hys curtesans of Rome, MarginaliaPaulus Iouius can finde no whoredome in all Rome, but must come and pike matter where none is, in England.so impudentlye abuseth his penne in lying and rayling against this noble Queene: to aunswere againe in defense of her cause to that Italian, I obiecte and oppose the consent and iudgement of MarginaliaThe Protestātes of Germanye forsake King Henry, for the death of Quene Anne.so many noble Protestantes and Princes of Germany, who being in leage before with Kyng Henry, and myndyng no lesse but to haue made hym the head of their confederation, afterwarde hearyng of the death of this Queene, vtterlye brake from hym and refused hym, only for the same cause.

MarginaliaThe wylie practises of the papistes.But all this seemeth (as is sayd) to be the dryfte of the wylie papistes, who seyng the Pope to be repulsed out of England by the meanes chiefly of thys Queene, & fearing alwayes þ^e succession of thys mariage in tyme to come: thought by sinister practise to preuente that perill before, whysperyng in the kings eares, what possibly they could, to make that matrimonie vnlaufull, and all for the dishereting of that succession.

Agayn, Steuen Gardiner (who was a secret worker agaynst that mariage, and a perpetuall enemie against Lady Elizabeth) beyng then abroade with the French King & the great Maister of Fraunce, ceased not in his letters stil to put the king in feare, þ^t the forein Princes and powers of the world, with the Pope, would neuer be reconciled to the kyng, neyther should he be euer in any perfecte securitie, vnlesse he vndid agayne such actes before passed for the ratification of that succession. Which thing when they had now brought to passe after their owne desire, that both nowe the Queene was beheaded, and Elizabeth the kyngs daughter dishereted, they thought all thinges to bee sure for euer. MarginaliaGods prouidence still disapoynteth the Papistes.But yet Gods prouidence still went beyond them, and deceaued them. For incontinently after the suffering of Queene ANNE, MarginaliaThe king maried Lady Iane.the kyng with in three dayes after, maryed Lady IANE SEMER, of whom came Kyng EDWARD, as great an enemye to Gods enemie the Pope, as euer his Father was, and greater too.

In the meane tyme, as these troublous tumultes were in doyng in England, Paul the thyrd Byshop of Rome, for hys part was not behynd to helpe forward for his own aduauntage. MarginaliaThe seate of the beast darkned, Apoc. 16.Who seyng his vsurped kingdome and seate to be darkened in the countreys of Germany and also in England, thought it hygh tyme to bestyrre him, and therfore, to prouide some remedy against further daūgers, appointed a generall Coūcel at Mantua in Italie, requiryng all kyngs & princes either personally to bee there, or els to send their Ambassadours, vnder fayre pretenses, as to suppresse heresies & to restore þ^t Church, & to war against þ^e Turke, &c. This Bull was subscribed with the hands of 26. Cardinals, & set vp in diuers great Cities, that it might be knowē and published to þ^e whole world. MarginaliaEx Ioan. Sledano Lib. 10.Vnto the which Bull, first the Protestantes of Germany do aūswere, declaryng sufficient causes why they refused to resort to that Coūcell beyng indicted at Mantua in the Popes owne coūtrey. Whose declaration, with their causes graue & effectuall, being set forth in Printe and in the Englishe tonge, although they were worthy here to be inserted, yet for breuitie & more spede in our story, I will pretermit the same, and onely take the Oration or aunswere of our kyng here: Wherin he lykewise rendereth reasons and causes most reasonable, why hee refuseth to come or to send at the Popes call to hys Councell, indicted at Mantua. Whose Oration or Protestation, because it conteyneth matter of some weight and great experiēce, I thought here good to expresse, as foloweth.

MarginaliaThe kinges protestation why he sendeth not to the Popes Councell.SEyng that the Byshop of Rome calleth learned men from all parties, coductyng them by great rewardes, makyng as many of them Cardinalles as he thynketh most mete and most ready to defende fraudes and vntrouthes; we could not but with much anxietie cast with our selues, what so great a preparūce of wittes should meane. As chaūce was, we gessed euen as it foloweth. We haue bene so long acquaynted with Romaine subtilties & Popish deceytes, that we wel and easely iudged the Byshop of Rome to intende an assemble of hys adherentes and mē sworne to thynke all hys lustes to be lawes. We were not deceyued. Paul þ^e Byshop of Rome hath called a Councell, to the whiche he knew well eyther fewe or none of the Christen Princes could come. Both the time that he indicted it, and also the place where hee appoynted it to be, might assure him of thys. But whether wandereth not these Popishe Bulles? whether go they not astray? what kyng is not cyted & summoned by a proude minister and seruaunt of kynges, to come to bolster vp errours, fraudes, deceytes, and vntrouthes, and to set forth this feyned generall Councell? For who wyll not thinke that Paul the Byshop of Rome goeth sooner about to make men beleue that hee intendeth a generall Councell, then that he desyreth one in dede: No, who cā lesse desyre it, then they that do dispayre of their cause, except they be iudges, & gyue sentence them selues agaynst their aduersaries? We, which very sore against our wil, at any time leaue of þ^e procurement of þ^e realme and commō weale, neede neither to come our selues, nor yet to send our procuratours thether, no nor yet to make our excuse for either of both. For who can accuse vs, that we come not at hys call, whiche hath no authoritie to call vs?

But for a seasō let vs (as a sort of blindlings do) graūt þ^t he may cal vs, & that he hath authoritie so to do: yet (we pray you) may not al men see, what auaileth it to come to this Coūcell, where ye shall haue no place, except ye bee knowen both willyng to oppresse truth, & also readye to confirme & stablishe errours? Do not all mē perceiue as well as we, with what integritie, fidelitie, & religiō these mē go about to discusse matters in cōtrouersie, that take thē in hand in so troublesome a time as this is? Is it not playne what fruite þ^e cōmon weale of Christendome may looke for there, where as Mantua is chosen the place to kepe this Councell at? Is there any Prince, not beyng of Italy, yea is there any of Italy, Prince or other dissentyng from the Pope, that dareth come to this assemble, & to this place? If there come none, that dare speake for troden trouth, none that will venture his lyfe, is it meruaile if the Byshop of Rome beyng iudge, no man repynyng, no man agaynsaying, the defenders of the Papacie obteine that Popishe authoritie now quaylyng and almost fallen, be set vp agayne?

Is this the way to helpe thynges afflicte? to redresse troubled religion? to lift vp oppressed trouth? Shall men this way know, whether the Romane Bishops (which in very dede are, if ye loke either vpō their doctrine or life, farre vnder other Byshops) ought to be made like their felowes, that is, to be pastours in their own diocesse, and so to vse no further power: or elles whether they may make lawes, not onely vnto other Byshops, but also to kinges and Emperours? O boldnesse, mete to be beaten down with force, & not to be cōuinced with argumentes. Cā either Paul, that now Lordeth, or any of his, earnestly go about (if they alone, or at the least without any aduersary, be thus in a corner assembled together) to heale the sickenesses, to take away þ^e errours, to plucke downe the abuses that now are crept into the Churche, & there be bolstered vp, by such Councels as now is lyke to bee at Mantua?

It is very lyke, that these, whiche prole for nothyng but profite, will right gladly pull downe all such things, as their forefathers made, onely for the encrease of money. Where as their forefathers, whē their honour, power, primacie, was called into question, would either in spite of Gods law, mayntein their dignitie, or (to say better) their intollerable pride: is it lyke, that these will not trede in their steppes, and make naughty new Canons, wherby they may defende old euill Decrees? How be it, what neede we to care,either what they haue done, or what they intende to do hereafter, for as much as Englād hath takē her leaue of Popish craftes for euer, neuer to be deluded with thē hereafter? Romaine Bishops haue nothyng to do with Englishe people: the one doth not traficke with þ^e other: at the least, though they will haue to do with vs, yet we will none of their Marchaundyse, none of their stuffe. We will reteyne them of our Councell no more. We haue sought our hurte, and bought our losse a great while to long. Surely their Decrees, either touchyng thynges set vp, or put downe, shall haue none other place with vs, then all Byshops Decrees haue, that is, if we lyke them, we admit them: if we do not, we