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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<P><HI>A PROTE|STATION MADE FOR THE MOST MIGH|ty</HI> and mo&s;te redoubted kynge of Englande. &amp;c. and his hole coun|&s;ell and clergie, wherin is declared, that neyther his hyghenes, nor his prelates, neyther any other prynce, or prelate, is bounde to come or &s;ende, to the pretended coun|cell, that Paule by&s;hoppe of Rome, fir&s;t by a bul indicted at Man|tua, a citie in Italy, &amp; nowe a late by an other bull, hath pro|roged to a place, no man can telle where.</P>
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<HEAD>A PROTESTATION.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_FOR AS MOCHE</HI> as it is wel knowe~, almo&s;te to the holle worlde, that we en|tende nothynge &s;oo erne&s;tly, as that the olde honour and pri&s;tyne dygnitie, whiche &s;cripture in tyme pa&s;te was in, and &s;o nowe oughte to be, maye at the la&s;te, be fully re&s;tored to &s;cri|pture ageyne: We thynke it moche appertaynynge vnto our dueties, bothe to let no occa&s;yon &s;lyp, wher|by religyon myghte at the la&s;te be truely re&s;taured, and al&s;o to with|&s;ta~de all ingins, all a&s;&s;autes, made by the by&s;hoppes of Rome, whiche neuer ce&s;&s;e to trouble trouthe, and cumbre religion. Amonges many, two thynges in e&s;peciall, make vs doo that we doo. Fyr&s;t the feruent
<PB REF="3">loue y^t we beare vnto trouthe. The &s;econde is, that we haue taken vp|pon vs, longe &s;ythens, the defence of religion. Certes, &s;eing that the by&s;&s;hoppe of Rome, calleth lerned men from all parties, conductyng them by great rewardes, makynge as many of them Cardynalles, as he thinketh mo&s;t mete and mo&s;t re|dy to defe~de fraudis &amp; vntrouthes, we could not but with moche anxi|etie ca&s;te with our &s;elfes, what &s;oo great appreparance of wittis &s;huld meane. As chaunce was, we ge&s;&s;ed euen as it folowed. We haue ben &s;o longe acquaynted with Romayne &s;ubtylties, and popy&s;&s;he deceytes, that we well and ea&s;ily iudged, the by&s;&s;hop of Rome to intende an a&s;|&s;emble of his adherentes and men &s;worne, to thynke all his lu&s;tes la|wes. We were not deceyued. Paule
<PB REF="3">the by&s;hop of Rome, hath called a councell, to the which he knew wel, eyther fewe or none of the chry&s;ten princis coulde come, bothe the time that he indicted it, &amp; al&s;o the place, where he appointed it to be, myght a&s;&s;ure hym of this. But whyther wandereth not the&s;e popy&s;&s;he bul|les, whether goo they nat a&s;traye? what kynge is nat cyted and &s;um|moned by a prowde myny&s;ter and &s;eruant of kynges, to come to bol|&s;ter vp errours, fraudes, deceytes, and vntrouthes? and to &s;ette forth this feyned generall councell? For who wyl not thinke, that Paul, the by&s;&s;hop of Rome, gothe &s;ooner a|boute to make men beleue, that he intendeth a generall coun&s;ell, than that he de&s;yreth oone in dede? No, who can le&s;&s;e de&s;yre it, thanne they that do di&s;payre of their cau&s;e, ex|cept
<PB REF="4">they be iudges, and gyue &s;en|tence them &s;elfes ayen&s;te their ad|uer&s;aries? we, which very &s;oore a|yen&s;te our wyll, at any tyme leaue of the procuremente of the realme and common weale, nede neither to come our &s;elues, nor yet to &s;end our pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ratours thither, no nor yet to make our excu&s;e for either of both. For who canne accu&s;e vs, that we come not at his call, which hath no auctoritie to call vs. But for a &s;ea|&s;on let vs, as a &s;orte of blyndlinges do, graunte, that he maye calle vs, y^t he hath auctoritie &s;o to do, yet we pray you, may not all men &s;ee, what auayleth it, to come to this cou~cell, where ye &s;hall haue no place, except ye be knowen both wyllynge to op|pre&s;&s;e truthe, and al&s;o redye to con|fyrme and &s;tably&s;he errours. Doo not all men perceyue, as wel as we,
<PB REF="4">with what integritie, fydelytie, and religion, the&s;e men go about to di|&s;cu&s;&s;e matters in controuer&s;y, that take them in hand in &s;o trouble&s;om a tyme as this is? Is it not playn, what fruite the common weale of chri&s;tendome maye looke for there, where as <HI>Mantua</HI> is cho&s;en the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lace to kepe this councell at? Is there any prince, not being of Italy, yea is there any of Italye, prince, or o|ther, di&s;&s;entyng from the pope, that dareth come to this a&s;&s;emble, and to this place? If there come none, that dare &s;peake for troden trouth, none that wyll venture his lyfe, is it meruayle, if the by&s;hop of Rome beinge iudge, no man repynynge, no man ayen&s;ayinge, the defenders of the papacy obteyn, that popi&s;he auctoritie, nowe quaylyng and al|mo&s;te fallen, be &s;ette vp ayene? Is
<PB REF="5">this the waye, to helpe thynges af|flycte, to redre&s;&s;e troubled religion, to lyfte vp oppre&s;&s;ed trouth? Shal men this waye knowe, whether the Romayne by&s;hops (whiche in very dede, ar, if ye loke eyther vpon their doctryne, or lyfe, farre vnder other by&s;hoppes) ought to be made lyke theyr felowes, that is, to be pa|&s;tours, in their own dio&s;. &amp; &s;o to v&s;e no further power, or elles, whether they may make lawes, not only vn|to other by&s;hoppes, but al&s;o to kin|ges and emperours? O boldne&s;&s;e, mete to be beten downe with force, &amp; not to be co~uynced with argume~|tes. Can eyther Paule, that nowe lordeth, or any of his, erne&s;tely goo aboute (if they alone, or at the le&s;te without any aduer&s;arye be thus in a corner a&s;&s;embled togyther) to hele the &s;yckene&s;&s;es, to take awaye the
<PB REF="5">errours, to plucke downe the abu|&s;es, that nowe are crepte into the churche, and there be bol&s;tered vp, by &s;uche councelles, as nowe is like to be at Mantua? It is very lyke, that the&s;e, which proule for nothi~ge but profyte, woll right gladly pulle downe, all &s;uche thynges, as their forefathers made, onely for the en|crea&s;e of Money. Where as theyr forefathers, whan theyr honour, power, primacye, was called into que&s;tio~, wold either in &s;pite of god|dis law, mayntein their dignitie, or to &s;ay better, their itollerable pride, is it lyke, that the&s;e wol not trede in their &s;teppes, &amp; make naughty new canons, wherby they maye defende olde euyl decrees? Howe be it, what nede we to care, eyther what they haue done, or what they intende to do hereafter, for as moche as Eng|lande
<PB REF="6">hathe taken her leaue, of po|pi&s;&s;he craftes for euer, neuer to be deluded with theym hereafter. Ro|mayne by&s;hops haue nothynge to doo with engly&s;&s;he people, the one dothe not trafycke with thother, at the le&s;te, thoughe they wyll haue to doo with vs, yet we wolle none of their marchaundy&s;e, none of theyr &s;tuffe. We woll reteyne them of our councell no more. We haue &s;ought our hurte, and bought our lo&s;&s;e, a great whyle to longe. Surely their decrees, either touchynge thinges &s;ette vp, or putte downe, &s;hall haue none other place with vs, than all by&s;hoppes decrees haue, that is, if we lyke them, we admytte them, yf we do not, we refu&s;e them. But le&s;t peraduenture men &s;hal thinke vs, to folowe our &s;en&s;is to moche, and that we moued by &s;mall or no iu&s;te
<PB REF="6">cau&s;es, for&s;ake thauctoritie, cen&s;u|res, decrees, and popi&s;he councels, we thoughte it be&s;te here, to &s;hewe our mynde to the hole worlde.</P>
<P>Wherfore we prote&s;te before god, and all men, that we enbrace, pro|fe&s;&s;e, and woll euer &s;o do, the ryghte and holy doctrine of Chri&s;t. All the articles of his faithe, no iote omit|ted, be all &s;oo dere vnto vs, that we wolde moche &s;ooner &s;tande in ieo|perdy of our realme, than to &s;e any poynte of Chri&s;tis relygion in ieo|perdye with vs. We prote&s;te, that we neuer wente from the vnitie of this fayth, neyther that we woll de|part an ynche from it. No, we woll moche &s;ooner lo&s;e our lyues, than any article of our belefe &s;hall decay in Englande. We, which in al this cau&s;e, &s;eeke nothyng but the glory of god, the profyte and quietnes of
<PB REF="7">the worlde, prote&s;te, that we can &s;uf|fre deceyuers no longer. We neuer refu&s;ed to come to a generall coun|cell, no, we promy&s;e all our labour, &s;tudy, and fydelitie, to the &s;ettynge vp of troden trowth, and troubled religion in their place ageyne, and to doo all that &s;hall lye in vs, to fy|ny&s;he &s;uche controuer&s;ies, as haue, a great whyle to longe, vexed chry|&s;tendome. Onely we woll all chry|&s;ten men be admony&s;&s;hed, that we can &s;uffre no lenger, that they be e|&s;temed wyllynge to take away er|rors, which in dede, by all the ways theyr wittes woll &s;erue theym, go a|bout this alone, that no man, peyne of dethe, may &s;peake ageyn&s;te any errour or abu&s;e.</P>
<P>&para; We wolde haue a councelle, we de&s;yre it, ye and craue nothynge &s;o ofte of god, as that we maye haue
<PB REF="7">one. But yet we woll, that it be &s;u|che, as chri&s;ten men ought to haue, that is, franke and free, where eue|ry man, without feare, may &s;ay his mynde. We de&s;yre, that it be an ho|ly councell, where euery man maye go about to &s;et vp godlynes, &amp; not apply all their &s;tudy to oppre&s;&s;inge of trouthe. We woll it be generall, that is to &s;ay, kepte at &s;uche tyme, and in &s;uche place, that euery man, which &s;eketh the glory of god, may be pre&s;ente, and there frankely vt|ter his mynde. For thanne it &s;hall &s;eme generall, eyther whan no ma~, that di&s;&s;enteth frome the by&s;hop of Rome, is compelled to be frome it, or wha~ they that be pre&s;ent, are not letted by any iu&s;te terrour, to &s;aye boldly, that they truly thynke. For who wolde not gladly come to &s;uch a councell, except it be the pope, his
<PB REF="8">Cardinalles, and popi&s;&s;he by&s;hop|pes? On the other &s;yde, who is &s;o fooly&s;he, where as the chiefe point, that is to be handled in this coun|cel, is the popes owne cau&s;e, power &amp; primacy, to graunt, that the pope &s;huld reigne, &s;hulde be iudge, &s;huld be pre&s;ident of this councell? If he, which in dede, can neuer think him &s;elfe able to defende his cau&s;e, be|fore any other Iudge, be euermore made his owne iudge, and &s;o co~tro|uer&s;es not decyded, but errors &s;ette vp, what can be deuy&s;ed in the co~|mon welthe of Chri&s;tendome more hurtfull to the trouthe, than gene|rall councelles?</P>
<P>&para; <HI>AND HERE</HI> to touche &s;ome|what, their impudent arrogancye, by what law, power, or hone&s;t title, take they vpon them to cal kinges, to &s;omon princis, to appere, where
<PB REF="8">their bulles commaunde them? In tyme pa&s;te, all councelles were ap|poynted by thauctoritie, con&s;ente, and commaundement of thempe|rour, kinges, and princis. why now taketh the by&s;hoppe of Rome this vppon hym? Some woll &s;aye, it is more likely, that bi&s;hops woll more tender the cau&s;e of religion, glad|lier haue errours taken away, than emperours, kinges, or princis. The world hath good experience of the~, and euery man &s;eeth, how faithful|ly they haue ha~dled religious mat|ters. Is there any man, that dothe nat &s;e, howe vertuou&s;ly Paul, that nowe polleth, taketh occa&s;yon to &s;et vp his tyra~ny ageyn? Is it nat like that he, that cho&s;eth &s;uch a tyme as this is, to kepe a councel, moch en|tendeth the redre&s;&s;e of thinges that nowe are amy&s;&s;e, that he &s;eketh the
<PB REF="9">re&s;toryng of religion, that now cal|leth a councell, the Emperour and the frenche kynge, two pryncis of great power, &s;o bent to warres, that neyther they, nor any other chri&s;ten prince, can in maner do any thyng, but loke for the ende of this longe warre. Go to, goo to by&s;&s;hoppe of Rome, occa&s;ion longe wy&s;&s;hed for, offreth her &s;elfe vnto you, take her, &s;he openethe a wyndowe for youre fraudes to crepe in at, call your car dynals, your owne creatures, &s;hew them, this is a ioly tyme to deceyue pryncis in. O fooles, we calle you fooles agayn&s;t our wylles. O wyc|ked men, we call you wycked with all our harte. Are you not fooles, whiche beinge longe &s;u&s;pected, not onely of princis, but of all chri&s;ten people in maner, that in no ca&s;e you coulde be brought to a general cou~
<PB REF="9">cell, playnly &s;hewe the holle world, that by the&s;e your co~ciliables, your hutter mutter in corners, you take away al hope of a lawful catholike and generall councell? Are you not wycked, which &s;o hate trouth, that excepte &s;he be vtterly bany&s;&s;hed, ye wyll neuer ce&s;&s;e to vere her? The li|uynge god is alyue, neyther trouth his darlynge, he beinge alyue, can be called to &s;o great &s;hame, contu|mely, iniurie. I lye, it maye well be called to all the&s;e, but yet it canne come to none of theym. Who is he, that greuou&s;ly lamenteth not, men to be of &s;uche &s;hamefull boldenes, to &s;hewe apertely, that they be ene|myes vnto Chri&s;te hym &s;elfe? On thother &s;yde, who wyl nat be glad, to &s;ee &s;uche men as foly&s;he as they be wycked? The worlde, good by&s;|&s;hop, is not nowe in a lyght &s;u&s;pi|tion,
<PB REF="10">as it hath bene, that you woll no reformation of errors, but euery man &s;eeth before his eyes, your de|ceytes, your wycked myndes, your immortall hatrede that ye beare a|geyn&s;te the trouthe. Euery manne &s;eeth, howe many mi&s;erable trage|dies, your preten&s;e of an vnitie and co~corde, hath brought into chri&s;ten|dome. They &s;ee, your faire face of peace hath &s;erued &s;edition, &amp; trou|blid almo&s;t, al chri&s;te~ realmes. They &s;e, ye neuer oppugne religion more, than whan ye woll &s;eme mo&s;t to de|fende it. They be &s;orye, to &s;ee, that great wyttes, a longe &s;ea&s;on, haue &s;pende their hole &s;trength in defe~ce of deceytes: rea&s;on to putte his hole power, to the promotynge of pride, and vngodlynes: vertues to &s;erue vyces: holynes to be &s;laue to hypo|cry&s;ie: prudencye, to &s;ubtylitie, Iu|&s;tice
<PB REF="10">to tyranny. They be glad, that &s;cripture nowe fyghteth for it &s;elfe, &amp; not agein&s;t it &s;elfe. They be glad, that god is not compelled to be a|gein&s;te god, Chri&s;te agein&s;t Chri&s;t. They be glad, that &s;ubtilitie hathe doone no more hurt to relygion in tyme pa&s;t, than now co~&s;tancy doth good to trouthe. They &s;e, the mar|kes that ye haue &s;hot at in all your councelles pa&s;te, to be, Lucre, Mo|ney, Gaynes. They &s;e, you &s;ought your profyte, yea, thoughe it were ioyned with y^e &s;laughter of trouthe. They &s;e, ye wolde euer, that &s;ooner iniurie &s;huld be done to the go&s;pel, than that your auctoritie, that is to &s;ay, arrogant impudency, &s;hulde in any poynte be dimini&s;hed. And we pray you, what may Paule, the by|&s;hop of Rome, &s;eme nowe to go a|boute, whiche &s;einge all princis oc|cupyed
<PB REF="11">cupyed in greatte affayres, wolde &s;teale, as he callith it a general cou~|cell, what other thynge than herby to haue &s;ome excu&s;e, to refu&s;e a ge|nerall cou~cell hereafter, whan tune &amp; place moche better, for the hande|lynge of matters of religion, &s;hall be gyuen vnto princis of chri&s;ten|dome? He wol think he may tha~ do, as princis nowe do. He wol thinke it laufull not to come than, bicau&s;e princis nowe come not? we praye god, that we euer braule nat oone with an nother for relygion, no nor that where we di&s;&s;ente as moche as men may, we al &s;ay, we defende the better part, we be in the right way. We pray god, that the worlde maye enioye peace and tranquillitie, and that then we may haue bothe tyme and place to &s;ettle relygion. For ex|cept fyr&s;te princis agree, and warre
<PB REF="11">laide a&s;yde, &s;eke peace, he lo&s;eth his labour, that &s;eketh a general coun|cell. If the by&s;hop of Rome, maye kepe his councell, whyle they thus be togyther, wol not there be made many prety decrees? If they, whi|che wolde come, if they had ley&s;er, be ab&s;ente, and we, whiche though we &s;afely myght come, wyl not lo&s;e any parte of our ius, trowe you, in all our ab&s;ence, that the by&s;&s;hop of Rome, wyl not handle his profite &amp; primacy wel? Paule, howe can any of ours not refu&s;e to come to <HI>Man|tua,</HI> through &s;o many peryls, a citie &s;o farre &s;et from Englande, &s;o nigh your frendes, kyn&s;men, and adhe|rentes? Is he not vnworthye lyfe, that where he maye tarye at home, woll pa&s;&s;e through &s;o many ieoper|dies of lyfe? Can he, which cometh to Cremona, a citie not farre from
<PB REF="12">Mantua, be &s;afe, if he be taken not to be the by&s;hop of Romes frende, y^t is, as the co~mon &s;ort of deceiuid peo+ple doth interpretate, an heretique? And if there come to Mantua &s;uch a nombre, as wolde furny&s;he a ge|neral cou~&s;el, may not Ma~tua &s;eme to litell, to receyue &s;o many ge&s;tes? Put the&s;e two togyther, al the way from Englande to Mantua, is full of iu&s;te peryls, and yet if ye e&s;cape all tho&s;e, the very place, where the councell is kepte, is more to be &s;u&s;|pected, than all the way. Do ye not knowe, al cyuyle lawes, to compell no man to come to any place, where he &s;hall be in ieoperdy of his lyfe al the way? We haue no &s;afe conducte to pa&s;&s;e and retourne by the domy|nyons of other pryncis. And yf we had a &s;aulfe conduct, yet &s;hulde not we be charged with ra&s;&s;henes, that
<PB REF="12">where iu&s;te terrour myght haue di|&s;waded vs from &s;uche a iourneye, commytted our &s;elues to &s;uche pe|ryls? Surely, he that, the tyme be|inge as it is, thinges &s;tandynge as they do, wyll go from Englande to Mantua, may be careles, if he lack wytte, &s;ure of his arryualle, or re|turne from thens, he canne not be. For who doth not knowe, howe oft the by&s;hops of Rome, haue playde fals partes with them, that in &s;uche matters haue tru&s;ted to their &s;aufe conductes? Howe ofte haue they cau&s;ed, by their perfydie, &s;uche men to be &s;layne, as they haue promi&s;ed by their feith before, that they &s;huld both come &s;afe, and go &s;afe? The&s;e be no newes, popes to be fal&s;e, po|pes to kepe noo promy&s;e, neither with god nor man: Popes, co~trary to their othes, to defyle their cruell
<PB REF="13">handes with hone&s;t mens bloudde. But we tarye to longe in thynges, that as well touche all men, as vs. We woll, the&s;e nowe layde aparte, tourne our Oration into &s;uch thin|ges, as priuately towche bothe vs, kynge Henry the eight, and all En|gly&s;he men. Is it vnknowen, to a|ny man, what mynde Paule the bi|&s;hop of Rome, beareth to vs king Henry the .viii. to vs his nobilitie, to vs his gracis by&s;hoppes, and to vs all his gracis &s;ubiectis, for the pullyng downe of his v&s;urped po|wer, and proude primacy, for expel|lyng of his v&s;urped iurisdiction, &amp; for delyuering of our realme from his greuous bo~dage and pollage? Who &s;eeth not hym euen inflamed with hatrede ageyn&s;te vs, and the flames to be moche greatter, than he can nowe kepe theym in? He is
<PB REF="13">an open enemy, he di&s;&s;embleth noo lenger, prouokynge all men, by all the meanes y^e he can, to endomage vs and our cou~trey. This thre ye|res he hath ben occupied in no one thinge &s;o moche, as howe he myght &s;tyre vp the co~mens of Englande, nowe corruptynge &s;ome with mo|ney, &s;ome with dignities. We lette pa&s;&s;e, what letters he hath writen, to chri&s;ten princis, with howe great feruent &s;tudye, he hath exhorted me~ to &s;ette vpon vs. The good vycar of Chri&s;te, by his doinge, &s;heweth, howe he vnder&s;tondeth the wordes of Chri&s;te. He thinketh, he playeth Chri&s;tis parte well, whan he maye &s;ay as Chri&s;te dyd, <HI>Non veni pace~ mit|tere in terram, &s;ed gladium,</HI> I come not to make peace in erthe, but to &s;ende &s;werdes about: And not &s;uch &s;wer|des, as Chri&s;te wolde his to be ar|med
<PB REF="14">withall, but &s;uche as cruelle ma~quellers, abu&s;e in the &s;laughter of their neighbours. We meruayle lyttel, though they vexe other prin|cis ofte, &s;eing they recompence our fauour, &s;hewed to theym, with con|tumelyes, our benefites with iniu|ries. We woll not reher&s;e here, how many our benefytes, be&s;towed vpo~ Romayne by&s;hoppes, be lo&s;te. God be with &s;uche vngrate Carles, vn|worthy to be noumbred amonge&s;t men. Certes, &s;uche that a man may welle doubte, whether god or man hath better cau&s;e to hate them, But y^e we haue lerned to owe good wyl, euen to them that immortally hate vs, what coulde we wy&s;he them &s;oo euylle, but they haue de&s;erued mo|che wor&s;e? We wy&s;&s;he theym this hurte alone, that god &s;ende them a better mynde. God be thanked, we
<PB REF="14">haue made all theyr &s;editious ente~|tes, &s;oner to &s;hewe theyr great ma|lyce towardes vs, tha~ to do vs mo|che hurte, yet they haue wel taught vs, euermore to take good hede, of our enemyes. Vndoutedly, it were good goynge to Mantua, and to leaue theyr whelpes amonges the lambes of our flocke, when we be wery of our welth, we wol euen do than, as they wolde haue vs nowe do. No no, as longe as we &s;hall &s;ee his harte &s;o good towardes vs, we tru&s;t vpo~ his warnyng, we &s;hal wel prouyde to with&s;tande his cruel ma+lyce. No let hym nowe &s;pende his deceytes, whan they can hurt none but &s;uche as wolde deceyue, and at deceyued. They haue, by &s;undrye wayes, made vs preuy, howe moch we be bound to them. It went nigh their hartes, to &s;ee the iudgemente
<PB REF="15">of Iuly, of Clement the &s;euenth, of Paule the thirde, nothing to be re|garded with vs. They be affraide, yf we &s;hulde &s;u&s;teyne no hurte, by|cau&s;e we iu&s;tely reiected their pry|macy, that other princis wolde be|gynne to do lykewy&s;e, and to &s;hase of theyr &s;hulders, the heuye bur|thens, that they &s;o lo~ge haue borne, ageyn&s;te Scripture, all tyght and rea&s;on. They be &s;ory, to &s;e the way &s;topped, that nowe theyr tyrannye auaryce &amp; pryde, can haue noo pa&s;|&s;age into Englande, whyche was wont to walke, to triumph, to to&s;&s;e, to trouble all men. They can &s;ca&s;e &s;uffer priuileges, that is to &s;aye ly|cence to &s;poyle our cyte&s;ins, gyuen them by our forfathers, brought in by errorfull cu&s;tome, to be taken from them. They thinke it vnlau|full, that we require thinges law|full
<PB REF="15">of them that wyll be vnder no lawes. They thynke, we do theym wronge, bycau&s;e we woll not &s;uffer them to do vs wronge any lengar. They &s;ee their marchandy&s;e to be bany&s;&s;hed, to be forbydden. They &s;e, that we wyl bie no lengar chalke for che&s;e. They &s;ee they haue lo&s;te a fayre fle&s;e, vengiable &s;oorye, that they canne di&s;patche no more par|dons, di&s;pen&s;ations, tot, quottes, with the re&s;te of their baggage and tromperie. Englande is no more a babe, there is no manne here, but nowe he knoweth, that they do fo|ly&s;&s;hely, that gyue golde for leade, more weyght of y^t, tha~ they receyue of this. They pa&s;&s;e not, thoughe Peter and Poules faces, be graue~ in the leade, to make fooles fayne. No we be &s;oory, that they &s;hulde a|bu&s;e holye &s;ayntes vy&s;ages, to the
<PB REF="16">begylynge of the worlde. Surely excepte god take awaye our righte wittes, not only his auctoritie &s;hall be driue out for euer, but his name al&s;o &s;hortly &s;hal be forgotten in En+glande. We woll from hensforthe, a&s; ke coun&s;ell of hym and his, wha~ we lu&s;te to be deceyued, whan we couet to be in errour, whan we de|&s;yre to offende god, trouth, and ho|ne&s;tie. If a man may ge&s;&s;e the hole worke by the fundation, where de|ceytes begynneth the worke, can a|ny other than deceytes be buylded vpon this foundation? What can you loke for in this Mantuan coun|cel, other than thoppre&s;&s;ion of truth and true religion? If there be any thynge well done, thynke as euery man dothe, by&s;hoppes of Rome to be accu&s;tomed, to do a few thinges well, that many euyll may the bet|ter
<PB REF="16">be taken at their handes. They, whan they lu&s;te, can yelde &s;omme parte of their ryghte, they are con|tente, that &s;omme of their decrees, &s;omme of theyr errours and abu|&s;es be reprehended: but they are neuer more to be feared, thanne whan they &s;hewe them &s;elfe mo&s;te gentyl. For yf they graunt a fewe, they are many: yf they leaue a lyt|tell, they wylle be &s;ure of a greatte deale. Sca&s;e a man maye knowe, howe to handell hym &s;elfe, that he take no hurte at their handes, yea whan they ble&s;&s;e hym, whyche &s;el|dome do good, but for an intent to do euyll. Certaynly come who &s;oo wyll, to the&s;e &s;hoppes of deceytes, to the&s;e faires of fraudes, we woll le&s;e no part of our ryght in co~ming at his call, that oughte to be called, and not to calle. We wolle neyther
<PB REF="17">come at Mantua, nor &s;ende thyther for this mattier.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>HYTHERTO</HI> we haue rea|&s;oned the mattier, as thoughe the councell &s;hulde haue bene kepte at Mantua. Nowe wolle we &s;peake &s;omwhat of this la&s;t bull, that pro|rogeth the councell vntyll Nouem|bre, and appoynteth it to be kept no where. Is it not lyke, that nothyng &s;hall be done amy&s;&s;e, in this coun|cell, if it be kept no where? As god help the pope and his, a matter wel handled. We proroge the councell, &s;ayth the pope, bycau&s;e the duke of Mantua, woll in no ca&s;e &s;uffre vs to kepe any there, excepte we main|teyne a noumbre of warryours for the defence of his towne. Is not this a prety, or to &s;ay as it is, a &s;pite full mockynge of all chri&s;ten pryn|cis, to cal them to a place, where, in
<PB REF="17">dede, he that calleth other, can no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> be &s;uffred to come hym &s;elfe? Dot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> not he e&s;teme the Emperour, kyn+ges, princis, potctatis veray ligh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> that woll &s;oo ra&s;&s;hely calle they<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> from home, and thyther, as they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> no wy&s;e can be permytted to come. If princis canne be moued for any thynge, we thynke, they mu&s;t nedes depely &s;tomake this &s;o ope~ a mock, this &s;uche a contumely. For yf they had &s;et forthe on their waye, at the fyr&s;te bulles callynge, and thanne &s;hulde haue mette by the way, this other bull, that dryueth them home ayen, myght they not haue thought their honour theyr maie&s;tie, to mo|che de&s;pi&s;ed, to greattely illuded?</P>
<P>Can the popi&s;he people blame prin+cis, that owe vnto the by&s;&s;hoppe of Rome none obedience, whiche al&s;o may commaunde the by&s;&s;hoppe to
<PB REF="18">come, whanne and whither it &s;hall ple&s;e them. yea, can they blame prui+cis, although they ought hym obe|dience, if in tyme to come, they come not at his calle, whiche he thus de|ceytfully and &s;pitefully mockethe? we thynke, they wolle venture no iourneye hereafter, where, in the myddes of their way, they may &s;e, he dothe but trifle with them. They knowe nowe, that he mocketh, and y^t he meaneth no good faith. They may nowe &s;e them &s;elfes deceyued, that thought he intended to kepe a councel at Mantua, where he pur|po&s;ed to comme neuer adeale. For were they not more than than madde, y^t yf the by&s;hop of Rome, &s;hulde hyre an army of me~ to lie in garry&s;on a|bout <HI>Mantua,</HI> wolde come thither, to di&s;pute ayen&s;t his prymacy, to &s;ette hym with other bi&s;hops, that nowe
<PB REF="18">&s;ytteth aboue all kynges? wordes can not countreuayle weapons, re|&s;on is not harde, where &s;ouldiours are hyred to rage. Thus all men &s;e, that woll &s;e, if an army were there, that no wy&s;e man wolde putte his lyfe in ieoperdye, to come thyther. On the other &s;yde, yf there be none armye, that thenne councelle there canne be none. Soo that alwayes the pope and his, were &s;ure, that there &s;houlde be no generall coun|celle. Nowe lette vs adde al&s;o this thynge vnto thother. If we, whi|che dwell farre from Mantua, had intended to haue beue there, &s;hulde we not haue bene at our iourneyes ende, before this la&s;te bulle came to vs? Shulde we not haue payd our greatte co&s;tes and charges, with a greatter lo&s;&s;e of our labour? The day was appoynted, the yere of our
<PB REF="19">lorde. M. D. xxxvii. the .xxiii. daye of Maye. This newe bulle cometh to vs, in the later end of June, and to them, to whome it came &s;oone&s;t, it coulde not &s;o &s;oone come, but it myght iu&s;tely &s;eme to come to late. But let other princis and prelates, if there be any, that prepared thy|therwarde, chaufe with theym, we fele no damage, whiche &s;turred no foote that waye for this pourpo&s;e. All men may well &s;ee, that he is but lyttell &s;ory, no, that he nothyng ca|reth, for the Turkes inuadynge of chri&s;ten princis dominions, whiche wolde princis to come nowe to cou~|cell, whan in dede they can &s;ca&s;e, by all theyr &s;tudy, indu&s;try, and wyt|tes, re&s;y&s;te his cruelle interpri&s;es. Nowe be it we woll not charge the~ with it, all though we myght better laye it to their charge, than they be
<PB REF="19">able to put it away.</P>
<P>&para; This la&s;t bull, procedinge won|derfull popi&s;hely, prorogeth the ho|ly a&s;&s;emble vnto the month of No|uembre, vntyl that tyme we are not loked for. Than he commaundeth, &s;pecially patriarches, archbi&s;hops, by&s;hops, abbottes, and other of the &s;piritualtie, by the vertue of obedi|ence, and vnder peyne of cur&s;yng, to be pre&s;ent. But where he wyl be, or to what place, we &s;hall come, no man knoweth. No in very dede, he knoweth not as yet hym &s;elfe. And what maketh it matter, as good no where, as where it can not be: a&s;wel no place &s;erueth hym, that intedeth no councelle, as all places: moche better to name none, than to name &s;uche, as he purpo&s;eth not to come to. He breakethe noo promy&s;e, if he make none. To mocke princis but
<PB REF="20">ones, is a &s;malle faute in a pope. This we be a&s;&s;ured of, eyther he woll appoynte one, yf he appoynte any, in &s;ome citie of his owne, (we call tho&s;e his owne, which his pre|dece&s;&s;ours haue wrongfully extor|ted frome other pryncis, and tho&s;e, whiche he nowe kepeth, contrary to equitie and iu&s;tyce) or elles he wyll call vs to &s;ome other princis domi|mon. To the fyr&s;t no man y^t wi&s;e is, and di&s;&s;enteth from his opynyons, woll come. And if he call vs, where he without an ho&s;te can not be &s;uf|fred to entre, &s;hall not they be iu&s;t|ly charged with folye, whiche ones deceyued, woll be deceyued ayene? Is he not lyke to deceyue vs, that promy&s;eth more than he canne per|forme? But we di&s;pute to longe in a thynge, that pertayneth lyttell to vs. For what place &s;o euer he find,
<PB REF="20">be it neuer &s;oo &s;ure, we wolle neuer come to any a&s;&s;emble at his calle. No, we wolle Paule and his adhe|rentes vnder&s;tand that, that we oft haue &s;ayd, and no we &s;ay, and euer woll &s;ay, He nor his hath none au|ctorite, no iuri&s;diction in Engla~de. We giue him no more then he hath, that is neuer a dele. That which he hath v&s;urped agein&s;t goddis lawe, and extorted by viole~ce, we by good ryght, take from hym ageyne. But he and his woll &s;ay, we gaue them a Primacy. we here them wel. We gaue it you in deede. If you haue auctoritie vpon vs, as long as our con&s;ent gyueth it you, and you euer more woll make your plee vpo~ our con&s;ent, tha~ let it haue eue~ an ende, where it began, we con&s;ent no lon|ger, your auctoritie mu&s;t nedes be goone. If we beinge deceyued by<PB REF="21">al&s;e preten&s;e of yuell alleged &s;cri|ptures, gaue to you that you ought to haue refu&s;ed, why may we not, our errour nowe perceyued, youre deceyte e&s;pied, take it ageyne? We princis wrote our &s;elfes, to be infe|riours to popes: as longe as we thought &s;o, we obeyde them as our &s;uperiours. Nowe, we wryte not as we dyd, and therfore they haue noo great cau&s;e to meruayle, if we here|after do nat as we dyd. Bothe the lawes cyuile, and al&s;o the lawes of god, be on our &s;yde. For a free man borne do the not le&s;e his libertie, no nor hurte the plee of his lybertie, though he write hym &s;elfe a bonde man. Ageyne, yf they leane to cu|&s;tome, we &s;ende them to &s;aynte Cy|prian, whiche &s;ayth, that cu&s;tome, if trouthe be not ioyned with hit, is nothyng, but <HI>erroris vetu&s;tas,</HI> that is,
<PB REF="21">an olde errour. Chri&s;te &s;aid, <HI>Ego &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> uia ueritas &amp; uita,</HI> I am y^e way trouth and lyfe. He neuer &s;ayd, <HI>Ego &s;um con|&s;uetudo,</HI> I am the cu&s;tome. wherfore &s;eynge cu&s;tome &s;erueth you on the one &s;yde, and &s;cripture vs, vppon thother, are ye able to matche vs: In howe many places, doth Chri&s;t mony&s;he you to &s;eke no primacy, to preferre your &s;elfe to no body, no, to be obedie~t vnto all creatures. Your olde title <HI>Seruus &s;eruorum,</HI> euyll agre+eth with your newe forged dygni+tie. But we wol not tary in matters playne. We onely de&s;yre god, tha Ce&s;ar, and other Chri&s;tian princis wol agree vpon &s;ome holy councel where trouthe may be tried, and re+lygyon &s;ette vp, whiche haue ben<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> hurte by nothynge &s;o fore, as by ge+nerall not generall councelles. Er+rours, abu&s;es growe to fa&s;te. <HI>Erudi
<PB REF="22">mini, erudimini qui iudicatis terram.</HI> Gette <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ou lernyng, you that iuge the erth, &amp; excogitate &s;ome remedy, for the&s;e &s;o many di&s;ea&s;es of the &s;ycke chur|che. They that be wy&s;e&s;te, doo di&s;|paire of a generall councell. Wher|fore we thinke it nowe be&s;te, that e|uery prince calle a councell prouin|cial, and euery prince to redre&s;&s;e his owne realme. We make all menne priuey, what we thynke be&s;te to be done for the redre&s;&s;e of religion. If they lyke it, we doubte not, but they wyll folowe it, or &s;ome other better. Our tru&s;te is, that all princis woll &s;o handel them &s;elfe in this behalf, that princis may enioy their owne, and prie&s;tis of Rome content them &s;elfis with that they ought to haue. Princis as we tru&s;te, woll no lo~ger noury&s;&s;he wolues whelpes. They woll &s;ub&s;crybe no more to popi&s;&s;he
<PB REF="22">pride, to the papacy. &amp;c.</P>
<P>&para; Fauour our doinges, O chry|&s;ten pryncis, your honour and an|cient maie&s;tie is re&s;tored. Remem|bre, there is nothynge perteynynge &s;o moche to a princis honour, as to &s;ette forthe trouthe, and to helpe re|lygyon. Take you hede, that theyr deceyte worke not more my&s;chiefe, than your vertue can do good. And euerla&s;tynge warre, we wolde all princis had with this papacye. As for theyr decrees, &s;o harke to them, that yf in this Mantuan a&s;&s;emble, thynges be wel done, ye take them, but not as authori&s;ed by them, but y^e trouth, &amp; thynges that mayntein religion, are to be taken at all mens handes. And euen as we woll ad|mitte thynges wel made, &s;o if there be any thyng determyned in preiu|dyce of trouth, for mayntenance of
<PB REF="23">the euyll grounded primacy, or that may hurte thauctoritie of kynges, we prote&s;t vnto the hole world, that we neither allowe it, nor wyl at any tyme allowe it.</P>
<P><HI>&para; YE HAVE CHRISTEN</HI> re|ders our mynde, concernyng the ge+nerall councell: we thynke you all &s;ee, that Paul, and his Cardinals, By&s;hops, abbottes, Monkes, Fry|ers, with the re&s;te of the rablement, do nothynge le&s;&s;e intende, than the knowledge or &s;erche of trouth. Ye &s;e this is no tyme mete, Mantua noo place mete, for a generall councell. And though they were bothe mete, yet excepte &s;ome other cal this cou~|cell, you &s;ee, that we neither nede to come nor to &s;ende. You haue harde howe euery prynce in his owne re|alme, maye quiete thynges amy&s;&s;e. If there be any of you, that canne
<PB REF="23">&s;hewe vs a better way, we promi&s;e, with all harty de&s;yre to do that, that &s;halbe thought be&s;te for the &s;etlyng of religion, and that we woll leaue our owne aduy&s;es, yf any manne &s;hewe vs better. Whyche mynde of ours, we mo&s;te hartily praye god, that gaue it vs, not onely to encrea&s;e in vs, but al&s;o to &s;ende it vn|to all chri&s;ten princis, all chri|&s;ten prelates, al chri|&s;ten people.</P>
<P>&leaf;</P>
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<PB REF="24">
<P>LONDINI IN AEDIBVS THOMAE BERTHELETI REGII IMPRES.</P>
<P>AN. M.D.XXXVII.</P>
<P>CVM PRIVILEGIO.</P>
<PB REF="24">
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