MarginaliaPrinces as they gaue the pope hys primacie, so they take it from hym agayne. No, we will the Pope and his adherentes to vnderstand that, that we oft haue sayd, and now say, and euer will say: He nor his hath no authoritie, nor iurisdiction in England. We giue him no more then hee hath, that is neuer a deale. That which he hath vsurped against Gods law, and extorted by violence, we by good right, take frō him agayne. But he and his will say: we gaue them a primacie. We heare thē well. We gaue it you in deede. If you haue authoritie vpon vs, as long as our consent giueth it you, and you euermore will make your plee vpon our consent, then let it haue euen and ende, where it began: we consent no longer, your authoritie must needes be gone. If we being deceiued by false pretense of euill alledged Scriptures, gaue to you þ^t you ought to haue refused: why may we not, our errour now perceiued, your deceite espyed, take it agayne? We Princes wrote our selues to be inferiours to Popes. As long as we thought so, we obeyed them as our superiours. Nowe we write not as we dyd, and therefore they haue no great cause to maruayle, if we hereafter do not as we did. Both the lawes ciuill, and also the lawes of God, be on our side. For a free mā borne doth not lose his libertie, no nor hurt the plee of his libertie, though he write himselfe a bonde man.

MarginaliaCustome. Agayne, if they leane to custome, we send them to S. Cyprian, which sayth that custome, if trouth be not ioyned with it, is nothing, but erroris vetustas, that is, an old errour. Christ sayd: Ego sum via, veritas, & vita: I am the way trouth and life. He neuer sayd: Ego sum consuetudo, I am the custome. Wherfore, seyng custome serueth you on the one side, and Scripture vs vppon the other, are ye able to match vs? In how many places doth Christ monish you to seeke no primacie, to preferre your selues before no body? no, to be obedient vnto all creatures?MarginaliaThe popes title and hys dignitye, agree not together. Your old title, Seruus seruorum, euil agreeth with your new forged dignitie. But we will not tary in matters playne: We onely desire God, that Cesar & other Christian Princes, would agree vpon some holy Councell, where trouth may be tryed and Religion set vp, which hath bene hurt by nothyng so sore, as by generall not generall Councels. Errours and abuses grow too fast. Erudimini, erudimini qui iudicatis terram: Get you learning you þ^t iudge the earth, & excogitate some remedy for these so may diseases of the sicke Church. They that be wisest, do dispayre of a generall Councell.MarginaliaBest that euery Prince reforme his owne realme and tary not for generall Councels. Wherfore we thinke it now best, that euery Prince call a Councell prouinciall, and euery Prince to redresse his owne Realme. We make all men priuy, what we thinke best to be done for the redresse of Religion. If they like it, we doubt not, but they will folow it, or some other better. Our trust is, that all Princes will so handle them selues in this behalfe, that Princes may enioy their owne, and Priestes of Rome content themselues with that they ought to haue. Princes as we trust, will no longer nourish Wolues whelpes: they will subscribe no more to Popish pride, to the Papacie. &c.

Fauour our doynges, O Christen Princes. Your honor and auncient Maiestie is restored. Remember, there is nothyng pertainyng so much to a Princes honour, as to set forth truth, and to helpe religion. Take you hede, that their deceite worke not more mischief, then your vertue can do good: & euerlastyng warre we would all Princes had with this Papacy. As for their Decrees, so harken to them, that if in this Mantua assemble, thynges be well done, ye take them, but not as authorised by them, but that trouth and thynges that mainteine religion, are to be taken at all mens handes. And euen as we will admit thynges well made, so if there be any thyng determined in preiudice of trouth, for mainteinaunce of their euill grounded primacy, or that may hurt þ^e authoritie of kings, we protest vnto þ^e whole world, that we neither allow it, nor will at any tyme allow it.

Ye haue, Christen Readers, our mynde concernyng the generall Councell. We thinke you all see, that Paul and his Cardinals, Bishops, Abbots, Monkes, Friers, with the rest of the rablement, do nothing lesse intend, then the knowledge or search of trouth. Ye see, this is no time meete, Mātua no place meete, for a generall Coūcell. And though they were both meete, yet except some other call this Councell, you see, that we neither neede to come, nor to send. You haue heard how euery Prince in his owne Realme, may quyet thynges amysse. If there be any of you, that can shew vs a better way, we promise with all 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 mynde of ours, we most hartly pray 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, wherin was geuē to the kyng by consent of the Abbots, all such houses of religiō, as were vnder 300. markes.MarginaliaThe papistes purpose disapointed. Which was a shrewde prognosticate of the ruine of greater houses, which in deede folowed shortly after, as was and might easely be perceaued before of many, who then sayd: that the low bushes and brambles were cut downe before, but great okes would follow after.

Although the proccedyng of these thynges did not well lyke the myndes of the Popes frends in England: yet notwithstanding they beganne agayne to take some breath of comfort, when they saw the foresayde Queene Anne dispatched. Neuertheles they were frustrate of their purpose (as is aforeshewed) and that doublewise. For first, after they had their willes of Queene Anne,MarginaliaQueene Iane maryed to the kyng. the Lorde raised vp an other Queene, not greatly for their pupose, with her sonne Kyng Edward. And alsoMarginaliaL. Cromwell groweth in authoritie. for that the Lord Cromwell the same time beganne to grow in authoritie. Who lyke 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 foresayde maryage of the king 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 consent of the Clergie holding then a solemne conuocation in the Church of S. Paule, a booke was set forth c?teyning certeine Articles of religion necessary to be taught to the people, wherein they intreated specially but of three Sacramentes: Baptisme, Penance, and the Lords supper. Where also diuers other thinges were published concerning the alteration of certeine pointes of Religion, as that certeine holy dayes were forbidden, and many Abbayes began to be suppressed.MarginaliaCommotion in Lincolnshire. For the which cause, the rude multitude of Lincolneshyre fearing the vtter subuersion of their olde religion, wherein they had bene so long nousled, did rise vp in a great cōmotion, to the number welneare of 20. thousand,MarginaliaA monke stirrer of the commotiō. hauing for their Captaine, a Monke named D Makerell, calling himselfe then Captaine Cobbler: but these rebels being repressed by the kinges power, and desiring pardon, soone brake vp their assemblye. For they hearing of the royall armie of the king cōming against them with his owne person there present, and fearing what would folow of this, first the noble men and Gentlemen, which before fauoured them, began to withdraw thēselues, so that they were destitute of Captaines: and at the last, they in writing made certeine petitions to the king, protesting that they neuer intended hurt toward hys royall person. These petitiōs the king receiued, and made this aunswere againe to them as foloweth.

MarginaliaThe kinges aunswere to the rebels. FIrst, we begin and make aunswere to the fourth & sixte articles, because vpon them dependeth much of the rest. Concerning choosing of Counsailours, I neuer haue read, heard, nor knowen, that Princes Counsailours and Prelates. should be appointed by rude and ignoraunt common people, nor that they were persons meete, or of habilitie to discerne and choose meete and sufficient Counsaylors for a Prince: How presumptuous then are ye the rude cōmons of one shire, and that one the most base of the whole realme, and of the least experience, to finde faulte with your Prince, for the electing of his Counsailours and Prelates, and to take vppon you, contrary to Gods lawe, and mans lawes, to rule your Prince, whom ye are bounde by all lawe, to obey and serue with both your lyues, landes, and goods, 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 our subiectes should wel know, that this is graunted vs by all the nobles spirituall & 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 vpon their mere will and fantasie, as ye full falsely would perswade our realme to beleue.

And where ye alleage, that the seruice of God is much diminished, the truth therof is contrary: for there be no houses suppressed where God was well serued, but where most vice, mischiefe, and abomination of liuyng was vsed, and that doth well appeare by their owne confessions subscribed with their owne handes in the tyme of their visitations,MarginaliaIn these visitations of religious houses, horrible it is to read what wickednes & abomination was there founde and registerd by the visitors. and yet we suffered a great many of them (more thē we needed 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 reliefe of the poore, we wonder ye be not ashamed to affirme, that they haue bene a great reliefe of poore people, when a great many or the most part hath not past foure or fiue religious persons in them, and diuers but one, which spent the substaunce of the goods of their houses in