ANSWER MADE BY THE KINGS HIGHNESS TO the Petitions of the rebels in Yorkshire.  
❧  
ANNO. M.D.XXXVI.    

first AS TOUCHING the maintenance of the faith, the terms be so general, that it would be very hard to make certain answer to the same, but if they mean the faith of Christ, to the which all christian men be only bound, We declare and protest ourself to be that prince, that doth intend and hath always minded to live and die in the maintenance defence and observation of the purity of the same, And that no man can or dare set his foot by us in proving of the contrary. We marvel therefore moche, that ignorant people will go about to take upon them, to instruct and teach us, which have been noted something learned, What the faith should be, and also that they being ignorant people, be so presumptuous (seeing that we and our hole clergy in convocation have in articles declared it) to take upon them to correct us all therein: or that they would be so ingrate and unnatural towards us, their most rightful king and sovereign lord, without any our desert, upon false reports or surmises, to suspect us of the same, and give rather credence to forged light tales, than to the very truth by us these xxviii years used, and by our deeds approved.  
¶ TO THE second, which toucheth the maintenance of the church & the liberties of the same, we say, It is so general a proposition, that without distinctions no man can well answer it. For first the church, which they mean, must be known. second whither those things, which they call liberties, and say they would maintain, be things lawful and beneficial to the prince and common wealth, or otherwise. And these known, we doubt not, but they shall be answered according to God's laws equity and justice. Nevertheless for all their generalite this we dare affirm, that meaning what church they list, we have done nothing, that may not be abiden by, both by God's laws and man's laws: or that is prejudicial to the common wealth, if our proceedings may be indifferently weighed and considered. And in our own church of England, whereof we be the supreme heed in earth, we have done nothing so onerous and chargeable to them, as many of our predecessors have done upon moche less grounds. For did not king Edward the third, of most noble memory our progenitor, suppress all the monasteries of one hole religion, that were within this realm, and converted them holly to his own use, saving a certain of the same, that he gave to his noble men and gentle men, as we have at this time like wise done? Did not king Henry the .v. suppress above one hundredth monasteries, taking the great benefit of the same to his own proper use and behoof? And what act did he again within this realm, that could be noted to the profit of the common weal of the same, unless it were the erection of Zion, and the house of the Charterhouse at Shene? did not king Henry the vi semblably suppress a good number of monasteries for the making of a college in Cambridge, and yet nevertheless but a very few of them were converted to the use thereof? Did not our Grandam in like manner, for the edifying of two colleges in our university of Cambridge, procure the suppression of a great many houses of religion? Did not bishop Alcock, being noted a good man, procure the suppression of certain monasteries for the building of an other college within the same uninersitie? Did not the cardinal of york lately for the erection of a college in Oxford, compass the suppnssion of thirty monasteries? How many bishops besides, as of Canturbury, Wynchester, Rochester, Lyncolne, & others, have procured the putting down of abbeys, for the building and endowementes of divers Colleges, which sundry of them have made within divers universities, and also for sundry other purposes and foundations? Wherefore sithence this article perteynith nothing to any of our commons, nor that they bear any thing therein, we can not but reckon a great unkindness and unnaturalness in them, which had leaver a churl or twain should enjoy those profits of their monasteries, for the supportation and maintenance of abominable life, than that we their prince should receive the same, to wards our extreme charges done and daily sustained for their defence against foreign enemies.  
¶ The third article toucheth three things. The first is the laws: The second is the common wealth: The third the directors of the laws under us. touching the laws, as it becometh not blind men to judge any colours, ne to take upon them to be judges in the same, so we dare expressly and boldly affirm, as a thing that may be easily and duly proved, that there was never in any one of our predecessors days, so many wholesome commodious and beneficial acts made for the common wealth, as have been made in our time, and sithence some of them had credit and doing in our affairs, that would now perchance fain pick them thank without desert: for our lord forbid, that both we and our counsel should have lost so moche time, as not to know better now, than we did in the beginning of our reign, what were a common wealth, and what were against the good and commodity of the same, seeing we have been a king these xxviii years, and by experience learned the perfytenes thereof. and all though the folly and unkindness of some will not percase so knowledge it: yet we trust and doubt not, but the most part of our loving subjects, specially those which be not seduced by false reports, do both think it, accept it, and find it so.  
¶ Now touching the common wealth, what king hath kept his subiectis so long in wealth & peace, so long without taking or doing wrong one to an other, so indifferently ministered justice to all estates both high and low, so defended them from all outward enemies, so fortified the frontiers of his realm, to his no little and in manner inestimable charges, and all for their wealths and sureties? What king hath given among his subjects more general or free pardons? What king hath been loather to punish his subiectis, or showed more mercy amongs them? These things being so true, as no true man can deny them, It is an unnatural & an unkind demeanour of you our subiectis, to believe or deny the contrary of it, by whose report so ever it should be set forth against us.  
¶ And touching the beginning of our reign, where it is said, that so many noble men were counsellors, we do not forget, who were then of our counsel. For of the temporalty, there were but two worthy to be called noble, the one the treasurer of England, the other the high Steward of our household, others, as the lord Marney and Darcy, but mean borne gentlemen, ne yet of any great lands, till they were promoted by the king our father of most noble memory, & by us, and so made knights & lords. The rest were lawyers & priests, saving the two bishops of Canturbury and Wynchesire. If these than be the great number of noble men, that is spoken of, & that our subjects seemed at that time to be contented withal, why then be they not now much better contented with us, which have so many nobles in deed, both of birth and condition, of our counsel. For first of the temporalty, in our privy counsel, we have the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of Suffolk, the Marquis of Excester, the lord Steward, when he is present, the Earl of Oxford, The Earl of Sussex, the lord Sands, our Chamberlain, the lord admiral, treasurer of our house, sir wyllyam Poulet controller of our house, sir William Kyngston our vicechamberlayne, And of the spirituality, the bishops of Canturbury, Wynchester, Hereford, and Chichester. And for because it is more than necessary, to have some of our privy counsel learned in our laws, and acquainted with the policies & practices of the world, we, by th'advise of our hole counsel before named, did elect and choose into our privy counsel, and also into their rooms, sire Thomas Audeley knight, our Chancellor, and the lord Crumwel, keeper of our privy seal, thinking them men in all our opinions most meet for the same rooms. And we with our hole counsel think it right strange, that you, which be but ignorant and unexpert folks, should take upon you to appoint and limit to us, who be meet to be of our counsel, and who be not. Mark therefore now, how these seditious persons, which so wrongfully have borne you thus in hand, have falsely abused you, that reckon, there were then more noble men of our privy counsel, then be now. But yet though of our great clemency & princely goodness, we declare now the truth, to pull you our subjects from that error and blindness you be trained and brought into, by false and untrue surmises, and reports: we would again, that every of you know, that it appertaineth not to any subject, to presume to take upon him, to appoint his king and sovereign lords counsel, ne for our part we will take any such thing at any of our subjects hands. Wherefore we would, that from henceforth, they should better remember the duties of good subiectis towards their natural liege lord, and medal not with these and such like things, as they have nothing to do withal.  
¶ To the four article, where the commons do name certain of our counsel to be subverters both of God's law and the laws of the realm, we do take and repute them, as just and true executors both of God's laws and of ours, as far as their commissions under us do extend. And if any of our subjects can duly prove the contrary, we shall proceed against them, and all other offenders therein, according to justice, as to our estate and dignity royal doth appertain. And in case it be but a false and an untrue report, as we verily think it is, than it were as meet, and standeth as well with justice, that they should have the self same punishment, which wrongfully have objected this to them, that they should have had, if they had deserved it. And one thing amongs others causeth us to think, that this slander should be untrue, because it proceedeth from that place, which is both far distant from that, where they inhabit, and also from those people, which never hard them preach, nor yet knoweth any part of their conversation. Wherefore we exhort you all our commons of those parties, to be no more so light of credit in the believing of evil things, spoken of us your natural prince and sovereign lord, nor of any of our counsellors or prelate's, but to think, that your king, having so long reigned over you, hath as good discretion, to elect and choose his counsellors, by th'advise of his counsel before named, as those what soever they be, that have put this into your heads, and much better then you, being but ignorant people, and out of all experience of princes affairs, can have. And as unto the last article, and also unto the matter of the hole dyscours of your petitions, we verily think, that the rest of all our hole commons, of many countries, to whom you be in manner but an handful, will greatly disdain, and not bear it, that you take upon you, to set order to us and them, and specially to us being sovereign lord to you both: and that you being rebels, would make them as bearers and partakers of your mischief, willing them to take pardon for insurrections, which verily we think and doubt not, they never minded, but like true subjects, to the contrary have both with heart and deed been ready at our call, to defend both us and themselves.  
¶ And now for our part, as to your demands, we late you wite, that pardon of such things, as you demand, lieth only in the will and pleasure of us your sovereign lord and prince: But it seemeth by your lewd proclamations and safe conductis, that there be amongs you, which take upon them both the parts of kings and of counsellors, which neither by us nor by the general consent of our realm, have been admitted to any such room. What arrogancy is then in those wretches, being also of none experience, that will presume to raise you our subiectis without commission or authority, ye & against us, under a cloaked colour of your wealth, and in our name, & as the succession and end will declare, if we should not be more merciful unto you, than you have deserved, to your own utter confusions? Wherefore we late all you our said subjects again wit, that were it not, that our princely heart can not reckon this your shameful insurrection, and most ingrate and unnatural rebellion, to have been done of malice or rancour, but rather by a lightness of credit given in manner by a naughty nature to a commonalty, and a wondrous sudden surrection of gentlemen, we must needs have executed an other manner of punishment, than if you will humbly knowledge your fault, and submit yourselves to our mercy, we intend to do, as by our proclamations, we doubt not but you be informed. And now therefore note our benignity, now consider how moche we desire the preservation of you our subiectis, and thavoiding of th'effusion of christian blood, and now consider, what hurt you have in this little time done unto yourselves, and learn by this gentle refourmation, to avoid a greater evil, to love honour and dread your prince and sovereign lord, that thus tendereth you, and from henceforth to live like true subjects to us, and to believe no more such falls and light tales.   

LONDINI IN AEDIBUS THOMAE BERTHELETI RECII IMPRESSORIS.   

CUM PRIVILEGIO.