❧ A sum of the Guisian embassage to the Bishop of Rome, found lately amongst the writings of one David an Advocate of Paris, and translated out of French into Latin, and from Latin into English.  
❧ Imprinted. 1579.   

❧ To the Christian Reader, the Translator sendeth greeting in Christ jesus.  
THis little Pamphlet, (good Reader) being first extant in French, and after translated into Latin, came unto my hands by chance, perusing other books which were brought from Frankford: and overrunning shortly the same, and perceiving that it contained the discovery of a very dangerous and mischievous practice of the Papists in France, especially of the Guisian faction, which under pretence of the maintenance of the Catholic or Romish faith, (as it may seem) being thereunto by the Pope, and his favourers induced for the upholding of his pride and ambition, together with their heretical and erroneous doctrine, which by the Gospel in the noble Realm of France, as in all other places in Christendom is now laid open and plainly confuted, to their no small loss & grief, seek I speak rather to aspire to the title of the Crown of that mighty Kingdom, by privy claiming unto themselves, the right thereof as the heirs descending lineally from Charles the great: and pleading the Valois, with the Borbones to be but usurpers, and intruders: who at this day are the right apparent heirs thereof: I thought good to publish the same to the view of the world, leaving the credit thereof to the Reporter, that it may appear both how cruel and bloodthirsty a generation these Papists are, who can never be satisfied with the shedding of their breathernes blood, and that from Rome that spiritual Babylon, as from a Fountain flowing into all Christendom the continual discords, contentions, tumults, wars uproars, treasons and rebellions wherewith the same is lamentably at this day oppressed, and overwhelmed: as also to show how unjustly they burden and charge the godly, and zealous nobility, and Subjects of that Realm and other places with Treason and rebellion against their Sovereigns, and Princes, they themselves being most guilty thereof, when they withstand with all reasonable, and lawful means the unjust, violent, tyrannical, and unnatural oppressions, and invasions, practised against them, besides all law of God and man, by the Pope, abusing the Sceptres and authority of Princes, to the establishing of his long usurped primacy, Pride and Ambition, in the Church of Christ. For how so ever he colloureth his purposes with fair shows: yet is it evident to those that are not blinded with affection malice, or by the just judgements of God cast into a reprobate sense, that he seeketh his own and not those things which appertain unto Christ, and that he discrieth himself to be very antichrist, in setting up his own kingdom, with the overthrow of the kingdom of Christ, and his Gospel, (as much as lieth in him,) knowing, & feeling by experience, to his great grief (God's name be praised therefore) that the one cannot stand with the other.  
Therefore when it pleased God to make manifest to the world, by the glorious light of the Gospel of his son, how traitorously, wickedly, and blasphemously in the midst of gross and palpable darkness, he hath usurped & intruded upon the kingdom of his Christ, and he begins to take again possession thereof, and shaketh, like a tottering wall, the kingdom of Antichrist: he perceiving the ruin of his usurped tyranny to be threatened in all Christendom, and Christ like to recover his own possession again, joined with his confederates, & laid their heads together, sundry and divers times, especially in the late pretended counfell holden at Trent, and considered what was best to be done in this so desperate a state: and when they had sought by divers means to bring the same to pass, as by writing of books for their defence, by confessing sum what to have been amiss, and to promiss redress thereof (which they never meant in truth) by often promising of a general, lawful, and free counsel, but never performing it, by threatenings, sometime force and wars, and using the same sometime, & by divers other subtle devices, which nevertheless by the providence of God came to naught. Then they determined at last in their said pretenced Counsel of Trent, that seeing by no other way they were able to compass their intent, and to hold and prop up their ruinous state, (which they make more account of then the glory of God): that there should be made (forsooth) a holy league between the holy father, and all his obedient Children which kiss his feet, against all the professors of the Gospel in Christendom: with a full resolution, that it should be lawful for them by the dispensation of the holy Father, to use all Treachery, deceit, perjury, violence and cruelty against them, as being heretics, and condemned by the said holy Counsel of Trent. And that the execution thereof might be done with more heed, and dylligence, some were in all countries appointed who should undertake the same. And here-hence, hath sithence risen the Fire and Flame of dissensions, mutynes, and tumults in all Christendom.  
This I thought good (gentle reader) to admonish thee of, that in reading of this small discourse, thou mightest with more light and judgement, look into the popish practices therein contained. The Lord God make us wise in foreseeing their pernicious counsels, & avoiding the same in time. For as they have in that noble Realm of France, and in other places showed their malicious intents, so mind they to do the like, it is to be feared in England, if God do not of his mercy let them, which he grant, for jesus Christ his sake. Amen.   

❧ A sum of the Guisian embassage to the Bishop of Rome, found lately amongst the writings of one David an Advocate of Paris, etc.  
THat the civil wars which have been in France, 
Th● war● Fra● mor● full ●fitab● Apo● Sea●  have brought more hindrance, than furtherance to the Apostolic Sea, especially for the liberty both to writ Books, which are reproachful to the said Sea, as otherwise to deface the honour thereof: by the which liberty, the minds of the Heretics are encouraged & hardened, and most of the catholics brought to the contempt and scorn of the said holy Sea.  
That the end and event of all the victories which have been gotten in France, 
Hug● and ●steri● curse Apo● Sea  have fallen out unto some peace shameful, and dishonourable to the King, whereof it may be gathered, that the stock of Hugh Capet, albeit it hath succeeded in the singular, and only government of the kingdom of Charles the great: Yet it hath not succeeded it in the enjoying of the Apostolical blessing: which blessing, consecration, and inauguration properly, and peculiarly was bestowed upon the lineage and posterity of Charles the great. And further, like as Capet by taking to him and usurping the blessing of the kings bestowed on Charles the great, hath by his rashness and presumption violated the same: so hath he provoked upon his own, and successors heads, the continual curse and malediction of the said Apostolical Seat: from the which curse so great falsehood, theft, and rebellion against the holy Sea have sprung, to the destruction & overthrow whereof, that detestable law, and ordinance hath been enacted, and put in ure, which commonly amongst the French men, is called the freedom or liberty of the French Church: 
The ●tute 〈◊〉 the ly● of the 〈◊〉 Chu●● bridle Pop●  which in former times hath been a refuge & aid to the Albigenses and beggars of Lions, as they termed them, and now in our time to the Lutherans and calvinists, hath given occasion and matter of rebellion. In somuch that it is not to be marveled that the victories of those kings which these .16. years past, have undertaken war for the Catholic church, have had no happy success, neither at any time shall, as long as the Crown shall rest in the family of Capet.  
That it may seem that God in this conclusion of the last shameful peace, 
The of Ch● the g●● ways full t● Aposl● Sea.  hath as it were called home the rightful and lawful heirs of the Crown unto their right, and to have offered occasion and beginning to restore the Crown unto the heads of the right heirs of Charles. Of whom there is not one until this day found, which hath not showed unto the holy Sea, fidelity, obedience, and due reverence: and by that faithfulness, and dutifulness, hath declared himself to be the true, right, and lawful heir of the Apostolical blessing bestowed upon the crown of France.  

●ock of ●pe●●d by ●nd to ●herof.  That it is well known now to all men that the stock of those that descend from Capet, is carried headlong into a reprobate sense by the just plague of God, for that some of them are heartless, and witless, of no wisdom, or courage: some other reprobate, rejected, hated of God and men, Heretics, excommunicate, and cast of from the holy fellowship of the church.  
That it is a token of this malediction, first that some of them are borne of an evil shape of body, of fowl and stained blood: Further, that in the flower of their age, they die, leaving no heirs of their body to enjoy the kingdom, and that there remaineth no hope of their stock and issue, and therefore the inheritance of the kingdom is like to passed away to Heretics and excommunicants, to the great hurt of the Apostolic Sea.  
That where great danger now is at hand, 
What Cathole endeavour aught t●  all the endeavour of all the catholics aught to be employed, that the crown of France be restored to the true and lawful heirs of Charles: especially, seeing they are so fresh and flourishing in mind and body, that they are well known to be most fittest to achieve, and enterprise the greatest matters, and of most account.  
That the late wars hath advanced them to attain honours, 
Warre● fitable t● Guisian but mu● more pe●  rules and offices: but that peace shall restore again to them the lawful inheritance of the kingdom, with great good will and liking of all the French Nation. Wherefore it is not to be doubted, 
Sermon to be n● and wh●  but that the covenants, and conditions of this dishonourable peace, which are granted to the Heretics by their new Edict of Pacification, although they may seem profitable, and convenient to the Heretics, yet are they framed and devised not by man's counsel, but by Gods, that the praise, honour, and glory of the vanquishing of the Heretics may rest upon God only, and the blessing of his holy Vicar in earth. Wherefore it is to be provided, that in all catholic cities, wholesome Sermons may be made, meet to stir up the citizens minds, and to let the assemblies of the abominable sect, permitted by the last Edict.  

King ●e war● and 〈◊〉 of.  That the king is to be warned, that the new stirs which he shall hear every where to be continually raised, do not disquiet, 
Duke vice to ●t in: and 〈◊〉 he ●de do.  and trouble his mind, and that he put the Duke of Guise in trust to compose, and pacify them, who having authority from the king, with a stout and valiant courage, shall make confederacies between the nobility, and the cities, & so shall bind each one with an oath, that they be not only bound to follow his authority, but also privately, and properly his faith, and shall swear that they will acknowledge no other chief of the confederacy, but the Duke of Guise himself.  
These things being established, 
Orders taken Duke Guise Parri● with t●●rish Pr●  the Duke of Guise shall take order, that the Parish Priests, not only in towns, but also in villages and hamlets, do writ out, and in books set down, the names of all such as are of years to bear armour, and do send those books unto the said Duke of Guise, who incontinent shall appoint out Captains into those Parishes, which shall see and take a view what kind of armour, or weapons every one is fit, and meet to bear. 
What Priest do in cular c●sion.  The Priests also shall be willed, that in auricular confession they instruct every one that is enroled, of the just cause of this war, which is for defence sake of their conscience, and shall exhort them that they with all speed provide themselves of Armour and weapons.  

〈◊〉 the aught  The king in the mean while shall provide that parliaments or assemblies of all Estates and degrees of his Realm be called & summoned (which is a pit made by the Heretics for themselves to fall in) and thereunto shall ordain very great preparation, pomp, and solemnity (according to the manner of his Predecessors) and shall sand unto every province of his kingdom, 
●●ylers 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉, and they do.  such councillors as are most faithful and trusty to him, which shall by their counsel direct and govern the particular assemblies of every jurisdiction: Every one of these shall consider what is most meet for the king's purpose according to their wisdom, and for the faith and oath, wherewith he is bound to God, and his holiness, and the catholic king.  
The Queen mother in the mean time, shall go to her youngest Son, 
What 〈◊〉 Queen mother should  who is lewd, & a changeling, whom she shall easily persuade that he come to his brother the King, & go with him to the Parliaments of his kingdom, and shall labour by all means to entice thither the king of Navarre, her son in law, and the Prince of Condie, and she shall threaten them, that if they present not themselves at the Parliaments, they shall be proclaimed rebels, and obstinate.  
And to the intent, 
What t● King a● the Gui● should d● take aw● all suspi●on.  that all the occasion of suspicion and fear be taken away from them, the Duke of Guise and all his Brethrens, shall first departed from the Court, as if it were for some displeasure conceived against them, & the king departing out of Paris, shall betake himself to some such place, where shall seem to be most free access unto him & shall receive & entertain his Brother, & all the rest which shall come unto him, with all pretence of good will, and courtesy.  

●e Cap●es of the ●rishes, at they to●ld do.  About the time of the Parliaments, the Captains of the Parishes, shall every one take a muster, and view of his soldiers, and of those bands shall choose out such a number as the chief of the holy League shall appoint, that they may be in a readiness to do those things which shall be commanded them.  

●at is to one vpō●aye of Parlia●ts.  When the day of the Parliaments shall come, before any thing is referred to the assembly, an oath shall be exacted in order of every one, that whatsoever shall be agreed upon, & decreed in the Parliaments, shall be kept and observed. The Citizens moreover shall bind their brotherhooddes to bear the charges of all the wars.  

●at is to ●ore of Pope.  Lastly, his Holiness shallbe entreated, that it would please him by his authority to allow, and ratify whatsoever shallbe decreed in these Parliaments: 
Prage call d●  and that it would please him that there may be like force of these decrees, as hath been accustomed to be of the pragmatical decree between the holy Sea, and this Realm, as heretofore it hath been done in those things, which have been agreed upon between the Kings and the Bishops.  
Moreover, 
What be don● cōuey●● title o● Crow● the sto● Capet●  to the intent the right of the royal inheritance may be conveyed away from the kindred, stock, and family of Caper, and that deposing of them may according to the manner and custom of our Forefathers be left in the power of the Parliaments: A decree shall be made, that if any Prince of the blood royal: if any peer, or noble man shall refuse to obey the same decree of the Parliaments. The Prince from that day forward shallbe Proclaimed unworthy the inheritance of the kingdom. The peer or noble man shall be judged unworthy of all his honours and titles, their goods shall be confiscated: to the end, that money of the sale thereof gathered together, may be employed to the use of the war, and they themselves shall be adjudged to die. And if they be apprehended, they shallbe put to death: if not, their counterfeits, or pictures shallbe made fast upon the gallows & gibbets, and rewards shallbe proposed publicly to such as shall slay, or kill them.  

●ath of sty to Pope, ●a sub●tion to counsel ●tent to required.  These things being established, and an oath to the same exacted, and given, the States of the Realm shall yield to the successor of Saint Peter, a new oath of fidelity, and shall profess that they will live, and die in the form of that faith, & Religion which hath been prescribed by the Counsel of Trent, & the States of the Realm in these Parliaments, shall iudic●ide to the said Counsel, and shall pronounce and protest all Edicts which in this Realm hath been made against the authority of that Counsel, to be taken for void, unlawful, and as if they had never been written: But on the other side all those Edicts which have been made to the rooting out, and abolishing of heresies, to be kept and observed.  
The King by the authority, 
The to dis● with King made Prot●  and dispensation of the holy Sea, shallbe discharged and absolved from that oath which he hath made to Heretics, and their associates, and confederates: And to the Heretics shall a certain day be appointed before the which they shall profess before the Ecclesiastical Magistrates, that they are sorry for their enterprise, to the intent they may obtain Absolution for so great an offence, & they shall entreat the Prince to pardon them of high treason.  
And because the execution of this Article may be hindered and stayed by certain rebellious Provinces which have taken Arms, 
Viceroy made, the same ●e the ●c of ●se.  supplication must be made to the king, that he would make some Vicar general, or Viceroy of his kingdom, which must be a fit Prince, and skilful of wars, able and lusty, for courage, age, and body, apt to give counsel, and advise of himself, and to endure the pains of war: especially, such a one, as hath always kept himself pure, and unspotted, from all stain, contagion, and company of Heretics. And briefly, he shall be requested, that he would give this honour unto the Duke of Guise: whom, it is well known, to be furnished, and endued, with all helps of wit, and body, and skill of warfare, to take in hand such an office.  
Then the kings Brother must be admonished, and told, 
Order t● taken w● Duke ●●lanson.  what a great offence he hath committed, in that he forsook his Brother the King, to join himself to Heretics, yea, and to be their Captain, and to lead an Army against his Brother the King, and in that he forced his Brother to grant unto him, not only a part of his kingdom, and very large, and excessive allowance, but also to suffer him to have a Religion of so execrable impiety. And forasmuch, as this is the first, and highest point of treason against God's Majesty, and the Kings: for that it is not in the kings power to pardon so grievous an offence, request shall be made to the parliaments, that judges may be appointed to the Duke of Alencon, which may hear and determine of so great a fault, and the memory of the most holy, & godly example of the Catholic King, shall be renewed, which did not spare his only Son.  

●at is to ●one in ●nde of Parlia●s by the ●mies of ●e Pari●.  Finally, at the day that the Parliaments shallbe dissolved, from all parts of the Realm shall the Armies of the Parishes and other bands, aswell extraordinary as ordinary discover themselves, to put in execution the decree of the Parliaments, and they shall apprehended the Duke of Alenson, and the rest which have taken part with him in his government, and wicked wars.  

●at by Duke Guise.  By this practice the Duke of Guise having gathered a strong Army, shall set upon such Provinces, as have rebelled, the which he shall conquer either by force, and Arms: either by policy and devices, and he shall with terror overrun, both far and wide, spoiling the Country, and surprising all strong Towns by hunger, force, and want, by building and raising up Castles and Holds near about, by making often outroades upon the inhabitants, and he shall not to little purpose spend time in subduing by force and gun-shot, strong Cities, as it came to pass at the assault of Rochel.  
When the Duke of Guise hath gotten this famous and noble Victory, 
The concision of t●● whole platform between t●● Guisian● and the Pope.  and hath made his entrance & way into the chiefest Cities of the Realm, having the nobility linked to him: he shall find means to make inquisition of Duke Alenson the kings Brother, and other his associates: and at the last by the licence and counsel of his holiness, shall thrust the King and the Queen into a Monastery, following the example of his great Grandfather king Pepin: Who drove Childerick the king, entrapped by the like means into a Monastery: and by this device, the secular inheritance of the Crown of France, together with the Apostolical blessing being recovered, he shall restore without exception, and restraint unto the holy Sea, the ancient dignity, power and authority: and shall repeal and revoke the Privileges of the Church of France, as they are commonly called, yielding his faith and oath: first that he will when he shall have gotten unto himself the kingdom, religiously, and inviolably perform all these things.   

¶ An Addition.  
Lest (good Reader) the effect of this Legacy should not be known unto thee, I have thought good to annex to this Report the famous, either invention, or declaration of Pope Stephan, whereby the weak confirmation of the Guisian right may be known: It is extant in Rhegino, a Monk of the order of Saint Benet, Abbot of Pruniack, in his Chronicles of the year of our Lord. 753.  
STephan bishop, 
A Legend  the servant of the servants of God. etc. As no man aught to vaunt himself of his own merits, so aught not the works of God which by him are wrought in his saints, to be passed over in silence, without his deserts: but rather be set forth as the Angel warned Toby.  
Whereupon I for the great oppression o● the holy Church, by the most cruel and unworthy to be named, King Haistolph, came into France unto the good and faithful Lord to Saint Peter: Pipine, most christian King, where I was sick unto death, and for a time remained at the town of Paris, in the reverent Monastery of Saint Dionise Martyr. Of whom when the Physicians did despair, I was as it were praying in the Church of the said blessed Martyr, under the Bells, and I saw before the altar Saint Peter, and the teacher of the gentiles Saint Paul, and with all my mind I knew them by their Surplices, and also Saint Dionise at the right hand of Saint Peter, being spare, thin and long, and the good Shepherd Saint Peter said. This our Brother doth desire health, and Saint Paul said. He shall be whole straight ways, and coming near, he reached his hand to the breast of S. Dionise lovingly, and he looked to S. Peter, and S. Peter said unto Saint Dionise merely. It lies in you to make him whole. And by and by Saint Dionise holding in his hand a Censor, with Frankincense, and a Palm, having a Priest and a Deacon, which stood by, came unto me and said Peace be with thee Brother, fear not, thou shalt not die, until thou return happily unto thy seat: Arise hole, and dedicated this Altar to the honour of God, and the Apostles, Peter and Paul, whom thou seest, saying Mass of thanksgiving: And out of hand I was made whole, and I would have fulfilled that which they commanded me, and they that were there, said that I was mad: wherefore I told them and the King, and all those that were with him, in order all that I had seen. These things were done the year from the incarnation of our Lord .753. the Ideses of August. At what time being strengthened by the power of Christ, at the celebration of the consecration of the said Altar, and the offering up of the Sacrifice, I anointed as Kings of France, King Pipine, and his two Sons, Charles a●● Charlemagne, also Bertrand the wife of the said King appareled with royal attire, and with the seavenfolde grace of the holy spirit, have ordained them: In the name of God: and sanctifying the Nobles of France with the apostolical blessing, by the authority of Saint Peter given him by Christ, bound them, and required them that they should never from thenceforth presume by any manner of way, to appoint either themselves, or any of their successors after them, a King of any other stock, saving of their Progeny.   
FINIS.  

 

  

   

A fault escaped in printing.  
In the first leaf of the Epistle, the second side, and syxeteene line: for flowing, read floweth.