gion shall be giuen vnto Princes of Christēdome? He will thinke he may then do as Princes now do. He will thinke it lawfull not to come then, because Princes nowe come not. We pray God, that we euer braule not one with an other for Religion: and where as dissension is amongest vs, yet we for our partes, do say that we, as much as men may, defend the better part, and be in the right way. We pray God that the world may enioy peace, and tranquillitie, and that then we may haue both tyme and place to settle Religion. For except first Princes agree, and (warre layde aside) seeke peace, he loseth his labour that seeketh a generall Councell. If the Byshop of Rome may keepe his Councell while they thus be together, will not there be made many pretye Decrees? If they which would come if they had laysure, be absente, and we which, though we safely might come, will not lose any part of our right, trowe you, in all our absence, that the Byshop of Rome will not handle his profite and primacie well?

MarginaliaThe tyme & place pretely pyked of the Pope. Paul, howe can any of ours not refuse to come to Mantua, through so many perils, a Citie so farre set from England, so nigh your frendes, kynsmen and adherentes? Is he not vnworthy lyfe, that where he may tarye at home, will passe through so many ieoperdyes of lyfe? Can he, whiche cometh to Cremona, a Citie not farre from Mantua, be safe,MarginaliaWhat an hereticke is among the Papistes. if he be takē not to be the Byshop of Romes frend, that is (as the common sort of deceiued people doth interpret) an hereticke? And if there come to Mantua such a nomber, as would furnish a generall councell, may not Mātua seeme to litle, to receiue so many gestes? Put these two together, all the way from England to Mantua, is full of iuste perils, & yet if ye escape all those, the very place where the Councell is kept, is more to be suspected, then all the way. Do ye not know all ciuile lawes to compell no mā to come to any place, where he shal be in ieoperdy of his life all the way? We haue no safe conduct to passe and returne by the dominions of other Princes. And if we had a safe conduct, yet should not we be charged with rashnes, that, where iust terrour might haue disswaded vs from such a iourney, we committed our selues to such perils? Surely, he that, the tyme beyng as it is, thynges standyngMarginaliaThe way to Mantua long & daungerous. as they do, will go from England to Mantua, may be careles, if he lacke witte: sure of his arriuall or returne from thence, he can not be. For who doth not know, how oft the byshops of Rome haue playd false partes with them, that in such matters haue trusted to their safeconductes? How oft haue they caused, by their perfidie, such men to be slayne, as they haue promised by their fayyth before, that they should both come safe, and go safe?MarginaliaThe falshode of Popes no new thing. These be no newes, Popes to be false, Popes to keepe no promise neither with God nor mā: Popes contrary to their othes, to defile their cruell handes with honest mens bloud. But we tary to long in thynges that as well touch all men, as vs.

We will, these now layde a part, turne our Oration vnto such thynges, as priuately touch both vs, Kyng Henry the viij. and all English men. Is it vnknowē to any man what mynde Paule the Byshop of Rome, beareth to vs kyng Henry the viij: to vs his nobilitie: to vs his graces Byshops: and to vs all his graces subiectes, for the pullyng downe of his vsurped power, and proude primacy: for expellyng of his vsurped iurisdiction: and for deliueryng of our Realme from his greuous bondage and pollage?MarginaliaThe hatred of the pope agaynst England. Who seeth not him euen inflamed with hatred against vs, & the flames to be much greater, then he can now keepe them in? He is an open enemy, he dissembleth no longer, prouokyng all men by all the meanes that he can to endammage vs & our countrey. These three yeares he hath bene occupyed in no one thyng so much, as how he might styrre vp the commons of England, now corruptyng some with money, some with dignities. We let passe, what letters he hath written to Christen Princes: with how great feruent study, he hath exhorted men to set vpon vs. The good Vicare of Christ, by his doyng sheweth howe he vnderstandeth the wordes of Christ. He thinketh, he playeth Christes part well, when he may say as Christ did: Non veni pacem mittere in terrā, sed gladium: I come not to make peace in earth, but to send swordes about:MarginaliaThe Pope bringeth not peace but the sworde to the earth, otherwyse then Christ did. and not such swordes, as Christ would his to be armed with all, but such as cruell manquellers, abuse in the slaughter of their neighbours. We meruaile litle, though they vexe other Princes oft, seyng they recompence our fauour shewed to them, with contumelyes, our benefites with iniuries.

MarginaliaBenefites cast away vpon the Pope. We will not rehearse here, how many our benefites bestowed vpon Romaine Byshops, be lost. God be with such vngrate Carls, vnworthy to be nombred amongest men: Certes, such that a man may well doubt, whether God or man hath better cause to hate them. But that we haue learned to owe good wil, euen to them that immortally hate vs, what could we wish them so euill, but they haue deserued much worse? We wish them this hurt alone, that God send them a better mynde. God be thanked, we haue made all their seditious ententes, sooner to shew their great malice towardes vs, then to do vs much hurt: yet they haue well taught vs, euermore to take good heede of our enemies. Vndoubtedly it were good goyng to Mātua, and to leaue their whelpes amongest the lambes of our flocke. When we be wery of our wealth, we will euen do then, as they would haue vs now do. No, no, as long as we shall see his hart so good towardes vs, we trust vpon his warnyng, we shall well prouide to withstād his cruell malice. No, let him now, spende his deceites, when they can hurt none but such as would deceiue, and are deceiued.

MarginaliaThe Popes curses not feared in England. They haue by sundry wayes, made vs priuy, how much we be bound to them. It went nygh their harts, to see the iudgement of Iuly, of Clement the vij. of Paule the iij, nothyng to be regarded with vs. They be affrayde, if we should susteine no hurt because we iustly reiected their primacie, that other Princes would begyn to do likewise, and to shake of their shoulders, the heauy burthens that they so long haue borne, agaynst Scripture, all right and reason. They be sory to see the way stopped, þ^t now their tyranny, auarice, and pride can haue no passage into England, which was wont to walke, to triumph, to tosse, to trouble all men. They can scarse suffer priuileges, that is to say, licence to spoyle our Citizens, giuen them by our forefathers and brought in by errorfull custome, to be taken frō them. They thinke it vnlawfull, that we require thynges lawfull of thē that will be vnder no lawes. They thinke, we do thē wrōg, because we wil not suffer them to do vs wrong any longer.MarginaliaThe Popes trumpery dispatched out of England. They see their marchaundise to be banished, to be forbidd?. They see, that we will bye no lōger, chalke for cheese. They see they haue lost a fayre flese, vengeable sory, that they can dispatch no more pardons, dispensations, tot quottes, with the rest of their baggage and tromperie. Englād is no more a babe.MarginaliaGolde geuen for leade. There is no man here, but now hee knoweth that they do foolishly, þ^t giue gold for leade, more weyght of that then they receiue of this. They passe not, though Peter and Paules faces be grauen in the leade, to make fooles fayne. No, we be sory that they should abuse holy Saintes visages, to the begylyng of the world.

Surely, except God take away our right wittes, not onely his authoritie shall be driuē out for euer, but his name also shortly shall be forgotten in England.MarginaliaGod graunt. We will from henceforth, aske counsell of him and his, when we lust to be deceiued, when we couet to be in errour, when we desire to offende God, trouth, and honesty. If a man may gesse the whole worke by the foundation,MarginaliaThe popes foundatiō is all deceite. where deceites begynneth the worke can any other then deceites be builded vpon this foundation? What can you looke for in this Mantuā Coūcell, other then the oppression of truth and true Religiō? If there be any thyng well done, thinke as euery man doth,MarginaliaThe Pope doth a fewe thinges wel, that many euils may the better proceede. byshops of Rome to be accustomed to do a few thynges well, that many euill may the better be taken at their handes. They whē they lust, can yeld some part of their right. They are cōtent, that some of their Decrees, some of their errours and abuses be reprehended: but they are neuer more to be feared, then when they shew themselues most gentill. For if they graūt a few, they aske many: if they leaue a litle, they will be sure of a great deale. Scarse a man may know how to handlel himselfe, that he take no hurt at their handes, yea when they blesse him: which seldome do good, but for an intent to do euil. Certainly come who so will to these shoppes of deceites, to these fayres of fraudes, we will lose no part of our right in commyng at his cal,MarginaliaThe Pope ought to be called and not to call. that ought to be called, and not to call. We will neither come at Mantua, nor send thether for this matter. &c.

And so the kyng proceedyng in the sayd his Protestation, declareth moreouer, how the Pope after he had summoned his Councell first to be kept at Mantua, the 23. of May, an. 1537. shortly after directed out an other Bull, to prorogate the same Councell to the moneth of Nouember, pretēdyng for his excuse, that the Duke of Mantua would not suffer him to keepe any Councell there, vnles he mainteined a number of warriours, for defence of the town.MarginaliaThe Pope againe prorogeth his Councell. And therfore in his latter Bull, he prorogeth this assemble, commaundyng Patriarckes, Archbyshops, Byshops, Abbots, and other of the spiritually, by the vertue of obedience & vnder payne of cursing, to be presēt, but sheweth no place at all where he would be, nor whether they should come. And in very deede no great matter, though no place were named. For as good Councell no where to be called, as where it could not be. And aswell no place serued him, that intended no Councell, as all places. And to say truth much better no place to be named, then to name such, as he purposed not to come too: for so should he breake no promise, whiche maketh none. And so goyng forward in his Oration, toward the latter ende, he thus inferreth by his wordes of Protestation, saying.