To the Quenes Maiesties poore deceyued subiectes of the north countrey, drawen into rebellion by the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland. Written by Thomas Norton. Seen and allowed according to the Quenes iniunctions

To the Quenes Maiesties poore deceyued subiectes of the north countrey, drawen into rebellion by the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland. Written by Thomas Norton. Seen and allowed according to the Quenes iniunctions

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ALbeit I knowe not by what name wel to call you, sithens you haue loste the iuste name of Englishmen by disturbing the common peace of Englande, with cruell inuasion and spoile like enimies: and the Quéenes Subiectes ye can not well be named, hauing throwne away your due submission and obedience: and yet her Subiectes still must you be, and cannot enioy the name of laufull enimies, being vnder her highnesse authoritie of correction, not to be raunsomed, nor by the curtesie of Marshall lawe to be dealte with as iust enimies: but to be executed as Traitours and Rebels: Christians I can not term you that haue defaced the Communion of Christians, and in destroying the booke of Christes most holie Testament, renoūced your parts by his Testament bequethed vnto you: Yet I remember what you haue ben, by contrie Englishmen, by nature our kinsmen and allies, by allegeaunce Subiects, by profession Christian men: I pitie what you now are, by crueltie and spoile of the land worse than enimies, by vnnaturall doings farther from duties of loue than extreamest strangers, by rebellion Traitors, by blaspheming Christ [Page] our Sauiour, and destroying the monumentes of his Religion, worsse than Iewes and Infidels: Lastly I doe not wholly despeire, though you be far gone, what by good aduise and repentance hereafter you may be, if you shall ceasse from outrages, assay the dayly mercie of our God, and the oft approued clemencie of our most gracious Queene, wherby you may become againe preserued Englishmen in Englande, reconciled kinsmen & frendes, pardoned subiectes, and refourmed Christians, who otherwise stand in state to vndo your selues, your wiues, children, and posteritie for euer, to féele the sharp reuenge of her Maiesties necessarie iustice and due execution to be most rigorously layde vpon you by her inuincible power, & by the hands of her true loyall subiects, to lose al that you possesse, to die with shame, and (that is most terrible and gréeuous) to die in state of damnation. The considering of these your perils, with much compassion of you, & with some (though but smal) remnant of hope, that being admonished by hearing your frends, and somwhat alredy touched by feeling your selues, you will be called back to a more gracious & happie way, hath moued me to write vnto you, Though it be hard to thinke, that other mens wordes and writing can withdraw [Page] them, whom their own dutie and most euident danger could not with holde, yet bycause (not excusing your wicked following them) I impute one great part of your most heinous fault to other mens wicked persuasions, so I doe not wholly despeire of your amendment by better aduises. I shal therefore beseche you, for the honour of God, for the quiet of the realm for the safetie of your selues, your liues, possessions, wiues & children, for preseruation of your poore soules from euerlasting death, to bear my pore coū sel, as of one that is careful for you and hartily prayeth GOD to giue you his grace to haue true repentance, to obteine his and the Quéenes maiesties mercifull pardon, & that your dangerous beginnings may be example to restreine both your selues and all good Subiectes from like myschiefe hereafter. I know Biles launced before their ripenesse, are not therby well cured: yet hope I that the rancour and sore of your dysorders hath by this time growne so farre and gathered as much ill humor as it can, and the same so rottened with your own paines & calamity, that you are not altogether vnripe & vnready to receiue the means of your healing, rather than to continue til you must of necessitie be cutte off, as vncurable and despeired [Page] members. Call I pray you to remembrance your mater, cause and quarell, and ther with the ende wherto it tendeth: the shewes and colours wherewith it is cloked, and therein the likelihode of those successes that you are promised, with the hope of your aydes, complices, fauourers & succours: the states and qualities of those that haue mysguided you: howe far you be any way bound vnto them, and to whome you rather be bound, and for what causes: the maner of your owne doings in folowing them: the power and force of her Maiestie, her true Subiects and other bent against you: your owne manifest myschiefe and daunger, both bodily and ghostly: almightie Gods infinite mercie, & the Quenes maiesties excessiue clemencie.

Your very matter, cause, and quarrell in déede, is not any enterprise for your commoditie, Their cause and intent. nor meante for your benefite, no more than if you were set on worke to hang your selues, such good will they beare you that do thus deceiue you. The very matter in deede is this, to alter the state and gouernment of the realme: to ouerthrow her maiesties our most gracious soueraine Ladies croune and dignitie: to satisfie the néede and pouertie of such your leaders, as are fallen into lack by their leude vnthriftinesse and wastful spending [Page] in most vyle thinges and doings: to set vp the ambition of most vnworthy persons: to serue the turne of our forreine enimies, by whome entending our generall destruction, your misleaders are both with present meanes & greate hope most traiterously corrupted: to aduance a fayned and false tytle, that Magnae spes altera Rome. hath neither fundation of right and law, nor can stande with the safetye of the Quéenes Maiestie, and can not but moste manifestly threaten to the Realme spoyle, tyranie, alienation of honor, of soueraintie and of necessary defence, with most greuous bondage to sstrangers vniust power. To which cause who so euer shall by meanes of alliaunce, league, confederacie, or other bond of fauour Confederats. whatsoeuer, knit or ioyne himselfe, can not in right consideratiō be seuered from the societie and stayne of your treason and rebellion, nor can be any other but a dayly dangerous vnderminer of the Quéenes most excellent Maiesties Crowne and life, whome GOD long preserue, euen to your benefite howsoeuer poore soules you be abused. This is youre naked cause, howsoeuer your seducers haue clothed it. Lette eche of you wey with him selfe, (for so it standeth you vpon) what he hath heard and vnderstoode among you, what forme of conditions he knoweth [Page] would content your Captains, what change would please them, what successe he looketh for if your treasons might prosper, what attempts haue ben giuen, for which of the Nobilities destruction they pretend themselues to be carefull, what course that Nobilitie hath taken, what maner leages, alliances or cōioinings they haue entred, what metings they haue had, what faythes and promyses, and whereto they haue bene giuen, if their owne proclamation say true, and do not rather staunder Nobilitie to deceiue you: and so shal you easely decifer and plainely sée the matter to be as I haue dysclosed it. Which course to folow, what were it els than to resist the ordinance of almightie GOD, to reiect his most inestimable benefit, a most gracious Quéene our most deare mother, nurse and protectrice, to draw vpon vs the yoke of a cursed and abhominable rule, of most vile and cruell example odious to God and man, to shake away a most peasible gouernment, to pull vpon our owne heades by Gods iust plage most miserable calamitie & flauerie, and to be parteners of his iuste reuenge for the notorious euils of those whose yoke we should so séeke to enter? And yet a change An[?] yll change. must be made by our wyse leaders greate discretions, a noble change forsothe.

[Page] Some of you parhaps, sée nothing but the outward shewe & colour, bicause you loke to nothing else, which yet God wot is full il fauoured. Their colours. Your great Captains (a likely matter) pitying the foule dysorder of the realme of England, so empouerished and decaied frō Ironi [...] the maruelous welthy state wherin Quéen Marie lefte it, so far indetted beyond the expenses of infinite treasure that King Philip brought and left in this land, so subiected to strangers that had so small lykelyhode to haue oughte to doe here in Quéene Maries raigne, so troubled with forrein warres and inuasions as we haue ben in the. xj. yeares & more of the Quéenes noble gouernment, so defrauded of due excution of iustice, that no subiect can haue his right by lawe (wher in déed none wanteth his right but they and you that yet wante your due execution, but may haue it time ynough) and that most lamentable is, those good deuout men, as your holy Earle of Westmerlande and other, in whome no kinde of lewdnesse lacked, but rebellion, which they haue now added to make vp their full heape of iniquitie yt they might be perfitly starke nought, being gréeued forsoth to sée God yll serued in the common order of prayers, preaching, and administration of sacramentes, and specially in this, that [Page] the boke of God lieth open to the people, and that god is serued after gods own teaching: to remedie al those mischiefs, these notably well chosen men, like themselues haue called a noble Parlament & Conuocation, that is, a route of vnlearned rude Rebelles, forgetting all dutie to God, Prince, Countrey, Neighbours, and al that euer honest is: and in this déep, wise and godly assemblie, by the inspiration of the Diuels spirit, whome vnder false name of the holie Ghost, they haue Masse of the holy Ghost. in abhominable sacrifice called vpon, it is at length decréed, enacted and proclaimed, that your two Earles with the rest of their faction, are the Quenes true and faithful subiectes: Their proclamation. that they haue a good meaning, that nobilitie haue giuen their fayth to further it: that disordered and euill disposed persons about the Quene, seking their own aduancements, haue ouerthrowne true religion, disordred the realm, and seke destruction of the nobilitie: that these your good Gouernours wil with the help of God and good people, redresse things amisse, & restore ancient customes & liberties to the Church and Realme. Finally, they enforme of a great purpose of strangers to correcte and chasten vs to the hazard of the Realme, which they wil auoyd by hazarding it themselues. And after the [Page] ende they saye, God saue the Quéene, when in their doings and discourses before, out of all course of dutie, they haue plainly shewed it is not our quéene, Quéene Elizabeth that They meane not our Queene. they meane.

Blind men may iudge no colors. A man in a darke place without light, or he whose eies be blindefild or couered with any thing that he can not sée through, or he that obstinately winketh, is as vnapt to discerne colours as he that is stark blinde. Wherfore if you will rightly iudge of these coloures, and sée what they be in déed, you must come out of that blinde corner of rebellion and errour where no truthe shyneth, you muste shake of the veyle or couering of wrongfull affection and misunderstanding, and you must leaue winking at your owne faultes and follies. And principally you must pray to Almighty God to open your eies to giue you his grace to sée truthe and finde mercie at his handes. And thus prepared, I besech you descende to conferre these gaye colours in the broade light.

Your Earles (say they) are the Quéenes true subiects. Suppose it for the time and for They are not true subiects. the questions sake, as they would haue you, but for the time and for their purposes sake to take it, that they vnderstād or mean therby Quéene Elizabeth our most gracious soueraigne [Page] Ladie, & not any other that woulde bring vpon vs Mariana tempora, the miserablest dayes that euer Rome or Englande Marius and Sylla. felte. Farre doth the proportion of dutie of Subiectes to the Prince exceede the dutie of Seruants to Maisters, or Children to Parents, yea or Wiues to their Husbands, the very neerest conioyning in humaine fellowship, euen so farre as a Realme excéedeth a priuate Familie. But if one of your owne seruantes, children or wiues, should do that without your wil, yea against your wil and expresse commaundement, that your Captains and you haue attempted without and against the Quenes highnes plesure, would you accompt them good seruaunts, good children or good wiues? If the seruant shall departe from his maisters seruice wythout leaue, the childe from his fathers obedience, the wife frō the society of her husband without hys contentement or pleasure knowen, the case being supposed your owne, you can not like it. If they shall put on armoure and weapon, and become terrible, or threaten force to the Master, Father, Husband, or the rest of the familie: if the case (I say) were your owne, you would more myslike it. If they shall threaten to pull away, to banish, to destroy those frends or good seruantes, or [Page] the rest of the children whom the maister, father or husbande dearely estemeth, by whose good trauayle, cherishing and dutiful ministerie and attendance, the maister, father, or husband is serued & preserued, & mainteyneth the cōmodities of his contenāce: this being your own case, you would yet more disalowe it. If they shall misentreate, rob, spoyle, mayheme, and murder some of the rest of those other seruauntes, friendes & children that the maister, father or husband so dearly loueth, & for his benefite cōfortably vseth: were it in your own case, you wold now abhor it. If by no warning, prohibition, request, promise of recō ciliation, threatning or otherwayes, they wil cesse off prosecuting their enterprise: the case being your owne, you would hiely[?] stomack it. If notwithstāding all these doings, procedings, continuings, neglecting of threatnings, reiecting of faire speache and promises, these risers, withstanders, inuaders, robbers, murderers, cōtemners without licence, against the authoritie, ageinst the open declaration of his own wil and meanes of pacification sought by the maister, father, or husbande, will still saye and maintayn that they be true and faithfull seruantes, humble and obedient children, [Page] good and louing wiues: if the cases were you owne, you would not beleeue it.

The Quenes maiestie Quene Elizabeth is by al right the soueraigne Ladie & Maistresse of vs al, and of you too, & that must ye otherwise acknowlege or otherwise fele, or both, to your terrour I speake it. Her grace is the most louing mother and Nourse of all her good subiectes, to your shame and reproch of vnkindenesse I say it. Her highnesse is the Husbande of the cōmon weale, maried to the Realme, and the same by ceremonie of ring as solemnely signified as any common mariage is, to our great comfort and confidence I reherse it. Shall your captains forsake her seruice, and tell you they are good seruantes? Shall they or you resyst her authoritie, & refuse her blessing, & say they or you be her good children? Shall they seuer the knot of loue and agréement betwene her and them, and yelde their bodies to a notorious adulter, and yet saye they breake no bonde of this sacred wedlocke? Call their doings to minde, peruse them, wey them. They haue long agoe nourished this treason in their hartes: they haue bene long prouidyng for it: It was brought to her maiestie and her counsell by aduertisements: they haue ben tenderly delt with, priuately admonished of the rumours, [Page] the matter so signified vnto them, as if her highnesse where loth to beleue it: them selues haue for sworne it, with greate othes & detestatiō, protesting themselues to be frée from it. Wherin note I pray you the great indulgence towarde them euen with the most that any subiect in highest place may vse in cases touching his Soueraignes safetie, where of he ought no to be prodigal. And yet could none of these too great kindnesses moue them. Note withall how lykely they are to professe a true Religion, that holde this principle to keepe to faith, vse no loyalty, regard no othes & promises Papistes teache to kepe no fayth. made with attestation of God, and auowing themselues to renouncing of heauen & to eternall damnation. Note also how lykely they are to say true to you, in the things they beare you in hand, or in keping promise with you for your succor, defence or standing by you in extremitie, if themselues might haue any hope to escape and leaue you to gods mercie, or rather to your own miserie & most harde aduenture. For surely they do in the while but vse you for a buckler, to holde vp betwene them & the strokes for a time, and at length when they be ouerlayde, they will throwe away their buckler that they may run away the lighter, if they and their buckler bothe be not [Page] aforehande beaten downe to the ground▪ But these good men well respecting Religion, that respecte no faith, nor will kéepe any with you more than they haue kept with the Quene & her Officers, being called at length by order to purge them selnes, refuse to appeere, being more earnestly called vpon to come & declare their innocencie, they enter into actuall rebellion, raise vp you and other to keepe themselues from the face of iustice, & yet they haue put on a visour of great vertue: and where in déed not being able to cleare themselues, & answer their traiterous leagues and deuises, they vse you for the time to stay their apprehension, til they may otherwise prouide their escape, they beare you in hande that with all reuerence they remaine her true & faithfull subiects. Is not this a plain conterfait color? There is no white without whitnesse, no good without goodnesse, none true without truthe, none faithefull without faithefulnesse, no subiecte without subiection and obedience: What do they herein else, but as all other traytoures and rebelles haue euer and ordinarily do, pretend themselues to be true subiectes, knowing otherwise that simple subiects wold not followe them at all?

These good religious Erles and Captaines [Page] that so much inuey ageinst faith which [...] they vse not, and bragge of the value and merits of good workes whereof they haue few, now let them if they wil proue their colour true, that they be as they pretend, shew me their faith by their workes, their white by their whitenesse, proue themselues true by true dealing with god in their periuries, with prince in their rebellion, with subiect and neighbours in their spoyles and robberies, and well paying their dettes, yea with your selues in so fowly abusing you. Let them proue themselues faithful subiectes in their refusing to come to answer, in their rising without warrant, their resistance with out yelding. All these enormities they still continue, no gentle vsage, no good meane restraineth them. Alas the case is to playne.

They say they haue good meaning. If it were so, it would procede by good doing, and Their meaning not good. tend to good ending. But what good meaning are such good men like to haue: Or whatsoeuer is good meaning, be these likely to lyght first vpō it, or fitly chosen to further it? Somwhat must be saide, or nothing can be done, Some shew must be made, or no mā wil folow. How easie is it for the naughtiest person to say he meaneth well? but how plaine is it on the other side for euery reasonable [Page] man to sée, that he that doth vngraciously meaneth il? and he that putteth in execution horrible and vngodly factes, continueth and reioyceth in them, riscth without his princes warrant, armeth her subiects without authoritie, employeth their force to her ferror, bendeth al his doings to tumult and vprore, destroyeth the boke of God the most comfortable iewell in the world published with the princes power and commendation, wherein eche man is truely taught howe to do well in déede, this man I say that doth thus yll, meaneth not wel how good soeuer he say his meaning is. Discerne the trée by the frutes, the faith by the works, the saying by proofe, the pretended meaning by apparant déedes. These men meane shrewdly or speake▪ very falsely, when they say they meane well, and yet do so yll. If they meane well to the Quéene, when they thus resist her, it is possible they will vndoe you too, and yet beare you in hand they meane you well. They meane to you daungerously euill, and they meane to themselu [...]s foolishly wel, in thrusting youre bodies betwéene them and their due danger, while such shift wil last, and till they may spie a better. But you shal do wel to discerne their ill meaning: let them aunswer their faults, & repent you your faults. [Page] Of such a good meaning on your part may ryse a good doing, and hap a better spéeding than is yet to be looked for.

But sée in what forme and particularities this good meaning is expressed. Nobilitie Nobilitie slandered. (say they) and other haue giuen their faith to further this lewd meaning. If any such confederacie be, as it is not so greate as you be borne in hande, it shall be good to the parties to purge them of that ielousie in true seruice against your captayns and you. Neither can any be frée from the spot therof, that shall be founde to aduaunce, fauour, mainteyne or ioyne him selfe to any estate or title that importes her maiesties daunger, or hath impugned her highnesse safety, right or dignitie. No, no, this is but a colour to saunder Nobilitie, and deceiue you with vayne hope of desperate succors. You sée you finde it not, you are destitute and disappoynted of it. If suche leagues had bene, neuer looke that they will kéepe fayth with you that breake it with their Prince, or will ioyne with you, being no stronger than you be to beare them harmlesse. Looke sooner that Nobilitie will the rather employe them selues for her Maiestie agaynst you, to cleanse and reuenge this great infamie and dishonor, with your [Page] iuste destruction. But be it, that they had so, and were ioyned together to aduaunce this good meaning, whereof God wote you are fowly begyled. What is it I praye you or what grounde hath it? What hath her Maiestie or her counsell offended? Wherin is the Realme so daungered and oppressed, that it must haue violent remedy, it may abide no delay of Counselling, no ordinarie meane of reformation: Northumberland, Westmerland & Swinborn, like Catiline, Lentulus, and Manlius must erecte a newe The rule of three gouerners. Triumuirate to repaire or newe melte and fashion the decayed common weale of England? Greate wast in the melting. Forsoth disordered and ill disposed persons aboute the Quéene haue marred all. Disordered sayeth my Lorde of Westmerlande? Ill disposed, sayth my Lorde of Northumberlande? about the Quéene, say goods fellows, wight riders and robbers in the borders of two Realmes? O vertuous men. O holy théeues. O well meaning traytours. O likely surmise. Is there any greater disorder than rebellion? Is there any worse disposition than Treason? Is there any greater falshode than thus to defame the Quéenes moste Noble gouernemente? Are you so blynde not to sée the Quene touched, though, to beguyle you, her [Page] name be spared? Come they, whome you call disordered, to the Quéene vncalled? Are they not of hir Maiesties Counsell by The Quenes name forborn, to sclander her Counsell. her wise and good choyse? Deale they not in the causes of the realme to such end and with such meanes as her maiestie appointeth? Do they any thing without her authoritie and good liking, as there is good cause? Make they any laws, require they any Subsidies, do they the greatest thinges, without assent of the whole Realme, your owne assent by your deputies & burgeses, yea your owne forsworne captains, in open parliament, wherunto her Maiesties assent is had? or in cases out of parliament, is ought put in execution without her highnesse will and pleasure? Do they their things here, trow you, as you do your things there? O impudent beastes to bears you so in hande. O deceyued fooles you to beleue it. But O mad doltes so rashly to hazard your possessions, liues, good names, wiues, chyldren, hauiour, yea soules, and all vpon credit of so false reports. It is her Maiestie that dothe these good thinges her selfe, and honorably auoweth and inuincibly will vpholde the doing of those things which your captaynes call misdoings, and will defende the persons of those good and [Page] noble counsellers that serue her in so good gouernaunce of her estate, with the assistance of almighty God in her right, & the dutifull seruice of all hir true Nobilitie & her faithfull subiectes against al Rebelles, traytours and enemies, what soeuer they be, eyther within this Realme or without. Thus knowe ye, that her Maiestie taketh vpon her the iustification of her gouernement, and her Counsels ministerie therein. Therefore when your Earles accuse these about the Quéene, they accuse the Queene her selfe. It is but coloure to abuse you. They would say the Queene, if they thought ye would well take it. And it G O D were so farre angry with vs as to giue them miraculous victorie against all likelihode, yea and in mans eye against all possibilitie, no dout her Maiestie shoulde féele it with the fowlest indignitie that euer was séen in earth. And if it lay in them to spoile her maiesty and the realme of her good counsellers, their slender curtesie to her person would sone appere. Ceasse then to be so beguiled, take that shadow away, and take it as truthe is, that your Earles proclamation in déede sayth, though not in the selfe same sillables, that the Quéenes Maiestie with her Nobilitie, Parliament, [Page] and Counsell, haue done these mischieus that my lord of Westmerland and his fellowes must redresse in hast. And these Nobilitie and counsellers your wise good Rulers[?] call disordered and euill disposed persons. If you know them not, will you beleue that so wyse, learned, vertuous and The Counsell not disordered not ill disposed. noble a Quéene calleth to her counsell disordered & euil disposed persons. Yea more, if you know them not, wil you beleue that so great weaknesse and pouertie, wherein her maiestie found the realme, is (thankes be to God) repaired: so great quietnes and peace procured and kept: so good & equal distributing of iustice mainteined: such amitie with neighboures, such loue, credit, yea awe of her highnes among forein princes and Potestates, conciled and vpholden, so firmely, and so many yeares: will you beleue so great things so well done, so long continued, by disordered & ill disposed persons? If you knowe them, then néede I say no more. You know your proclamation is The rebels disorders and yll dispositions. false, you knowe they be slaundered, you knowe your selues be deceyued. God gyue you grace to know howe to recouer youre selues agayne. But on the other side, when you remember that which you daily see, the vanities, the doltishnesse, the borrowings [Page] without caring to pay, the prostitute abus [...] without regard of chastitie, the leude vnthriftinesse without respect of well getting or wel spending, the rashnesse without discretion, the vngodly life without al vertu, the glorious lustinesse wythout feare of God and without all foundation of honestie, the adulteries, fornications, theftes, robberies, spoyles, murders, and other mischiefes, in some of your captaynes professedly open and dayly exercised, euen with the gay name of a ioly stout Gentleman & lusty courage, and in some of greatest rauenie, yet like Rainard the Foxe cloked with some more hypocrisie: these when you marke and wey truly, as you sée them daily apply the wordes of disordred and ill disposed persons as you sée them deserued. Let euery worke haue his true name. And now sée these coloures. Rebels are called true subiectes, the Quenes maiestie is named with honour, and touched with dishonour: her doings, that they may be more fréely standered, are imputed to other whō they dare more boldly defame: you are led against the Quene, & born in hand against other: Nobilitie is falsly charged: fowle treason is called good meaning: periurie chalēgeth to be beleued: common robbers [Page] and theues, adulterers, murderers & rebels are well disposed persons: the Quéenes maiesties counsell and true nobilitie are called disordered and ill disposed. Alas these colors are so blacke, that they wil take none other hue. Marke well. If you beleue these, you may not saye you are deceyued otherwyse than wilfully, the matter is so plaine.

But what haue these disordred and euill disposed counsellers about the Quéene done say you? ouercome true and Catholike religion, disordered the realme, seke the destruction of Nobility. O shameles falshods, O fading false and vayne colours. Come out of darknes, open your eyes, cary them into the light, hold them against the sunne, trie them and iudge of them. They haue ouercome Religion. true religion, say your seducers & false teachers. Is there any alteration of Religion made so rashly as your rebellion? or teacheth it so vngodly doings as you do execute? or is it receyued from any other than from the word of God himselfe? If you will haue any religion, I truste you will haue Christes Tearing the Bible. religion. If you will haue the Religion of Christ, I hope you will best beleue himselfe to tell you what it is. If you will heare him selfe speke, you may not destroy his worde. Euen they that would deceiue ye most, can [Page] not deny that the holy Bible is the worde of GOD, what soeuer is taught therin is truth, what soeuer is against it is heresie & falshode. How thinke you then, doe they meane you wel that take Gods word from you, that destroy the bible, teare and tread vnder féete the Scripture of the worde of God, forbidde you to heare or knowe that wherby only you should heare and knowe truth, and learne to sée their falshode? can they wish you to see that would take away your light? can they wish you to fare well that would depriue you of your foode? The blasphemie is haynous, the offence dangerous, this path is not the way to true religion, but to error, which they would not haue you see, that persuade you to blindfill your selfs against the truth of gods gospel.

Besides your destroying of Gods boke, can ye think that they meane to draw you Breaking the Communion table. to true & catholike religion, that persuade you to destroy the monuments of Christian Communion? Read or heare the whole forme of that seruice, iudge of euery word and sentence, and then shall you sée what comforte your false deceyuers haue taken from you. Compare what good you find in that, and what edifying in the contrarie: what swéetenesse it is to ioyne with Gods [Page] congregation in partaking of Christes body & bloud by meane of his Sacramentes, and what vanitie or rather sorrow it is to gaze vpon a théefe that robbeth you of that treasure, pretendeth to take it al himselfe, & holdeth vp that which he calleth a Sacrament as it were in insultation and triumphe ouer your silly simplicitie. Do but heare, reade and knowe the thinges that ye yet despise, I dout not Gods grace shall crepe into you for your comfort.

Where thirdly you haue raged against the mariage of Gods Ministers, beholde Crueltie to maried priestes. your owne madnesse. I hope you be not all popish Priestes Bastardes, thus rebelliously to rise for the honor of your false Fathers. Do you think al your popish priests to haue liued chast? Knowe you not their olde incontinence commonly misnamed lustinesse and good fellowship? Remember the examples your selues. Is mariage worsse than horedom? was it not by themselues taught to be a sacrament? Is it not the holy ordinance of god? Is the mariage of your selues and youre forefathers become vnclennesse, or displeasing to God? Thinke not so yll of your selues. No, no, there is another matter. You are begyled poore soules, loke home to your own beds, [Page] preserue the cleanenesse & honestie of your houses. This is a quarell wholly like the old rebelles cōplaint of enclosing of commons. Many of your disordered and euill disposed wiues are muche agréeued that Priestes which were wont to be common be nowe made seuerall, Hinc illae lacrimae, there is the griefe in déede. And truth it is and so shall you finde it: fewe women storme againste the mariage of Priestes, calling it vnlawfull, and incensing men against it, but suche as haue bene Priestes harlots or fayne would be. Content youre wiues your selues, and let Priestes haue their owne. And for whole religion, receiue it as GOD hath taught it, reade his worde: and for the deliuerie and explication of it, it behoueth you, being no better clerkes than you are, to credite the whole Parliament, the learned Clergie of the Realme, and those that teache you by the boke of God, & learne it in such sorte & places as it is to be taught. Your Camp is no good schole of Diuinitie. Your churches as they were reformed, the worde of God red in such tong as you vnderstode it, the Sacraments ministred to your comforte, in suche sorte as you might féele the sense of them and be edicted by them, the good examples [Page] of youre Ministers liuing in holy matrimonie with their owne wyues and abstayning from yours, their teaching you obedience, iustice, & charitie, be the means to learne truth.

And yet if errors had ben taught, this is not the way to come to amendement. Know of those that complain of the ouerthrowing of that religiō that liketh them, if euer they sought good meanes to defend it and were denied, if euer they offred conference where it was méete and were refused, if euer they maynteined it in place conuenient by the word of God and were not fully, truly and charitably answered: Think you hir maiestie & the wisest of the realme haue no care of their owne soules, that haue charge bothe of their owne and youres? Thinke you they would haue entred into the troubles of changing religion, vnlesse very truth, conscience and zele for all our soules had enforced them? God wote you are deceyued, you are out of the way for true vnderstanding religion, you are out of the way for true seking it, and ye are very far out of the way in thinking that your captaynes haue any care of it.

They abuse you in this as in the rest. They regarde no religion, that goe so irreligiously [Page] to work. All is but shewes and hipocrisie. They haue frequented the seruice established by cōmon authority, they haue receyued Goddes Communion with hys Churche, they haue commended it, which if they had had the contrarie religion to hart, they would not nor might haue done, vnlesse they woulde confesse them selues such as you ought not to beleue. But the truth is, they knowe that for want of sufficient preachyng, and especially for want of grace to receyue the truth of God preached, and partly also for that long settled errours euen in men otherwyse good and honest, must haue theyr time of instruction and parsuasion: by these meanes I say, there be many yet within the realme not well taught: the multitude of which simple men, they hoped by this colour to draw to the felowship of their rebellion, and that way to haue more helpe to shelde them selues from the power of Iustice, and so to gyue an aduenture by more ayde to escape the due punishement for these their treasons that otherwise in peasable place of iustice they could not defend or auoyde.

So still this is but colour, euen as is the same yt foloweth, that her Maiesties Coū sell [Page] haue disordered the Realme. Well they Disordring the realme: knowe it is not so, and well they know that they nor their auncesters neuer knewe it so well ordered. But if any would beléeue such sclander, they hoped thereby to winne the moe complices, and so to hide their owne daunger in the multitude. Consider the truthe of this colour. Wey the times, conferre and examine them truly. Let not false persuasions deceyue you. Be not so wild and wanton with welth, to forget whence your wealth commeth, or not to sée that the Realme hath it. Hadde Englande euer in our memorie so long so blissed peace bothe at home and abroad? Had euer true Nobilitie more tender indulgence and honorable cherishing? Had euer subiectes more true and frée administration of law and right? Was England euer better ordered in all degrées, from hye to lowe, till your shamefull rebellion hath interrupted the great blessing of God? Or hath all Christendome the like at this day, your lewde tumult onely excepted? Hath not her Maiestie with the aduise and ayde of her most honorable Counsell, so ordered vs, that we haue as it were standing on shore beholden the shipwrackes of other nations? Liue we not dayly so our comfort with the fruites of this good gouernement? [Page] It is suche, that as the case standeth, he is lyke to be vnhappy that shall ouerliue it. Is this the thankes due to her Maiestie and her Counsell for their care and trauayle for your preseruation? Suppose you that such kindnesse is the way to kepe GOD louing and beneficiall vnto vs? Repent your error, acknowledge with thankes the good order of the realme that you haue felt with profite, forsake the disorderers of the cōmon welth, and yelde to suche good order as they that haue wel, wisely, iustly and mercifully ordered it can best dispose of you. You sée these be stil but false colours to deceiue moe subiects, to drawe moe adherentes, to helpe to shroud your seducers in communitie of perill.

And of like sort, falshode and impudencie is that they say of seeking to destroy Nobilitie. Destruction of nobilitie. Though some of them that so proclaime haue bene noble, you must remember howe Nobilitie may rise and fal. There is no traytor noble, how notable soeuer he be, or how noble soeuer his auncesters were. The aduauncement for vertue to the most honorable order is no more due to good, valiant and true Gentlemen, than the defacing of the former ensignes of Nobilitie, and solemne spurning them into a ditch, is a due preiudice to desloyal and vntrue subiects, the very [Page] stayne of whose companie, presence or felloship in the tokens of honoure true Nobilitie can not beare. Pitie it is that they haue so far forgotten the common wealth and their owh, so to deserue. But so deseruing, good example and necessarie iustice it is, that they beare their extremest infamie. Neither yet hath the Quenes maiestie nor her Counsell soughte their destruction, but they themselues haue now procured their owne, and drawen you in with them. Let themselues say of the benefites they haue receyued of her maiestie, her good coūtenance and supportation, all her Counselles frendly and louing meanes to do them good: then iudge ye what cause they haue so to saye. As for the rest of the Nobilitie, as they be moste déepely bound to her maiestie for her good and gracious tender loue and fauoure to them, which they ceasse not to acknowledge, and will do, euen with the aduenture of their liues, honours and possessions, in her Maiesties defense, against all rebels and traytoures, and namely ageinst your Captaines and you: so are they full slenderly beholden to your two good Erles for defaming them with the partenership of so fowle and abhominable treasons. And for that the slaunder is generall, without particular naming of any, ye must [Page] loke for the more general reuenge of all nobilitie ageinst you, no one shrinking or withdrawing, but euery one moste forwardely pressing to purge himselfe by his good seruice from so great dishonoure, and to shewe hys thankfulnesse (the naturall propertie of honour) to her maiestie for her great kindnesse and tender loue to that whole degrée. Some of them to their great prayse, you sée, alredy haue shewed their truthe, in repressing your attempts, refusing your societies, & in readinesse to ouerthrow you. Eche man is so likeliest to desire a newe estate, as he hath most cause to be wery of the olde. In what Princes dayes did euer Nobilitie liue, or can they hope to liue in suche securitie, in suche (as it were) nerenesse and conuenient familiarity with their prince, so frée from vniust backbitings, from vaine ielosies[?] & suspitions, from dangers by enimies reports or false accusations, from tumulte, war and malice one against another, yea from all vnsuerties and vnquietnesses, as they haue done in her maiesties dayes? It is maruellous and vnnaturally miraculous, that there are founde such two (I meane your two Erles) to shew such vnkindnesse. Thinke not then that any moe of nobilitie be so ill minded. But be not deceyued, take the thing as truth is, this is [Page] but a color, howbeit in dede a leud malicious suttle & dangerous color, partly to the intent to rayse mistrust betwene her Maiestie and her nobles, if either were not so wel known to other as they be, & partly or rather chiefly to deceiue and deteine you with hope of that whiche is not in déede. But as in the one they laboure in vayne, so in the other learne you to be wiser, & to trust them the worse hereafter. You finde it falleth not out so. Hir maiestie hath euer cherished Nobilitie, no one of that estate hath by her perished in all her time, they know it and acknowledge it, and you must féele it. You sée that they come not to you, for all the promises and faithes supposed in your proclamation. It falleth not out as you are borne in hand: they are al in readinesse with their power ageinst you, to clere thēselues, & to wreke the dishonor vpon you. If this color deceiue you, you winke hard, or be maruelously blinded. If any of nobilitie for any contempts or other causes haue ben stayed (whereupon the likelyhode is that you are the more led to thinke this surmise true) themselues acknowledge yet with what clemency they are vsed, the world knoweth how sory hir maiestie is to haue any such occasion: but howsoeuer it be, they haue smal cause to thank you for agréeuing [Page] their case with greater suspitions: and according to that you haue so ill deserued of them, you must accompt that themselues, so farre as their liberties and her Maiesties trust in them will permitte, and all their friends for their benefite, will with moste sharpe reuenge vpon you, do what they can to persuade their innocence. Neither I trust will her maiestie hir selfe, so yet giue ouer the care of her owne preseruation, as to contemne all aduertisements of attempts, and not by good care and hed of hir counsel, yea & extirpation of the contrarie, stand vpon her gard against all aduauncements [...]of suche titles as you would preferre being dangerous to hir safetie, and which haue alredy to their vttermost, attempted her hiest perill, or yet to leaue in danger to their malice hir good Subiects that be ielous of her preseruing. And God giue vnto hir grace the hart in perills touching her persone and estate, not to haue too great clemencie, remembring that though it be magnificall and noble to contemne treasons to pardon traytours, to recōcile dāgerous vnderminers of her estate: yet the whole realme hauing interest in hir life, by which we all lyue, and can not liue well without her, it is farre more honorable to be good Ladie to true men than to false, to [Page] the whole cōmon welth of god men that depend vpon her, than to any knot of euill men that may practyse her danger, by which the whole realm must needes come to such confusion, as your wise guides wold fayn bring it. But in the meane time you sée, they haue brought you in a gay case, vpon trust of their words, their vayne colours in their proclamations, their false promises of great succours. You are in the way of vndoing for euer to helpe them to a little leysure to shift, or (if they abyde by it) to giue the aduenture of their most heynous treasons.

And hereto they persuade you with promis Helpe of God and good people. of the help of god and good people, directly against the commandement of God, & to the disturbance of good people. But, I pray you, what people, or what Goodnesse, looke they for to ayde them? The late tumults in king Edwards time haue taught al the wise people of the Realm, to beware of suche follies. The good & honest subiects of the West, The west. that were then seduced, nowe haue learned, and do like good subiectes continue in loyall duetie, & be ready to employ theyr force against you, to teach you by smart that which you will not lern by example. The noble & Exeter. wel gouerned city of Exceter hath taught al Cities & townes the honor of faithfulnesse. [Page] Al the south, the east, eche part, the land, the sea, & heauen it selfe are ioyned against you. Ech man séeth the horror of the fact, but your selues alone. Reade (I beséech you) the excellent treatis of sir Iohn Cheke Knight, of the Sir Ihon Chekes excellēt boke. Hurt of sedition, there sée as in a glasse, the deformitie of your faulte, learne to wype away those spots that haue so fowly arayed you, that you loke not like Christian people but like monsters in nature & policie, howeuer your captains cal you good people, being so rebellious against so good a Soueraine, & banded in hostilitie against all good subiects. So eche thing that they pretend with mere contrarietie of truth, bewrayeth their open falshod, vnlesse they wil, to defend thēselues to haue said in one only thing true, that they rise to redresse thinges amisse, say that they meane not things amisse to be redressed, but things to be amisse redressed.

In like maner is all the rest. They will (they say) restore auncient customes and liberties Custome. to the church and realme. Are all customes without respect of good or bad, to be restored? are not rather the badde to be reformed? and so is it true libertie to be deliuered Liberites. from them, and not remayne thrall and bounde vnto them. For he that bindeth least and setteth fréest, offereth most liber [Page] tie. If they meane by libertie lewde licentiousnesse, and dissolute disordre of lyfe, to haue no feare of God Prince, law, or shame, to haue no respect or awe of honestie, such libertie I graunt they propounde vnto you, and giue you dayly examples of. But if the true libertie of Christes churche and flocke be, to heare his voyce, and no straungers, to be subiect or in bondage to no strange power or vsurped tyrannie that shall syt in the cōsciences of christian men, captiuing them to an implicite & general faith of what so euer they shall teach without the warrant of Christ the true head of the church, then your great Libertines bring but bondage and slauerie. Beware therfore lest vnder name of libertie, you take the heuy yoke of thraldom. When most noble and victorious kings and princes, most graue, valiant and wyse counsellers and nobilitie, most learned, discrete and vertuous prelates and other of the clergie, haue with their great trauail, study and aduenture, made a conquest of Antichriste that kept vs in bondage, deliuered this Realme to very fréedom in déede, set it at libertie from foreine tyrants yoke: is this to restore the libertie of the Church, to make it bond again? Can you be so mad to think it? Great are the illusions vpon those whome [Page] Gods grace hath forsaken. Pray to God to bring your hartes to libertie of consideration, and you shall plainly see the libertie of the churche assayled by your owne factious, the libertie of your consciences captiued and the true libertie of your lyues in lawfull things restrayned. Sweete in deede is the name of libertie, &c. the treasure of the thing it self beyond al value inestimable: so much the more it behoueth you to take hede that with the sweetenesse of the name you lese not the value of the thing. You may not thinke her maiestie her selfe, and her nobilitie, clergie, and other good subiectes, so farre throwne downe in courage, as they woulde lose the fewell of libertie. Much lesse muste ye beleue your licentious bosters of libertie, that will bring you in deed nothing but bondage. You sée the difference of their credit, and the euidence of your perill: iudge[?] therfore the falshod of this colour as wel as the rest, and with the fond deuise that foloweth, to pretende a care for their countrey, into whose bowels they haue thrust their weapon, least they should be behind strangers in wounding her.

They say they feare a reformation by Strangers. Strangers, to the hazard of the realme: and therefore forsooth these noble hazarders of [Page] their own wealth, estate and honour, and of your sureties, must hazard the realme them selues, lest strangers should: and yet further withall, lest themselues should not suffise to hazard it enough, they directely signifie, and it is wel known that thēselues haue sought and vsed conspiracie of strangers to further the hazarde to their vttermost. But note the fraude I pray you, for the meaning is to deceiue you, and therefore it behoueth you to note it. They will not say directly, we haue practized with strangers to take our partes, for that were too broad and too plaine: but it must be penned in such words that you must be giuen to vnderstand that strangers are of that faction, yea and so far forward, that they are also ready to do that which you haue enterprised, though forsooth your captains and they be not of one conspiracie. He is blinde that séeth it not. Al this is but to encourage you and to put you in hope of ayde, either by traytors in Englande, or enimies abroade: whence it come it makes no matter. But they deceiue you, it wil not be: wey it wel, féede not your selfe with vaine hopes.

First, if strangers were dysposed to come, it is a mad saying, let vs rise and refourme least strangers come & refourme, as though strangers hauing purpose to come, and intending [Page] to gayne by spoyle, woulde come so much the later for hauing somuch ayde as so many rebelles to helpe them to spoyl. Therfore when they come not in déede, you must néedes say that you were falsly so borne in hand with a gay hope, to make you the bolder to runne to your owne destruction.

An vnnaturall hope it is, and beastly, to ioyne with any strangers to the spoyle of Treasons of popish religion their own countrey. But such is the nature of that false religion, to regard no countrey, fayth, nature, or common honestie. Remember I pray you, what yelded the realme tributarie and the King Uassal, I meane king Iohn, but the treason of Popish Religion? What gaue the Crowne, to Ludouike the King Iohn. Dolphin of France, that inuaded and possessed muche of the realme a long time, by the ayde of disloyal Barons in England, but the treason of popish religion? What sente Legates and Messangers (yea Englishe traytours) Card. Poole. about Christendom, to forren Emperors and Kyngs, to offer them this Realme to pray, spoyle, and conquest, to exhort them to turne their prepared powers from inuading the Turk, to make war vpon the king of Englande our Soueraigne Ladies moste noble father, whom they termed worse than any Turk, but treason of popish Religion? [Page] What hazarded this Realme with subiection to strangers in our late memorie: but treason of popish Religion? What then deriued, & yet daily doth, solemn pedigrees to Trolop. A. B. & C. Spaniards & other foreins, yea & wresteth lawe for dangerous strangers, to make them acceptable to the deceyued multitude, as though they were our naturall princes, but only treason of popish religiō?

But God hath hetherto preserued this land from being subdued by these horrible treasons, and I trust hée will still, and in your poore case is most likelie to leaue your vain trust disapointed. For consider the likelyhod. The example so toucheth the common President. state of al Kings and Princes, as you being rebelles may loke for no foren ayde, though it were but for presidents sake. Such forens as mighte come to you by lande, are truer Scotlande. frends to the Quéene than you be subiectes: where, by the waye, looke for no retire nor safe refuge, but her maiesties mercy. Other strangers, that in déede haue vttered more Alua. malice to her Maiestie and her realm, & haue interrupted the good loue and peace, and ancient loue, amitie and intelligence betwéen her Maiestie and those Princes of whome shée hath moste constantely well deserued: K. Philip. alas, they be neyther much terrible to her maiestie, nor can be much cōfortable to you. [Page] Wil they, in such season as may serue you [...] turnes, hauing so fewe to spare where they be, bring a meane power by Sea, so farre, so dangerous a viage, along the Quenes highnesse coast, in such time of yeare, being neyther able to resist her nauie by the way, lesse able when their men be landed, and leaste able to come againe to fetch them when the enterprise is ended? Be they so mad, trowe you, to leaue their Nobilitie, Captains and Souldiours in their enimies lande, inclosed betwéen enimies of bothe Realmes, without more succour than vnlikely Fortune & the trust of a fewe Rebelles. No, no, they be not yet so madde, though you be madder. There muste be greater heades and power than you be or haue at libertie, that they wil ioyne wythall. They can be contente to giue you vaine hope perhaps. For if England may be in tumult by their practize, and you come to your deserued ende, it contenteth and suffiseth them to haue ventured the state at your perill, and to haue gréeued her Maiestie with alienation and destruction of so many poore deceyued Subiectes. Looke vnto your selues well, the greate bragges are not perfourmed, the promises are not kepte, you are betrayed by your owne leaders. Call to God for mercie bytimes, satisfie [Page] her Maiestie with returning to dutie, and that with al spede, least though ye scape slaughter by the true subiectes hand, you may not with honor be too gently delt with. Deliuer them that betrayed you, that they which in proclamations haue published vnto you vayne and false hopes of treasons, may vpon scaffolds preach vnto you the right frutes of rebellion and dutie of obedience, that their death may do more good in example, than euer their liues did in practise.

This counsell I hope you will followe, when the light of true consideration shall The Rebels leaders described. shine into your hartes, and chase away all darknesse of these erronious shewes and false colors that yet haue blinded you: and so much the more when you shall further note all the necessarie circumstances that may reduce you to truthe. What be your leaders? Your two Erles, you know wel, are euen of the meanest of all Nobilitie, in hauior, credite and power, to conducte you through so great and dangerous an enterprise. The one you see hardly beareth the coūtenance of his estate with his smal portion of that which his ancesters sometime had and lost: his dayly sales and shiftes for necessitie, euen then when he hadde lesse [Page] charge than to mainteine an army, both in Sussex and else where are well knowen: suche power as he hath had & vsed in those partes aboute you, is to be ascribed to her Maiesties authoritie, vnder whom he serued, which now is bent against him: otherwise, neyther his pollicie great to rule or redresse a Realm, nor yet to espie the true faultes, much lesse the remedie, an vnfitte iudge of Religion, and a very euill chosen chastiser of disordered life. The other, of no credit, no wisdome nor gouernance, no abilitie, no vertue. Who knoweth not the enormities of his life, the indiscretion of ruling his owne, the great lackes & dettes wherein he is by his owne fault endangered, the estimation of him as of a contemned man, none otherwyse regarded than for the name sake of honor and some possibilitie that he might parhaps leaue a better son to amend the state of his house? Thoughe his Father were touched with many great faults, much noted in ye world, some whereof this Gentleman hath as by inheritance receyued: yet neuer dyd he so hurtfull a déed eyther to the cōmon weale, or to his owne name and familie, as when he begatte so vngracious a sonne. Euen he that neuer gouerned well him selfe nor [Page] any thing that he hath, whom no wiseman nor I thinke any of you (as mad as ye be) would priuately trust with ordering of a mean houshold, now must take in publike charge the power of a shire or two, yea of all the Realme, if the rest wold aduenture as madly as you. For the case of Religion: doth any man knowe that euer he pretended any religion or conscience at all, till now he makes an Apish counterfayting of fayned popish deuotion? And now yet, by your good iudgement, he that knoweth neyther religion, faith nor learning, must come to comptroll the iudgement, lerning & faith of the Quenes Maiestie, her Counsell and all her Clergie. What madabsurdities are you runne into, to beleue so apparant vntruthes, dissimulations and bypocrisies? The residue of your doltish Captaynes, what be they? think you they be men able to beare you out against the power of a Prince, al her Nobilities Cities, Realme, subiects, frends and allies? One with little wit far set, an other in his olde age wery of his welth, an other a runneaway with a yong wilde braine tickled to sée fashions. Alas, what be these to carry you through the serious and earnest dangerous enterprise that you haue in hand▪ [Page] They are rather méeter to fraye you from it: méete men surely to followe your ominous fatall or vnluckie ensignes, wounde and crosses, the apte and due signes of iust Omen placer. slaughter, or infamous execution.

But yet perhaps some of you haue this meaning that you owe them dutie, and for Pretense of dutie. dutie you will not forsake any danger. If this consideration haue place in any dutie, it hath it chiefly in the highest dutie which you haue despised. A mad excuse it is to say you entred into danger for duty, when the principall dutie did bid you sitte in quiet without danger at all. Euen such a fonde doing of dutie it is, as if one would kill his Father to please his Maister, or rather murder Father, Maister and him selfe to kepe promise with a théefe. What be these duties that may moue you? wey them and compare them. The name of Percies and Neuilles haue long bene honourable and well beloued among you, some of you and your for fathers haue ben auanced by them and their ancesters, some perhaps be knit in kinred, some be tenantes, some be seruants, some be with like causes allied and bound to the meaner Captaines. Greate things be these to moue loue and good neibourhed, and of great importance and efficacie [Page] to draw honest, true and kinde harted men to sticke by their Lords & frends in all wars against the Princes enemies, and in al honest quarels and perilles: but small matters they be, yea no causes at all to draw any man to stand with any man in rebellions and treasons. Is Percie and Neuill more auncient, more beloued and deare vnto you, than your naturall Soueraigne Ladie, the Quéene of England, yea or England it selfe? Doth one small tenancie moue you more than the holding of the whole realme? Is not in all your homages and fealties vnto them, saued your faith and allegeāce to your souerain Lady? This is euen as vntoward a follie, as if a mad foole in a tempest would trauayle to drowne the whole ship to saue one of the mariners cabbens. This is not rightly considered of you.

The common weale is the ship we sayle in, no one cā be safe if the whole do perish. To god, & then to the realme, to the croun, to the law and gouernment, your leaders and you & we all do owe our selues and all that we haue, in highest degrée of dutie. Al other inferior duties are but meanes that these may be the better performed. When now your Captains haue forsaken faith & [Page] dutie to God, naturall loue and dutie to the realme, allegeance and dutie to the Croune, obedience and duetie to lawe and gouernement: it is no following of dutie to followe them against these duties, no thoughe they were your fathers. And that they haue done so you may not beléeue their pretenses, you must beléeue the booke of GOD which you haue troden vnder foote, ye must beleue the lawes of the Realme which you haue contemptuously broken, you must beleeue the Quéenes Maiestie her selfe speaking in her Proclamations, and by the mouthes of her officers, whose gracious voice you haue rebelliously contemned.

Now as I haue compared your smal duties pretended, with your great duties forsaken, Their doings. compare again your most due duties with your vndue doings. You haue without warrant fro the Q. Maiestie, or any by her authorized, assembled yourselues in forcible maner, adhered to those whom her maiestie hath declared traitors & rebels, you haue leuied war within ye realm against the realm, within the Quenes dominions against the Quene, you haue broken the common peace wherby your selues, your families and possessions haue hitherto bene preserued, you haue in your rebellious outrage committed [Page] many haynous and horrible factes, you haue destroyed the monumentes of Gods moste holy Communion, you haue torne and defaced the sacred Byble of Goddes most holy worde, the very pledge of youre saluation, you haue presumed to alter the forme of Christes Religion, you haue in dishonoure of Christes most blissed and onely sufficient sacrifice, sette vp the most abhominable and blasphemous sacrifice of wicked Masse, you haue committed vnnaturall and vyle crueltie vppon Gods Ministers and dispensers of Gods mysteries and of the health of youre Soules, you haue defaced Gods holy ordinance, whereby all mankynde is preserued in chastitie and continued by lawefull encrease, you haue robbed your neyghboures, spoyled and destroyed the Quéenes true subiectes, you haue wasted the prouision for your wiues and children, you haue vndone your selues. Trow you, this be your dutie, eyther as Christian men, Englishmen, subiectes, tenauntes, husbandes, fathers, neighbours, yea or naturall men?

And when you haue thus done, thynke you to beare it thus away? A piece of the Bishoprike of Durhamme and Richmond shire conteyneth not all Englande. Your courage may be good, I would it were employed [Page] to better causes: your power is but[?] small. You know you are but fewe, weake, vnarmed, vnfurnished to holde out, vnlawfully called, vnskilfully guyded, sclenderly prouided for, falsely abused, fondly blinded, your captains not trustie to you, nor bound by any authoritie so to be, youre companie not holden togither by any iuste power but that they may slip away as their luste, their werynesse, their néede, their businesse, hope of pardon or better aduisement may come vppon them, your succoures faile you within and without, youre vittayles in a barren place not like long to endure, the season harde, your lodgings incommodious, your housholdes in perill of famine or destruction in youre absence, no stoare of armoure, Weapon nor Munition, youre number of Horsse though not nowe manie, yet dayly like to be fewer, those necessaries that you haue eyther for defence, inuasion or sustenance being once spente, no way to recouer more, one ouerthrowe destroyeth you wholly, you haue no meane to repaire yours force, you are enclosed round about, no refuge by Lande, no escape by Sea. Are not you in a gay taking? And this you know to be true.

On the other side, beholde the dreadefull [Page] maiestie[?] of God the Lord of hostes is displeased with you▪ the Quenes highnesse, sometime your louing Soueraigne Lady. now by your lewdnesse is enforced to be The Quenes power. the heuie minister of Gods wrath against you. The whole nobilitie for their dutie, and the rather for reuenge of the dishonorable spots and suspitions sprinkled vpon them by your trayterous proclamations, is earnestly bent to ouerthrowe you, the whole number of her highnesse true subiects ready to die vpon you▪ the number is great against you, infinitely excéeding your petit multitude: they be furnished of all things necessarie with a princes store and so great store as neuer had any of her auncesters, weapon, armure, shot, pouder, & all sorts of munition, vitail abundance▪ choise of commodious being, strong holds, one knot of iust authoritie from which the power assembled can not start or seuer, skilfull Captaynes, wise Gouernours, orderly proceding, dayly freshe succoures at pleasure, power to saue and kil by lawe, a wyde and large realme gathered togither, the country round about within hir obeysaunce, a strong Nauie, good & sure frends euen in the next forein part vnto you, the very grounds, colours and fundations of [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] your enterprise be in her Maiesties power, & in al necessities or misfortunes, armie vpon armie to be newe repaired, so as a few victories can not fuffise you: finally all aduantages against you infinitely incomparable. Trow you this match be wel made: a corner against a Realme, a handfull against hundreds of thousands, want Their match compared. against plenty, foly against policy, nakednesse against armed force, the succourlesse against abundance of ayde., falfehode against truth, one or two doltish mad heads against whole Nobilitie, a few rebelles against all subiectes, the wilde field against strong forts, an vngodly, weake, foolish, destitute, misguided, silly, smal multitude against the wrath of God and power of a Prince? Is it not time for you to be better aduised? Sée you not your perill? or is it Their danger. not rather so déepe that you can not see the bottome? Surely it is as déepe as Hell: which though you can not throughly measure it, you may iustly feare it. Dreadfull he is that can send both body and soule into hell fire. Beside all these bodily paynes, the state wherein you stand is the state of damnation, if you die in it there is no recouerie.

Remember your selues therefore betymes. [Page] For Gods sake, and for youre owne weale euerlastingly, bethinke you of the infinite mercy of almightie God, whereof there is no measure. Repent you of your Gods mercie. offending him, embrace his true Religion, heare his worde, learne his will, and follow it. Againe, call to mind how gracious and mercifull a Quéene he hath placed The Quenes clemencie. ouer vs: think vppon the great examples of clemencie that she hath vsed, the tender loue that she hath euer shewed to the Realme, the care shée hathe for vs all, the griefe she beareth to lose so many of you that might be better preserued: flee to that refuge, where is the only hope that Holsome counsell. is lefte you: make suche amendes as you may, yeld your captaines to iustice, your selues to her mercy, that if for necessarie importance of honour, of president, and of the safetie of her Maiesties person and realme, you must be some examples of iustice, you may recouer yet the possession of Example. eternall life: and if her Maiestie shall extende the excesse of hir clemencie to youre pardon, you may acknowledge it in your truer seruice hereafter, and whether way soeuer it shal please GOD and her highnesse to dispose, you may in life and death teach true obedience, and be examples to [Page] restrayne your selues and all other hereafter from so foule spot and danger of rebellion. And to this ende, God sende you his grace.

God saue our Queene Elizabeth, and confound her enemies.

§

§

[Page]

[Page]

To the Quenes Maiesties poore deceyued Subiectes of the North Countrey, drawen into rebellion by the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland.

Written by Thomas Norton.

Seen and allowed according to the Quenes Iniunctions.

§

§

Imprinted at London, by Henrie Bynneman, for Lucas Harrison.

ANNO DOMINI. 1569.

[Page]

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Title statement

To the Quenes Maiesties poore deceyued subiectes of the north countrey, drawen into rebellion by the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland. Written by Thomas Norton. Seen and allowed according to the Quenes iniunctions

Norton, Thomas, 1532-1584.

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1569

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2003-05 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

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A08357

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STC 18680

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ESTC S113359

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99848595

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99848595

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13702

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Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 13702)

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— To the Quenes Maiesties poore deceyued subiectes of the north countrey, drawen into rebellion by the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland. Written by Thomas Norton. Seen and allowed according to the Quenes iniunctions, Norton, Thomas, 1532-1584..

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[56] p.

By Henrie Bynneman, for Lucas Harrison,. [Imprinted at London :: Anno Domini. 1569]. (Imprint from colophon.) (Signatures: A-G⁴.) (Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.)

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