MarginaliaCustome.Agayne, if they leane to custome, we sende them to S. Cyprian, which sayth that custome, if trouth be not ioyned with hit, is nothing, but erroris vetustas, that is, an olde errour. Christ sayd: Ego sum via, veritas, & vita: I am the way trouth and lyfe. He neuer sayd: Ego sum consuetudo, I am the custome. Wherfore, seying custome serueth you on the one syde, and scripture vs vpon the other, are ye able to matche vs? In howe many places doth Christ monish you to seke no primacy, to prefer your selfe before no body? no, to be obedient vnto all creatures? MarginaliaThe popes title & his dignitye, agree not together.Your olde title, Seruus seruorum, euyll agreeth with your newe forged dignitye. But we will not tary in matters playne: We only desire God, that Cesar & other Christian Princes, would agree vpō some holy Councell, where trouth may be tried and religion set vp, which hath bene hurte by nothing so sore, as by general not generall Councels. Errours & abuses grow too fast. Erudimini, erudimini qui iudicatis terram: Gette you learnyng, you that iudge the earth, and excogitate some remedye for these so may diseases of the sicke Church. They that be wyseste, doo dispaire of a generall Councell. MarginaliaBest that euery Prince reforme his owne realme and tary not for generall Councels.Wherfore we thinke it now beste, that euery Prince call a Councell prouinciall, and euery Prince to redresse his owne realme. We make all men priuye, what we thinke beste to be done for the redresse of religion. If they lyke it, we doubte not, but they will folowe it, or some other better. Our truste is, that al Princes wyll so handell them selfe in this behalfe, that Princes may enioye their owne, & Priestes of Rome content thē selues with that they ought to haue. Princes as we trust, will no longer nourysh wolues whelpes: they will subscribe no more to popishe pride, to þ^e papacie. &c.

Fauour our doings, O Chrysten Princes. Your honour and aūcient maiestie is restored. Remembre, there is nothing pertaininge so much to a Princes honour, as to set forth truth, and to helpe religion. Take you hede, that their deceyte worke not more mischiefe, then your vertue can do good: and euerlasting warre we woulde all Princes had with this papacye. As for theyr decrees, so harkē to them, that if in this Mantuan assemble, things be wel done, ye take thē, but not as authorised by them, but that trouth and thinges that mayntein religion, are to be taken at all mens handes. And euen as we will admit things wel made, so if there be any thing determined in preiudice of trouth, for maintenance of their euill groūded primacy, or that may hurte thautoritie of kings, we protest vnto the whole world, that we neyther allow it, nor will at any tyme allowe it.

Ye haue, Christen readers, our minde concerning the generall Councell. We thinke you all see, that Paule and his Cardinals, Bishops, Abbottes, Monkes, Friers, with the rest of the rablement, do nothyng lesse intende, then the knowledge or search of trouth. Ye see, this is no tyme mete, Mantua no place mete, for a generall Coūcell. And though they were both mete, yet except some other call this Councel, you see, that we neither nede to come, nor to send. You haue heard how euery Prince in hys owne realme, may quiet thynges amysse. If there be any of you, that can shew vs a better way, we promise with al harty desire, to do that, that shalbe thought best for the setlyng of religion, and that we will leaue our owne aduises, if any man shew vs better. Whiche minde of ours, we moste hartelye praye God, that gaue it vs, not onely to encrease in vs, but also to send it vnto all Christen Princes, all Christen Prelates, and all Christen people.

A litle before the death of Queene Anne, there was a Parlament at Westminster, wherein was geuen to the kyng by consent of the Abbottes, all such houses of religion, as were vnder 300. markes. MarginaliaThe papists purpose disapointed.Whiche was a shrewde prognosticate of the ruine of greater houses, whiche in dede folowed shortly after, as was & might easely be perceaued before of many, who then sayd: that the low bushes and brambles were cut downe before, but greate okes would folow after.

Although the procedyng of these thynges did not well lyke the myndes of the Popes frendes in Englād: yet notwithstandyng they began agayne to take some breath of comfort, when they saw the foresayd Queene Anne dispatched. Neuertheles they were frustrate of their purpose (as is aforeshewed) and that doublewise. For first after they had their wylles of Queene Anne, MarginaliaQuene Iane maried to the king.the Lord raised vp an other Queene, not greatly for their pupose, with her sonne kyng Edward: And also MarginaliaL. Cromwell groweth in authoritie.for that the Lord Cromwell the same tyme began to grow in authoritie. Who like a mighty piller set vp in the Church of Christ, was enough alone to confounde and ouerthrow all the malignant deuises of the aduersaries, so long as God gaue hym in lyfe here to continue: whose story hereafter foloweth more at large.

Shortly after this foresayd mariage of the kyng with this Queene Iane Semer aboue mētioned, in the moneth of Iune, during the continuation of the Parlament, MarginaliaAlteration of religion a little beginneth.by the cōsent of þ^e Clergy holding then a solēne conuocation in the Church of S. Paul, a booke was set forth cōteinyng certein Articles of religion necessary to be taught to the people, wherin they intreated specially but of iij. Sacramētes: Baptisme, Penance, and the Lordes supper. Where also diuers other thinges were published cōcernyng þ^e alteration of certeine pointes of religion, as that certeine holy dayes were forbydden, and many Abbayes began to bee suppressed. MarginaliaCommotion in Lyncolnshyre.For the whiche cause, the rude multitude of Lincolneshyre fearyng the vtter subuersion of their old religion, wherin they had bene so long nousled, did rise vp in a great cōmotion, to the number wellnere of 20. thousand, MarginaliaA monke styrrer of the commotion.hauyng for their Captain, a Monke named Doct. Makerell, callyng him selfe then Captain Cobbler: but these rebels beyng repressed by the kynges power, and desiryng pardon, soone brake vp their assemblie. For they hearing of the royall armie of the king cōming agaynst them with hys owne person there present, and fearyng what would folow of this, first the noble men & Gentlemen, which before fauoured them, began to withdraw them selues, so that they were destitute of Captaines: and at the last, they in writyng made certeine petitions to the kyng, protesting that they neuer intended hurte toward his royall person. These petitions the kyng receiued, and made this aunswere agayne to them as foloweth.

MarginaliaThe kinges aunswere to the rebells.First, we begin and make aūswere to the fourth and sixte articles, because vpon them dependeth much of the rest. Cōcerning choosing of Counsailours, I neuer haue read, heard, nor knowē, that Princes Counsailours and Prelates, shoulde be appointed by rude and ignoraunt common people, nor that they were persones mete, or of habilitie to discerne and choose mete and sufficient Coūsailors for a Prince: How presumptuous then are ye the rude commons of one shire, and that one the moste base of the whole realme, and of the least experience, to fynde faulte with your Prince, for the electing of his Counsailours and Prelates, and to take vppon you, contrarie to Gods lawe, and mannes lawes, to rule your Prince, whome ye are bounde by all lawe, to obey and serue with both your lyues, landes, and goodes, and for no worldly cause, to withstand?

MarginaliaFor suppression of religous houses.As to the suppression of religious houses and Monasteries, we will that ye and all oure subiectes shoulde well knowe, that this is graunted vs by all the nobles spirituall and temporall of this our Realme, and by all the commons in the same, by Acte of Parlament, and not set forth by any Counsailour or Counsailours vpō their mere will and fantasie, as ye full falsely would perswade oure realme to beleue.

And where ye alleage, that the seruice of God is much diminished, the truth therof is contrarye: for there be no houses suppressed where God was well serued, but where most vice, mischiefe, and abomination of liuynge was vsed, and that doth well appeare by their owne cōfessions subscribed with theire owne handes in the tyme of their visitations, MarginaliaIn these visitations of religious houses, horrible it is to reade what wickednes and abomination was there founde, and regesterd by the visitors.and yet we suffered a great many of them (more then we neded by the Acte) to stand: wherin, if they amend not theyr liuing, we feare, we haue more to aunswere for, then for the suppression of all the rest. And as for the hospitalitie for the relief of the pore, we wonder ye be not ashamed to affirme, that they haue bene a great reliefe of poore people, when a great manye or the most parte hath not past foure or fyue religious persons in them, and diuers but one, whiche spent the substaunce of the goodes of their houses in norishing of vice and abominable liuing. Now, what vnkindnes and vnnaturalitie may we impute to you and all oure subiectes that be of that mynde, which had leuer such an vnthriftye