COnside­ring that al mē maye playne­ly perceiue the greate hurte y ^t (of late daies) Sedicion hath done in thys realme, & that all wyse men maye esilye gather, what greater hurte is lyke to ensue, if it be not spedely sene vnto: it shalbe euery true Englyshmans duty forth wyth to employe his whole study to the re­mouynge so greate an euel oute of so noble a realme and commone wealth, leste haply (if throughe negligence it growe and take deper rote) it be shortly to stronge and more suerly grounded, thā that it maye be rooted oute, wythoute the vtter destruction of the whole realme. For what can be more true, then that whych the trueth it selfe hath spo­ken? Euery kyngdome (sayeth Christe) that [Page] is deuided in it selfe, Mathew. xii. shall be broughte to nought. Intendynge therefore to playe the parte of a true Englyshman, and to do all that in me shall ly to plucke thys stincking wede vp by the rote: I shal in thys good busines do as in their euell exercise the dise­playars (that gladlye woulde, but haue no­thynge to playe for) do. Holde the candle to them that haue wherewyth, and wyll sette lustily to it. And so doyng, I shal be no lesse worthy the name of a true herted English­man then the trumpettar is, worthy y ^e name of a man of war, thoughe he do not in dede fyght, but animate and encourage other.

Sedition therfore beinge a daungerous disease in the bodie of a commen wealth: muste be cured as the expert Phisicians do vse to cure the daungerous diseases in a na­turall bodie. And as the moste substanciall waye in curinge diseases, is by puttinge a­waye the causes wherof they grewe: so is it in the pullinge vp of Sedition. For if the cause be once taken awaye, then muste the effecte nedes faile. If the rote be cut of: the braunch must nedes die. The boughes can­not budde, if the tree, haue no sappe.

Geue eare therfore (o my countrey men) geue eare. And do not disdaine to heare the aduise of one of the leaste of poure brethren [Page] for the matter requireth euerie mans coun­sell, Daniel. xiii. and God reueiled vnto younge Dani­ell, that whiche the whole counsell of Ba­bilon perceiued not. Geue eare, I saye, and if I tell you trueth, be not ashamed to do y ^t I bid, thoughe ye knowe me to be at youre commaundement. Gene. xxi For Abraham was con­tented to do at the biddinge of Saraie his wife, because he knewe that hir biddinge was gods will. And y ^e Niniuites did at the biddinge of pore Ionas, Ionas. iii. sit in sackecloth & ashes, because they perceiued that he tolde them the trueth. Yea cruell Herode did not refuse to heare Iohn Baptiste, because the thinge whiche he told him was true. marcke vi. Leaste you therfore shulde be more loftie then the Babilonians, more shamefast then Abrahā, more stubborne then the Niniuites, & more cruell then Herod, geue eare and patientlye heare what I shal saye.

The causes of Sedition muste be roted oute. If I shuld demaunde of the pore man of the contrey what thinge he thinketh to be the cause of Sedition: I know his answere▪ He woulde tel me that the great fermares, the grasiers, the riche but hares, the men of lawe, the marchauntes, the gentlemen, the knightes, the lordes, and I can not tel who, Men that haue no name because they are [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] doares in al thinges that ani gaine hangeth vpon. Men without conscience. Men vtter­ly voide of goddes feare. Yea men that liue as thoughe there were no God at all. Men y ^t would haue all in their owne handes, men that would leaue nothyng for others, men that would be alone on the earth, men that be neuer satisfied, Cormerauntees, gredye gulles, yea men that would eate vp menne women & chyldren: are the causes of Sedi­tion. They take our houses ouer our head­des, they bye our growndes out of our han­des, they reyse our rentes, they leauie great (yea vnreasonable) fines, they enclose oure commens. No custome, no lawe or statute can kepe them from oppressyng vs, in such sorte, that we knowe not whyche waye to turne vs to lyue. Very nede therefore con­strayneth vs to stand vp agaynst them. In the countrey we can not tarye, but we must be theyr slaues and laboure tyll our hertes brast, and then they must haue al. And to go to the cities we haue no hope, for there we heare that these vnsaciable beastes haue all in theyr handes. Some haue purchased and some taken by leases, whole allyes, whole rentes, whole rowes, yea whole streats and lanes, so that the rentes be reysed, some double, some triple, and some four fould to that [Page] they were wythin these .xii. yeres last past. Yea ther is not so much as a gardē grownd fre from them. No remedye therfore, we must nedes fight it out, or else be brought to the lyke slauery that the french men are in. These Idle bealies wil deuour al y ^t we shal get by our sore labour in our youth, and whē we shal be old and impotent, thē shal we be driuen to begge and craue of them that wyl not geue vs so muche as the crowmes tha [...] fall from their tables: Such is the pytie w [...] se in them. Better it were therfore, for vs to dye lyke men, then after so great misery in youth to dye more miserably in age.

Alasse poore man, it pitieth me to se the myserable estate that thou arte in. Both for that thou arte so oppressed of them by whō thou shouldest be defended from oppressiō: and also for that thou knowest not thy du­tye in thys great misery. Thou art not so much oppressed on the one side, but thou art more destituted on the other syde. They y ^t should norish and defend thy body in thy labour do oppresse the: & they y ^t shuld fede thy soule & strengthen thy mind to beare al this paciētly, do leaue y ^e alone. If thy shepherde had bene a diligent watchman, & had espied the woulfe comyng vpon the, before y ^u hadst bene w ^tin his reach he wold, haue stepped betwene [Page] y ^e & thine enemi, & enstructed y ^e in such sort y ^t though he had come in nine shepe skin­nes, yet he shoulde not haue deceiued thy syghte. The deuell shoulde neuer haue per­swaded the y ^t thou myghtest reuenge thyne owne wronge. The false prophetes shoulde neuer haue caused the to beleue that thou shouldeste preuaile againste them with the swerde, vnder whose gouernaunce God hath apointed the to be. He would haue told the that to reuenge wronges, is in a subiect to take and vsurpe the office of a kinge and cōsequently the office of God. For the king is goddes minister to reuenge the wronges done vnto the innocent. As he that taketh in hande therefore, or presumeth to do anye of­fice vnder a kinge, not beinge lawfully cal­led vnto it, presumeth to do the office of a kinge: so he that taketh in hand to do the of­fice of a king, taketh goddes office in hand. We reade that oure sauioure Christ beinge in the estimation of the worlde but a priuate man, Luke .x [...]. wold not walke out of the boundes of that vocacion. But whē a certaine mā came vnto him & desired that he would cōmaund hys brother to deuide the enheritaūce wyth him: he axed who had appointed him to be iudge in suche matters. And againe when the woman takē in adultery was broughte vnto hym: he shoulde not geue sentence [Page] of the lawe againste her, but axed hir if any man had comdemned hir, and vpon hir de­niall let hir go. If these examples, Iohn. viii. with the terrible stories of Corah, Dathā, Abira and Absolom had ben diligently beatē into thine heade: Numeri. xvi thou wouldeste (no doubte) haue quieted thy selfe, ii. Reg. xviii and haue suffered thy selfe ra­ther to haue bene spoyled of al together yea and thy bodie toren in peces rather thē thou wouldest haue taken on the more then thou art called vnto. For no cause can be so great to make it lawful for the to do againste goddes ordinaunce: But thy shepeherde hathe bene negligent as (alas the while) all shepe­herdes be at this daie, and hath not enstruc­ted the aright. He espied not the wolf before he had woried the, or happlye he knewe him not frome a shepe. But it is moste like he was but an hirelinge, and cared for no more but to be fedde with the milcke & fatlinges and cladde with the woule, as the greateste numbre of thē that beare the name of shepe­herde in Englande be at this daie. Yea per­chaunce he had many flockes to kepe & therfore was absent from them al, leauing with euerye flocke a dogge that woulde rather worye a shepe then driue away the woulfe, wel, brother, these be greate plages, & it be­houeth the synnes to be greate that haue [Page] deserued these so great and intollerable pla­ges at goddes hande. Returne to thi consci­ence therfore, and se if thou haue not deser­ued all this and more to. Consider firste if thou haue loued thy neighboure as thy self, cōsider if thou haue done nothing vnto him that thou wouldeste not that he shoulde do vnto the. Loke if thou haue not gone about, to preuent him in any bargen that thou hast sene him about, loke if thou haue not crafte­ly vndermined him to get some thing out of his hand, or to deceiue him in some bargein. Loke if thou haue not laboured him oute of his house or ground. Se if thou haue not ac­cused him falsely or of malice, or else geuen false euidence againste him: Se if thou haue not geuen euell counsell to his wife or ser­uauntes which might turne him to displea­sure. Consider if thou haue not desired and wished in thine herte to haue his commodi­tie frō him, if thou mightest without blame of the worlde haue broughte it aboute. For God loketh vpō the herte and if thine herte haue bene infected with ani of these euilles then haste thou bene abominable in the sight of God, and haste deserued these plages at goddes hād. Now if y ^u befoūd abhominable in thy be hauoure towardes thy neighboure what shalt thou be founde trowest thou in [Page] thy demaners to god ward? God requireth thine whole hert, thyne whole mynd, and al the powers of thy body and soule. Thou shalt loue thy Lord God wyth all thy lyfe, wyth al thy mynd, and wyth al thy strēgth. That is to say, Math. xxii. ther shalbe nothynge in the whych thou shalt not apply wholly to the loue of thy Lord God. But how was it pos­sible for the to loue God (whom thou seest not) syth thou louest not thy Brother whom thou seest? God requireth the to loue him e­uer. And how often hast thou gone whole dayes togither, whole weakes, yea whole yeres, and neuer thought once to loue hym aryght? How many and how great benefi­tes hast thou receyued at goddes hand, and howe vnthanckful hast thou bene for them, thynckynge that thou haste gotten them by thyne owne laboure and not receyued them frely at goddes hand? As though God had not geuen the thy lyfe, thyne health, and thy strength to laboure. Yea and as thoughe it were not God only that geueth the increase of euerye mans labour. But knowynge by thyne owne creacion and bryngyng vp, and also by the yonge fruite that God sendeth y ^e of thy bodi, & further by the frutes y ^t God sēdeth and causeth yerely to growe out of y ^e earth, y ^t there is a god almyghty; yet y ^u hast [Page] not honoured him as God, romaynes .l. but hast turned the glorie of God into an Image made af­ter the shape or similitude of mortall man, renuinge and ridinge from place to place to seke and to honoure thinges of thine owne makeinge, crienge and callinge vpon them in thy nede and paying vnto thē thy vowes and thancking thē for thyne health receiued doinge them dayly worshipe and reuerence in the temples, and bestowinge thine almes vpon them in deckinge thē and setting ligh­tes before them. Biside this thou haste put confidence of saluacion in pardones that y ^u haste bought, in prayers that thou hast hie­red or mumbled vp thy selfe, in masses that thou hast caused to be saide, and in worckes that thou thy selfe haste fantasied, and haste not thanckefullye receyued the free mercye of God offered vnto the in Christ in whom onlye thou maiste haue remission of thy sin­nes: and therfore God hath geuen the vp in to a reprobate minde to do the thinge that is not beseminge. Rom. i. Euen to stande vp againste God and goddes ordinaunce, to refuse his holy word, to delite in lies and false fables, to credite false prophetes and to take weapē in hand against goddes chosen ministers, I saye his chosen ministers. For be they good or bad they are goddes chosen. If they be [Page] good: to defende the innocente▪ If they be e­uell: to plage the wicked. If thou wilt ther­fore that God shall deliuer the or thy chil­dren from the tirannie of them that oppresse the: lament thine olde sinnes, i. Esdras .i. and endeuour emendment of life. And then he that caused King Cirus to send the Iewes home to Ie­rusalem againe: shall also stire vp our yong king Edward to restore the to thy liberty a­gaine, and to geue straight charge that non shalbe so bolde as once to vexe or trouble the. Prouerb. xxi. For the herte of a kinge is in goddes hand, & as he turneth the riuers of water, so turneth he it. Besure therfore, that if thou kepe thy selfe in obedience and suffer al this oppression patiently, not geueing credite vnto false prophecies that tel the of victori but to the worde of God that telleth the thy du­tie: thou shalt at the time, and after the ma­ner that God hath alredie pointed, Ezech. xi. be deli­uered. Perchaunce God wyl take frō thine oppressours their hard stony hertes & geue them hertes of fleshe, for it is in hys pow­er so to do. Let him alone therfore. Reade the prophecie of Ieremie, and especially the seuen and twentie Chapter, Reade Iere­mie hys prophecie. the eighte and twentie and the nine and twenti, and there­in thou shalte learne thy duetie in captiui­tye, and howe vayne a thynge it is to cre­dite [Page] the prophetes that Prophecie vyc-torie to theym that haue by their synnes deser­ued to be led awaye captyue, yea and to re­maine captiue till suche time as the time be complete duringe whiche God hath deter­mined to punishe them. And know thou for certentie, that if thou be stil stouberne, God wil not leaue the so. He will bringe the on thy knees, he wyl make the stoupe. If the gē tlemen and rulars of thy countreie shoulde be to weake for the, he would bringe in stra­inge nations to subdue the (as the Babilonians did the Iewes) and leade the away captiue. So that refusing to serue in thine own countrie, thou shalte be made a slaue in a strainge contrei. Quiet thy selfe therfore, & striue not againste the streame. For thi sin­nes haue deserued this oppression, and God hath sent if the as a iust rewarde for thy sin­nes: & be y ^u neuer so loth, yet nedes sustaine it thou muste. Apointe thy selfe therfore to beare it. Let it not be layed vpon the in vain let it do the thing y ^t God hath sent it for, let it cause the to acknowledge thy sinne, repēt it and become altogether a new man. That in the day when God shall deliuer the, his name maie be glorified in the. And thē God shal sēd y ^e plentie of true prophets, y ^t shal go before y ^e in puriti of life, and godli doctrine. [Page] They shal not come or send .iiii. times in an yere and no more, neyther shal they set one togather vp the tenth of thyne encrease to their behoufe, and leaue the destitute of a diligente guyde (as thy shepherdes do nowe a dayes) but God hath promised by hys prophete to take a waye these shepeherdes from the, and to commyt the to the kepynge of Dauid hys fayethful seruaunte, that is to saye to such as wyll be as diligent in fea­dyng the, as Dauid was in gouernyng the people of whom he had gouernaūce. Geue eare therfore ye shephardes of thys church of Englande. Ye Byshoppes, ye Deanes, Archdiacons and Canons, ye Persons and ye Vicares what soeuer ye be, that receyue any parte of the tenth of mens yerelye en­crease or any other patrimony of preachers geue eare to y ^e prophet Ezechiel, for y ^e same Lord y ^t bad him speake vnto y ^e sheperdes of Iuda, byddeth hym speake vnto you nowe also. Thou sonne of manne sayth the Lord: prophecye agaynst the shepherdes of Eng­land, prophecy and say vnto those shepheardis: thus sayeth the Lord God. Wo be to the shepherdes of England, Ezech. xxxiiii. that haue fed them selues. What ought not those shep­herdes to haue fed those flockes of Eng­land. Ye eate the fatte, and decke youre sel­ues [Page] with the woule, & the mutton that is fat, ye kil to fede vpō, but these silli shepe ye fede not. The soroweful & pensiue ye haue not cō forted, the sicke ye haue not healed, y ^e broken ye haue not boūd vp, the stray shepe ye haue not brought againe nor sought for y ^e lost. But w ^t extreme crueltie ye haue plaied the lordes ouer them &c. I nede not to reherse more of this prophets saiyng vnto you, for ye know where to haue it and haue leysure inough to seke it, for ought that I se you busied withal onlesse it be with purchaisinge landes for youre heires & finde fingered ladies, whose womālike, behauiour and motherlike house­wifry ought to be a lighte to al womē that dwell aboute you, but is so fare otherwise that vnlesse ye leaue them landes to Ma­rye them wythall, no man wyll set a pinne by them whē you be gone. Wel loke to this geare be tyme, leaste perhappes it beede a scabbe emonge you. I woulde not your wi­ues shoulde be taken from you: but I wold you shoulde kepe them to the furtheraunce of goddes trueth wherof ye professe to be teacheares. Let youre wiues therefore put of theire fine frockes and frenche hoodes & furnishe them selues with al pointes of ho­nest housewifery, and so let thē be an helpe to youre studie and not a lette. S. Paul tea­cheth [Page] you not to make them ladies or gen­tlewomen. i. Timo. iii. Neither doeth he teache you to be so gredie vpon liueings, that for the liue­inge sake ye will take vpon you the dueties of twentie men and yet do not the duetie of one, no some of you be not able to do anye part of one dutie. If goddes worde do alow it that one of you shulde be a deane in one place, a canone in an other, a parsone here and a parsone there, a maister of an house in Oxforde or Cambridge and an officer in the kinges house, and yet to do none of the duities herof thorowly: thē set your pennes to the paper and satisfie vs bi goddes word and we wil also helpe you to oure power to satisfie the consciences of them that be offended at youre doinges herin. If you can not do so: then geue ouer youre pluralities and make your vnsaciable desires geue place to goddes trueth. Content your selfe without competent liueinge, and faile not to be dili­gente in doinge the duetie therof. But if ye wyll do neither of boeth: truste to it ye shall heare more of it. Youre checkinge of one or two in a corner can not stop euerye mānes mouth in a matter of trueth beynge so great an infamie to y ^e gospel of god which ye pro­fesse. And if ye wil nedes hold stil your plu­ralities for your lordlike liueing sake doubt [Page] ye not ye wyll be charged with that whiche ye woulde seme to be cleare of. For a great numbre of youre vnworthye curates haue bene the stirrars vp of the simple people in the late tumultes that haue bene, where as if you had not robbed thē of that which thei paye yearely to haue a learned and Godly teachar, they had bene better enstructed, as appeared by the quietnes that was emonge them that had such shepeherdes. Well bro­ther. Thou I saie that art thus oppressed on the one side and destituted on the other: take mine aduise with the. Submit thy self who­ly to the wyll of God. Do thy laboure tru­ly, cal vpon God continually. I meane not that thou shuldest be euer muttering on thy beads, or y ^t thou shouldest haue any beads, but my meaninge is, that thou shouldest e­uer haue thine harte lifted vp vnto God, for so meaneth Sainte Paul when he sayeth. I would men should pray alwayes and in all places, liftinge vp theire pure handes. &c.

And in all thy doinges let thy desire be that Goddes wil be fulfilled in the, and what so euer God sendeth the, holde the content w ^t ­al and render vnto him most hertie thāckes for that he dealeth so mercifully with the, acknowledginge that bi his iustice he might poure oute vpon the mo plages then euer [Page] were heard of. And when thou commeste to thy parishe church, if thy curate be an euell liue ar, Math. xxiii. then remember what Christe said vnto his disciples. When the scribes and pha­rises do set them downe vpon Moses seate, then do al that they commaunde you to do, but do not as they do, for they say & do not. Remember this I saie, and what so euer thi curate biddeth the do whē he sitteth on chri­stes seate, that is, when he readeth the bible vnto the: that do thou. But folowe not his examples. Do not as thou seest him do, but at thy firste entraunce into the church, lifte vp thine herte vnto god, and desire of hym that he wyll geue the his holye spirit to illu­mine and lighten the eies of thine herte that thou maist se and perceiue the true meaning of all the scriptures that thou shalte heare reade vnto the that dai. And so shalt thou be sure, that thoughe thy curate were a deuell and would not that any man shoulde be the better for that whiche he readeth: yet thou shalt be edified and learne as much as shal­be necessarye for thy saluacion. And for thy sake god shall make thy curate (that other­wise wold mumble in the mouth & drounde his wordes) to speake out plainly, or else he shall geue the such a gift that thou shalt vn­derstande him plainely. [...]. ii. Of suche power is [Page] God, for when the Apostles spake in the hebrue tonge onlye, al that were present heard euery man his own language. Doubt thou not therfore but if thou be desirous to learne thy duetie out of that thy curate readeth to the: God wil make it plaine vnto y ^e, though it be not plainlye reade. For he that coulde make the hebrue tonge (which sowndeth far otherwise thē other tonges do) sownd al maner of languages, to euerie man his owne language: can also make thine owne langu­age sownde plaine vnto the, though it were not spoken anye thinge plaine. Thus seeste thou that the cause of Sedition is not where thou laiest it, for I haue declared to the that thine owne sinne is the cause that thou arte Sedicious. For Sedition is poured vpō the to plage thy former sinne withall. Because thou knewest God bi his creatures and yet didest not honoure him as God, he hath ge­uen the ouer into a reprobate sence to do the thinge that is vnsemelye, euen to stande vp againste God and goddes ordinaunce, as I haue sayde before.

Nowe if I should demaūd of the gredie cormerauntes what thei thinke shuld be the cause of Seditiō: they would saie, the paisāt knaues be to welthy, prouēder pritheth thē. They knowe not thēselues, they knowe no obediēce, they regard no lawes, thei would [Page] haue no gentlemē, thei wold haue al mē like thēselues, they would haue al thinges com­mune. Thei would not haue vs maisters of that which is our owne. They wil appoint vs what rēt we shal take for our groundes We must not make the beste of oure owne. These are ioly felowes. Thei wil caste dou­ne our parches, & laie our pastures opē, thei wil haue the law in their own hādes. They wil play the kinges. They wyll compel the kinge to grafit theyr requestes. But as they like their fare at y ^e breake faste they had this laste somer, so let thē do againe. They haue ben metely well coled, and shalbe yet better coled if they quiet not thē selues. We wyll tech thē to know theyr betters. And because they wold haue al cōmone, we wil leaue thē nothing. And if they once stirre againe or do but once cluster togither, we wil hang thē at their own dores. Shal we suffer y ^e vila [...]nes to disproue our doynges? No, we wil be lordes of our own & vse it as we shal thinke good.

Oh good maisters, what shuld I cal you? you y ^t haue no name, you y ^t haue so many occupaciōs & trads y ^t ther is no on name mete for you. You vngētle gentlemē. You chur­les chikens I say. Geue me leue to make answere for the pore Ideotes ouer whom ye triumphe in this sorte. And this one thing I shal desire of you that ye report me not to [Page] be one that fauoureth their euel doinges (for I take God to witnes I hate doeth theyre euell doinges and youres also) but geue me leaue to tel you as frely of your faultes, as I haue alreadi told them of theires. And for asmuch as you be stronge and they weake, I shall desire you to beare with me though I be more ernest in rebuking your faultes, then I was in rebuking theirs.

True it is, the pore men (whō ye cal pai­saunte knaues) haue deserued more thē you can deuise to laie vpon them. And if euerye one of them were able and shoulde sustaine as much punishment as thei al were able to sustaine yet could thei not sustaine the pla­ges y ^t thei haue deserued. But yet if their of­fence wer laied in an equall balaunce with yours (as no doubt thei are in y ^e sight God) do [...]t not but you should sone be ashamed of yo [...]re parte. For what can you laye vnto their charge, but they haue had examples of the same in you? If you charge thē wyth disobedience: you were firste disobedient.

For without a law to beare you, yea contrarie to the law which forbiddeth al maner of oppression & extortiō, & that more is cōtrarie to conscience, the ground of al good lawes, ye enclosed frome the pore theire due com­mones, leauied greater fines thē heretofore [Page] haue bene leauied, put them frō the liberties (and in a maner enheritaunce) that they held vp custome, & reised theire rentes. Yea whē ther was a law ratified to the contrary, you ceased not to finde meanes either to compel your tenantes to consēt to your desire in en­closinge, or else ye found such maistership y ^t no man durste gaine saye your doinges for feare of displeasure. And what obediēce shewed you, when the kinges proclamations were sent forthe, and commissions directed for the laying open of your enclosures, and yet you lefte not of to enclose stil? Yea what obediēce was this which ye shewed at such time as the kinges moste honourable coun­sell perceiueinge the: grudginge that was emong the people, sent forth the second pro­clamation concerning your negligence or rather contempte in not laieinge open that which cōtrari to the good estatutes made in parliament you had enclosed? It appeareth by your doinges that there was in you nei­ther obedience to your prince and his laws, nor loue to your contrei. For if there had bē obedience in you: you wold forthwith haue put al his laws in executiō to the vttermost of youre power. And if you had loued your contrei, woulde you not haue preuented the great destructiō that chaūced bi the reasone [Page] of your vnsaciable desire: I am sure you be not rulars in your contrey, but ye can se be­fore what is likely to folowe vpon such op­pression, & especiallye in a realme that hath hertofore had a noble and a valiaunte enm­minalti. But graunt ye were so beastish: yet haue you not lacked thē that haue tolde you of it both by wordes and writtinges. You haue ben tolde of it I saye, and haue had the threatninges of God laied plainlye before your eies wherin you must nedes se the vē ­geaunce of God hanging ouer your heades for your lacke of mercy. Ther is not one storie of the Bible that serueth to declare how readi God is to take vengeaunce for the op­pression of his people: but the same hath ben declared vnto you to the vttermoste, beside the notable histories and cronicles of thys realme, wherin doeth most plainly appeare the iustice of god in the reuenging of his people, at such time as they haue kept thēselues in quiete obedience to their prince & rulers & their destruction when they haue rebelled.

Wittinglye and willinglye therfore ye haue boeth disobeied youre kinge and his lawes, and also broughte youre contrei into the miseri it is in, bi pulling vpō your self y ^e vengeaunce of god whiche of his iustice he can not holde backe from such people as do [Page] wyllinglye and wittynglye oppresse him in his membres, in such sorte as ye haue done. Howe you haue obeyed the lawes in ruke­inge together of fermes, purchaisinge and prollynge for benefices, robbing the people of good ministers therby, al the world seeth and all godly hertes lament. Loke the esta­tutes made in the time of our late souerayne of famouse memorye Henrie the .viii. & saye if ye maye by those estatutes (taken in theyr true meaninge) either beinge no priestes nor studentes in the vniuersities haue benifices, or other spirituall promotions (as you call theym for ye are ashamed to calle theym, ministracious because ye neyther wyll nor can minister) or beinge priestes haue plu­ralities of such ministrations. Well I wyl burden you no more wyth youre faultes, leaste perhappes you can not wel beare thē But thys I shall saye vnto you. You shall neuer the soner be gentlemen for your shout oppression, nor the later haue thynges in priuate for that ye let youre tenauntes lyue by you vpon theyre laboure. And thincke not to prospere the better in youre vnsatiable desyre for that you tryumphe so Lorde­lyke ouer the poore Captyfes, that beynge seduced by the vayne hope of vyctorye promysed theym in piuyshe Prophecies [Page] haue greatly offended God by rebellion: for the greater their offence is, the greater shall your plage be when it commeth. For you haue bene the only cause of theyr offence. If he therfore that is the occasion of one mans fallyng vnto any kynd of vyce, were better haue a mylstone tied aboute hys necke and be cast into the depe sea wythall: what shal­be thought of you that haue bene the occa­siō of so many mens fallyng into so detesta­ble synne and trespasse agaynste God, as to distrube y ^e whole estate of their contrei with the great perill and daunger of their anoin­ted Kyng in hys tender age, whose bloud (if he had perished) should haue bene required at your handes as the bloud of al them that haue perished shal? Oh merciful god, were it not that goddes mercy is more then your synnes can be: ther were no way but to des­peyre of forgeuenes. But god is not onely mightye in mercy & able to forgeue al y ^e sin­nes of the whole world: but he is also redye to forgeue al that returne frō theyr wycked wayes, and w ^t a constant faith & sure beleue to obtayne do call on hym for mercye. I ad­uertise you therfore, & in the name of Christ (whose name you beare) I require you, that w ^tout delaye ye returne to your hertes & ac­knowledge your greuous and manifold of­fences, [Page] cōmitted in your behauiour to war­des the poore members of Christ (youre bre­thren boeth by religion and nation) whome you haue so cruellye oppressed, wyshe euen from the bottome of your hertes, y ^t you had neuer done it. Be fully determined to make restituciō of that ye haue misse takē, though ye should leaue your selues nothynge. For better is a cleare consciēce in y ^e hour of deth in a beggars bosome, then mountaynes of gould w ^t a conscience y ^t is gilty, Wishe that you had contented your selues w ^t that state wherin your fathers left you, and striue not to set your children aboue the same, lest god take vengaunce on you boeth sodenly, when ye be most hastie to clime. And if for youre worthines god haue called you to offyce so that ye may wyth good conscience take vpō you y ^e state that ye he called vnto: then se you deale iustly in all poyntes, & folowe not fyl­thy lucre to make your children Lordes, but studye to furnish them w ^t al knowledge and godly maners, that they may worthily suc­cede you. Grudge not to se y ^e people growe in wealth vnder you, neither do you inuent waies to kepe thē bare: lest haply it chaunce vnto you as it did to Kinge Nabuchodono­zer and hys seruauntes when they diuised wayes to kepe the Hebrues in slauery stil, Exodi. i [...]

They rebelled not but quietly did theyr la­bour, referrynge theyr cause to God. They prepared not for warres neither had any cō fidence in theyr owne strength, but when the Egiptians thought to haue had a faire day at them: Exodi. xii. God drowned them al in the redde sea, and draue theyr deade bodies on land in such sorte that they whom they thoughte to kepe styll in slauerye myght easyly take the spoyle of them. Thincke not therfore, but if the people quiete thēselues in theyr oppres­sion and cal vnto God for deliueraunce: he wyll by one meane or other geue them the spoile of their oppressours. He is as mighty nowe as he was in those dayes and is now as able to flea boeth you and youres in one night, Exodi. xiiii. as he was to flea al the firste borne of the Egiptyans: And then who shal haue the spoile? Be warned betime, least ye repēte to late leaue of your gredie desire to pul away the liueynge from the cleargy, and seke dili­gentlye to set suche ministers in the churche as be able and wyl enstruct the people in al pointes of theyr dutie, that you with them and they with you may escape the wrath of God that hangeth presently ouer you both. Ionas. iii.The kinge & Citizens of Neniue were not ashamed to fitte in sackecloth and in ashes lamentynge their synnes and there vpon [Page] founde mercye. Wherefore if ye wyll [...]ynde mercye, ye muste not be ashamed to do the lyke, for certenlye the greatnes of your sinnes importeth as present distruc­tion to you as if ye were the same Niniuites y ^t Ionas was sēt vnto. Be not ashamed therfore to proclame a solemne fast thorowe out the whole realme, y ^t all at once w ^t one voyce we may crye vnto god for mercy. Leaue of your cōmunions in a corner, & come to y ^e opē temples y ^t men may se y ^t ye regard y ^e Lords institucion. Breake your bread to the pore, y ^t al men may se y ^t ye regard fastyng. For y ^t is the true fast, to refraine the meate & drinke y ^t accustomably we were wout to take & geue the same (or the value therof) to the nedy. So shal you both fele & know theyr disease, and ease it also. Trust not to your great nūber of valiant warriours, neither to your mightye prouisions, but remēber what befel to Ho­lofernes y ^e stout captaine of king Nobucho­ddnozer, when he woulde not harken to the right aduice of Achior hys vndercaptaine.

For certenly I say vnto you, Iudeth. v. god was neuer more redy to deliuer his people of Israel frō oppressiō at al times when they walkinge in his wayes committed their cause vnto him: then he is now redy to deliuer al christen mē that do wyth lyke confidence cal vpon him, [Page] If you therfore wyl not he arken vnto Achi­or his counsel, but determine to tormēt him when ye shal triumpth ouer the rest: doubte you not but Iudith shal cut of al your hedes on after another & god shal strike youre re­tinew w ^t such a feare, Iudeth. xiii. and .xv. y ^t none shalbe so bolde as once to tourne hys face. Yea if there were no men left on liue to put thē in feare, they should be feared wyth shadowes. And though ther were no gonnes to shote at thē, yet the stones of the strete shuld not cease to flye emonge them, by the mightye power of God, who wyl rather make of euery grasse in the field a man, then such as trust in hym should be ouerrun or kept in oppression. Be warned therfore, & seke not to kepe the commones of England in slauery. For that is y ^e next way to destroie your selues. For if thei cōmit theyr cause to God & quiet thē selues in their vocacion, beyng contented with op­pression, if goddes wyll be so: then shal ye be sure that God wyll fyghte for them, and so are ye ouer matched. But if they wyl nedes take in hand to reuenge theyr owne wronge God wyll fyght agaynst you boeth, so that you boeth consumynge one the other shall shortly be made a praye to thē that ye doubt least of al the world.

As you tender your owne wealth there­fore [Page] and the publique wealth of thys noble realme of Englande, which God hath enri­ched wyth so manye and so greate commo­dities, & as you desyre to vse and enioye the same, and not to be led away captiue into a straynge nacion, or else be cruelly murthe­red among your wyues, kinsfolke and chil­dren, and finallye to be damned for euer: so loke vpon these causes of Sedicion, and do your best endeuour to put them awaie. You that be oppressed, I say, refer youre cause to God. And you y ^t haue oppressed, lamēt your so doinge and do the office of your callinge, in defendinge the innocente and fedinge the nedye. Let not couetyse constraine you to robbe the people of that porcion which they paie to haue godly ministers to enstruct thē in their duetie, and to releue the vnweldy that be not able to labour for theire fode Be carefull and diligent to seke for suche mini­sters, and when you haue founde them let them haue al that the people paye yearely out of their encrease, that they may liue ther on and minister vnto the pore, out of y ^e same.

Thus doinge, ye shall not onelye escape the vengeance that hangeth presentlye ouer you but also be rewarded at goddes hande boeth with excedinge plenti of al good thinges in this life, & also with life euerlastinge [Page] when nature shal ende the same. Where as if ye wyl not take counsell but remayne styl in your wycked purpose▪ Pharao nor y ^e Sodomites were neuer so hardened as you shalbe, neyther is the remembraunce of theyr distruccion so terible to vs, as the distruccion of you shalbe to others that shall come af­ter. The spirite of GOD worcke in youre her­tes that ye beynge admonished of the sword that is commynge, maye by repentaunce of your syn escape the daun­ger therof.

☞ So be it ☜