ged at the first. Apocal. 6. but read forth the Chapter, and see what folowed in the end. Bloud, especially of Christes seruaunts is a perilous matter, and crieth sore in the eares of God, and will not be stilled with the lawes of men.

Wherfore let such bloudgiltie homicides beware, if not by my counsell, at least by the examples of their felowes. And though Princes and Magistrates vnder whose permissiō they are suffered, do spare their liues, let them not thinke therfore (as some of them shame not to say) that man hath no power to hurt them, and so thinke to escape vnpunished because they be not punished by man, but rather let them feare so much the more. MarginaliaGod maketh þ^e persecutors of his people cōmonly to bee their own persecutors.For oftentimes such as haue bene persecutours & tormentours to Gods children, God thinketh them not worthy to suffer by man, but either reserueth them to his owne iudgement, or els maketh them to be their owne persecutors, and their owne handes most commonly hangmen to their owne bodyes.

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MarginaliaSaul murderer of him selfe.So Saul after he had persecuted Dauid, it was vnnedefull for Dauid to pursue him agayne, for he was reuenged of him more then he desired.

MarginaliaAchitophell murderer of him selfe.It was nedeles to cause Architophel to be hanged, for hee hym selfe was the stifeler or strangler of hys owne life.

MarginaliaIudas murderer of him selfe.Neither for the Apostles to pursue Iudas that betrayed their master, for he him selfe was his owne hāgman, and no mā els, that his body brust and his guttes brast out.

MarginaliaSenacherib murdered of hys owne sonnes.Senacherib, had he not for hys persecutours hys owne sonnes, and cost Ezechias nothyng to be reuenged of him for his tyranny?

MarginaliaHerode and Antiochus murdered by lyse.Antiochus and Herode, although the children of God whom they so cruelly persecuted, layd no hand vpon them, yet they escaped not vnpunished of Gods hand, who sent lyce and wormes to be their tormentors, which consumed and eate them vp.

MarginaliaPilate murderer of him selfe.Pilate, after he had crucified Christ our Sauiour, within few yeares after was hee not driuen to hang hym selfe?

MarginaliaNero murderer of him selfe.Nero, after his cruell murders and persecutiōs styrred vp agaynst the Christians, when he should haue bene taken by the Romanes, God thought him not so worthy to be punished by the handes of them, but so disposed the matter, that Nero him selfe when he could finde no frend nor enemy to kill him, made his owne handes to be his owne cutthrote.

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MarginaliaDioclesianus, and Maximianianus Emperours deposed thē selues.Dioclesianus, with Maximinian his felow Emperours, which were þ^e authors of þ^e tenth & last persecution agaynst the Christiās, beyng in þ^e middest of their furious tyrannie agaynst the name of Christ, neded no mans helpe to bridle them and plucke them backe: for God of his secret iudgement put such a snaffle in the mouthes of these tyrauntes, that they them selues of their owne accorde deposed and dispossessed them selues of their imperiall function, & liued as priuate persons all their liues after: And notwithstandyng that Maximinian after that sought to resume his imperiall state agayne, yet by Maxentius his sonne he was resisted and shortly after was slayne.

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MarginaliaMaximinus eatē vp of lyse.What should I here speake of the cruel Emperour Maximinus, who when he had set forth his proclamation, engrauen in brasse, for the vtter abolishyng of Christ and his Religion, was not punished by man, but had lyce and vermine gushyng out of his entrals to be his tormentours, with such a rottyng stynch layd vpon his body, that no Phisicians could abyde to come nere, & were caused to be slayne for þ^e same. pag. 115.

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MarginaliaMaxentius, & kyng Pharao both drowned in their owne harnes.Maxentius the sonne of Maximinian, and Pharao kyng of Egypt, as they were both like enemyes agaynst God and his people, so dranke they both of one cup, not perishyng by any mans hand, but both in like maner after were drowned with their harnes in the water.

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Furthermore, and briefly in this matter to cōclude,

if the kynges among the Iewes, which were bloudy and wicked, were not spared, as Achaz, Achab, Iesabel, Manasses, Ioachim, Sedechias,MarginaliaAchaz. Achab. Iesabell. Manasses. Ioachim. Sedechias punished of God for their persecutions. with many other, but had at length, although it was long, the hyer of their iniquititie: let not these bloudy Catholickes then thinke, which haue bene persecutours of Christes Saintes, that they being in the same cause as the other were aboue recited, shall eschape the same iudgement, which the longer it is differred, the sorer many tymes it striketh, vnlesse by due repentaunce it be preuented, in tyme: which I pray God it may.

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Innumerable examples moe to the same effect and purpose might be inferred, wherof plentyfull store we haue in all places and in al ages of men to be collected. But these hetherto for this present may suffice, which I thought here to notifie vnto these our bloudy childrē of the murderyng mother Church of Rome,MarginaliaThe murderyng mother Church with her bloudy children admonished. of whom it may well be sayd: Manus vestræ plenæ sūt sanguine &c.  

Your handes be full of bloud. Esay. cap. 1.MarginaliaEsay. 1. to the entent that they by the examples of their other felowes before mentioned, may be admonished to folow the Prophets Coūsel, which foloweth and biddeth: Lauamini, mundi estote &c.   Be you washed, and make your selues cleane &c. Esay. 1.MarginaliaEsay. 1. and not to presume to farre vpon their owne securitie, nor thinke them selues the farther of from Gods hand, because mās hand forbeareth them.

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I know & graunt, that man hath no further power vpon any, thē God from aboue doth gyue. MarginaliaWhat the lawes of this Realme could say agaynst the persecutours in Queene Maryes tyme.And what þ^e lawes of this Realme could make agaynst them, as agaynst opē murderers, I will not here discusse, nor opē that I could say (because they shall not say that we desire their bloud to be spilled but rather to bee spared): but yet this I say, & wish them well to vnderstād, that þ^e sparing of their lyues which haue bene murderers of so many, is not for want of power in Magistrates, nor for lacke of any iust law agaynst thē, wherby the might iustly haue bene cōdemned if it had so pleased the Magistrates to procede (as they might) agaynst them: MarginaliaThe nature of the Church is not to persecute with bloud.but because almightie God peraduenture of some secret purpose hauyng some thyng to do with these persecuters, hath spared them hetherto, not that they should escape vnpunished, but that peraduenture he will take his owne cause in his own hand, either by death to take them away (as he did by Boner and by all promoters in a maner of Q. Maries time) or els to make them to persecute them selues with their owne handes, MarginaliaIn that þ^e persecutors bee suffered of þ^e church to lyue, it is to their more confusion.or will styrre vp their conscience to be their owne confusion, in such sort as þ^e Church shall haue no neede to lay any handes vppon them. Wherefore with this short admonition to close vp the matter, as I haue exhibited in these histories the terrible endes of so many persecutors plagued by Gods hād: so would I wish all such, whom Gods lenitie suffereth yet to lyue, this wisely to ponder with them selues, that as their cruell persecution hurteth not the Saintes of God whom they haue put to death: so the pacience of Christes Church sufferyng them to lyue, doth not profit them, but rather heapeth the greater iudgement of God vppon them in the day of wrath, vnles they repent in tyme, which I pray God they may.  

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Almighty GOD and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, of his gracious mercy, and for the reuerence of his sonne, either conuert the hartes of these bloudy enemyes, or cut short their power, and disapoynt their deuises, or els so shorten the perilous dayes of this kingdome of Sathan, that the peaceable kyngdome of Christ may be set vp for euer by the spedy commyng of hym, Qui venturus est in nubibus cœli. Veni cito Domine Iesu. Amen.  

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