THE chefe part of your chere is, that ye are welcum all.

A woord with your fauours, I would say, & that is this. It is a maner after meat, no lesse auncient then commendable, to haue a grace to be sayd, ear water be gyuen: which, though it more aptly perchaūce appertein to sum of these Clerkes, that haue vouchsafed to be here with vs this day, then vnto me. Yet forasmuch as with my self I haue conceiued a farre further cause of thankes giuyng to God, then peraduenture sum of them haue, I wil with your pacience take the office vpon me. And say: that since it hath pleased Gods mightie mercy, to haue calld vnto his grace, our late Quene, a Ladie that of her owne inclinacion, wisht all for the best, and would (I beleue) euen so haue wrought: wear it not that she had been so miserably seduced, and so pitiously abused, by certaine euill and moste vngodly persons of her spirituall counsaill about her. Who first forced her to alter religion, then fecht in forrein powrs ouer vs, of the late kyng here, and that wicked vsurper ye Pope. After that, pluct away her lādes and reuenues, brought her into warres, lones, and subsidies: and ended at last with the lamentable losse of Callis. Suche was the thrift of their ghostly gouernemēt, suche was the proffites of those prelates aduises about her, these hath been the frutes of their Catholik counsaill. That what was thear leaft of our vtter vndooyng, but onely to be ouer run by the Spaniard or Frenchmā? After whiche thei bothe gaped, and onely thus disapointed by God.

But since (as I said) that it hath pleased his almighty Maiestie, now thus to haue calld her to his mercie (as mooste humbly I beseche his highnesse he haue) whearby Quene Elizabeth our moste gracious Sooueraign is cū men to her iust enheritaunce and kyngdom, thus to reign ouer vs. I Prince (as ye wot all) of no mingled blood, of Spaniard or straunger, but borne mere Englishe here amongst vs, and therfore most naturall vnto vs. Of educaciō, brought vp and instruct in al vertuous qualitees and Godly learnynge, specially (that may be moste cumfort and ioy to vs all) in the sincere knowlege and folowing of Gods holly woord. Of naturall inclinacion, so Godly disposed as without reuenge she paciently suffred so moch malice and wrōges. Of wisedome so ware, as she maie shun the inconueniences and follies that her sister fell in. Of circumspection (we maie trust) so wise and politike, as she may straitly stay back, the daungerous rashnes, of those deuaunt currours that run before lawes, and seuearly kepe short the wicked kinde of libertines that passe for no lawe, but will make their belefe, and liue as thei list. Of mercie so gracious toward her commōs, as her highnes pitifully regardyng the daū gerous estate of bothe body & solle, that the Spiritualty of this Ream, hath of late brought thē in, may vouchsafe to set sum Godly and charitable order, for restraint and reformacion of their extreme outrages and abominacions.

Whose Pride hath been soche as first amoong all degrees of men, thei knue neither make nor felow, but still striuyng for soueraintee haue with might and main, endeuoured to cast of all yoke of obedience to their Prince, contēding to kepe that estate vnder them, and to sweare them selues subiectes vnto a Bisshop. To contemne nobilitee, and to be the onely sooueraignes them selues. The callyng in and settyng vp, of their patrone the Pope (contrary to their naturall ligeaunce and former othes) The chekmate of his faithfull minister, our coosin the Cardnall, and the importable arrogācie of all the residue beside, what els hath it shewed?

Their Auarice so insaciable, as thei helde them not cō tent so farforth miserably to haue insensate & dudled their Prince (alas poore woman) as at one chop to make her gyue away a fifty thousand pound and better yerely, frō the enheritaūce of her croun vnto them, and many a thousande after, vnto those idell hipocrites biside: but euen at one self and same Parliamēt to cause her craue a subsidie, when she had doon. In the graūt whearof on their part, it is worthy to be noted, the pure honestie and great wisedome of these men. That whear the Lordes and Commons, like good faithful and true meanyng subiectes, did freely and sinceerly, for good will to their Prince, and relief of the State, made their graunt therof vnto the kyng and Quene, her heires and successours: Our Clergie of a further forecast, could woork with a caution, and graunt it no further, then vnto the Kyng and Quene onely (like as vnder that tenour, was ye oother subsidie thei passed) Wise men I warrant you, lads of circumspection, and verè filii huius saeculi: Luke. xvi. That as Christ saith, ar alwaies more wise in their generacion, then the childrē of light. What good hart thei bare toward their Quenes successour: though we wear not in their Conuocacion amoong them, yet by this and oother, we may gyue a good gesse.

And yet this great profusion of their Prince, did so smalli serue their hūgri guts as like storuen tikes, yt wear neuer contēt with more then inough, at all their collacions, assembles, and sermons, neuer lind yellyng and yalpyng, in pursuit of their pray: Restore, Restore. These deuout deacons, nothyng regarded how sum for long seruice & trauail abrode, while thei sat at home. Sum for sheddyng his blud, in defence of his princes cause and cuntrey, while thei with safetie al careles in their cabains in luxe & leudnes, did saile in a sure porte. Sum sellyng his aunciēt patrimonie, for purchase of these landes, while thei must haue all by gift a gods name. Thei nothing regardyng I say, what iniurie to thousandes, what vndoinges to most mē, what daūger of vprore & tumult through out the hole reame, and what a weakenyng to the State, should therby arise: and then by that meanes, what a gap opened to the enemie, to run in as he list, and ruin vs all, (whiche thyng sum thynk thei little forced for, so thei might haue had their purpose) that wot not I in deed, but this wot I well: that wt none of these matters wear thei mooued a whit, but still held on their cry, Restore, Restore. And that ye may be the surer, thei mēt nothing more then how to haue all, & that with al hast. After that their Pope, this sedicious Poule the fourth, that now is, had sent hither his Bulles and his thunderbolts, for that cause and oother, and yet little restored (bicause the world in deed would not so be faced out of their liuelod) Sundrie of our Prelates, like hardie champions of the Churche, stacke not a whit themselues, to thrust Lordes out of their landes, and picked quarels to their lawfull possessiōs. Well let nobilitee consider the case as thei list, but as sum think if Cleargie cum ones more to be the Masters again, thei will teach them a school point. But how trow ye in time, would these douty diuines haue delt with poor men, that grue so presumtuous, and durst without law be so bold with their betters?

And (now to ye purpose afore) though by sum men it wear wisely told them. Why restoryng is made now, and ye can be content: for, from the temporaltie those possessions cam: & now, allthough not so cheaply as ye had thē, yet ar thei thither sum restored again. Tut, tut, that was none aunswere to them for thei call nothyng restored, but that is giuen them a gods name. And then (hardely) a good kinde of peple for the common welth haue we of them, that haue a capacitee thus stil to take of vs, and neuer to giue vs. Marie, as nedefull may we count them amoong vs, as amoōg gamners, is ten and fowr for a Christmas box, that in smal processe of play (if the banks be not the bigger) is like to rob all ye boord. It was tyme in deed for princes aforetyme to stay them with Statutes of Premunire & Mortmain which they yet now (takyng aduauntage vpon the tyme that serued them) like the popes true squiers, and for the liberty of his churche (as thei terme it) haue woon (I warraunt you) to be set at large, and if it wool hold. Moche adoo God wot, haue thei made for this restoryng, but if God send vs ones a world, whearin we maie mete with them on an euen groūd, so as with pacience and indifferencie, it maie be quietly reasoned: whither by lawe politike & diuine, that tēporall possessions, maie more aptly square with the estate of Princes, lordes and laifee, then with the office of bisshops and abbots and profession of Preesthod: I beleue then it shall easely be found, and fall out ful well: that as the Princes benignitee, maie vouchsafe thē sum tithes or pensions: euen so as for landes and temporall possessions, thei shall haue as mooch as thei may be born vnto, and as our Sauiour Christ appointed out for them, and as his holly Appostles had, whose successours thei say thei be. And whē that day cums (as with Gods grace it may shortly ful wel) then shall we crie as fast for our Prince, as thei haue doon for themselues, vpon a better ground, & with a more equitee Restore Restore. Thei haue set vs a saūple, that we must not be silent, if occasion may serue. That if to say trueth, thei be not better sum oother way prouided for, so as thei may be curteisly vnburdened of their great cares and study, whiche nedefully now thei take poor solles, about keping of their courtes, lookyng to their fines, considering of emprouments, harkenyng to their best proffers, aduisyng vpon new leaces, scanning of old couenaunts, consultyng vpon sum sutes of proffit with the prince, aduise with their learned counsaill for matters in lawe, exchaunges of their Lordships and landes for the better, cō moditees of fisshyngs, sales of Woods, prouision of houshold, storyng of pastures and shepegates, regard to their game in parkes, bildyng of Palaces, amplifiyng their sees & estates, maintenaunce of their Churches liberties, and sooch oother infinite of troobles biside, whearwith thei are now so continually combred alas: Let vs neuer trust after at their hādes, either more vertuous example of liuing, more contentacion with their more thā inough, more charitee to their euen christen, looue to their cuntree, or els any firmer obedience to their Prince. And as for sinceer Religiō: how may we euer look, for to haue gods woord truly taught vs of thē that by meanes of their possessions, are so tied to the world? What a mockery is it, bothe to God and man, that vnder Popeholly professiō of wilfull poouerty, Penaunce or praier, thus to wallter & wallow in worldly welth, of a thre or four thousand poūd a yere? Under semblaunce of shepherds, with shepe hook of siluer, and surcote of raynes, to rule ouer all men, and to reign as Princes? Under name of humilitee, to liue in luxe and excesse, of wine and spices, and costly garments, and train of houshold, and all kinde of affluence biside, able to compare, or rather excede any Lorde in the land? That if thei would be in dede, as their would seem to be: Why leaue thei their charge? Why beare thei office of so greate gaine and fee, and leaue their cure vnserued? How thynke they that they may not be spared out of Princes Courtes? Why will thei be calld Lordes? Why haue thei sooch ample possessions? Why maintein thei a forrein Bisshops powr aboou their own princes, and that in her own lād? why rob thei their prince and empouerish their cuntree by sendyng that gold ouer, for their first frutes and ootherwise to the Pope, that is due to their Prince? And why abide our Religious in bowres of sooch sumpt & easment, and so ny to good tounes? Christ taught the young man, that perfection was in Vade, Mat. xix. vende, & da, and not in mane, acquire, accumula. why get thei not into desertes, or desolate places, as holly Ierom and Polle Hermit, & diuers oother did? That if their deuocion to God warde, and contempt of the world, wear so feruent as thei make for.

Why tary thei at home? Why doo thei not Ire & praedicare, hye them to Hūgarie, and toward Turkey, or into the partes whear Christ is contemned, orels vnknowen? Dout to be cared for, thei should nede to haue none, since gods goodnes prouideth for ye birdes of the ayr,Mat. xvi. that neither sowe nor reap: how mooch the rather will he prouide for them that doo his commaū dements, and trust in hym? Death or violence should thei not haue cause to drede, since (as thei well wot) no pour can hurt them, whoom Gods pour sheeldeth, no violēce empair, y• Gods might defēdeth. That if in case for our Master Christ, & his holly doctrine, and for the confirming of them thei had woon thei should be drawen to it:Ioan. x. then like as a good shepherd giueth his solle for his Shepes sakes,Mat. x. and he that leeseth his life that way for a while, winneth his life an oother way for euer. Euē so (O lord) how sure is theirs all redy, the kingdom of heauen that suffer smart and persecucion for rightuousnesse sake?Mat. v. But (shall I tell you) thei ar wise men I warraunt you, they will tary at home & (if tyme serue them) call for more lād, thei haue a nerer way to heauen, with more eas and lesse pein, & that by many a mile.

Now, as touchyug their malice, that hath been so despiteful and cankerd, that biside their deuelish malignitee toward all good men, thei haue not spared opēly ī their sermons, co slaūder and raile at their own late naturall Princes: that noble king Hē ry, and that vertuous Kyng Edward: callyng them heretikes, scismatikes, or what vile name els their rancour could deuise. Put them quite out of their beades biddyng and beadrolles (whither I ly, look in the bisshops Iniuncions) and not so ceasyng: haue hatefully procured, vtterly to be defaced the toomb of the tone, and could neuer afoord any cost to be doon on y• toother. To the entēt to make of thē, either no mētiō, but slaū derous: orels (if thei might) to haue put them both quite out of all memori. Nay, what may we say, if thear wear amoong them (without horrour and trembling, alas can I skant reherse it) that could enter into meditacion & practise, so farfoorth to haue prophaned the hurtles corpses of those sacred princes (Gods holly anointed, the Masters, the makers, and sooueraigns to them all) as to haue pluct them out of their toombes, to haue burnt their bones? O merciful god what impietee, what malice matchable wt these mens? What malignitee cōparable with these spites of the spirituallty?

Their doctrine again, so fals, so wicked, so blasphemous against GOD and all goodnes, and thearwith so inconstāt, specially inducing errour and blindenes: as thei haue not stuck to enforce & procure vs, to a greater obedience vnto a forren Bisshop (whom ones yet thei themselues exploded, preached, & sware out of doores) thāvnto their own naturall Sooueraign: to that Archapostata the Pope (I meane) then to their liege Prince. Forbad vs our Bibles, and commaūded vs beades. Pluct away our praiers, and forced vs to talk to God in a straunge lāgage. Thei took gods book, his holly testamēts out of churches, thei wiped out his woord, & stack vp images without caution of idolatrie. Cōdemned their Mariages, and taught that hoordoom amoong thē is more sufferable, thā sacred matrimonie. Which doctrine in deed, like feruēt followers of their own laws, thei haue stoutly expressed in their order of liuyng. And haue bisily taught, diligētly preached, earnestly written, solemnly sworne, fully and hoolly at one tyme in those pointes: whiche within a little while after, as thei sawe oportunitee to serue thē. O mercifull 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 God, how soon forsook thei? Makyng no bones moste impudently, so open, so often, to cant, incant, outcant, discāt, and recant: And like moste vile curres, to turne to their vomit. To the vtter destruction of bothe body and solle (in as moche as in thē lay) of many thousand of the poor Christen flock. Against their own teachyng, their sincere preachyng, their godly writyng, their sacred othes: yea, and that is most execrable bothe before God and man, against allmightie God hym self, and his holly doctrine, and against their own cōsciences (if we may thynke thei haue any conscience at all). For as it seemes, thei haue shewed plain sign, that thei beleeue thear is none oother Godhed, but their kingdoom in this world, none oother life after, but only this here.

For maintenanuce yet of this their wicked, inconstant & recanted doctrine, O mighty GOD, what malice is it that thei haue not shewed? What mischefe haue thei left vn put in praictise? What kinde of cruelty vnattempted? What tyranne vnexecuted? First, as soon as euer thei had felt, how easy the Prince was to be seduced by them, and to be brought to their lure: straight by & by, against lawe and cōscience, the poor maried ministers, thei put out of their benefices, cōpeld them to forsake cuntrie, wife and children, draue thē to distresse of vndooyng & beggerie, & onely forsooth, bicause thei wear maried: which neuertheles, by the lawes of ye ream was then sufferable, and by themselues also assented vnto: by the auncient popish lawes permitted, & with the lawes of God directly agreyng (as out of saint Polle and oother Scripture, thei had often told vs in sermons themselues) thei yet persecuted them from place to place, orels to be reconciled a Gods name, & to recant: and confesse them selues knaues, & call their wiues hoores. Thā procured thei commissiōs for heresie, in which as thei had pluct in diuers of nobilitee amoōg them, for face of their dooynges: and as thear wear sundry biside, of wisedoom & woorship, that by pollicy had insinuat themselues, for mitigacion of matters, and for fence to their frendes: euen so a woonder was it to see sum oother again, of our great Iusticers & learned men (that would not sit out) how wickedly and willingly thei becam their rackers & tormentours, and what matters by the omnipotēcie of that commission, thei durst enterprise to deal withall, and wt what corrupcion & briberie, thei did execute thesame commissiō. That surely it was commonly thought (I am sory to say it) to haue crept into fauour, or if the bisshop had bid them: For their partes, they would little haue stuck to haue made Ione Moon a Martyr, and Iames Ellis a Saint. But (as thei said) for sooch a commission, thei wear a great deel meter, then thei that sat still. Then gat this our Clergie Proclamacions, vnder great paines for Bookes, whiche as thei wear of matter moste true & Godly, and of doctrine sincere (yea, and though of their oun making) so wear thei sureliest remembred, & soonest forbiddē. And bicause thei would be sure,Anno. v. Richardi. 2. ii. Henri. 4. ii. Henri. 5. yet none estate should eskape them, thei renued those thre catholik statutes for heresy, that thearby if nede be, thei might conuent all kinde of men before them alone as thei list. And in these matters me thynkes I weare mooch to blame if I did not a little remember ye, of the catholike seruice and pollecies prelantine of that blessed bisshop stout Steuē of Winchester. Who, as his fatherhode cōsidred, how mooch it should be for his fame & honour at Room, though wear it neuer so mooch agaynst his Book De vera obedientia, & against his oth & his honesty at home to haue y• hole praise to bring in y• pope again. How mooch it shoold be for his glorie, though neuer so mooch vnfittyng for his degree: to reign and rule ouer lords, & triumph like a tyraunt, how mooch for his proffit & pōpe (wherin bi his will he woold excede all mē) though nothīg at all for his pastorall professiō: to haue sooch abostdaūce of reuenewes, by landes & office and oother fetches beside. He brought the Queene to that poynt that after appoyntment of parliament the writ her letters to shriues for choise of good Catholiks, a Gods name: himself biside commendyng many, and in a maner by name, commaunding sum to serue for y• turne as he thought best. Whearby he still placed in y• hous right many: That if any biside, wt wisedoom & reuerēce had told his tale frākly, after the auncient liberty of the place, and haply detected the mischefs of the matters that this prelat preferred: then was he by and by sent for, and sought for, and fetcht vp in post: and sure to haue pict to hym, one quarel or oother, whearby he should be shopt vp for sunburnyng: or ootherwise punisht, that he and all oother might haue warnyng, what matters thei talkt in, & teach them from thensfoorth, how thei stick & be stiff, in pointes with the Prelacie. Had not this Postle mooch wrong of the peple in Kyng Henries dais trowe ye, that euer did count hym & call hym a papist? Well, he is as one said, Mortuus & sepultus, descendit ad inferna. I will say the lesse of hym. God haue mercy of his solle, if he be in state to be praied for. But if it had pleased God, I would he had liued, to haue seen this season: that ones more at Polles crosse to the peple, as afore that to Kyng Henry, he mought haue recāted again. His Catholicalitie, was so well skild in the feat, that I dout not, he would haue set sooch a sāple to the rest of our Prelats, as thei would neuer stick to follow a pace. And whear, for these letters, & stop of free speech, all contrary to the lawes of the lād, he was authour wt his Sooueraign of those so fowl and vnlike sum examples, as euer Prince amoong vs here shewed to her subiects, and in deed tendyng to mooch toward oppression & tyranny: Euen so biside many inconueniences, that els might thearby arise, this might she be sure to be one: that, The laws that ar forced, will neuer endure. But as for those laws that he procured, abide they or go they, he plaid his part kindly, to bring them to passe. And after al this, what ment they, what ment they may we gesse, by the forcyng of y• late statute of Armour? But only (as the wisest could deciphre) bicause hauyng colour to haue armour themselues, vnder name of quā titee, thei might take to them as mooch as thei list. So yt if nede wear, when thei saw tyme, thei might strengthen their matters hereafter, as well wt Polles bloody sword as thei haue doon allready with Peters coūterfet key of theirs. That if their prouisiō may plainly appere, it shall well be seen (I dare warrant) thei ar furnisht at full: and haue a great dele more, then for men of the church, or likely by thē to be kept for a good purpose. Now then, their popely Iniunctiōs, their homly Homelies, who can not but with extreme woonder, be merueilously amased to consider, with what impudencie and tyrannie, thei thrust forward their abhominable impities: read them aduisedly, confer them with scriptures, and with sincere religiō, nay with their own former teachings: then shall ye see how shamfully thei haue discouered themselues, and bewraid their own wickednes. Bye them, bye those precious pā phlets I pray, thei ar woorth the moony, and it wear but to look on, and laugh at their foolish gloses, & detestable deuises. Well, thus beginnyng with the ministers: as for oother, sum thei threatned, sum thei cursed, sum thei put out of office & liuyng, to sum procured thei y• Princes displeasure, to sum, banishmēt, sum whipt thei their own hands, sum kept they in their colehous, sum cast thei into prison. And thear (O GOD) sum maimed thei with torture, sum lamed thei with ierns, sum famisht they with hūger, sum burnt thei in the hands with candell, sum pined thei away wt ill kepyng: And from thens again, sum heaued thei to hangyng, sum trapt thei with treasons, so that none shaped free, that thei could catch in their clouches: if thei did but ones talk of that doctrine, that thei before tyme had taught them, and woold not recant, and be as wicked as thei. And yet to, how vnmercifully, how cruelly, how tyrānously delt thei with that good & vertuous prelat doctour Crāmer archbishop of Canterbery? Whō thei themselues vaūted they made to recant, & set it out solēnly in print, and yet soon after (see the charitee of their church) stack not a whit most tyrauntly, against their own lawes to burne hym. Wear it mete trow ye, that after repentaunce of their fautes, by their own examples, they shoold be so serued thēselues? Mary God defend ꝙ sir Tristram. And while I remembre me, this would not be forgotten vnto you, the pure deuocion, the sacred sanctimonie of our opely prelat: that moste vertuous, moste godly, and well learned mā (as their Iniunctions call hym) the lord Cardnalls grace,And ye looke in the sermō yt Cuthberte the Bisshop of Durham (that now is) made before kyng Hēry, a xix. yere ago, and after put it in print: for the Kynges supremacie, & against the popes vsurpaciō. Thear amoong oother, calleth he this Card • al, Archtrai • our to his kyng and cū • rey. Upon what sprite I knowe not. who al though he wear bisshop elect and sure of the See of Cāterbury, a long while in bisshop Crāmers time of trooble, yet woold he by no meanes meddle with the matter, vntill it must be a little more mended, with a too or three thousand pound a yere forsooth: yea, and then neither woold he of his catholik conscience, take the promocion vpon him: till he was sure his predecessour was burnt. And then woold he be preeste straight, and enstalld out of hād. O precious preesthod, O pient prelate, O catholik Cardnall, most worthy to haue been a pope, that GOD saue his life, while he haue his deseruyng.

But now further: for any mā to talke of this their wickednes, to stand by Gods woord, to hold that doctrine that thei before so long tyme had taught vs and preached: this forfoorth was starke heresy. For strait, quick, & seuear poonishment whearof: Lord God how thei laid about thē. Thei spared neither bisshop, preest, clerk, nor lay man, gē tleman nor vngētle, rich nor poor, learned nor vnlearned, gilty nor vngilty, wise nor foolish, good nor bad, man nor woman, boy nor girle. Still moste vnmercifully cō demnyng in earth, & dānyng to hell (as mooch as in them lay) bothe bodies & solles of those poor wretches, for the self same doctrine (I say) that thei before had openly ꝓfessed preached, sworne, & taught them. Mercifull GOD, was thear euer vncharitee, hate, vngodlines, malice, crueltie, or tyrānie, able to be cōpaard wt this of theirs? But as thei sawe that their market grew great, & had not help inough as thei woold, to cut yt throtes of the sely shepe, so fast as thei had procured them to be brought to their boochery: a nue deuise vpon an old groūd and a full charitable fetch (hardely) for dispatch of their woork had thei, and that was this. Thei procured the shriues, to sit present with them at the conuiction of those, whom thei had appointed afore to cōdemne for heretiks. That as the prelate had ones pronounced his sentence vpō them, the shriue was straight charged to see execucion of burnyng: and then mought he not tary for any warraūt of writ from the Prince (as good lawe and custome afore tyme had been) but straight to the fier with thē: and thus made thei a riddaūce of their slaughter a pace, & alledged it for lawe, that the Shriues beyng present at those condemnacions, was warraunt and commaundement sufficiēt, without further processe to burne those persons, that thei had condemned. And though in deed sooch an olde law thear wear,ii. Henri. 4 • yet by them now, with sooch vncharitee and crueltee reuiued: it was thought amoong vs, a thing very hard & straūge, that our Prince might haue her peple by thē thus still made a way, and neuer to wot either whō when, or how.

And why, & why, I pray ye, all these their merueilous persecutions, cruelties, & tyrānies? But onely (as I said) for the self same doctrine that thei afore had taught vs thē selues. For who taught vs to take the Pope, to be a wicked vsurper vpō vs? Who taught vs, that by scripture & Gods lawe, preesthod must be subiect vnto Princehod, and not Princes to Preests? Who taught vs, that it stāds moste with Gods lawe, the Prince to be Sooueraign of all, and supreme hed of the church of that land, whearof he is lord, and not of a forrein preest or potentate? Who taught vs, that the same Supremitee, stands not vpon the qualitee or kynde of the person, but vpon the state of Princehod? Who taught vs, that it is no more repugnaunt to Gods law, vnder one hed we shoold haue seuerall Churches of England & Ireland, and yet bothe as membres to the vniuersall, & true Catholik church of all christen, whearof Christ is the hed: then it was that saint Ihon in his ApocalipsCap. primo. shoold write vnto the Churches of Ephesus and Smyrna, and to the rest of the seuen Churches in Asie? who taught vs that the Popes pour at the best, was no better then a Bisshops in his own dioces? Who taught vs that Thomas Becket was no saint but a deuell, no true subiect, but a false traitour, that did disobey, & contend with his Prince, and took part with the Pope. And yet that precious perle of prelacy that constaunt Constaunce,Marcus Antonius Cō stantius. Lorde with what pein did he bisy hymself, to saint hym again? who (I pray ye) put into ye praiers of ye Primer: Frō the tyrannie of the bisshop of Room, and all his detestable enormitees, O Lorde deliuer vs? & whither ye actes of our blessed bisshops, ye Popes execurioners, haue been soch as we haue neded (if we mought) so to pray still: I report me to you. Who made it allwais one chefe part of their matter in pulpits, still to shew vs of his intollerable arrogancie and abuse of Princes, of his tyranny, war, quarelling, auarice, apostasie, simony, sacrilege, hoordome, buggary, sodomie, malice, pride, poysonyngs, and all kindes of wickednes & abhominacions biside, so continually exercised by hym, & all his hole holly cōpany his Cardnalls & court? Who taught vs that his dispensacions, his pardons & bulles, wear but false trumperie, wicked for hym to giue, & folly for vs to receiue, and vtterly dānable for any to trust in? Who taught vs, that scripture neuer made neuer mencion of Purgatory after this life, or if thear wear any sooch peines: yet wear thei not redimable by the Popes pardons, by monkes masses, or preests penypraiers? Who taught vs, y• it was metest for vs to haue y• lawe, that we all professed, and to haue diuine seruice in that langage, that we best knue? Who taught vs, that sacraments wear euer moste frutefully ministred in that toong, that the peple best vnderstood? and specially those whearby we made any coouenaunt or promise to God, or receiued any cūfort of his mercy & goodnes: as Baptim Matrimonie, and the holly Communiō. Who taught vs to pluck images out of churches for dout of idolatrie? Who taught vs to make our praiers, not to our Lady, or any oother bisaints, but onely to GOD? whose mercy by promis was sooch as woold soonest here vs, and his pour by experience sooch as coold best help vs. Who taught vs, out of texts of Saint Polle, that preesthod & matrimony in one persō might very well stand with the laws of God? Who taught vs yt Scripture neuer mencioned,Kept at Room. 〈◊〉 nor auncient fathers (afore the Counsaill of Laterane) euer knue this terme of transubstanciacion, in the blessed Sacrament? Who preached vnto vs what parcialitee, what sacrilege it was, in ministraciō of the holly Sacrament, to receiue it themselues in both kindes, and to defraude the laitee of the one halfe, ootherwise then it was ordeyned,Bibite ex hoc omnes. Mat. xxvi. Ioan. vi. and against our sauiour Christes Institucion? Who taught vs, that as it was a moste Christen cumfort vnto the woorthy receiuour: euen so was it neither to be kept in boxes for dout of corrupcion, nor to be hangd vp for woorship, for aduoiding Idolatrie? Who the deuell so mā gled & minst it amoong vs, as not content with the old doctrine of our aunciēt fathers: that it was Gods body in foorm of bread: but must wt the mischefe, enter into fine siftyngs, questions, & quidditees, of substaunce, nature, qualitee, quātitee, dimensiō, realitee, accidence, relacion, action, passion, and all the elenchs I wene of Logik biside? Who sent out their Iniunctions, & made their visitacions to be suer to see that their teachings might accordingly be coōd, as thei had bisily taught thē? Who taught vs all this, and ten tymes more then I haue layser to tell, or ye to here: and now cā recāt it euery whit? who I sai who, and who I pray ye? Mary who but euē thei and thei of their cote. Our Bisshops, our suffragans, our doctours our deanes, our deacons, our parsons, our vicars, our chaplens, our hedge preests & all, whearof many yet aliue both quick and queathyng. But if thei will now (as thei can euer full well) vnsay and forswear ech for hymself, that thei wear none of thē: whear then a Gods name, becā they in all that hole season of scisme and wicked tyme? (as thei terme it) Whear hid thei their heds y• we hard not of thē, when thei shoold rathest haue shewed themselues, and haue vttred their learnyng? Whear was then their true, their auncient, their vniuersall & catholik doctrine? (as thei call it) Whear was their conscience, their conscience alas, to suffer so many Christen solles to be mistaught, & led to the deuell (as thei say) and thei to stand by, and say neuer a woord? Whear was then their foritude of mynde and trooble for Christ, whear by we might haue knowne thei had been hizzē? How remembred thei, or els past vpō the promise of Christ, that he woold acknowlege that parson before his father in heauen,Math. • yt confesseth hym before men: like as he will vtterly deny him before his father in heauē, yt hath denied him here before men? whear was then that desire to truth, constancie of beleefe, and contemt of the world, that still thei now foūd, inthose poor simple solles, that daily alas thei slue? That sory I am, my tale is so true, not a whit amoōg them all. But when thei had thus liberally preached & taught a toside, & recanted a toother, and amased the poor peple, with this their moste pernicious inconstancie, and confusion of doctrine: then soon after so to persecute thē, prison them, torment them, rak them, hak them, hang them, and burn them? O mercifull GOD, O heauen, O earth. Was thear euer vncharitee like to this of theirs? Euer slaughter so vnnaturall, for their own doctrine, to kill their own cuntree mē? Euer tyranny so cruell for the teachers, to slea their own disciples, for cūnyng of their own lessōs thei gaue thē? and send thē bothe body & solle, vtterly to the deuell (if their tale be now true) & giue thē no leasure, either to learne better of oother, nor take time with thē to teach them better thē selues? O terrible Godhed, how fear thei not flies, fleas, vermen, frogs, pestilence, plages, serpents, venoms, water, fire, tempests, swalloyng of earth, ruin of houses, falshod of frēdes, treason of seruaūts, wrath of the world, indignacion of Prince, torment of cō science, or els the dredfull furour of the Lorde: whiche so iustly without his mere mercie, thei haue deserued, and is all wais in euery place impē daunt vpon them? How ar thei not mooued with ye horrible examples euen now of late dais,This, in a little laten book entitled the story of Fraū cis Spiera, 1548. appereth, and I ween is since turned & printed ī English of Fraūcis Spiera at Padua in Italy, and of Iames Hales of Kent: who bothe for renouncyng Gods holly doctrine, and agnitam ueritatem. moste lamentably languisshing in desperacion: the one by will & a wait to cut his own throte, thoother by drownyng himself, so wickedly ended their liues? How ar thei not troobled with the terrible cry of the solles (as Scripture tels them) of the peple thei haue slain for the woord of GOD,Apccal. vi. and for the witnes thei bare, whiche solles lye vnder the auter, & crie out vnto ye Lorde with loude voice for vengeaunce vpon them, and reuenge of their blood? How haue thei not been warned with these sundery vnlucky Comets, these vncouth signes in the ayr, these frequent monsters, and these straunge, terrible, and hurtfull tēpests? whearby as Gods displeasure might be apparaunt vnto all men, euē so his wrathe to be feared of them chefely, as chefely deseruyng the same?

O how great cause haue we again to magnifie, extolle and hartely to acknowledge that diuine powr, Maiestie, and Godhed: that thei semed either to despise or to dout on. Whose wisedoom sooch,Gods wisedoom. as (seeming to thē sumwhat to slacken the reines of his rule, castyng bridell in their necks whearby thei might at their wills, take the bit in their teeth, & run the race thei best liked) can set vp a Prince, whoom thei might abuse as thei list. And thearby might plainly disclose their affectiō how little it was toward his diuine Maiestie, how mooch toward their own worldly estate, their ambicion to reign and contencion for Sooueraigntee, their indissoluble leag with the Papacie, their obedience to the Pope, their hipocriticall hartes and dissemblyng with princes, their contēpt of Gods woord in respect of goods gettyng, their extreme vncharitee their crueltie & tyranny toward their euen Christen, all whiche afore tyme with countenaūce dissembled, and contentacion counterfet, thei coold kepe so coouert.Gods might His immesurable might again sooch, that (as we see) in a momēt, can ouerturne all their foundacions and bildyngs, seeme thei neuer so depely cast, & so strongly reared: It cā call the mighty from the seat,Luke. i. and aduaūce thearvnto the meke: It can regard the humblenes of his handmaid, & cause her calld blessed frō age to age amoōg all naciōs. It can encline the hart of the Prince, to harken after his lawes, and euen in the same to goouerne his peple. It can make the stiff necked to boowe, be thei neuer so sturdy and stubborne.

And here wt his most benign mercy sooch,Gods mercy. as allthough for our moste vnwoorthy demerites (for I sai not, yt we ar fautles) we haue been sumwhat touched with daunger by one meanes and mischefe by anoother, of forrein goouernment: with extraordinary taxes, with war, with sicknes, with seductiō of doctrine and tiranny: yet his benignitee neuer forgettyng y• tender affection he beareth, toward the flock of those his shepe, that gladly here his voyce:Luke. xi. and y• promis he made that if we aske it shalbe giuē vs, if we seke we shall finde, if we knock it shall be opened vnto vs.Math. xi. And will refresh all them that cum vnto hym & ar in pein & pressed with burden: and hath accordynly (as we see) thus graciously vouchsafed ye same his mercy vpō vs. Whiche since it hath pleased his Maiestie so benignly to shew vs: Let not vs then so soon forgettyng the same & our selues, be redy to reuenge, & be (as thei wear) celeres ad effundendum sanguinem. But rather (partly deterred by the daunger of pein, that for our vncharitee we may woorthily suffer and chefely prouoked with the example of hym, whose steps we shoold endeuour to follow) remembre his woordes spokē to vs all: that take our selues to be hizzen.Ioan. xiii. I GIVE ye a nue commaundement, that ye loue toogither, as I haue looued you, that ye also looue ech oother: herein shall all men vnderstand that ye ar my scholers, if ye haue looue & charitee ech toward oother: and again how saint Polle shews vs of hymself,i. Cor. xiii. that if he had knowledge of toongs, ye wear it of Aūgels, gift of Prophecie, Science of misteries, faith to remooue mountains: & yet lack charitee he is nothing at all. If he bestow all that euer he hath vpon the poor, yea, and yeld his body to the fier, and yet haue no charitee, it is vtterly no proffit vnto hym. And of the three diuine vertues, faith, hope and charitee, that charitee is chefest. That sins for their part, thei may be right sure (onles thei repent them & shew sign of amendement) thear is one that most mightely can, and moste certeinly will, pay them their hire to their vtter confusion. Euen so again on our part great impietee & presumpciō wear it for vs to meddle in his office that hath said Mihi uindictā & ego retribuam. Deu. xxxii. Roma. xi. And against all conscience & Christen charitee, to charge thē all wt the euils of moste. It is not vnknowen, thear wear sum amoōg thē that beyng right hartely sory to see their lewd leaders vngodly demeanours, wear in dede rather violētly drawen, then either did redily cum, or willingly follow. And sūdry fled frō them. Diuers again like poor ignoraunt lewdlyngs, (moste vnwityng in that thei shoold best haue been skilde) taught GOD wot as they thought, & followd their conscience: which thyng toward sooch, take I a great cause of commiseracion vpon them. And as for the residue (me thinks I see that now at earst consideryng with them selues how through ouer mooch trust of their worldly wit, theihaue so vnhappily cōfoū ded ye boord, & disordered their game, by misgidyng the paunes, misusyng the knightes, misrulyng the rookes, and through the false draughts of the bisshops, ar like to receiue chekmate of a Queen) thei kepe them at home, and sigh in their celles, to thinke vpon how mooch thei haue begilde themselues in the reconyng, and lamēt alas how to late thei remember that, Bonū est sperare i dn̄o,Psal. cxvii. quàm sperare in pricipibus. Thei see that we see, their world will not last, and yt well may they whisper in corners for eas of their harts: but thei flok not in assembles, for consultaciō and counsaill. And those of them that haue cause to cum abrode, me thinks I sai I see, how thei leaue of their rochets or cloke them for rain, put their tippets in their purses, pluk their caps doun afore or hood thē with hats, and ar full sore ashamed alas and woofully bewail them, that euer the Deuill had so mooch poor vpon them. And being thus sorily beested, and in this case of care, let vs consider how little manhod it is to strike at thē, that ar doun allredy. Who cannot but rather pitie then reuenge? And rather regard, that as at the best thei maie liue & amend, and as s. Polle was (through Gods grace) of cruell persecutours, becum Godly teachers: euē so at the woorst, be thei our neighbours, our brethren, our euē christen. Whō, if we regard our religion, & be as we shoold be, we ought no lesse to looue, then our oun selues, to wish their amendement & not to will their destruction. Let vs thearfore haue in mynde, not what dedes thei haue doon or what thei haue deserued, but what is our dutie and how we woold be delt with all our selues. Euen like also as (if I had my desires) woold I hartely wish the Quenes Maiestie, to shew foorth & extend her Princely pitie vpō them and not to remember their euell deseruyngs but her noble dignitee, and how the magnificence of a Prince is as wel in Parcere subiectis as in debellare superbos. Consideryng again: how easy, how slipper, how wretched, how wicked it is for man to erre & offende: and how harde, how magnific, how princely and diuine it is, to doo vertue & forgiue repētaunt offenders. How well it agreeth with her sex, for a vertuous virgin to be pitifull vpon her humble subiectes. With her estate of a Queene to be mercifull. With her highnes profession of a Christen Prince & no papist, to be charitable. That had neuer been their heinous offences, then shoold her maiesties mercie neuer had matter, whearupō so Princely to woork. And suerly me thinks that as thear shall be found but few amoong them, but will be content to renounce their vnlaufull obediēce vnto that forrein tyraunt the Pope▪ and can well assent in looue of their cuntree, to afoord their first frutes & oother proffits again, rather to the state of their natiue soyle here (out of which but of late thei wear taken) and to their naturall Sooueraign & liege Lady, then vnto Gods enemy & ours the Pope. Euen so cōceiued I a great hope, that vpon cūfort of mercy, and for gettyng of their fauts, thei will redily returne to their moother holly Churche here amoongst vs again, cast vp their wicked Papisticall heresies, & forsake that scisme and diuision frō vs, acknowleging (as with true catholik cōsent afore tyme thei haue) one God, one faith, one obedience, and one supreme hed vnder Christ, of thesame his church here, the hed of vs all the Prince of this realm the Quenes Maiestie that now is, or her Uicegerent in that case (if it pleas her to make any) her highnes shall finde I hope, thei will shewe themselues, as redy to rēder to the estate of the Croune, as euer thei wear greedy to pluck frō it, or hūgry to haue. Yea, thei will preach I warraunt (if it pleas her to trust them) the pure & perfit doctrine again. And none of likelihod, cā better skill of the engins of the lock, then those that know whear thei wrinched ye wardes of y• key. And so may her Maiestie more reioyse vpon the cummyng home of one of those stray shepe, then vpon nienty and nyne, that neuer ran out of the flock. And pity wear it to lose yt thus might be saued, so that consideryng what vse may cum of them, ones more to try them me thinks wear not amisse: since in deed if thei preach well, thei may doo mooch good, if they preach ill thei must look to make aunswer. and surety is thear inough of them, for thei can not start, and I hard ones olde Roch Alderman of London say, that vpon good suerty, a man might trust a dog with a puddyng.

Now to conclude (for right loth wear I to make ye wery with sittyng) since it hath pleased Gods allmighty maiestie, thus mercifull to haue hilde his holly hand ouer vs, as to haue calld to his grace the late Quene. The wicked & vnhappy goouernment of those spiritualls vnder whō: begā (as afore is said) first to allter religion, then to bryng in a straunger Kyng, to fetch in the Pope, to make her abase her Royall estate, to deface her Princely title, to pluck away her patrimonie of the Croun, to take it to thē selues, to let her self lack it, to driue her thearby into euerlastyng lones, taxes, & subsidies, to raise vp religions more perfit then Christes, to maintein with sooch wast so many idle hypocrites. And thei thēselues so to triumph, and tyrānize ouer the worlde by persecuciō of her subiects, and slaughter of innocents: and ended at last with forcing her to fall out wt her neighbours, to draw vs into war, to neglect her peces, to contemne calling vpō, and (with vtter dishonour) to the losse of her lands. And that his mercifull goodnes again: hath vouchsafed thus to preserue vs frō the imminēt daunger of distresse of vs all, and so graciously to haue placed our Queen that now is in her Roiall seat ouer vs, by whō: for her naturall birth amoōg vs & affection vnto vs, for her diuine disposiciō, her vertuous educacion, her Godly wisedoom, her Princely Maiestie, her gracious circumspection, affabilitee, iustice, & mercy. We haue good cause to conceiue an assured hope: that as her highnes stands greatly in the looue & fear and fauour of almighty god: euen so by her grace, shall we haue Gods woord & Religiō restored amoong vs, honourable mariage to her highnesse best likyng, noble issue of her body for cumfort of vs all, expulsion of that poisond vicar the Deuels deputy the Pope, auauncement of her Roiall estate & Princely title of her predecessours again, resumpcion of the rights of her Croun from the Clergy for eas of her commons, chastisement or chasyng away of those idle hypocrites or els thei returne into the christen congregacion amoong vs again, quenchyng of the Clergies execrable thirst of tyranny, reduction of them to the knowledge of thēselues and to a woorshipfull estate after Gods lawe moste meetest for them, amitee and peace with her neighbours and frendes, looue and obedience vnto her at home, a gracious regimēt ouer all estates, and a likesum liuyng & a loouyng here amoong vs vnder her reign. Unto that most mighty & benign maiestie diuine therfore that hath so graciously, thus wrought his mercy vpon vs. Let vs most humbly & hartely offer and yelde all honour, glory, impery, thāks giuyng, that liueth & reigneth world without ende. And say with Dauid:Psal. cxvi. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes, laudate eum omnes populi. Quoniam cō firmata est super nos misericordia eius: Et veritas domini manet in aeternum. Gloria PATRI & FILIO & SPIRITVI SANCTO. Sicut erat sprincipio et nunc & semper, & in saecula saeculorum. Amen. God saue the Church, the Quene, send vs peace, and haue mercy vpō all Christen solles. AMEN.

Masters, mooch good dooit you. I haue been the bolder to lengthen my processe, bicause me thought ye sat at eas, and wear cōtent to here me speake. I thanke you of your paciēce and ye ar ones again all hartely wellcum. How sirs giue water.

Et veritas Domini manet in aeternum.