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*the sworde, as persons that did renounce their quarrel, and seemed to curse or to blame such as sent them to so vnfortunate and desperate voyage,

But though these reasons, grounded vpon rules of naturall reason, shall satisfie a great nomber of the aduersaries (who will yeelde that, by good order of ciuil and christian policie and government, her Maiestie could nor can do no lesse than she hath done, first to subdue with her forces her rebelles and traitours, and nexte by order of her lawes to correct the ayders and abettors, and, lastly, to put also to the sworde such forces as the Pope sent into her dominions) yet there are certaine other persons, more nisely addicted to the Pope, that will yet seeme to be vnsatisfied, for that, as they will terme the matter, a nomber of sillie poore wretches were put to death as traitours, being but in profesion schollars or priestes, by the names of Seminaries, Iesuites, or simple scholemasters, that came not into the realme with any armour or weapon, by force to aide the rebelles and traitours, either in England or in Ireland, in their rebellions or warres; of which sort of wretches that comisseration is made, as though for their contrary opinions in religion, or for teaching of the people to disobey the lawes of the realme, they might haue bene otherwise punished and corrected, but yet not with capitall payne. These kinds of defences tend only to find fault rather with the severitie of their punishments, then to acquite them as innocentes or quiet subiectes, But, for answere to the better satisfaction of these nyse and scrupulous fauourers and traitours, it must be with reason demaunded of them (if at least they will open their eares to reason) whether they thinke that when a king, beeing stablished in his realme, hath a rebellion first secretly practised, and afterwards openly raysed in his realme by his own seditious subiectes, and when, by a forreine potentate or enemic, the same rebellion, is mainteyned, and the rebelles by messages and promises comforted to continue, and their treasons against their naturall prince auowed, and consequently when the same potentate and enemie, beeing author of the said rebellion, shall with his owne proper forces inuade the realme and subiectes of the prince that is so lawefully and peaceably possessed; in these cases, shall no subiect, favouring these rebelles, and yeelding obedience to the enemie the inuador, be committed or punished as a traitour, but onely such of them, as shall be found openly to carrie armour and weapon? shall no subiect, that is a spial and an explorer for the rebel or enemie, against his naturall prince, be taken and punished as a traitour, because he is not found with armour or weapon, but yet is taken in his disguised apparell, with scrolles and writings, or other manifest tokens, to proue him a spie for traitours, after he bath wandered secretly in his soueraignes camp, region, court, or citie? shall no subiect be counted a traitour, that will secretly gue earnest and prest money to persons to be rebelles or enemies, or that will attempt to poison the victual, or the fountaines, or secretly set on fire the ships or munition, or that will secretly search and sound the hauens and creekes for landing, or measure the depth of ditches, or height of bulwarkes and walles, because these offenders are not founde with armour or weapon; the answere, I thinke, must needes be yeelded

(if reason and experience shall have rule with these aduersaries) that all these and such like are to be punished as traitours; and the principall reason is, because it cannot be denied but that the actions of all these are necessarie accessaries, and adherents proper, to further and continue all rebellions and warres. But if they wil denie, that none are traitours that are not armed, they will make Iudas no traitour, that came to Christ without armour, colouring his treason with a kisse.

Now therefore it resteth to applie the factes of these late malefactours, that are pretended to haue offended but as schollars, or bookemen, or, at the most, but as persons, that, onely in wordes and doctrine, and not with armour, did fauour and helpe the rebelles and the enemies. For which purpose, let these persons be termed, as they list, schollars, schoolemasters, bookemen, seminaries, priestes, iesuites, fryers, beademen, romanistes, pardoners, or what else you will, neyther their tytles, nor their apparel hath made them traitours, but their traiterous, secret motions and practises: their persons haue not made the warre, but their directions and counsels haue set vp the rebellions. The very causes final of these rebellions and warres haue bene to depose her Maiestie from her Crowne: The Popes bull hath roared it so to be; the causes instrumentall are these kinde of seminaries and seedemen of sedition their secret teachings and reconciliations haue confirmed it: the fruites and effectes thereof are, by rebellion, to shedde the blood of all her faithfull subiectes: the rewardes of the inuadours (if they could preuaile) should be the disinheriting of al the nobilitie, the clergie, and the whole comminaltie, that would (as they are bounde by the lawes of God, by their birthe, and othes) defend their naturall gracious Queene, their natiue country, their wiues, their children, their family, and their houses. And now examine these, which you cal your vnarmed schollars and priestes, wherefore they first fled beyond sea out of the realme, and why they liued and were conuersant in companie of the principall rebelles and traitours at Rome, and in other places, where, it is proued, that they were partakers of their conspiracies: Let it be answered, why they came thus by stealth into the realme; why they haue wandered vp and down in corners, in disguised sort, changing their tytles, names, and maner of apparel; why they haue intised and sought to perswade, by their secrete false reasons, the people to allowe and beleeue all the actions and attempts, whatsoeuer the Pope hath done, or shall do, to be lawfull; why they haue reconciled and withdrawn so manie people in corners, from the lawes of the realme, to the obedience of the Pope, a forreyne potentate and open enemic to the establisht religion and lawes of England, whom they know to have already declared the Queene to be no lawfull Queene; to haue mayntayned the knowne rebelles and traitours: to haue inuaded her Maicsties dominions with open warre. Examine, further, how these vagarant, disguised, vnarmed spies baue-answered, when they -were taken and demanded, what they thought of the bull of Pope Pius Quintus, which was published to depriue the Queenes Maiestie, and to warrant her subiectes to disobey her: whether they thought, that all subiectes ought to obey the same bull, and so to rebell?

Secondly, Whether they thought her Maiestie to be the lawful Queene of the realme, notwithstanding the said bull, or any other bull of the Pope Thirdly, Whether the Pope might giue such licence, as he did, to the earles of Northumberland and Westmerland, and other her Maiesties subjectes, to rebell, as they did; or giue power to D. Sanders, a naturall borne snbiect, but an vnnaturall worne priest, to take armes, and moue warres, as he did in Ireland? Fourthly, Whether the Pope may discharge the subiectes of her Maiestie, or of any other princes christened, of their othes of obedience? Fifthly, whether the sayd traiterous priest, D. Sanders, or one Bristowe, a rebellious fugitiue, did, in their bookes, write truely or falsly, in approuing the sayd buil of Pius Quintus, and the contentes thereof? Lastly, What were to be done, if the Pope, or any other assigned by him, would inuade the realme of England: and what part they would take, or what part any faithfull subiect of her Maiestics ought to take? To these fewe questions, very apt to trie the trueth, or falshoode, of any such seditious persons, being iustly before condemned for their disloyaltie; these lewde, vnarmed traitours, I say, would no wise answere directly hereto, as all other faithfull subiectes to any prince christian ought to doe. And, as they, upon refusall to answere directly to these questions onely, might haue been iustly conuinced, as guiltie of treason; so yet were they not thereupon condemned, but vpon all their other former actions, committed both abroade, and in the realme, which were no lesse traiterous than the actions of all other the spyes and traitours, and of Iudas himselfe afore remembred, which had no armour nor weapon, and yet at all times ought to be adiudged traitours. For these disguised persons (called schollars, or priestes) hauing bene first conuersant of long time with the traitours beyonde the sea in all their conspiracies, came hither by stealth in time of warre and rebellion, by commaundement of the capitall enemie, the Pope, or his legates, to be secret espialles and explorers in the realme for the Pope, to deliver, by secret Romish tokens, as it were an earnest, or prest, to them that shoulde be in readines to ioyne with rebelles, or open cnemies, and in like sort, with their hallowed baggages from Rome, to poyson the sences of the subiectes, powring into their heartes malicious and pestilent opinions against her Maiestie and the lawes of the realme; and also to kindle and set on fire the heartes of discontented subiectes with the flames of rebellion, and to search and sound the depthes and secretes of all mens inwarde intentions, either against her Maiestie, or for her: and, finally, to bring into a beadroll, or, as it were, into a muster-roll, the names and powers, with the dwellings, of all those that shoulde be readie to rebelle, and to ayd the forrein inuasion, These kinds of seditious actions for the seruice of the Pope, and the traitours and rebelles abroade, haue made them traitours; not their bookes nor their beades, no not their cakes of waxe, which they call Agnus Dei, nor other their reliques, nor yet their opinions for the ceremonies or rites of the church of Rome; and therefore it is to be certainly concluded, that these did iustly deserue their capital punishments, as traitours, though they were not apprehended with open armour or weapon.

Nowe if this latter repetition, as it were, of all the former causes and reasons afore recited may not serue to stop the boisterous mouthes, and the pestiferous tongues, and venimous breathes of these, that are infected with so grosse errors, as to defende seditious subiectes, stirrers of rebellion against their naturall prince and countrey; then are they to be left, without any further argument, to the iudgement of the Almightie God, as persons that haue couered their eyes against the sunnes, light, stopped their eares against the sound of iustice, and oppressed their heartes against the force of reason; and, as the psalmist saith, They speake lyes, they are as venemous as the poison of a serpent, euen like the deafe adder that stoppeth his eares.'

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Wherefore, with christian charitie to conclude, If these rebels and traitours, and their fautors, woulde yet take some remorse and compassion of their naturall countrey, and woulde consider, how vaine their attempts haue bene so many yeres, and how many of their confederates are wasted by miseries and calamities, and how none of all their attempts, or plotts, haue prospered; and therefore would desist from their vnnatural practises abroade: and, if these seminaries, secret wanderers, and explorators in the darke woulde imploy their trauciles in the workes of light and doctrine, according to the vsage of their schooles, and content themselues with their profession and deuotion; and that the remnant of the wicked flocke of the seedemen of sedition would cease from their rebellious, false, and infamous railings and libellings, altogether contrary to christian charitie: there is no doubt, by Gods grace (her Maiestie being so much giuen to mercie, and deuoted to peace) but al colour and occasion of shedding the blood of any more of her naturall subiectes of this land, yea, all furder bodely punishments should vtterly cease. Against whose malices, if they should not desiste, Almighty God continue her Maiestie, with his spirit and power, long to reigne, and liue in his feare, and to be able to vanquish all Gods enemies, and especially her rebelles and traitours, both at home and abroade, and to maintaine and preserue al her naturall good louing subiectes, to the true seruice of the same Almightie God, according to his holy worde and will,

Many other thinges might be remembred for defence of other her Maiesties princely, honourable, and godly actions in sundrie other thinges, wherein also these and the like seditious railors haue of late time, without all shame, by fained and false libels, sought to discredit her Maiestie and her gouernement; but, at this time, these former causes and reasons, alleadged by way of aduertisements, onely for mayntenance of trueth, are sufficient to iustifie her Maiesties actions to the whole worlde.

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A DECLARATION*

OF THE

FAVOURABLE DEALING OF

HER MAIESTIES COMMISSIONERS,

APPOINTED FOR THE

EXAMINATION OF CERTAINE TRAITOURS,

And of Tortures vniustly reported to be done vpon them for matters of Religion.

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GOOD Reader, although her Maiesties most milde and gracious Gouernement bee sufficient to defende it selfe against those most slaunderous reportes of heathenish and vnnaturall Tyrannie, and cruell tortures, pretended to haue bene executed vpon certaine traitours, who lately suffred for their treason, and others; aswell spread abroad by Ruunagate Jesuites and Seminary men, in their seditious Bookes, Letters, and Libels, in forreine Countries and Princes Courtes, as also insinuated into the Heartes of some of our own Countrie Meu and her Maiesties Subiectes: Yet, for thy better satisfaction, I haue conferred with a very honest Gentleman, whom I know to haue good and sufficient meanes to deliuer the Trueth against such forgers of Lyes and shameles Slaunders in that behalfe, which he, and other, that do know, and haue affirmed the same, will at all times iustifie: And, for thy further Assurance and Satisfaction berein, he hath set downe, to the Vewe of all Men, these Notes following.

Του

OUCHING the racke and torments, vsed to such traitours, as pretended them selues to bee catholiques, vpon whom the same haue bene exercised, it is affirmed for trueth, and is offered, vpon due examination, so to be proued, to bee as followeth: First, That the formes of torture, in their seueritie, or rigour of execution, haue not bene such, and in such maner perfourmed, as the sclaunderers and seditious libellers haue sclaunderously and malitiously published; and that euen the principal offender, Campion him selfe, who was sent and came from Rome, and continued here in sundrie corners of the realme, hauing secretly wandered in the greatest part of the shieres of Englande in a disguised sort, to the intent to make speciall preparation of treasons; and to that ende, and for the furtherance of those his labors, sent ouer for more helpe and assistance, and cunningly and traiterously at Rome, before he came from thence,

See No. 44. in the Catalogue of the Harleian Pamphlets.

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