to riche, and therefore they take away both from them, and from the laietie also without respect or partialitie, such hindrance let­les & impedimentes of pietie, deuotion, and perfection: And they them selues in the meane tyme, good men, doe beare patiently vpon their neckes the synnes of the people, and al this traish & mucke and heauie burdens. They throw down townes and Cities, ouerthrow Tem­ples and Churches, to get gold, without the which theyr Gospell can not be plan­ted, the world can not be refourmed, yea they go into y^• bowelles and bottome of the earthe. They robbe the dead to fill theyr owne purses, they open and breake vp sepulchres and graues to haue y^• very [Page] lead wherein dead mens bodies, bones and asshes are wrapped.

What tounge is able to expresse in wordes the spoile, saccage and ruines, of the Churches of Poictiers, Lions, and of other townes in al quarters of France? This is moste certaine, that Beza and his companions, Theeues & curthrotes like him selfe, stole out of the Churches and Vesteries at Tours two thousand markes in syluer, and a thousand marke in gold, besides pretiouse stones, chaines and other Iewels, and ornamentes of greate valew, yea and that with suche a rage, such an vnmeasurable desyre and outragiouse couetousnes, such a furiouse affection and thyrste of stealing and ha­uinge, that they scratched all that euer they could by anie meanes, and lefte not as much as a naile or peece of yron be­hinde them.

And bysydes all this, the Holy Beza dubbled this myscheuous robbery of his with an other enormous outrage, so haynouse and greate, that no condigne and worthy ponisshment can make suf­ficient amendes for it. For he toke away [Page] the sacred Relyques of the blessed Ar­chebysshoppe of Tours, the body and asshes of S. Martyne the Greate Con­fessor, that had bene kepte there,Diuus Marti­nus Epis. Turo­nens. floruit An. Do. 384. Tempo. S Amb. & Chry. & caet. with greate reuerence so many hundred yeres, notwithstandinge the often warre and cruell persecutions of diuerse enemies both heathen and Christian. And when he had taken them out of the Shrine, he burnte them with fyere, and then gathered vp the holy and blessed asshes, and threwe them into the [...]yuer of Loyer that runneth thereby.

With the lyke impietye and furiuose rage at Lyons the bodie of S. Ireneus sometyme Bysshoppe there,S. Irenae. Epis. Lugdu. claruit. An. 185. S. Hilar. Epis. Pictaui. claruit. An. 361 one that liued very nigh the Apostles tyme: at Poictiers the bodie of S. Hylarie Bys­shoppe also there, were pulled out of theyr Graues, defiled, Prophaned, burnte with fyre, and then caste into the Riuers.

O wonderfull Impietye and mad­nes of raginge Heretikes, O beastly and more then Barbarouse rudenes and crueltie. What Tyranne euer in anye Lande was so fierce and cruell, that [Page] woulde persecute, teare and mangle all good men, not only in theyr lyfe tyme, but also after they were departed out of thys world, and buried in theyr graues? These cruell Graueroo [...]ers, that labor to brynge a newe Religion into Christendome, can not abyde, that good men shoulde lyue any where on the earth, nor yet suffer them to reaste vnder the earth in theyr graues after theyr decease.

They couer with Sylke, and decke with veluettes theyr owne fylthye bo­dies, and theyr Womens moste vyle and stynkinge carcasses, whiche (with­out the greate mercy of God) shallbe one daye the stuffe and matter of Helfyre, and carrayne for death and dam­nation to feede on: And wyll they not suffer the blessed bodies and▪ boues of Sayntes, that shallbe in the end placed in Heauen with theyr blessed soules, (whiche are there before in peace, and reast, and ioye with Christe) to be in the meane tyme closed in lead, or coue­red with stone, or layed vnder earth and claye?

[Page] It is happy, they can not plucke theyr holy Soules out of heauen to, as they doe al theyr endeuor to destroy and vt­terly rydde theyr bodies out of the earth. For if they could gette them thence, & set themselues in theyr places, it appereth here by this good wil of theirs in y^e one, what they would doe in the other: and that is no more, but euen to follow their Grand Capitaine Lucifer. For as he would haue done to God himself, when he sayed in his harte, he would clyme a­boue al y^e starres of God, and be Gods owne fellowe and syt faste by his syde: euen so by al likelihod, these men would doe to Gods fryndes and seruantes. that is, robbe them of all glory, and of theyr places both in heauen & earth, if it lay in theyr power so to doe. But though God geue them alitle leaue on theyr bodies whiche is all that they, or the the diuell hath any power vpon (For the Serpent feedeth on the earth and crepeth on his belie,Gen. 3. and can do no more) yet Sanctorum Animae in manu Dei sunt, Sap. 3. & nō tanger illos tormentum malitiae. The Soules of Saintes are in Gods owne hand, and [Page] reast and raigne with him, that all the malice of y^• diuelles in hell, or theyr ser­uantes in earth cannot once touche, nor come nere them, what euer they doe in the meane tyme to theyr bodies.

I cannot let passe, but rehearse and note here vnto you surely a notable Hy­storie out of Eusebius, of the persecutiōs of the very self same places in Fraunce:Euseb. Caes. E [...]. Hist. lib. 5. Cap. 3. [...] Mar­tyr. apud Vien­nam & Lug [...]un. by which it may be thought in cōferring the one with the other, that these men nowe be of the same feruēt and hot zeale (as themselues terme it) of the same mynde & opinion in these lyke actes of theyrs, as y^e cursed Paynyms were then toward the Christen folke, whome they persequuted and put most cruelly to death. For they, not content with all the terrible tourmentes, paynfull deathes & Martyrdomes executed vpon them, would not somuch as suffer theyr bodies to be buried, but threw them to dog­ges, and kept straight watche day and night, y^• noman should take them away, but that y^• dogges should deuoure them in deede. And if the beastes, or the fyre leaste any part of theyr bodies not con­fumed, [Page] they toke the bones and asshes, and the duste, and all together, & threwe into y^e Riuer: thinking thereby to ouer­come and conquere God himselfe, that neyther he shoulde be able to gather theyr asshes together, and make theyr bodies aliue againe, as they were before? nor they haue any hope of Resurrection, out of theyr graues, being out of all hope of graue, or any kynd of buriall at all.

This doth Eusebius wryte & reporte out of the very letters and Autentyke wyttenesse of the Christen folke & Mar­tyrs there at that tyme.Circiter An. 160. in qua pers [...]cu­tione passi sunt Irenaeus, Photi­nus, Blā ­dina &c. And if we shal cōpare together those myscreantes then, with these our mysseshapen Christians nowe, I cannot see wherein they any thing differ from them: but well may I sone see, that in some pointes these matche them, & go beyonde them to. For the persons and holy Sayntes of God, against whome all this crueltie and ex­tremitie of malice is shewed, be all one, of the same Catholike fayth and Reli­gion, and much about the same age and tyme, far within syxe hundred yeres after Christe. And what els is the cause, [Page] that our newe Gospellers doo so perse­cute, spette at, and abhorre theyr bones and ashes nowe, but for the hate they haue both to them and theyr Catholique Religion, if they durst so playnly for shame cōfesse it, as by y^e diuelles persua­sion they doo in theyr hartes beleue it.

The Paynyms would not only them­selues not burie the dead bodies of the Sayntes, but dyd also most cruelly for­byd, and most straightly watche, that none other mā, nor Christen nor heathen moued with pitie, should steale them a­way and burie them. What els meane these Captaine Protestants nowe, but y^• neyther they, nor any good Christē man in deede, shall see any such holy bodies reuerently buried and layed in graue?

The heathen Infidelles cruelly kylled the Christians, as theyr mortal enemies, and threwe theyr bodies to beastes to de­uoure: These worse than Infidelles take vp the bodies that haue so long lyen styl, spoyle the graues and Sepulchres, and prophane all together most impiously.

The Infidelles, to wreake theyr pre­sent āger, forbyd burial to their enemies, [Page] being newly [...]layen, theyr blood yet warme, and the tormentors wrath yet fressh and fierce: these fell persecutors denie them buriall, yea most violently spoyle them of theyr graues, which they had quietly kepte and possessed so many hundred yeares. Whome if they take for theyr fryndes, why order they so cruelly: and if for theyr enemies, why haue they not forgot all yre and malice after so lōg tyme of so many hundred yeares?

The mysbeleuing Paynyms thought,Twelue hundred yeres and aboue. that the Christen men ran wyllingly to suffer all kynde of torment and death for Christes sake, because of the hope they had to lyue and ryse againe, and enioy a better lyfe & croune of euerlasting glo­rie. And that therefore they desyred so muche to be honestly buried, that theyr flesh and bodies might lye together, and so the more easyly be reysed vp and made againe by the power of God. And to the end, that God might not come by theyr flesh, and synowes, and bones, nor they haue any hope at all of Resurrection, and thereby also be dryuen from theyr con­stant and patient suffring for Christes [Page] sake: they sought the meanes not only not to burie them, but also that God should not any where fynde and come by theyr flesh and bones, & asshes againe: but toke all, and gaue it to beastes to deuoure, and to the fyre to consume. and then what the beastes & fyre had leafte, they threw earth and asshes and al toge­gether into the Riuer, to be vtterly dis­persed, and neuer to be recouered and got together againe.

Whether Beza & his fellowes in theyr like dede of burning the Reliques and holy bodies of Sayntes, and throwing theyr bones and asshes into the Riuer, haue also the lyke mynde and opinion of Gods power and Resurrection: I com­mitte to the secrete iudgement of God, who most certaynly both seeth theyr thoughtes, and the most priuie corners & secretes of theyr hartes, and shall reyse vp his holy Sayntes & Martyrs bodies to immortal lyfe and glory, where euer y^e cruell Infidell, or impiouse Heretike scatter and flyng them abrode in y^e wyde world.

But in the meane tyme well may we, [Page] (as Christen men dyd then in those grea persecutions, when they could by no meanes be suffred to bury y^e dead bodies) lament to see & heare of this Heathen & Myscreant maner, this more then Tur­kysh crueltie of suche, as would be not only counted true Christiās, but also pre­tend & stoutly take vpon them to be Re­fourmers of the Catholike fayth. Wel may we rue, and be sory to see this daye. Well maye I nowe and worthely crye out, and make exclamation: O most mercyfull lord, O euerlasting God of heauen and earth: what a wycked and Barbarous Religion, or rather Ir­religion, what a strange and rude Re­formation, or rather Deformation is this, that pursueth with famine, fyre and sworde all good men, euery where, and allwayes, yea, after they are de­parted this lyfe? that encreaseth, ga­thereth force, and is strengthened with turmoyling and troubling all Common weales and good Order, with robbing & spoylinge theyr owne contreemen and neighboures, with contemning and pro­phaning [Page] all holie and Spirituall things, with breaking vp and violating of Se­pulchres, Schrines, and Graues, with kylling & murdering all faythfull Sub­iectes, with dasshing and huddeling all the affayres & good orders of the whole worlde together, w^t blasphemies, mad­nes, furie, rage, crueltie, butcherie far passing the Turkes Tyrannie?

What els shall we coniecture & deeme to haue been the marke and end, intente and pourposes of suche Refourmers as these be, if it were not to abolishe & roote out quite all Christian Religion out of the world? they haue omitted no kinde of crueltie that could be deuised, they haue slayne and murdred the honorable and worshippull, the substantiall and ver­tuouse subiectes, they haue spared noe state, nor age. The rage and furor of these sauage & Barbarouse wretches hath extended it self and waxen fearce and cruell againste children, women and old men: who were so weak, that they were not able nor to hurte other, nor yet to defend and saue themselues.

[Page] There was a companie of honest mēs Children,This cruel dede was don in a Vil­lage called Patte not far from Orleans. who for feare of these mad­braines passing by, ranne to hyde them­selues into a Churche. the villaines did set a fire and burned both the Churche, & the chyldren together, and when some of y^e poore infantes lept out of y^e fire to saue their liues, these cruel broilers & vnmer­ciful murdrers far exceding the tyrannie of the wicked Herode flong the seelie in­nocentes aliue into the fire againe. They had no care, nor regard at all of honestie, shame or chastitie. They stripped an ho­nest mayed stark naked as euer she was borne, in the middes of the streate at Or­leans. And when she stood so, openlie a­mong them, y^e bawdie ribaudes Sarda­napalus souldiours feeled and groped her shamefullye, filthylie, and againste all the lawes of nature, to serche forsooth if she had hidden anie money, aboue the rate of the proclamation, to carie priuilie out of the town about her.

The traytor by Angiers which kept a castle againste his Souueraigne lord and master the King, and toke a Noble wo­man and hāged her in a basket by a rope [Page] ouer the Castle wall for a bullwarke against y^e force & shorte of the Kings ar­tillarie and battering pieces, did suerlie a more cruell and vnmercifull acte: but yet not so durtie, filthye and bawdie, as this fowle deed which nature abhorreth.

Theyr full po [...]rpose and intent was, to pille, robbe and spoile all they could get, & to leaue nothing vntouched. Ga­bastone the master of y^• watche or rather the master of misserule at Paris seemed plainlie to confesse and proteste, that this was their mening, at what time he was in the companie of these Sacrilegiouse Refourmers at the spoiling of S. Me­dardes Churche there in the firste begin­ning of the trouble, and rode on his horse into the quiere before the highe Aulter, and there gabbled and cried to his mates in his barbarouse Gascoigne Frenche, Pilla tout, Pilla tout, that is, spoile all, spoile all.

Is there anie thing I pray you, more fearce, more cruell, more horrible, that men should need to feare at the Turkes handes, if he had been in place, then that we haue seen, to our greate greife, smarte [Page] and dammage, attempted and commit­ted by these vile Pages, and Pedlers of this newe Gospell? Truelie I beleue Soliman y^e great Turke himself would neuer haue suffred Virgines and pro­fessed Nunnes to be so filthylie defloured and forced by rape, the Priestes and ser­uantes of God to be so villanouslye and spitefullye handeled, all holye thinges consecrate to Gods seruice and honoure to be so wickedlie defiled and profaned, finallie the verie blessed and pretiouse bodie of our lord and master Christe himself to be with suche furiouse and outra­giouse impietie, caste on the grownd, trod vnder foote, hurled into the fire and into the water, and so desperatlie to be prickt with theyr swerdes, and caried vppon the toppes of theyr speares.

Verylie thus I thinke, and thus my mynd geues me (right worshipfull and learned) that except that onelye Noble man, the right honorable Duke of Guyse had withstood theyr furiouse attempts, and defeated theyr moste cruel assaultes and desperate enterprises, that most No­ble parte of Christendome the whole [Page] cōmon weale and Realme of France had been vtterlie vndone and loste. And that notable vertuouse mā, a personne moste famouse for passing manhod, exceading vertue, & peerlesse knowledge & cōmen­daciō for warfarre & feates of armes,See the confession of Pultro the mur­derer. the father & defender of his countreye, the glasse & bright shining light of al France whiles he went about to quenche the flame, to parte y^• strife, to appeace y^• sedi­tion of his contreie, was traiterouslie & cruellie murdred by the meanes, counsel and vnmercifull conspiracie of that vile Caytif Beza, the inuenter & coyner of al these michiefes, & seruante & bondslaue of al bawdie luste, fylthie concupiscence, and all detestable sinne and vice.

I feare me leaste I seeme to passe y^e li­mites & cōpasse of y^e time apointed for me to speake by y^• custome of this Schole, & to abuse your gentel patience & suffrance (right worshipfull) if I trauaille anie further with longer discourse & to long talk, to declare & rippe vp y^• endlesse and infinite desperatnes crueltie, & madnes of these harishe Ministers, traiterouse Refourmers and brutishe Heretikes.

[Page] To be shorte, your wisdomes I doubt not doe plainlie now perceaue, that this theyr warre for Religion againste God and all true Religion, hath been made, nother iustelie, nother orderlie, nother to anie good effect or furtherance of Re­fourmation. Ye see now as clere as the bright shining sonne, that the Protestā ­tes of our time ranne raisshelie together and toke weapon in [...]hand without anie iuste cause, reasonable occasion, or suffi­cient quarell: that they badde and pro­claimed warre againste theyr countrey, against theyr Souueraignes, againste y^• Catholike Churche of Christe without anie commission, power or Authoritie: y^t they fought that battaille to fearcelie, to vnmercifullie, and to cruellie, to the ex­ceding great iniurie, harme and wrong of all good men, to the incredible hin­drance, and dammage of all Christen­dome, and suche l [...]sse as can neuer be re­payred. Ye know now these new Gos­pellers, the wicked Captaines of these moste traiterouse and dangerouse insur­rections, ye vnderstand what maner of men they be, how vprightlye, how ho­nestlie [Page] they liue and behaue themselues in the Churche of God, and what they meane, what they go about, what they attempt.

What saye you, then by them? what p [...]nisshement, thinke you, haue suche bloudsuckers, suche cruell butchers de­serued to suffer? what estimation, what degree, what state among Christen men iudge you suche verlets to be worthy of, whome neither shame could withdraw from dishonestie, neither feare keepe of frome dāger, nother reason reuoke from madnes, nor Religion stop from Sacri­ledge, nor pitie staie from killing and murdering of theyr own neighbours?

At the firste for a messe of potage cer­taine loose friers and fained dissemblers of Monasticall profession fell out at de­bate betwene themselues, & afterward, they were pricked, dryuen and drawen by auarice, ambition, and wanton iuste of wicked libertie and pleasure to strike vp a larme and to bid battaille: and at length they fought in open field againste theyr own contremen, neighbours, and followes, againste y^e Magistrates, Kings [Page] and Emperours, against the Bishops, againste the Churche, againste the Chri­stian Religion, againste all good men, against the Sayntes of heauen, & finally againste God allmightie himself, as the Gyātes did, of whome y^e Poetes in theyr fables make mention, meaning in deed such desperat, raging & wicked caytiffes, rebelles & miscreants, as these were.

The false traitors & desperat cutthrotes brought into the Churche of Christe a cursed kind of Religion, framed, caste, & made of wicked whoredomes, & bawdie bitcherie, of innocent bloud and murder of true subiectes, of all maner of trouble­some and seditious mischiefe & discord, and all loosenes and libertie to embrace and f [...]llow vice & sinne. They haue cal­led in, holpen, & maintained the enemies of Christendome, Forayners, Tyrans & Turkes.

They haue geuen to the Turke and added to his dominion and Empire manie Noble and goodlie countreies & prouincies of Christendome. They haue lead an infinite nūber of Christen soules [Page] to eternall damnation, throwen them down hedlong to the deepe pit of euer­lasting fire, and betaken them to the ty­rannie and furie, of the vglie finds and horrible diuelles of hell.

They made the holie fonte stones the couers of theyr iakes: yea the durtie Helhowndes (Oh abhominable acte) were not ashamed to laye the excre­mentes of theyr vile and wicked bealies euen in the verie sacred fonte and place where Christen men were wonte to re­ceaue theyr Baptisme.

There were slayen in Germanie with in three monethes space by the wicked occasion and faulte of these Refourmers an hundred and thirtie thousande men, and in Fraunce aboue a hundred thou­sand, among whome I recken not the infinite number of suche as died of the plague there in y^e meane time, of whome the greatest parte were these Cu [...]throtes themselues, speciallie they of Lyons, who, as it is reported, did poison the welles & common waters of theyr Ci­tie for a traiterouse and wicked intent: [Page] So that by the iuste iudgement of God it is brought to passe, that there scars re­maineth now aliue vppon the earthe y^• fourthe parte of those, who for a great number being but beardlesse yong men and moste of them witlesse, & altogether desperat and destitute of y^• feare of God, attempted to doe suche, so strainge and villainouse deedes.

I will not staie now to make an ac­cōpte and iuste reckening of al those that throughe this cursed Refourmatiō were caried to miserable captiuitie vnder the Turke, or were slayen in the field in de­fense of Christendome againste him and these his adherents: and yet this I am bold to saie, that if ye hard the euen tale & iuste accompte of them, ye wold more wonder at it & pitie it, then ye doe now at the rehearsall of this maruelouse nū ­ber slayen and murdred in Fraunce and Germanie.

They haue turned all lawes out of y^• countrey, and sent all right and equitie into bannishement. deuotion, true Reli­gion, Chaste lyuing can wel nighe now abyde sa [...]e in no place: the Profession of [Page] Chastitie is suspected, hated and despised eueriewhere. Al things are besette, and turmoyled with madnes, rage, murder, fire and sword The desperate crie of fu­riouse heretikes doth make all the world ring, the streates runne of bloud, the walles of Chapelles and Churches are sprinkled & dawbed with the gore blood and braine of Christen men: Al Europe, being weakened with the cruel warre & long seditions of heretikes, cracks, and shakes and is euen now readie to fall quite to the ground.

And now when al this is done, after al these mischeifs and Tragical offenses, y^t these mad Bedlems, & cursed Caines haue committed: they blame the Catho­liks and lay crueltie to theyr charge, that haue suffred all these iniuries, losses, dā ­mages, and murders at theyr handes. There came furth in printe of late to the sight of the world a verie fond foolishe & peuyshe litle boke out of Englande, writen againste the tyrannie of the Pa­pistes: for so it liketh them in scorne to call the Catholikes.

In these and suche like dangers of tu­multes [Page] and insurrections of subiectes, (right learned Audience) in these verie same snares and trappes of treason and cōspiracie we also ourselues haue liued & stood nowe a long time. We nourrish in our owne lappes & bosoms Domesti­call enemies: who raging with desperat boldnesse, and panting for verie malice, doe imagine & labor to poison & vndoe theyr Countrie, & breake out into suche common talke & dailie communicatiōs, as abode add threaten the murder of all good men, and the setting of the Citie a fire. This cruel, this horrible, this con­tagiouse and deadlie plague, we haue by the benefite & mercie of God allmightie, and the diligent prouision of graue and wise Rulers often times escaped.

If it were writen in euerie mans fore­head what he thought of the Common weale, ye might reade murder, bloud, & burnings, the bane, wherling gulphes, and ouerthwart rockes, prepared to poison, to swalow vp, to ouerthrowe y^e Citie at home within your own houses, abrode in the Churches, in the Scholes, yea & sometimes in this verie auditorie where ye stand.

[Page] Learne by other mens dangers, losse & harme, what hangeth ouer your owne headdes, what is like to fall on your Ci­tie, your Churches and aulters, what is like to become of your liues, your goods and substance: if (whiche God forbyd) this your coūtrey also should happen to be sette a fire with this terrible flame of discord and Rebellion.

There is no hope of forgeuenes, no looking for mercie, no place left for pardon, where the rage of these Gospellers be­ginnes to get y^e vpper hād, or theyr des­perat furie to beare the swaie and rule. Nother the regard of their Coūtreie, nor of parētes, nor wines, children, nor fren­des shalbe able anie whit to moue or mollifie the hard stonie and more then Adamante hartes of Protestātes. They will not set a russhe by the weeping, wayling, and teares of theyr frendes & acquaintance, they will caste away all feare, and set naught by the loue & frēd­ship both of God and man, and breake as muche as euer they may all God and mans lawes, and moste desperatlie cutte the throte of euerie Christen man thy [Page] meete, when they perceaue y^• they haue the stronger syde.

Tread out therfore and quenche the sparkles of this fire now whiles ye may. Doe not winke anie longer at these Mō stres to your own smarte & harme. Do not nourisshe & cherishe in your howsen and by your fire syde these venemouse Esopicall adders to your own vndoing especiallie, and to the destruction of all good men.

Ye haue heard, what they haue don other where: you vuderstād therby what you your selues also ought to feare. For whiche of you al, or what honest man in all the world wil they spare, think you, who are so malitiouse & spiteful againste all good men, that they can not find in theyr hartes, to let them reste in theyr graues, nor pardon them when they are dead and buried?

There is no honest man, yea no Chri­sten man (who at leste remembreth him­self to be a Christian) that can abide to see suche villaines, suche Gospellers, boutchers, traitors, madmen, wicked Church robbers, that can abide to heare [Page] of them: whose harte riseth not against them, and finallie detesteth and ab­horreth not theyr crueltie, and trem [...]leth not at the verie remembrance of theyr Tyrannie.