BEhold Maister Pope, wee haue had wonderfull greate windes without anye raine, and I am verily perswaded that the clowde wherein your Thunderbolt was enclosed was not well comprised, to make the clap sound vpon the earth; or else, [Page] that the Venetian water was of so great vertue, y^t it extinguished or quencht the fire that threatned to burne and consume all Italie: But it may be, that therein you immi­tated Iupiter (of whome you holde the Capitol) and gaue out many threatning wordes, but durst not strike: contenting your selfe to showe what your Cyclops can doe, without making proofe thereof vpon mens heads: which I be­leeue to be true, if they had sought by prayers and Oblations to mollifie and appease your wrath and furious displeasure, and not by obstinate contempt, or rather (as many men reporte) by an assu­red constancie, which the Venetians haue shewed in their iust & right­full cause. But shall I tell you what I thinke? I am of opinion [Page] that you feared that the promises and the faith of the Spanyards are not so smoothe as their faces: and that the Venetians shold haue ceazed on Boulougne, with other places of y^e Churches patrimony, they would make as honest and good agreement with them, as they haue lately made with the newe Commonwealth of Holland. Let them say what they will of you Maister Pope: for my part I perceiue and finde, that you haue done greate good vnto our holy Mother the Church, by disputa­tion mooued & stirred vp between you and the Venetians: In times past, there was none but the wic­ked and pestiferous Huguenots which disputed and enueighed a­gainst the holy Seat of Rome, and would by no meanes acknow­ledge [Page] any of Saint Peters swordes to belong vnto you: but now at this time they are your own natural childrē, your tēder & most deer­ly belooued friendes, who percei­uing you to be too much burden­ned & ouerladē by bearing of two swords, haue pulled out of your hands the one, which is called the temporall Sword, and so dul­led and blunted the other, that from hence-foorth, it shall not cut but in measure and reason: But to remedy the matter, if you will follow my counsell, you shall doe wel and wisely to excommunicate all Princes and Potentates of Christendome, and to giue their Realms and Dominions to those that haue the best Mittens to lay holde of the Catte: But I will tell you what will fall out there­upon: [Page] they will all flatlye make answer that they wil do nothing, and tell you plainly, that it is not in your power, to take that from them which you neuer gaue them. And to that ende, they will cause Acts of Parliaments to be con­firmed and ratified within their States and Dominions, and re­cord it as a Decree, or Re iudicata for all posterities: and so you may sit downe vpon your taile with al your Pretences, and take your ease, whilst men come to kisse your feete, and so that solemne disputa­tion shall bee ended in your time, without taking any great paines to assemble a generall Councell, to tell both you and my Lorde Bellarmine, that it is not a matter of Breuiaries to gouern and com­maund kingdomes: and that you haue no more authoritie to med­dle with y^e Temporall power of [Page] Princes, then you would haue them to intermeddle with your spirituall gouernment. No doubt it will procure great good vnto your seate, and somewhat abate the papall insolencies and threat­nings, and by that meanes put Rome out of a great fear, and con­sequently bereaue it of the hate of many men.

Touching the Venetians, by whom so notable and memorable an enterprise hath been begun, I am sure, that you for your part will iudge and esteeme them to be worthy of a pardon and dispensa­tion, to go into paradice, or to hell: and that they may lawfully here­after bear in their shield of armes, a great paire of Sheeres, to wit­nesse to all posteritie, that they were the first (among your faith­full Masse-mongers) that durst curtall and clippe your garment, [Page] which dagled too long on the ground. I counselled you before, to giue al the Kingdoms & Dominions of y^e princes of Christendome as a pray vnto their enemies: to the end that they may all flatly and plainely tell you, that they wil not daunce after such vnpleasant musick. And if you will beleeue me, you shall first begin with the house of Au­stria: and yet I am content that your eares should be cut off, if you doe not finde that it is not Catholike in that point. It is chiefly deuided into three heades: as the Emperor, the King of Spaine, and the Arehduke Albertus: and in which of them (I pray you) doe you not finde iust occasion of deposition?

Touching y^e Emperor, he hath made you the Turks Grandfather, taking him for his Son, and is so much busied with his Mathematiciās, to take the measure and compasse of the heauens, that he forgetteth and neglecteth his gouernment on the earth▪ Is not this [Page] sufficient to depose him, & to raise the Duke of Bauaire in his place, as your predecessors in times past sought to doe?

As for the King of Spaine, he is al­ready absolutly excommunicated, ipso facto: for retaining and witholding Sci­cilia, and your noble kingdom of Naples from you. Aske Baronius counsell, and I am assured that he will tel you that you may lawfully kill and eat him (ac­cording to the commaundement giuen by God vnto S. Peter) & though it were in the middle of Lent: and suppose I pray you, what ioy & pleasure it wold be to that good old man, if he could as well take the Crowne from the King of Spaines head, as the King of Spain tooke your place from him?

There resteth nothing now but to deale with y^t Arch-duke Albertus, that durst be so bolde, to make a truce, & to procure a peace with the Heretickes of Hollād: it is not that a sufficient crime, [Page] and a greate offence to incur your sen­tence of displeasure? but if you thinke good to spare him, in regard of his an­cient priest-hood, yet you must at the least excommunicate Spinolaes pursse, which is one of the greatest causes of this conuention: but I am verily per­swaded, that at your commandement the Archduke wil alwaies find occa­sion to renew the warre: as first, that faith ought not be kept and obserued with Heretickes: and secondly, that a prince cannot infranchise his subiects, & renounce his superioritie ouer them to the preiudice of the estate of him & his successors: besides that, there may be a kinde of equiuocation, or mentall reseruation of some words vsed in the making of the treatie of peace: A­gaine, it is lawfull at al times to make war for our holy mother the Church: & to conclude, the Spaniard will not care greatly to proue periured for his owne profit and commodity.

[Page] When you haue excommunicated all these of the house of Austria, then you must set vpon the King of France, & you may find matter enough to be offended and to take displeasure against him, & he meanes enough not to care much for it, and to send you bull for bull, let­ter for letter and if you wil, two blows for one: and finally to proceed to my in­tent, he wil take an oath of all his sub­iects (specially the Priestes) that they shall neither beleeue nor teach, that the Pope can directly or indirectly, nor by right or wrong, neither yet by the head or the foot, depose a lawful king out of his Throane.

But now we come to another great matter, & the question consisteth herin, what wee shall doe with the king of England? for assure your selfe, hee is not for you, & which is worse you shall not find much matter to lay holde vpon touching him, nor his royall procee­dings; I am perswaded that the best [Page] way for you will be to let him alone, or else that you procure his friendship & that you wholy renounce all superio­rity ouer him, as the Spaniard hath done to those of Holland: and in regard therof, he wil make you a great present of all the Priestes and Iesuites in his country, which he will send vnto you to Rome: and because that England is interdicted, hee will procure that you shall be obeyed in that point, and that the Masse shall be no more vsed in his Dominions.

This maister pope I thought ne­cessary to be written vnto you, pray­ing you to send me good store of holy Medales, but I wold haue them al of pure & fine golde, or else they will doe me but small pleasure: Farewell.

From my Bakehouse in Boulougne, vpon this good Sunday, of Quasimodo.