TO you all and singular, which professe the doctrine and Religion of the Pope your holy father, and of your mother Church of Rome, pretendyng the name of Catholickes, commonly termed Papistes, wheresoeuer abiding in the Realme of England, these foure Questions or Problemes here vnder folowing I would moue, desiring you all eyther to muse vpō thē, or to answere thē at your laysure.

MarginaliaThe 1. Question.FIrst, for somuch as Mount Syon (which God calleth by the Prophet Iesai, the hill of his holines) beareth in Scripture an vndoubted type of the spirituall Church of Christ: and forsomuch as the sayd Iesai. cap. 11. and 65. prophesiyng of the sayd Mount Syon, sayth in these wordes: Non nocebunt neq; affligent in omni monte sancto meo, dicit Dominus &c. 1MarginaliaEsay. 11. 65.They shall not kill nor hurt, in all my holy hill, sayth the Lord. &c. And againe in the same Chapters thus we read: Habitabit Lupus cum agno, & Pardus cum hædo accubabit: Vitulus, & Leo & ouis vna commorabuntur, & puellus paruulus ducet eos &c. That is: The Wolfe shall dwell with the Lambe, and þ^e Leopard with the Kid: The Calfe, the Lyon, and the Sheepe shall feede together, and a young child shall rule them. The Cow also & the Beare shall abyde together, with their young ones, and the Lyon shall eate chaffe & foder lyke the Oxe. &c.

Vpon these premisses now followeth my Question, how the Church of Rome can be aunswerable to this hill of Syon: seyng in the sayd Church of Rome is, and hath bene now so many yeares such killing and slaying, such crueltie and tyranny shewed, such burnyng and spoyling of Christen bloud, such malice and mischiefe wrought, as in reading these histories may to all the world appeare.

MarginaliaObiection.To this if they aunswere, and expounde these wordes of the Prophet, as perteining to the Church triumphant: MarginaliaRefutation.therevnto I replye agayne: that by the wordes in the same place and in the same sentence expressed that sense can not stand, for as much as the Prophet in the very same place, where he prophesieth of this peaceable dwelling in Gods holy Mountayne without hurting or killing, meaneth playnely of the earth, and sheweth also the cause of that godly peace. Because (sayth he) the earth is replenished with knowledge and science of the Lord &c. ibid. And furthermore, the Prophet speaking of the same day when this shalbe, addeth, saying: In that day the roote of Iesse shall stand for a signe to the people, for the Gentils to be conuerted, and to seeke vnto hym. &c. Which day in no wise can be applyed to the Church in heauen triumphant, but onely here mylitant in earth.

MarginaliaPublicke execution of lawes, not forbidden in scripture.Touching which place of Iesai, further here is to be noted by the way, that by this peaceable Mount of Syon (which comprehendeth both the states, as well Ecclesiasticall as temporall) is not restrayned the publicke penalty of good lawes needefull to be executed vpon publicke malefactours, but here is restrayned the fiercenes, reuenge, cruelty, and vyolence of mens affections. MarginaliaThe conditions and properties of the true church of Christ.To which affections men being commonly subiect by nature, through grace and working of the Gospel are altered, reformed, and chaunged to an other disposition: from stoutnes to softenes: from violence to sufferance: from fiercenes to forbearing: from pride to humilitie: from crueltie to compassion: from wilines to simplicitie: from solemne singularity to humanitie and meekenes. Which vertues, if they had bene in the Church of Rome (accordyng to the rule of S. Paul, which willeth men that be stronger, to beare with the infirmities of the weaker, and that in the spirite of meekenes &c. Rom. 15. Gal. 6.)MarginaliaRom. 15. Galath. 6.I should not haue needed now at this tyme, to write such a long history as this of the suffering of so many Martyrs.

MarginaliaThe 2. question.My second Question is this: to demaunde of you Catholicke professours of the popes secte, which so deadly maligne and persecute the Protestantes professing the Gospell of Christ, what iust or reasonable cause haue you to allege for this your extreme hatred ye bare vnto them, that neyther you your selues can abyde to lyue with them, nor yet will suffer the other to liue amongest you? MarginaliaThe deadly hatred of the Papistes agaynst the protestantes, grounded vpon no iust cause nor deseruing.If they were Iewes, Turkes or infidels, or in their doctrine were any Idolatrous impietie, or detestable iniquitie in their liues: if they went about any deadly destruction, or priuy conspiracies to oppresse your liues, or by fraudulent dealyng to circumuent you, then had you some cause to complayne, and also to reuenge. Nowe seyng in their doctrine ye haue neyther blasphemy, idolatry, superstition nor misbeliefe to obiect vnto them: seyng they are Baptised in the same beliefe, and beleue the same articles of the Crede as ye do: hauyng the same God, the same Christ & Sauiour, the same Baptisme, and are ready to conferre with you in all kinde of Christian doctrine, neyther do refuse to be tryed by any place of the Scripture, how then riseth this mortall malice of you agaynst them? If you thinke them to be heretikes, then bryng foorth if ye can, any one sentence which they arrogantly hold, contrary to the minde of holy Scripture, expounded by the censure of most ancient Doctors? Or what is there in all the scripture to be required, but they acknowledge and confesse the same? See and trye the order of their liues and doynges, what great fault finde you? They serue God, they walke vnder his feare, they obey his law, as men may do: and though they be transgressours toward hym, as other men are, yet toward you what haue they done, what haue they committed or deserued why you should be so bitter agaynst them?

MarginaliaMalice and crueltie of Papistes against the countrey of Merindol and Cabriers.What offended the poore inhabitants of Merindol and Cabriers when the Byshop of Aix, the Cardinall of Turen, and other Bishops of Fraunce wrastyng from Fraunces the French kyng a commission, sent Menerius with his Captayne Iohn de Gay to destroy their countrey. an. 1530. who driuyng the poore people there into a barnefull of straw, set the barne on fire, and burned vp men, women, and children: And likewise in a Church, exercised the like crueltie vppon them, where were murdered the same time to the number of a thousand young and old, women, children, and young infantes, besides, vij. whole townes, with the most part of the dwellers therein beyng murdered and burnt in the sayd countrey of Prouence.

MarginaliaMalice of Papistes against the Citizens of Tholouse in France.Also before that, what offended the Citizens of Tholouse and Auinion when Pope Gregory the ix. set Lewes the French kyng to warre agaynst them and; agaynst Raymundus their Earle, without cause, where also the sayd king died at the siege.

MarginaliaMalice and crueltie of Papistes agaynst the Protestantes in the towne of Vassy.Or to speake of latter yeares, what hurt or harme did the poore Protestantes in the towne of Vassy, who peaceably beyng at a Sermon, were miserably slayne and cut, men, women, and children by the Duke of Guyes and his armed souldiours? besides other infinite examples almost not to be numbred of like crueltie, in Calabria, Apulia, Bohemia, Germany, Fraunce, and now of late in Flaunders, and in other countres mo.

MarginaliaClemencie and mercie shewed to Papistes in the reigne of Queene Elizabeth.But to let other countryes passe, let vs turne now to the peaceable gouernement in this Realme of England, vnder this our so mylde and gracious Queene now presently reignyng. Vnder whom you see how gently you are suffered, what mercy is shewed vnto you: how quietly ye liue. What lacke you, that you woulde haue, hauyng almost the best rowmes and offices in all the Realme, not onely without any losse of life, but also without any feare of death. And though a fewe of your Archclerkes be in custody: yet in that custody so shreudely are they hurt, that many a good Protestant in the Realme would be glad with all their hartes to chaung rowmes and dyet with them if they might. And albeit some other for their pleasure haue slypt ouer the Seas, if their courage to see countreyes abroade dyd so allure them, who could let them? yet this is certeyne, no dread there was of death that draue them. For what Papist haue you seene in all this lande to lose eyther life or lymme for Papistry duryng all these xij. yeares hether to since this Queenes reigne? And yet all this notwithstandyng, hauyng no cause to complayne, so many causes to geue God thankes, ye are not yet content, ye fret & fume, ye grudge and mutter, and are not pleased with peace, nor satisfied with safetie, but hope for a day, and fayne would haue a chaunge. And to preuent your desired day, ye haue conspired, and rise vp in open rebellion agaynst your Prince, whom the Lord hath set vp to be your gouernour.

MarginaliaThe trayterous murdering of the Lord Iames Regent of Scotland, Martyr.And as ye haue since that, now of late disturbed the quyet and peaceable state of Scotland, in murdering most traterously the gentle and godly Regent of Scotland (who in sparyng the Queenes life there when he had her in his handes, hath now therfore lost his owne) so with like fury, as by your rebellion appeareth, would disturbe the golden quyet and tranquillitie of this Realme of England, if ye might haue your willes. Which the mercifull grace of almighty, for Christ hys sonnes sake our Lord, forefende and vtterly disapoynt. Amen.

Wherfore these premisses considered, my question is to aske of you and know, what iust or reasonable cause ye haue of