[Page] THat ye be not deceaued, good Readers, for I sée it commonly mistaken, I thought it good to let you know, that y e Bull which is published in Print in Latine and Englishe, together with the forme of Absolution annexed vnto it, is not the same Bull that was set vp at the Byshops gate, as many suppose, but an other. For plaine explication of the truth, ye shall vnderstand that there be two Bulles. The one conteineth a power and forme to pardon, assoyle, and reconcile all such as would returne from the Christian Religion now taught in England, which they call veresie, and from obeying our Quéene & her lawes, which they sclaunderously call schisme, to the bosome of the Chirch of Rome which we may truely call Helles mouth.
The dispensation publishing and employing of this Bull was committed to Doctor Harding, and to many other seuerally, not onely to relieue those Popish Patriarkes with the gaine of that pardon, but specially to send out those Archepapistes with that Bull of reconcilement [Page] among the Quéenes [...]int subiectes English Papistes, as it were capitaines to strike vp their drommes to gather soldiers, offering them great wages that should fight vnder the Popes banner for [...] other [...] against our Quéene, that is, remission of their sinnes, as pure cleanenesse as when they were baptised, restitution to the communion of the faithful, absolution from all sentences, and from all paynes of Purgatory, and the enioying of life and kingdome euerlasting.
With these Bulles and this proclaiming of wages, they haue bene gathering of rebelles euer since the yeare 1567. and haue withall geuē to very many of them prest money to be ready in rebellions, that is, certaine papers and badges of sundry formes, some with a figure of Christ crucified, some with fiue woundes, and some other.
Since which time, namely in the ende of Februarie 1569. when the late rebellion was redy layed and in hatching, the Popes holinesse hath decréed an other Bull, no dout at the speciall sute, procurement, instance, and importunate calling on of our Englishe traitors, and among [Page] other D. Harding and the rest that procured the other Bulles.
In this is conteined an arrogant, tyrannicall, and blasphemous taking to himselfe the power, as committed to him from God, to destroy, transpose, and alter kingdomes at his pleasure, a number of vile and horrible sclanders and vncomely naminges of our Quéene, such as a good subiect can hardly heare with patience, the very effect of a great part of the late rebelles proclamatiō as it were translated, & finally his lewd presumptuous sentence of her maiesties depriuatiō, in so spitefull, abhomiable, villanous, and traitorous forme as is not to be rehersed. This is the Bull that was set vp at the Bishops gate.
It seemeth by all probabilitie, and no dout vpon examinations it wil so fall out, that the originall of this Bull sealed was among our rebelles, and as it is thought) brought them by Markenfeld or some such other, or deliuered them vpon their conference with strangers, and kept close amōg them ready to be published, so sone as they should haue bene able to get into their cōpany such a hed as they desired to set vp after our Quéene, or such strength [Page] as that they durst auow it. God so preuented them that they neuer came so [...].
In hope of the successe of this Bull, a Pl. &c. number of Papistes, that sometime [...] communicate with vs, or at least came ordinarily to our publike prayers, haue of late forborne, and by this note shall ye know many of them.
In hope of the successe of this Bull, were (as it is reported) letanies and praers in Rome for the good spéede of our rebelles.
In furtherance of the successe of thys Bull, was the spreading of false newes in Spaine, of a great battell in Ireland betwene Papistes and Christians, wherein an Angel with a Chalice in his hand was reported to haue discomfited many thousandes of our Quéenes subiectes, for which there were in Spayne publike gratulations, ringing of belles, and triumphings, adorned with y e greatest prosences there, or rather (as may well be suspected) prayers for our rebelles successe, according to the good meaning of the holy league or the conspiracie of Trent.
In hope of the successe of this Bull our Lo [...]anistes haue stayed their hand [...] [Page] from writing, & stand in suspence (better [...]were they did hang in suspence) and expectation what will become of these mischieues whereof them selues haue bene tne Proctors.
In hope of the successe of this Bull, a number of Papists haue fled of late, and Co. &c. some of them with promising or rather threatening by letters a recompensing of their returne of such kindnesses as are shewed to their friendes in their absence, haue vttered their courage.
This is the Bull that maketh so many Papists stād yet so stiffly in not acknowledging her maiesties iust authoritie. And whatsoeuer they pretend for ecclesiastical causes, y e very truth is to be thought that [...] the decrée and publication of this Bull, the most part of thē estéeme not the Quéene lawfull Quéene of this realme, [...] the Pope hath decréed the contrarie, who they thinke can not erre. And [...] dout if an othe were ministred in thys [...]rme that they should acknowledge her maiestie lawfull Quéene of this realme, notwithstanding any sentence that the Pope hath geuen or can geue, and that if he haue or shall presume to geue any such [Page] sentence they estéeme it erro [...]ious [...] pres [...]mpt [...]us, & will to their power [...], & [...] that shal [...] te [...]pt to put any such sentence in execu [...] on or affirme it lawful: surely they [...] likewise refuse such oth, vnlesse they wold affirme the Pope to erre s [...]fully, [...] cially, presumptuously, seditiously, trait [...] rously, and in vilest [...], which they would neuer sincerely confesse: but in answering the interrogatories ministred in the booke of war [...]ing they would shewe themselues as euill su [...]iectes in very [...] as they haue by some proced [...]g, an [...] specially by setting vp of this Bull, she [...] the same warning to be true and re [...] nable.
Because they neuer came in the rebellio [...] time to possession and habilitie [...] vp the [...] whom they meant [...] in [...] of the [...], they had not y e person whom [...] nor the power to [...] it, neither by [...] ioyning, not by [...] it seemeth they did [...] the proclaiming of this great Bull, [...] haue [...] in the [...] some hope left that [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] traitorously [...] throw this estate, neither is any of them so [...]adde to thinke it a good excuse for himself, if he should be arrained for traitorous s [...]ting vp of such a Bul or paper, to say [...] other intent to bring Papist [...]s the [...] enemies in hatred. And so may we well be bold to say, that there is not a Protestant in England of sufficient [...] and habilitie to forge such a Bull, that would be content himselfe to be hanged drawen and quartered to spite a papist, or that doth thinke he should spite a papist [...] him selfe so great a danger.
But the thing being so traitorous and perilous, euen in a Protestāt so intending as these pretend, I would faine learne, or rather haue it remembred of them to whom it apper [...]yneth, of what [...] it I do not [...] leauing it vndisclosed when they know it, but of [...] what they can by [...] that other should not finde it or by disswasion [...] an other way. Such are not like to [...] felonies, treason [...] and offēders that they know, but they are [Page] like vnto those that when a felon or traitor is pursued, do helpe to hide hym, and conuey him into bie corners, and for the felons or traytors easier escape doe tell them that pursue hym that he is gone a contrarie way or geue them contrarie markes to kéepe them from knowing and attachyng him, or point them to a wrong persone while the very théefe or traitor may make shift for him selfe, yea and lend him some of their own clothes to disguise hym.
The thyng is to euident, and thereby the truth of such hiders is the more suspicious. There are intelligences enow that the effect of the thyng it selfe was more than a yeare agoe decréed in Rome. The ordinarie procéeding of the pope in like cases, and specially the folowyng of the holy league induceth it. The print is not vnknowen. The very paper, after it was taken downe, fallyng it selfe into the former cre [...]es & fuldes and sise of the packet wherein it came ouer, with a number of other playne euidences, disclose the thyng, and whence it came. Besides the very thyng is such that he may well be sayd to lacke iudgement that discerneth it not to [Page] be [...]very Bull. Be not therefore [...] [...] good subiectes: and ye deceiuers, beware ye deceiue not your selues.
Thus it is euident that such perswaders lacke either wit or truth, but I start [...]e they are so vayne glorious, and stand so much vpon vndeserued reputation, that they can be better content to be traytors than to be taken for fooles.
But let vs cal to minde, & gather some [...]ute of the olde tale of Cassandra kyng Pryames daughter of Troy. She hauyng the gift of prophetie by Apollo, alway to geue true warnings, had yet this punishment annered, that though she prophecied truely she should neuer be beleued. So happened it that when suttle Sinon had perswaded the Troianes vnder false pretense of Religion, and specially a dissemblyng shew of dedicatiō to Pallas goddesse of wisedome, that is, vnder colour of wisedome and policie, to breake downe theyr walles to receiue the horse that the Grecians had framed and stuffed full of chosen soldi [...]rs, Cassandra gaue warnyng what treason the horses wombe conteined. But by the ordinarie and fatall discredit that was layed vpon her, & for that (as Poete [...] [Page] say) the fates and destinies of Troyes destruction were not remoueable, she was not beleued, the walles were broken [...]wne, the horse deuotely receyued, and though the armour within gaue sound and noyse, yet was he vnsearched, in the night Sinon opened the wyndow, the armed men issued out, the Citie was fired and destroyed, and all (as the Poetes tell) by conduct of Pallas gooddesse of wisedome and policie.
I will not at this tyme prosecute the tale of Laocoon, hys office of Priesthoode, his speare, the Serpent from sea, his children, nor the rest, wherof euery poynt and euery particle hath hys apt resemblance for our benefite.
Onely this I will say, that it may be that for our sinnes we haue Cassandraes plague, though truth be tolde vs, it is possiblie not beleued. The Grecians then framed a horse. The Papistes haue now framed a Bull. Their horse was stuffed ful of soldiers lurking redy to be let out to set Tro [...]e on fire. This Bull is stuffed with traiterous practises to destroy this realme. Sinon perswaded them to receiue the Tro [...]an horse without violatyng or [Page] searchyng it. Our Sinons & lewd qual [...] ers would haue the Bul estemed an other thing, and take from vs the desire to haue his belly searched. Their horse with remouyng shooke, and they might heare the very sound of the armour within hym. In this Bull the euidences are plaine of open treason, and the very effect of our rebelles proclamation tran [...]lated soundeth within it, and semeth as it were out of the very Bulles belly to roare and tell vs that all they were priuy to it that were by any appendance or deuise of coniunction or alliance knit to the late rebellion: as also hard it is to excuse Aeneas and Antenor great Lordes of Pryames house for knowyng to much of the Grecians counsell. Cassandra cryeth out agaynst the horse, the fates will not let her bee beleued, Sinon opened the window, the horse vnladed his treasons. Lay this to our case, I will compare no more.
The Lord be mercyfull vnto vs and preserue our Prince, and contrey, which without our Prince can not in all likelihode bée preserued. God kéepe her noblé Coūsellers, and geue grace to all her subiectes to sticke fast and faythfully to her, [Page] and graunt to her Maiestie to continue to [...]icke fast to true subiectes, and principally that we all by repentance wipe away the sinnes that are the impediment why Christian Cassandraes, the Preachers of Gods truth, & good admonitions, are not beleued and folowed to our preseruation.