THE chefe part of your chere is, that ye are welcum all.

A woord with your fauours, I would say, & that is this. It is a maner after meat, no lesse auncient then commen­dable, to haue a grace to be sayd, ear water be gyuen: which, though it more aptly perchaūce appertein to sum of these Clerkes, that haue vouchsafed to be here with vs this day, then vnto me. Yet forasmuch as with my self I haue conceiued a farre further cause of thankes gi­uyng [Page] to God, then peraduen­ture sum of them haue, I wil with your pacience take the office vpon me. And say: that since it hath pleased Gods mightie mercy, to haue calld vnto his grace, our late Quene, a Ladie that of her owne inclinacion, wisht all for the best, and would (I be­leue) euen so haue wrought: wear it not that she had been so miserably seduced, and so pitiously abused, by certaine euill and moste vngodly per­sons of her spirituall coun­saill about her. Who first for­ced her to alter religion, then fecht in forrein powrs ouer vs, of the late kyng here, and that wicked vsurper y ^e Pope. After that, pluct away her [Page] lādes and reuenues, brought her into warres, lones, and subsidies: and ended at last with the lamentable losse of Callis. Suche was the thrift of their ghostly gouernemēt, suche was the proffites of those prelates aduises about her, these hath been the fru­tes of their Catholik coun­saill. That what was thear leaft of our vtter vndooyng, but onely to be ouer run by the Spaniard or Frenchmā? After whiche thei bothe ga­ped, and onely thus disapo­inted by God.

But since (as I said) that it hath pleased his almighty Maiestie, now thus to haue calld her to his mercie (as mooste humbly I beseche his [Page] highnesse he haue) whearby Quene Elizabeth our moste gracious Sooueraign is cū ­men to her iust enheritaunce and kyngdom, thus to reign ouer vs. I Prince (as ye wot all) of no mingled blood, of Spaniard or straunger, but borne mere Englishe here a­mongst vs, and therfore most naturall vnto vs. Of educa­ciō, brought vp and instruct in al vertuous qualitees and Godly learnynge, specially (that may be moste cumfort and ioy to vs all) in the sin­cere knowlege and folowing of Gods holly woord. Of na­turall inclinacion, so Godly disposed as without reuenge she paciently suffred so moch malice and wrōges. Of wise­dome [Page] so ware, as she maie shun the inconueniences and follies that her sister fell in. Of circumspection (we maie trust) so wise and politike, as she may straitly stay back, the daungerous rashnes, of those deuaunt currours that run before lawes, and seuear­ly kepe short the wicked kinde of libertines that passe for no lawe, but will make their be­lefe, and liue as thei list. Of mercie so gracious toward her commōs, as her highnes pitifully regardyng the daū ­gerous estate of bothe body & solle, that the Spiritualty of this Ream, hath of late brought thē in, may vouch­safe to set sum Godly and charitable order, for restraint [Page] and reformacion of their ex­treme outrages and abomi­nacions.

Whose Pride hath been soche as first amoong all de­grees of men, thei knue nei­ther make nor felow, but still striuyng for soueraintee haue with might and main, endeuoured to cast of all yoke of obedience to their Prince, contēding to kepe that estate vnder them, and to sweare them selues subiectes vnto a Bisshop. To contemne nobi­litee, and to be the onely soo­ueraignes them selues. The callyng in and settyng vp, of their patrone the Pope (con­trary to their naturall lige­aunce and former othes) The chekmate of his faithfull mi­nister, [Page] our coosin the Card­nall, and the importable ar­rogācie of all the residue be­side, what els hath it shewed?

Their Auarice so insacia­ble, as thei helde them not cō ­tent so farforth miserably to haue insensate & dudled their Prince (alas poore woman) as at one chop to make her gyue away a fifty thousand pound and better yerely, frō the enheritaūce of her croun vnto them, and many a thou­sande after, vnto those idell hipocrites biside: but euen at one self and same Parliamēt to cause her craue a subsidie, when she had doon. In the graūt whearof on their part, it is worthy to be noted, the pure honestie and great wise­dome [Page] of these men. That whear the Lordes and Com­mons, like good faithful and true meanyng subiectes, did freely and sinceerly, for good will to their Prince, and re­lief of the State, made their graunt therof vnto the kyng and Quene, her heires and successours: Our Clergie of a further forecast, could woork with a caution, and graunt it no further, then vnto the Kyng and Quene onely (like as vnder that tenour, was y ^e oother subsidie thei passed) Wise men I warrant you, lads of circumspection, and verè filii huius saeculi: Luke. xvi. That as Christ saith, ar alwaies more wise in their generaci­on, then the childrē of light. [Page] What good hart thei bare to­ward their Quenes succes­sour: though we wear not in their Conuocacion amoong them, yet by this and oother, we may gyue a good gesse.

And yet this great profu­sion of their Prince, did so smalli serue their hūgri guts as like storuen tikes, y ^t wear neuer contēt with more then inough, at all their collaci­ons, assembles, and sermons, neuer lind yellyng and yal­pyng, in pursuit of their pray: Restore, Restore. These deuout deacons, nothyng re­garded how sum for long ser­uice & trauail abrode, while thei sat at home. Sum for sheddyng his blud, in defence of his princes cause and cun­trey, [Page] while thei with safetie al careles in their cabains in luxe & leudnes, did saile in a sure porte. Sum sellyng his aunciēt patrimonie, for pur­chase of these landes, while thei must haue all by gift a gods name. Thei nothing re­gardyng I say, what iniurie to thousandes, what vndoin­ges to most mē, what daūger of vprore & tumult through out the hole reame, and what a weakenyng to the State, should therby arise: and then by that meanes, what a gap opened to the enemie, to run in as he list, and ruin vs all, (whiche thyng sum thynk thei little forced for, so thei might haue had their pur­pose) that wot not I in deed, [Page] but this wot I well: that w ^t none of these matters wear thei mooued a whit, but still held on their cry, Restore, Re­store. And that ye may be the surer, thei mēt nothing more then how to haue all, & that with al hast. After that their Pope, this sedicious Poule the fourth, that now is, had sent hither his Bulles and his thunderbolts, for that cause and oother, and yet lit­tle restored (bicause the world in deed would not so be faced out of their liuelod) Sundrie of our Prelates, like hardie champions of the Churche, stacke not a whit themselues, to thrust Lordes out of their landes, and picked quarels to their lawfull possessiōs. Well [Page] let nobilitee consider the case as thei list, but as sum think if Cleargie cum ones more to be the Masters again, thei will teach them a school point. But how trow ye in time, would these douty di­uines haue delt with poor men, that grue so presumtu­ous, and durst without law be so bold with their betters?

And (now to y ^e purpose a­fore) though by sum men it wear wisely told them. Why restoryng is made now, and ye can be content: for, from the temporaltie those posses­sions cam: & now, allthough not so cheaply as ye had thē, yet ar thei thither sum re­stored again. Tut, tut, that was none aunswere to them [Page] for thei call nothyng resto­red, but that is giuen them a gods name. And then (harde­ly) a good kinde of peple for the common welth haue we of them, that haue a capaci­tee thus stil to take of vs, and neuer to giue vs. Marie, as nedefull may we count them amoong vs, as amoōg gam­ners, is ten and fowr for a Christmas box, that in smal processe of play (if the banks be not the bigger) is like to rob all y ^e boord. It was tyme in deed for princes aforetyme to stay them with Statutes of Premunire & Mortmain which they yet now (takyng aduauntage vpon the tyme that serued them) like the po­pes true squiers, and for the [Page] liberty of his churche (as thei terme it) haue woon (I war­raunt you) to be set at large, and if it wool hold. Moche a­doo God wot, haue thei made for this restoryng, but if God send vs ones a world, whear­in we maie mete with them on an euen groūd, so as with pacience and indifferencie, it maie be quietly reasoned: whither by lawe politike & diuine, that tēporall possessi­ons, maie more aptly square with the estate of Princes, lordes and laifee, then with the office of bisshops and ab­bots and profession of Preest­hod: I beleue then it shall ea­sely be found, and fall out ful well: that as the Princes be­nignitee, maie vouchsafe thē [Page] sum tithes or pensions: e­uen so as for landes and tem­porall possessions, thei shall haue as mooch as thei may be born vnto, and as our Sa­uiour Christ appointed out for them, and as his holly A­ppostles had, whose succes­sours thei say thei be. And whē that day cums (as with Gods grace it may shortly ful wel) then shall we crie as fast for our Prince, as thei haue doon for themselues, vpon a better ground, & with a more equitee Restore Restore. Thei haue set vs a saūple, that we must not be silent, if occasion may serue. That if to say trueth, thei be not better sum oother way prouided for, so as thei may be curteisly vn­burdened [Page] of their great cares and study, whiche nedefully now thei take poor solles, a­bout keping of their courtes, lookyng to their fines, consi­dering of emprouments, har­kenyng to their best proffers, aduisyng vpon new leaces, scanning of old couenaunts, consultyng vpon sum sutes of proffit with the prince, ad­uise with their learned coun­saill for matters in lawe, ex­chaunges of their Lordships and landes for the better, cō ­moditees of fisshyngs, sales of Woods, prouision of hous­hold, storyng of pastures and shepegates, regard to their game in parkes, bildyng of Palaces, amplifiyng their sees & estates, maintenaunce [Page] of their Churches liberties, and sooch oother infinite of troobles biside, whearwith thei are now so continually combred alas: Let vs neuer trust after at their hādes, ei­ther more vertuous example of liuing, more contentacion with their more thā inough, more charitee to their euen christen, looue to their cun­tree, or els any firmer obedi­ence to their Prince. And as for sinceer Religiō: how may we euer look, for to haue gods woord truly taught vs of thē that by meanes of their pos­sessions, are so tied to the world? What a mockery is it, bothe to God and man, that vnder Popeholly professiō of wilfull poouerty, Penaunce [Page] or praier, thus to wallter & wallow in worldly welth, of a thre or four thousand poūd a yere? Under semblaunce of shepherds, with shepe hook of siluer, and surcote of ray­nes, to rule ouer all men, and to reign as Princes? Under name of humilitee, to liue in luxe and excesse, of wine and spices, and costly garments, and train of houshold, and all kinde of affluence biside, able to compare, or rather excede any Lorde in the land? That if thei would be in dede, as their would seem to be: Why leaue thei their charge? Why beare thei office of so greate gaine and fee, and leaue their cure vnserued? How thynke they that they may [Page] not be spared out of Princes Courtes? Why will thei be calld Lordes? Why haue thei sooch ample possessions? Why maintein thei a forrein Bis­shops powr aboou their own princes, and that in her own lād? why rob thei their prince and empouerish their cun­tree by sendyng that gold o­uer, for their first frutes and ootherwise to the Pope, that is due to their Prince? And why abide our Religious in bowres of sooch sumpt & eas­ment, and so ny to good tou­nes? Christ taught the young man, that perfection was in Vade, Mat. xix. vende, & da, and not in mane, acquire, accumula. why get thei not into desertes, or desolate places, as holly Ie­rom [Page] and Polle Hermit, & di­uers oother did? That if their deuocion to God warde, and contempt of the world, wear so feruent as thei make for.

Why tary thei at home? Why doo thei not Ire & praedicare, hye them to Hūgarie, and to­ward Turkey, or into the partes whear Christ is contem­ned, orels vnknowen? Dout to be cared for, thei should nede to haue none, since gods goodnes prouideth for y ^e bir­des of the ayr, Mat. xvi. that neither sowe nor reap: how mooch the rather will he prouide for them that doo his commaū ­dements, and trust in hym? Death or violence should thei not haue cause to drede, since (as thei well wot) no [Page] pour can hurt them, whoom Gods pour sheeldeth, no vio­lēce empair, y ^• Gods might de­fēdeth. That if in case for our Master Christ, & his holly doctrine, and for the confir­ming of them thei had woon thei should be drawen to it: Ioan. x. then like as a good shepherd giueth his solle for his She­pes sakes, Mat. x. and he that leeseth his life that way for a while, winneth his life an oother way for euer. Euē so (O lord) how sure is theirs all redy, the kingdom of heauen that suffer smart and persecucion for rightuousnesse sake? Mat. v. But (shall I tell you) thei ar wise men I warraunt you, they will tary at home & (if tyme serue them) call for more lād, [Page] thei haue a nerer way to hea­uen, with more eas and lesse pein, & that by many a mile.

Now, as touchyug their malice, that hath been so de­spiteful and cankerd, that bi­side their deuelish maligni­tee toward all good men, thei haue not spared opēly ī their sermons, co slaūder and raile at their own late naturall Princes: that noble king Hē ­ry, and that vertuous Kyng Edward: callyng them here­tikes, scismatikes, or what vile name els their rancour could deuise. Put them quite out of their beades biddyng and beadrolles (whither I ly, look in the bisshops Iniunci­ons) and not so ceasyng: haue hatefully procured, vtterly to [Page] be defaced the toomb of the tone, and could neuer afoord any cost to be doon on y ^• too­ther. To the entēt to make of thē, either no mētiō, but slaū ­derous: orels (if thei might) to haue put them both quite out of all memori. Nay, what may we say, if thear wear a­moong them (without hor­rour and trembling, alas can I skant reherse it) that could enter into meditacion & prac­tise, so farfoorth to haue pro­phaned the hurtles corpses of those sacred princes (Gods holly anointed, the Masters, the makers, and sooueraigns to them all) as to haue pluct them out of their toombes, to haue burnt their bones? O merciful god what impietee, [Page] what malice matchable w ^t these mens? What maligni­tee cōparable with these spi­tes of the spirituallty?

Their doctrine again, so fals, so wicked, so blasphe­mous against GOD and all goodnes, and thearwith so inconstāt, specially inducing errour and blindenes: as thei haue not stuck to enforce & procure vs, to a greater obe­dience vnto a forren Bisshop (whom ones yet thei them­selues exploded, preached, & sware out of doores) thāvnto their own naturall Sooue­raign: to that Archapostata the Pope (I meane) then to their liege Prince. Forbad vs our Bibles, and commaūded vs beades. Pluct away our [Page] praiers, and forced vs to talk to God in a straunge lāgage. Thei took gods book, his hol­ly testamēts out of churches, thei wiped out his woord, & stack vp images without caution of idolatrie. Cōdemned their Mariages, and taught that hoordoom amoong thē is more sufferable, thā sacred matrimonie. Which doctrine in deed, like feruēt followers of their own laws, thei haue stoutly expressed in their or­der of liuyng. And haue bisi­ly taught, diligētly preached, earnestly written, solemnly sworne, fully and hoolly at one tyme in those pointes: whiche within a little while after, as thei sawe oportuni­tee to serue thē. O mercifull [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] God, how soon forsook thei? Makyng no bones moste im­pudently, so open, so often, to cant, incant, outcant, discāt, and recant: And like moste vile curres, to turne to their vomit. To the vtter destruc­tion of bothe body and solle (in as moche as in thē lay) of many thousand of the poor Christen flock. Against their own teachyng, their sincere preachyng, their godly wri­tyng, their sacred othes: yea, and that is most execrable bothe before God and man, against allmightie God hym self, and his holly doctrine, and against their own cōsci­ences (if we may thynke thei haue any conscience at all). For as it seemes, thei haue [Page] shewed plain sign, that thei beleeue thear is none oother Godhed, but their kingdoom in this world, none oother life after, but only this here.

For maintenanuce yet of this their wicked, inconstant & recanted doctrine, O migh­ty GOD, what malice is it that thei haue not shewed? What mischefe haue thei left vn put in praictise? What kinde of cruelty vnattemp­ted? What tyranne vnexecu­ted? First, as soon as euer thei had felt, how easy the Prince was to be seduced by them, and to be brought to their lure: straight by & by, against lawe and cōscience, the poor maried ministers, thei put out of their benefices, cōpeld [Page] them to forsake cuntrie, wife and children, draue thē to di­stresse of vndooyng & begge­rie, & onely forsooth, bicause thei wear maried: which ne­uertheles, by the lawes of y ^e ream was then sufferable, and by themselues also assen­ted vnto: by the auncient po­pish lawes permitted, & with the lawes of God directly a­greyng (as out of saint Polle and oother Scripture, thei had often told vs in sermons themselues) thei yet persecu­ted them from place to place, orels to be reconciled a Gods name, & to recant: and con­fesse them selues knaues, & call their wiues hoores. Thā procured thei commissiōs for heresie, in which as thei had [Page] pluct in diuers of nobilitee amoōg them, for face of their dooynges: and as thear wear sundry biside, of wisedoom & woorship, that by pollicy had insinuat themselues, for mi­tigacion of matters, and for fence to their frendes: euen so a woonder was it to see sum oother again, of our great Iusticers & learned men (that would not sit out) how wic­kedly and willingly thei be­cam their rackers & tormen­tours, and what matters by the omnipotēcie of that com­mission, thei durst enterprise to deal withall, and w ^t what corrupcion & briberie, thei did execute thesame commis­siō. That surely it was com­monly thought (I am sory to [Page] say it) to haue crept into fa­uour, or if the bisshop had bid them: For their partes, they would little haue stuck to haue made Ione Moon a Martyr, and Iames Ellis a Saint. But (as thei said) for sooch a commission, thei wear a great deel meter, then thei that sat still. Then gat this our Clergie Proclamacions, vnder great paines for Boo­kes, whiche as thei wear of matter moste true & Godly, and of doctrine sincere (yea, and though of their oun ma­king) so wear thei sureliest re­membred, & soonest forbiddē. And bicause thei would be sure, Anno. v. Richardi. 2. ii. Henri. 4. ii. Henri. 5. yet none estate should es­kape them, thei renued those thre catholik statutes for he­resy, [Page] that thearby if nede be, thei might conuent all kinde of men before them alone as thei list. And in these mat­ters me thynkes I weare mooch to blame if I did not a little remember ye, of the ca­tholike seruice and pollecies prelantine of that blessed bis­shop stout Steuē of Winche­ster. Who, as his fatherhode cōsidred, how mooch it should be for his fame & honour at Room, though wear it neuer so mooch agaynst his Book De vera obedientia, & against his oth & his honesty at home to haue y ^• hole praise to bring in y ^• pope again. How mooch it shoold be for his glorie, though neuer so mooch vn­fittyng for his degree: to [Page] reign and rule ouer lords, & triumph like a tyraunt, how mooch for his proffit & pōpe (wherin bi his will he woold excede all mē) though nothīg at all for his pastorall profes­siō: to haue sooch abostdaūce of reuenewes, by landes & of­fice and oother fetches be­side. He brought the Queene to that poynt that after ap­poyntment of parliament the writ her letters to shriues for choise of good Catholiks, a Gods name: himself biside commendyng many, and in a maner by name, commaun­ding sum to serue for y ^• turne as he thought best. Whearby he still placed in y ^• hous right many: That if any biside, w ^t wisedoom & reuerēce had told [Page] his tale frākly, after the aun­cient liberty of the place, and haply detected the mischefs of the matters that this pre­lat preferred: then was he by and by sent for, and sought for, and fetcht vp in post: and sure to haue pict to hym, one quarel or oother, whearby he should be shopt vp for sun­burnyng: or ootherwise pu­nisht, that he and all oother might haue warnyng, what matters thei talkt in, & teach them from thensfoorth, how thei stick & be stiff, in pointes with the Prelacie. Had not this Postle mooch wrong of the peple in Kyng Henries dais trowe ye, that euer did count hym & call hym a pa­pist? Well, he is as one said, [Page] Mortuus & sepultus, descen­dit ad inferna. I will say the lesse of hym. God haue mercy of his solle, if he be in state to be praied for. But if it had pleased God, I would he had liued, to haue seen this sea­son: that ones more at Pol­les crosse to the peple, as a­fore that to Kyng Henry, he mought haue recāted again. His Catholicalitie, was so well skild in the feat, that I dout not, he would haue set sooch a sāple to the rest of our Prelats, as thei would neuer stick to follow a pace. And whear, for these letters, & stop of free speech, all con­trary to the lawes of the lād, he was authour w ^t his Soo­ueraign of those so fowl and [Page] vnlike sum examples, as euer Prince amoong vs here she­wed to her subiects, and in deed tendyng to mooch to­ward oppression & tyranny: Euen so biside many incon­ueniences, that els might thearby arise, this might she be sure to be one: that, The laws that ar forced, will ne­uer endure. But as for those laws that he procured, abide they or go they, he plaid his part kindly, to bring them to passe. And after al this, what ment they, what ment they may we gesse, by the forcyng of y ^• late statute of Armour? But only (as the wisest could deciphre) bicause hauyng co­lour to haue armour them­selues, vnder name of quā ­titee, [Page] thei might take to them as mooch as thei list. So y ^t if nede wear, when thei saw tyme, thei might strengthen their matters hereafter, as well w ^t Polles bloody sword as thei haue doon allready with Peters coūterfet key of theirs. That if their prouisiō may plainly appere, it shall well be seen (I dare warrant) thei ar furnisht at full: and haue a great dele more, then for men of the church, or like­ly by thē to be kept for a good purpose. Now then, their po­pely Iniunctiōs, their homly Homelies, who can not but with extreme woonder, be merueilously amased to con­sider, with what impudencie and tyrannie, thei thrust for­ward [Page] their abhominable im­pities: read them aduisedly, confer them with scriptures, and with sincere religiō, nay with their own former tea­chings: then shall ye see how shamfully thei haue discoue­red themselues, and bewraid their own wickednes. Bye them, bye those precious pā ­phlets I pray, thei ar woorth the moony, and it wear but to look on, and laugh at their foolish gloses, & detestable de­uises. Well, thus beginnyng with the ministers: as for oo­ther, sum thei threatned, sum thei cursed, sum thei put out of office & liuyng, to sum pro­cured thei y ^• Princes displea­sure, to sum, banishmēt, sum whipt thei their own hands, [Page] sum kept they in their cole­hous, sum cast thei into prison. And thear (O GOD) sum maimed thei with tor­ture, sum lamed thei with i­erns, sum famisht they with hūger, sum burnt thei in the hands with candell, sum pi­ned thei away w ^t ill kepyng: And from thens again, sum heaued thei to hangyng, sum trapt thei with treasons, so that none shaped free, that thei could catch in their clou­ches: if thei did but ones talk of that doctrine, that thei be­fore tyme had taught them, and woold not recant, and be as wicked as thei. And yet to, how vnmercifully, how cru­elly, how tyrānously delt thei with that good & vertuous [Page] prelat doctour Crāmer arch­bishop of Canterbery? Whō thei themselues vaūted they made to recant, & set it out solēnly in print, and yet soon after (see the charitee of their church) stack not a whit most tyrauntly, against their own lawes to burne hym. Wear it mete trow ye, that after re­pentaunce of their fautes, by their own examples, they shoold be so serued thēselues? Mary God defend ꝙ sir Tri­stram. And while I remem­bre me, this would not be for­gotten vnto you, the pure de­uocion, the sacred sanctimo­nie of our opely prelat: that moste vertuous, moste godly, and well learned mā (as their Iniunctions call hym) the [Page] lord Cardnalls grace, And ye looke in the sermō y ^t Cuthberte the Bisshop of Durham (that now is) made before kyng Hēry, a xix. yere ago, and after put it in print: for the Kynges supremacie, & against the popes vsur­paciō. Thear amoong oo­ther, calleth he this Card [...]al, Archtrai [...]our to his kyng and cū ­ [...]rey. Upon what sprite I knowe not. who al though he wear bisshop elect and sure of the See of Cāter­bury, a long while in bisshop Crāmers time of trooble, yet woold he by no meanes med­dle with the matter, vntill it must be a little more mended, with a too or three thousand pound a yere forsooth: yea, and then neither woold he of his catholik conscience, take the promocion vpon him: till he was sure his predecessour was burnt. And then woold he be preeste straight, and en­stalld out of hād. O precious preesthod, O pient prelate, O catholik Cardnall, most wor­thy to haue been a pope, that GOD saue his life, while he haue his deseruyng.

[Page]But now further: for any mā to talke of this their wic­kednes, to stand by Gods woord, to hold that doctrine that thei before so long tyme had taught vs and preached: this forfoorth was starke he­resy. For strait, quick, & seuear poonishment whearof: Lord God how thei laid about thē. Thei spared neither bisshop, preest, clerk, nor lay man, gē ­tleman nor vngētle, rich nor poor, learned nor vnlearned, gilty nor vngilty, wise nor foolish, good nor bad, man nor woman, boy nor girle. Still moste vnmercifully cō ­demnyng in earth, & dānyng to hell (as mooch as in them lay) bothe bodies & solles of those poor wretches, for the [Page] self same doctrine (I say) that thei before had openly ꝓfessed preached, sworne, & taught them. Mercifull GOD, was thear euer vncharitee, hate, vngodlines, malice, crueltie, or tyrānie, able to be cōpaard w ^t this of theirs? But as thei sawe that their market grew great, & had not help inough as thei woold, to cut y ^t thro­tes of the sely shepe, so fast as thei had procured them to be brought to their boochery: a nue deuise vpon an old groūd and a full charitable fetch (hardely) for dispatch of their woork had thei, and that was this. Thei procured the shri­ues, to sit present with them at the conuiction of those, whom thei had appointed a­fore [Page] to cōdemne for heretiks. That as the prelate had ones pronounced his sentence vpō them, the shriue was straight charged to see execucion of burnyng: and then mought he not tary for any warraūt of writ from the Prince (as good lawe and custome afore tyme had been) but straight to the fier with thē: and thus made thei a riddaūce of their slaughter a pace, & alledged it for lawe, that the Shriues beyng present at those con­demnacions, was warraunt and commaundement suffi­ciēt, without further processe to burne those persons, that thei had condemned. And though in deed sooch an olde law thear wear, ii. Henri. 4 [...] yet by them [Page] now, with sooch vncharitee and crueltee reuiued: it was thought amoong vs, a thing very hard & straūge, that our Prince might haue her peple by thē thus still made a way, and neuer to wot either whō when, or how.

And why, & why, I pray ye, all these their merueilous persecutions, cruelties, & ty­rānies? But onely (as I said) for the self same doctrine that thei afore had taught vs thē ­selues. For who taught vs to take the Pope, to be a wicked vsurper vpō vs? Who taught vs, that by scripture & Gods lawe, preesthod must be sub­iect vnto Princehod, and not Princes to Preests? Who taught vs, that it stāds moste [Page] with Gods lawe, the Prince to be Sooueraign of all, and supreme hed of the church of that land, whearof he is lord, and not of a forrein preest or potentate? Who taught vs, that the same Supremitee, stands not vpon the qualitee or kynde of the person, but v­pon the state of Princehod? Who taught vs, that it is no more repugnaunt to Gods law, vnder one hed we shoold haue seuerall Churches of England & Ireland, and yet bothe as membres to the v­niuersall, & true Catholik church of all christen, whear­of Christ is the hed: then it was that saint Ihon in his Apocalips Cap. primo. shoold write vnto the Churches of Ephesus [Page] and Smyrna, and to the rest of the seuen Churches in Asie? who taught vs that the Popes pour at the best, was no better then a Bisshops in his own dioces? Who taught vs that Thomas Becket was no saint but a deuell, no true subiect, but a false traitour, that did disobey, & contend with his Prince, and took part with the Pope. And yet that precious perle of prelacy that constaunt Constaunce, Marcus Antonius Cō ­stantius. Lorde with what pein did he bisy hymself, to saint hym a­gain? who (I pray ye) put in­to y ^e praiers of y ^e Primer: Frō the tyrannie of the bisshop of Room, and all his detestable enormitees, O Lorde deliuer vs? & whither y ^e actes of our [Page] blessed bisshops, y ^e Popes exe­curioners, haue been soch as we haue neded (if we mought) so to pray still: I report me to you. Who made it allwais one chefe part of their mat­ter in pulpits, still to shew vs of his intollerable arro­gancie and abuse of Princes, of his tyranny, war, quarel­ling, auarice, apostasie, simo­ny, sacrilege, hoordome, bug­gary, sodomie, malice, pride, poysonyngs, and all kindes of wickednes & abhominaci­ons biside, so continually ex­ercised by hym, & all his hole holly cōpany his Cardnalls & court? Who taught vs that his dispensacions, his par­dons & bulles, wear but false trumperie, wicked for hym [Page] to giue, & folly for vs to re­ceiue, and vtterly dānable for any to trust in? Who taught vs, that scripture neuer made neuer mencion of Purgato­ry after this life, or if thear wear any sooch peines: yet wear thei not redimable by the Popes pardons, by mon­kes masses, or preests peny­praiers? Who taught vs, y ^• it was metest for vs to haue y ^• lawe, that we all professed, and to haue diuine seruice in that langage, that we best knue? Who taught vs, that sacraments wear euer moste frutefully ministred in that toong, that the peple best vn­derstood? and specially those whearby we made any coo­uenaunt or promise to God, [Page] or receiued any cūfort of his mercy & goodnes: as Baptim Matrimonie, and the holly Communiō. Who taught vs to pluck images out of chur­ches for dout of idolatrie? Who taught vs to make our praiers, not to our Lady, or a­ny oother bisaints, but one­ly to GOD? whose mercy by promis was sooch as woold soonest here vs, and his pour by experience sooch as coold best help vs. Who taught vs, out of texts of Saint Polle, that preesthod & matrimony in one persō might very well stand with the laws of God? Who taught vs y ^t Scripture neuer mencioned, Kept at Room. [...] nor aunci­ent fathers (afore the Coun­saill of Laterane) euer knue [Page] this terme of transubstanci­acion, in the blessed Sacra­ment? Who preached vnto vs what parcialitee, what sa­crilege it was, in ministraciō of the holly Sacrament, to receiue it themselues in both kindes, and to defraude the laitee of the one halfe, oo­therwise then it was ordey­ned, Bibite ex hoc omnes. Mat. xxvi. Ioan. vi. and against our sauiour Christes Institucion? Who taught vs, that as it was a moste Christen cumfort vnto the woorthy receiuour: euen so was it neither to be kept in boxes for dout of corrupci­on, nor to be hangd vp for woorship, for aduoiding Ido­latrie? Who the deuell so mā ­gled & minst it amoong vs, as not content with the old doc­trine [Page] of our aunciēt fathers: that it was Gods body in foorm of bread: but must w ^t the mischefe, enter into fine siftyngs, questions, & quiddi­tees, of substaunce, nature, qualitee, quātitee, dimensiō, realitee, accidence, relacion, action, passion, and all the e­lenchs I wene of Logik bi­side? Who sent out their In­iunctions, & made their visi­tacions to be suer to see that their teachings might accor­dingly be coōd, as thei had bi­sily taught thē? Who taught vs all this, and ten tymes more then I haue layser to tell, or ye to here: and now cā recāt it euery whit? who I sai who, and who I pray ye? Ma­ry who but euē thei and thei [Page] of their cote. Our Bisshops, our suffragans, our doctours our deanes, our deacons, our parsons, our vicars, our cha­plens, our hedge preests & all, whearof many yet aliue both quick and queathyng. But if thei will now (as thei can e­uer full well) vnsay and for­swear ech for hymself, that thei wear none of thē: whear then a Gods name, becā they in all that hole season of scisme and wicked tyme? (as thei terme it) Whear hid thei their heds y ^• we hard not of thē, when thei shoold rathest haue shewed themselues, and haue vttred their learnyng? Whear was then their true, their auncient, their vniuer­sall & catholik doctrine? (as [Page] thei call it) Whear was their conscience, their conscience alas, to suffer so many Chri­sten solles to be mistaught, & led to the deuell (as thei say) and thei to stand by, and say neuer a woord? Whear was then their foritude of mynde and trooble for Christ, whear by we might haue knowne thei had been hizzē? How re­membred thei, or els past vpō the promise of Christ, that he woold acknowlege that par­son before his father in hea­uen, Math. [...] y ^t confesseth hym before men: like as he will vtterly deny him before his father in heauē, y ^t hath denied him here before men? whear was then that desire to truth, constan­cie of beleefe, and contemt of [Page] the world, that still thei now foūd, inthose poor simple sol­les, that daily alas thei slue? That sory I am, my tale is so true, not a whit amoōg them all. But when thei had thus liberally preached & taught a toside, & recanted a toother, and amased the poor peple, with this their moste perni­cious inconstancie, and con­fusion of doctrine: then soon after so to persecute thē, pri­son them, torment them, rak them, hak them, hang them, and burn them? O mercifull GOD, O heauen, O earth. Was thear euer vncharitee like to this of theirs? Euer slaughter so vnnaturall, for their own doctrine, to kill their own cuntree mē? Euer [Page] tyranny so cruell for the tea­chers, to slea their own disci­ples, for cūnyng of their own lessōs thei gaue thē? and send thē bothe body & solle, vtterly to the deuell (if their tale be now true) & giue thē no lea­sure, either to learne better of oother, nor take time with thē to teach them better thē selues? O terrible Godhed, how fear thei not flies, fleas, vermen, frogs, pestilence, plages, serpents, venoms, water, fire, tempests, swalloyng of earth, ruin of houses, falshod of frēdes, treason of seruaūts, wrath of the world, indigna­cion of Prince, torment of cō ­science, or els the dredfull fu­rour of the Lorde: whiche so iustly without his mere mer­cie, [Page] thei haue deserued, and is all wais in euery place impē ­daunt vpon them? How ar thei not mooued with y ^e hor­rible examples euen now of late dais, This, in a little laten book entitled the story of Fraū cis Spiera, 1548. appe­reth, and I ween is since turned & printed ī English of Fraūcis Spiera at Padua in Italy, and of Iames Hales of Kent: who bothe for renouncyng Gods holly doctrine, and agnitam ueritatem. moste lamentably languisshing in desperacion: the one by will & a wait to cut his own throte, thoother by drownyng himself, so wic­kedly ended their liues? How ar thei not troobled with the terrible cry of the solles (as Scripture tels them) of the peple thei haue slain for the woord of GOD, Apccal. vi. and for the witnes thei bare, whiche sol­les [Page] lye vnder the auter, & crie out vnto y ^e Lorde with loude voice for vengeaunce vpon them, and reuenge of their blood? How haue thei not been warned with these sun­dery vnlucky Comets, these vncouth signes in the ayr, these frequent monsters, and these straunge, terrible, and hurtfull tēpests? whearby as Gods displeasure might be apparaunt vnto all men, euē so his wrathe to be feared of them chefely, as chefely de­seruyng the same?

O how great cause haue we again to magnifie, extolle and hartely to acknowledge that diuine powr, Maiestie, and Godhed: that thei semed either to despise or to dout on. [Page] Whose wisedoom sooch, Gods wise­doom. as (seeming to thē sumwhat to slacken the reines of his rule, castyng bridell in their necks whearby thei might at their wills, take the bit in their teeth, & run the race thei best liked) can set vp a Prince, whoom thei might abuse as thei list. And thearby might plainly disclose their affectiō how little it was toward his diuine Maiestie, how mooch toward their own worldly e­state, their ambicion to reign and contencion for Sooue­raigntee, their indissoluble leag with the Papacie, their obedience to the Pope, their hipocriticall hartes and dis­semblyng with princes, their contēpt of Gods woord in re­spect [Page] of goods gettyng, their extreme vncharitee their cru­eltie & tyranny toward their euen Christen, all whiche a­fore tyme with countenaūce dissembled, and contentacion counterfet, thei coold kepe so coouert. Gods might His immesurable might again sooch, that (as we see) in a momēt, can ouer­turne all their foundacions and bildyngs, seeme thei ne­uer so depely cast, & so strong­ly reared: It cā call the migh­ty from the seat, Luke. i. and aduaūce thearvnto the meke: It can regard the humblenes of his handmaid, & cause her calld blessed frō age to age amoōg all naciōs. It can encline the hart of the Prince, to harken after his lawes, and euen in [Page] the same to goouerne his pe­ple. It can make the stiff nec­ked to boowe, be thei neuer so sturdy and stubborne.

And here w ^t his most benign mercy sooch, Gods mercy. as allthough for our moste vnwoorthy de­merites (for I sai not, y ^t we ar fautles) we haue been sum­what touched with daun­ger by one meanes and mis­chefe by anoother, of forrein goouernment: with extraor­dinary taxes, with war, with sicknes, with seductiō of doc­trine and tiranny: yet his be­nignitee neuer forgettyng y ^• tender affection he beareth, toward the flock of those his shepe, that gladly here his voyce: Luke. xi. and y ^• promis he made that if we aske it shalbe giuē [Page] vs, if we seke we shall finde, if we knock it shall be opened vnto vs. Math. xi. And will refresh all them that cum vnto hym & ar in pein & pressed with burden: and hath accordynly (as we see) thus graciously vouchsafed y ^e same his mercy vpō vs. Whiche since it hath pleased his Maiestie so be­nignly to shew vs: Let not vs then so soon forgettyng the same & our selues, be redy to reuenge, & be (as thei wear) celeres ad effundendum san­guinem. But rather (partly deterred by the daunger of pein, that for our vncharitee we may woorthily suffer and chefely prouoked with the example of hym, whose steps we shoold endeuour to fol­low) [Page] remembre his woordes spokē to vs all: that take our selues to be hizzen. Ioan. xiii. I GIVE ye a nue commaundement, that ye loue toogither, as I haue looued you, that ye also looue ech oother: herein shall all men vnderstand that ye ar my scholers, if ye haue looue & charitee ech toward oother: and again how saint Polle shews vs of hymself, i. Cor. xiii. that if he had knowledge of toongs, ye wear it of Aūgels, gift of Prophecie, Science of misteries, faith to remooue mountains: & yet lack chari­tee he is nothing at all. If he bestow all that euer he hath vpon the poor, yea, and yeld his body to the fier, and yet haue no charitee, it is vtter­ly [Page] no proffit vnto hym. And of the three diuine vertues, faith, hope and charitee, that charitee is chefest. That sins for their part, thei may be right sure (onles thei repent them & shew sign of amende­ment) thear is one that most mightely can, and moste cer­teinly will, pay them their hire to their vtter confusion. Euen so again on our part great impietee & presumpciō wear it for vs to meddle in his office that hath said Mi­hi uindictā & ego retribuam. Deu. xxxii. Roma. xi. And against all conscience & Christen charitee, to charge thē all w ^t the euils of moste. It is not vnknowen, thear wear sum amoōg thē that be­yng right hartely sory to see [Page] their lewd leaders vngodly demeanours, wear in dede rather violētly drawen, then either did redily cum, or wil­lingly follow. And sūdry fled frō them. Diuers again like poor ignoraunt lewdlyngs, (moste vnwityng in that thei shoold best haue been skilde) taught GOD wot as they thought, & followd their con­science: which thyng toward sooch, take I a great cause of commiseracion vpon them. And as for the residue (me thinks I see that now at earst consideryng with them sel­ues how through ouer mooch trust of their worldly wit, theihaue so vnhappily cōfoū ­ded y ^e boord, & disordered their game, by misgidyng the pau­nes, [Page] misusyng the knightes, misrulyng the rookes, and through the false draughts of the bisshops, ar like to re­ceiue chekmate of a Queen) thei kepe them at home, and sigh in their celles, to thinke vpon how mooch thei haue begilde themselues in the re­conyng, and lamēt alas how to late thei remember that, Bonū est sperare i dn̄o, Psal. cxvii. quàm sperare in pricipibus. Thei see that we see, their world will not last, and y ^t well may they whisper in corners for eas of their harts: but thei flok not in assembles, for consultaciō and counsaill. And those of them that haue cause to cum abrode, me thinks I sai I see, how thei leaue of their ro­chets [Page] or cloke them for rain, put their tippets in their purses, pluk their caps doun afore or hood thē with hats, and ar full sore ashamed alas and woofully bewail them, that euer the Deuill had so mooch poor vpon them. And being thus sorily beested, and in this case of care, let vs con­sider how little manhod it is to strike at thē, that ar doun allredy. Who cannot but ra­ther pitie then reuenge? And rather regard, that as at the best thei maie liue & amend, and as s. Polle was (through Gods grace) of cruell perse­cutours, becum Godly tea­chers: euē so at the woorst, be thei our neighbours, our bre­thren, our euē christen. Whō, [Page] if we regard our religion, & be as we shoold be, we ought no lesse to looue, then our oun selues, to wish their amen­dement & not to will their destruction. Let vs thearfore haue in mynde, not what de­des thei haue doon or what thei haue deserued, but what is our dutie and how we woold be delt with all our sel­ues. Euen like also as (if I had my desires) woold I har­tely wish the Quenes Maie­stie, to shew foorth & extend her Princely pitie vpō them and not to remember their e­uell deseruyngs but her no­ble dignitee, and how the ma­gnificence of a Prince is as wel in Parcere subiectis as in debellare superbos. Conside­ryng [Page] again: how easy, how slipper, how wretched, how wicked it is for man to erre & offende: and how harde, how magnific, how princely and diuine it is, to doo vertue & forgiue repētaunt offenders. How well it agreeth with her sex, for a vertuous virgin to be pitifull vpon her hum­ble subiectes. With her estate of a Queene to be mercifull. With her highnes profession of a Christen Prince & no pa­pist, to be charitable. That had neuer been their heinous offences, then shoold her ma­iesties mercie neuer had mat­ter, whearupō so Princely to woork. And suerly me thinks that as thear shall be found but few amoong them, but [Page] will be content to renounce their vnlaufull obediēce vn­to that forrein tyraunt the Pope▪ and can well assent in looue of their cuntree, to a­foord their first frutes & oo­ther proffits again, rather to the state of their natiue soyle here (out of which but of late thei wear taken) and to their naturall Sooueraign & liege Lady, then vnto Gods ene­my & ours the Pope. Euen so cōceiued I a great hope, that vpon cūfort of mercy, and for gettyng of their fauts, thei will redily returne to their moother holly Churche here amoongst vs again, cast vp their wicked Papisticall he­resies, & forsake that scisme and diuision frō vs, acknow­leging [Page] (as with true catholik cōsent afore tyme thei haue) one God, one faith, one obe­dience, and one supreme hed vnder Christ, of thesame his church here, the hed of vs all the Prince of this realm the Quenes Maiestie that now is, or her Uicegerent in that case (if it pleas her to make a­ny) her highnes shall finde I hope, thei will shewe them­selues, as redy to rēder to the estate of the Croune, as euer thei wear greedy to pluck frō it, or hūgry to haue. Yea, thei will preach I warraunt (if it pleas her to trust them) the pure & perfit doctrine again. And none of likelihod, cā bet­ter skill of the engins of the lock, then those that know [Page] whear thei wrinched y ^e war­des of y ^• key. And so may her Maiestie more reioyse vpon the cummyng home of one of those stray shepe, then vpon nienty and nyne, that neuer ran out of the flock. And pity wear it to lose y ^t thus might be saued, so that consideryng what vse may cum of them, ones more to try them me thinks wear not amisse: since in deed if thei preach well, thei may doo mooch good, if they preach ill thei must look to make aunswer. and surety is thear inough of them, for thei can not start, and I hard ones olde Roch Alderman of London say, that vpon good suerty, a man might trust a dog with a puddyng.

[Page]Now to conclude (for right loth wear I to make ye wery with sittyng) since it hath pleased Gods allmighty ma­iestie, thus mercifull to haue hilde his holly hand ouer vs, as to haue calld to his grace the late Quene. The wicked & vnhappy goouernment of those spiritualls vnder whō: begā (as afore is said) first to allter religion, then to bryng in a straunger Kyng, to fetch in the Pope, to make her a­base her Royall estate, to de­face her Princely title, to pluck away her patrimonie of the Croun, to take it to thē selues, to let her self lack it, to driue her thearby into euer­lastyng lones, taxes, & subsi­dies, to raise vp religions [Page] more perfit then Christes, to maintein with sooch wast so many idle hypocrites. And thei thēselues so to triumph, and tyrānize ouer the worlde by persecuciō of her subiects, and slaughter of innocents: and ended at last with forcing her to fall out w ^t her neigh­bours, to draw vs into war, to neglect her peces, to con­temne calling vpō, and (with vtter dishonour) to the losse of her lands. And that his mer­cifull goodnes again: hath vouchsafed thus to preserue vs frō the imminēt daunger of distresse of vs all, and so graciously to haue placed our Queen that now is in her Roiall seat ouer vs, by whō: for her naturall birth amoōg [Page] vs & affection vnto vs, for her diuine disposiciō, her ver­tuous educacion, her Godly wisedoom, her Princely Ma­iestie, her gracious circum­spection, affabilitee, iustice, & mercy. We haue good cause to conceiue an assured hope: that as her highnes stands greatly in the looue & fear and fauour of almighty god: euen so by her grace, shall we haue Gods woord & Religiō restored amoong vs, honou­rable mariage to her high­nesse best likyng, noble issue of her body for cumfort of vs all, expulsion of that poisond vicar the Deuels deputy the Pope, auauncement of her Roiall estate & Princely title of her predecessours again, [Page] resumpcion of the rights of her Croun from the Clergy for eas of her commons, cha­stisement or chasyng away of those idle hypocrites or els thei returne into the christen congregacion amoong vs a­gain, quenchyng of the Cler­gies execrable thirst of tyran­ny, reduction of them to the knowledge of thēselues and to a woorshipfull estate after Gods lawe moste meetest for them, amitee and peace with her neighbours and frendes, looue and obedience vnto her at home, a gracious regimēt ouer all estates, and a like­sum liuyng & a loouyng here amoong vs vnder her reign. Unto that most mighty & be­nign maiestie diuine therfore [Page] that hath so graciously, thus wrought his mercy vpon vs. Let vs most humbly & harte­ly offer and yelde all honour, glory, impery, thāks giuyng, that liueth & reigneth world without ende. And say with Dauid: Psal. cxvi. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes, laudate eum omnes populi. Quoniam cō ­firmata est super nos miseri­cordia eius: Et veritas domini manet in aeternum. Gloria PATRI & FILIO & SPIRITVI SANCTO. Sicut erat sprincipio et nunc & semper, & in saecula saeculorum. Amen. God saue the Church, the Quene, send vs peace, and haue mercy vpō all Christen solles. AMEN.

Masters, mooch good doo­it [Page] you. I haue been the bol­der to lengthen my processe, bicause me thought ye sat at eas, and wear cōtent to here me speake. I thanke you of your paciēce and ye ar ones again all hartely wellcum. How sirs giue water.

Et veritas Domini ma­net in aeternum.