A SHORT TREAtise of politic power, and of the true Obedience which subjects own to kings and other civil Governors, with an Exhortation to all true natural English men, Compiled by.  
D. I. P. B. R. W.  
1556.  Psal. 118. It is better to trust in the Lord▪ than to trust in Princes.  

TO THE GENTIL READER.  
COntent thyself to read over this short ●…reatise/ wherein is neither heresy/ felony/ nor treason/ but all that is written here in few/ is meant for thy pleyntifull benefit/ necessary admonition/ and faithful instruction. And albeit the Printour is not sure/ whether the author be gone to God already (as by the discourse of the matter he seemeth to be) or yet still in this life/ yet for as much as the gravity of the Work/ the soberness of the style/ and the equity of the cause joined with substauntial Profess/ import a mighty zeal/ and a feruent care of the author for his country/ he is pleased to put forth the Work/ to th'intent the travail of the doer be not lost/ neither true Englis he hearts frustrate of so worthy an instruction/ unless they will willingly neglect their own save guard/ the state of their country/ and the Preservation of their posterity. God give thee (good reader) a will to foresee/ an heart to perceive/ and a judgement to discern thine own state in time/ and in Christ heartily well to far.  
Amen.   

WHEREOF POLITIC power groweth, wherefore it was ordained, and the right use and duty of the same: etc.  
AS OXEN, SHEEP, GOATS, and such other unreasonable creatures cannot for lack of reason rule themselves, but must be ruled by amore excellent creature, that is man: so man, albeit he have reason, yet because through the fall of the furst man, his reason is wonderfully corrupt, and sensuality hath gotten the over hand, is not able by himself to rule himself, but must have a more excellent governor. The worldlings thought, this governor was their own reason. They thought, they might by their own reason, do what them lusted, nod only in private things, but also in public. Reason they thought to be the only cause, that men furst assembled together in companies, that common wealths were made, that policies were well governed and long continued: but mensee, that such were utterly blinded and deceived in their imaginations, their doings and inventions (seemed they never so wise) were so easili and so soon (contrary to their expectation) overthrown.  
Where is the Wisdom of the grecians? Where is the fortitude of the Assirianes? where is both the wis doom and force of the Romans become? All is vanished away, nothing almost left to testify that they were, but that which well declareth, that their reason was not able to govern them. Therefore were such as were desirous to know the perfect and only governor of all, constrained to seek further than themselves, and so at length to confess, that it was one God that ruled all. By him we live, we have our being, and be moved. He made us, and not we our selves. We be his people, and the sheep of his pasture. He made all things for man: and man he made for himself, to serve and glorify him. He hath taken upon him th'order and government of man his chief creature, and prescribed him a rule, how he should behave himself, what he should do, and what he may not do.  
This rule is the law of nature, furst planted and graffed only in the mind of man, than after for that his mind was through sin defiled, filled with darkness see, and encumbered with many doubts) set forth in writing in the decalogue or ten commandments: and after reduced by Christ our savour ì to these two words: Thou shalt love thy lord God above all things, and thy neighbour as thyself. The later part whereof he also thus expoundeth: what so ever ye will that men do unto you, do ye even so to them.  
In this law is comprehended all justice, the perfit way to serve and glorify God, and the right mean to rule every man particularly, and all men generally: and the only stay to maintain every wealth. This is the touchstone to try every man's doings (be he king or beggar) whether they be good or evil. By this all m●…nes laws be discerned, when there they be just or uniuste, godly or wicked. As for an example. Those that have authority to make laws in a common wealth, make this law, that no pins shallbe made, but in their own country. It seemeth but a trifle. Yet if by this means the people may be kept from idleness, it is a good and just law and pleaseth God. For idleness is a vice wherewith God is offended: and the way to offend him in breach of these commandments: Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not be a horem●…, n●…ger, etc. Por all these evils come of 〈◊〉▪ On the other side, if the people be well 〈◊〉 in other things, and the people of an other country live by pin making, and uttering th●… 〈◊〉 if there should be a law made, that they 〈◊〉 not sell them to their neighbours of the 〈◊〉 country, otherwise well oc cupied, it were a w●…cked and an uniuste law. 〈◊〉 ●…aking away the mean, whereby they live, a mean is devised 〈◊〉 kill them with famine, and so is not only 〈◊〉 commandment broken: Thou shalt not kill, but also the generallawe, that sayeth: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. And, what so ever ye vuill that men do unto you, even so do you unto them. For you yourselves vuold not be killed with hungers.  
Likewise if there be a law made, utterly prohibiting any man that can not live chaste, to marry: this is an unjust, an ungodly and a wicked law. For it is an occasion, that where with marrying, he might avoid sin: he not marrying doth commit whoredom in act or thought contrary to Gods will and commandment: Thou shalt not commit whoredom  
Again, a prince forceth his subjects (under the name of request) to lend him that they have, which they do unwillingly: and yet for fear of a worse turn, they must seem to be content therewith. afterward he causeth to be assembled in a Parliament such as perchance lent nothing, or else such as dare not displease him. They to please him, remit this general debt. This is a wicked, ungodly, and unjust law. For they do not, as they 〈◊〉 be done unto, but be an occasion, that a great 〈◊〉 be undone, their children for lack of sustenance perish through famine, and their seruav●…ntes forced to 〈◊〉, and perchance to commit ●…urther. So that if men ●…ill weigh well this 〈◊〉 and law that God hath prescribed to man, Thou shalt love thy lord God above all things, and thy neighbour as thyself. And, what so ever ye will that men do unto you, do ye even the same unto them: they may soon learn to try good from evil, godliness from ungodliness, right from wrong.  
And it is so plain and easy to be understanden, that no ignorance can or will excuse him that therein offendeth.  
Against thoffenders of this law, there was no corporal punishment ordained in this world, till after the destruction of the world with the great flood. For albeit Cayn and lamech had committed horrible murders, yet were they not corporally punished, but had a protection of God, that none should lawfully hurt them. But after the flood, when God saw his gentleness and patience could not work his creatures to do their duties unforced, but iniquity prevailed and mischief daily increased, and one murdered, and destroyed an other: than was he constrained to change his lenity into severity, and to add corporal pains to those that would not follow, but transgress his ordinances. And so he made this law, which he declared to Noha: He that Sheddeth the blood of man, his blood Shall be Shed by man. For man is made after the image of God.  
By this ordinance and law he suiteth politic power and giveth authority to men to make more laws. For he that giveth man authority over the body and life of man, because he would have man to live quietly with man, that all might serve him quietly in holiness and righteousness, all the days of their life, it can not be denied, but he gave him authority over goods, lands, possessiones and all such things as might bried controversies and discords, and so hinder and let, that he might not be served and glorified, as he requireth. This ordinance also teacheth makers of laws, how they should behave themselves in making laws: that is, to set apart all affectiones, and to observe an equality in pains, that they be not greater or less, than the fault deserveth, and that they punish not th'innocent or small offender for malice, and let the mighty and great thief escape for affection. And out of this ordinance groweth and is grounded th'authority for Magistrates to execute laws: for laws without execution, be no more profitable, than bells without clappers. But whether this authority to make laws, or the power to execute the same, shall be and remain in one person alone, or in many, it is not expressed, but left to the discretion of the people to make so many and so few, as they think necessary for the maintenance of the state. whereupon in some places, they have been content to obey such laws, as were made by one, as the Israelites were with those that Moses ordained: the Lacedemones with those that Lycurgus made, the Athenes with those that Solon gave them. And in some places with such as were made by certain outchosen men, as in Rome by the ten men. And in some they received none, but such as all the multitude agreed Unto. Likewise in some countries they were content to be governed, and the laws executed by one king or judge, in some places by many of the best sort, in some places by the people of the lowest sort, and in some places also by the king, nobility, and the people all together.  
And these diverse kinds of states or policies had their distinct names, as where one ruled, a Monarchy: where many of the best, aristocraty: where the multitude, Democraty: and where all together, that is, a king, the nobility, and commons, a mixed sta te: which men by long continuance have judged to be the best sort of all. For where that mixed state was exerciced, there did the common wealth longest continue. But yet every kind of these states tended to one end, that is, to the maintenance of justice, to the wealth and benefit of the hole multitude, and not of the superior and governors alone. And when they saw, that the governors abused their authority, they altered the state. As among the Israelites, for the iniquity of the children of Samuel their judge, from judges to kings: among the Romans, for the tyranny and oppression that Tarqvinius used over the people (as the chief occasion) and afterward for his sons lewdness (as the outward occasion) from kings to consuls, and so from consuls (for their evil demeanour) to Decem viri and Triumvirs, that is, to ten rulers and three rulers: and so from change to change, till it came to the state Imperial: yet always preserving and maintaining th'authority, albeit they altered and changed the kind of government. For the ethnics themselves being led only by the law of nature and their own reason, saw that without politic power and authority, mankind could not be preserved, nor the world continued. The rich would oppress the poor, and the poor seek the destruction of the rich, to have that he hade: the mighty would destroy the weak, and as Theodoretus sayeth, the great fish eat up the small, and the weak seek revenge on the mighty: and so one seeking the others destruction, all at length should be undone and come to destruction. And because this authority and power, both to make laws, and execute laws, proceeded from God, the holy ghost in scripture calleth them Gods: not for that they be naturally Gods, or that they be transubstantiated in to Gods (for he sayeth, they shall die like men, and in deed their works declare them to be none other than men) but for th'authority and power which they receive of God, to be his ministers here in earth, in ruling and governing his people, and that the people should the rather obey them, and have them in honour and reverence, according to his ordinance.  
And the wonderful providence of God is herein to be well noted and considered, of all such as love and fear God, that in all places and countries where God's word hath been received and embraced, there for the time the people followed God, no tyranny could entre, but all the membres of the body sought the prosperity and wealth one of an other, for God's word taught them so to do. Thou shalt love the lord thy God (sayeth it) above all things, and thy neighbour as thyself. And, what ye will that men do unto you, do you even so unto them. The fruits of his word is love one of an other, of what state or degree in this world so ever they be. And the state of the policies and common wealths have been disposed and ordained by God, that the heads could not (if they would) oppress the other membres. For as among the Lacedæmonians certain men called Ephori were ordained so see that the kings should not oppress the people, and among the Romans, the Tribunes were ordained to defend and maintain the liberty of the people from the pride and injury of the nobles: so in all Christian realms and dominiones God ordained means, that the heads the princes and governors should not oppress the poor people after their lusts, and make their will les their laws. As in germany between th'emperor and the people, a Counsel or diet: in France and England, parliaments, wherein there met and assembled of all sorts of people, and nothing could be done without the knowledge and consent of all. But where the people have forsaken God, and contemned utterly his word, there hath the devil by his ministers, occupied the hole country, and subverted the good ordres, justice and equality, that was in the common wealth, and planted his unreasonable lusts for good laws, as every man may see by the Realm of Vngarie which the Turk in our time hath occupied. And where the people have not utterly forsaken God and his word, but have begun to be weary of it: there hath not God suffered tyrants by and by to rush in, and to occupy the hole, and to suppress the good ordres of the common wealth, but by little and little hath suffered them to creep in, first with the head, than with an arm, and so after with a leg, and at length (were not the people penitent, and in time converted to God) to bring in the hole body, and to work the feats of tyrants, as hereafter it shallbe declared.  
This is so manifest in most places, that it shall not need any particular example. Wherefore it shallbe the part of all Christian men to take heed, that in forsaking God, they bring not justly the devil and tyrants to reign over them. And those that be called to councils and parliaments (and so to be makers of laws, whereby the people should be bounden) not to neglect their duty, or to deceive the people of the trust and confidence, that was put in them. For it is no little danger that may thereby follow unto them, both in this world, and in the world to come. For that man that took upon him to do any thing for an other (being the thing never so little of value) and therein did use himself either craftily, seeking his own gain and profit, or show himself not diligent, or not passing what became of the matter committed to his trust, our elders being men of honesty, judged and condemned for a most vile varlet and unhonest person: and being men of wisdom, made a law (which continueth till this day) not only that he should make recompense for the hurt he did, but also that he should not be allowed afterward in the company or number of honest men, no more than an open these. And this they did not by will, but by reason, not rashly, but advisedly, not by the more voices, but by the more discrete heads, because they saw, that men could not be always present to do their own things, but of necessity must use the help and trust of others. And again, nature hath not made every man apt for all things, but hath made one man more meet for one purpose than an other: so that one having need of an other, every one should be glad to do for an other, and all be tied together in an undissoluble strong band of friendship. And therefore was such false and unfrendly dealing taken to be most vile, because it did violate two the chiefest virtues and most necessary things, without which mankind could not continue: faith, and friendship. For noman requireth an other, to do any thing for him, whom he taketh not to be his friend, nor trusteth him, whom he thinketh not faithful. And therefore they thought him to be a very wicked and vile person, and not worthy the name of a man, that at one time and in one thing should thus undoo the knot of friendship, and deceive him, whom he could not have hurted, unless he had trusted him. Now if nature, reason, honesty and law doth so grievously punish him, and cast him out of all honest men's companies, that is negligent in a trifle, how much more ought he to be punished and cast out of all men's sight, that is negligent in the greatest matters? If he ought so sharply to be used, that deceiveth one poor man: how much more sharply ought he to be punished, and of all men to be abhorred (yea cast to the dogs) that deceiveth a hole Realm of ten or twenty hundred thousand persons? If he be thus to be abhorred and punished, that is required to do an other man's business, and deceiveth him: how much more ought they to be abhorred and hated, that take upon them to do for others, not desired but suing for it: not called thereto, but thrusting in themself: not prayed, but paying, giving many lyvereyes, procuring and making friends to give them their voices, obtaining of great men's letters, and ladies tokens, feasting freeholders, and making great banqueting cheer: not by the consent of the part, but by force and strength, with tropes of horsemen, bills, bows, pikes, gonnes, and such like kind of qualities.  
If this opinion be had, and judgement be given against a man that seeketh his own gain with the loss of his friends in small things: What opinion may men have, what judgement shallbe given of those, that (to make themselves noble and rich) cut the throats of those that committed themselves, their wives, their children, their goods, yea and lives upon trust in to their hands?  
If this judgement be given for worldly things, what judgement shallbe given of those that wilfully go about to destroy men's souls, and to make them a present to the devil, so that they for a time may be his deputies here in earth? If men do thus abhor and punish such unfaithful and unhonest persons: how much more will th'almighty God abhor, condemn, and exercise his severe judgement on them, that thus abuse the authority given unto them by him, and deceive and undoo those poor sheep of his, in whom (as his ministers) they put their trust?  
Hark, hark (while time of repentance is) to the sentence of God, pronounced by the mouth of his servant and Prophet Esaias. Woe be unto you (sayeth he) that make unrighteous laws, and devise things which be to hard to be kept, whereby the poor are oppressed on every side, and thinnocents of my people are therewith rob of judgement, that vuydowes may be your pray, and that ye may rob the fatherless. What vuill ye do in time of the visitation and destruction that shall come from far? To whom vuill ye run for help? Or to whom vuill ye give your honour, that he may keep it? that ye come not among the prisoners, or lie among the dead?  
This terrible woe of everlasting damnation was spoken not only to jerusalem, but to Germany, Italy, France, Spain, England, scotland, and all other countries and naciones, where the like vices shallbe committed. For God is just, and so hateth sin, that he never leaveth it in any place unpunished: but the more common it is, the greater plagues and force doth he use to repress it: as we may learn by th'examples of the cities Sodom and Gomor, and jerusalem his own city. And besides the general plague, he whippeth the authors of it with some special scourge, that they may be a spectacle, not only to those that are present, but also a remembrance to all that be to come.  
But perchance some (that be put in trust and authority to make statutes and laws) will say: ●…e do not willingli any thing against God's honour, or the wealth of our country, or deceive any that put their trust in us.  
If any such thing follow, it is by reason that we were ignorant.  
Tell me, If beseech thee, if thou haddest hired one to be thy shepherd, and thy sheep should under his hand by his ignorance myscarie: or if thy horsekeeper taking wages, should (through his negligence) suffer thy horse to perish: wouldest thou not count him faulty and look for amends at his hands? Should ignorance excuse him? No, thou wouldest say, I hired thee, and thou tookest it upon thee. And so thou wouldest not only force him to make satisfaction, but also wouldest think it just to have hi●… punished besides to make himself no more cunning than the was, not to deceive any that put their trust in him. Than they are much to blame, that being put in trust in Courts and parliaments to make laws and statutes to the advancement of God's glory, and conservation of the liberties and common wealth of their country, neglect their off●…ce and charge, being appointed to be not only keepers of God's people, not of hogs, neither of horses and mules which have no understanding, but of that dear stock which Christ purchased with the price of his heart blood: but also as phisicianes and Surgeons, to redress, reform and heal, if any thing be amiss. And if a physician for lucre or other men's pleasure, would take upon him the healing of a sore diseased person, and for lack of knowledge or upon other evil purpose would ministre things to hurt or kill the person, were he not worthy to be taken and punished as a bocher and a man murderer?  
But ye will say: we gave credit to others, and they deceived us. Think ye, that this bald excuse will serve? Is it not written, that if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall in to the pit? Did the plea that Eva made for offending in eating the forbidden apple (when she said, the serpent had deceived her) excuse her? Nothing less. She was not only herself therefore punished with such pains (as greater than death none could be devised) but also all her posterity.  
Other perhaps of you will say: ye dare do non otherwise. If ye did, ye should be taken for enemies of the governor, run in to indignation, and so lose your bodies and goods, and undo your children. O faint hearts, Think ye, that your parents had left you as ye be, if they had been so faint hearted? Or think ye that this will serve your turn? Was it enough for Adam our first father, when he fell with bearing his wife company in eating the forbidden apple, to say, I durst not displease my wife: or to say, as he said, The woman whom thou gavest me, gave it me? No, it availed not, but he and all his posterity were plagued for his disobedience, as we and all that shall follow us, do well feel, if we have any fear of God before our eyes.  
When the brutish commons of Israel were so importune upon Aaron, that he for fear was fain to make them the golden calf: wherewith when Moses sharply charged him he excused himself, saying: alas Sir, this seditious and raging brutish people would needs have me perforce to do it. God knoweth, it was sore against my will: did this excuse acquit him, trow you? No surely. If he had not repent, he had been as sure of hell fire for his labour, as they be, which have set up or said the beastly popish mass, at the furious enforcement of the brutish commons or in pretence of obedience to the queens procedings in England: unless they speedily repent, and renounce their wicked doing, as Aaron did his.  
Thus ye have heard not only whereof politic power groweth, and of the true use and duty thereof, but also what willbe laid to their charge, that do not their duty in making of laws. Now see, what is said by God to thexecutors of laws: See what ye do (Sayeth God) for ye execute not the judgement of man, but of God. and what so ever ye judge, it shall redound to yourselves. Let the fear of God therefore be before your eyes, and do all things with diligence. For with the lord our God there is non iniquity, neither difference of persons, nor yet hath he pleasure in rewards or bribes.  
But of the ministers of laws and governors of realms and countries, more shallbe said hereafter.   

WHETHER KINGS princes, and other governors have an absolute power and authority over their subjects.  
Forasmuch as those that be the Rulers in the world, and would be taken for Gods (that is, the ministers and images of God here in earth, thexamples and mirrors of all godliness, justice, equity, and other virtues) claim and exercise an absolute power, which also they call a fullness of power, or prerogative to do what they lust, and none may gainsay them: to dispense with the laws as pleaseth them, and freely and without correction or offence do contrary to the law of nature, and other Gods laws, and the positive laws and customs of their countries, or break them: and use their subjects as men do their beasts, and as lords do their villains and bondmen, getting their goods from them by hook and by crook, with Sic volo, Sic jubeo, and spending it to the destruction of their ●…ubiectes: the misery of this time requireth to examine, whether they do it rightfully or wrongfully, that if it be right full, the people may the more willingly obey and receive the same: if it be wrongful, that than those that use it, may the rather for the fear of God leave it. For (no douht) God will come, and judge the world with equity, and revenge the cause of the oppressed. Of the pope's power (who counteth himself one, yea the chief of these kind of Gods, yea above them all, and fellow to the God of Gods) we mind not now to treat: neither is it requisite. For all men, yea half wise women and babes can well judge, that his power is worthy to be laughed at: and were it not bolstered and propped up with sword and faggot, it would (as it will notwithstanding) shortly lie in the mire, for it is not built on the rock, but on the sand, not planted by the father of heaven, but by the devil of hell, as the fruits do manifestly declare. But we will speak of the power of kings and princes, and such like potentates, rulers, and governors of common wealths.  
Before ye have heard, how for a great long time, that is until after the general flood, there was no civil or politic power, and how it was than furst ordained by God himself, and for what purpose he ordained it: that is (to comprehend all briefly) to maintain justice: for every one doing his duty to God, and one to an other, is but justice. Ye have heard also, how states, bodies politic, and common wealths have authority to make laws for the maintenance of the policy, so that they be not contrary to God's law and the laws of nature: which, if ye note well the question before proponed whether kings and princes have an absolute power, shall appear not doubtful, or if any would affirm it, that he shall not be able to maintain it. For first touching God's laws (by which name also the laws of nature be comprehended) kings and princes are not joined makers hereof with God, so that thereby of themselves they might claim any interest or authority to dissolve them or dispense with them, by this Maxim or principal, that he that may knit together, may lose asondre: and he that may make, may mar: for before Magistrates were, God's laws were. Neither can it be proved, that by God's word they have any authority to dispense or break them: but that they be still commanded to do right, to minister justice, and not to serve, neither on the right hand or on the left. Than must it needs follow, that this absolute authority which they use, must be maintained by man's reason, or it must needs be an usurpation: But what can reason say? If it be not lawful, by no laws (no neither by honesty) for any man's servant to alter his masters (a mortal man's) commandment: can reason say, it is lawful for any person to alter God's commandment, or break it? That a man's servant may be wiser than his master, that he may be juster than his master, that he may see what is more profitable and necessary to be done than his master, commonly it happeneth: and therefore he may have some apparent cause, to alter or break his masters command dement. But to say, that any creature is, or that any creature would seem in word or deed, to be more wise than God, more just than God, more prudent and circumspect than God, or knoweth what is better for the creature than the creator himself (as it must needs be said, that he doth, that taketh upon him to break or dispense with Gods will and commandments) what an horrible blasphemy is it? What luciferous presumption is it?  
If we will not submit ourselves to God's judgement herein expressed by his word, as Christianes' should, let us yet mark the sequel: and thereby gather God's judgement, as ethnics do. For when we have wrought our wits out, and devised and done what we can, we can not so exclude God, but he will have a saying with us.  
God's word, will and commandment is, that he that wilfully killeth a man, shall also be killed by man: that is, the Magistrate. But this law hath not been observed and all ways executed, but kings and princes upon affection have dispensed and broken it, granting life and liberty to traitors, robbers, murtherours, etc.  
But what hath followed of it? Have they (whose offences have been so pardoned) after ward showed themselves penitent to God, and thankfully profitable to the common wealth? No, God and the commonwealth have hade no greater enemies. They have added murder to murder, mischief to mischief, and of private malefactors, have become public, and of men killers, they have at length grown to be destroyers of their country, yea and many times of them that saved them from hanging and other just pains of the law. And no marvel: for God doth not only punish the principals and authors of such mischief, but also those that be accessaries and maintainers of it, and plagueth iniquity with iniquity. Ye may likewise see, what fruits have followed, where pope's, have dispensed, that marriages might be made contrary to God's laws. We shall not need to rehearse any? th'end will declare all. But let us leave to reason that, wherein nothing can be said for it. And let us come to that, wherein somewhat may be said: that is, whether kings and princes may do things contrary to the positive laws of their country. As for example.  
It is a law positive, that a mean kind of apparel, or a mean kind of diet should be used in a common wealth, to th'intent that men leaving thexcess thereof, whereof many occasiones both to destroy nature and to offend God follow, they might convert that they before evil spent, to the relief of the poverty, or defence of their country.  
For answer to this question, this division ought to be made, that there be two kinds of kings, princes, and governors.  
The one, who alone may make positive laws, because the hole state and body of their country have given, and resigned to them their authority so to do: which nevertheless is rather to be counted a tyrant than a king, as Dionysius, Philippus and Alexander were, who saved whom they would and spilled whom they lusted. And tother be such, unto whom the people have not given such authority, but keep it themselves: as we have before said concerning the mixed state.  
True it is, that in matters indifferent, that is, that of themselves be neither good nor evil, hurtful or profitable, but for a decent order: Kings and Princes (to whom the people have given their authority) may make such laws, and dispense with them. But in matters not indifferent, but godly and profitably ordained for the common wealth, there can they not (for all their authority) break them or dispense with them. For Princes are ordained to do good, not to do evil: to take away evil, not to increase it: to give example of well doing, not to be procurers of evil: to procure the wealth and benefit of their subjects, and not to work their hurt or undoing. And in th'empire where (by the civil laws) themperors claim, that the people gave them their authority to make laws, albeit they have been willing, and oft attempted to execute their authority, which some Pikethankes (to please them) say they have by the laws, yet have they been forced of themselves to leave of their enterprise. But such as be indifferent expounders of the laws, be of that mind that we before have declared: and therefore make this a general conclusion, and as it were a rule, that th'emperor willing any thing to be done, there is no more to be done, than the laws permit to be done. For (say they) neither pope, Emperor, nor king may do any thing to the hurt of his people without their consent. King Antigonus chancellor, saying unto him, that all things were honest and lawful to kings: ye say true (quoth the king) but to such kings as be beasts, barbarous and without humanity: but to true and good Princes, nothing is honest, but that is honest in deed, and nothing is just, but that is just in deed.  
Anthiochus the third king of Asia, considering that as he was above the people, so the laws were above him, wrote general letters to all the cities of his country, that if they should perceive, that he by any letters, should require any thing contrary to the laws, they should think, that such letters were obtained without his consent, and therefore they should not obey them.  
Now if where the people have given their authority to their governor to make such laws, yet can he not break or dispense with the positive laws: how much less may such governors, kings, and princes to whom the people have not given their authority (but they with the people, and the people with them the laws) break them or dispense with them? If this were tolerable, than were it in vain to make solemn as semblies of the hole state, long parliaments & c? yea (I beseech thee) what certainty should therebe in any thing, where all should depend on ones will and affection? But it willbe said, that albeit kings and princes can not make laws, but with the consent of the people, yet may they dispense with any positive law, by reason that of long time they have used so to do, and prescribe so to do: for long custom maketh a law.  
To this it may be answered, evil customs (be they never so old) are not to be suffered, but utterly to be abolished: and none may prescribe to do evil, be he king or subject. If the laws appoint thee the time of thrittye or forty years to claim a sure and a perfect interest of that thou enjoyest, yet if thou know, that either thyself or those by Whom thou claimest, came wrongfully by it, thou art not in deed a perfect owner of it, but art bounden to restore it. Although the laws of man do excuse and defend thee from outward trouble and punishment, yet can they not quiet the conscience, but when thy conscience remembreth, that thou enjoyest that is not thine, it will bite the that thou haste done wrong: it will accuse the before the judgement seat of God, and condemneth. And if princes and governors would show themselves half so wise, as they would men should take them to be, and by th'example of others learn What mischief might happen to themselves, they would not (if they might) claim, much less execute any such absolute authority. No, neither would their Counsellors (if they loved them) maintain them in it: nor yet the subjects (if they did but consider their own safety and felicity in this life) would not if they might suffer their Prince to do what him lusted.  
For th'one purchase to themselves a perpetual vncer●…aintie both of life and goods: and tother procureth the hatred of all, which albeit it be coloured and dissembled for a season, yet doth it at length burst out, and worketh the revenge with extremity.  
There lack no examples to verify this. It was driven in to the head of temperour C. Caligula, that he was subject to no power, that he was above all laws, and that he might lawfully do what him lusted. This lesson was so sweet to the flesh, that it was no sooner moved than desired, no sooner taught than learned, no sooner heard than practised. First by like that th'empire should not go out of his own race, he coupleth not with one, but with all his sisters, like bitch and dog. He killeth his brother Tiberius, and all his chiefest friends: he murdereth many of the Senators of Rome. He delighted to have honest men to be garshed, scotched and cut in the faces, and so to make him pleasure, to have them cast to ravenous beasts to be torn and devoured in his sight, or to be sawed asondre in the mids. It was a pleasunt pastime for him, to see the parents stand by, lamenting and weeping, whiles their children were tormented and killed. He used to complain and lament, that no common calamity and notable miseries happened in his time. He rejoiced much when news were brought him of the slaughters of hole armies of men, great hunger, pestilence, towns burning, and openings of the earth, wherein many people were swallowed up. But the day he saw any of these himself, he needed neither meat nor drink, he was so jocund and merry. And being glutted with the pastime of every man's death, by himself (to procure a new appetite) he devised an other, if he could have brought it to pass. But when he could not have it done, the memory thereof was so sweet, that he oft desired: that is, that all the he adds of the people of Rome stood on one man's neck, that he might with ones was he cut it of. Many other noble acts by his absolute power he wrought: and at length he commanded that his image should be set up in the temple at jerusalem, and there worshipped: as not unlike Saint Gardiner's (for he hath done no small things) shallbe shortly by Anti cipation in England. But what was th'end of Caligula's absolute power? when he had reigned three years and ten months, his own household servants conspired against him, and the general of his own●… Army slew him.  
Nero th'emperor was of nature very modest, gen till, and merciful, and the first five years of this reign, he behaved himself very virtuously. After, other counsellors and masters, than Seneca crept into his favour, who told him that he might do what him lusted. He was soon persuaded thereunto. And to show some proof that he had well carried away their advise: he killed his mother Agrippina. This cruel act did so move his wicked conscience, that he durst not come abroad in the Senate, but kept himself secret in his privy chamber. For he feared the hatred of the people, and knew not what was best for him to do. He lacked no flattering Counsellors. There were pleintie that sought their own profit and gain, and the satisfying of their lusts, more than their prince's honour and safety, and the common wealth of their country Say they: Sir, why should ye be thus amazed with the death of this woman? She was of all people abhorred and hated: the people wonderfully rejoice in your doing, and commend you above the moon for so noble an act. They desire, that ye will return in to the city, that they may with triumph express how much their joy and gladness is, and how they love you for so noble a feat. These crafty knaves seeing how they might blind their masters eyes, commanded in th'emperors behalf, that all the people should come out of Rome, to meet th'emperor. The Senate in their best apparel cometh out, all other ordres likewise after their degrees follow, and finally man, Woman and child.  
Themperor when he saw them, thought all was done from the bottom of their heart. The Senate showed such outward honour, the commons so great love, every body pretended so great joy and gladness. And think ye, there were not about him that said. Doth not your Majesty well find all our sayings true? may ye not credit us in that we counsel and advise you? What followed? Themperor imbrued with the blood of his mother, and his unnatural act commended by his wicked Counsellors, ceaseth not from his cruelty, but earnestly goeth forward He putteth away his wife Octavia, because she seemed to be barren. He marrieth his harlot called Puppy. He sendeth his wife Octavia in to an Ilan de, he bindeth her in chains, and causeth her to be let blood in all parts: and fearing least fear would drive the blood to the heart, and so she live longer than he would, he setteth her in a bain of hot water, that her blood might the sooner come out. But what becometh of his dear darling Puppy? he dallieth a while with his Puppy and at length his hot love being turned in to displeasure, he spurneth her (being with Child) on the belie, and so she dieth. To late he repented, but yet ceased not his cruelty. He killed his master Seneca, he persecuted the church of Christ most miserably, and so thinking that he might do what him lusted, and that all was well done, were it never so evil done, he never left of his cruelty, till the people finding occasion and opportunity to utter their dissembled hatred, slew him.  
But what think you? who were to be blamed for these cruel acts? He for doing them, or others for flattering him, or the Senate and people of Rome in suffering him? Surely there is none of them to be excused, but all to be blamed, and chief those that might have bridled him, and did not.  
He is a good citez in, that doth non evil (saith a noble wiseman) but he is a better that letteth others, that they shall not do hurt nor unjustice to others. The blood of innocentes shallbe demanded not only at the hands of the sheaders of blood, but also of those that make or consent to wicked laws, to condemn innocentes, or suffer their head to kill them contrary to just laws▪ or to spoil them of that they justly enjoy by the order of the law.  
Now sith kings, princes, and governors of common wealths have not nor can justly claim any absolute authority, but that th'end of their authority is determined and certain to maintain justice, to defend the innocent, to punish the evil. And that so many evils and mischiefs may follow, where such absolute and (in deed) tyrannical power is usurped: let us pray, that they may know their duty, and discharge themselves to God and to the world, or else that those which have the authority to reform them, may know and do their duty, that the people finding and acknowledging the benefit of good rulers, may thank God for them, and labour every one to do their duty: and that seeing the head is not spared, but evillesin it punished, they may the more willingly abstain from tyranny and other evil doings, and do their duties, and so all glorify God.   

WHETHER KINGS, princes, and other politic Governors be subject to God's laws, and the positive laws of their countries.  
HE that noteth the procedings of princes and governors in these our days, how ambitious they are to usurp others Dominiones, and how necli gent they be to see their own well governed, might think, hat they believe, that either there is no God, or that he hath not care over the things of the world: or that they think themselves exempt from God's laws and power. But the Wonderful overthrow of their devices (when they think themselves most sure and certain) is so manifest, that it is not possible to deny, but that both there is a God, and that he hath care over the things of the world. And his word is so plain, that none can gainsay, but that they be subject and aught to be obedient to God's laws and word. For the hole decalog and every part thereof is aswell written to kings, princes, and other public persons, as to private persons. A king may no more commit Idolatry, than a private man: he may●… not take the name of God in vain, he may not break the Sabbat, no more than any private man. It is not lawful for him to disobey his parents, to killany person contrary to the laws, to be an hooremonger, to steal, to lie and bear false witness, to desire and covet any man's house, wife, servant, maid, ox, ass, or any thing that is an others, more than any other private man. No, he is bounden and charged under greater pains to keep them than any other, because he is both a private man in respect of his own person, and a public in respect of his office, which ma●…e appear in a great meigny of places when ro●… part I will recite. The holy ghost by the mouth of a king and prophet, saith: And now ye kings ●…nderstande, be ye learned that judge the earth. Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, that is, receive with honour, lest the Lord be angry, and ye lose the way, when his wrath shall in a moment be kindled. And in an other place thus: The Lord upon thy right hand shall Smite and break in pieces even kings in the day of his wrath. Esaias also the prophet saith: The Lord shall come to judgement against the princes and elders of the people. Likewise saith the Prophet Micheas speaking to all princes and governors under the heads of the house of jacob, and the leaders of the house of ●…srael: He are ye princes and governors, saith Micheas: Should ye not know what were lawful and right? But ye hate the good, and love the evil, ye pluck of men's skins, and the flesh from their bones: ye cheoppe them in pieces, as it were in to a Cauldron, and as flesh in to a pot. Now the time shall come, that when ye call unto the lord, he shall not hear you, but hide his ●…ace from you, by cause that through your own ymaginationes ye have dealt so wickedly. And again he saith: O hear ye rulers and governors, ye that abhor the thing that is lawful, and wrest aside the thing that is strait: ye that build up Zion with blood your majesty and tyranny with doing Wrong. For so may Zion and jerusalem be well expounded: O you judges, ye give sentence for gifts: O ye priests, ye teach for lucre: O ye prophets, ye prophecy for money: yet Will they be taken as those that hold upon God, and say▪ Is not the lord among us? How can then any misfortune happen to us? But Zion (that is, your cities) for your sakes shallbe ploughed like a field: and jerusalem (that is, your palaces) shall become an heap of stones, and the hill of the temple (that is, your Monasteries, friaries, and chantries) shall be come an high wood. The holy ghost also by the mouth of king Solomon, sayeth: Hear O ye kings, and understand. O learn ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. give eare ye that rule the multitudes, and delight in much people. For the power is given unto you of the lord, and the strength from the highest, who shall try your works, and search out your ymaginaciones, how that ye being officers of his kingdom have not kept the law of righteousness nor Walked after his will. Horribly and that soon shall be appear unto you, for upon the most high, he will execute most severe judgement. Mercy is granted unto the simple, but they that be in authority, shallbe sore punished. For God which is lord over all, shall except no man's person, neither shall he regard any man's greatness for he hath made the small and greatand careth for all alike, but the mighty shall have the sorer punishment. To you therefore (O princes) do I speak, that ye may learn wisdom, and not offend.  
These sayings need no particular examples to con firm them, but look on all governors and rulers named in the hole Bible, or in any other history: and among all ye shall find, that none hath escaped God's punishment, but always their iniquity hath been plagued in themselves or their posterity.  
The cause and manner of king saul's punishment and extinguishing of his posterity, is more commonly known, than needeth any rehearsal. Roboam because he would reign as a tyrant and not be subject to law nor counsel, had ten tribes of his kingdom taken from him, and given to jeroboam: who also forasmuch as he contented not himself to be subject to Gods written word and law, but fell to his own Idolatrous invenciones, and caused his subjects to follow his procedings: was so stripped from the inheritance of his crown, that his seed was utterly rooted out.  
The end of Achab and jesabel is well enough understanden. And king joram for his stout striving against God's laws and the order of his country was so sore stricken of the lord with horrible diseases, that at length his guts for extreme anguish flew out of his belly. But whereto bring I out particular examples of God's plagues and punishments upon kings and princes that would not be subject to God's laws, and the laws of nature, seeing the hole body of the Bible, and writers of profane histories be full of them?  
Therefore seeing no king or governor is exempted from the laws, hand, and power of God, but that he ought to fear and tremble at it, we may proceed to the other part of the question: that is, whether kings, princes, and other governors ought to be obedient and subject to the positive laws of their country. To discuss this question, the right way and mean is as in all other things, to resort to the fountains and roots, and not to depend on the rivers and branches. For as if men should admit, that the church of Rome were the catholic church, and the pope the head of it, and Gods only vicar in earth, and not seek further how he cometh by that authority: than could noman say, but that all his doings (were they never so wicked) should seem just: so if men should build upon th'authority that kings and princes usurp over their subjects, and not seek from whence they have their authority, nor whether that which they use, be just, there could be nothing produced to let their cruel tyranny. But for asmuch as we see from whence all politic power and authority cometh, that is, from God: and why it was ordained, that is, to maintain justice: we ought (if we will judge rightly) by God's word examine to try this matter.  
Saint Paul treating who should do obedience, and to whom obedience should be done, saith: Let every soul be subject to the powers that rule, for there is no power but of God. Theridamas are that would have this word, Soul, taken for man, not as he consisteth of soul and body both together, but only of the flesh: and that so by the word (〈◊〉) should be understanden only a worldly man, that is, a lay man or temporal man (as we term it) and not a spiritual man and a minister of the church. Where upon Antichrist, the bishop of Ro me seeking for subjects to be under his kingdom, hath taken for his subjects the clergy with tag and rag that to them belongeth: and hath made laws, that they should be his subjects, obedient to him and not to the politic power and authority, where unto he leaveth for subjects only the temporalty.  
But in scripture this word (Soul) is taken for every kind of man, as may appear when it saith, that all the souls (that is, man and woman) that were in the ark with Noah, were eight. And that all the souls of the house of jacob, which came in to Egypt were lxx. In which numbers it can not be denied, but that there were as holy and as spiritual persons, as any are or were in the kingdom of the bishop of Rome. And Chrisostome (a priest) expounding this text (Let every soul be subject to the higher powers) sayeth: yea if thou be an apostle, an evangelist, a prophet, or what so ever thou art: for this subjection destroyeth not religion. So that it can not be denied, but by this word (Soul) is comprehended, every person, and none excepted. Now touching this word (Power) some would have it interpreted for all those persons that execute justice, be he keyser, king, mayre, Sheriff, constable, borseholder, or never so low: and some would have it to be interpreted only of kings and chiefest officers. But it is here to be taken for the ministery and authority, that all officers of justice do execute: and so it may appear by Chri stes own words, where he saith: The kings of the naciones rule over▪ them, and those that exercise th'authority or power, be called gracious Benefactors, or well doers. For as all men and women that seem to live together in the ho lie ordinance of Matrimony, be not man and wife, for it may be, that the man hath an other wife living or the wife other an husband, or that they came not together▪ for the love of God only, and to avoid sin, but for sensuality, and to get riches, and so thordinance itself is one thing, and the persons, that is, the man and woman an other: even so is the politic power or authority being thordinance and▪ good gift of God, one thing, and the person that executeth the same (be he kinng or keyser) an other thing. The ordinance being godly, the man may be evil and not of God, nor come thereto by God, as the Prophet Osee saith: They have made them a king, and not through me: a prince, and not through my counsel and will,  
Neither is that power and authority which kings, princes, and other ministers of justice exercise, only called a power: but also th'authority that parents have over their children, and masters over their servants, is also called a power: and neither be the parents nor masters the power itself, but they be inistres and executors of the power, being given unto them by God: Which also S. Paul in an other place plainly showeth, saying to Titus: Warn them to be subject to the principalities and powers. Which some interpret, princes and powers, to make a distinction between the minister and the ministery. And it followeth: to obey th'officers, so that always the difference may be perceived. So than if by this word (Soul) is meant every person spiritual and temporal, man and woman: and by this word (power) th'authority that kings and princes execute, than can not kings and princes, but be contained under this general word (Soul) as well as others. And they being but executors of God's laws, and men's just ordinances, be also not exempted from them, but be bounden to be subject and unto them. For good and just laws of man be God's power and ordinances, and they are but ministers of the laws, and not the laws self. And if they were exempt from the laws, and so it were lawful for them to do what them lusteth, their authority being of God, it might be said, that God allowed their tyranny robbery of their subjects, kill them without law, and so God th'author of evil: which were a great blasphemy. justinian th'emperor well considered, when he made this saying to be put into the body of the laws. It is a worthy saying (saith he) for the Majesty of him that is in authority, to confess that the prince is subiect●… to the laws, th'authority of the prince do the so much depend on th'authority of the laws. And certainly it is more honour than the honour of the empire, to submit the principality unto the laws. For in deed laws be made, that the wilful self will of men should not rule, but that they should have a line to lead them, as they might not go out of the way of justice: and that (if any would say, they did them wrong) they might allege the law for their warrant and authority. It is also a principle of all laws grounded on the law of nature, that every man should use himself and be obedient to that law, that he will others be bounden unto. For otherwise he taketh away that equality (for there is no difference between the head and foot, concerning the use and benefit of the laws) whereby common wealths be maintained and kept up. What equality (I beseech you) should there be, where the subject should do to his ruler all the ruler would: and the ruler to the subject, that the ruler lusted?  
The good emperor Traianus (whom for his just behaviour, the Senate of Rome took to be a God) being in possession of his office, and minding to show, that he was not ordained to be a tyrant, but to see the people well governed, and that, albeit he was the minister of the laws, yet was he subject to the laws, took a sword, and gave it to the Captain of the horsemen, and said: Take this sword, use it for me against mine enemies in just causes: and if I myself do not justly use it, than use it against me.  
Zaleuchus the ruler and maker of laws to the locres, when he made this law, that an advouterour should be punished with the loss of both his eyes, and his son had offended the same, albeit the people made great intercession, that his pains might be pardoned him, he would not consent unto it, but pulling out one of his sons eyes, to fulfil and keep the law, he suffered one of his own eyes also to be pulled out.  
But thou wilt say: What have we to do with ethnics? Why should we be ordered by ethnics doings? I answer, that when ethnics do by nature that thou art bounden also to do, not only by nature, but by the laws of God and man, such ethnics shall rise in the universal judgement, to accuse thee, and work thy condemnation. The bishop of Rome's laws (which albeit he use not in himself, yet will he have them practised in others) say thus: It is requisite and just, that a prince obey his own laws. For than may he look that others shall keep his laws, when he himself hath them in honour. justice will, that princes be obedient and bounden to their own laws, and that they can not in their own doings condemn those laws which they prescribe unto others. Thauthority of their saying is just and indifferent, if that they suffer not themselves to do that they prohibit unto their people. This saith the bishop of Rome's law. And upon this principle after in the great general counsel of Lateran, Which pope Innocent the third held, it may seem, it was ordained and decreed (as they say) that when kings and princes that knowlaged no superior, should fall out among themselves, or should misuse their power and authority over their subiecttes, that than the matter should be heard and corrected by the bishop of Rome  
But here it may be asked, who did this justice on kings and princes before that time, sith it was but than committed to the bishop of Rome? To that at this time we shall not need to answer, for that we do not seek presently to know who should be judge, but only to declare and prove, that kings and princes ought, both by God's law, the law of nature, man's laws, and good reason, to be obedient and subject to the positive laws of their country, and may not break▪ them, and that they be not exempt from them, nor may dispense with them, unless the makers of the laws give them express authority so to do.  
Who shallbe the kings judges, hereafter thou shalt hear.   

IN WHAT THINGS, AND how far subjects are bounden to obey their princes and governors.  
AS THE BODY OF MAN IS KNIT and kept together in due proportion by the sinews, so is every commun wealth kept and maìtened in good order by Obedience. But as if the sinews be to much racked and stretched out, or to muched shrinked together, it breedeth wonderful pains and deformity in man's body: so if Obedience be to much or to little in a common wealth, it causeth much evil and disordre. For to much maketh the governors to for get their vocation, and to usurp upon their subjects: to little breedeth a licentious liberty, and maketh the people to forget their duty. And so both ways the common wealth groweth out of order, and at length cometh to havoc and utter destruction,  
Some there be that will have to little obedience, as the anabaptists. For they because they hear of a christian liberty, would have all politic power taken away: and so in deed no obedience.  
Others (as th'English papists) rack and stretch out obedience to much, and will needs have civil power obeyed in all things, and that what so ever it commandeth, without respect it ought and must be done. But both of them be in great errors. For thAnabaptists mistake christian liberty, thinking that men may live without sin, and forget the fall of man, whereby he was brought in to such misery, that he is no more able to rule himself by himself, than one beast is able to rule an other: and that therefore God ordained civil power (his ministre) to rule him, and to call him back, when so ever he should pass the limits of his duty, and would that an obedience should be given unto him.  
And the papists neither consider the degrees of powers, nor over what things civil power hath authority, ne yet how far subjects ought to obey their governors. And this they do not for lack of knowledge, but of a spiritual malice, because it maketh against their purpose, that the truth should be disclosed.  
If any christian prince should go about to redress the abuses of the Sacraments (brought in and devised by the papists to mainteme their kingdom) to correct their abominable life, their whoredom, buggery, drunkenness, pride, and such like vices: than is he an other Ozias, an other Osa, an heretic, aschismatike, cursed from top to too, with book, bell, and candle, as black as a potteside: no obedience of the subjects ought to be given unto him. But if he be contented to wink at their abominaciones, to run with them, to dishonour God, to commit idolatry, to kill the true ministers and confessors of Christ, to destroy the poor innocentes which abhor the papists wicked vices, and be desirous that God's kingdom should be promoted: than is he an other Ezechias, a josias, a catholic prince, a dear son of the church, the protector of the church, the defender of the faith, the fosterour of the church, a confessor while he liveth, after his death a saint (yea a saint devil) canonised with Ora pro nobis: when Beelzebub danceth at his Dirige.  
Such a one (say they) must be obeyed in all things, none may speak against his procedings, for he that resisteth the power, resisteth thordinance of God, and he that resisteth, purchaseth to himself damnation: as though to leave evil undone, and to do good, were to resist the power. And here also they wring this saying of S. Petre (Servants obey your masters, although they be froward and churlish) to free subjects under a king: as if bound men and free men were all one, and kings and bondemen lords had like authority. So with violent wring and false applying of God's health giving word, Caiphas and Herode ride cheek by cheek, and walk arm in arm, with both the swords and cross before them. Friend to the one, friend to both: and he that is an heretic with Caiphas, must be atraitour to Herode▪  
Thus they go about to blear men's eyes to con firm and increase their devilish kingdom. But popis he prelate's practices are no warrant to discharge a christian man's conscience. He must seek what God will have him do, and not what the subtlety and violence of wicked men will force him to do. He may not rob petre to cloth Paul, nor take from God his due to give it unto civil power: neither may he make confusion of the powers, but yield unto every one that is his due, nor yet obeying the inferiors commandment, leave the commandment of the highest undone. Yield unto Cesar, those things that be Cesares (sayeth Christ) and unto God, those things that be Gods. Civil power is a power and ordinance of God, appointed to certain things, but no general minister over all things. God hath not given it power over the one and the best part of man, that is, the soul and conscience of man, but only over the other and the worst part of man, that is, the body, and those things that belong unto this temporal life of man.  
And yet over that part with thappurtenances hath he not only not given man the hole power, and stripped himself quite of all th'authority, but also he hath reserved to himself the power thereof. For we read, that when civil power (his minister) hath been negligent in doing his duty, or winked at the evil life of the people, God hath not holden his hand, but hath whipped and plagued such people, as he did the Sodomites, Gomorrianes, and diverse times the jews.  
And in our days his hand is not shortened but he hath and daily doth plague blasphemers, whoremongers, drunkards, murtherours, thieves, traitors, tyrants, such as in man's sight no man durst or at the least would touch: some with incurable plagues of their body, some with loss of their children, some with loss of their goods, and some with shameful deaths.  
And contrary wise when the worldly powers have violently, tyrannously, over sharply, and wrongfully oppressed and condemned innocentes, God (to testify that he hath also power of the body) hath many times in all ages mightily and miraculously delivered his people from the power of tyrants: as the Israelites from Pharaoh, Mardocheus from A man, Susanna from the lecherous judges: Sedrach Mesach, and Abednego from the burning oven: Daniel from the lions den, Petre from Herode, and infinite other examples we have in scriptures and histories. And the like have not wanted in our days also, if we will advisedly consider the condition and state of our time. So that we see God to be the supreme power of the hole man, aswell to punish as to deliver at his own will.  
God is the highest power, yea the power of powers, from him is derived all power. All people be his servants made to serve and glorify him. All other powers are but his ministers, set to oversee that every one he have himself, as he ought toward God, and to do those things, that he is justly commanded to do, by God.  
●…hat so ever God commandeth man to do, he ought not to consider the matter, but strait to obey the commander. For we are sure, what he commandeth, is just and right: for from him that is all together just and right, no injustice nor wrong can come.  
So did Abraham, when contrary to that seemed to be right and just (yea contrary to God's general commandment) he made himself ready to kill and offer in sacrifice his only promised son Isaac, according to God's special commandment. So did also the children of Israel, contrary to the general commandment (Thou shalt not steal) rob and spoil the Egipcianes, by God's special commandment. And so did Phinees, who albeit he were no Magistrate, yet of a great zeal by the inward motion of God's spirit thrust his sword through those two whom he found committing whoredom,  
But contrary in m●…ānes commandments, men ought to consider the matter, and not the man. For all men what so ever ministry or vocation they exercise, are but men, and so may err. We see councils against concelles, parliaments against parliaments, commandment against commandment, this day one thing to morrow an other. It is not the man's warrant that can discharge thee, but it is the thing itself that must justify thee. It is the matter that will accuse thee, and defend thee: acquit thee, and condemn thee: when thou shalt come before the throne of the highest and everlasting power, where no temporal power will appear for thee, to make answer or to defend thee: but thou thyself must answer for thyself, and for what so ever thou hast done. And therefore christian men ought well to consider, and weigh●… men's commandments, before they be hasty to do them, to see if they be contrary or repugnant to God's commandments and justice: which if they be, they are cruel and evil, and ought not to be obeyed. We have this special commandment from God the highest power, oft repeated by the holy ghost. Forbear to do evil, and do that is good. S. Paul (the true teacher of obedience) teacheth, that civil power and princes be not ordained to be a terror to those that do well but to those that do evil, and will not that men should do what so ever the power commandeth, but sayeth, wilt thou not fear the power? do that is good, and thou shalt have praise of it: for it is the minister of God ordained for thy benefit, and not to thy destruction. But if thou do that is evil, than fear: for it carrieth not the sword in vain: for it is the minister of God, a revenger and execucionar, to punish him that shall do evil. And therefore it is ordained, that evil might be taken away. Men must be subject, not only for fear of punishment, but also for conscience sake. For not to obey the power, that defendeth the good and virtuous, and punisheth the evil and wicked, is deadly sin, And the self same also S. Petreteacheth. Wherefore the mark that all men ought to shoot at, is to do good, and in no wise to do evil, whoso ever commandeth it. If the ministers of the civil power command thee to honour and glorify God, as God willbe honoured, to defend (with thy person and goods) thy country against thenemies, to do such things as be for the wealth and benefit of thy country: thou art bounden to do it: for it is good, and God will have thee to do it. And if thou do it not, thou sinnest against God, and justly deservest the punishment not only of the power, but of everlasting damnation But if the ministers of the civil power command thee to dishonour God, to commit idolatry, to kill an innocent, to fight against thy country, to give or lend that thou hast, to such as mind the subversion and destruction of thy country, or to maintain them in their Wickedness, tkou oughtest not to do it, but to leave it undone: for it is evil, and God (the supreme and highest power) will not that thou shouldest do it. Thapostles in time of persecution did not only give us an example so to do, when the worldly powers would have had them to follow their procedings, but also left us a lesson so to do. God must be obeyed (say they) rather than men. And this lesson even from the beginning before it was written, was by the holy ghost printed in man's heart. When Pharaoh the ty ran commanded the midwives of the Egipcianes, to kill all the male children that should be borne of the Israelites wives: think ye, he did only command them? No without doubt. Ye may be sure, he commanded not only upon threatened pains, but also pro missed them largely: and perchance as largely as those do, that being desirous of children, procure the midwives to say, they be with child, when their belly is puffed up with the dropsy or molle, and having bleared the common people's eyes with processioning, Te deum singing, and bonfire banqueting, use all cere moneys and crying out, whilst an other birds egg is laid in the nest. But these good midwifes fearing God (the high power) who had commanded them, not to kill, would not obey this tyrant Pharaoes' commandment, but left it undone.  
When the joilye queen jesabel commanded, that the prophets of God should be destroyed, that none should be left to speak against her idols, but that all men should follow her procedings: did Abdias the chief officer to the king her husband say, your grace doth very well to rid the world of them for those that worship the true living God, cannot be but traitors to my sovereign lord and master the king your husband, and to your grace: and it is these heretics, that bewitch and conjure you, that your grace cannot be delivered of your child, nor sleep quietly in your bed: let me alone, I will find the means to despeche them all, only have your grace a good opinion of me, and think I am your own? No. Abdias (a man fearing God, and knowing this commandment to be a wicked woman's will) did clean contrary to her commandment, and hid and preserved an hundred of the prophets under the earth i●… caves. When the wicked king Saul commanded his howne household waiters and familiar servants to kill the priest Ahimelech and his children for hatred to David: did those his own nearest waiting servants s●…attre him forward, and say: your Majesty shall never be in safety and quiet so long as this traitor and his prating children (that are always in their sermons and books, meddling of the kings matters) be suffered to live? we willbe your true obedient servants, we will believe as the king believeth, we will do as the king biddeth us, according to our most bounden duty of allegiance, we shall soon ease your highness of this grief: other of your graces chaplains be more meet for that room than this hypocrite traitor? No. they used no such court cruelty, but considering God to be the supreme power, and seeing Ahimelech (by his answers) and his household to be guiltless of such matter in form and intent as (by Doeges accusation) Saul charged him with all, they refused to kill any of them, or ones tolaye violent hands upon them, but plainly and utterly (being yet the kings true servants and subjects) denied to obey the kings unlawful commandment. And when the same hypocrite Saul commanded his servants or soldiers to kill noble jonathas his son, who for necessity had taken a little honey to recover his strength contrary to the king his father's commandment: did they say, let us kill him as we be willed, so shall some of us be made the kings lieutenant, we shallbe an inch nearer to the succession, we shall have his lands, possessiones, goods and offices parted among us: let us not stick to do it. When he is out of the world, he can make no revenge, for dead men do no harm. No, no, clean contrary. They knew that innocent Abel's blood did cry to the lord, Vengeance, vengeance, vengeance. And that albeit Cain had a mark, that no man might lawfully kill him in this life, yet hangeth he now (as good writers say) in chains in hell. And therefore they would not obey the wicked and cruel tyrants commandment, but knowing that God will not have innocentes blood shed, but innocentes against tyrants defended, they took upon them the defence of the good son against the tyrannical hypocrite and unnatural father.  
julian th'emperor, albeit he were an Apostata from Christ, and a great persecutor of Christ's church, yet had he under him soldiers that professed Christ. When he commanded them to set forward to fight for the defence of the common wealth, they obeyed him, and did it willingly: but did they before they were commanded, seek for the Christian, and bring them to the one and twenty Commissionares, or to the bishops coalhouse? or when he willed and commanded them to destroy such as would not deny Christ, and follow his procedings, worshipping idols: did they bring them to the fire, and stand about, that they should not speak? and to see, that none should come near them, to comfort and streinghten them in their faith? or when they spoke, did they cleave their heads in pieces with their halbeardes, or stop their mouths with their bills? No, they confessed, that in that th'emperor of heaven thalmi ghtie God (and not th'emperor of the earth a wicked man, and a rebel against God) was their emperor and Captain: and therein they would not obey julian nor do that he commanded in that behalf. And this answer both S. Ambrose and S. Augustine, yea and the papists (although they themselves do not so) propound and set forth for a christian doctrine and a catholic example, how christian and good subjects should behave themselves toward wicked princes, and their wicked commandments: that is, in no wise to obey them, but to leave them undone. And as men ought not to obey their superiors, that shall command them to do any thing against God's word, or the laws of nature: so may they not do that they shall command them contrary to civil justice, or to the hurt of the hole state. Nei there will good princes attempt or go about any such thing: for it is the next way to bring them out of their seats, and to make them of kings no kings. How can that head live and continue, where the body is consumed and dissolved? And how can that body be lusty, where the sinews (the laws) are broken, and justice (the marry that should nourish it) utterly wasted and decayed?  
Antiochus the third, king of Syria wrote thus to all the cities of his dominion, that if he did con command any thing that should be contrary to the laws, they should not pass thereon, but that rather they should think, it was stolen or forged without his knowledge, considering that the prince or governor is nothing else but the minister of the laws. And this same saying of this most noble king seemed to be so just and reasonable, that it is taken for a come mon principle, how subjects should know, when they should do that they be commanded, and when they ought not.  
Likewise a bishop of Rome, called Alexander the third, wrote to an archbishop, to do a thing which seemed to the archbishop to be unreasonable and contrary to the laws, the pope perceiving that tharbishop was offended with his writing, and would not do that he required: desired him not to be off●…nded, but that if there were cause, why he thought he should not do that he required, he would advertise him, and he therewith would be satisfied.  
This is a pope's saying: which who is so hardy dardie to deny to be of less authority than a law? yea not fellow, but above God's word? Where upon this is a general rule, that the pope is not to be obeyed, but in lawful and honest things; And so by good Argument from the more to the less, that princes (being but foot stools and stirrup holder's to pope's) commanding their subjects that is not godly, not just, not lawful, or hurtful to their country, ought not to be obeyed, but withstanden. For the subjects ought not (against nature) to further their own destruction, but to seek their own salvation: not to maintain evil but to suppress evil: for not only the doers but also the consentours to evil, shallbe punished, say both Gods and man's laws. And men ought to have more respect to their country, than to their prince: to the common wealth, than to any one person. For the country and common wealth is a degree above the king. Next unto God men ought to love their country, and the hole common wealth before any member of it: as kings and princes (be they never so great) are but membres: and common wealths may stand well enough and floris he, albeit there be no kings, but contrary wise without a common wealth there can be no king. Common wealths and realms may live, when the head is cut of, and may put on a new head, that is, make them a new governor, when they see their old head seek to much his own will and not the wealth of the hole body, for the which he was only ordained. And by that justice and law, that lately hath been executed in England (if it may be called justice and law) it should appear, that the ministers of civil power do sometimes command that, that the subjects ought not to do.  
When the innocent Lady jane contrary to her will, yea by force, with tears dropping down her cheeks, suffered herself to be called Queen of England●…: yet ye see, because she consented to that which was not by civil justice lawful, she and her husband for company suffered the pains of Traitors, both headless buried in one pit.  
When the blessed man of God, Thomas Cranmer archbishop of Cantorbury did what he might to resist to subscribe to King Edward's will, whereby his two sisters, the ladies Mary and Elizabeth should have been wrongfully disherited: yet because he afterward (to content the kings mind and commandment, yea in deed to save the innocent king from the violence of most wicked traitorous tyrants) did subscribe unto it against his will: was it not laid unto him by the wicked judge Morgan (whom God not long after plagued with taking away his wits that was a fool before) that he ought not to do any thing unlaufull, by commandment of any power? And so he (an innocent) piked out among a great number of very evil doers (to satisfy the law) was condemned as a traitor before he suffered as a martyr. Were not the images and Roodeloftes in England destroyed by authority of civil power? And doth not Boner the Archbocher of london for all that force them that obeyed the authority (because he saith, it was not lawful) to make them up again at their own charges? But Boner, thou that allowest nothing to be well done (by what so ever authority it be done) except it be lawful, nor nothing to be lawful that is not agreeing to thy Canon laws: I have to say to thee▪ Stand still a while, whilst I rub the. Tell me plainly, and face not out a lie, as thou art wont: speak not one thing, and think an other, as thy nature is: once in thy life tell the truth, and shame thy master the devil. If thou were the son of the earth by thy father's side, and of an errant hoore by the mother, and so a bastard: by what authority sayest thou thy mass, when thy laws suffer no bastards to be priests without dispensation? how comest thou to be a bishop, when thy laws say, thou mayest be no priest? How be thy judgements lawful, when thou by thy Canon's mayest be no judge? All men know, that thy mother when thou wast begotten, was an whore.  
The common voice and fame saith, and the truth is, that albeit one Boner (a bare whip jacke) for lucre of money took upon him to be thy father, and than to marry thy mother, yet thou wast person Savages bastard: and of that race come thy Cousins Wimmeslowe thy archdeacon of london (a meet eye for such a gross head) and Wimslowe his brother, and a great meany more notable. These things be so evident and plain, that thou cannest not (without blushing) deny them: neither thou wilt (I know) deny them. For thou boastest and braggest much, that thou comest of gentle blood.  
But thou wilt say, thou hast a bull of dispensation from the pope. I require to know, what time it was granted. Thou sayest, when thou wast at Rome. It is even that I requiered. Thou wast in deed at Rome, proctor for the prince's dowager the queens mother, in the cause of divorce between King Henry the viii. and her.  
When thou sawest that no prebends, no Archediaconries, no bishoprics were to be gotten by continuing on her part, thou betraiedest her cause, and becamest of Counsel with the king. O noble counsellor. O severe and lawful judge.  
A meet man to sit in condemnation of so many innocentes: yea more meet to stand on the pillory, than in a pulpit: to be tied up in a boar frank, than walk in a prince's chamber: to wear 〈◊〉 Tyburn tippet, than a grey amice. But what if thou have no dispensation? What a murtherour art thou of true English men? What a tormentor of the people of God? How hast thou deceived the Earls of Oxeforde and Sussex, the Lord rich, the Maires and Sheriffs of London, and many other of the nobility, gentlemen, and Commons, forcing them to wash their hands in innocentes blood with thee? what consciences may they have through thee? How cannest thousalue their wounded souls? But thou wilt say, it maketh no matter. The clergy is fair rid of a great meany of enemies. A dead man can do no hurt. But be thou certain, thou wilt be dece●…ued. What so ever becometh of thy bocherly body I wish thy soul to be saved. Repent therefore in time: become Paul of Saul.  
When the prince of Sebech called Adonisebech cut of the hands and feet of seventy kings, and made them live by licking up the crumbs that fell Under his table, he thought those poor maimed men could do him no hurt: but God paid him home. For he himself had his hands and ●…ete cut of, and was forced to pike up crumbs under the table, as he had forced the other kings.  
King Abimelech caused his three score and ten brethren by the father side, to be all killed, because he might reign alone: he thought all was Cock, and so did they that holp him to execute so horrible an act. But what? did they escape? No. God suffered the devil to make discord between the king and his dear darlings, and first they were justly destroyed by their king, and after he himself having his head broken with a piece of a stone let fall out of a weak woman's hands, for shame willed his servant to kill him with a sword, that it should not be reported, a woman had killed him. King Achab and Queen jesabel thought none should revenge poor Nabothes death: but contrary to their expectation, by God's justice, dogs slossed and licked up the blood of them both. Queen Athalia thought herself sure when she had killed all the kings progeny, but God served her with the like sauce: she reigned not long, but she was killed. All the misery and mischief in the Realm of Naples came by a woman, called Queen joane (a woman of muckle lust) who after she had been a while married to a noble gentleman, and waxed weary of his work, caused him to be hanged out of an open gallery in the top of the house (because noman should see him) and not after the poor thieves manner with an halter of hemp, but with a rope of gold Wrought with her own and her sister's Madam Mari malecasta her own fingers. She triumpheth for a while, and after besides an unspeakable number of privy marriages she made four by day in a little space, but at length God plagueth her, and she was hanged in that place, where she before hanged her husband.  
When those that conspired the death of the two brethren, the Admiral and the Protector hade brought it to pass, so as they might rob the king, and spoil the Realm at their pleasure: did they at length escape scot-free? No▪ Some of them by the just judgement of God were plagued with the like punishment, with the same axe, upon the self same block and in the same place. And the rest hereafter are not unlike without repentance (which they show not) to receive their rewards, either in themselves or their posterity. O wonderful works, O just judgement of God, that hat●…th those that do evil, and destroyeth those that work mischief: that abhorreth blood thirsty people, and those that have double hearts and triple tongues.  
But Boner, I may not leave thee thus. give me leave (Savage Boner) to dispute this matter of lawful and not lawful, a little more with thee. If thou and the rest of the traitors thy Companiones should persuade the frendeles Queen of England (whom ye have enchanted) to give over the town of Calese and Barwike to a strange prince, and (contrary to her oath not to diminish any part of the rights of the Crown and liberties of the people, which kings of England at their Coronation in times past made, and which she also made to her subjects, When she was crowned before she was a per●…it Queen) she followed your counsel, and some noble parsonage sent thither to deliver the keys, and the deputy and garrison did not strike of the messagiers' head, and set it on the gates, but obeyed it, and not resisted it: were not thou and thy fellows traitors for ꝑsuading her so do? hade not she broken her oath and promise? were not that tourney a traitor for doing that he was commanded? Were not the deputy and garrison traitors for suffering it to be done? Answer. What cannest thou say for thyself and thy follows? Guilty, or not guilty? Thou standest mewet, What not a word? Thou art sure, your good will, will stand you in as good stead, as the deed done. Neither do ye pass, though the crows be fed with your carrion carcases, and the devil with your souls, so ye may leave behind you a fame, that by your traytourie, the laity of England was destroyed, and the spirituality restored to their pomp and lordly power.  
But before the halter stop thy wind, Boner, let us know, what thou canst say for her. Sayest thou, princes be not bounden by their oaths and promises? enough. ●…hat for the rest? let them remember that not long ago their neighbour Monsieur vervain, Captain of Boulogne was punished as a traitor, for that by necessity and extremity of force he rendered up Boulogne to king Henry th'eight and did not die in the defence of it: But thou wilt say, he did it without commandment of his m●…ister: and these shall do it by commandment of their masters. But what if the commandment be not lawful? dost thou not say thyself, it is not to be obeyed? Thou sayest to others, that none may do that is not lawful for any commandment. But thou wilt say: it is the Queens own, and she may lawfully do with her own what she lusteth. What if it be denied to be her own? But thou wilt say: she hath the crown by inheritance, and may dispose of the realm, and every part of the Realm, as pleaseth her. But I answer: that albeit she have it by inheritance, yet she hath it with an oath, law and condition to keep and main tene it, not to depart with it or diminish it. If she have no more right to the Realm than her father had, and her father as much as ever any king of England: what needed he to require the consent of the Nobility and commons (by parliament) to give the Crown to his daughter or any other?  
But thou will say, it was more than needed: for without consent of the parliament, he might do with the Realm and everipte thereof, what it pleased him. Take heed what thou sayest. If that be true, that king Henry might do with it without consent of the parliament: how is the Ladi mari Queen? Why might not King Edward his some (a prince borne in lawful matrimony, and right heir to the Crown) bequeath the Crown where he would, and as he did? Take heed what thou dost. If the king and Queen give thee a thousand pardons, yet shalt thou be foun de a rank Traitor to the Realm of England. For albeit the king or Queen of a rea●…me have the Crown never 〈◊〉 justly, yet may they not dispose of the Crown or realm, as it pleaseth them. They have the Crown to minister justice, but the Realm being a body of free men and not of bondmen, he nor she can not give or sell them as slaves and bondmen. No, they can not give or sell away the holds and forts (as Calese and Barwike, or such like) without the consent of the Commons: for it was purchased with their blood and money. Yea and thine own pope's laws (whereby thou measurest all things to be lawful or not lawful) say, that if a king or governor of any realm go about to diminish the regalities and rights of his crown, he ought to be deposed. Thus did Pope Honorius the third command th'archbishop of Collossa and his suffragans to deprive a king of Vngarie, which went about to waste, sell and give away the Regalities and rights of his crown, o●…les in time he ceased and called back that he had done. It is so plain, thou canst not deny it. But I see, Boner, I have chafed thee to much: thy cheeks blush and swell for very anger. M. D. Cheadsei, M. D. Pendleton, M. Cousins, or some of you Chaplains, get my lord a cup of seek, to con fort his spirits My lord and I agree almost like bells: we jar somewhat but not much, his lordship meaneth that men ought to be always but not at all times honest. But I say, they must be honest always and at all times. His lordship would fain have a placard or proviso for him and his, that they might sometimes (that is from the beginning to th'end of the week) play their parts. But isaiah, albeit his lordship have such a privilege, yet may no honest man at any time do that is not honest, just, and lawful, by kaisers, kings, Queens no, neither his commandment. For if those things which only in men's opiniones seem to be unlawful may by no authority be done, and those that do them, be no less to be punished, than if they had done them without authority: how much less may such things by any commandment be committed, that are in deed unlawful: but shallbe punished according to the deserts, by what so ever power or authority they be executed? Men therefore ought to take heed, that by going about to come out of the smoke, they fall not in to the fire: and by pleasing of men, they run not in to the displeasure of God. If men's ordinances and laws, or the governors authority and commandment were a sufficient discharge for men to do what so ever were prescribed or commanded unto them, tell me (I beseech thee) why did Esaias the Prop het suffer rather to be sawed in pieces, than to follow the procedings of Manasses? why did Daniel not follow king Darius and his counsels commandment, forbearing to worship the true God: but was content to be cast to the lions? why did not the three children, Sadrach, Mesach, and Abednego obey Nabuchadnesar in worshipping the golden idol, and so avoid the hot burning furnace? why did Eleazarus submit himself to death, and not dissemble? why did he not eat his own meat, and abstain from pork flesh, that the king commanded the jews to eat contrary to the laws, and say that he had eaten it, as his old trusty friends of the court counseled him? why did he not sue for a bull or pardon of Antiochus, that he might use his own religion, as our En glishe halting gospelers do of the pope, confessing his autoriti, which is the thing that he only passeth upon: and ●…areth not how many souls be led to the devil? why did not the seven brethren and their mother obey the kings commandment, and save their lives and goods, as thancient Catharistes. and new puri stes do, saying: all things be pure to the pure, and no Idolatry nor filthiness can infect him that is pure and clean? Or why did they not say, as the Priscianistes and Papists did in time past, and as the merchants Hill and Petresonne with their double tongued train and dissembling sect at this present say, that it is lawful (and no sin) to say one thing and mean another? to lie with the lips, so they have the truth in the heart? to deny God in words and works, so they confess him in thought and mind? to dance with the devil all day, and lodge with Christ at night? why did Paul suffer so many imprisonments, so much beating, scourgeing and tormenting? And why at length did he not save his life, and follow Kaiser Nero's commandment? why did not the Prophets, th'apostles, and so many thousauntes of martyrs follow the wicked tyrants commandments and procedings, but resisted them, and with their blood testi●…ied, that they allowed them not? But all these holy men's doings in confessing and obeying the highest power God, and not thinferior powers in wicked and evil things, are commended and left by the holy ghost to us in holischrift to follow and do the like. If men's laws and commandments were a sufficient warrant to men, to do what so everis commanded them: tell me (I pray thee) to what purpose is suffrig of persecution so oft repeated, so earnestly taught, so highly come mended in scripture? Christ saith: He that taketh not up his cross and followeth me, is not meet for me. And again: blessed be those that suffer persecution for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bless sed are ye, when men shall curse you, and persecute you, and speak all evil against you, lying for my sake: be glad and rejoice, for your reward is pleintifull in heaven. So did they persecute the prophets that were before you. And th'apostle saith: All that will live godly in Christ jesus, shall suffer persecution. And so in a great number of places of scriptures.  
By such persecution can not be meant the injuries that private man doth to private man: for God hath ordained a mean, that is, the magistrate to redress them. But by persecution is meant the Injuries and tyranny that the Magistrates and governors exercise over God's people. For they not contented to let a christian man have justice in civil things against a papist, nor an honest man against such a one as favoureth their procedings, do themselves spoil the Christian and honest of their goods: and not only spoil them, but by all manner of force, violence, and s●…ares seek their life and blood, not only in their own country, but where they have non authority, because they will not obey their commandments, and follow their wicked procedings.  
God will have his tried by persecution, that the world may see, who love the chief power, more than the inferior powers: his commandments, more than men's fond procedings: the soul, more than the flesh: the sure and everlasting inheritance of heaven, more than the uncertain and temporal possessiones of this world. Yea he hath none other way to let the difference appear to men's eyes between his servants and princes Parasites, than only by persecution. Papists, Turks, jews, gentiles can dissemble, they can seem to fast, to praie●…, to give alniose, to build monasteries, and chantries, and to do notwarde works gay to the eye, because they would be accounted holy of men, but to refuse to do that is evil for justice sake, to be slandered, spoken evil of, whipped, scourged, spoiled of their goods, killed of the worldly princes and tyrants, rather than they would disobey God, and forsake Christ: this can neither papists nor Turks, jews nor gentiles, nor non other do, but only thelects of God. And yet God doth not so severely require of his people, that they should straight offer themselves to the prince's slaughter-house, their necks to the halter, their heads to the block, their blood to make princes puddings, their entrails to make tripes, their quarters to be boiled or roasted: but he hath left them a special rule and commandment, whereby to guide themselves, that is, in all things to seek furst the kingdom of God. If he that is persecuted, feel in his conscience, that he may do God greater service and glory by suffering than by fleeing, he ought rather to suffer a thousand deaths, than to flee one foot. But if his conscience witness with him that he may do God greater glory by flying than by tarrying, he ought not to tempt God with tarrying, but is bounden by commandment to depart. If they persecute you in one city (saith Christ) fly in to an other. And he did not only teach it, but did it himself, for saking jewrie, and going into Galilee, when he heard john Baptist was laid by the heel's, because the time was not yet come, wherein he was appointed to glorify God. And because God would have a refuge place, and sanctuary for his, when such tyranny and persecution should be exerciced, he would never suffer the power and ambitious tyrants, to make one perfit Monarchy of all, but when they had done their best to bring all together, and the string hade been almost in the nick of the bow (as the proverb is) it hath suddenly slipped, and not only destroyed the doer, but it hath fallen in to a great meany more shivers than ever it was before. Thus God dallieth and playeth with his puppets the princelinges of this world.  
wherefore sense we be God's people and servants, and he our lord and the highest power: and the princes of the world be but his ministers and inferior powers, ordained to do good and not evil: we ought to seek chief to do God's commandments before all men's, to please God rather than men. For the princes (do they the worst they can) can but take from men their goods and lives: but God can take from us both goods and body, and cast both body and soul in to hell. And yet should not they be able to work their will in this world, nor execute their malice, if men would behave themselves toward their lord and master God, as they ought. For as be can, so would he soon despeche the world of tyrants. But because many be open enemies of God, and many dissemblers with God, God sendeth and suffereth evil governors (and will send worse) to plague the people for their iniquity, and to try the faith of his elect, from whom not one hear of the head can be taken without Gods wil And therefore seeking always to do that is good, they should always eschew to do that is evil, and commit th'end to God.  
But admit there be a great number that have drunken of the hoore of Babylon's cup, and think, that there is neither heaven nor hell, and that God's word is but friars matters: and that therefore (like Sardanapalus) they should seek to eat and drink, and serve their lusts, and nothing else: yet were this no sure way for them to do that they would, if they should obey their princes in what so ever they commanded.  
The nature of wicked Princes is much like to the mould warpes, which if they be suffered to have their snowtes in the ground, and be not forthwith letted, will suddenly have in all the body: or to the weselles, that conveyeth in his hole body, where he hath once gotten in his head. So they if they be obeyed in any evil thing (be it never so little) willbe obeyed in all at length. What letteth but that they may not only send for men's goods, but for their heads also, as the Turk doth to his best Bassa, and all his subjects when it pleaseth him? Why may not they send for their subjects children, cause them to be killed, baked, and give it to their parents in stead of other meat: and for a second course bring in to them, the heads, feet, and hands, as king Astyages did to Harpagus? All the papir of England would not serve to set our the mischiefs, that might follow, when princes evil commandments should be obeyed and fulfilled. But men that be wise, may by a little, consider the hole.  
Seeing therefore that God will not princes commandments should be obeyed in all things, but will have his rather suffer a thousand deaths, than do any thing that is evil: and sense also so many evils and mischiefs may follow in this life, where wicked princes wills may stand for laws, men ought both for God's sake and commandment abstain to obey such commandments, and cleave unto this Maxim: we must obey God rather than man, for whose sake if we lose both goods and life, we ought to rejoice, that we be called to serve him, and not doubt, but as he is able to recompense it, so will he (according to his promise) reward it. And besides also they ought to consider, that princes be ordained for the wealth and benefit of the people, and not to their destruction: to maintain common wealths, and not to subvert them: which rather than any man should consent unto, he ought (being a faithful man to his country) to abide all losses, both of body and goods. For next after God, men be borne to love, honour, and maintain their country.   

WHETHER ALL THE Svbiectes' goods be the Kaysers and kings own, and that they may lawfully take them as their own?  
THE anabaptists wresting scripture to serve their madness, among other foul errors, have this: that all things ought to be common, they image man to be of that purity that he was before the fall, that is, clean without sin, or that (if he will) he may so be: and that as when there was no sin, all things were common, so they ought now to be.  
But this mingling of the st●…te of man before the fall, and of him after the fall much deceiveth them. For by the fall, and ever after the fall, this corruptible flesh of man is clogged with sin, and shall never be rid of sin, as long as it is in this corrupt world, but shallbe always disposed and prone to do that is evil. And therefore as one means to be the rather uncumbered of the heap of sin, God ordained that man should get his living by the sweat of his brows: and that he should be the more forced to labour, the di stinction of things and property (mine, and thine) was (contrary to plato's opinion) ordained, as appeareth by these two laws: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shall not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his s●…ruaūt, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his Ass, nor any thing that is his. afterward in deed scripture speaketh of communion of things, not that they ought so to be (for so scripture should be directly against scripture) but that there was such charity among the people, that of their own free will, they gave and sold all they had, to relieve the misery of their poor brethren: who for impotency, or for multitude of children, were not with their labour able to get sufficient to relieve their necessity. Nor of this so given might every man take as much as him lusted, but to every one (according to his necessity) sufficient was distributed. So that it stood in the liberality of the giver, and not in the liberty of the taker.  
But there be some in these days, not of the meanest or poorest sort, but of the chiefest and richest: that is, many wicked governors and rulers, who in this error excel the common anabaptists. For the common anabaptists do not only take other men's goods as common, but are content to let their own also be common, which hath some smack of Charity: for they themselves do none other, but that they themselves are content to suffer.  
But the evil governors and rulers will have all that their subjects have, common to themselves, but they themselves will depart with nothing, but where they ought not: no, not so much as pay for those things, that in words they pretend to buy of their subjects, nor pay those poor men their wages, whom they force to labour and toil in their works. But the manner of coming thereby is so diverse, that it maketh the iustenesse of their doings much suspected. For some do it under pretence to do the people good: some by crafty and subtle means, colour their doings: and some of right (but without right) claim them for their own.  
Of the furst sort be those, that put great taxes and imposiciones on drink for forasmuch as the people with overmuch drinking become drunkards (and so sin against God) they would seem by making them pay asmuch or more to them as the drink is worth, they should force them the rather to abstain from overmuch drinking, and so from sin. But in this it may appear, they seek not abstinence fronsynne, and the wealth of the people, but their owneprivate pro fit. For if they had their eye to God's glory and the benefit of the people, and the vice to be taken clean away: they would not crop of the branches of the tree, and let the root grow, but they would root up the root that it should no more grow. And some of this sort do it to this end, to make things better chea pe. For (think they) if there were but little money, than must things be sold better cheap. As though it lay in them to make pleyntie and scarcity, and as though th'one were not the bounteous benefit of God sentto them that fear and love him: and the other his plague justly powered on them that hate him.  
This kind of practice Was, if not first found, yet used by Emperor julian thapostata, a tyrant and persecutor of the Christianes' (as before you have heard) who being a subtle man, and not having his Counsellors, sold yours and subjects (at his devotion) ready to kill whom he would of the Christianes' (whom he knew for no private cause would rebel) meant by policy to murder them, spoiling them of that they had, and so not leaving them wherewith to buy to relieve their necessity. saith this enemy of God: I will use you after your Christ's gospel. For it saith: blessen be ye pcore, for yours is the kingdom of God. And therefore I take from you all that ye have presently, that ye may the sooner come by that is promised you. Doubtless if this way were as good and beneficial for the agentes and doers of it, as it may be profitable for the subjects and sufferers: no doubt it were to be desired that it were done out of hand, rather than one minute of an hour differred to be done. For the people from the less to the more, from top to too, all be given to covetousness, scraping, snatching and catching.  
And from Pope to the hedge massemonging priest, all be given to subtlety, craft, lying, traiterourie, and false dealing. Their heart is so on their halfpenny, that neither they considre their duty to God (no they know him not) nor remember how much they are bounden to their country: but upon a vain hope to save their own, are content either them selves to betray their country, or to suffer it to be betrayed of others, and one of them devoureth and eateth up an other, that for a little while he may the more live after his own lust: Where contrary wise, poverty maketh men to remember, seek, and call on God, to love and defend their country, one to love an other like brethren, and finally deviseth and worketh what so ever good is. But none may pill or polle, rob or spoil, or do any mischief (saith th'apostle) that good may thereof follow: and specially kings and governors of people, whom because they be ordained to do good, and should do nothing but well, Christ called Benefactors and not Malefactors. If they do it, whilst they pretend (but mean it not) to bring others to heaven, they may be sure to bring themselves to hell.  
The second sort be those that rob the people in deed, yet would not have their doings known. They walk in nets, and think no man doth see them. And of this kind be those, that contrary to all laws (both of God and man) and contrary to their oath, countrefaicte the coin that is ordained to run between man and man, turning the substa●…ce from gold to copper, from silver to worse than pewter, and advancing and diminishig the price at their pleasure. For in coins all laws command and equity will, that these four things be observed and straightly kept. First, the pureness of the matter, that it be not corrupted or countrefaicted. second, that it have the just weight. Thirdly, that it be not clipped. The last, that it be not at the princes will sometime priced at a more value, and sometime at a less: For if a prince might do herein even what him lusted: how might he not lightly spoil his subjects of all that they have, or could come by▪ Which thing the great devil and cut throat of England (the papists God) in his Sermon that he made at Paul's cross, upon this Theme (now is is the time to wake from sleep, my brethren, for now is our joy and pomp more nigh, than when we before dissembled to believe in Christ. Be of good cheer, my disciples, our trouble is past, our joy i●… at hand) letted not to blustre out. In this Sermon to bring the dead innocent and blessed king Edward (whom for his virtue he hated) in hatred of the people: for he imputed to him (a child and a ward) the lewd and wicked behaviour of his cruel Counsellors, and said, he marveled that the people could suffer so great injury, to be rob of their prince, by altering the coin from gold to copper, and sil ver to lead, and to pull it from twelve pence to six pence, and not rise against the king to redress their injury. He saw, that this and such like injuries were not tolerable in a prince, and would have had the people do that against him (whom he for his virtue hated) which neither for this nor any vice he woldet have done, where as he seemed to favour. For at the be beginning to maintain Boulogne wars, which he devi de, to pull king Henry's mind from matters of religion, or (as afterward good likely hood appeared) to have him taken in the wars, and carried to the bishop of Rome: the same devil Gardyner was than the chief Counsaillour to have the money abased, to maintain the same. And now lately (when he hath broken his chain) devised Rose marry pence, worse than ever any coin was before, as th'experience showeth, they being at length cried to be nothing.  
The third sort of these evil princes be those, that clai me all their subjects good for their own, who allege for them this common saying: All things be the kaisers, all things be the kings, all things be the Princes. And as the devil brought fur the scripture so serve his purpose against Christ, so they abhorring all other parts of scripture, that teach them their office or Christian duty, pike out only a piece that may maintain their tyranny. It is thus written, say they in the first book of kings. This shallbe the right or law of the king that shall rule over you: he will take your sons, and put them to his charettes, and make his horsemen of them, and they must run before his chariot, and will make him Captains of them, over thousauntes and over fifties, and will set them to air his ground, and gather in his harvest, and to make instruments of war and carts. And of your daughters he will make him ointment makers, his cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields and of your olive trees, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vines, and give it to his lords and to his servants. And he will take the best of your men servants, and women servants, and yongm●…, and of your asses, and do his work with them. And he will take the tenth of your sheep, and ye shallbe his servants. But when ye shall cry out at that time upon your king, which ye shall have chosen you, the lord will not hear you at that day,  
This piece of scripture is their clock: but it serveth no more a kings wicked doings, than that of the wicked sons of Eli, and the sacrisicers (whom men call priests) to take out of men's pots, what piece them lusted, or to take their portion raw, contrary to God's ordinance. For as in th'one place it is called the right or law of the king: so is it in the other place called the right or law of the priests. But in neither of these places it is called the law or right that God appoited to kings or priests, which he set out in other places, but such is they would usurp over the people. Nother will this maintain the purpose, that here he speaketh of a king and not of a tyrant, for at the first a kings name was as odious, and as much abhorred, as a tyrants. But this was spoken of the prophet Samuel to fear the people, that they should not go about to alter the order and policy that God had ordained: which if they did, they should feel what a plague it were to have a king given in God's fury. And if they had only sought to be ruled by one (as partly in this, that one alone ruleth, a king do the differ from other governors) they would have been content with Samuel alone, who as he was appointed by God to rule alone over the Israelites, so did he exercite and use his office most uprightly: but they would needs have a galaunt and pompous king, one that should ride out with his trumpets before him, a great trope of horsemen before and behind him, his guard all together in silk with their halbeardes about him, and every one to fall flat to the ground that should meet him, as the Gentiles hade, who were in deed tyrants, as appeareth by the first called Nemrod, who for his rebellion against God, and devourig of God's people, was called the stout huntour before or against God. And in the same kingdom of the Israelites God showed by an evident terror to all governors, that he did not allow such right, as the prophet said, the king would use over his subjects. For when king Achab would have bought of his subject Naboth his vineyorde (which he needed not to have done, if the subjects goods be the kings) and he refused to sell it, as he might do, for by God's law he had a property therein, from which without his will and consent, he could not be forced to depart, the king fretted so much because he could not have his will, that he fell sick in his bed, and would not eat. His wife Dame jesabel, a woman full of malice and mischief (as that kind is very ●…pte and prone to those virtues, and within short space do so therein excel, as few men can in long time match them) taketh the matter in hand. What (sayeth she) be you a meet man to be a king over Israel, that will suffer such dishonour at your slaves hands, one that by your ancient prerogative which hath continued thes hundred and three score years, yea from the first king of Israel) ye may use in body and goods, as pleaseth you? Phy for shame, pull your courage to you, arise, eat your meat, be merry, I warrant you the vineorde. Out goeth a Commission in the kings name, to certain Commissionares where Naboth dwelled, such as the queens grace was sure, favoured her procedings. Those she requireth to cause Naboth to be indicted and con demned for an heretic and a traitor: and so to cause him to be stoned to death. Her will is forthwith satisfied, matter enough against Naboth prisoner at the Bar, because she would so have it: no man might be admitted nor durst speak the truth in the prisoners cause, lest they had been clapped fast and trussed up also for speaking against the king and Queen: no quest durst quite him, for fear of kissing the fleet: no laws, no equity, no justice might defend the poor innocent. So the vineiorde is the kings by the order of law. Those news be carried in post to jesable, she showeth them to her husband, wherewith he (as soon as he heard them) was recovered, and goeth to take possession of the vineiorde. But what followeth this cruelty and tyranny? Are not both the kings Majesty and the queens highness within while after killed, and their blood licked up of dogs, according as the Prophet declared to high in the vineyorde, when he took possession of it? and all his house so destroyed, that there was not left thereof so much as a dog to piss against the wall? Thus ye may see th'end of lusty lords and ladies that will have their lusts a law, and their will to be followed and obeyed of their subjects as a right in deed. The true right and prerogative of a king was written in a particular book by the Prophet Samuel, and laid up by the Ark, which book (among many other) was lost, yet who so lusteth to know it, may see it set out by God in the book of Deu teronomie. After that God had prescribed who should be their king, that is, no alien or stranger, but one of their own brethren: for naturally strangers do not favour strangers. And a strange prince seeketh by all means to destroy the natural inborn, that he may with quietness and surety enjoy and use that he cometh evil by, and so leave it to his succession: than is set forth the right and prerogative of a king thus. When your king is made, he shall not keep many horses, nor putting his trust in his horsemen, he shall not bring the people again into Egipte. He shall not have many wives, lest they alter his mind from God: neither yet great treasure of silver and gold. But when he is set in his throne, he shall cause a copy of these laws and statutes to be written out of thoriginal remaining with the Levites, and the same he shall have with him all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the lord his God, and to keep (not to break) all the words and ceremonies that be commanded in the law, and also to fulfil them in his doings: And he shall not be proud and haut over his brethren, neither shall he serve from the law toward the right hand or lift hand, that he and his children may long reign over Israel. But besides this law appointed for all kings, he that willbe accounted a christian king or governor, must remember, that he is a christian man, and that by being made a king, he is not exempt from the laws and duty of a christian man, which every one professeth in Baptism: but as he is called and exalted above the rest of his brethren, so should he be an example to them of good living and virtue, in observing the law, which saith aswell to kings as to beggars: Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbours: and so it stablisheth and confirmeth, that every one may justly keep that is his own, and none may take it from him by any mean against his will, be it king or keyser.  
And by the doings of Samuel, who albeit he were not a king in name, yet had he (being the lieutenant and viceroy to God the chief king) as great authority as any king in the earth: it may appear, that all things of the subjects be not the kings own proper. For if they had been his own, what needed Samuel (at the surrendre of his office) to offer to make an account? And to whom, I pray you? To any bribing Auditor? No, he offered to make it to God, and to the king that succeeded him. Behold (saith the) I have done all that ye desired me. I have made you a king to rule you. My children yet shall be with you. But I am old, and hoar headed: that is, I can not long comti nue. I have been among you from a child to this day. Lo, I am ready to make mine account before God and your king, for all things that can be laid to me by any of you. whose bullock have i taken? whose ass have I had? to whom have I done any violence or wrong? whom have I oppressed? of whom have I taken any bribes, to maintain him in his wickedness, to wink at his faults, or to stop justice? let him come forth, and I will make satisfaction. And none of them could say, black was his eye.  
No, saith Samuel, I take God and your king to witness against you: I am so net, that ye shall not find one jot in my fingers, but I am able to lay enough against you wicked people, etc.  
O Samuel, Samuel, what king or prince can say to thee, as thou didst to the Israelites? They look not to make an account: no, they have counsel of crafty Alcibiades, how they may make non account.  
But they can not escape it, they shall meet with an other manner of auditor, than any of Mousire Cinquebonets apprentices: they shall reckon before him, that hath all their doings truly totted and fair engrossed all ready before hand, and where he shall in the day of his general Audit, say to Samuel and all true governors that rule according to God's rule: well far ye, ye good and faithful servants, Come, enter in to your masters joy: He shall contrary wise commit these oppressors and tyrants not to the lieutenant of the tower, or to the warden of the Flete, but unto the jailor of gehenna (to be chained in the ward of eternal pain) and say: Away with these of mi people to the dogs of hell, ye were masters, and not ministers? ye were bear baitours, and not bailiffs, ye were stroyes, and no stewards,  
But let us imagine an untruth, that all the subjects goods were the princes, and that he might take them at his pleasure. Let us imagine, that the subjects were only carnal men without the knowledge and fear of God. Yea and let it be granted also, that they were spoiled of all their armour, and great garisones set in every place to keep them in obeisance, so that they had not wherewith to redress their injuries, as nature would counsel them: were this a way to make the people labour, when others should take the bread out of their mouth? Would they desire to live, to be in such misery themselves? Would they desire to increase the world with children, when they knew that they should be left in worse case, than unreasonable beasts? No surely, and that ye may see by the work of nature in the people of the West Indies, now called new Spain: Who knew of Christ nothing at all, and of God no more than nature taught them. The people of that country when the catholic Spaniards came thither, were simple and plain men, and lived without great labour, the land was naturally so pleintiful of all things, and continually the trees hade ripe fruit on them. When the Spaniards had by flattery put in their foot, and by little and little made themselves stung, building forts in diverse places, they to get the gold that was there, forced the people (that were not used to labour) to stand all the day in the hot sun gathering gold in the sand of the rivers. By this means a great number of them (not used to such pains) died, and a great number of them (seeing themselves brought from so quiet a life to such misery and slavery) of desperation killed themselves. And many would not marry, because they would not have their children slaves to the Spaniards. The women when they felt themself with child, would eat a certain herb to destroy the child in the womb. So that where at the coming thither of the Spaniards, there were accounted to be in that country nine hundred thousand persons, there were in short time by this means so sew left, as Petre martyr (who was one of th'emperor Charles the fifth's counsel there, and wrote this history to th'emperor) saith, it was a shame for him to name.  
This is the fruit, where Princes take all their subjects things as their own. And whereunto at leingh●… will it come, but that either they must be no kings, or else kings without people, which is all one. But thou wilt say: whereof cometh this common saying: all things be the kaisers, all things be the kings? It can not come of noth●…g. But by that that is all ready said, ye see that every man may keep his own, and none may take it from him, so that it can not be interpreted, that all things be the kaisers or kings, as his own proper, or that they may take them from their subjects at their pleasure, but thus it is to be expounded, that they ought to defend, that every man hath, that he may quietly enjoy his own, and to see that they be not rob or spoiled thereof. For as 〈◊〉 a great man's house, all things be said to be the stewards, because it is committed to his charge, to see that every man in the house behave himself honestly, and do his duty, to see that all things be well kept and preserved and may take nothing away from any man, nor misspend or waste, and of his doings he must render account to his lord for all: so in a Realm or other dominion, the realm and country are Gods, he is the lord, the people are his servants, and the king or governor is but God's minister or steward, ordained not to misuse the servants, that is, the people, neither to spoil them of that they have, but to see the people do their duty to their lord God, that the goods of this world be not abused but spent to Goods glory, to the maintenance and defence of the common wealth, and not to the destruction of it. The princes watch aught to defend the poor man's house, his labour the sub iectes ease, his diligence the subjects pleasure, his trouble the subiecttes quietness. And as the sunue never standeth still but continually goeth about the world, doing his office: with his heat refreshing and comfortig all natural things in the world: so ought a good prince to be continually occupied in his ministery, not seeking his own profit, but the wealth of those that be committed to his charge. And therefore Saleuchus king of Syria used to say: if men knew, how much business and how little quietness it were to do the duty of a king, none would take upon him that office, if he might have the crown for taking it up out of the mire. And Antiochus the great king also of Syria, when he was driven out of his country by Scipio the Captain of the Romans, and had lost all Asia, and the countries about: he thanked the Romans, that by their mean he was delivered of so great a part of his cares. He saw it was so impossible for one man (were he never so diligent and watching) to execute well so great a charge.  
If these two great kings (who knew not God, but thought themselves Goddess: that hoped not on everlasting life, but thought there was none other but this life: those that thought they could not be forced to make account of their doings to any person) thought it so great a charge to have a rule over countries: how much more should such Princes, as pretend to be Christian, that know themselves mortal men, no Gods: servants, no masters: and who must (because God hath said it shallbe so) make account for all their doings, for all souls, men, women, and children: think their office and ministery an heavy burden, and so give over seeking and hunting after their own glory, their pomp, their pride: and seek the glory of God and the wealth (and not the destruction) of those that be committed to their charge, and tremble at this saying of Chrisostome: I marvel that any governor can be saved, Which is not spoken in vain.   

WETHER IT BE lawful to depose an evil governor, and kill a tyrant.  
AS there is no better nor happier common wealth nor no greater blessing of God, than where one ruleth, if he be a good, just and godly man: so is there none worse nor none more miserable, nor greater plague of God, than where one ruleth, that is evil, unjust and ungodly▪ A good man knowing that he or those by whom he claimeth was to such office called for his virtue, to see the hole state well governed, and the people defended from injuries: neclecteth utterly his own pleasure and profit, and bestoweth all his study and labour to see his office well discharged. And as a good physician earnestly seeketh the health of his patient and a shipmaster the wealth and safeguard of those he hath in his ship, so doth a good governor seek the wealth of those he ruleth. And therefore the people feeling the benefit coming by good governors, used in time past to call such good governors, fathers: and gave them no less honour, than children own to their parents. An evil person coming to the government of any state, either by usurpation, or by election or by succession, utterly neglectig the cause why kings, princes and other governors in common wealths be made (that is, the wealth of the people) seeketh onli or chief his own profit and pleasure. And as a sow coming in to a fair gardin, roteth up all the fair and sweat flowers and wholesome simples, leaving nothing behind, but her own filthy dirt: so doth an evil governor subvert the laws and ordres, or maketh them to be wrenched or racked to serve his affectiones, that they can no longer do their office. He spoileth the people of their goods, either by open violence, making his ministers to take it from them without payment therefore, or promising and never paying: or craftily under the name of loans, benevolences, contribuciones, and such like gay painted words, or for fear he getteth out of their possession that they have, and never restoreth it. And when he hath it, consumeth it, not to the benefit and profit of the common wealth, but on whores, whoremongers, dicing, carding, banqueting, unjust wars, and such like evils and mischiefs, wherein he delighteth. He spoileth and taketh away from them their armour and harness, that they shall not be able to use any force to defend their right. And not contented to have brought them in to such misery (to be sure of his sta te) seeketh and taketh all occasiones to despeche them of their lives. If a man keep his house, and meddle in nothing, than shall it be said, that he fretteth at the state. If he come abroad and speak to any other, further with it is taken for a just conspicacie. If he say nothing, and show a merry countenance, it i●… a token, that he despiseth the government. If he look sorrowfully, than he lamenteth the state of his country. how many so ever be for any cause committed to prison, are not only asked, but be racked also to show whether he be privy of their doings. If he depart, because he would live quietly, than is he proclaimed on open enemy. To be short, there is no doing, no gesture, no behaviour, no place can preserve or defend innocency against such a governors cruelty: but as an huntour maketh wild beasts his pray, and useth toils, nets, snares, traps, dogs, firrets, mining and digging the ground, guns, bows, spears, and all other instruments, engines, devices subtleties and means, Whereby he may come by his pray: so doth a wicked governor make the people his game and pray, and useth all kinds of subtleties, deceits, crafts, policies, force, violence, cruelty, and such like devilish ways, to spoil and destroy the people, that be committed to his charge. And when he is not able without most manifest cruelty to do by himself that he desireth, than feigneth he unjust causes to cast them in to prison, where like as the bearewardes mosel the bears, and tie them to the stakes, whiles they be baited, and killed, of mastiffs and curs, so he keepeth them in chains, whilst the bishops and other his tormentors and heretical inquisitors do tear and devour them. Finally he saith and denieth, he promiseth and breaketh promise, he sweareth and ●…orsweareth, and neither passeth on God nor the devil (as the coming saying is) so he may bring to pass that be desireth. Such an evil governor properly men call a tyrant.  
Now forasmuch as there is no express positive law for punishment of a Tyrant among christian men, the question is, whether it be lawful to kill such a monster and cruel beast covered with the shape of a man.  
And first for the better and more plain proof of this matter, the manifold and continual examples that have been from time to time of the deposing of kings, and killing of tyrants, do most certainly con firm it to be most true, just and consonant to God's judgement. The history of kings in the old testament is full of it. And as Carnal Phoole truly citeth, England lacketh not the practice and experience of the same. For they deprived king Edward the second, because without law he killed his subjects, spoiled them of their goods, and wasted the treasure of the Realm. And upon what just causes Richard the the second was thrust out, and Henry the fourth put in his place, I refer it to their own judgement. Denmark also now in our days did nobly the like act●…, when they deprived Christian the tyrant, and committed him to perpetual prison.  
Zacharias the pope that invented first the lamps in the church, deposed Chilperichus, king of France, because he was said to be a lecherous person, and an unprofitable governor of the realm: and forced him to be a monk, and made Pipine (father of Charles) king of France.  
Pope Honorious (as ye heard before) commanded, that the king of Vngarie should be deprived, because he diminished the rights of the Crown: unless he repented, and undid all that he had done.  
A certain king of Portugal was very negligent in his office: he consumed and wasted away the trea sure of his Realm, he oppressed his subjects, and misu sed them. Wherefore Pope innocent the fourth made the Kings brother th'earl of Bolone coadiutour to the king, and gave him the hole charge of the Realm, discharged the people of their oath to the king, and commanded them to be obedient to the kings brother in all things, as king. But the Pope's learned counsel said, that he ought to have been utterly deposed of the Crow ne. These doings of Popes I rehearse not, as though their usurped authority were to be allowed, but for that ye may see, that it is no new thing to depose evil kings and governors: and that those that have the just authority, may and ought for the like causes, do as they did. For albeit th'authority of the pope be not lawful, yet is the reason that moved them so to do, honest and just, and meet to be received and executed among reasonable creatures. And this law of nature to depose and punish wicked governors, hath not been only received and exerciced in politic matters, but also in the church. For the canonists (the pope's owe ne championes) grounding themselves upon this law of nature, say, that pope's who may be in deed (by their saying) the lieutenants of the devil, albeit they call themselves the vicars of God, may be deprived by the body of the church. And so at one clap, in the counsel held at constance in Germany, in the year of our lord 1415. were three pope's popped out of their places, Gregory, john, and Benet, and the fourth (called Martin the fifth) chosen. afterward in the Counsel of Basil was Pope Eugenius served with that sauce. For the unluckiness of the country the rest of Popes have sith refused that any general counsel should be kept in Germany, fearing lest they all having deserved as much as the other four deposed, should have the like punishment. And thus they confirm their doings. If (say they) the Pope hade not a superior, he might being suffered in his evil, brig the church to destruction. And therefore if he can not otherwise be brought to amend himself, it is lawful to use the law of nature, that is, to remove him from his office: for he is no bishop or pope, that abuseth his Popedom and bishopric. An evil prelate and unreformable seemeth not to be ordained by the will of God, say the canonists, alleging the words of S. Jerome, upo●… the saying of the prophet Osee, that a prince or judge is not always ordained by God. And he bringeth for example king Saul, against whom God said: Seing the people have made themselves a king, and not a ruler by me, and not by my counsel: and yet God had chosen Saul. But yet because he was not chosen according to the will of God, but according to the mind and deserts of the sinful people, God denied him to be ordained by his will or counsel. The canonists also say, that albeit the Popedom be by the law of God (as it is not in deed, sayeth the truth) yet that this man or that, Paul or julie is pope, it cometh by the act of man. For the Cardinals representing the universal church, chose him. And therefore if he be not according to the will of God, and for the wealth of the universal church, that is: if he be not one that seeketh God's glory, and the wealth of Christ's church, he may be justly deprived, because they erred in choosing him. And God seemeth not to be against the put thing out of such an evil person, but to favour and further it. For he said: If the salt be unsaverie, it is good for no use, but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of all men. And again: If thy right eye be a let unto thee, pull it out, and cast it from thee. For it is better that one member perish, than that the hole body should be cast in to hell. And again say the canonists (the pope's layers) in rehearceing Christ's words: If our eye, foot▪ or hand offend us, let it be taken from the rest of the body: for it is better to lack members in this world, than that they should cari the rest of the body in to hell. By salt, eye, foot, and hand, is understanden the heads and rulers, and not the other members and subjects. And not only the heads and rulers in the church, but also in all policies and common wealths.  
Now if it be lawful for the body of the church to depose and punish a Pope, being the chief priest, anointed not on the arm or shoulder, as kings be, but on the head and hands, to declare an higher authority than kings have: nor crowned with a simple crown, as Emperors and kings be, but with a triple crown, to show his Regality and power above all others: how much more by the like arguments, reasons and authority, may Emperors, kings, princes and other governors abusing their office, be deposed and removed out of their places and offices, by the body or state of the Realm or common wealth?  
By this law and arguments of the canonists and example of deprivation of a Pope, are all cloaks (wherewith Popes, bishops, priests, kaisers and king's use to defend their iniquity) utterly taken away. Say they: We are anointed, ye may not touch us: We are only subject to God, and every man to us. God will have us (O most wicked pope's, bishops, priests, cruel and evil princes) reign to plague you people, for your iniquity.  
But here ye see, the body of every state may (If it will) yea and aught to redress and correct the vices and heads of their governors. And forasmuch as ye have already seen, whereof politic power and government groweth, and th'end whereunto it was ordained: and seeing it is before manifestly and sufficiently proved, that kings and princes have not an absolute power over their subjects: that they are and aught to be subject to the law of God, and the wholesome positive laws of their country: and that they may not lawfully take or use their subjects goods at their pleasure: the reasons, arguments and law that serve for the deposing and displaceing of an evil governor, will do as much for the proof, that it is lawful to kill a tyrant, if they may be indifferently heard. As God hath ordained Magistrates to hear and determine private men's matters, and to punish their vices: so also will he, that the magistrates doings be called to account and reckoning, and their vices corrected and punished by the body of the hole congregation or common wealth.  
As it is manifest by the memory of the ancient office of the high Constable of England, unto whose authority it pertained, ont only to summon the king personally before the parliament or other courts of judgement (to answer and receive according to justice) but also upon just occasion to commit him unto ward.  
Kings, Princes and governors have their authority of the people, as all laws, usages and policies do declare and testify.  
For in some places and countries they have more and greater authority, in some places less. And in some the people have not given this authority to any other, but retain and exercise it themselves. And is any man so unreasonable to deny, that the hole may do as much as they have permitted one member to do? or those that have appointed an office upon trust, have not authority upon just occasion (as the abuse of it) to take away that they gave? All laws do agree, that men may revoke their proxies and letters of Attournaie, when it pleaseth them: much more when they see their proctors and attournays abuse it.  
But now to prove the later part of this question affirmatively, that it is lawful to kill a tyrant: there is no man can deny, but that the ethnics (albeit they had not the right and perfit true knowledge of God) were endued with the knowledge of the law of nature.  
For it is no private law to a few or certain people, but common to all: not written in books, but graffed in the hearts of men: not made by man, but ordained of God: which we have not learned, received or red, but have taken, sucked, and drawn it out of nature: whereunto we are not taught, but made: not instructed, but seasoned: and (●…s S. Paul saith) man's conscience bearing witness of it.  
This law testifieth to every man's conscience, that it is natural to cut away an incurable member, which (being suffered) would destroy the hole body.  
Kings, Princes and other governors, albeit they are the heads of a politic body, yet they are not the hole body. And though they be the chief membres, yet they are but membres: neither are the people ordained for them, but they are ordained for the people.  
Upon this law of nature, and to conserve the hole body the ethnics not knowing that the soul is immortal, nor that there shallbe a Resurrection of the body and soul to judgement, but thought the soul perished with the body, and that there was no difference between a brute beast and man's life: thought it reasonable, and made it lawful (by their positive law) for every man to kill a tyrant. And to encourage men to enterprise to kill a tyrant, they esteemed the deed to be worthy so great reward, that they thought him worthy pardon that killed a tyrant, though he had killed his own natural father before. And besides this, when they saw, that tyrants used to have their bodies defended with great garisones and guards of foreign people, or kept themselves in strong holds and secret chambres, so as none without great hazard and peril might come vere them: they proponed great rewards to him that should destroy a tyrant. Nother thought they rewards or gifts to be a sufficient recompense for so virtuous an act, but they used also to make the image of him that killed a tyrant, in brass: and to set it up in the most solemn place of the city, for a perpetual memory of the act, the commendation of the doer, and thencouragement of others to do the like. They dedicated to hi●… praise and honour songs and verses, and would have them taken of men as God's worthy immortality.  
Whereof came the name of Nobility, or how were those that be called heroical or noble personages diuided from others, and had in such honour and reverence, seeing all men came of one man and one woman's was it for their lusty hawking and hunting? for their nimble dicing and cunning carding? for their fine singing and dancing: for their open bragging and swearing? for their false fliering and flattering? for their subtle piking and stealing? for their cruel polling and pilling? for their merciless man murdering? for their unnatural destroying of their natural country men, and traitorous betraying of their country? No, no, there was no such thing. The respect only of their virtue and love to their country brought them thereto. Because they revenged and delivered the oppressed people out of the hands of their governors, who abused their authority, and wickedly, cruel lie and tyrannously ruled over them: the people of a grate and thankful mind, gave them that estimacio●… and honour. Of this kind of nobility was Hercules, Theseus, and such like.  
Good kings, governors and states in time past took it to be the greatest honour that could be, not to take cities and Realms to their own use (wha●… they were called to aid and relieve thoppressed) as princes do now a days: but to rescue and deliver the people and countries from the tyranny of the governors, and to restore them to their liberty. So did the Romans, the Lacedaemonians out of the tyranny of Onabis, and all Grece from the bondage that Phi lippus (Demetrius son) king of Macedonia had them in. So did the noble men of the people of God also come to their high estimation and honour, as Gedeon, Barac, jepthe, and Samson, who for the delivery of his country from the power of the idolatrous cruel Philistines, pulled upon himself present death. So that this principle that evil and evil doers ought to be punished, and rotten membres to be cut away, was no peculiar law of the ethnics, but it proceedeth of nature, and therefore common to all men, as it is plain by the Chronicles and experience of all ages, and purposely exemplified for our sure stay and learning as well in the book of judges, as in many other histories of holy scriptures, according to the express word and commandment (applied to this sense and meaning) which saith: Let evil be taken out of the mids of the congregation, that the rest which hear of it, may be afraid. and not enterprise to do the like. And Christ pronounceth, that every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, shallbe cut down, and cast in to the fire: much more the evil tree, that bringeth forth evil fruit. And albeit some do hold, that the manner and mean to punish evil and evil doers, is not all one among Christianes' (which be in deed that they profess in word) and ethnics, which think it lawful for every private man (without respect of order and time) to punish evil: yet the laws of many Christian regiones do permit, that private men may kill malefactors, yea though they were magistrates, in some cases: as whā●… governor shall soda●…ly with his sword run upon an innocent, or go about to shoot him through with a gone, or if he should be found in bed with a man's wife, or go about to deflower and ravish a man's daughther: much more if go about to betray and make away his country to forainers, etc. Nevertheless forasmuch as all things ●… every christian common wealth ought to be done decently and according to order and charity: I think it can not be maintened by God's word, that any private man may kill, except (where execution of just punishment upon tyrants, idolaters, and traitorous governors is either by the hole state utterly neglected, or the prince with the nobility and counsel conspire the subversion or alteration of their country and people) any private man have some special inwardecommaundement or surely proved motion of God: as Moses had to kill the Egipcian, Phinees the Lecherours, and Ahud king Eglon, with such like: or be otherwise commanded or permitted by common authority upon just occasion and common necessity to kill.  
But now perchance thou wilt demand, why christian men never made express positive law of the kind of punishment of tyrants. Might it not be answered, as Solon did (excusing that he had not made a law for such as killed their parents) that no man would suspect, that so unnatural a fact should be thought, much less committed? or that those that should be the ministers, yea the images of God here in earth, charged both by God and man, to see the people defended from injuries, should so much abuse their office and authority, as to convert the sword to the destruction of them, whose championes and defenders they ought to be? Yea rather of all to say (which is most certain) the simple people deceived by great oaths, and beguiled with fair promises, suffered their governors to usurp such authority and power over them, and so long winked and bore with their iniquity, that they were not able to take it from them.  
But I beseech thee, what needeth to make one general law to punish by one name a great many offen says, when the law is all ready made for the punishment of every one of them particularly. If a prince rob and spoil his subjects, it is theft, and as a thief ought to be punished. If he kill and murder them contrary or without the laws of his country, it is murder, and as a murtherour he ought to be punished. If he commit adultery, he is an advouterour and aught to be punished with the same pains that others be. If he violently ravish men's wives, daughthers or maidens, the laws that are made against ra vishers, aught to be executed on him. If he go about to betray his country, and to bring the people under a foreign power: he is a traitor, and as a traitor he ought to suffer. And those that be judges in common Wealths, ought (upon complaint) to summon and cite them to answer to their crimes, and so to proceed, as they do with others. For the prophet speaking unto those that have the rule in common wealths, and that be judges and other ministers of justice, saith: ministre justice to the poor and orphan, pronounce the miserable and poor to be innocent, if he be innocent: take the poor, and deliver the needy out of the hands of the wicked. When ye sit to judge, ye shall not have respect of persons, whether they be rich or poor, great or small: fear no man, for ye execut●… the judgement of God, sayeth the holy ghost by the mouth of Moses. judge not after the outward appearance of men, but judge rightly: sayeth Christ.  
God himself gave th'example of punishment of evil governors. For when the children of Israel had committed Idolatry, he commanded moses to take the Princes of the people, and to hang them up against the Sun, that his wrath and fury might be turned from Israel.  
When that doughty dame Queen Athalia, the woman tyrant (seeing after her son Ahaziahu was dead, that she was childless, and past hope to have any children) ha●…e killed all the kings progeny (saving joas, whom jehosaba joram's daughter hid and get with his nurse out of the way) purposing to reign thereby in security, and to transpose the right of the erowne to strangers or some other favourer of her cruel procedings at her pleasure by the help and subtilti of her traitorous counsellors, and so went on in all abomination and cruelty without controlling a great space: Did her subjects suffer her in her wickedness still unpunished though she was the undoubted Queen and chief governor of the land? No, no. But as soon as joas was a little nursed up, and crept somewhat out of the shell being a child of seven years old: the nobility and commons feeling by experience what misery it was to live under the government of a mischievous woman, not only guarded joas with men and all decent regal ceremonies unto the house of God (by th'advise and appointment of jeoiada the high priest) and there crowned himsolemnely: but also when Athalia the Queens highness came in, mar vailing what ado that was, and perceiving the matter, rend her clothes howling and crying, as the manner of mad women is, specially in the hot seasones of the year: they laid hands on her (for all her crying, Treason, treason) and when they had carried her out of the house of God, they slew her. And so was the realm rid of a tyrant, the right inheritor possessed in his regal estate, the people made a new band with God to serve him sincerely according to his word, and banished all idolatry and false religion (which the Queen had set up and used) and the common wealth flourished a fresh in her former peace and liberty.  
The prophet Elias being no civil magistrate, ca●… said the king and queens highness chaplains Baal's priests to be killed before Achabs' face, because they were idolaters, and taught and maintained false religion, though scarce so false and idolatrous, as the pope's mass and religion is. And when the Queens may sty dame jesabel (that the devil) saw jehu con to her p●… lace, cried and reviled h●… as a traitor. jehu not passing upon her words (though she was his sovereign lady and masters) cried aloud: who is on my side, who? As though he had said, if there be any among you, that setteth more by God's true religion and their natural countrei then by that idolatro●…s witch the Queen: cast her out at the window. And so two or three of her privy Chambre threw her out to him, bursting her neck and bones against the walls. And as soon as jehu had trodden her under his feet, dogs (as ye heard before) eat up her flesh, and slossed up her blood,  
joram was known the king and right inheritor of the crown of Israel. And yet when he saw jehu and his company come toward him, he asked him whether he came in peace. jehu said: what peace should there be, as long as the horedomes of thy mother jesabel and her witchcrafts be so great? And so for his idolatrous tyranny and evil government jehu slew him. And many more such examples in scriptures we have, which (as the rest of the Bible is) be left for the instruction of all christian common wealths in like case, as we want not also the like experience and examples even in these our days. Because the remembrance of the horrible destruction of the evil governors, and alteration of the common wealth in Schwuzerlande and certain other places in high Almaigne, now in our time is not very pleasant, I will purposely pass it over, albeit the matter is so fresh and green yet still in all men's sights, that it is spoken of universally through the world. And was not Petrus Aloysius (Pope Paul the thriddes son, and duke of Placenza) justly slain now lately of his own people, because of the evil government and ●…rannye he used among them?  
And where this justice is not executed, but the prince and the people play together, and one winketh and beareth with the others faults, there can not be, bust a most corrupt, ungodly and vicious state, which albeit it prospre for a season, yet no doubt at length they may be sure, that unto them shall come that came to Sodom, Gomorra, jerusalem, and such other, that were utterly destroyed.  
And on the other side, where the nobility and people look diligently and earnestly upon their authorities, and do see the same executed on their heads and governors, making them to yield account of their doings: than without fail will the princes and governors be as diligent to see the people do their duty. And so shall the common wealth be godly, and prospre, and God shallbe glorified in all. But thou wilt say, what if the nobility, and those that be called to common Counsels, and should be the defenders of the people, will not or dare not execute their authority: what is than to be done? The people be not so destitute of remedy, but God hath provided an other mean, that is, to complain to some minister of the word of God, to whom the keys be given to excommunicate not only common people for all notorious and open evils: but also kaisers, kings, princes, and all other governors, when they spoil, rob, undoo and kill their poor subjects without justice and good laws. And what so ever such minister of God's word bindeth upon those occasiones here in earth, it is fast bounden in heaven before the face of God. And no mean to undo it, by any good work (much less by pope's pardon or friars prayers) without repentant of the party offending, and satisfaction made to the party offended for the injustice and injuries committed: and the mercy of God through the on lie merits of our savour jesus Christ. Example we have of S Ambrose, who being no pope, nor pope's Come missary, but bishop of Milan excommunicated the Emperor Theodosius. Whose doings, because thou mayest the better know, I will in few words express see theffect of the history. This Theodosius, albeit he were an Emperor, and a Christian man, yet was he of nature choleric, and much disposed to be angry: and as it seemeth, without consideration. It chanced that in a sedition at Thessalonica, sonof his officers were stoned to death, and some very evil entreated. He in a rage sendeth thither a number of merciless men of war, who making no difference between thauthors of the sedition and th'innocent people, make an horrible slaughter of the poor people, man, woman and child, afterward th'emperor after his accustomed manner, came toward the church, and S. Ambrose met him at the church door, and would not suffer him to enter: but not only told him, it was no place for murderers, but also did excommunicate him out of all christian company, till he repented and made satisfaction for the horrible murder committed by his soldiers. Themperor being brought up and instructed in the word of God (as I would to God all christian princes were at this pray sent) and knowing th'office both of the minister of God's word, and of an Emperor, obeyed: and return●…d weeping and crying to his palace. Eight monetes of t●…r, came the feast of the nativity of Christ: and Ruffinus lord great master or steward of his house came to th'emperor, whom he found very heavy, weeping and sobbing. He being familiar with him, desired to know the cause of his sorrow. Ah Ruffinus (saith themperor) thou art merry, for thou feelest not mi pains. I l●… meant and mourn for my calamity. It is free for slaves and beggars to go to the church, and there to pray to God, but I may not come there: no, heaven gates be schut to me. Christ's words go not out of my heart: what so ever ye bind on earth, shallbe bound also in heaven. At length being encouraged by Ruffinus, that he might be absoiled of S. Ambrose, he sendeth him before, to be a mean for him, and he himself followed. But Ruffinus could not entreat the bishop. After th'emperor cometh, but durst not enter in to the church, but without the doors fell on his knees to S. Ambrose, and desired absolution. S. Ambrose said, he was not meet to be absoiled, for his coming was more like a tyrant, one that would by force be absoiled, than a christian man that showed himself penitent and sorry. No (sayeth th'emperor) I will not presume against the order of the church to enter in by force, but I humbly beseech thee to lose me out of these bonds of excommunication, and that thou wilt remembre the mercy that God useth: and that thou wilt not shut against me the gate that God opened to all that be penitent. The bishop asked him, what worthy penance he had showed sith the time he had committed that wicked act, or with what medicine he had healed those most grievous wounds. It is your part (sayeth th'emperor) to prepare the medicine, and mine to receive and use it. At length S. Ambrose required there might be a law ordained, that th'execution of revenge should not be done suddenly but delayed, so as it should not proceed of anger, and th'emperor made that law. afterward he was released of thexcommunication: and coming in to the church, he made his prayers, not standing nor kneeling, but lying flat on the ground, pulling his hear, beating his brow, weeping, lamenting and crying with David: My soul cleaveth to the pavement, quicken me (O lord) according to thy word: and asked mercy and forgiveness. Thus ye see, what any minister of the church may do upon the greatest prince, if he will execute his office and the power that Christ giveth him. But thou wilt say, what if the minister pass not on his duty, but be content to wink at all the vices of the governors, be they never so wicked, so he may have a bishopric, a deanrie, a prebend, or a good fat benefice, and live umpunished in all abomination ? Yea and what if there be such special grudges be between the nobility and commons, that the one sort neither trusteth nor loveth the other, so as the one dare not open the necessity and mean of such correction and redress of the evil governors vices, for fear lest if the purpose come to light before hand, the matter be dashed, and the mocionar leap headless for his labour, as it is in these days often seen: What shift than? In deed there be certain examples and patterns in the holy Bible, Which I will not stick to rehearse, though not expound, but holly refer them to the further debating and judgement of thine own conscience, through the holy ghost, by whose providence they are enroled for our learning.  
We read that after the lord God had sundry times delivered his people of Israel from wicked tyrants, with whom he had plagued them for their wickedness and Idolatry: at length when through abundance of wealth and quietness they fell to a certain careless security of life, not only forgetting God and his holy sincere word, but also seeking every one his own singular self gain with the hurt and contempt of his neighbour. God took from them their natural liege lord, the good judge Othoniel, and placed, ye (saith the scripture) he streynghtened a strange prince among them, an Idolatrous person and a wicked, called Eglon. This Eglon used the matter so with bribing those Israelites, that for preferrment would be traitors to their natural country, and specially in bringing in a great power of Ammonites and Amalekites (two kinds of people in beggarly pride and filthiness of life much like to the common nature of italians and Spaniards) as well to guard his pson, as to fortify the strong holds and mu niciones: that by and by seeing himself strong enough with his strangers and Inborn traitors, he brought the country and people under his subjection by fine force, so that he continued their ordinary Prince and chief ruler xviij. years long. What oppressing of the poor, what robbing of the rich, what taking up of corn and victual for the king and his strangers, and no money paid for it, what taxes and payments the people were yowked withal, what ravishing of men's wives, daughters and servants, what heading and hanging of the natural Israelites to make the strangers lords and gentlemen, what common miseries and continual calamities there were during that space, no doubt it is unspeakable.  
But what remedy? No man durst make moan to his neighbour for fear of bewraying, none durst once whistre against the king, they must bend or break, no remedy, patience perforce, all were feign to serve and please king Eglon. But at length they sent (as their yearly accustomed manner was) a present to the king by a witty messenger, called Ahud: who having access to the king, said he had to say unto his Majesty secretly from God. And when the king hade commanded all his servants away, so that Ahud and the king were alone in his summer parlour, Ahud thrust his dagger so hard in to the kings fat paunch, that there lay king Fglon dead, and Ahud fled away.  
Now, was this well done or evil? For so the the deed is so commended in scripture, that the holy ghost reporteth Ahud to be a savour of Israel.  
But note by the way, the text saith not, that Ahud was sent of the people to kill the king, nor that he told them what he intended: for by that mean, one judas or other would have betrayed him, and so should he have been drawn, hanged and quarted for his enterprise, and all his conspirators have lost both life, lands and goods for their conspiracy.  
Only the scripture saith, that Ahud (being a private person) was stired up only by the spirit of God.  
Likewise when Sisara lieutenant general of king jabin's wars fleeing from Barac sought secure to hide his head, having long noyed and hurt Israel with oppression and wars, a woman named jael called him in to her house, and hid him under a Covering. He thought himself sure, and for weariness dropped hard on sleep.  
jael taketh a great long spikig nail, and driveth it with a hammer so hard in to his brains, that Sisara troubled Israel no more, nor never told who hurt him.  
Mattathias being by the kings Commissionares required and commanded to conform himself to the kings procedings (which was to commit Idolatry) as all his countrymen the jews had done (and as the like case standeth now in England) not only refused to obey king Antiohus commandment, or to follow his procedings in that behalf, but also when he saw a jew committee Idolatry before his face, he ran upon the jew in a great zeal and slew him, and fell also upon the ordinary Commissioners sent from Antiochus the ordinary king of the Realm, and slew them out of hand. These examples need no further exposition, the scripture is plain enough. But if neither the hole state nor the minister of God's word would do their common duty, nor any other lawful shift before mentioned can be hade, nor dare be attempted: yet are not the poor people destitute all together of remedy: but God hath left unto them two weapons, able to conquer and destroy the greatest tyrant that ever was: that is, Penance and Prayer. Penance for their own sins, which provoke the anger and displeasure of God, and make him to suffer tyrants, wars, famine, pestilence and all plagues to reign among the people. And prayer, that he will withdraw his wrath, and show his merciful countenance.  
Hereof we have not only commandment, but also manifest examples in the scriptures. For when the Ark of God was taken away from the people of Israel by the Philistines in battle, and the glory of Israel brought under foot (the people being miserably for their sins pressed and plagued by the Philistines twenty years long) so that the people despering of their honour and liberty, and seeing no mar●…ial weapon, nor help of man able to redress their state, cried and continued in lamenting their thraldom and grievous condition: at length by the advise and commandment of the good Prophet Samuel, the people fell to these two means: Penance, and prayer, with fasting: and the lord God not only delivered them out of thoppression of the Philistines unto their former liberty, but also gave them such victories, that the Philistines many years after, durst not once move war against them.  
Thus was also the cruel tyrant Herode vanquished. Thapostles and people in the primative church lamenting their sins, and calling to God for mercy, the angel of God stroke Herode sitting in his throne, in his princely apparel, making an Oration to the people, and they commending it to be the voice of God, and not of man, and so he was eaten up of louse or worms. Likewise when julian th'emperor and Apostata had long persecuted the church, at length wh●… the people fell to repentance and common prayer, he going in to Persia, was slain, and none of the family of Constantine (whereof he came) after that was Emperor. And in like manner not long sith when that tyrant Duke George of Saxony persecuted all such as professed the word of God, revived and pulled out of purgatory, by the worthy instrument of God D. Luther: and at length threatened, that he would burn and destroy the university of wittenberg, which when Luther heard, he went in to the pulpit, and exhorted every man to put on his armour: that is, Penance and prayer. And soon after, God rid the world of that tyrant, and so not only delivered his church, but also augmented it with an other university, called Lipsia, and all the hole country of this cruel duke was converted to Christ's Gospel.  
These be the wonderful works of almighty God, whose power is as great and as ready at a pinch as ever it was, and his mercy as willing to be showed, if his poor afflicted people would do on their weapon: that is, be sorry for their sins, and, desire him to with draw his surges, and to hold his merciful hand over them.   

WHAT Confidence's is to be given to princes and potentates.  
WHEN the king of Macedonia, Alexander the great, heard the philosopher Anaxagoras say there were many worlds, the worm of ambition so tickled and troubled his heart, that the water gushed out of his eyes. And when he was asked, what made him to weep: have I not just occasion to weep (saith he) that hearing of so many worlds, I am not yet lord of one? This worm without fail was the devil, who not contented that kings (the ministers of God) should serve God in their vocation (to have them the sooner fall from God, and serve him) putteth them in hope they shallbe lords of all the world, if they will take him for their chief lord and sovereign. But because he seeth the inconstauncie of kings, that they no longer abide by their oaths and promises than they may thereby have profit, gain, and their desire, he doth not forthwith put them in possession, but to try their fidelity, he showeth them by what means they shall come to it, putting to their good will, help, and industry. He doubteth not, but if he may bring them once in to the puddle over the shoen, they will through thick and thine whatsoe ●…er cometh of it, to come to that they looked for. These ways of the Devil p●…de out of his school of practices and they be in a generality, two: that is, open force and secret subtlety: the one whereof, that is, force and manhood, having oft tried and most times it hath not succeeded after their mind, they have not so much put in use, but have rather trusted on tother, that is, subtlety and craft whereby they work a great deal more mischief than by open force and strength of men, and with less peril of themselves. For when they go about it by force, the devil their master is not able to warrant them the success. For all victory and good success cometh of God, who when he seeth the people (against whom the devil and his kings work) fall to repentance for their sins, he overthroweth his and their enemies with a fillip, as he did proud Olofernes and Sennacherib: the one being slain by the good and faithful woman to God and her country judith: all his power being an hundred and twenty thousand footmen, and twelve thousand archers on horseback destroyed by a few. And the others army being an hundred four score and five thousand persons was destroyed by the angel of God without the work of man, and he forced to fly: and at his return home was killed of his own two sons.  
But the other means, that is, subtlety and craft (which the world calleth policy) they more practice: and therein daily do so proceed, that within short time many of them have been doctors. And they have a priciple of this art, which is, that to come by a kingdom, to come by that they desire, they may break all men's laws, all oaths, all promises, yea the laws of God and honesty. This art of subtlety of princes (otherwise called policy) consisteth chief in this, for a man to appear outwardly that he is not inwardly: to say one thing with the mouth, and think an other in the heart: to smile upon him, whose throat he would gladly see cut: and so pretend to the eye all amity, benevolence and love, where they bear greatest hatred, envy, and malice, till convenient time may be had with least danger, to execute their conceived mischief. And because they be not able alone to do their feats, look where they can understand of any of their nature, them they retain, to them give they great chains of gold, feed them with great pensions and fees promised. And yet they be not ignorant, that such vile men (as will for money betray their own country, and serve their wicked purposes) are like unto common soldiers and lance knights, who serve him that giveth a penny more: and will, when they may have greater bribes of an other, soon buy and sell their present master. For how is it possible for any man to think, that he whom he hath corrupted with rewards to serve his purpose▪ will or can be faithful to high that is a stranger, that so well knoweth what they be, and findeth them false to their native country: in the defence whereof all he nest men be bounden, and be content to bestow their life, their blood, their goods, and what so ever they have? Do not princes use traitors, as men use Coloquintes, Turbith, Elleborum, and such like poisones? that is, to serve their purpose, when they have need of them, and after can not abide their sight, no, not their savour, but cast them out on the dung hill?  
Yes doubtless it is most certain. When one had betrayed in to Caesar's hands certain towns: what said Cesar? I love treason (sayeth he) but traitors I do abhor. So said also king Antigonus. I love trai tours (sayeth he) whilst they betray, but when they have betrayed, and served my purpose, I utterly hate and abhor them,  
Aurelianus th'emperor having long besieged the city of Tiana in Asia, and being without hope to get it by force, practised with one Heracleo (a great rich man and citizen of the city, than being in the city) to betray the city to him.  
This Heracleo fearing lest if the city should be won by force, he should also lose his riches, and hoping of great gain by this bargain, consented to th'emperor, and did that he required. Themperor assoon as he came into the city, caused this traitor Heracleo to be killed (albeit he had done alone that for th'emperor, that all th'emperors power was not habie to obtain for thèperour) because he could not abide his sight, that had betrayed his country, the de●…e was so horrible and against nature. Yet because he would not seem to have done it for desire of his riches, he gave them to his children, whom he preserved. And writing to his friend the matter as it was done, showeth that he could not love nor abide Traitors, nor that he could keep promise with such as should not be faithful and loving to their country.  
It is written of one called Cacanus king in Bainerland in Germany, that he invaded a country some time called Carnia, now called Frioly in Italy, and other places belonging to the Venecianes with a great power: and at the furst meeting of him and thenemies, he overcame and killed one Gisulfus a Lombarde, Duke of that country. After that he besieged a city, wherein Romilda the Duke's wife was.  
She desiring to see this king what manner man he was, needed not to have his image pourtred unto her, but looked over the walls advisedly upon him. When she saw he was a goodly and fair person, she was by and by in love with him. She whisheth, that she might feel him enter in to her own hold. Meat nor drink could do her good, she could not sleep, she sobbeth she howleth, she soundeth, she teareth her hear, and is more than half mad, for lack of her lust.  
To be short, contrary to all honesty and womanly shamefastness, she wooeth him to be her husband: and having no regard of the love that every honest creature ought to bear to his country, she promiseth to give him city, country, jewels, goods, and what so ever she could poll of her subjects, and make for him, so that he would marry her. The king lacking no wit (or at least wanting no witty counsel) and knowing what peril might chance unto him, if he should seek to win it by force, taketh the offer.  
And according to his promise he married her, and one night took pains to shake up her lecherous rot ten ribs. In the next morning he leaveth his chamber, and her gates open free to every man: and (as some, God give them grace to repent in time, did to the wicked woman of Feversham in Kent, that not long since killed her husband) he gave every man liberty that would, to offer his devotion in to her corporesse. So at length when he thought her tired, and her unsatiable lust somewhat staunched (for by like it would never have been fully glutted) he caused her to be thrust on a stake naked, that all men might see those ugli parts, which to satisfy she was content to betray her natural country: and that it should be an example to all others, to take heed to do the like, he causeth the hole city to be clean overthrown.  
This may ye see, that kings spare neither male nor female, great nor small, that for any respect betray their own natural country: because they know, those can never be faithful to strangers that be false to their parent, their country. And would to God they were as earnestly set to abstain from doing evil, as ì these examples they to have been ready to do justice.  
But what shall we need to bring forth examples of practisers, of strange and far countries, when every man may find pleyntie in his own? To what purpose shall it be, to allege those of a great meany years past and stolen, when there be pleyntie every day fresh to be found? Only to let men see by comparison of the old with the new, and the new with the old, the present with the past, and the past with the present, that the devil hath always been, is and shallbe the devil: and such fetches as he hath used, such he doth and will use. And that his disciples, as they never forget the principles of their science, so have they at length their masters reward, worthy their deserts.  
When wriothesley, Arundel and Southwell conspired with th'ambitious and subtle Alcibiades of England, the Earl of warwike (afterward duke of Northumberland) to pull the good duke of Somerset king Edward's uncle and protector out of his authority, and by forgeing a great meany of false letters and lies to make the Protector hated, brought to pass war wikes purpose: who than for a while, but they three? Wriothesley that before was banished the Court▪ is lodged with his wife and son next to the king. Every man repaireth to Wriothsley, honoureth Wriothesley, sueth unto Wriothesley (as the Assirianes did to Ammon) and all things be done by his advise: and who but Wriothesley●… Arundel his promised to be next to the king, groom of his stole, or Comptrollour of his house at the least. Southwell (for his whisking and double diligence) must be a great Counsaillour in any wise. But what was th'end? The earl as crafty as the best (seeing that his desire should not take place, if these men might have that they hoped for) so handleth the matter, that Wriothesley is fain in the night to get him out of the court to his own house: where upon narrow examination, fearing lest he should come to some open shameful end, he either poisoned himself, or pined away for thought.  
Southwell is committed to the Flete, where being examined, he confessed enough to be hanged for, and had gone very near it, had not his examiners upon hope of his amendment breaking out of his eye, but not out of his heart, obtained th'earls favour.  
And at th'earls suit Arundel hath his head with the axe divided from the shoulders.  
And how at length was P. the master of practices handled, that will have one part in every pageant, if he may by praying or paying put in his foot? But before I proceed to speak of this master of practices it shall not be amiss, that I tell you somewhat of his master the doctor of practices. For albeit this doctor be now (but to late) thoroughly known, yet it shall be requisite, that our posterity know what he was, and by his description see, how nature had shaped the outward parts, to declare what wa●… within. This doctor had a swart colour, an hanging look, frowning brows, eyes an inch within the head, a nose hooked like a buzzard, wide nostrils like a horse, ever snuffing in to the wind, a sparrow mouth, great paws like the devil, talauntes on his feet like a gripe, two inches longer than the natural toes, and so tied to with sinews, that he could not abide to be touched, nor scarce suffer them to touch the stones.  
And nature having thus shaped the form of an outward monster, it gave him a vengeable wit, which at Cambridge by labour and diligence he had made a great deal worse, and brought up many in that faculty: Wriothesley, Germayne Gardiner (whom he caused speedily to be hanged, lest he should have to much disclosed his masters art) and among many other, this master or proctor of practices, whom we are now entered to speak of.  
This doctor to gevesome signification of his nature and cunning to come aloft, that he might do the more mischief, betrayeth his M. Carnal wolsei: and more than any other laboureth the divorce between king Henry and the dowager. And by and by he earnestly sought to have ridden in the kìges boots: worse could not content him. But when he saw that would not be, and considered it better to have store than one only pair (for so perchance he might have found them sometimes not all clean when he would have used them, and also it should be a let to bring to pass that he purposed) he changeth his purpose●…: and because none should remember his practices before, nor suspect the rest to come, he shaveth his crown as broad as a saucer, and decketh himself with a white smock like a portour of the Stiliarde. But what needeth such circumlocution, when every body knoweth this doctor of practices was called D. Stephan Gardi ner? After this, his luck was to be committed to the tower, when Tyburn had been a place more worthy his deserts. His scholar the master or proctor of practices, remembering how much he had prospered by the means of the doctor, and bending his disposition to make thankful requital of part of his received benefits, putteth the doctor in memory of an old lesson he had taught him: that is, to give back two foot with the ram, that he might win the third. But whether this D. Gardiner was offended with his scholar the proctor, for his overranke practising, or how it happened, I can not tell, I am sure that in this one, he answered honestly: let my scholar go on as he hath begun (saith he) for Gardener can not play the knave so. Words of Gardier: but he was not unskilled (I say) ì the art of practices. No in deed, he was excellent in that feat, as it well appeared. For when he had wrought and made sure the great marriage to avoid the hatred of the people, he made his scholar to father it, and to have the outward thanks. And no marvel of his cunning. For he was his master, and had studied longer the art, than the proctor, and had a better wit, and spent yearly the half of his bishopric in bribing, or else he had lost his head long before: for his treasons were not altogether unknowem, albeit they were covered and hidden.  
But what doth this master or proctor of practices? Doth he not dissemble with the earl of warwike, serveth his turn ì all that his wits would serve?  
But what at length becometh of our practising P.? He is committed to ward, his garter with shame pulled from his leg, his rob from his back, his coat armour pulled down, spurned out of Windsor church, trodden under foot, and he himself at length with great favour obtein●…th, that he might redeem the rest of his corporal pains with open confession at the bar in the Star chamber on his knes of his bribery, extortion, dissimulation, ambition, robbing of the king, and such like virtues, whereby he became noble.  
If we minded in this place to display the packing and practising of the Nobility and counsel of England in the sickness and at the death of king Edward the vi. for the pretenced placing of the lady jane in the regaleseat, and their sudden slipping the collar. and deceiving of one an other: it were matter enough to teach men, how little confidence and trust ought to be given either to the smooth countenances, fair words, confident promises, bloody oaths, or swearing upon the holy evangelies, either yet to the letters and hand writings of the Princes and potentates of the world. They that were sworn chief of counsel with the lady jane, and caused the Queen to be proclaimed a bastar●…e throughout all England and Ireland: and they that were the sorest forcers of men (yea under the threatened pains of Treason) to swear and subscribe unto their doings, bewrayed the matter themselves under hand by their wives and other secret shifts, and afterward became counsellors (I will not say, procurers) of the innocent Lady Jane's death: and at this present are in the highest authority in the queens house, and the chiefest officers and doers in the common wealth.  
And some of them that wrote most earnestly to a certain ancient lord of the Realm (among many other, in the favour of the Lady jane, bebastarding and railing upon the Queen, were not ashamed within few days after (when the same lord was locked up in the tower, for his constant although constrained obedience to the common order of the Counsel) to be his most strange and rough examiners on the contrary part, as though they them selves had never halted in the matter.  
But I know these practisers answer: that if they had not used that practice, they should not only have standen in hazard themselves, but also failed of their privy purpose. Well. In the mean time it is enough to know, that a man may not trust nor believe them, either by their words, oaths, or hand writings further than he seeth and heareth them, and scarcely so far.  
And I pray you, hath not the realm good cause to thank and trust the potentates, Prelates and Parliament men for banishing the sacred testament and Gospel of God with the sincere administration of his holy Sacraments, and for bringing the devilish power of the romish Antichrist in to England again with his miserable Mass and all popish slavery? By the which they have not only broken their oath and loy altie to God, and to thimperial Crown of England, pullìg eternal condemnation upon themselves, and▪ puokig the heavy hand of God's wrath and plague upon their seed, and upon the hole realm, ì compellìg the people to sin by fallìg from the true service of the liuìg God ìto most wicked superstition and idolatry (alas therefore) but also have been and are guilty of the innocent blood of thanks, and the queens favour increased toward him. But his just reward yet is not come, let h●… not look to speed any better than Heracleo, if he continue judas still. I would wish, he would in time become a Petre, I trust he is not so far passed, but he may be prayed for. He is my good lord, and Mason once my great friend, and near neighbour. I wish them both well. Thus ye see the final success and reward of traitors. Wherefore it is to be wondered, that such practisers which work so much mischief for others, can not take heed of the evil that is towards themselves. But God's word must be verified of the wicked. Behold, the wicked travaileth with mischief (saith the worthy prophet and king David, a man of great experience) He hath conceived unhappiness, and brought forth a lie. He hath graven and digged up a pit, but he shall fall himself in to the pit that he hath made. For the mischief that he mindeth to others, shall come on his own head, and his wickedness shall fall on his own pate.  
But forasmuch as all these fetches and practices be only made and laid to deceive those that be honest, faithful, true, and natural to their country: it is requisite to treat how they may be avoided. Deceat would not be knocked out with deceat, if it might so be, but honest men should always and at all times deal plainly and honestly. And therefore the honestest mean before things be done, is to be wise and circumspect: and to foresee th'end, what mischief may follow, before they suddenly, rashly and unadvisedly consent to any thing. To use such honest wisdom and foresight, is permitted both by God's word and nature. Yea Gods word and nature command honest men to use it. For those things that can but once be done, and whereon so great weigh thangeth, aught to be well done. Therefore men ought not to give credit to fair words, large promises, and great oaths (for these are the instruments to deceive the honest and well meaning) but the fairer the words be, the larger the promises, and the greater the oaths, the more to suspect. For godly and honest things may be well enough done without painted and smooth words, fair promises and oaths. There ought to be such equality in doing of things, that such deceits need not. Only subtlety and craft devised long writings, great promises, and many solemn ceremonies. When the great marriage was treated in the privy Counsel and so great promises made, the old Duke of Nor folk said, they were golden words, but how shall they be performed, said he? afterward when it was proponed to the lords in the parliament to be ratified, the Lord Windsori like manner asked who should be surety for the performance thereof, and who should sue the forfeit? Nother of them lacked wisdom and foresight, to see that under painted papir, much mischief was hid. Long experience had taught it the duke, being long trained in Prince's practices: and nature suffered not the other lord to be utterly void of it. But both of them lacked that courage, magnanimity, and fortitude, that aught to be in noble men. But it might be, that they hade it, but durst not utter it, partly for that th'one was in hope to recover that he had a time lacked, and the other for fear to lose that he hade: but chief (as it may be gathered) because they saw their peers mouth●…s stopped. But let them be sure, all will not serve, if practisers part; may take place. For such things would be all together overthrown, or not meddled with: for at length the least let willbe called to memory, they may be sure. And because public matters of a Realm, that concern all and every man's life, wife, children, lands, goods, and what so ever can not be tretted upon by all men, but all must put their trust in a few: men ought to be wise and circumspect whom they trust. For there be to many that pass not what become of their neighbours, so they may prospre themselves: what become of the hole Realm, so their own families may stand still. He that maketh suit to be a deputy for a multitude, seemeth to sue for his own vainglory or profit. Those that send letters, not to choose this man, but to choose such a man: have in their heads more than the universal wealth of all. He that bringeth letters to be preferred, meaneth not the benefit of them that he would serve. He that giveth money, and maketh great feasts, thinketh some other fetch, than the service of his neighbours. He that refuseth or releasseth his ordinary wages, looketh for some greater extraordinary reward. He that is always or oft at prince's platters, or in practi cers Palaces, can not long continued the people's true pro ctour. And therefore in Venece (as they writ) none of the Senate and officers upon pain of his head, dare talk privily with an other, nor take rewards or fees of any foreign Prince. For they are so jealous of the hole state, because they have been so often deceived by practisers in their own companies. Which lesson all wise men and honest men should learn, and by all means suspect princes promises and withstand practisers doings, and not believe one word that they say, be it never so gentle: nor yet their deeds, what so ever shine or pretence of love they declare. Such a realm as England is, is well gotten, how so ever it is gotten. But thou that art a true english man, seeing the fetches and fal●…ehead of these named and such other ●…s they be, look in time to thyself and to the state of thy natural country, and trust not unto them, though their use never so much fliering, though they swear never so fast, though they speak never so fair, and though they give thee their hand writing. Be thou Pr●…metheus and not Epimetheus. Remember that our country man Adam Afterwitte hath a great while been the lord For rewittes fool. Be taught therefore in time, before thou be taken. say not to late: Hade I witted. Thou hast sufficient warning, God give thee grace to consider it and use it.   

AN EXHORTATION or rather a warning to the Lords and Commons of England.  
IHARTILY wish (natural englishmen and good countrymen) that it had pleased God, to have given some cause, whereby ye with me, and I with you might have rejoiced, and not to have lamented one of us to an other of our misery. For sorrowful things are neither grate to the hearer, nor pleasant to the teller. But as if one should come to his dear friend or good neighbour, finding him very sore wounded, and did but lament with him, and not went about to help him to cure his wounds, he should rather augment his pains and increase his sorrow: so if in this miserable misery, wherein we and our poor country of England stand, and yet is not come to the full and ripeness, I should but lament and wail with you, which I can not but do, unless I should show myself toto unnatural and unkind, I should but increase (I think) your sorrows and pains: but most certainly I am sure mine own. But as it is a most sure token of death, when the sick man feeleth not his disease, nor can tell where his grief is, being asked in what place his pain lieth: so in all Realms and congregaciones of people, when they do not feel the common calamities and miseries that are among them, it is a most certain and infallible sign that the destruction and th'end of it is at hand. And therefore give me leave (I beseech you) to open your wounds, and to search the cause of your calamities, and than to minister and power in to them some wholesome balm, and cover them with some comfortable plastre.  
And albeit I do it not so finely as some others can, but boisteously after my rude manner, yet I doubt not, but by God's grace ye shall find comfort, or at least perceive, that I have an earnest desire to see you helped. For I mean your wealth and health, as one brother ought of an other, that is borne of the same father and mother.  
There was never great misery, destruction, plague or visitation of God, that came on any nation, city or country, which as they be in deed, so may they justly be called wounds, but be sent of God for sin, and be not suddenly laid on the people, but are before prophesied and declared by the prophets and ministers of God's word, or by some revelaciones, wonders, monsters in the earth, or tokens and signs in thelement.  
For God as he is most just, and will not fail to punish sin, so is he most merciful, and will not the death of sinners, but rather that they should turn to him and live.  
And therefore before hand giveth them warning what shall follow, if in time they repent not, as by the histories of all ages it doth appear. And none of these admoniciones have ye lacked, country men.  
For the preachers and ministers of God's word, in the time of the godly josias king Edward the sixth preached and prophesied unto you, what miseries and plagues should certainly come to you: the food of God's word to be clean taken away from you, famine of the body, pestilence, wars, the loss of your goods, the deflowering and ravishing of your wives and daughters before your eyes, the captivity of your bodies, wives and children: the subversion of the policy and state of the Realm: that a strange king and strange people (not only in country, but also in conditions and manners in respect of your own) should reign and rule by force over you, if ye in time repented you not of your wickedness, amended your lives, and called to God for mercy.  
But than ye passed nothing on it, but as the jews being downed in sin, mocked, scorned and murdered the prophets of God which long before prophesied unto them their captivities and utter destruction: so ye laughed and jested at your preachers words, nothing regarding the threats of God, but contemning them, yea increaceing in your wickedness, andnowat leynght murdering most cruelly the ministers of God.  
And seeing words of warning took no place with you, God for his loving mercy hath warned you also by monstrous marvels on the earth, and horrible wonders in thelement, to put you beside all manner of excuses. What wonderful monsters have there now lately been borne in England? What celestial signs most horrible? A child borne besides Oxford in the year, M. D. LII. with two heads and two parts of two evil shaped bodies joined in one. A child borne at Coventry, in the year M. D. LV without arms or legs. A child borne at Fulham by London even now this year, with a great head, evil shaped, the arms with bags hanging out at the Elbows and heel's, and feet lame. A child new borne at London forthwith speaking as a prophet and mes sager of God. An horrible Comet this year, besides diverse eclipses, which follow. But what were these? only bare signs? No certainly, they do and must signify the great wrath and indignation of God.  
Not long after the passion of our savour Christ, when the Britain's our countrymen went about to recover their liberty, and to be despeched of the most cruel servitude and misery which the Romans kept them in, wherein no britain was certain of wife, children goods, no, not of their lives, all things were so in bond●…ge of the cruel Romans pleasure: there were of our countrymen slain at one time three score and ten thousand men, and at an other time thrittie thousand. Before which slaughters there were many wonders seen in Eng land. Thimage of the Idol which the Romans had in their temple called Victory was turned back, as though she gave place to thenemies. The sea was like blood, images of men's bodies found on the sea side. And women were out of their wits, and cried: destruction at hand, destruction at hand: so that the britains were in great hope, and the Romans in great fear. Before britain (now called England) came in to the full power of the Danes, king Edmund the son of Ethelberte being slain, there were diverse strange things, whereby all men guessed, that an alteration of the Realm was toward: but chief they guessed the great calamity by the sudden swelling of the sea without any evident cause, which so broke in to the land, that it destroyed many towns and people. Before that great slaughter of English men and normands which was by reason of the wars that were in Normandy, between king Henri the furst, king of England, and Robert Duke of Normandy his brother (at which time Normandy was joined to England) the river of Trent did not run one hole day together, but was so empty, that men passed over on foot: and at that time a sow brought forth a monster with the face of a man, and a hen a four footed monster. So that by that that is past, ye may the boldlier divine of that that is to come.  
The child by Oxford, what did it betoken, but that our one sweet head, king Edward should be taken away (as he was in deed) and that there should be in his place two heads, diverse governors, and a toward division of the people, but not all together: which so manifestly followed, that no man can deny it: or two people should be knit together, but not in god proportion nor agreement. The child of Coventrie without the principal membres to help and defend the body, must needs signify, that the natural body, that is, the people of England shallbe helpless, ready to be trodden under the foot of every creature, and non to relieve or secure it.  
The child of Fulham, what can it signify, but that the natural body of England shallbe weak, the chief membres (th'arms and legs) which is the nobility, so clogged with chains of gold, and bags of money, that the hand shall not be able to draw out the sword, nor the heel's to spur the horse to help and defend the body, that is, the commons. And as the head of it is the greatest part, and greater than it ought to be, with to much superfluity of that it should not have, wherefore it must pull from the other membres to comfort it, and lack of that good proportion it ought to have: so shall the governors and heads of England suck out the wealth and substance of the people (the politic body) and keep it bare, so that it shall not be able to help itself, yet shall the head never come to that nature requireth. What is to be gathered of the young chil de, I do not say it is true, because the father was forced (unless he would have lost his life) to r●…cant it: but might it not be true? Is there not as much to be said for it, as for the pope's transubstantiation? Doth not Eusebius Pamphili (a man of as good credit, as Thomas Aquinas, Scotus, Gratianus, and such other the inventors and maintainers of transubstantiation) writ, that a lamb contrary to nature and possibility, did in plain words before declare the nature and disposition of Bochorus king of Egypt? They that writ the chronicles of the Romans say, that a dog, a serpent, and oxen did speak. But scripture plainly saith, that Baalams' ass (a creature unreasonable, without possibility to speak) did say to his master: why beatest thou me? And john the baptist contrary to the common course of nature, leapt and rejoiced in his mother's womb, when Christ's mother being with child came to see Elizabeth his mother.  
If men that believed not the miracles, which the goggle ●…ied Rood of Boxley, the Idol of walsinghan, the bawd of willesdom, which every fool might see to be deceits and open illusions, were condemned and burned for heretics: how should they be taken, that do not believe the manifest works of God?  
The horrible Comet and blazing star that was seen this year greater in England than else where, what else doth it betoken, but the great displeasure of God? and therefore famine, pestilence, wars, sedition, death of princes, invasion of foreign naciones, destruction of some or many cities and countries, and the alteration and changing of the state and government? For if it be lawful for man to divine of God's wonderful works, and by the like things past, conjecture those that be to come: why should we not affirm, that these plagues will follow? Before the great wars made by Xerxes against the grecians, and the overthrowing of the hole state of Grece, there was a blazing star seen of the shape of an hor●…e, and an eclipse of the sun.  
Before the last and utter destruction of the city of jerusalem, there was seen hanging in thelement over the temple a burning sword almost the space of a hole year. In the time of cruel Nero, there was a Comet that continued six months.  
After that followed great sedition and alteration in th'empire: and the kingdom of the jews (mark well) was utterly destroyed. Before the death of our country man Constantine the great, who was the furst professor of the Gospel of Christ among all themperors: and no doubt a special favourour and promoter of it. For he did not prohibit lay men to read God's word, as some princes do at this time, but he caused examples of the Bible to be written at his own charges, and sent in to all countries: there was a great Comet, and afterward followed a wonderful and cruel war, which who so delighteth in histories, may perceive.  
Before the dissension and deadly wars that was between the brethren of Lotarius th'emperor, son of Lodovicus Piu●…▪ for the division of th'inheritance (whereby such slaughter grew in France, that the frenchmen were never after able to recover perfectly their force) there were many Comets seen.  
About the year of Christ M. I. there was an horrible Comet seen, and than followed wonderful famines and pestilence?  
In the year MLXI before thinvasion of William Conquer our in to England, and the conquest of the same, and in which Herald king of England with twenty thousand true Englishmen in the defence of their country against the tyrant were slaine●…ther was seen a wonderful Comet, which every man thought (as in deed it followed) to be much mischief and th'alteration of the state, as hereafter ye shall hear. A little before the great wars in Normandy (whereof ye have heard before) there was seen in Normandy a great Comet, and two full moans at one time shining, th'one in the east, tother in the west. In the year MCCXXI. whilst the wars were in Asia between the christian men and the unchristen, where unto king Henry the third sent a power of Englishmen under th'earl of Chestre (for the maintenance whereof the nobility furst granted king the wardeship of their children, as Polidore writeth) before the Christian men lost the city of Damiata, and a great overthrow of them was in Egypt, many wonders were seen in diverse places, and also in England a very great Comet, a wonderful great earthquake, all the winter horrible thunders, which in England seldom in Summer be heard: such great rains, and tempests of winds, that it overthrew many houses: and the sea drowned many places, which every man said, betokened the hurt that followed on christian men. In the year MCCXLI. a little before wales was brought to the subjection of the king of England, there appeared in England a terrible Comet, by the space of thirty. days?  
In the year M. D. XXXI. there was an horrible Comet. And what followed of it? The Turk occupied a great part of Vngarie: the king of Denmark Christian invading his country with a great army, and so minding to recover his kingdom, was taken and his son. And why should not ye of England t●…ike, that these signs be only (or at the least chief) for you? Compare yourselves, and your lives and doings with the jews, or the worst nation, if any can be worse: and see whether ye be not able to match them, yea to overmatch them, and to drop vie, three for one? In what nation under the cope of heaven, hath God showed greater tokens of his savour, and it so little set by, as in England? What contempt of him, his word and ministers hath been there? What dissimulation with God? what hypocrisy? What swearing and soreswearing? What traiterye to their country? What disobedience to the governors in good, godly and necessary things? What ready obedience to their rulers in wicked and evil things? What unnatural bitcherie used between the father and daughter, brother and sister? What abominable whoredom suffered unpunished? yea in many and the chiefest places the greatest whoremongers, the impudentest ribalds, the peltingest bribers, and the lewdest persons made justices of the peace, and correctors of vice? What railing and reviling of the worthy pure preachers of God's gospel for only rebuking of vice? What horrible murders secret and open, not only of private persons, but also of the most honourable peers and reverend ministers of God? What bochering and burning of true English Christian, young and old, hole and lame, seeing and blind, man, woman, and child, without respect of age, sex or estate? What pillig and polling, taking and snatching, stealing and robbing, not only among the mean sort, but among the greatest? Where is so great hatred and malice, so little love and charity, as in England▪ I should never make an end, if I should tell but that I have myself seen and known, much less if I should declare all that other credible persons of their own knowledge report to be most certain and true.  
But to return to the matter. Look well England, look well, whether this Comet past, and eclipses to come, touch thee? Art thou not all ready plagued with famine? Yes, and with such a famine, as thou never before heardest of. It is true, ye had darthes' in the time of kings Henry and Edward, but those were dearthes' without need: only they were occasioned by the greediness and malice of naughty men without scarcity or lack of things: and for lack of diligent overseeing and good government, and not by the direct plague of God. But these two years since king Edward's death, from the restitution of your cursed popish mass, ye have had scarcity by the direct plague of God. The earth not brought forth such plaintie as it customably did before. Where before time the country fed London, London contrary wise was and is forced of her former provision to feed the country. Where Dantis●…e and other the north east parts were the barns and garners of corn, for they had the provision of corn for many years before hand, and nourished all the low parts of Germany, Denmark Friselande, holande, Zelande, Brabaunt, Flanders, Hispaine and many other: now by reason of their bringing so much to relieve England, unless a stay be made in time, they themselves will perish of famine. When were ever things so dear in England, as in this time of the popish mass and other Idolatry restored? Who ever heard or red before, that a pound of beef was at iiij. d. A sheep xx. s. A pound of candles at iiij. d. A pound of Buttur at iiij. d. ob. A pound of Cheese at iiij. d. two eggs a penny, a quarter of wheat, lxiiij. s. A quarter of malt at l. s. or above: the people driven of hunger to grind accornes for bread meal, and to drink water in stead of ale? And what? Shall this famine away, before his walking mate and fellow (pestilence) come? No surely, without your earnest speedy repentance, and Gods exceeding miraculous mercy, it is not possible: for hitherto the one went never before, but the other came either arm in arm, or else quickly after.  
But it shall almost come to late for common persons, for they be so hanged up by xx. and xl. in a plump (and a great number of them, because they confessed and professed, that they should be saved by th'only merits of Christ's passion) that the pestilence shall have little matter among the mean sort to be occupied on: but therefore must be the more occupied with the great.  
And hast thou (England) had no sedition and inward grudge? Yes, so much that the heads and governors durst not peep out of their privy chambres: nor one neighbour seem to talk with an other, for fear to be noted and accused of conspiracy. Yea and that (that is worst of all, and to be lamented of all english men) there is inward grudge, and secret malice between the membres, that is, the Nobility and Commons.  
The one hateth and contemneth the other, which is the work of the devil, and his ministers the popish Prelates and priests. They cast water in to the coals, to make the fire greater: for they know, unless such division and dissension be fostered and nourished, their kingdom would soon lie in the dirt. This is the practice of such as mind the conquest or utter destruction of any people, to maintain and prick forward dissension, division and discord among the people. For Christ's words are true, who saith, that every kingdom divided in itself shallbe desolate, and every city or house divided against itself, shall not continue. The prophet prophesying of the destruction of the kingdom of the jews, said before, that there should be civil and inward sedition, as there was in deed in jerusalem, between three pestilent factiones and parts, whereof Simon, joannes, and Eleazarus were the authors and heads. This was Xerxes practice to set the grecians by the ears, to maintain Civil wars and dissension among them, that so when one had destroyed an other, he might easily enjoy all. This policy have all other ambitious monark●…s hitherto in all places practised. And as Gardyner when he should die, did not lament his sins, but sent for the Queen, and wept to her, that he could no longer live to serve her grace, that is, to undo the nobility and commons of the Realm: but he desired her to proceed as he counseled her by his word and writing: so granuel when he should also die, sent word to th'emperor Charles, and required him, not to forget his counsel, but still use it, th●…t is, to nourish and maintain dissension among the states of Germany, and so he should at length easily come by the hole. In like manner if the traitorous bishops and priests can once set the commons against the nobility and gentlemen, they will soon (the nobility being once suppressed) send the commons to climb a daws nest, and use them at their pleasure. But wise men and such as loved their country in time past, foresaw this mischief that came by inward grudge and civil discord: and ever (as much as in them lay) went about to let it. They thought it was most necessare to provide for the safeguard of the hole by all means, and not for any particular part: which may well appear by the wisdom of Thrasibulus, who being driven out of Athens (his country) by the thirty. tyrants, because he would not consent to their tyranny, ad to see his country destroyed: at length gathered together all those that were banished with him, and by the help of the Thebans their neighbours, took a castle besides Athenes, and afterward in battle he overcame the tyrants, and restored all those that were banished, to their country, and their old laws that were taken away by the tyrants. And seeing what mischief might follow, if he did not take away thinward grudge that was among the people, and make an unity between them, albeit the poor banished men were spoiled of all that they had, and their goods in those hands, that had no right thereto, yet made he then all to give a promise, that none should claim any thing of an other, but that all should be forgiven and forgotten. And the same wisdom did the Romans many times use, to make quietness among the people, and to preserve the hole common wealth. Yea the noble men of Rome, albeit they were as ambitious as others, and one envied an others glory, yet when the common wealth was in hazard, and that their service must be used for the defence of their country, they did clean forgive and forget all private injuries and inward grudge: yea it was the chief mean to reconcile enemies. And no marvel among wisemen, for they saw, if the hole body of their country should perish, they could not prospre. There can be no arm, where there is no body: and it is a feeble body that lacketh the arms and legs. Yea it is a most miserable body where the arms and legs beat the body, and the body goeth about to shake of tharms and legs. And albeit there be no people, that have been more plagued by inward sedition and civil discord, than Englishmen: yet is there none that less consider it. I can not tell, whereof it cometh, but commonly they neither remember that is past, nor foresee that is to come, but only (as unreasonable creatures) look upon those things that be present. The dissension and discord that was in Britain our country (which now is called En gland) and between our own country men, brought first the Romans in to England: who after they were en tread, soon took all to themselves: they murdered a great number of the britains, of some they took their children pledges, and sent them to Rome: and to rid the Realm of strong and lusty persons, that there might be none to withstand them, they sent armies and garisones of them out of the realm, to serve in foreign countries. Those that were lest at home, they spoilt of their goods with great taxes and imposiciones: and a great number made slaves and bondmen, and glad was he, that could find favour to enjoy any little part of his own as long as he lived. By this means was the real me almost made desolate, and than the Pictes (a barbarous and cruel nation) invaded Britain, and destroyed man, woman, and child, that came in to their hands: and so greater misery followed, the people forced to fly in to mountains, woods and caves for their safeguard, and by that means the ground not tilled, great famyncame on them, and than wonderful pestilence, as lightli th'one goeth not without the other. Thus our countrymen the britains being oppressed by the Pictes, sought aid of the saxons (men of great force, but of little truth) who when they were come in to the Realm, and saw the fertility of it, subtilely devised, to marry Ronix daughter to their captain Hengistus, to the king of Britain called Vortiger. She being instruct what she should do found the means, that her own countrymen should be placed nighest the king, and have the greatest offices. Thus were our countrymen the britains removed from their king, strangers placed in all offices and holds, and at length the land was overrun, and possessed of Strangers. And the mane of Britain put away, and the realm called England.  
The Danes after understanding how fertile and pleyntifull England was, sought means by little and little, to place themselves in England, and after a king of Denmark in his own person invaded England in the north, and made wonderful cruel wars, they spared none, they burned and wasted Yorkshire, Northumberlande, and all places, so that the inhabitants were forced to sue for peace at the Danes han des. Then built they the town of Dancastre (that is, the Castle of the Danes) and whiles they had peace, sent for more Danes: and when they thought their for ce and power big enough, they passed not upon promises and leagues that they had made, but renewed the wars, killed, burned and spoiled in every place, till they came to exeter: the people and realm was most miserably tormented, and made tributary to them. diverse of the nobility of England upon light yea no occasiones, but only because they were thought not to favour the Danes, were taken, their nostrils most villainously slytted, their hands cut of▪ Ah good God, who can remember these things without weeping? Who that feareth thy wrath (lord) will not am●…de his life, and call to thee for mercy? What naughty nobility were that, that would oppress the wilderness, and afterward be used and oppressed themselves, by strangers, as their predecessors have been before time? What devilish Commons might that be called, that would repine or rebel against the nobility and gentlemen, and than to be overrun them selves with priests and foreigners, and to be pined with such misery, as ye hear that our auncettours were: and all because the gentlemen and commons agreed not among themselves? Who is a natural English man, that will not in time foresee and consider the misery toward his country and himself, and by all means seek to let it? who is it, that can hope for quietness, peace, health, pleyntie, and such like gifts of God, without God's favour and mercy. And how is it possible that God should use mercy with them, that bear inward hatred and grudge one to an other, and will use no merci with others? If ye forgive other men their offences that they commit against you (saith Christ) your heavenly father will forgive thoffences that ye have committed against him. But if ye do not forgive other men their faults, neither will your father forgive you your faults. No whilst ye say the lords prayer, and be full of rancour, malice, hatred, and envy toward your neighbour, ye condemn yourselves, and desire Gods plagues and vengeance to fall on yourselves: for ye mean vengeance to your neighbours, and wish all evil to fall on them. And so it doth fall on you: as ye see by experience of the plays and miseries that are and shall come to you. But from inward sedition and civil discord, that breedeth so much mischief, let us come to outward wars and invasiones made by strangers. But ye will say, ye have no wars with any foreign prince. It is true: but shall ye have none? yes, yes: the time is not yet come, all is not hatched that is under the hen. Your wings must be dubbed, your feathers must be pulled, your combs must be cut, you must be clean piked, your substance shallbe gotten by little and little out of your hands, by taxes and subsidies, by benevolences and loans, and so from a little to more, and from more to more: and at length all the merchants goods to be confiscate in Flaunders by an inquisition, and others in England by an open excommunication. And when ye be once clean stripped of your store, and thus weakened out of courage, and your heart in your hose, as they say: than shall your king return to his well-beloved wife, England, with great pomp and power, and shall compel you (in despite of your hearts) to rem dre and deliver her holly in to his hands. Than shall the easter linges (upon hope to recover their old and greater privileges) aid him with men, money and ship pes: as already they have offered and promised, as diverse credible letters have declared. Than shall they in vade England, and shallbe by shiploades (if no worse hap unto you) carried in to new Spain, and there not live at liberty, but because ye are a stubborn and unfaithful generation, ye shallbe tied in chains, forced to row in the galley, to dig in the mines and to pike up the gold in the hot sand. And so with soro we to your sops, your three man's song shall be, Alas, and weal away. Than shall ye know the pride and lordliness of the spaniards, though for a while till they may get the over hand, they creep and crouch, feed men with sweet words (Baso las manos) and women with confettes, sweet wines, pleasant pfumes, gay apparel, and such like vain to yes: but when they be once aloft, there is no nation under the cope of Christ, like them in pride, cruelty, unmercifulness, nor so far from all humanity as the spaniards be: which thing the realm of Naples, the Dukedom of Milane, the city of Sienna, many parts of Duchelande, and the land of julike Cleveland and Geldre land can to their cost right well testify.  
And may it not be thought, that the French kìg (when he seeth opportunity) will set in a foot, makìg claim to England, in the right of the Queen of Scots, as heir to hang Henry th'eight by his eldest sister? And may it not be suspected, that the pope (to do the French king a pleasure) shall say the Divorce between king Henry and the dowager was by the canon laws lawful: and shall excommunicate the realm, unless they revoke th'act of parliament, whereby the divorce of late was judged unlawful?  
Remember, remember (good country men, and true English hearts) the misery that followed in our poor country upon the conquest made by th'ambitious William Duke of Normandy: upon how small a title he entered, and how tyrannously he used himself. His only colour was a bequest or promise made to him by king Edward, brother to Cauntus and Heraldus kings of England, when he was a banished man in Normandy, if he should die without issue, as he did. At his first en try, he had a great battle with the new choose king of England, and slew hì and twenty thousand of our country men, which put such a fear in all men, the Nobility, the clergy, the Londoners, and others the commons, that it m●…de themsue for peace, and to give pledges for their ●…delitie, whom he sent in to Normandy. At the first he made them many fair promises of peace, quietness and justice, wherewith the foolish fond people were soon begyle●…. They thought they had had God by the too, but they h●…de the wolf (yea the devil) by the ears. He first fortified the holds and ports by the sea side, and in his absence (as many times he was forced upon rebelliones in Normandy, to tetourne) he made a Counsel of his own country men, and made the Bishop of Ba●…on his brother, his lieutenant ì England. But when he was once settled, and thought himself strong enough to keep the Englishmen under: than Far well all fair promises, he begìneth to play Rex, yea the devil in dedc. He spoilt the nobility of their goods and possessiones, made them slaves, and his own slaves Lords: and upon the Commons he put wonderful taxes and imposiciones. He took from the people their weapons and harness, and made a law, that no man should come out of his house after the bell rong, which was at eight of the clock, but to cover the fire and to bed. Wherefore until this day the bell that than ringeth, is called Coverfiewe. And than he built at Nottingham, lyncolne, york, and hasting, and set in them garrisons of normands. And not contented herewith, he executed many wonderful cruel things, and specially on the nobility, and such as he saw to be stout men: some he caused to be murdered, some their nostrils to be slit, and their hands cut of. Happy was he that could fly out of the Realm: he so spoilt york shire, and durhan, and all the north ꝑtes, that ten years together it lay waste and unhabited. He could in n●… wise abide the English nobility, but utter lie destroyed them. And all this he did by the law of the devil, which they call the law of arms. The good laws and. ustomes of England he clean took away, and made his own lusts his laws, and put them in his own Normande tongue, that his friends might always have thin terpretation of them, and that he might catch the poor Englisheman, when it pleased him: and would have the laws to be pleaded and all things to be done in French. And he was not taken to be the Normandes friend, nor no gentleman, that could not speak french. And thereof cometh the old proverb: jacke would be a gentleman, but he can no french. He removed th'English bishops, and placed normands by the aid of the bishop of Rome. He pulled down towns, villages, and houses, and put out the poor people to make him sporting places, princely pleasures, forests, ꝑkes and chases. O miserable England, th●…t ones thus waste by a tyrant and outward enemies plagued. But how much more miserable shalt thou be by the wars that are most certain to come shortly ont he. God be merciful unto thee. But me thinks I hear your papists bishops, priests, friars, and such like Antichristian money stres say, that these plagues which have fallen and shall come to England (for they know, they can not be a voided, no they are occasioned and holpen forward by them) have grown for things done in king Henry and king Edward's time, for that their abomination was disclosed, their buries and dens digged up, their monasteries thrown down, and the lands divided and sold to the laity. Ah hypocrites, Ah subtle wolves, ah viperous generation. When the fox preacheth, beware your geese. Where in scripture do they find, that any such belly Gods as they are▪ should be maintened? No, scripture would have such merchants whipped out of the church, such buyers and sellers of men's souls. woe be unto you hypocrites (saith Christ) for ye swalo we up the houses of the poor and miserable, that is, that which should be converted to the relief of the poor and needy: and that under pretence of long prayers. Woe be unto you (ye masking Mahoundes) which go from place to place, by sea and by land, to make a novice of your own order, and when ye have him, ye make him the child of hell fire two fold more than yourself. I know you not (saith Christ) away from me, ye workers of iniquity. It is only their God the belly, that they seek to serve, they neither pass on the God in heaven, nor the devil in hell, so they may have wherewith to maintain themselves on earth, in their whoredom, burgerie, pride and all abomination. And this that I say, is not feigned nor imagined, but evident in all men's eyes that will not be wilfully blind.  
Those that be desirous to be rulers in monasteries, ab botts and priors before they come to it, they pine themself away with fasting, wear hear, and use the rest of th'instruments of hypocrisy for a while: but when they have once caught the fish they cast for, they she we what they be plainly. Who so great belly Gods? Who so great whoremongers? Where such knavery used? I am ashamed to tell it. In like manner play these Chaplains of honour, that seek for bishopriches: all saving one M. doctor Weston (the common bull of dissembled virginity, and the boar of old rusted wido whead) who before hand showeth what he willbe. But as the world goeth, his plain dealing hath not nor will put him to any afterdeale. Where is such an hooremonger (yea worse than an hooremonger) as this old hypocrite Paul the fourth now bishop of Rome? Who so great a glutton? Who so proud and ambitious? Who so great a tyrant and tormentor? Who so great a warrior? And yet before he came to that high seat of antichrist, he would seem a saint, no religion nor order of hypocrites was straight enough for him. He was a friar, a monk, a Capuccine an anchorite, yea what was he not? But ye see the mark these hypocrites shoote at. And I can tell thee somewhat of mine own know lage, which may not be denied: for the author is a man of good credence both abroad and at home with the greatest and meanest. After the beginning of the queens rei gne, and the sudden alteration of all things (contrary to oath and promise) there came one of mine order unto me, as I walked in a garden, and went about to persuade me to incline to the queens proceedings: Play the wise man) saith he) and do as I and other men do: I have known thee of long time, to be a good fellow. I warrant thee, thou shalt recover thy loss and live in honour, if thou wilt be ruled by reason. And with that helept up to clap me on the shoulder, for unless he stood on tip to, he could not reach it. Tush (said he) thou art a fool: If the Turk ruled in England, I would frame mi self to live according. I may not nor will tell you his name, because I hope he will once remember himself, and call to God for grace. But to put you somewhat from musing, I will tell you somewhat. In king Henry's time, when Gardiner was called the bear, he was called the ape. What said drunken doctor Weston in the mids of his cups (for wine will disclose secrets, if it be as well plied, as his mastership doth) by the mass, saith he, that bocher the bishop of London will cut all the gentlemen's throats in England, if he can. Thus ye may see the mark, whereat these hippocrites the papists shoot. They make religion and God's word nothing else than a colour to cover their wickedness, and to maintene their lewdness. And therefore they wrest and writhe scripture to serve their purpose, and so they have need to do: for there is not one word in all the scripture for them, but every word against them. And because ye be returned to their devotions, have forsaken God and his word, and cleave to the pope and his tradiciones, and maintain such a sort of hypocrites, dissemblers, and open enemies of God and the Realm of England: therefore have all these plagues lighted on you, and the rest will shortly follow without fail. Look upon the xxviij. Chap. of deuteronomy, where it is written thus. If thou wilt not harken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep and to do all his commandments and his ordinances, which I cō●…aūde the this day, all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the tow ne, and cursed in the field, cursed shall thy basket be and thy store. Cursed shallbe the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thine oxen, and the flocks of thy sheep. The lord shall send upon thee cursing, destruction and rebuke, to all that thou settest thy hand to, and that thou dost, until he destroy thee, and bring thee to nought quickly, because of the wickedness of thine invenciones, and because thou hast forsaken me. The lord shall smite thee with madness, blindness, and dasing of heart. Thou shalt be oppressed with wrong, and be polled evermore, and no man shah secure thee. Thou shalt be betrothed to a wife, and an other man shall lie with her. Thou shalt build an house, and not dwell therein. Thine oxen shallbe killed before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. Thine ass shallbe violently taken from thee, and shall not be restored to the again. Thy sheep shallbe given to thine enemies, and noman shall rescue them. The fruit of thy land and all thy labours shall a nation which thou knowest not, eat: and thou shalt continually suffer violence, and be oppressed alway, so that thou shalt be clean beside thyself, for the sight that thine eyes shall see. Thou shalt carry much seed out in to the field, and shalt gather but a little in, for the grasshoppers shall destroy it. All thy trees and fr●…te of thy land shallbe marred with blasting. The stranger that is among you, shall climb above thee on high, and thou shalt come down beneath allow. Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall follow the and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed: because thou hearkenedest not to the voice of the lor de thy God, to keep his commandments and ordinances, which he commanded thee, and they shallbe upon the as miracles, and upon thy seed for ever, because thou servedest not the lord thy, God with joyfulness and with a good heart, when thou haddest abundance of all things: therefore thou shalt serve thine enemy, which the lord shall send upon thee, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and in need of all thing: and he shall put a yowke of Iron about thy neck, till he have brought the to nought. And the lord shall bring a nation upon thee, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand: an hard favoured nation, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor have compassion on the young. The same shall eat the fruit of thy catail, and the fruit of thy land, till he have destroyed thee: and shall leawe thee neither corn, wine nor oil, neither the increase of thine oxen, nor the flocks of thy sheep, till he have brought the to nought. And the lord shall send upon the and thy seed great plagues and of long continuance, evil sicknesses and of long durance. And it shall come to pass, that as the lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you: even so he will rejoice over you, to destroy you, and to bring you to nought, And among these naciones thou shalt find none ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest. But the lord shall give the an unquiet heart, and dasing eyes, and sorrow of mind, etc. And in the end of the xxix. Chap. of the same it followeth. Than shall all naciones say, wherefore hath the lord done on this fashion unto this land? And men shall say▪ because they left the Testament of their fathers, which he made with them, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. For they went and served strange gods, and worshipped the. Gods which they know not, and which had given them nought. And the wrath of the lord waxed hot against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. etc. By this scripture ye are plain lie told the undeniable cause and matter, wherefore the lord God threateneth and sendeth plagues. Read all the histories of the bible, and the prophecies of the Prophets, and ye shall evidently see, how people and nations have been destroyed for maintening of such Idolaters and wicked livers, as the papists are, and where such wickedness hath been used (as is among you) and not corrected, as I have before declared. But thou wilt say: what shall we do, to avoid the calamity and misery that is both present and toward? would to God thou didst ask it from the bottom of thy heart. But I fear thou dost dissemble and speak it with thy lips only, as thou wast wont. When the great sweat was in England in the time of king Edward, a little signification of a greater scourge following: and many that were merry at dinner, were buried in the evening: some that went at night to sleep lusty, were found in bed dead in the morning: some that went not far from their own house, never returned. Than as long as the ferventness of the plague lasted, there was crying Peccavi, peccavi, peccavi: I have sinned, I have sinned, I have sinned, mercy good lord, mercy, mercy, mercy. The ministers of God's word were sought for in every corner, they could not rest, they might not sleep: ye must come to my lord, ye must come to my lady, my master prayeth you to come strait unto him, my masters must needs speak with you. Come, if ye love God: and if ye love their salvation, tarry not. For God's sake, M. Minister (say the sick folks) tell us what we shall do, to avoid Gods wroth. Take these bags, pay so much to such a man, for I deceived him: give him so much, for I gate it of him by ●…surie: I made a crafty bargain with such a one, restore him so much, and desire him to forgive me. I have taken bribes of such a one, I pray you give him so much more again. I have spoken evil of such a man, God forgive it me, I have been a hooremongre, a bawd, God pardon me. divide this bag among the poor, carry this to the hospital, pray for me for God's sake. Good lord forgive me, I have dissembled with thee: I pretended to love thy word with my lips, but I thought it not with my heart: but now I see thou knowest the secretest secrets, and wilt not leave evil unpunished. Have mercy on me, and forgive me good lord, I beseech thee from the bottom of my heart. This was the dissimulation of the people for three or four days whiles th'execution was: but after when the rage was somewhat suaged, than return they to their vomit, worse than ever they were. Than that they had before caused to be restored and given in almose, they seek to recover by more evil favoured Chevisaunses. But God is not blind, neither is his hand shortened: he hath begun to meet with you, and will pay you that he oweth you to th'uttermost. But whether thou requirest me unfeignedly, to know how to avoid the plague to come, or dost dissemble with me, I had rather thou shouldest be found in fault, than I not to do that I before promised thee. God's word requireth and con maundeth every man to help his neighbour in word and deed, as much as in him lieth. I will therefore tell thee my best advise, and heartily pray God thou mayest earnestly follow it. All these plagues that before thou hast heard rehearsed, famine, pestilence, sedition, wars, destructiones of countrayes, captivity of people▪ and alteraciones of states, are the instruments of God sent and powered on the people for their sins, that they should be sorry and repent them of their former wicked life, call to God for mercy, and lead a new life in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life: Which if ye will earnestly do, no doubt but as God is merciful, so will he use mercy towards you. For God that never deceived any, but abhorreth all practices, all deceit, and all practisers (the workers of deceit) promiseth it by the mouth of his prophet Ezechiel. If (sayeth he) the ungodly will turn away from all his sins that he hath done, and will keep all my commandments, and do the thing that is just and right, doubtless he shall live and not die. For all the sins that he did before, shall not be thought upon any more: but in his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live. For I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner (saith God) but that he should repent him of his wicked life and live etc. It followeth in the prophet thus▪ wherefore repent and return from your wickedness, and your wickedness shall not be your destruction. Cast from you all your ungodliness, make you a new heart and a new spirit: wherefore will ye die, O you house of Israel (that is, all such as trust to be saved by christ) seeing I hare no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, sayeth the lord God. Turn therefore, and ye shall live.  
This is not holy water of the court, bare words of course, as the princes of the world use, whiles they go about to deceive the poor people with their practices, but he saith no less, than hewil do: he promiseth no more, than he will justly and fully perform. Scripture is full of examples to prove it. After th●… death of Gedeon, the children of Israel fell from the worshipping of the true God, became Idolaters, and worshipped Baalim and Astaroth, and other Gods as the ethnics did, wherefore God plagued them wonderfully with invasiones and overrunning of the Philistines by the space of xviij. years: they seemed in words to do penance, but god saw they did but dissemble with him, and therefore he would not hear them. But after they had done penance in deed, that is, destroyed the Idols, and cast them out of their country, than God sent them the noble captain Jepte, who defended them, and revenged the malice of the philistines, Likewise where the children of Israel had in the time of Hely the priest received by the Philistines many slaughters of the people, and had lost many cities and towns for the Idolatry they had committed, yet when by th'admonition of Samuel they repented (as ye heard before) and turned to God, God turned to them, and was merciful. And when the philistines had prepared a wonderful great force against the children of Israel, God sent suddenly such a terrible thondre and lightning, that they were dispersed and rā●…e away. The children of Israel persecuted them and slew them, and recovered their cities, and all that they had lost. When the moabites, ammonites and Idumites thought to have overrun juda in the time of king josaphat, yet when the king and his people lamented to God and called for mercy, God turned away his wrath, and poured▪ it on their enemies, and made them to fall out among themselves, and so to kill one an other. When Benadab the king of Syria besieged Samaria, there was so great a fami in the city, that women e●…e their own children: but when king joram and the people fell to repentance, and called to God for mercy, they had in one day pleintie of all things. For God sent such a terror among the Sirianes with the noise of armour, that they fled, and left all their victual bag and baggage behind them for those of Samaria. Ye have heard before also, how Olofernes and Sennacherib that invaded Israel, were with their hole armies destroyed of God, after the people repented them of their sins, and called for mercy. And so ye have innumerable examples of the great mercy of God toward all that repented truly, and called for mercy. As of the city of Ninive, whom albeit God had threatened utterly to destroy them, yet when God saw they were penitent for their for mer wicked life▪ and called unto him for mercy, he withdrew his plague, and held out his merciful hand over them: even so ye (good country men amn true english hearts) if ye will in time earnestly repent you of your sins, leave your Idolatry, and honour and worship God truly, as ye were taught▪ in blessed king Edward's time, abhor the fond fantasies and foolish tradiciones of men▪ and cleave to the sincere word of God, and be desirous of the knowledge of it: leave your blasphemy and vain swearing and horrible for swearing and perjury, no longer hate your country, but be true and faithful to it, and by all godly means seek the wealth and safeguard of it: if ye will obey God's commandments before your governors, and your governors in that is godly, honest, and just, and not ●…lles: ●…f ye will leave your bawdry, whoredom and bitcherye, and drive out of all places all whores, hooremongers and stuehouses▪ and all such as favour and maintene them: ●…f ye will abstain from cruel murdering of the Saints of God and innocentes, and rather yourselves be content to suffer all martyrdom, than ye will imbrue your fingers in their blood, or consent to it: if ye will leave oppressing of your neighbours, your subtlety, craft and deceat, and yourselves leave to love greediness, and inordinate desire of the trash of this world: if you leave your inward hat reed, grudge and malice one to an other, if the nobility will love and cherish the commonalty, and the commons honour and love the nobility: if one will show himself a brother and neighbour in deed to an other: than no doubt if ye do these shinges from the bottom of the harte, that the mouth and heart agree together, your sayings and doings be all one: than shall ye perceive, that God willbe easily entreated to turn. Than may ye boldly ask of God in Christ's name, and your desires shall be heard and granted. But ye may in no wise dissemble with him, as the Israelites did, when they said they would commit no more Idolatry, and yet kept their Idols, as you pulled down your images, but yet kept them secretly in your chambers: nor yet as judas Iscarioth did, who lamented his sins and repent, but returned not to God: nor yet as yourselves did dissemble in the last sweat, whiles God's whip was in your necks, but ye must clean do away the old man and put on the new: ye must refuse and cast away all evils, and do that is good, and ever study to do that shall please God, and in no wise look (as lots wi●…e did) backward: but still go forward. And than if ye call to God for mercy, putting your full and only trust in him, he will hear you, and take from you those plagues that lie on you, and the other which most certainly (if ye repent not, hang over you, and will come upon you. Than will he send you his benediction for malediction, pleintie for famine, heal the for pestilence, peace for wars, quietness for trouble, for cruel tyranny, a godly and just government: for sedition, such force and power, that you being a few, shallbe able to withstand all the tyrants of the world, and enemies of God and our country, and utterly confound them and destroy them. Ye shall avoid the eternal pains of hell prepared for sinners: and at length ye shallbe sure also to make a change from your earthly country, to the heavenvly Paradise: from variable England, to the constant jerusalem: from the company of men, to the fellowship of Angels: from mutable and frowning countenances of worldly powers, to the unchangeable and most comfortable sight of the king of all kings, our most merciful eternal heavenvly father. To whom with the son and the holy ghost, be all honour, praise and glory now and ever.  
Amen.