Ad Nobilem Britannium. OR AN ABSTRACT FOR ENGLAND'S Royal Peers.  
By that worthy Gentleman M. W. Turner. D. of Physic.  
Printed in the Year, 1641.   

TO TO THE RIGHT HONORABE, AND TRVELY NOBLE, THE DUKE'S, AND EARLS OF THE KINGDOM OF ENGLAND, etc.  
IT were, Right Mighty Princes, a thing worthy the moving of the High and Honourable assembly of Parliament, to grant this licence, that all Dukes, Earls, Lords, Barons, Knights, and their right begotten Sons, might have authority, whensoever they saw any startup which could not spend two Hundred pounds a year of his own truly gotten lands, wearing silk, velvet, or any Golden Chain to carry this Crow to the next Market Town, and there to pull his feathers, that is to cut his  all to pieces, & to take his chain from him; and take the one half thereof himself, and give the other half to the poor of the Town. Elizabeth, the Countess of East Freseland when she was certified, that a certain Yeamons wife had guarded her gown with a broad guard of velvet, she sent her officers unto her, and caused them to cut all her guards in pieces, and condemned her in a great some of money for her pride. Me thinks you do very ill to suffer every man that listeth to come into your livery apparel, fellowship and orders, and refuse no man whatsoever he be. Birds of a feather fly together, beasts of a kind flock together, fishes of a sort swim together; only the Nobility of England suffer all kinds of men to come into their order and livery. Every company will receive none into their company but such as are of their company. If a man put a Priest's cap upon a sow's head, and a tippet about her neck, and set her up against a stall in Cheapside, and give her husks to eat, would not all the whole order of Sacrificers be angry with him that clothed the sow so. If a man should shave an ape in the crown, and set a mitre upon his head, and put a rocket upon him, would not the Bishops be displeased with him that did so? But Oh ye Nobleses, do not ye suffer Dicers and Carders, and all kind of unthrifts, not only to go in gentlemen's apparel, but also receive them into your houses: ye suffer also a sort of false Apostles to take your honour from you, and to be your Lords and Masters, and to occupy your offices, which should belong only unto your order and dignity, is not this as it were a kind of leprosy in your faces to be thus defaced and shamed by these crafty foxes. These false named Bishops and Prelates become Ambassadors, or at least bear a great hand in it. Also precedents, justices of peace, and some full Lordly sit at Assizes and Sessions amongst temporal judges, leaving their own Courts to some single sir john, or to some blind Briber, sometimes they are Councillors of State, Knights of the Garter, yea to be the High Chancellor of England, and precedent of the Council, above all the Lords. We read in josephus, that the Nobility of the Jews suffering them to partake with them in their office, in the end became both Priests & Kings, and had all the Nobility under their girdle: And thus it is at this day with the Bishops of Rome. And if you saw but how they use hear to handle the Clergy in their Convocation House, you would say that they were the Pope's right shapen sons; for whereas their sitteth seven or eight linen wearing Bishops: If there be forty Pastors, and Elders that are wolwearers, yet in the coldest weather, whilst they stand there before them, they must stand bareheaded, be they never so old or sickley. Is this pride to be suffered; by this you may see how they would handle you, if they could get the upper hand over you; thus was it with the Bishops of Mensae, the Bishop of Worms, and the Bishop of Collen came impudently to Henry the fourth, Emperor of that name, & took his Crown from of his head. And Anno Dom. 1260. two Canons under the Bishops, bade the Governor of Colen to dinner, and brought him to a fair Chamber, wherein was an hungry Lion, and shut him in; but the Governor whom God preserved, put his left hand into the Lion's throat, and with the other hand took out his dagger & slew the Lion; and within few days after hanged up the two Canons (as they well deserved.) The Bishop of Luke Anno Dom. 1460. would not hear of any mercy though the City petitioned for Peace, but he caused his cousin Charles to kill 40000 men, and to drown 12000 women in the flood Mosa. And in Jermany, they made this rhyme of their Bishop's tyranny: 
Monks, Nuns, and Papes,  
Goats, Rats, and Apes;  
Flies, Caterpillars, and Miso,  
Whores, wivelesse, and Lice;  
Where they get the upper hand,  
They destroy both City and Land.  And it may easily be perceived what an ambitious mind they bear amongst us, and how they would gladly Reign over you if they could effect it. The only remedy therefore is to drive these idle ambitious Bishops home to their studies, & to cause them to preach God's Word to the people committed to their charge. To make good and honest Civilians, & Scripture-learned honest men; Lawyers & no Priests to be Knights, Lords, Councillors, justices of Peace, Chancellors, etc. And to take your offices upon you, & to do them yourselves; But hold in no case the Bishops from their Pulpits, lest the vengeance of God fall both on you, and them; upon you for holding of them from doing of their duty, upon them for not doing of their duty, if ye drive these falsely named Lords and Gentlemen out of your order, and company, & will do your offices and duties in your own persons; as Almighty God would have you to do; then shall ye have just honour in this world, and in the world to come, life everlasting.   
FINIS.