kinges of their seuerall dominions; whereby they may see how this kind of tyrannous authoritie in popes to make warres upon emperours and kinges, and to commaund them to be depriued, toke holde at the first by Pope Hildebrande, though the same neuer had any lawefull example or warrant from the lawes of God of the Olde or Newe Testament, but yet the successes of their tyrannies were by Gods goodnesse for the most parte made frustrate, as by Gods goodnesse there is no doubt, but the like will followe to their confusions at all times

to come.

And therefore, as there is no doubt but the like violent tyrannous proceedings by any Pope in maintenaunce of traitours and rebels, would be withstoode by euery soueraigne prince in Christendome in defence of their persons and crownes, and maintenaunce of their subiectes in peace; so is there at this present a like iust cause that the Emperours Maiestie, with the princes of the holy empire, and all other soueraigne kinges and princes in Christendome, should iudge the same to be lawfull for her Maiestic being a Queene, and holding the very place of a king and and a prince soueraigne ouer diuers kingdomes and nations, she being also most lawfully inuested in her crowne, and as for good gouerning of her people, with such applause and generall allowance, loued, and obeyed of them, sauing a few ragged traitours or rebels, or persons discontented, whereof no other realme is free as continually for these twenty-five yeres past hath bene notably scene and so publiquely marked, euen by strangers repairing into this realme, as it were no cause of disgrace to any monarchie and king in Christendome, to haue her Maiesties felicitie compared with any of theirs whatsoever: and it may be, there are many kinges and princes could be well contented with the fruition of some proportion of her felicitie. And though the Popes be nowe suffered by the Emperour, in the landes of his owne peculiar patrimonie, and by the two great monarches, the French King and the King of Spaine, in their dominions and territo rics (although by many other kinges not so allowed) to continue his authoritie in sundrie cases, and his glorious title to be the vniversall bishop of the worlde, which title Gregorie the Great, aboue nine hun-. dred yeres past, called a prophane title, full of sacrilege, and a preamble of Antichrist; yet in all their dominions and kingdomes, as also in the realme of Englande, most notably by many auncient lawes it is well knowen, how many wayes the tyrannous power of this his excessiue authoritie hath bene and still is restrained, checked, and limitted by lawes and pragmatiques, both auncient and newe, both in Fraunce, Spaine, and other dominions; a very large fielde for the lawyers of those countries to walke in and discourse. And howsocuer the Popes canonistes, being as his bombarders, doe make his excommunications and curses appeare fearefull to the multitude and simple people yet all great emperours and kings aforetime, in their owne cases, of their rightes and royall preeminences, though the same concerned but a citie ́or a poore towne, and sometime but the not allowance of some unworthie person to a bishopricke or to an abbey, neuer refrayned to despise all Popes curses or forces, but attempted alwayes, eyther by their swordes to compell them to desist from their furious actions, or without

any fear of themselues, in body, soule, or conscience, stoutly to withstande their curses, and that sometyme by force, sometyme by ordinances and lawes; the auntient histories whereof are too many to be repeated, and of none more frequent and effectual then of the Kings of Fraunce; and, in the records of England doth appear, how stoutly the kinges and the baronage of England from age to age, by extreme penall lawes, haue so repelled the Popes vsurpations, as, with the uery name of premunires, his proctors haue bene terrified, and his clergy haue quaked, as of late Cardinall Wolsey did proue. But, leauing those that are auntient, we may remember howe, in this our owne present or late age, it hath bene manifestly seene, howe the army of the late noble Emperour Charles the Fift, father of King Philippe, that nowe reigneth, was not afrayde of his curses, when, in the yere of our Lorde 1527, Rome itselfe was besieged and sacked, and the Pope then called Clement, and his cardinals, to the number of about thirty-three, in his Mount Adrian, or Castell S. Angelo, taken prisoners and deteined seuen moneths or more, and after ransomed by Don Vgo di Mon. cada, a Spaniarde, and the Marques of Guasto, at aboue four hundred million of ducates, besides the ransomes of his cardinalls which was much greater, having not long before time bene also, notwithstanding his curses, besieged in the same castell by the familie of the Colonies and their fautors, his next neighbours being then Imperialistes, and forced to yeelde to all their demaunds. Neither did King Henry the Seconde of Fraunce, father to Henry nowe King of France, about the yeere 1550, feare or regard the Pope or his court of Rome, when he made several straight edictes against many partes of the Popes claymes in preiudice of the crowne and clergie of Fraunce, retracting the authoritie of the court of Rome, greatly to the hinderance of the Popes former profites. Neither was the army of King Philip nowe of Spaine, whereof the Duke of Alua was generall, stricken with any feare of cursing, when it was brought afore Rome against the Pope, in the yere of our Lord 1555, where great destruction was made by the said army, and al the delicate buyldings, gardens, and orchardes next to Rome, walles overthrowen, wherewith his holinesse was mere terrified, then he was able to remoue with any of his curses. Neither was

Queene Mary, the Queenes Maiesties late sister, a person not a little devoted to the Romane religion, so afraid of the Popes cursings, but that both she and her whole counsel, and that with the assent of all the iudges of the realme, according to the auncient lawes, in favour of Cardinall Poole her kinsman, did most straightly forbid the entrie of his bulles, and of a cardinall hatte at Callis, that was sent from the Pope for one frier Peyto, an observant pleasent frier, whom the Pope had assigned to bee a cardinall in disgrace of Cardinall Poole"; neither did Cardinall Poole himselfe at the same time obey the Popes commandements, nor shewed himselfe afraid, being assisted by the Queene, when the Pope did threaten him with paine of curses and excommunication, but did still oppose himselfe against the Popes commandement

• Because Queen Mary had declared war against France, which the Pope thought Pole might have prevented.

for the saide pretended Cardinall Peyto; who, notwithstanding all the threateninges of the Pope, was forced to goe vp and downe in the streets of London like a begging frier*, without his red hatt; a stout resistance in a queene for a poore cardinalls hatte, wherein she followed the example of her grandfather King Henrie the Seventh, for a matter of allum, wherein the King vsed very great severitie against the Pope. So as howsoever the Christian kinges, for some respects in pollicie, can endure the Pope to commaunde where no harm nor disaduantage groweth to themselves, yet sure it is, and the popes are not ignorant, but where they shall in any sort attempt to take from Christian princes any part of their dominions, or shall giue ayde to their enemies, or to any other their rebels, in those cases, their bulles, their curses, their excommunications, their sentences, and most solemne anathematicals, no, nor their crosse keys, or double edged sword, will serve their turnes to compasse their intentions.

And now, where the Pope hath manifestly by his bulles and excommunications attempted as much as he could, to deprive her Maiestie of her kingdomes, to withdrawe from her the obedience of her subiectes, to procure rebellions in her realmes, yea, to make both rebellions and open warres with his owne captaines, soldiours, banners, ensignes, and all other thinges belonging to warre: shall this Pope Gregory, or any other pope after him, think that a soueraigne Queene, possessed of the two realmes of England and Ireland, stablished so many yeres in her kingdomes as three or foure popes have sit in their chayre at Rome, fortyfied with so much dutie, loue, and strength of her subiectes, acknowledging no superior ouer her realmes, but the mightie hand of God: shall she forbeare, or feare to withstand and make frustrate his vnlawful attempts, eyther by her sword, or by her lawes, or to put his souldiers invadours of her realme to the sword martially; or to execute her lawes upon her owne rebellious subjectes ciuilly, that are prooved to be his chiefe instruments for rebellion, and for his open warre? This is sure, that whosoever either be sitting in his chaire, with a triple crowne at Rome, or any other his proctors in any part of Christendome, shall renewe these vnlawfull attemptes, Almightie God, the King of Kinges, whome her Maiestie onely honoureth and acknowledgeth to be her onely Soueraigne Lord and Protector, and whose lawes and gospel of his Sonne Iesus Christ she seeketh to defend, will no doubt, but deliver sufficient power into his maydens hand, his ser uant Queene Elizabeth, to with stand and confound them all.

And where the seditious trumpetters of infamies and lies haue sounded forth and entituled certaine that haue suffered for treason, to be mar tyrs for religion; so may they also at this time, if they list, adde to their forged catalogue the headless bodie of the late miserable Earl of Desmonde, the head of the Irish rebellion, who of late, secretly wandering without succour. as a miserable begger, was taken by one of the Irishry in his caben, and, in an Irish sort after his owne accustomed savage maner, his head cut off from his bodie; an end due to

For the Queen let him know, that if he accepted thereof, without her leave, or pretended to exercise any Papal jurisdiction in her dominions, without her permission, she would bring him within the statute of premunire; so that he never went to Calais to fetch his bulls and his hat. See Burnet, Tom 3, p. 411. Collect,

such an arch rebell. And, herewith to remember the ende of his chiefe confederates, may be noted, for example to others, the strange. maner of the death of D. Sanders, the Popes Irish legat, who also, wandering in the mountaines in Ireland without succour, died raving in a phrensey. And before him one Iames Fitz-Morice, the first traitour of Ireland next to Stukely the rakehel, a man not vnknowen in the Popes palace for a wicked crafty traytour, was slaine at one blow by an Irish noble yong gentleman, in defence of his fathers country seat, which the traitour sought to burn. A fourth man of singular note was Iohn Desmonde, brother to the Earl, a very bloody and faithles traitour, and a notable murderer of his familiar friendes, who also, wandering to seeke some pray like a wolfe in the woods, was taken and beheaded after his own usage, being as he thought sufficiently armed with the Popes bulles and certaine agnus dei, and one notable ring with a precious stone about his necke sent from the Popes finger (as it was said) but these he saw saued not his life. And such were the fatal ends of al these, being the principal heads of the Irish war and rebellion, so as no one person remaineth at this day in Ireland a known traitour; a work of God and not of man! To this nomber, they may if they seek nomber, also adde a furious yong man of Warwickshire, by name Someruille, to increase their kalender of the Popes martyrs, who of late was discouered and taken in his way, coming with a full intent to haue killed her Maiestie (whose life God always haue in his custodie.) The attempt not denied by the traitour himselfe, but confessed, and that he was moued thereto in his wicked spirit, by inticements of certaine seditious and traiterous persons his kinsmen and allyes, and also by often reading of sundrie seditious vile books lately published against her Maiestie, and his end was in desperation to strangle himself to death; an example of Gods severitie against such as presume to offer violence to his annoynted! But as God of his goodnes hath of long time hitherto preserued her Maiestie from these and the like trecheries; so hath she no cause to feare being vnder his protection, she saying with King David in the Psalme, My God is my helper, and I will trust in him; he is my protection, and the strength, or the power of my saluation.' And for the more comfort of a good subicctes against the shadowes of the Popes bulles, it is manifest to the world, that, from the beginning of her Maiesties reigne, by Gods singular goodnes, her kingdome hath enioyed more vniuersall peace, her people increased in more nombers, in more strength, and with greater riches, the earth of her kingdomes hath yeelded more fruits, and generally all kind of worldly felicitie hath more abounded since and during the time of the Popes thunders, bulles, curses, and maledictions, then in any other long times before, when the Popes pardons and blessings came yerely into the realme; so as his curses and maledictions haue turned backe to himselfe and his fautors, that it may be said to the blessed Queene of England, Elizabeth, and her people, as was said in Deuteronomy of Balaam. The Lord thy God would not heare Balaam, but did turn his maledictions or curses into benedictions or blessings; the reason is, for because thy God loved thee.'

Although these former reasons are sufficient to perswade all kind of reasonable persons to allow of her Maiesties actions to be good, reasonable, lawfull, and necessarie; yet because it may be, that such as have by frequent reading of false artificial libels, and by giuing credite to them, vpon a preiudice or foreiudgement afore grounded, by their rooted opinions in favour of the Pope, will rest vnsatisfied: therefore, as much as may be, to satisfie al persons as far foorth as common reason may warrant, that her Maiesties late action, in executing of certain seditious traitours, hath not proceeded for the holding of opinions, either for the Popes supremacie, or against her Maiesties regalitie, but for the very crymes of sedition and treason, it shall suffice briefly, in a manner of a repetition of the former reasons, to remember these thinges following:

First, It cannot be denied, but that her Maiestie did, for many yeres, suffer quietly the Popes bulls and excommunications without punishment of the fautors thereof, accompting of them but as words or winde, or of writings in parchment wayed downe with leade, or as of water bubbles, commonly called in Latine, Bullæ, and such like; but yet after some proofe, that courage was taken thereof by some bolde and bad subiectes, she coulde not but then esteeme them to be verie preambles, or as forerunners of greater danger; and, therefore, with what reason coulde any mislike, that her Maiestie did, for a bare defence against them, without other action or force, vse the helpe of reuiving of former lawes, to prohibit the publication or execution of such kinde of bulles within her realme.

Secondly, When notwithstanding the prohibition by her lawes, the same bulles were plentifully (but in secret sort) brought into the realme, and at length arrogantly set upon the gates of the Bishop of Londons Pallace, neere to the cathedrall church of Pauls, the principal-citie of the realme, by a lewd person, vsing the same like a herald sent from the Pope; who can in any common reason mislike, that her Maiestie, finding this kinde of denunciation of warre, as a defiance to be made in her principal citie by one of her subiectes, auowing and obstinately maintaining the same, should, according to justice, cause the offender to haue the reward due to such a fact? And this was the first action of any capital punishment inflicted for matter sent from Rome to moue rebellion, which was after her Maiestie had reigned about the space of twelve yeres or more: a time sufficient to prove her maiesties patience.

Thirdly, When the Pope had risen vp out of his chaire in his wrath, from words and writings to actions, and had contrary to the aduise giuen by St. Barnard, to one of his predecessors, that is, when by his messages he left Verbum, and took Ferrum, that is, left to feede by the word, which was his office; and began to strike with the sword, which was forbidden him, and stirred her noblemen and people directly to disobedience and to open rebellion, which was the office of Dathan and Abdeon; and that her lewde subiectes by his commaundement