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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P><HI>A Di&s;cour&s;e</HI> Vppon a Que&s;tion of the E&s;tate of this time.</P>
<P>Faithfully translated out of French by E. A.</P>
<P>LONDON <HI>Printed by</HI> Iohn Wolfe, <HI>and are to be &s;olde at his &s;hop ouer again&s;t the great South doore of Paules.</HI> 1591.</P>
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<HEAD><HI>A que&s;tion of this time.</HI> Why doth not the King become a Catholike? If he would become a Catholike, his realme would &s;oone be at peace: all his &s;ubiectes would obey him, and without any diffi|cultie acknowledge him.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">This is the daily &s;peeche of diuers: but let vs con&s;ider whe|ther it be not of per&s;ons as farre different in humours, as they differ in intents.</HEAD>
<P>_WHen the leaguers began to doubt of the good &s;ucce&s;&s;e of their affaires, to mi&s;tru&s;t their owne forces, and to imagine, that in the and, the King might become mai&s;ter, they gaue out, that it was requi&s;ite he &s;hould become a Catholike, alleadging, that afterwarde on &s;uch a&s;&s;uraunce as they might gather, that he meant good earne&s;t, they would acknow|ledge him to be their King, &s;uppo&s;ing, that if they mu&s;t n&eacute;edes grow to that pa&s;&s;e, that of nece&s;&s;itie they mu&s;t obey him, they would at the lea&s;t per&s;wade and make the &s;imple people (whome they had abu&s;ed) to bel&eacute;eue that their fir&s;t &s;tirring vp of the&s;e com|motions and troubles of war, tended only to the pre&s;eruation of the Cathol. Apo&s;tol. Romi&s;h religion, and the Kings conuer&s;ion. But the&s;e &s;p&eacute;eches would much better haue be&s;&eacute;emed the mouths of other Catholikes that did continue in their dueties, then theirs: for they are for to remember, that the late decea&s;ed King was as great a catholike as any of his predece&s;&s;ours, and yet was it h&eacute;e whome the Leaguers did fir&s;t &s;et vpon, again&s;t him directed they their fir&s;t exclamations, iniuries, and repro|ches, in his life time began they their con&s;piracies, rebellions, and di&s;obedience: again&s;t his per&s;on and e&s;tate did they &s;o farre
<PB REF="3">attempt, as with the adui&s;e of the mo&s;t apparant profe&s;&s;ours of Romi&s;h religion among them, to deliberate, con&s;ult of, and con|clude his death, whom finally mo&s;t barbarou&s;ly and horribly they &s;troke and &s;lew through a Iacobine Friar, who was by them in|duced and brought thereto.</P>
<P>The &s;ame Leaguers are al&s;o to remember, that by their wri|tings and diffamatory Libelles printed and publi&s;hed at &s;uch time as they thought the K. that now is to be ouerthrown &amp; pa&s;t hope of euer attaining to the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of this Crown, they proclaimd him a relaps, aduowing, that albeit he woulde returne into the bo&s;ome of the catholike Church, yet he was no longer receiuable to the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of the Crowne, and &s;o con&s;equently his &s;ubiectes were di&s;pen&s;ed with for acknowledging him or y&eacute;elding him anie obedience: yea this they cau&s;ed to be preached abroad by the hired tongues of their preachers. Many other &s;uch &s;p&eacute;eches and wri|tings of the &s;ame Authors coulde I here alleadge to reprooue and conuince them of contradiction, and &s;o to &s;hew them to be nothing le&s;&s;e then ledde with &s;o holy a de&s;ire of the kings conuer&s;ion, were it the Argument of this Di&s;cour&s;e: but being content with this litle, which in re&s;pect of them, I haue but touched by the way, I will indeuour to an&s;were and &s;ati&s;fie others that doe v&s;e the &s;ame &s;p&eacute;ech, albeit with other affection and meaning then they.</P>
<P>Among &s;undry that giue them&s;elues out to be the Kings &s;er|uants, we daily heare no other &s;p&eacute;eches but the&s;e: Would to God the King would become a Catholike: That he would vouch&s;afe &s;o much content to the Catholikes, as to go to ma&s;&s;e: &s;o &s;houlde the Leaguers no longer haue any cloke for their rebellion, the Townes that they holde &s;hould y&eacute;elde him obedience: and to be briefe, we &s;hould obtaine peace, that is &s;o nece&s;&s;ary to this realme.</P>
<P>My mai&s;ters, &s;ith you are the Kings &s;eruants, or at the lea&s;t, that you do &s;o terme your &s;elues, and that it &s;&eacute;emes, be&s;ides your own &s;ayings, that you would haue vs bel&eacute;eue you &s;o to be: I dare pre&s;ume that you will hearken to my rea&s;ons, and accept of them with a milde and vpright mind: for how fr&eacute;e &s;oeuer I be in my words, yet do I meane to &s;ay nothing that may be offen&s;iue vn|to you.</P>
<P>I pray you, my mai&s;ters, the&s;e wi&s;hes and de&s;ires, together
<PB REF="3">with &s;uch zealous &s;ighs as &s;&eacute;eme to proc&eacute;ede from your &s;tomaks, do they &s;imply growe of a holy affection to the wealth and peace of Gods Church and this realme, and the &s;aluation of the King, or rather of &s;ome affected &s;hew, then of any true e&s;&s;ence of good will? I am content to take them in the fir&s;t &s;en&s;e, which is the be&s;t, and to bel&eacute;eue that &s;incerely you are of opinion, that if the King would &s;p&eacute;edely, without tarrying vntill a Councell hath determined the controuer&s;ies that at this day raigne through|out chri&s;tendome about the diuer&s;ities of opinions, concerning the Cath. Apo&s;t. and Romi&s;h religion, y&eacute;elde him&s;elfe to b&eacute;e in|&s;tructed in the Catholike religion, his realme would inmediat|ly grow to peace, and all factions and partialities amonge&s;t vs cea&s;e.</P>
<P>I would to God that that were the onely let, and in &s;o holy a de&s;ire wil I neuer giue place to any. Be&s;ides, I am a&s;&s;ured, that the King is &s;o ready to learne, that he will ea&s;ely be content to be in&s;tructed and brought to the Cath. Apo&s;t. Romi&s;h religi|on, in ca&s;e any man can &s;hew and prooue him to be in any error: yet, may I tell you, that this remedy is not &s;ufficient to cure our di&s;ea&s;es. Do you bel&eacute;eue, that the Leaguers doe in heart de&s;ire that the King would be brought to the Cath. Apo&s;t. Romi&s;h re|ligion? If you do &s;o thinke, you are deceiued. They &s;&eacute;e me to de|&s;ire it, but they would be very &s;ory it &s;hould be &s;o, yea, albeit the King had done it, yet would they y&eacute;elde him no more obedience then they now do, but rather they woulde v&s;e his returne to the Cath. Church as a meane to &s;euer the Germans, Switzers, and other prote&s;tant nations from the Kings friend&s;hip, and &s;o bring him to loo&s;e al credit and reputation both within and without the realme: a matter which great princes do continue according as they are thought of, and are in effect con&s;tant, couragious and &s;tedfa&s;t in their good purpo&s;es. Marke therefore this one onely matter among many other of like pollicy, which now I thinke m&eacute;ete to &s;hew you, for &s;o may you di&s;couer the trueth of the&s;e their &s;p&eacute;eches.</P>
<P>The chiefe of the League, and among others the D. of Lor|raine, perceiuing one of the kings chiefe&s;t humane forces to con|&s;i&s;t in the &s;uccour that he expecteth from the Germaines, fearing
<PB REF="4">nothing &s;o much as the di&s;cent of an army of that nation, haue by their agents and factors giuen to vnder&s;tand to the princes Elec|tors, and other lords and potentates of Germany, that the King was become, or at the lea&s;t had &s;worne and promi&s;ed the officers of the crowne and French nobility, that he would become a Ca|tholike: That already both about his per&s;on, and in his princi|pall and mo&s;t important affaires within the realme and with|out, he v&s;ed almo&s;t none but Catholikes. Which to be &s;o, &s;ayde they, mark what they be whom he hath &s;ent to be dealers in the leauy of &s;uch Souldiours as he de&s;ireth of you: be they not all Catholikes? Yea, euen the &s;ame Mini&s;ters and Amba&s;&s;adours whome the late King v&s;ed? What occa&s;ion therefore haue your Lord&s;hips to grant your &s;uccor to the king of Nauarre (for they do not otherwi&s;e entitle the King) rather then vnto the hou&s;e of Lorraine and Gui&s;e, or to the King of Spaine their king and confederate? With this &s;leight and &s;ubtilty haue they troubled the Kings affaires in Germany, and &s;lacked the leauy of his men of war. What then would they do if ind&eacute;ede the king were be|come a Catholike, con&s;idering that vpon a &s;imple apparance on|ly they haue &s;o &s;haken the amity which the princes of Germany do beare to the king? Hereupon therefore ye may conclude, that al the in&s;tance that the leaguers make, to cau&s;e the K. to returne to the Catholike religion, tends only to withdraw from him the loue of forren prote&s;tant Princes, &s;o to weaken his forces of &s;o much. Al&s;o that albeit he were become a Cath. yet the King of Spaine, with the hou&s;es of Lorraine and Gui&s;e, and other his ennemies, would neuerthele&s;&s;e pro&s;ecute the warre again&s;t him, and that with more power and &s;trength then yet they haue: for vndoubtedly they would v&s;e the power of Germany &amp; other the prote&s;tants that now do a&s;&s;i&s;t the king in the defence of his &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ine and lawfull right to this crowne, which they indeuour to wre&s;t from him, and al other the princes of his blood and familie.</P>
<P>This is the cau&s;e that the King (being well informed of the drifts and practi&s;es afore&s;aide, hath di&s;patched the L. Vicount of Turenne to the Qu&eacute;ene of England, and thence into Germa|ny, to a&s;&s;ure the prote&s;tant Princes of the contrarie of that that his enemies haue bruited among them to his hindrance, and to
<PB REF="4">&s;hew them that it was no newes that he v&s;ed the &s;eruice of ca|tholiks, con&s;idering he had the like before he came to this crown. Al&s;o, that he intended equally to fauour and v&s;e all his obedient &s;eruants and &s;ubiects without acception or difference of religion: with a&s;&s;urance likewi&s;e to the &s;aide Lady the Qu&eacute;ene of Eng|land and prote&s;tant princes of Germany, that at what time &s;oe|uer he &s;hal cau&s;e him&s;elfe to be in&s;tructed in the catholike religi|on, he will withall procure to al chri&s;tendome the benefite of re|union in one &s;ole faith and religion, thereby at once to cea&s;e all diui&s;ions, warres and partialities ari&s;ing vpon the diuer&s;itie of opinions in religion. Let vs therefore, I pray you, a little exa|mine what may bring to all chri&s;tendome in generall, and parti|cularly to this realme, the accompli&s;hment of your de&s;ires.</P>
<P>It were &s;omewhat if the king were in&s;tructed and brought to the cath. Apo&s;t. and Romi&s;h religion, and with all my heart my &s;elfe do wi&s;h it as earne&s;tly as any of you, yet mu&s;t you with me confe&s;&s;e, that albeit we might reap the contentment of the fight hereof, yet his &s;ubiectes that are indued with the like opinion, would not neuerthele&s;&s;e be &s;o &s;oone reclaimed: witnes Ca&s;&s;iodo|rus who in the per&s;on of Theodorike king of the Gothes dooth &s;ay: <HI>Religion dependeth not vpon our commaundement, for no man is forced to beleeue again&s;t his will:</HI> witnes al&s;o S. Bernard, who in another place &s;aith: <HI>Faith mu&s;t be per&s;ua|ded, not forced,</HI> whereby the&s;e two great per&s;onages doe fr&eacute;e|ly confe&s;&s;e, that kings haue no power ouer the con&s;ciences: be|&s;ides that, nothing &s;hould be &s;o voluntary as religion, wherein, if the &s;pirit be forced, it may wel be &s;aid, that religion is taken a|way, and there is none at all left. And ind&eacute;ed we haue found that our kings how zealous catholikes &s;oeuer, could not in thr&eacute;e&s;core yeares &s;pace neither by their examples of earne&s;t Catho. Apo&s;t. and Romi&s;h religion, neyther by fires, tortures or temporall weapons tame or force the co~&s;ciences of their &s;ubiects. To what purpo&s;e then were it for the king to be a catholike, vnle&s;&s;e his prote&s;tant &s;ubiects would &s;o become al&s;o? I do already &s;&eacute;eme to heare &s;ome cry out &s;aying: we would per&s;wade, yea, euen force the king to denounce war again&s;t them, vnle&s;&s;e they would con|forme them&s;elues. Alas, &s;o &s;hould yereturne into that where|out
<PB REF="5">out ye &s;&eacute;eke to depart. You &s;ay, The king becomming a catho|like, we &s;hal be at peace: yet in your other di&s;cour&s;e you &s;&eacute;e, that cr&eacute;eping out of one war, we &s;hall fall into another as dangerous, or rather wor&s;e then the former. Let vs then crie alarum as much as we li&s;t, for that is no cure for our calamities: weapons prouoke weapons, and our minds only are &s;icke, which we mu&s;t &s;&eacute;eke to cure by documents and rea&s;ons onely. Thus much for the particularity of this realme.</P>
<P>Shall the generall &s;tate of chri&s;tendome be any whit the bet|ter? Is the king more able to reduce forren prote&s;tant Nations to the cath. apo&s;t. Romi&s;h religion? There wil be no want of firebrands of war to tel me with their v&s;uall di&s;cour&s;es: That the king who is a great warriour, may with the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the coyne and forces of our holy father the Pope, and the King of Spaine, in fewe yeares reduce the forraine people and Nations into the bo&s;ome of the Romi&s;h church. Such di&s;cour&s;es are much ami&s;&s;e, as experience of that which is pa&s;t teacheth vs: for &s;o &s;hould we reenter into &s;uch a laborinth, as without other more milde and lawfull meanes, and Gods great helpe, we &s;hall not ea&s;ely get out againe: yea, &s;o &s;hould we fall to turning of an in|finite wh&eacute;ele, able to leade vs and all chri&s;tendome to a finall de|&s;truction.</P>
<P>Moreouer, ye are to thinke, that it were very vn&s;&eacute;emely to the inuiolable faith of the king, to his con&s;tancie, inuincible magnanimitie, honour and reputation, &s;o &s;leightly and &s;odaine|ly to alter his religion, whether in hope of a more peaceable raigne, or in intent to force and racke con&s;ciences, and in all ex|tremitie to leauy war again&s;t tho&s;e that haue a&s;&s;i&s;ted him in all his aduer&s;ities, and again&s;t whome we are to imagine, that he beareth no bad minde, &s;ith him&s;elfe being in the like ca&s;e hath felt, that euen in his &s;oule, he thought it good. Which al&s;o is the cau&s;e, that he iudging others affection to religion by his owne, will not force the cou&s;ciences of vs catholikes, and woulde you then that he &s;hould force the prote&s;tants? Iudge ye whether it were any rea&s;on. Do we meane to play with the K. and make him in his actions (which ought to be kept in mea&s;ure and com|pa&s;&s;e) walke after our fanta&s;ies? Let vs at this time be content
<PB REF="5">with his declarations publi&s;hed both before &amp; &s;ince his comming to this crowne, which haue relation hereto, and doe open to vs his re&s;olution.</P>
<P>I haue peraduenture more briefly then I &s;houlde, or then the matter de&s;erues, touched &s;uch inconueniences as are to be feared, or may come to pa&s;&s;e, in ca&s;e the king &s;hould reclaime him&s;elfe to the cathol. religion as readily as &s;ome doe de&s;ire: but becau&s;e by this little that I haue &s;aid, others may ea&s;ily &s;upply &s;uch con&s;ide|rations as may be conteined in this behalfe, which I leaue to the di&s;cretion of tho&s;e that li&s;t more d&eacute;epely to penetrate thereinto, I wil proc&eacute;ede to intreat of the profit and commoditie that may re|dound to al chri&s;tendome, &s;o long as the king &s;tandeth fa&s;t in the declarations which he hath publi&s;hed both before and &s;ince his comming to the crowne, for matter of con&s;cience and religion, wherein he alwayes &s;ubmitted him &s;elfe to the determination of a generall or nationall councell.</P>
<P>The king is not alone in this realme of his religion, there are but ouer many in&s;tructed therein, that do profe&s;&s;e the &s;ame. Nei|ther in this realme alone are there many withdrawen from the Romi&s;h Church, but al&s;o in England, Scotland, Denmarke, Sweden Poleland, Germany, Switzerland, and other places, being more then halfe chri&s;tendome. What way therfore do ye thinke to be be&s;t to reclaime al the&s;e nations to the obedience of the cath. apo&s;t. Romi&s;h church, whether war, or a fr&eacute;e generall councell? Inqui&s;itions, fires, gibbets, murders, warres, battels, fiege of townes, leagues, conuenticles, &s;laughters, a&s;&s;aults, poy|&s;onings: in briefe, all other meanes and &s;ubtilities in the worlde, that the&s;e <HI>30.</HI> yeres could be practi&s;ed to the great de&s;olation and detriment of al chri&s;tendome, but e&s;pecially of this realme, haue as yet nothing preuailed. Only they haue made a number of A|thei&s;ts, Libertines and Epicures, contemners of God, his word, and church: we haue found the&s;e medicines to be no fitter to the cure of the &s;ickenes of the mind, then is a &s;trong, cleane, and fu|ming wine to the frantike or burning ague: but rather to re&s;em|ble oile to quench a flaming fire: or as when a man hath paine in his arme, for the curing therof to cut off his leg, or other mem|ber. My mai&s;ters, the Apo&s;tles and antient fathers of the Church
<PB REF="6">neuer v&s;ed any &s;uch tooles for the rooting out of tho&s;e errours and here&s;ies which from time to time were &s;owen and planted there|in. Marke in the Acts of the Apo&s;tles what they did in the be|ginning, in the cutting off of meats, and aboli&s;hing of Iudai&s;me which &s;ome through the circumci&s;ion went about to continue in the church, after grace giuen by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Con&s;ider what the Emperour Con&s;tantine the great did for the &s;uppre&s;&s;ion and condemning of the here&s;ie of Arrius. S&eacute;e al&s;o what other Em|perours did in like ca&s;es, what cour&s;e thy tooke to aboli&s;h the he|re&s;ies of the Ne&s;torians, Pelagians, Anabapti&s;ts, and others, as the Coun&s;elles called for the &s;ame do te&s;tifie. Why then &s;hall not we do the like in the&s;e dayes, where the que&s;tion concerneth not a handfull of people retired from the Romi&s;h church, but e|uen halfe chri&s;tendome?</P>
<P>But now here commeth &s;ome angrie fellow that will tell me, that the here&s;ies of the&s;e dayes are already condemned by the coun|cel of Trent: and therfore, if that a proce&s;&s;e alredy iudged euen by decr&eacute;e, where all parties haue an&s;wered reciprocally, is not to be reduced to the file, what &s;hal then become of a proce&s;&s;e iudged by default, and contumacie, where the parties haue neither appeared nor an&s;wered? But omitting al other cau&s;es of nullitie aleadged again&s;t the &s;aid Councell, as by &s;undry bookes expre&s;&s;ely written doth appeare: the Prote&s;tants and Huguenots do &s;ay and com|plaine that they are not heard in the &s;aid councel of Trent. That albeit they were thereto &s;ummoned and called, yet they dur&s;t not appeare, as doubting of the &s;afety of their per&s;ons, by rea&s;on of a certaine principle both then, and yet holden by &s;ome of our di|uines, importing, <HI>That faith is not to be kept with heretikes:</HI> and fearing the like &s;ucce&s;&s;e as happened to tho&s;e, who contrarie to the publike faith, and the Emperour Signi&s;mundes &s;afeconduct, were put to death at the councel of Con&s;tance. If we were once &s;ufficiently grounded to condemne this opinion and errour, may we not be &s;o againe? It is not the fir&s;t time that there haue b&eacute;ene diuers councels holden for the rooting out of one &s;elfe here&s;ie. Sith there haue b&eacute;ene two Councels holden in Italie, and one Sinode in France, for the determining of the opinion of a meane Deacon of Saint Maurice of Angiers, is it not greater rea&s;on to call a ge|nerall
<PB REF="6">fr&eacute;e councell for &s;o many peoples and nations of Chri&s;ten|dome, as at this day are of diuers opinions? Let vs then &s;hewe that we feare not the touch&s;tone: yea, let them know that equi|tie and trueth are on our &s;ide, which can neuer be reuer&s;ed in the pre&s;ence of God, who by his holy &s;pirite alwaies a&s;&s;i&s;teth a fr&eacute;e councel lawfully a&s;&s;embled and holden.</P>
<P>I could be content here to make a digre&s;&s;ion and exclamation again&s;t our holy fathers the Popes, who are or &s;hould be the com|mon fathers of all faithfull and Catholike people, for &s;uffering &s;o much chri&s;tian bloud to be &s;head about the&s;e arguments and con|trouer&s;ies in religion: al&s;o, for that they haue rather fauoured, al|lowed, and con&s;ented to the leuying of &s;uch wars hereabout, then v&s;ed the &s;pirituall &s;word, the which is Gods word, for the cutting off of the cour&s;e of here&s;ie: but in re&s;pect of the reuerence of their memorie: the place that they haue holden, the honor that I owe to that holy &s;ea, and e&s;chewing of offence, I will holde my peace.</P>
<P>I &s;ay therefore, that as this &s;ickenes of diuer&s;itie of opinions in religion is &s;pirituall, &s;o it is requi&s;ite thereto to applie &s;piritual remedies and medicines. To &s;ay with &s;ome, that the king is to be in&s;tructed, we may &s;ay as much of al other that holde the &s;ame o|pinions as he doth, and &s;o when &s;hal we haue done teaching of e|uery one particularly? Againe, thinke you &s;o to win the con&s;ent of the inhabitants of England, Scotland, Denmarke, Sweden, Germany, and other countries that haue fr&eacute;e exerci&s;e of their re|ligion without controlement? W&eacute;ene you that the doctours of Sorbonne, and other &s;uch diuines &s;hall be welcome to them in particular, when they come to mini&s;ter vnto them this foode and in&s;truction? Ye are deceiued: it is a m&eacute;ere mockerie, neither can that be the nece&s;&s;arie remedy to this di&s;ea&s;e. Nothing but a gene|rall councell can cure &s;o generall a &s;ickene&s;&s;e. For the honour of God therfore, my Mai&s;ters, you that are &s;eruauntes to God and the king, as well Cleargie men as others, neuer with&s;tand this cour&s;e. And you of the League, let rea&s;on rule you, as well your affaires are but in bad ca&s;e: I &s;ay and affirme, that vnto &s;uch as in lieu of employing them&s;elues about the calling of a generall councel, &s;hall with&s;tand and hinder the &s;ame, we may iu&s;tly at|tribute the cau&s;es of what&s;oeuer domage may en&s;ue to the catho.
<PB REF="7">apo&s;tol. and Romi&s;h religion, aduowing that they be guilty and an&s;werable before god for al the robberies, murders, fires, &s;poils, ran&s;oms, violations, ruines, calamities, and other outrages, and exce&s;&s;e of the warres. I know well enough, my mai&s;ters, that many of you do wi&s;h that the king would become a catholike, to the end ye might haue peace, and ye de&s;ire peace to the end to re|turne to your hou&s;es, there to inioy your woonted commodities and plea&s;ures. But if ye obtaine not this wi&s;h at Gods hand, ye may be well a&s;&s;ured, that (as in a certaine place it is &s;aide) it is becau&s;e ye a&s;ke ami&s;&s;e. God knoweth your hearts, and can an|&s;were you as Chri&s;t an&s;wered the &s;onnes of Zebede, <HI>Ye wot not what ye aske:</HI> Let vs fir&s;t therefore a&s;ke and &s;&eacute;eke after the kingdome of God and his righteou&s;nes, &s;o &s;hall all things be ad|ded thereto. For I do certainely bel&eacute;eue that the fir&s;t point re|qui&s;it hereto, were to change and reforme our maners, our pride, vanitie, couetou&s;nes, ambition and plea&s;ures, with other our &s;ins and bad demeanors, and to embrace charitie with the loue of God and our neighbor, which at this day are not onely cooled, but euen almo&s;t quite quenched in vs. But &s;ith I am no diuine, without grounding my &s;elfe any d&eacute;eper vpon diuinity, I will ende this di&s;|cour&s;e in the &s;ame &s;imple &s;tile wherein I began.</P>
<P>A hundred and a hundred times, con&s;idering the &s;poiles and de|&s;olations proc&eacute;eding of the tragedies &s;tirred vp throughout Chri|&s;tendome, but e&s;pecially in this realme, vnder the pretence of di|uer&s;ity of opinions in matter of religion, I haue &s;tudied how they might be appea&s;ed, yet &s;till my minde hath giuen me, and I haue thought it good (vnder Gods good plea&s;ure, who only is able to fr&eacute;e vs from the&s;e mi&s;eries) for &s;ome mighty chri&s;tian prince, touched with the &s;pirite of God, a louer of his owne &s;aluation, together with the peace and vnion of the vniuer&s;all Church, who&s;e worde and faith had neuer bene called in que&s;tion, to labour to the pope, emperour, and other chri&s;tian kings and princes, to &s;ummon an a&s;&s;embly in maner of a councell, or generall conference, whereto it might be lawfull for al chri&s;tian nations to &s;end their emba&s;&s;a|dors, deputies, doctours and diuines, men of milde and tractable humours, &s;uch as e&s;pecially re&s;pected the glory of God, the &s;alua|tion of them&s;elues and their neighbours, and the peace of all chri|&s;tendome,
<PB REF="7">to the ende, by the te&s;timony and authority of the ho|ly &s;criptures, the auncient councels, the doctours and fathers of the church, &s;uch as haue alwayes b&eacute;ene receiued and allowed, to agr&eacute;e and conclude vpon a publike and general confe&s;&s;ion of faith, that may touch what&s;oeuer is in controuer&s;ie, or diuer&s;ly inter|preted concerning the catholike apo&s;tolike and Romi&s;h doctrine and religion, as al&s;o that euery the &s;aide emba&s;&s;adours and de|puties &s;hould be authorized with ep&s;eciall power and proxie &s;uf|ficient to grant, promi&s;e and &s;weare in the behalfe of tho&s;e that might haue cho&s;en, and &s;ent them, to ob&s;erue and k&eacute;epe, and reli|giou&s;ly and inuiolably to cau&s;e to be ob&s;erued and kept, what&s;oe|uer &s;hall be decided, concluded and decr&eacute;ed in the &s;aide a&s;&s;embly. And withal reuoluing in my mind who were the fitte&s;t prince in chri&s;tendome, whom god might v&s;e as an in&s;trument in &s;o great a worke, my heart gaue me aboue <HI>8.</HI> yeares &s;ince, that the king now raigning temporally ouer vs, was mo&s;t m&eacute;ete: yea, and e|uer &s;ince haue I bin per&s;uaded, that god &s;til pre&s;erued him to that end. In which per&s;ua&s;ion I am greatly confirmed, when priuatly I call to mind Gods wonderfull works, in the calling and bring|ing him to this crown. For it hath bin maruellous yea, I would gladly &s;ay euen miraculous, had not euery one &s;&eacute;ene it, or had not many particularities b&eacute;ene noted in &s;undry former writings: either if I wi&s;t, that among the kings &s;eruants (for to them &s;pe|cially do I direct my &s;p&eacute;ech) there were any yet &s;o dull, as not to haue con&s;idered, and diuers times meditated vpon the cour&s;e of things pa&s;&s;ed, I could gladly &s;tay vppon a briefe rehear&s;all of the &s;ame in this place: but &s;tudying for brenitie, lea&s;t I &s;hould be te|dious, I will onely &s;ay thus much: that &s;ith &s;o extraordinarily, contrary to the opinion and expectation of a great parte, and a|gain&s;t the willes of many French men, and &s;ome mighty forren ennemies, GOD hath rai&s;ed vp, and placed in the &s;eate roy|all, him whome they reiected and proclaymed vnwearthy, I am fully and &s;tedfa&s;tly re&s;olued, that he hath called and cho&s;en him, not only to raigne ouer this realme, but al&s;o to be the meane of peace and vnion throughout the catho. apo&s;tolike and Romi&s;h church, and to roote out all &s;chi&s;mes, diui&s;ions &amp; abu&s;es, that may haue bin crept in or nori&s;hed through the corruption of the time.
<PB REF="8">Which foundation once laid, I will with Saint Paule adde thus much, that &s;uch as do re&s;i&s;t the kings dominion ouer this realme, do re&s;i&s;t the ordinance of God, and &s;o purcha&s;e to them&s;elues eter|nall damnation: and therefore to the end to appea&s;e Gods wrath, all the &s;ubiects of this crowne ought to vnite them&s;elues in one will, to acknowledge and obey the king, that &s;o we may attaine to a peace, whereby things decayed may be redre&s;&s;ed, &s;mall ones increa&s;ed, iu&s;tice flouri&s;h, and order, which by wars is &s;ubuerted and corrupted, be re&s;tored in all e&s;tates and &s;unctions, and final|ly the king, at the humble &s;uite of his good and faithfull &s;ubiectes may deale with the &s;aide Pope, Emperour, and other Kings and Princes chri&s;tian, for the a&s;&s;embling and gathering of a ge|nerall fr&eacute;e councell, wherein to aboli&s;h and end all controuer&s;ies, and to reforme what&s;oeuer is any where corrupted or ami&s;&s;e in matter of religion.</P>
<P>Me thinkes that already I heare a common con&s;ent of al na|tions chri&s;tian, to hearken to this &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a motion: yea, that I euen heare them &s;ay, that &s;ith the king is the dealer, and that the generall councel &s;hall be a&s;&s;embled vnder his faith and word, they will not hencefoorth feare to &s;end their emba&s;&s;adors and deputies, as being a&s;&s;ured that euery one may come &s;afely: that with all liberty they &s;hall be receiued vnto a fr&eacute;e debating of their rea&s;ons and declarations, and to lay open what&s;oeuer the imaginations of their mindes in matter of religion, without a|ny feare of mole&s;tation in their liues and per&s;ons. For what Prince was there euer more carefull of his faith then the King? Sith his euemies haue and daily do relie thereupon, &s;hal not his friends do the like? But withall it is m&eacute;ete that the &s;aid nations togither with their emba&s;&s;adors and deputies, con&s;ieering that it is the honor and glory of God, the quiet and &s;aluation of their &s;oules, and the peace and vnion of the vniuer&s;all Church that is to be dealt in, &s;hould be admoni&s;hed, laying a&s;ide all affections and particular pa&s;&s;ions, all couetou&s;nes, ambition, bitternes and ob&s;tinacy, to come and bring to the &s;aid a&s;&s;embly milde and trac|table mindes, ea&s;ie to be illuminated and guided by the light of Gods word, together with the authoritie of the doctrine of the ancient councels and fathers of the Church, and to the &s;ame ef|fect,
<PB REF="8">before they enter into matter and conference, they are to m&eacute;ete and agr&eacute;e vpon &s;uch authors and bookes as they wil accept to be the arbitrators and iudges of their controuer&s;ies.</P>
<P>Who doubteth any longer of taking this cour&s;e? What &s;pirit of &s;trife will not lende his con&s;ent hereto? Who is &s;o great an enemy to him&s;elfe, and to the whole name of Chri&s;tianitie, as to chu&s;e warre and temporall weapons rather then &s;pirituall? The controuer&s;ie is &s;pirituall, let it be decided with &s;piritual weapons; I am content to bel&eacute;eue that we al do agr&eacute;e herein, rea&s;on &s;o re|quireth, nece&s;&s;itie forceth. And I hope that God who with his holy grace and prouidence guides al things, wil fauour the vows and hearty &s;upplications which daily for the &s;ame we do and &s;till will poure forth vnto him.</P>
<P>I haue already &s;hewed that the peace of this realme mu&s;t pro|c&eacute;ed of the holding of this &s;aid generall councell, as al&s;o it will be vnpo&s;&s;ible to attain to the one without the other: it &s;hall not be a|mi&s;&s;e therefore in few words to &s;ay, that through peace, matter of religion mu&s;t be &s;taied by proui&s;o vntil the re&s;olution of what &s;oeuer &s;hall be agr&eacute;ed, decided and concluded in the &s;aide generall councell. It is an v&s;uall cour&s;e to knitte againe a thr&eacute;ede in the &s;ame place where it was broken: and when an In&s;trument of Mu&s;icke is out of tune, men v&s;e not for to breake the re&s;t of the &s;trings, but by wre&s;ting and &s;lacking of them, to reduce them to a con&s;ent and harmony as wel as they may. Euen &s;o may peace be knit againe, and the harmony of this e&s;tate be re&s;tored in the place where it was broken. And this may be compa&s;&s;ed by re|e&s;tabli&s;hing things into the &s;ame &s;tate wherein they were when the Leaguers through their manife&s;t con&s;piracies, commotions, and practi&s;es, forced the late king to reuoke the Edict that had pre&s;erued and maintained vs &s;eauen yeares on a rowe in happie peace, concord, and tranquilitie throughout the realme.</P>
<P>To conclude therefore, in &s;o much as the Leaguers intent in &s;&eacute;eming to wi&s;h the king would become a catholike, is wicked and captious, as we haue already &s;hewed, al&s;o that the intents of others that terme them&s;elues the kings &s;eruants, and make the like wi&s;h, are not &s;o wel grounded, but that they may be reuer&s;ed by other as &s;trong re&s;ons, as may app&eacute;ere by &s;uch as alredy haue
<PB REF="9">beene debated, let vs hereafter cea&s;e this importunate and com|mon propo&s;ition and principle, and henceforth in&s;pect all &s;uch as &s;hall v&s;e it, accompting them for &s;uch, as vnder a faire and large apparance and pretence doe weare I wote not what ambitious and pernitious web, to the di&s;aduantage of the wealth and &s;er|uice of the king, and the peace of his e&s;tate. And contrariwi&s;e, taking the king at his word, that he will be in&s;tructed, and con|forme him&s;elfe to what&s;oeuer &s;hall be decided and determined in a generall councell, let vs &s;tand vpon this latter adui&s;e, whereby procuring the kings in&s;truction and conuer&s;ion, by the &s;aide ge|nerall councell we may reunite the church of God into one &s;elfe religion and confe&s;&s;ion of faith, which is the greate&s;t benefit that we can at this pre&s;ent craue of our Lord, who wil grant our re|que&s;t, in ca&s;e our owne commodities and particular intere&s;tes forgotten and omitted, we &s;&eacute;eke onely his honour and gla|ry, together with the peace and vnion of all chri&s;tendome.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="9">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
