wolde not there leaue me: what though, for the small tyme, I was in his vyneyarde not at all an ydell wurkeman? But he hath prouyded me, I perceyue it, to taste of a farre other cuppe.

By vyolence hath he yet ones agayne, as ye in this treatise haue redde, driuen me out of that gloryouse Babylon, that I shulde not taste to muche of her wanton pleasures, but, with his most derely beloued disciples, to haue my inwarde reioyce in the Crosse of his Sonne Iesus Christ; the glorie of whose churche, I see it wele, standeth not in the harmoniouse sounde of belles and organes, nor yet in the glitterynge of miters and coopes, neither in the shyninge of gylte ymages and lyglites, as the blinde bludderinge papistes do iudge it, but in continuall labours and dayly afflyctions for his names sake. God, at this present, in Englande hath his fanne in hande, and, after his great haruest there, is now syftinge the corne from the chaffe; blessed shall they be, which perseuer in faythe to the ende. In case, without doubt, is Englande now, as was lewric, after the heauenly doctryne was there plentuously sowne by Christe and by his apostles, the true mynisters of his wurde beinge partly enprisoned, and partly dispersed, as they were: God of his great mercye preserue it from that plage of destruction, which not only Hierusalem, but also that whole lande, tasted, for their wylfull contempte of that massage of their saluacyon. Amen.

I wryte this vnto the, thu sorrowfull churche of Englande, that in the middes of thy afflictions thu shuldest not despayre. Beholde how gracyously, yea, if I maye so speake it, how miraculously and gloriously the heauenly Lorde hath delyuered me, his most vnworthie seruaunt of all men, and an excedinge great sinner. He called me of grace to that office in his vyneyarde, by sore persecucions he proued me of loue, and at the lattre of mercye and goodnesse he preserued me from the deadly furye of most fearce enemies. Thy callinge to the gospell is not vnknowne to the, thu carefull congregacion. Now suffrest thu persecucions diuersly, for not regardinge the time of thy visitacion. Repent yet in the ende, and doubtlesse thu shalt have a most prosperouse delyueraunce, They are no noblemen, that do vexe the at this present. They are but pilde peltinge prestes, knightes of the dongehill, though they be Sir Swepestretes, maistre doctours, and lorde bishoppes, Loke vpon their faces, though thu measure not them by their frutes, and thu shalt sone knowe their vertues. They are fierye, hawtie, and lecherouse as gootes, the chastest amonge them. that shall other mennis wyves knowe, and not thu. A wele papped pygion of Paules is wholsome (they saye) for a tippetted gentilman of the Popes spialte, in a darke eueninge, to coole the contagiouse heates of a coltish confessour.

But

No noblemen are they, which trouble the in this age, as I told the afore. For true nobylitie neuer yet hated the truthe of God, but hath aduaunced it by all ages. Examples we haue in Adam, Noe, Abraham, Moyses, Dauid, Iosias, Nycodeme, Ioseph, Kynge Lucius, Constantine, Justinyane, Theodosius, Kynge Arthour, Alphrede, Ethelstane, Henry the Seconde, Edwarde the Thirde, and now last of all the Virgine Kynge Edwarde the vj. which neuer was defyled with

the Popes ydolatryes. Immortall fame, and note of renowne, remayneth yet to them for it. Such men (sayth the Lorde) as worshipp me, will I make worshipfull, and they, that despise me, shall become ignoble or wretched, j. Reg. 2. These will not take away the keye of knowlege from Gods people, as do the hypocrites, Math. 23. and as the wicked lawers do also, Luce. 11. wo to them for it. But as the noble Dauid requireth, they will open the gates that the Kinge of glorie maie entre. Open the gates (sayth he) O ye noblemen, lete the euerlastinge dores be opened, that the Kinge of Glorie may come in. Ps. 24.

If any be wicked in this behalfe, which beare the name of noblemen and women, lete them wele weygh with themselues, how Pharo, Antiochus, Herode, and suche other, whome God by princely autoritie had made noble, by only tirannie against his manifest truthe, are now become more vile, than any kichine slaue or yet Lazar. Fælix (sayth Horace) quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum. Happie is he, whome an other mannis misfortune maketh wyse.

Ouer the now triumpheth the Bishoppes, the pharisees, the prestes, and the couetouse lawers. At thy late soden fall, reioyceth the hypocrites, the epicures, the ydolatours, and the wicked papistes, What shall I saye more? Iohan Baptist is now derided in the prison, Jesus the Sonne of God is grenned at vpon the Crosse. Paule now in Athens is hyssed at. The poore apostles are slicly laughed to scorne, Naye, shall I yet saye more: Mycheas is smitten on the face, whils Sedechias plaieth the false harlot, 2 Parali. 18, Helias is driuen into the wildernesse, whils Baals chaplaines are banketinge amonge ladies, 3 Rcg. 18. Esaye is contempned, whils the prestes are giuen to ydolatrie and dronkennessc, Esa. 28. Hieremie is sore afflicted, while Semeias peruerteth the truthe of the Lorde, Hiere, 29, Daniel is throwne into the lyons denne, whils myschefes are in wurking amonge the wicked, Dan. 6. Peter is accused of the Bishoppes wenche, whils Cayphas sitteth in consistorie, condempninge the innocent, Math. 26. Steuen is called to a reckenninge, whils the prestes and wicked lawers are bannishinge the Gospell, Acto, 6. Antipas (they saye) is now slaine at Pergamos, whils Simon Magus triumpheth in Samaria, Apo. 2. And Iohan Zebede is sent into Pathmos, whils Cerinthus, Menander, and Hebion playe the heretike knaues at home, Apo. 1. well, lete them plye it a pace. It maye chaunce to cost theyr poluted Hierusalem a fowle ouerthrowe, for so persecutynge the seruauntes of God, in her whoredome, Esa. 1. yea seruauntes I saye, for they serued faithfully in the paynefull office of the Gospel.

Those ydell mercenaries not only loyter in the vineyarde, but also like cruell wolves they rauishe and destroye, Ioan. 10. Of that which God hath expressely forbidden, they make nowe a solempne religion, both in the refusall of mariage, and in the prodygyouse veneracyon of ymages, sayinge yea to his nay, and naye to his yea. God sayth, it is not good for man to be alone, without an helpe, which is a wife in mariage, Gene. 2. They saye contrariously, that it is more than good, for it is holy, religiouse, and prestlike, to haue no wiues of their owne, whatsoeuer they haue of other mennis, besides buggery boyes. I

trowe Doctour Weston will saye none other at this daye, what though not longe ago he brent a beggar in S. Botolphes parishe without Bishopsgate, geuinge her no wurse than he had receiued afore of that religiouse occupienge. The same Weston proponed to another woman of his parishe, which was a mannis wife, that, her husbande beinge a slepe, she might lawfully occupie with him, by vertue of this texte, Mulier, dormiente viro, a lege soluta est. 1 Cor. 7. If this scripture were not religiously applyed, lete them tell me which knowe the right handelinge of them. Whils this priapustick prelate is prolocutor in the conuocacion howse, I trust we shall lacke no good lawes for religion, the man is so religiouse. O Abhominacion. Though they now are busily spisinge and paintinge of a toorde (the ydolatrouse masse) yet will a toorde be but a stinkinge toorde, both in smelle and syght, pepper him and bawme him, garnish him and gilde him, as wele as they can, all the packe of them. To conclude. Now are their most filthie buggeries in the darke, with their other prodigiouse whoredomes, holden a most pure state of liuinge, holy mariage disgraced, contempned, and bannished.

God sayth, thu shalt make no grauen ymage to worshipp. They say, ye shall not only make ymages, but ye shall also gylde them, sense them, worshipp them, and axe helpe of them, for whie they are the layemennis gospell. In dede Porphiriuse, the blasphemouse heretike, and troubler of the Christen Church, as Eusebius reporteth him, was the first that called them the layemennis calender. And though S. Gregorie the Great, cominge after, confirmed the same calender, yet shall it remaine an horrible blasphemie, bycause God hath in paine of dampnacion forbidden it. Epiphanius, that worthie father of the Churche, nombreth the worshippinge of our ladyes image among heresies.

If we be of his opinion, we must iudge yow no lesse than most perniciouse heretikes. Moreouer it is now become a religion agayne in Englande, to call vpon dead men, with Sancte Petre ora pro nobis. This also is fatched from the olde paganes sorceries, for holde hath it none of the scriptures canonicall, How howllinge and iabberinge in a foren language shulde become Gods seruice, that can I not tell. But wele I wote that S. Paules doctrine doth vtterly condempne it, as supersticiouse beggerie, bycause it is but an ydell noise and nothinge to edificacion, 1 Cor. 14,

Some men perauenture will maruele, that I, utteringe matters of Irelande, shulde omitt, in this treatise, to write of coyne and lyuerie: which are so cruell pillages and oppressions of the poore commens there, as are no where els in this whole earthe, neither vndre wicked Saracene nor yet cruell Turke, besides all prodigiouse kindes of lecherie and other abhominacions, therin committed, Thre causes there are, which hath moued me not to expresse them here. One is, for so moch as they perteine nothinge to the tyttle of this boke, which all concerneth religion. An other is for that the matter is so large, as requireth a muche larger volume.

The thirde cause is, for that I haue knowne ij worthie men, whome I will not nowe name, to haue done that thinge so cxactly, as no man

(I suppose) therein can amende them. But this will I utter breuely, that the Irishe lordes and their vnder captaines, supportinge the same, are not only companions with theues, as the prophete reporteth, Esa. I, but also they are their wicked maisters and maintencrs. So that they both coupled togyther, the murtherer with his maistre, and the thete with his maintener, leyue nothinge vndeuoured behinde them in that fertile region, no more than ded the deuouringe locustes of Egypte, Exo. 10. Anon after their haruestes are ended there, the Kearnes, the Galloglasses, and the other brechelesse souldiers, with horses and their horsegromes, sum tyme iij waitinge vpon one iade, enter into the villages with muche crueltie and fearcenesse; they continue there in great rauine and spoyle, and, whan they go thens, they leaue nothinge els behinde them for payment, but lice, lecherye, and intollerable penurie for all the yeare after, Yet set the rulers therupon a very fayre colour, that it is for defence of the Englishe pale. I besiche God to sende such protection a shorte ende, and their lordes and captaines also, if they see it not sone amended. For it is the vtter confusyon of that lande, and a maintenaunce to all vices,

Thre peoples are in Irelande in these dayes, prestes, lawers, and kearnes, which will not suffre faythe, truthe, and honestye to dwell there; and all these haue but one God, their bellye, and glory in that wicked feate to their shame, whose ende is dampnation, Phil. 3. I speake only of those which are bredde and borne there, and yet not of them ail; These, for the more part, are sworne bretherne togyther in myschefe, one to maintaine an others maliciouse cause, by murther preuily procured. And, to bringe their conceyued wickednesse to passe, they can do great miracles in this age, by vertue of transubstanciacion belyke, for therin are they very conninge; for they can very wittely make, of a tame Irishe, a wilde Irishe for nede, so that they shall serue their turne so wele as though they were of the wilde Irishe in dede. Lyke as they ded properly and fynely, in the most shamefull and cruell slaughter of my v. seruauntes, by the Lorde Mountgarrettes kearnes, and the barne of Vpper Ossoryes farye knyghtes. By suche fyne conueniaunce of accusinge the wilde Irishe, and colour of the holy daye broken, as is written afore, they can alwayes apere to haue fayre white handes, and to be innocent maydes, what murther so euer is by them committed. But I axe of the prestes, chefely of Richard Routhe the treasurer, and of Sir Iames Joys, his companion, what they ment by their so oft rydinge to that barne of Vpper Ossoric, whan I was dwellinge at Holmes Court? Whome they neuerthelesse to me reported, to be the most errande thefe and mercilesse murtherer of all the lande. And what they haue ment also, to be so familyar with the furiouse famelye of Mountgarrett? Commenly resortinge in the endes of all those iournayes to the howse of Barnabe Bolgar. As I suspected the matter than, so haue I sens that time proued it effectually true. Moreouer, I myght axe of the lawers, why they seke to haue so many theues and murtherers perdoned, specially whan they haue slaine English men, and done their robberies within the English pale? But at this time I leaue them, and returne againe to my purpose.

Now must I saye sumwhat to the, thu carefull churche of Englande, concerninge thy misbehauer against thy most lovinge Creatour. God chose the for his elect vyneyarde; yea, he plenteously pourged and prepared the. But, whan thu shuldest haue brought hym fourth frute, for grapes thu gauest him thornes,' Esa. 7. He loked to haue had at thy handes, after the gospell preachinge there, faythe, knowledge, feare, loue, repentaunce, obedience, true inuocacion, and hartie thankes for his manifolde giftes, with such other wholsome frutes of lyfe.

And, in stede of them, thu hast brought fourth ydolatrie, blindnesse, impenitencie, frowardnesse, crueltie, pride, fornication, vnclennesse, couctousnesse, ingratefull contempte of the truthe, and hate of the faithfull preachers therof, with other sower crabbes of dampnacion.

Thu woldest fain be like the malignaunt churche of the Papistes, prosperouse and welthye in worldly affaires, and therwith sumwhat gloriouse; but thy eternal father in heauen will uot so haue the, but by persecucions transfourmeth the into the very similitude of his derely beloued Sonne, to whome he hath espowsed the, to reigne with him at the lattre in eternal glorie.

God hath sufficiently declared in the scripture, what his churche is in this worlde; as that it is an afflicted and sorowful congregacion, forsaken in a maner, and destitute of all humaine confort in this lyfe. It maye right wele be compared to a flocke of orphancs, which, beinge destitute of father and mother, are in this worlde subject to manye sorowfull calamitees and miseryes; but, because that poore churche shulde not utterly discourage, in her extreme aduersitees, the Sonne of God hath taken her to his spowse, and hath promised her protection, helpe, and confort in all her afflictions and parels; so that she maye at all tymes confort herselfe with this verse of Dauid, Though my father and mother hath left me, yet hath the Lorde taken me up for his,' Psalm 26. In the first promyse was she taken to grace after transgression, and assured of delyueraunce from sinne, deathe, helle, and the deuyl; for, if God had not most wonderfully collected her togyther, preserued her, saued her, and defended her, it had not bene possible for her to haue escaped in so horrible daungers, as were in the vniuersall floude, in the burninge of Sodome and Gomer, undre the tirannie of Pharao, in the iourneic through the Red-sca, in the captiuite of Babylon, and destruction of Ierusalem, and in so manye wonderful alteracyons and terryble ruynes of the Romane empyre, so manye deuyls, paganes, Mahumetes, Turkes, lewes, epicures, heretykes, popes, bysshoppes, monkes, prestes, and tyrauntes reigninge.

A perpetuall and vnplacable enemye is Sathan, and cuermore hath bene to that poore congregacion, sekinge not only to disfigure her, but also to spoyle her and destroye her vtterly. Like as it is sayed, Gen. 3. That he shulde treade Christe on the hele. This excedinge great benefight of the goodnesse of God ought to be remembred, that he, after the sinne of our first parentes, not only receiued this churche to grace, but also hath euer sens both preserued and defended it; but