WVHERE as not lōg sithens a boke came forthe in our and all oure counsailes na­mes, whyche bothe cōteyned many cau­ses, why we refused the Councylle, than by the byshoppe of Romes v­surped power fyrste indycted atte Mantua, to be kepte the .xxiii. daye of May, after proroged to Nouem­bre, noo place appoynted where it shulde be kepte. And where as the same boke dothe sufficiently proue, that our cause coulde take no hurt, [Page] neyther with any thynge doone or decreed in suche a company of ad­dicte men to one secte, nor in any o­ther councill callyd by his vsurped power, we thynke it nothynge ne­cessarie, so ofte to make newe prote­stations, as the byshoppe of Rome and his courtes by subtiltie & craft, do inuent ways to mock the worlde by newe pretensed general council­les. Yet not withstandynge bicause that some thynges haue nowe oc­cured, eyther vpon occasion giuen vs, by chaunge of the place, or els through other considerations, whi­che nowe beynge knowen to the worlde, maye doo moche good, we thought we shulde do, but euen as that loue enforseth vs, whiche we owe vnto Christis faythe and rely­gion, to adde this epistell: And yet we protest, that we neither put forth [Page] that boke, neyther yet we wold this epistle to be set afore it, that therby we shulde seme lesse to desyre a ge­nerall Councille, thanne any other prince or potentate, but rather more desirous of it, so it were free for all partes, and vniuersal. And further we desyre all good princis, potenta­tis, and people, to esteme and think that no prince wold more willyng­ly be present at suche a council than we, suche a one, we meane, as we speake of in our protestation, made concernynge the councill of Man­tua. Truely as our forefathers in­uented nothynge more holyer than generalle Councilles, vsed as they ought to be, so there is almoste noothing, that way do more hurt to the Chrystian common welthe, to the faith, to our religion, than general councils, if they be abused to lukes, [Page] to gaynes, to the establyshement of errours. They be called generall, & euen by theyr name do admonysshe vs, that all Christen men, which do discent in any opinion, may in them openly, frankly, and without feare of punyshement or displeasure, say their mynde. For seing such thinges as are decreed in generall councils, touche egally all men that gyue as­sent thervnto, it is mete that euery man, maye boldely saye there, that he thynketh. And verylye we sup­pose, that it ought not to be callyd a generall councylle, where alonly those men are harde, whiche are de­termyned for euer, in all poyntes, to defende the popysshe parte, and to arme them selfe to fyght in the bys­shoppe of Romes quarelle, though it were agaynste god and his scrip­tures. It is no generall Councill, [Page] neyther it oughte to be callyd gene­rall, where the same menne be onely aduocates & aduersaries, the same accused and iuges. No it is against the lawe of nature, eyther that we shulde condescende to so vnresona­ble a lawe agaynste our selfes, ey­ther that we shulde suffre our selfes to be lefte without all defence, and beinge oppressed with greattest in­iuries, to haue no refuge to succour ourselfes at. The bishop of Rome and his, be our great enmies, as we and all the worlde maye welle per­ceyue by his doinges. He desyreth nothynge more than our hurte, and the destruction of our realme: doo not we than violate the iudgement of nature, yf we gyue hym power and auctoritie to be our iudge? His pretended honour fyrste gotten by superstition, after encreased by vi­olence, [Page] and other wayes, as euylle as that: his power sette vppe by pretense of religion, in dede, bothe agaynst religion, and also contra­ry to the worde of god: his prima­cye, borne by the ignorancie of the worlde, nouryshed by the ambition of byshops of Rome, defended by places of Scripture, falsely vnder­stande. These .iii. thynges we say, whiche are fallen with vs, and are like to fall in other realmes shortly, shall they not be establyshed agein, if he maye decyde our cause as hym lysteth? If he maye at his pleasure oppresse a cause mooste rightuouse, and set vp his, moste againe truth? Certaynely he is very blynde, that seeth not, what ende we maye loke for of our controuersies, if such our ennemye maye gyue the sentence. We desyre, if it were in anye wyse [Page] possible, a council, where some hope may be, that those thynges, shal be restored, whiche nowe being depra­uate, are lyke, if they be not amen­ded, to be the vtter ruine of christen religion. And as we do desyre suche a councyll, and thynke it mete, that all men in all theyr prayers, shulde craue and desyre it of god: euen soo we think it perteyneth vnto our of­fyce, to prouyde bothe that these po­pishe subtilties hurte none of our subiectes, and also to admonyshe other Christen princis, that the by­shoppe of Rome maye not by theyr consent abuse the auctoritie of kin­ges, eyther to the extinguyshing of the true preaching of scripture (that nowe beginneth to spring, to grow, and spred abrode, either to the trou­blyng of princis liberties, to the di­mynishinge of kynges auctorities, [Page] and to the great blemysshe of theyr princely maiestie. We dout nothing but a reder not parciall, wyll soone approue suche thinges, as we write in the treatise folowynge, not soo moche for oure excuse, as that the worlde may perceyue bothe the son­drye deceytes, craftes, & subtilties of the papistes, and also, how moch we desyre, that controuersies in re­lygion maye ones be taken awaye. All that we said there of Mantua, maye here well be spoken of Vin­cence. They do almoste agree in all poyntes. Neyther it is lyke, that there woll be any more at this Con­cille at Vincence, than were the last yere at Mantua. Trewelye he is worthy to be deceyued, that beynge twyse mocked, woll not beware the thyrde tyme. If any this laste yere made forthe towarde Mantua, and [Page] beinge halfe on theyr waye, thanne perceyued, that they hadde taken vppon them that iourney in vaine, we do not thynke them so foolyshe, that they woll hereafter ryde farre oute of towne to be mocked. The tyme also, and the state of thynges is suche, that matters of Religyon maye rather nowe be broughte far­ther in trouble, as other thynges are, than be commodiousely intrea­ted of, and decyded. For where as in maner the hole worlde is after such sorte troublyd with warres, so in­combred with the greatte prepara­cyons that the Turke maketh, can there be any manne so agaynste the setlynge of relygyon, that he wolle thynke this tyme mete for a general Councill? vndoubtedly it is mete that such controuersies, as we haue with the byshoppe of Rome, be ta­ken [Page] as they are, that is much great­ter, than that they maye eyther be discussed in this soo troublesome a tyme, or elles be commytted vnto proctours, without oure greate ieo­perdie, all be it the tyme were neuer so quiete. What other prynces wyl do, we can not tell, but we wyl nei­ther leaue our realme at this tyme, neyther we wyl truste any proctour with our cause, wherin the holle stay and welthe of our realme stan­deth, but rather we wyll be atte the handlynge therof our selfe. For ex­cept both an other iudge be agreed vpon for those matters, and also a place more commodiouse be proui­ded, for the debating of our causes, all be it all other thynges were as we wolde haue theym, yet maye we laufully refuse to come or sende any to this pretended Councyl. We wol [Page] in noo case make hym our arbyter, whiche not many yeres paste, oure cause not hard, gaue sentēce ageinst vs. We woll that suche doctrine, as we, followyng the scripture, do pro­fesse, ritely to be examinid, discussid, and to be brought to scripture, as to the onely touche stoone of true ler­nynge. We wyll not suffre them to be abolysshed, ere euer they be dys­cussed, ne to be oppressid, before they be knowen: moche lesse we wyl suf­fre them to be troden downe beinge so clerely trewe. No, as there is no iote in scripture, but we wolle de­fende it, thoughe it were with ieo­perdie of oure lyfe, and perylle of this our Realme: soo is there noo thynge, that doth oppresse this do­ctrine, or obscure it, but we woll be at continualle warre therwith. As we haue abrogated all olde popishe [Page] traditions in this our realme, whi­che eyther dyd helpe his tyrannye, or increase his pride: so if the grace of God forsake vs not, we will wel foresee, that no newe naughty tra­ditions be made with our consente, to bynde vs or our realme. If men wyll not be wyllyngly blinde, they shall easily see euen by a due and e­uident profe in reson, though grace dothe not yet by the worde of Christ enter into them, howe small thauc­toritie of the byshop of Rome is, by the laufull denyall of the Duke of Mantua for the place. For yf the bysshoppe of Rome dydde ernestly intende to kepe a councyll at Man­tua, and hath power by the lawe of God, to calle princis to what place hym lyketh: why hathe he not also auctoritie, to chose what place hym lysteth? The Bysshop chose Man­tua, [Page] the Duke kepte hym out of it. If Paule the byshoppe of Romes auctoritie be so great, as he preten­deth, why coulde not he compel Fe­dericus, Duke of Mantua, that the Councylle myghte be kept there? The duke wolde not suffre it. No, he forbadde hym his towne. Howe chaunceth it, that here excommuni­cacyons flye not not abroode? Why dothe he not punysshe this Duke? Why is his power, that was wonte to be more than fulle, here emptie? wonte to be more than all, here no­thynge? Dothe he not call men in vayne to a Councylle, yf they that comme at his callynge, be excluded the place, to the whiche he callethe theym? Maye not Kynges iustely refuse to come at his call, whan the Duke of Mantua may denye him the place, that he choseth? If other [Page] prynces order hym as the Duke of Mantua hathe doone, what place shall be lefte hym, where he maye kepe his generall Councill? Again. If Prynces haue gyuen hym this auctoritie, to calle a Councille, is hit not necessarye, that they gyue hym also, all those thynges, with­oute the whiche he canne not exer­cyse that his power? Shall he call men, and woll ye let hym fynde no place to calle them vnto? Truely he is not wonte to appoynte one of his owne Cyties, a place to keepe the council in. No, the good man is so faythefull and frendely towarde o­ther, that seldome he desyreth prin­ces to be his gestis. And admitte he shulde calle vs to one of his cityes, shulde we safely walke within the walles of such our enmies towne? were if mete for vs there to dyscusse [Page] controuersyes of Relygyon, or to kepe vs out of our ennemyes trap­pes? meete to studye for the defence of suche doctrine as we professe, or rather howe we myghte in suche a thronge of perylles be in sauegarde of oure lyfe? Well, in this one acte the byshoppe of Rome hath decla­red, that he hath none auctorytye vppon places in other mennes do­mynyons, and therfore yf he pro­myse a Councille in any of those, he promyseth that that is in o­ther man to perfourme, and so may he deceyue vs agayne. Nowe if he calle vs to one of his owne townes, we be afrayde to be at suche an ho­stes table. we saye, better to ryse a hungred, then to goo thense with oure bellyes fulle. But they saye, the place is founde, we neede noo more seke where the Councill shall [Page] be kepte. As who saythe, that, that chaunced at Mantua, maye not al­so chaunce at Vyncence. And as thoughe it were very lyke, that the Venecians, menne of suche wyse­dome, shoulde not bothe foresee, and feare also that, that the wyse Duke of Mantua semed to feare. Certes, whanne we thynke vppon the state, that the Venecians be in nowe, hit seemeth noo verye lykely thynge, that they woll eyther leaue Vincence, theyr Cytye, to so many nations, withoute some great gar­rison of souldyers, or elles that they beinge elles where, so sore charged allredy, wyll nowe norysshe an ar­mye there. And if they wolde, dothe not Paulus hym selfe graunt, that it shulde be an euyll presydent, and an euyll exaumple, to haue an ar­med Councille? How so euer it shal [Page] be, we moste hartely desyre you, that ye woll vouchesafe, to rede those thinges, that we wrote this last yere touchynge the Mantuan Coun­cille. For we nothynge doubte, but you, of youre equytye, wyll stande on our syde agaynste theyr subtyl­tye and fraudes, and iudge (except we be deceyued) that we in this bu­synesse, neyther gaue so moche to oure affectyons, neyther withoute greate and mooste iuste causes, re­fused theyr Councilles, theyr Cen­sures, and Decrees. Whyther these our wrytynges please all menne, or noo, we thynke, we oughte not to passe moche. No, if that, that in­differentely is wrytten of vs, may please indifferente reders, our de­fyre is accomplysshed. The false and mystakyng of thynges, by men parcyall, shall moue vs nothynge, [Page] orelles very lytell. If we haue said aughte agaynste the deceytes of the Bysshop of Rome, that maye seme spoken to sharpely, We praye you, impute it to the hatredde we bare vnto vyces, and not to any euyll wyll that we bare hym. Noo, that he, and all his, maye perceyue, that we are rather at stryfe with his vy­ces, than with hym, and his: oure prayer is, bothe that it maye please god, at the laste to open their eyes, to make softe theyr harde hartes, and that they ones maye with vs (theyr owne glorye set aparte) study to set forth the euerlastynge glorye, of the euerlastynge God.

¶ Thus myghtye Emperoure Fare ye moste hartely well, and ye Christen Prynces, the pylors and staye of Christendome, Fare ye har­tely well. Also all ye, what people so [Page] euer ye are, whiche doo desyre, that the Gospel and glory of Christ may florysshe, Fare ye hartely well.

¶Gyuen at London oute of oure Palace at Westmynster, the eyghte of Apryll, the nyne and twen­tye yere of oure reygne.